The Book of Revenge (14 page)

Liz forced herself to smile. ‘I know. I like him too.’

Liz started to close the door as she left. Then she stopped and looked at her beautiful daughter. One earphone was already back in Sam’s ear.

‘Sam...’

Sam looked up expectantly.

‘I love you.’ Liz said.

Matt was desperately trying to get into town. But life, and particularly the traffic, were conspiring against him. An accident had caused major delays and he was getting nowhere fast. He tried ringing her phones. Her mobile and her house number, but she wasn’t answering. Not to him at any rate. He even tried Sam’s mobile, but she wasn’t answering either.

He thought about sending a squad car to pick her up from home, but that would compromise her and he didn’t want to do that. His trip to Milltown had confirmed his suspicions, the sold house, a chat to the neighbours, and he had all the information he needed. Steve Bryant, her dead husband was the lock fitter. He could guess the rest, he had his own memories from that night, it was easy to put it all together. But he could end it, cover it up. He’d already started to formulate a cover story. But he had to get to her first. He owed her, and whatever the price, he was willing to pay it.

Matt tried ringing numbers from his Rugby player list, it seemed the whole world was out and about and nobody answered their phones anymore. The car edged forward a few meters and then stopped again as traffic lights turned red. He tried Liz again. ‘Come on, talk to me…’ he pleaded. But she didn’t. He threw his phone down in frustration and swung the car into an illegal U turn before turning into a side street. He’d have to take the back roads.

Liz put her dark clothes on. She shoved her balaclava and her gun into her jacket pocket. She opened the large manuscript book that was on the desk and removed the keys from the back. Not all of them. She knew the ones she wanted. Then she locked the book away again and left the study. In the kitchen she put a note on the table for Sam, nothing long or emotional, it was just an address, a phone number and the words  - Sam this your Gran, look her up.

Outside she walked confidently towards her car. It didn’t matter if her number plate was seen. This was the last outing, she knew that. It would take too long to use the pushbike she had used for the other hits. She needed to move fast to stand any chance of getting the job done.

The first hit was easy. Tim Taylor lived in a mobile home. He put up little resistance beyond begging for his life. When he’d finished writing on the grubby floor he’d looked up at her and dared to ask why?

She shot him, a single bullet in the forehead and hurried on her way. She wasn’t sure if she had been seen. She thought she heard someone shout after her. But she didn’t stop. There was no running or screaming behind her, she reached her car climbed in and drove away.

He asked why?

The young Liz was helped out of the pub by her sister. The sound of Kylie Minogue singing,' I should be so lucky' followed them out. It was noisy outside. A large group of youths were singing and shouting as they made their way down the street.

Melissa helped her round the corner. A bus shelter was up ahead. It was a wooden one, like a little hut. Liz’s head was spinning. She dropped to her knees. Melissa couldn’t hold her up anymore. 

‘Come on Lizzie.’ Her sister said struggling to get her back on her feet.

One of the rowdy youths ran to help her. It was a much younger Andrew. ‘Here, let me help you sweetie.’ He lifted Liz up easily and turned around to shout to the rest of the group. ‘Come on, we have pretty wenches in distress.’

Melissa tried to regain control of the situation. ‘We’re fine, really. It’s cool.’

But Andrew wasn’t interested in anything she had to say. He had Liz in his arms and he liked it.

The rest of the pack was hurrying to catch up, Kevin and Brian leading them.

Melissa looked back towards the pub, wondering if she should run back and get Steve. But that meant leaving Liz alone with the youths.

Kevin put his arm across her shoulders and purposefully steered her towards the shelter, following Andrew and her sister. 

Andrew laid Liz down onto one of the benches. Melissa tried to put herself between him and her sister, forcing herself to remain calm, but she couldn’t quite hide the panic from her voice. ‘Thanks. We’ll be ok now. Dad’ll be along in a minute to pick us up.’

Kevin and Andrew exchanged a look. Brian smiled. A silent communication completed, they moved closer.

Liz was sobering up. The menace of the moment was kicking into her consciousness. She sat up. The lads around them had gone quiet. Like they knew something was about to kick off.

Kevin turned to the group. He scanned their faces – fear, panic, excitement. ‘Give us some cover, we’re gonna party.’

Liz managed to get to her feet and tried to run, but she didn’t stand a chance against Andrew. He pulled her by her hair and yanked her back towards him.

Melissa screamed and ran to her aid. But she was grabbed by Kevin who punched her in the face and then threw her onto the concrete floor.

Andrew was on top of Liz on the bench. She tried to scream but he clamped his hand over her mouth. She bit him hard. He yelped with pain, and then hit her. ‘Fucking bitch.’

One of the youths stepped forward as if to intervene. Brian floored him with a punch in the stomach. He smiled nastily at the lad on the floor. ‘Lighten up...’he looked around the men, ‘this is a party.’ Silent agreement spread through the group. It wasn’t easy to stand up against Brian, Andrew and Kevin.

Melissa was face down on the filthy floor with Kevin pushing her head into the ground. She could hardly breathe, let alone scream as Kevin took her from behind.

Andrew leant down close to Liz’s face. ‘Scream and I’ll hurt her.’ He paused to make sure that she understood. The terror in her eyes all the confirmation he needed. Then he smiled. A horrible, creepy smile. ‘Now be a good girl and we can all have some fun.’

Tears streamed down Liz’s cheeks. But she didn’t close her eyes. She looked defiantly into her attackers face imprinting him with hatred into her soul.

Kevin stood up and zipped his flies. He kept a foot on Melissa’s back to keep her down. Sobbing into the dust, she tried to reach around and pull her skirt down to cover herself. But he kicked her hand away and pushed her skirt higher. Her face burned with pain, shame and humiliation.

Kevin looked around the group. ‘Who’s next?’

Kevin grinned victoriously and looked at the lad nearest to him, it was Adam. Nobody moved. Kevin grabbed him and shoved him towards Melissa. The lad tripped and fell down beside her. Melissa closed her eyes and turned her head away.

‘Come on Adam, what are you? Man or a virgin?’ Kevin taunted.

The group of youths laughed nervously.

‘You are...’ he pointed at Adam, ‘he is. He’s a fucking virgin!’

Adam was on the floor being laughed at by his peers. He didn’t like it. He did what was expected of him.

Kevin led the group as they chanted his name ‘A-dam. A-dam...’

The sound hammered into Liz’s brain as Andrew hammered into her. Hate, fury and anger blunted the pain. Finally finished, Andrew stood up and punched the air, like he’d just achieved something amazing. Kevin grabbed the next lad and thrust him forward to Andrew.  Andrew smiled at the lad and pointed down at Liz. ‘This one loves to party.’

Liz was cold sober now and quickly calculated her options. She had none. Even if she managed to get up and run, she couldn’t leave her sister to endure alone. A gang of fit young rugby players stood between her and the pub. She didn’t stand a chance, she couldn’t fight them and no one was close enough to hear her scream.

The lads were enthused and excited. Kevin’s taunts and chanting had worked them into frenzy. Both the silence and the reticence had gone. Mob mentality had taken over.

Andrew leant down, his face inches from Liz. He grabbed her chin and turned her head to look at Melissa. Her sister was still and pale like a statue as the assault on her body continued. Andrew looked menacingly into her eyes. ‘You won’t be any trouble at all, will you sweetie?’

Liz slowed down; tears were rolling down her face. She was driving way too fast, and was afraid she would attract attention. A police car, siren on, sped past in the opposite direction; maybe someone did see her after all. It annoyed and upset her that the men seemed to have buried their guilty pasts. It was as if that night had been erased from their minds. Surely they all know that the day of reckoning would come? Liz wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, she had a job to finish, and she had to concentrate.

Matt banged impatiently on her door. No answer. He hurried around the back of the house and tried the back door. Locked. He quickly removed his jacket and wrapped it around his hand then he smashed a window. 

Inside, he headed straight for the study. Again it was locked. He gritted his teeth, squared his shoulders and rammed the door. It stayed solidly closed. He concentrated all his anger and frustration into his attack and launched himself at the wood again. This time the door creaked and groaned and splintered. Encouraged he did it again and this time he smashed his way into the study.

 
He pulled open drawers and searched the contents. The largest one at the bottom was locked. He pulled and pushed and in sheer frustration kicked at it. But it resisted his anger and held onto the secrets within.

Matt ran back downstairs and retrieved his jacket from the floor. He shook of the shards of glass and dug into his pocket for a penknife.

Back in the study he set to work on the drawer again.

Liz parked the car and climbed out. It was an unassuming street. Terraced houses, each one, tall and narrow like shoe boxes lined up in a row. It was still light and a few people were around. A little girl was skipping on her lawn and a man was washing his car. Liz walked casually along the street. Her balaclava was in her pocket. She fingered it impatiently. A woman called the little girl indoors for her tea. Liz kept on walking.

Looking in the wing mirror of a parked car, she saw the man pick up his bucket and go inside. Liz took her chance. She walked confidently, like she belonged, and headed down a drive, to a front door. She pulled a key from her pocket and put it into the lock.

The key didn’t turn. The door didn’t open.

Shocked, Liz checked the key. It had a tiny label on with the letter C. C for Cane. Edward Cane. There was no mistake. She tried again, the door would not open. She looked at it. The door itself was several years old. She didn’t need to look at it to know that her husband had fitted it. But the lock itself was shiny and new. She hesitated, unsure what to do next. Time was running out. Did she go straight on to the next one and let Mr Cane escape with his life? No. He had to pay. She rang the doorbell.

Edward smiled at her uncertainly when he opened it and saw an attractive female on his doorstep. But the smile soon slipped when the gun was shoved into his stomach.

 
Finally the lock on the drawer gave way to the pressure from Matt’s pen knife. He found what he was looking for, but hoped he wouldn’t find. Until that moment he’d prayed that by some miracle he had it wrong. He lifted out a book and laid it onto the desk.

He stared at it. THE BOOK OF REVENGE written in capital letters across the front.

Matt slumped down into the desk chair; all his nightmares had come alive. ‘Oh Liz, what have you done?’

He touched it as though afraid it would burn his fingers, Matt opened up the manuscript book. It was full of clippings and a journal. 

He started to read aloud, ‘If you are reading this book then I assume I have finished my task and handed myself in for punishment. I know what I have done is terrible. I’m not criminally insane, I know exactly what I’ve done and why. I hope this book will explain....’

Matt turned the page and continued to read. ‘Our lives were normal, almost perfect until the night my sister and I were viciously and repeatedly raped....’

Matt didn’t need to read on for the details of that night. They were locked away in his head, like a stalker hiding in the shadows. He’d spent twenty years running away from the memories. Now he had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

A young Matt was singing and chanting along with the rest of the victorious Rugby team. Up ahead was the pub, Matt ran on and ducked inside to use the gents. As he entered the pub, two pretty girls were coming out. It was Melissa supporting a drunken Liz. He grinned at them and moved aside to let them pass.

When Matt came out of the toilets the rest of the youths were out of view. He couldn’t see them but he could hear them. He followed the noise around the corner and caught up with them at the bus stop. He was very drunk and he staggered a bit, he wasn’t used to drinking.

Matt joined the crowd; he couldn’t immediately comprehend what was happening.  Kevin was taunting Adam; he seemed to want Adam to have sex with a girl who was face down on the floor. Andrew was with another girl on the bench. When Andrew finished, Kevin shoved James forward.