Wrong Place: A gripping serial killer crime thriller. (3 page)

“Darling, I’m so glad I caught you.”

Sally sank onto the desk, relieved to hear her mother’s calm and caring voice. “Hi, Mum. I was just heading home for the night. I was going to ring for a chat later anyway. Nothing wrong, is there?”

“No, dear. Okay, I won’t hold you up. Call me later if you will.” She hung up without saying goodbye, which was quite out of character for Sally’s mother.

Jack appeared in the doorway as Sally was placing the phone into its cradle. “Anything wrong?”

Sally shrugged. “How the heck should I know, especially where my mother’s concerned? You know how wacky she can be at times.”

Jack laughed. “Yeah, I know. Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”

Still mulling over the strange conversation she’d had with her mum, Sally took Jack up on his offer. “Families, eh? Can’t live with them, and can’t live without them. They’re an absolute law unto themselves at times.”

Jack’s face clouded over for a fleeting moment. If Sally hadn’t worked alongside him for the past six years, she probably wouldn’t have picked up the subtle change in his demeanour. She knew when to hold back and not push him, though. He would tell her what was going on in that head of his when he was ready. It just proved that she wasn’t the only one with crap to deal with on the home front at present. Thankfully, having Darryl permanently out of her hair meant less stress to deal with in that respect. All she had to contend with was her mother weirding her out once in a while. Since menopause had taken hold of Sally’s mother, Janine Tomlin had been guilty of so many weird, and at times unlawful events, driving her husband, Christopher, and her daughter to distraction on more than one occasion. Sally often wondered how her mother coped with dealing with the old folks at the care home day in and day out. Surely she would need her wits about her when constantly seeing to their requirements.

Sally bid her partner farewell, giving him a friendly punch to the upper arm, before she jumped in her own car and sped off for her tiny flat in the centre of Norwich.

She opened the kitchen cupboard and removed a bottle of red wine and one of her large, blue-tinted wine glasses. She filled the glass to the top then peeped in the fridge to see what she could rustle up for dinner. A platter of cheeses in the centre of the fridge stared back at her. With all the moving and unpacking she’d thrown herself into over the weekend, she’d had very little time to do any actual grocery shopping—this was the result of her forgetfulness. Sally rummaged in one of the cupboards and found a packet of savoury biscuits to accompany the cheese. The meal was hardly a well-nutritional banquet, and her mother would have been appalled to see her sitting down to a meal without the obligatory meat and two veg, but it was Sally’s idea of heaven at the end of a long day’s shift.

Halfway through the meal, her mobile rang. She looked at the number and sighed.
Answer it or leave it to ring?
She knew her ex would pester her all evening if she didn’t answer. “Yes, Darryl. What do you want?”

“There’s no need for you to bubble over with excitement,” he replied sarcastically.

“I’m busy.
What
do you want?”

“I was between flights and wondered if you’d care to join me for dinner.”

Sally’s mouth dropped open.
What the fuck is wrong with this man?

“Sally, baby, talk to me.”

“I can’t, Darryl. You heard what the judge said—we both need to forget the past four years and move on with our lives. I’m sorry, but from now on, I intend my life to be a Darryl-free zone. Go forth and find another mug willing to put up with your abusive ways. From this day forward, that person isn’t going to be me. Have you got that?”

The phone clicked. Sally inhaled and exhaled slowly for the next few minutes, trying to calm her erratic heartbeat to a near-normal level. She wished she had never fallen for his charm. She’d wished it nigh on a hundred times after the blissful first six months of the marriage had passed. Then a light switch had gone off in Darryl’s head, telling him he had the right to verbally and physically dominate her. At first, she’d bowed to his demands, fearing what would happen to her if she didn’t. Then one day, she’d used the computer at work to carry out a full background check on her darling husband. She was shocked to find that he’d been married to two women before her, and both had gone to the trouble of registering domestic violence abuse complaints against him.
Why didn’t I carry out the checks before walking down the aisle?

But then, Darryl had fooled everyone, not just her. People just got caught up in the romance of him being a pilot. A dark, handsome, and slim long-haul pilot, Darryl had ten years of flying experience under his belt and was a captain for one of the world’s biggest airlines, to boot. Taking a huge gulp of wine didn’t prevent the tears forming in her eyes. Sally had never been so gullible in her life before Darryl, and every night as she lay in her bed, dwelling over the past four years of madness, she swore that it would never happen again.

From now on, men can take a hike.
Life was just too short for her to be involved in another draining and demoralising relationship. She had no intention of ever having children. Therefore, she truly had no need for another relationship, let alone a marriage.

The sound of the phone disrupted her miserable thoughts. “Hello, Mum, I was just getting settled before I called back.”

“That’s all right, dear. I was only checking if you’d made it home all right. That’s all.”

Sally covered the phone’s mouthpiece and sighed. “I’m twenty-nine, Mum, not some wayward teenager.”

“I know, I know. Now don’t go getting shirty with me. If I’m in the wrong for caring, then I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m the one who should be apologising, Mum. It’s been a tough day and…”

“And?”

“Darryl just rang me.”

Her mother gasped. “No! Why?”

“Can you believe he wanted to take me out for a meal? He said he was between flights and at a loose end.”

“Good Lord. That man has a bloody screw loose if he thinks you’ll take him back. You won’t—will you, dear?” she asked, uncertainty lingering in her voice.

Sally tutted loudly. “No fear of that, Mum.”

“Good, I’m glad to see you’re keeping your sense where that animal is concerned. Now, how about coming to dinner on Sunday? Better still, why don’t you come and stay with us for the weekend? I know someone who would be super pleased to see you.”

Sally smiled as the thought of her wonderful golden Labrador filled her mind. “How is Dex?”

“He’ll settle down after a few days. He sits there every night by the front door, waiting for you to walk through it.”

“Don’t make me feel guiltier than I am already, Mum. It’s for the best. This place is far too small for him, and for me, for that matter.”

“Well, you know the option to come back home was on the table for you, dear.”

“I know, Mum. Right now, I need to step back and have time on my own.”

“I understand that completely. However, sometimes loneliness can bite you in the backside and have a devastating effect on the soul.”

“All right, you’ve ground me down, Mother, as usual. Make up the spare bed. If the week goes according to plan, I’ll drop over after work on Friday. How’s that?”

“That’s marvellous news, darling. Only we’ve got plans to go on the boat this weekend. You’ll be up for that, won’t you? A bit of rest and relaxation on the Broads.”

“Sounds idyllic. Not sure how Dex will react to being aboard a boat, though.”

“Nonsense. We’ll put a lifejacket on him, and he’ll have a ball. How wonderful. I’m so excited now. We haven’t been on the boat together in years. That Darryl was a pain in the arse about that, I seem to remember.”

Sally nodded as if her mother were in the room with her. “Always said he preferred flying to sailing, the idiot. His loss, Mum. I’m quite excited now at the prospect of chugging along for the weekend. You’ve brightened my evening.”

“So glad to hear that, darling. If anyone deserves to be happy, you do.”

“Thanks, Mum. I’ll get there, eventually. How’s Dad? Busy?”

“Yes, he has a big renovation job on at the moment, working for the council. Still, it means he gets the weekend off, as their offices are always shut.”

“That’s great news. Guaranteed money, too. No chance of him being conned out of any more money by dubious clients ‘wanting a favour or two.’” Sally cast her mind back to the job her father had carried out the last year for a wealthy client. Once the renovations had finished, the owner sold the house and left the country before paying the bill. Sally had wanted to press charges on her father’s behalf, but the man had threatened all sorts, and she’d decided that she couldn’t put her father through the untold stress she knew was associated with such cases. Solicitors never took honest people’s feelings into consideration once they passed the court’s threshold. Her father was such a sensitive soul, the stress would have killed him. Her parents had decided to let things lie and take the financial hit. Over the past few months, her father had acted as if he had something to prove to his family, and he’d thrown himself into his work, trying to recoup some of the money intended for their pension pot.

But working extra-long hours had taken a toll on her father’s health. The last time she’d seen her dad, she noticed him stretching in the back garden and rubbing at his chest. Sally had asked him what was wrong, but he’d smiled, tweaked her cheek, and insisted it was a touch of indigestion. But Sally recognised the signs of stress in an older person when she saw it. Twenty years ago, her grandfather had died in her arms after kicking the ball around with her in his back garden. Her grandmother had come home to find her rocking him back and forth, trying to bring him back to life, as any nine-year-old would have. However, it was far too late for any kind of miracle to happen. Every now and again, when she closed her eyes, she saw her grandfather’s smiling face and heard him whispering to her, “It’s not your fault.” The guilt still gripped her heart like a vice from time to time when she least expected it. Her grandfather had always been a very special person; he seemed to understand her as a child, more than her parents had in fact. To this day, she missed his wise words and the wisdom he’d bestowed upon her during their short time together.

After downing the last of her wine, she went through to the bathroom and filled the bath. She poured in a capful of the expensive bottle of lavender bath foam she had treated herself to the weekend before, then undressed and hopped into the warm water. She soaked her weary body until she drifted off to sleep, wondering what the next day would hold for her.

CHAPTER THREE

After work, Scott was on the prowl again. After a hectic day of dealing with incompetent staff who couldn’t organise a chimp’s tea party, it was time to see what was on offer at the pub. At eight o’clock, the public bar of the Wellington Arms was just starting to get busy. He sat at the end of the bar, a newspaper for company, and ordered a pint of bitter. The slim brunette smiled and chatted to him as she served the other customers, just like they all did. A thrill of anticipation spiked.
These girls are easier to attract than if I had a large magnet attached to my forehead.

At first, he’d played up to the girls, pretending to be shy but willing to make friends with them if they persisted. To his amazement, nine times out of ten, the girls were drawn to his contrived gentle nature. The odd exception to the rule wasn’t worth bothering about.

As the evening wore on, the barmaid, Maddie, regaled him with her life story as if he were a therapist.
Why do they always do that?
She’d just broken up with her fiancé after catching him in bed with a young girl. It had rocked her world, and for the past two weeks, he’d been pestering her to forgive him, but she refused to do it.

“Who the hell could forgive such a thing?” She wiped a glass and stacked it on the shelf behind her, with the others.

“That’s deplorable. You’re better off without him, I say.”

She topped up his pint and gave him an even broader smile.

He grabbed her hand, studied it, then gently ran his finger across her palm. “A pretty girl like you won’t be single for long. I can see it written here. You’ll meet a handsome guy who will lavish you with gifts and whisk you away on exotic holidays soon enough.”

She sniggered. “Oh, I will, will I? And when is this person supposed to show up? Can you work that out beneath all the beer stains?”

“Ah, that would be telling. These things are much better when they take their own course. It’s best not to tamper with fate.”

“Fate, eh? I’ll be sure to watch out for this handsome stranger to enter my life over the coming days or weeks then.” She winked at him and withdrew her hand from his grasp to renew her duties.

He shrugged. “Who knows what lies around the corner at any given moment? If life were that predictable, most of us would spend our days in bed and not bother getting up in the morning.”

She laughed. “That’s true enough. My life has been lacking in the fun department and dwelling in the predictable pot for more than a month now.”

“That’s a damn shame. You should never let one person’s foolish actions sour your whole life. Life is for living, after all. At least that’s what my dear grandmother used to say.”

“She’s right, of course. I’m guilty of contemplating what might have been. You know what? I’m going to take your advice and start living life to the full, starting from now.”

“What? This exact moment? Won’t your boss have something to say about you jumping ship in the middle of a shift?”

“Well, not exactly at this moment, per se. After my shift has ended, I meant.”

“Oh?” He tipped his head, motioning that he was eager to hear what else she had to say.

“There’s a nightclub in town. My girlfriends are always pleading me to tag along with them after my shift. Well, damn it, tonight I’m going to do just that.” She glanced down at the short black skirt and low-cut top she was wearing and held her arms out to the side. “This will do, won’t it?”

He nodded his approval and winked at her. “It’s certainly doing it for me.”

“Cheeky!”

Another customer called her away, but every now and again, she looked his way and smiled a cute-but-embarrassed kind of smile—he had hooked her. The task ahead of him for the rest of the evening was keeping her dangling on the end of his hook. He had an inkling that Maddie wouldn’t be as easy as her predecessor had been. Caution would remain his paramount concern.

“So, what do you have planned for later this evening?” she asked out of the blue when she returned after serving a rowdy bunch of newcomers.

“Go back to the hotel and continue unwinding, I suppose. Unless…”

“Unless?” She leaned her hip against the bar.

“Unless you’d like to go for a meal or something after work?” he whispered so only she could hear the invitation.

“A meal? At this time of night?”

“Why not? If you’re worried about the excess calories, I’m sure we could think of some way of shifting them afterwards.”

“You really are a cheeky so-and-so. I hope you’re not setting out to take advantage of me. I knew it was wrong of me to bare my soul like that.”

He placed a hand over his chest and opened his eyes until they were the size of side plates. “
Moi
? Would I do such a thing?”

“Hmm… it seems to me you know just what you’re doing when chatting up the ladies.”

“I wasn’t aware I was
chatting
you up. Just thought I was being friendly. Okay, forget about what I said.” Scott glanced at his watch. “Time’s marching on, and I have a super-heavy day ahead of me tomorrow. I’ll catch up with you another time if I’m in the area perhaps.” He reached across the bar for her hand and kissed the back of it.

“You’re leaving?” she cried, aghast.

“That’s right. Enjoy your night out with the girls. See you soon.” He walked away from the bar without glancing back. He could feel her eyes boring into his back as he left the room. He jumped in his car and started the engine. Then he moved to another area of the car park, out of view of the cameras, and waited for his prey to finish her shift and join him.

Scott’s eyes grew tired, and he’d nearly dropped off to sleep in his car before Maddie emerged from the pub. She looked downcast, and he almost felt sorry for her—almost. He turned the key in the ignition and crept out of the car park, following her as she set off on foot. A few hundred yards from the pub, he passed her and threw open the passenger door.

Maddie held onto the door and looked inside. “You! I thought you’d left for the night.”

“I thought I’d surprise you. Do you want to get in and go somewhere?”

She hesitated, and he almost thought he’d blown his chances by sneaking up on her. But then she surprised him by jumping in the car and closing the door. “Where are we going?”

“Back to the hotel I’m staying at, or do you have anywhere else in mind?”

“I know a quiet spot down by the river. How about going there?” She grinned and tugged her short skirt down, trying and failing to cover her slim thighs.

“Sounds great. You tell me the way because I’m unsure of the area.”

“Sure. What do you do for a living? I mean, why are you in the area?”

“I’m a travelling salesman in the cosmetic industry.”

“Really? Any free samples you can let me have?”

“I’m sure I can find a sample or two for you later—if you’re a good girl, that is.”

She laughed. “Oh, there’s no fear of that.”

He turned the music up on the stereo then tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as she directed him to the remote spot down by the river, where a stone bridge lay ahead of them.

“Stop by the bridge, if you like.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He drew the car to a halt and turned the music down a little, unclasped his seatbelt, and twisted in his seat to face her. “What now?”

Maddie smiled and leaned back against the headrest as her body relaxed. “You tell me.”

His hand disappeared up her skirt faster than a striking rattlesnake. She gasped then moaned when his fingers found what they were searching for. His mouth urgently sought hers.
There’s no turning back now—she’s mine.
When his mouth explored the inner contours of hers, she placed her arms around his neck, inviting him to get on top of her.

He pulled back to look into her eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. What a dumb question.” She giggled and began to pull at his shirt.

Scott slapped a hand over hers. “I have a rug in the back. Fancy taking this outside?”

She shrugged and nodded. “Why not?”

He got out of the car and swiftly moved to the rear of the car to retrieve the tartan rug. He heard the passenger door open, then she joined him, still giggling like a teenager.

“Ready?” he asked.

“I haven’t done anything like this since I was in my teens.”

“I haven’t, either,” he lied. Scott spread the rug on the flat riverbank by the edge of the gently lapping water. “I used to paddle in this very spot when I was a nipper. Leap across those large boulders, slipping and falling into the water more times than I care to remember.” His mind drifted back to his childhood visits. His days were far less complicated back then, before his marriage.
When did everything go wrong? Was it the baby?
That’s hardly fair!

She ran a finger down his cheek. “Penny for them?”

Scott shook the images away and concentrated all his attention on her. He had a feeling she would prove to be a feisty minx. His seduction commenced again, and she willingly accepted the attention he lavished her with. As their passion intensified, they discarded their clothes. A garment of hers even ended up in the river, but she didn’t seem to notice. When both he and his prey were naked, he ran his eyes over her lithe body, admiring the peaks and crevices. She squirmed beneath his stare.

“Hurry up! I’ll catch my death.” She wriggled beneath his hand caressing her upper thigh.

He claimed her mouth with an even deeper urgency than before, then covered her body with his. She pushed against his chest.

He frowned. “Is something wrong?”

“Umm… no not really, except I wouldn’t want to end up pregnant.”

In his haste, he’d forgotten his protection.
That was pretty stupid of you, boy!
“Of course, I’m sorry.” He ripped open the wrapper and placed the rubber over his large erection. “There, he’s all safe and neatly tucked away now.”

“Come here.” She pulled him to her, and their hips brushed together.

There was no turning back. After their steamy session was over, he lay back on the rug, her head resting on his chest, catching his breath. A breeze struck up, and she shuddered. “I’m cold. Can we get dressed now?”

“I’ll warm you up. Here, turn this way. I want to show you a trick I learnt years ago.”

Her brow wrinkled as he twisted her body ninety degrees so they were both lying with their heads inches from the water. “How’s this going to warm me up?” she asked.

He sat up, straddled her, and played with her firm breasts until he felt the heat of her body warm his hands. Then he placed his hands around her throat, smiling down at her, warding off any suspicious thoughts that might have entered her mind. As soon as she closed her eyes and he heard her moan her surrender to his touch, a green light went off in his head.

“Keep your eyes closed,” he whispered seductively in her ear. Then he lifted her body and positioned her head above the water. Still, her eyes remained closed, and her body was compliant to his touch.

Smiling, he dropped her head into the river and prepared himself for the thrashing that would follow. Their intercourse had been strenuous, so he was confident she wouldn’t be able to fight him for long. Her fists pummelled his chest, and he thought how lucky he was that he’d chosen a victim who bit her nails. Scott pushed her head in deeper and held it under as the water lapped more vigorously because of her exertions. Her efforts proved to be a waste of time, though. Her life ended in the most undignified way.

He took a moment to catch his breath a second time and to reflect on what he’d done. He felt little remorse for the woman who had willingly parted her legs to a complete stranger after only knowing him a couple of hours.
That’ll teach you!

Finally, disgust brushed across his skin, and he cast her body aside as he stood up. After dressing, he went to the back of the car again and removed the petrol can he kept there. He returned to her naked body and set the can beside her. He removed a phial from his pocket and knelt alongside the dead woman. He inserted a substance into her vagina then straightened, pocketing the phial once again. He poured the contents of the petrol can the length of her body then struck a match and aimed it at the woman’s body.

Seconds later, her torso was completely engulfed in flames. He checked the immediate area to make sure he hadn’t left anything incriminating behind, other than what he’d placed inside her, then he jumped back in the car before the flames drew attention.

He drove back to the hotel, wearing the smuggest of grins.
This is just too damn easy. I wonder if the next one will be as easy as the last two.
He had a feeling they would be just as easy and eager to get laid.