Page 16 of Savage Justice

“We could interrogate him tonight,” Aaron is suggesting. “He might bleed out by the morning.”

“Fair point,” Ethan agrees. “I’ll leave that with you, then.” He turns to me as I enter the room. “She all sorted for the night?”

“Seems to be. Ruth’s with her.”

“Has she said anything?”

“No, and I didn’t ask. I don’t even know her name.”

“Molly,” Jenna puts in. “Molly Lowe. Lucy told us that much while you were out. She also told us what happened.”

“Okay?” I help myself to a mug of coffee from the jug on the hotplate. “Go on, then.”

“Lucy was in bed, asleep. Seems she was woken up by the sound of glass breaking downstairs. She got out of bed and went to look. She watched from the top of the stairs and saw the man climb in through the window, and she was listening outside the kitchen door when he grabbed her mother. She told us he was asking for the baby. Noah. And Molly was refusing to answer.”

“What about Lucy’s father? Where was he when all this was happening?”

“There’s no dad on the scene. It’s just the woman and her two kids.” She sweeps her gaze among us all. “Thing is, Lucy didn’t seem surprised by the break-in, as if strange men turn up in the middle of the night, demanding babies every day.”

“What are you saying?”

“Just that it seems odd. Don’t you think so?”

I have to agree that it is. Bloody queer.

Jenna goes on. “It seemed as though she was expecting it. Anyway, when the attack started, she ran back upstairs and got the baby out of his cot, then made a run for it through the broken French window. She came here because she thought you might be able to help.”

“Why not the police?”

“Not sure. She clearly had more faith in you.”

“How did she know where to come?” Ethan wants to know.

“I gather you must have dropped Tony off here,” Jenna clarifies, “while she was in the car before. She remembered.”

“Bright kid,” Ethan snarls. “Even so, that was careless.”

He’s right. My bad. “Sorry, boss.”

“She’d just arrived when you found her. It’s lucky you came back when you did.”

That’s true. A minute or so later and it would have been too late for her mother.

I’m still trying to get my head around all of this. “I’m amazed no one saw her. I mean, she made her way along a main road, a small child on her own with a baby, at nearly two in the morning. Why did no one stop?”

“She told me she hid every time she heard a car. She was scared it might be him.”

“Fucking hell,” I breathe. “Poor kid.”

Aaron downs the dregs of his coffee. “I’m going for a word with that fuckwit downstairs. Fancy coming?”

“Right behind you, bro.” I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

CHAPTER 5

Nico

The groaning reaches us long before we arrive at the cell where Tony and Jack dumped our other guest. I pause at the door to peer through the small, grilled window. He’s on his side on the stone floor, a pool of blood slowly spreading to cover the flags. I can’t see him being with us for much longer.

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