Page 99 of She Saw What He Did

‘I’ll phone again to check you have the package.’

The line goes dead, and Joe curses me.

‘Why didn’t you let me speak to Daphne?’

My body seems no longer able to hold me. I can’t stand up. The muscles in my thighs seem to have died. There’s a metallic taste in my mouth and I realise I’ve been grinding my teeth.

‘What did he say?’ asks Jared.

‘I spoke to Daphne. She said they’re both okay. I have to deliver the box.’

‘Why didn’t you ask if she had enough medication?’ asks Joe.

‘There wasn’t time. He didn’t let me speak with her for long.’

‘Where have you got to take the box?’ asks Jared.

‘I don’t know. He’s having the instructions delivered.’

‘Instructions?’ repeats Joe.

‘Once I deliver it, he will release Sam and Daphne.’

My hand closes around the box in my pocket. I can do this. I have to, for Sam’s sake. And then … I will kill that bastard.

Chapter Sixty-One

Sergiy waited opposite the hotel. He felt sure this was a waste of time. He’d already told them that. He stood by a lamp post and lit a cigarette. He’d already checked. Sparrow was in his room. He patted the gun in his pocket. If there were any problems he’d make sure he was the one that walked away. He drew deeply on the cigarette and coughed. He ought to give up. His wife was always nagging him.

Sparrow emerged from the hotel and stood at the entrance. He looked around nervously and tugged on the lapels of his jacket. What a mess, thought Sergiy. A man should look immaculate no matter what the situation, was his opinion. This creep hadn’t even shaved. He watched as Sparrow shifted from one foot to the other before walking to the car park at the back of the hotel. Sergiy took a final drag from his cigarette and stubbed it out with his shoe. A few minutes later Sparrow drove past him. Sergiy walked into the hotel and straight to the lift. No one on reception even noticed him. He stepped from the lift and walked to room 406.

It was simple to pick the lock. It was one of the easiest. Stupid hotels, why weren’t they more security conscious? he thought scathingly. He locked the door behind him and wrinkled his nose in disgust at the state of the room. The bastard had even left his dirty underpants on the floor. Sergiy kicked them under the bed and then pulled on a pair of latex gloves. Who knew what germs were lying around here? Sergiy had a thing about bugs. He recoiled at the state of the bathroom. You wouldn’t get him staying in this cheap dive. He pulled a knife from the inside pocket of his jacket and ripped at the mattress. He didn’t think he’d find anything. The guy might be an idiot, but he was surely not stupid enough to leave the box in a hotel room?

The drawers were empty, but he pulled them all out anyway. There was nothing in the wardrobe. It seemed the bastard preferred to keep his clothes on the floor.

‘Slob,’ muttered Sergiy as he ripped through the toilet roll.

He lifted the corners of the carpet and those he couldn’t he slashed with the knife.

There was no sign of the box. It was as he thought.

He pulled the gloves off and lit another cigarette before searching underneath the bed. He wasn’t surprised to find nothing there. It had been a total waste of time. Just as he knew it would be. Sparrow had the box somewhere safe. The question was where?

Chapter Sixty-Two

Sam sat miserably in the corner of the basement glaring at Sparrow. He’d brought her jigsaw puzzles and books. But she didn’t want to do jigsaws. She was fed up with being here now. Grandma had told her they were going to have chocolate cake later, with their pizza.

‘It’s to celebrate our going home,’ she’d said.

But Sam couldn’t see any sign of their going home. Whenever the man came now he always seemed angry. At first she’d thought their being here was some kind of holiday with her nana while her mummy and daddy went somewhere, like the holiday they had a little while ago. But now it didn’t feel like a holiday at all. She didn’t like the man or how he smelt. He smelt of sweaty armpits and it made Sam feel sick. She didn’t want chocolate cake or pizza. All she wanted was to go home and to nursery where her friends were. She hated the man more than ever because he’d spoken on the phone to her mummy and didn’t let her speak to her too. She knew they shouldn’t have gone with him in his car. They told you at nursery never to speak to strange men, or strange people who give you sweets, and she knew that you shouldn’t get into a car with strange people. Why did Nana do that?

‘I want to go home now,’ she cried, stamping her feet. ‘You’re a horrible man and you must let us leave.’

‘It’s alright,’ said her nana. ‘The man is going to let us go home soon. That’s why he’s going to bring us cake and pizza.’

Sam didn’t know whether to believe her nana any more.

‘I don’t want chocolate cake. I want to go home, and I’m going to scream and scream until I do.’

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