Page 118 of She Saw What He Did

He braked and peered ahead.

‘Damn it,’ he said.

He pushed his hand hard onto the horn, but the van didn’t budge. Abby looked out of the back window. There were no other cars. It was a quiet country lane. Abby felt tightness in her chest. Something was wrong.

‘For fuck’s sake,’ said Lester, opening the car door.

It was then Abby saw there was no one in the van.

‘No,’ she cried.

Not now, please not now, she prayed. Lester grabbed the shotgun from the back seat.

‘Shut up,’ he spat at her.

At that moment a man appeared at the window. He seemed to come out of nowhere. Abby screamed but her shouts alerted Lester too late and the man had already wrenched the shotgun from Lester’s hand and pulled him from the car. Abby watched helplessly as he punched Lester hard in the stomach. She clutched her bag close and tried to stop her knees from knocking. Lester groaned and doubled over onto the ground.

The man grinned.

‘Such a pussy,’ he said, grabbing Lester by the front of his jacket. ‘Give me the box.’

Lester was struggling to breathe. The other man looked at him for a second and then lifted his arm back before punching Lester hard in the face. Lester coughed and spluttered as he gasped for breath.

‘Stop,’ Abby cried, jumping from the car. ‘Please stop.’

Lester spat blood from his mouth and attempted to clamber up.

‘Get back in the car,’ the man said in broken English.

‘Don’t give him the box,’ panted Lester.

The man threw Lester to the ground and kicked him hard in the groin.

‘Wanker,’ he said, grinning.

He then turned to Abby.

‘You have it?’ he said.

‘No, I …’

Abby was clutching her bag too closely and the man realised immediately.

He dropped the shotgun and grabbed the bag eagerly. Abby wrestled with him until her skin burnt from gripping the handles so tightly. She slapped at his hand, but it was futile. He was too strong, and just laughed at her. Finally he wrenched the bag from her hands.

‘At last,’ he said, pushing his hand inside. ‘Now …’

He didn’t finish. There was a terrible cracking sound as the butt of the shotgun hit the back of his head. Abby screamed as Lester lifted the shotgun again and again smashing it into the man’s face. The horror of Laslow Island rushed back into Abby’s mind and everything spun around her. She heard someone scream and realised it was her. Lester pointed the shotgun in her face and in a trembling voice growled, ‘shut the fuck up.’

Abby sat rigid as Lester pulled the man from the car. She looked down and saw there was blood spattered on her cardigan. She stared at it, horrified. Lester dragged the body into the bushes. He climbed back into the car and leaned his hands on the steering wheel. He was shaking. He turned and looked at Abby. His face was mottled and bruised.

‘Just forget it and remember what you have to do.’

Abby nodded but all she could think about was the man. His eyes, wide and shocked had looked straight into hers.

Chapter Seventy-Three

The residents of St Cecilia’s were in a state of shock. They couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Their beloved Ellen Burden had gone missing and what’s more Ryan had something to do with it. But no one seemed to understand exactly what. Now, here they were, splashed all over the news again.

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