Page 130 of The Girl in the Woods

Tim turned and saw Needles, Sajid and Jassy enter the gate to his house. ‘Hey, what do you think you’re doing?’ he shouted.

‘Little bastards,’ said Will, hurrying along with him. Everyone froze when they saw the knife in Needles’ hand.

‘We’ve come to give you what you deserve, you stinking rat, an eye for eye, isn’t that what they say?’

Jassy quickly reached for her phone.

The X-ray showed that Ana had broken her foot. Tom was waiting with Jonny outside the X-ray room. Ana hobbled out, took the painkillers offered by the nurse and turned to Tom after swallowing them.

‘Are you feeling up to telling us what happened?’ Tom asked.

Ana took her phone from Jonny and idly glanced at the screen. There was a message from Jassy.

‘Help us. I daren’t phone. Needles might turn on me. He’s got a knife. He’s going to kill Tim. Hurry.’

There was a missed call from her, too. Shit, when were they sent?

‘No time,’ she said, hobbling towards the door.

‘What are you doing?’ asked Jonny, alarmed. ‘You’re not going anywhere.’

‘Colin Lees has found The Vigilante, and he has a knife. Jassy messaged me about fifteen minutes ago. They’re going to hurt Tim. We have to hurry.’

Tom looked shocked. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘Tim is The Vigilante, but as you know, he didn’t kill Laine, but Colin Lees doesn’t know that. Please get to Tim. They might hurt Vanessa too.’

Tom reached for his radio. Ana struggled to get up.

‘Don’t you dare move,’ Jonny instructed.

Tom hurried from the hospital, and Ana flopped into the chair. The truth was, she couldn’t walk without help.

‘What are you talking about,’ said Will, although he was beginning to regret ever getting involved. ‘An eye for an eye for what?’

‘Him,’ said Needles, venom spilling from his angry lips. ‘He’s The Vigilante. He murdered my sister.’

Tim turned pale. He knew it would be a matter of time, but he’d expected the police, not this.

‘What? Are you stoned?’ Will laughed. ‘If there is one person I know isn’t The Vigilante, it’s Tim.’

Needles edged closer.

‘Okay, I’m calling the police,’ said Will. ‘This is ridiculous.’

The fish and chip van had pulled up, and people came out to collect their dinner. Sajid could smell the chips and wished he wasn’t standing here with Needles and Jassy but with Laine, getting their chip butties as they used to and then sneaking into the woods to eat them. He looked at Tim, whose face was now white and frightened. Sajid couldn’t believe it. It couldn’t be possible – not gentle Tim.

‘Open your garage,’ Needles ordered Tim.

Tim reluctantly pulled the key from his pocket and unlocked the garage. Needles raced in.

‘Where did you see it?’ he asked Sajid.

Sajid could see Needles was really hyped up and watched as he began throwing things everywhere. He was totally unaware that Will had called the police.

At the sight of the combat trousers and balaclava, Needles lost his mind. That was the only way Sajid could describe it when the police questioned him.

‘It was like something exploded in his head, and he slashed at Tim with the knife like a madman. All I could see was blood spraying everywhere.’

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