Page 118 of The Girl in the Woods

Frankie laughed. ‘Who’d have thought it,’ she said.

Ana smiled.

‘This badass girl is going to get things done,’ said Frankie.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE

Sajid was returning from the library when he passed Tim’s open garage. The library was the only place he’d found sanctuary since Laine had gone. Sajid knew she’d want him to continue his studies and work hard, and he told himself he would do it for her. He’d get top grades and make her proud.

If they caught The Vigilante, then Laine could rest in peace. Nothing would bring her back, but at least justice would have been served.

Now, he and Needles were no longer enemies. That would have made her very happy. Sajid felt sure of that.

Tim was putting away his gardening tools. Sajid had meant to visit Tim and Vanessa after DC Carpenter had been arrested to express his and his family’s satisfaction that the driver had been found.

‘Hot day for gardening,’ commented Sajid.

Tim turned, and Sajid saw his hair was soaked in sweat. ‘Bloody is.’ He smiled.

‘We were pleased to hear they arrested the person that knocked down your mum.’

Tim picked up a towel from the floor and wiped his face and hair. ‘Fancy a beer?’ he asked.

But Sajid’s eyes were stuck on the combat trousers that had been lying beneath the towel.

‘Thanks, but I need to get home. Mum hates it if I’m late for dinner.’

‘No worries.’

Sajid felt the sweat run down his back until it itched like crazy. It couldn’t be Tim. Sajid couldn’t comprehend it, gentle Tim, who took such excellent care of his mother. It was just a pair of combat trousers. It didn’t mean anything. Sajid tried to remember if he’d seen Tim wearing combats, but he could only picture him in jeans. Maybe he used them for working on the car.

‘Jesus,’ he mumbled, thinking he’d go mad trying to work out why Tim would have combat trousers. He needed to forget it. It wasn’t Tim. Tim would never have killed Laine. Then he remembered the backpack. Tim always wore a backpack, but Sajid couldn’t remember what it looked like and only vaguely remembered The Vigilante’s backpack. He pondered whether to tell Needles or break into Tim’s garage himself. Yes, that’s what he’d do. Safer that way.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO

It amazed Ana the number of things you could buy in B&Q that held sinister undertones and were innocently scanned by the till assistant, who, of course, had no idea how dangerous those items could be in the wrong hands.

Ana packed her bag into the boot of her car like all the other shoppers and then drove to the playing fields at Longbridge. After parking her car, she removed the B&Q shopping bag and walked into the woods. She avoided the area where Laine’s body had been discovered. There were too many memories there that she didn’t want to revisit.

Slowly continuing through the woods where her colleagues had searched for clues after Laine’s death, with just the dry leaves crackling under her feet and the chirping of birds, she finally reached the old ramshackle barn, which she imagined had once been a hunting lodge, now long forgotten. Leaves rustled in the light breeze as she strolled around it. The sloping roof was covered in dead leaves and twigs. There were no footprints leading to the barn. Clearly, the place had been abandoned for years.

Ana had spotted it during the search, but this was the closest she’d been to it. The creaky front door needed a shoulder to push it open. The place smelt of damp wood and soot. Ana wrinkled her nose at the sight of mouse droppings on the floor. A spider web tickled her face, and she leapt backwards. Her hands began to shake when she realised what she was planning to do, but it was coupled with a feeling of excitement and the knowledge that inevitability was in sight.

The text message she sent was threatening. She’d been too soft before.

Meet me here tonight at 7, or I’ll not only go to the police and tell them you killed Elaine Lees. I’ll contact the press, too. They’ll look into you, and your life won’t be the same again. They’ll take a copper’s word for it.

She’d added a Google Map link to the barn.

Don’t mess with me. I have all the proof I need.

The quick response took her by surprise. He’d taken so long, and now this.

What is it you want? Money? How much?

Ana knew he’d planned to finish her off, too. What choice did he have? Perhaps that’s why he’d taken so long. He’d been trying to work it out like she’d been doing. She tried to imagine his fear every time the doorbell rang. Maybe he’d been waiting for her next move and was relieved it had now come. She typed back:

£20,000 and bring it in cash.

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