Page 76 of Her Deadly Promise

He was right. Nadia was in hospital. Nadia had lived. There was no going back to their old life. ‘So, let’s get Poppy and leave together.’

‘I don’t want to leave with you. I tried to tell you to come with me when we were at home so we could sort something out, but you refused. I had to drag you here, kicking and screaming. You smashed my face with a bat, then you stabbed me with the bloody hair clip.’

She held her hands out. It didn’t matter if she was bound as long as he tied them in front of her. She’d be able to reach the knife and saw them apart. ‘I’m sorry.’ She hoped to gain his trust back. That was her only way out of all this. He was waiting for her to attack him and if she wasn’t careful, that bat would strike her head. He didn’t have a plan, she could tell. If he had a plan, he’d have executed it by now. He was pondering what to do next. He wrapped the coarse rope around her wrists, and it prickled, her skin cells mixing with Nadia’s.

He took a deep breath, grabbed the bat, and threw it into the sink. Blood trickled from the stab wound to his face. ‘Shit.’ He wiped it with the back of his hand before heading to the back-room toilet and washbasin.

As she listened to him rummaging she pulled the knife from her sleeve and began to saw. If she hurried, she’d be able to free herself and leave without him knowing. The main door was unlocked. She sawed and sawed until the rope dropped. Feet next. Within seconds, she was free.

He was coming back. As he re-entered the room, she placed the rope back over her wrists and feet. Too late. He turned to the door, snatched the key out and locked it before coming back to sit on the grooming table, back to her. He pulled the SIM card out of his phone and snapped it. He dropped his phone to the tiled floor. As he stamped on it, it shattered.

Time was running out. She quietly stood, allowing the rope to drop as he kicked the pieces of his phone while releasing a deep guttural scream. Silently crying at the pain in her mouth and bones, she brought the knife above her head, knowing that one of them was about to die a painful death.

SIXTY

Gina pushed opened the door of Halston Groves Commercial Lettings.

‘Are you police?’ the woman asked.

‘Yes, DI Harte and this is DS Driscoll.’ She opened up the photos on her phone and placed it down in front of the woman. ‘Take a look at that lease paperwork in the name of Mr Brent. What property does it relate to?’

‘Just bear with me a moment. The system is still warming up. Our IT seriously needs updating.’

Gina tapped her fingers on the other side of the woman’s desk as she leaned over waiting.

‘You might as well take a seat. It’s still whirring away. Can I get you a drink?’

‘No, thanks.’ Candice didn’t have time for them to sit around drinking tea and smiling. She needed them now.

Her phone rang. It was O’Connor again. ‘I’ll just take this outside.’ She nodded to Jacob, leaving him to wait for the antiquated computer to wake up.

‘Harry.’

‘Guv, I’ve looked into the Brents, like you asked. Neither have been in any trouble at all, literally not even a traffic offence. Gavin Simon Brent, he works as an app developer and is freelance, often contracting for companies. Thirty-one years old, only daughter, Poppy. He graduated at Birmingham University and has only been married once. He was taken into care as a child. His father was prosecuted for his assault and he and his mother moved away after that. No incidents reported since. Candice Yvette Brent is twenty-eight and works as a dog groomer and that’s as exciting as it gets. Officers have just sent the computer from his office in, and tech are just opening it up. Wait…’

‘What is it?’

‘One of the team has just flagged me over. Bear with me.’

Gina exhaled as she watched through the shop window. Jacob was taking a note of an address and talking to the woman.

‘Guv?’ O’Connor said.

‘What did tech say?’

‘It looks like Mr Brent was using the alias BenedictCarnY. They’ve cracked his computer and he has an account on the Hi There Horny website. He’d been sending abusive messages to Billie. Basically, misogynistic name-calling. It’s only been going on for about two weeks.’

‘Thank you. Anything else?’

‘One more thing. That photo, off Serena’s phone. Tech have barely managed to enhance it but given the build and shape of the person, we’re veering towards it being a man who was at her house that night.’

‘Thank you. Stay with it. Anything else, let me know immediately. Got to go.’ She ended the call as Jacob stepped out. ‘Where is it?’

‘You’re not going to believe this.’

‘What?’

‘The unit is next door to Edward Anderson’s. He owns it. He had arranged to rent it directly to Gavin Brent and asked the letting agent to deal with the legalities of drawing up the lease, that was all.’

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