Page 57 of The Girl in the Grave
Josh stared into the last crypt. It was empty. Well, apart from the official occupants sealed into two stone tombs. Barry and the two officers who had turned up from Barrow were dripping with sweat after using a crowbar to loosen the lids and push them to one side to expose the skeletal remains. They’d done that in every single crypt and found nothing else; Beth wasn’t anywhere in sight.
Where are you, Beth, where has he taken you?He thought back to that night in 2012, when he’d saved her life from a maniac attempting to kill her. How could this possibly be happening again? And, to make matters worse, Robertknewthe killer, was prepared to give him up to save Beth. Robert had said the killer wanted to finish what Robert started. What did he mean? Did he intend to keep her captive? Where would kill her? Josh felt as if his head was filled with a thick fog, but that the answer was hiding somewhere deep inside.
Josh remembered breaking down the door of Beth’s old home, crashing through just in time to stop Robert from killing her in her own kitchen.
And there it was, clear as day.
But her house – her new lakeside house – had been searched, CSI had been in and done another sweep of it. There was even a police guard watching the gate. Had they missed something, had they overlooked it? How could someone hide Beth near her own house without getting caught? Then it struck him, and his hands were dialling Sam’s number before he even had time to process his thoughts. ‘Where are you?’
‘At the station picking up the DCI to come and take a look at your crime scene. Well done on the find, by the way.’
‘She’s dead. We failed her.’
‘Youfoundher, Josh. As sad as it is, at least her family will be able to bury her, grieve for her and eventually get some closure.’
‘I need to know who’s at Beth’s house right now?’
‘Claire left a while ago. There was an officer outside guarding the entrance, but an IR came in for an RTC and they were the nearest patrol, so at this moment… technically no one. But the gates are locked, so no one can get in.’
‘I think we missed him. I think this Phil Sullivan who has Beth is going to take her back home. He must be close by. He has to be.’
‘But we searched everywhere.’
‘Not everywhere. He could be out on the lake. On a boat. He’d have a good view of the house from there, watching us search the house with a huge grin on his face, thinking how clever he is, how he’s outsmarted us all. I’m on my way back right now. Can you see if you can find anyone to back me up?’
‘Every available South Lakes and Barrow patrol is on their way up here to you, Josh. I’m probably the closest, I’m on my way. I’ll bring the two PCs from Barrow. Between the four of us we might be able to take him down.’
He ended the call. It would take Sam at least twenty minutes to get there. It would take him ten minutes. He just hoped he wasn’t too late, because he’d never live with himself if anything happened to Beth. The guilt over Annie Potts would haunt him for the rest of his life, he knew that; Chantel Price had been dead weeks before he even knew about her, but it still weighed heavy on his mind.
But there would be no more bodies to add to his list. Not today.
Not Beth.
Eighty
He dragged her to her feet, pulling her along by her hair until they reached the patio doors. For a second, she hoped they were locked. When the door handle didn’t turn it gave her the incentive she needed. Whilst Phil was busy trying to get it open, she slipped the sodden rope from around her wrists, keeping them behind her back so he couldn’t see. There wasn’t anything within reach she could use as a weapon; the only thing she had was the rope and her arms. She knew how hard it was to strangle someone as strong as Phil, but if she could render him unconscious, she might be able to make a break for it. Coiling the length of rope around both hands she decided against it: she would have more power using her arm as a weapon. So she dropped the rope to the ground. Taking a running jump, she lunged at his back, jumping up and wrapping her arms around his neck. She squeezed as hard as she could.
‘You fucking—’ was all he managed before she cut off his air supply. He was trying to throw her off, thrashing from side to side, but she kept tight hold just like he’d taught her to in class, pressing even harder, blocking his airway.
He fell to his knees gasping but still she didn’t let go. Until he lurched forward, throwing her over the top of his head. She smacked into the glass doors with force and let out a groan. Phil’s face was purple with the lack of oxygen, and the fury etched across it terrified her, propelling her to move. She just managed to push herself out of his reach by centimetres as he lunged for her. Then she ran for the log pile she kept around the opposite side of the house.
She heard him stumbling after her, laughing. Then shouted, ‘Oh, you little star. I taught you well. How proud I feel right now. My pupil has outsmarted me. I can hand on my heart say that I’m impressed. Then again, I’ve always known how special you are. To men like me and Robert you pose the greatest of thrills.’
She pushed herself even faster, her lungs burning. Reaching the pile of wood, she picked up a heavy log, turned and swung it as hard as she could. Phil, his head bent forward as he ran at her, was blindsided as the wood made contact with his head in a sickening thud. She knew she had done some damage. For the second time he fell to his knees; this time she stepped forward and hit him again. He collapsed to the floor in a heap, blood seeping from the gash in his head.
Without looking back, she ran towards the gates, typing in the code with fingers slippery with both their blood. When the gap was wide enough she squeezed through it.
And ran straight into Josh.
‘Oh, my God, Beth. You’re hurt?’
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, and she felt herself sink into the warmth of his body. Her teeth were chattering.
‘He’s in there, I’ve hurt him, Josh. I think I might have killed him.’
‘Good.’
Sirens got louder as a police van rounded the bend towards them. Three officers jumped out. Josh directed them inside. They ran with tasers and batons drawn into Beth’s garden ready to do battle, as Josh ushered her into the back of the van to get her into the warmth and keep her safe. She’d seen enough. She didn’t need to witness any more.
