Last request, p.19
Last Request, page 19
part #1 of DS Nikita Parekh Series
He’d locked the doors? She heard the click as the locks disengaged and before the car rolled to a complete standstill, Charlie yanked the door open and scrambled out onto the pavement. Legs shaking, she held the door in one hand for support and leaned in. ‘You are a miserable old man. You frightened me and I won’t forget that. But, more importantly, I hope you are a liar, for if you’re not, then your precious son is a bigamist and I’m a bastard. Sure you still want to have contact with your bastard grandchild?’
She slammed the door shut, spun on her heel and walked away without turning back. She had a lot to think about and the only person she could think of to talk to was Haqib.
Chapter 38
Nikki dragged on her jacket and then, looking at her fingers, rushed to the sink and let the cold water wash away the blood. ‘I’ll check the app on my phone, but let’s go. After we find her, we might have time for the tunnels.’
Rushing out of Sajid’s flat, they headed for the lifts as Nikki fiddled to bring up the app on her phone. ‘Charlie’s at home – or at least her phone is.’ She dialled the home phone number and heard it go to answer phone before dialling Charlie’s mobile. And when at last it was answered with an impatient, ‘What?’ Nikki nearly sank to her knees, the relief making her joints shake. ‘You okay, Charl?’
‘Why wouldn’t I be?’
Nikki didn’t care that there was an edge to her daughter’s tone or that her words were snippy or that she’d skipped school. All she cared about was that she was safe. ‘I want you to lock all the doors and put the chains on, okay. Don’t open them for anybody but me or Marcus. You’re gonna phone Marcus and tell him Franco’s back. Get him to pick up Ruby and Sunni. You gonna do that, Charlie?’
The exaggerated sigh that drifted down the line was so typical of Charlie, but Nikki recognised it as her ‘Okay, if I must’ tone and was instantly reassured. Marcus would look after her family – he always did.
She was just about to hang up when Charlie spoke again. ‘Don’t know what all the fuss is about anyway. I’m not scared of Franco and as for him – well, he’s just an old man. No way would he get the better of me, grandad or not. I don’t get why you’re worried about Ruby and Sunni though. It’s me he wants to take back to Palestine, not them.’
A sheet of ice slid through Nikki’s heart. ‘What?’ The single word jettisoned from her mouth like a projectile. Perhaps it was her tone that made Charlie answer her immediately without her usual prevarication. ‘Aw, chill, Mum. I told him to get lost and then he opened the car doors and I got out.’
Nikki gasped. Attempting not to let her distress translate into her tone, she lowered her voice. ‘You were in his car? And what do you mean “he opened the car doors”, were the car doors locked?’
‘Yeah, his driver locked them after I had my panic attack. And they were driving me to his hotel. He says he wants to take me to Ramallah. Says that’s in Palestine. Wants me to meet my … aw shit, can’t remember what he called her, but he meant my granny.’
There was silence for a moment as Nikki tried to dislodge the block of ice that was rapidly freezing her entire body.
‘You okay, Mum?’
‘Yes, yes ’course I am. S’pose you had to meet him sometime.’ Despite her words, Nikki’s tone said the exact opposite and Charlie wasn’t slow to pick up on that as she gave one of her snorts. ‘Yeah right. Well, I’m not sure I want to go.’ She paused. ‘… And I sure as hell don’t want to meet his other wife.’
‘Other wife?’ Nikki was puzzled now. Khal had never said his dad had two wives. ‘Your grandad has two wives?’
‘Duh, no! Dad’s other wife. The one he married before you.’
Had she misheard? No, of course not. Charlie had been clear … crystal clear.
Chapter 39
‘What we need is more information on the victimology. The more we find out about them the better chance we have of catching this sicko.’
Saj was trying to distract her, but it wasn’t working. Nikki nodded absent-mindedly, her fingers twanging the elastic band on her wrist, the pain a distraction from her desire to scrabble through Saj’s kitchen drawers till she found a blade, sharp enough to lance her pain. The repeated action had formed a red welt around her arm and with each ping, instead of decreasing the desire to self-harm, it increased. Her mind was still on the bomb that Charlie had dropped. Sajid was trying to lighten the atmosphere, trying desperately to distract her, but Charlie’s words kept advancing on her like huge trolls dominating her vision. KHAL’S OTHER WIFE – HIS FIRST WIFE. It was like the words were determined to engulf her, to dwarf her. They seemed to stand ten feet high – angry and volatile – like they could explode and consume her only to spit out the bones, just like the killer had done to Khal’s bones. Had he betrayed her? No, surely not Khal. She tried to remember the love light up his eyes – that sparkle that told her that she was the only one in the entire world for him. But she couldn’t. It was gone! Another layer of ice joined the layer of permafrost that already covered her heart. That was the only way to protect it – the only way to protect herself.
When she’d heard that Khal hadn’t left her by choice but instead had been killed, a momentary flicker had lit up. He hadn’t left her. He’d been taken. He hadn’t betrayed her. He’d loved her. Now, only twenty-four hours later, her gut had been ripped out again and she was as bereft and deceived as she’d been fifteen years ago. She should have known better than to nurture even a glimmer of hope.
Fuelled by the urge to do something, anything, Nikki raised her hand to Sajid to tell him to stop and left the flat. Once in the hallway, she took a deep breath. There was one person who would know the truth. One other person who Khal would have confided in. She dialled a number on her mobile and waited until it was answered. ‘Jacko, you need to come clean with me right now.’
The silence at the other end of the phone told her more than words could that Jacko had indeed been keeping secrets from her. At once her copper’s instincts engaged and she decided to be cagey about what she knew. She’d always thought, despite her fraught relationship with his sister, that she could trust Jacko. Now she wasn’t so sure. That hesitation, that momentary silence spoke volumes. He knew stuff about Khal that she didn’t, and she was determined to get to the truth.
‘Well?’ She made her tone coarse, demanding. Let him sweat.
‘Hi, Nikki. Was just about to call – see how you were getting on.’
Massaging her forehead, Nikki closed her eyes. Jacko’s voice was overly effusive. He was definitely hiding something. If she’d had the time she would have turned up at his door, but she didn’t, so she’d have to rely on her knowledge of him. He hated being forced into a corner, hated not having time to mull things over. Well, he’d had fifteen fucking years – that was long enough. Nikki was about to exert every ounce of pressure she could. ‘Cut the crap, Jacko. I know everything. Now before I hang up and head to your house, you’d better start talking. Tess at home, is she?’
In her mind’s eye she could see Jacko, raking his hand through his hair, biting his lip. Her mention of Tess had been a low blow, but she was at war and she meant business. She’d never quite got to the bottom of the animosity between her and Tess. The other woman had always seemed a bit unbalanced, a bit on the edge, to Nikki. Jacko always protected her. Hell, he still lived with her. Nikki wondered if Tess had anything to do with the secrets Jacko was keeping.
‘Fuck, Nik. What do you want me to say? Tess didn’t mean owt by it. She’s just always been affected by having to look after mum, when she was ill. Made her a bit … off-centre … a bit …’
As Jacko’s voice trailed off, Nikki tried to make sense of his words. She’d wanted to find out about Khal’s first wife – his only wife, in fact, as that marriage nullified her own one to Khal. As the realisation of that sunk in, her stomach lurched. When was this nightmare going to end? Kicking the wall next to Saj’s front door, she gathered her thoughts. Jacko was covering for Tess and she wanted to get to the bottom of that. What could the other woman have done that was so bad … tried to poison Khal against her? No, that didn’t seem right. Khal would have laughed at her and told Nikki. Little bitch probably knew about Khal’s first marriage.
‘I know the basics, Jacko. But I need to know everything Tess has done. That’s the only way to protect her and I know that’s what you want. To protect your sister. You need to come clean. Get it off your chest and then we’ll talk about all the other stuff.’
Apart from Jacko’s breathing, the silence was interminable, yet Nikki held fast. Jacko hadn’t hung up, which meant he was ordering his thoughts. He’d tell her, she was sure of it. In the end, his voice was barely audible when he spoke.
‘She’s fragile, is Tess.’
Having been at the end of Tess’s scathing comments on numerous occasions, fragile was the last word Nikki would have used to describe her … toxic would have been her first choice.
‘She was jealous, like – jealous of you and Khal. She liked him, you see.’
Tess hadn’t been the only woman who fancied Khal, Nikki knew that, but none of the others had poured venom on her like Tess had done.
‘She only wanted to get his attention – that’s all. She wanted him to see her, spend time with her. That’s why she did it.’
Nikki’s heart was hammering. She wasn’t sure where this was going but it scared the hell out of her. ‘What did she do?’
Jacko swallowed so loudly Nikki could hear it down the line. ‘She blackmailed him.’
‘Blackmailed him?’
‘Aw, Nik. I’m sorry about all of this – really sorry. Tess heard me and Khal talking. He told me about … well, about that missus of his back in Palestine …’
Although she’d been expecting it, the words were like a sledgehammer to the gut.
‘It were after you were married and he were a bit pissed. I wanted to tell you, but, well, he was my mate. Nikki? Nikki, you okay?’
Deep breaths, that’s all she needed to do. No way would she let him sense how gutted she was. ‘And your bitch of a sister blackmailed him how?’
She suspected she knew the answer, but she needed to be sure … needed to hear Jacko say the words.
‘She told him, unless he paid her five hundred quid every month then she’d tell you about his other wife.’
That was why Khal had less money. Why he’d taken on a job as well as studying. That little cow was blackmailing him. But Jacko was still talking.
‘Just before he went missing, Khal told her he was done paying her the money. Said he was going to tell you everything … shit, Nik, I’m sorry … I … I should have told you.’
Resting her forehead on the wall, Nikki barely stopped herself from crashing it onto the sandstone. Everything she’d believed was warped. The strength she’d taken from her friendship with Jacko was a lie. It was as if the last remnants of Khal had been stripped away from her and replaced by a series of sordid lies and betrayal.
‘She needs help, Jacko. Your sister needs help and if you won’t get it for her, then I bloody well will. Got it?’
Chapter 40
Nikki fidgeted in the seat and tried to focus on the passing view and the radio as she and Sajid drove along Manningham Lane into town. Huge mill buildings contrasting with Eighties’ dull. The rain splattered against the window, matching her mood. Bradford had never looked darker to her, yet no matter how dark her soul was, how empty she was, she would still work to find out who’d covered Bradford’s cobbled streets with pain. Who’d denied her and Charlie the truth, who had snuffed out an, as yet unknown, number of lives? And, in doing so, she would be ruthless. After all, the one thing she’d inherited from him was his ability to be tough. Her fingers worked their way over the raised scar across her neck. She wasn’t her father’s daughter for nothing.
‘… Remains found in the Odeon car park have been identified and concerns mount over the possibility that Bradford is once more in the grip of a serial killer – one that appears to have been active for as long as the Yorkshire Ripper. Here we have Detective Springer from the district’s Cold Case Unit dispelling these worries … “the proximity of the remains in the car park indicate a spree murder that has long since run its course. All possible steps will be taken to identify the perpetrator and moves are underway to contact family members” …’
Tutting, Sajid banged the heel of his hand on the steering wheel. ‘Can’t believe she’s completely discounting the idea of a multiple killer. She is either very naive or she’s incompetent.’
Nikki snorted, the mere sound of Springer’s supercilious tones enough to make her focus. ‘Her refusal to even consider a link between the homeless victim and Khal and these other remains is out of order.’
Sajid turned into the alleyway in front of Sunbridge Wells where Bradford’s recently refurbished tunnel area, originally the site of a women’s prison, played home to a range of eateries, pubs and quaint shops. He pulled to a stop. Getting out, he placed a note on the dashboard of his Jag, declaring they were there on official business. Nikki got out, her legs stiff, her shoulders aching. Thrusting her hands into the pocket of her leather jacket, she looked around the area. If the map was accurate, the access point to the tunnels heading in a maze underneath the city, was over by the steps leading from Sunbridge Road down to here. She and Sajid marched over and, after ascertaining that the place they were looking for was where the beer barrels were piled up in a small fenced-off area, they stopped.
‘Looks like we’ll have to move these.’ Sajid pouted, like a small child being asked to tidy up someone else’s junk modelling mess at school.
Nikki managed a grin; she had to concentrate on the job in hand. Charlie sure as hell hadn’t misinterpreted her grandad’s interest in her. She’d need to deal with that … and soon, before it got out of hand. For now though, she needed to put that thought to the back of her mind. As they contemplated what to do, a man in a high-vis jacket approached from the Sunbridge Wells entrance. His bare arms and stocky build told Nikki that he was probably employed by one of the breweries and sure enough, as he headed towards a large beer van, she realised she was right. Jogging over, she smiled and flashed her warrant card, ‘Any chance you can help us, mate? We need access to the tunnels that run underneath this area.’
‘Right, you’ll be needing to talk to Tim inside. I’ve just given him back the keys, like. Just dropped off a whole load of barrels.’ He looked at Nikka, his gaze moving up and down her body. Glaring, Nikki was about to comment when he spoke. ‘I’ve got a couple of disposable overalls in the back if you like. Drown you like – you’re just a bit of a lass and all – but you can roll them up. It’s filthy down there – full of rat piss and such. Your big buddy over there might just about squeeze into the XXL ones.’
The smile fell from Nikki’s lips. Rats! Fucking rats. Of course, there were rats. She shuddered and followed the helpful man to the back of his lorry as Sajid headed off to get the keys. He was right. The overalls dwarfed Nikki and they smelled vaguely of hops and foist. Mind you, any added protection against scratchy critters and slithering tails was well worthwhile. Bending over, Nikki rolled up the legs till they reached her ankles and then as an afterthought, rummaged in her pockets and took out two large elastic bands. She often collected them from where the postman dropped them on the road outside her house and used them when the urge to cut was strong. Leaning against the lorry, she pulled them, one at a time, over her trainers and allowed them to snap into place around her ankles. Take that you little fuckers – no way you can get up my legs now, eh? She was just repeating the process when Sajid returned, holding a large rusty looking key on a circular key holder. It looked like it came from a dungeon or something and that thought again made Nikki shudder. Dungeons had rats – she was sure of that.
Together, Nikki, Sajid and the beer delivery man clattered the beer crates out of the way until a four-foot-high door became visible with a shiny padlock hinged through a latch. The padlock’s obvious newness and size seemed in direct contrast to the rusty old key that Sajid held. Nikita’s eyes drifted downwards and she saw an equally rustic-looking keyhole in the door itself beneath the padlock. Sajid stepped forward and inserted the small silver key that was also attached to the keyring and the padlock sprung open. Visions of every horror film she’d ever had the misfortune to watch flooded Nikki’s mind. Rats featured heavily in almost all of them and a familiar tension spread across her chest. Sajid, seemingly completely at ease, took the larger key and inserted it in the lock.
The beer man peered over Nikki’s head, his body eliciting a not altogether unpleasant aroma of male sweat combined with beer. His broad stature was vaguely comforting. For sure he’d be able to see off any rats that dared to show their twitching little snouts. ‘You need to wiggle it a bit to the side. You know, jiggle it. It’s a bit temper mental like.’
His mispronunciation of the word temperamental made her smile. Khal used to say that. That and escape goat were his linguistic idiosyncrasies. Thinking of Khal made her think of rats again and as Sajid opened the door, she let out an involuntary yelp and jumped backwards. The two men rolled their eyes and if Nikki hadn’t been so embarrassed, she might have taken great delight in boxing their ears. Besides, she was well aware that Sajid might be all brave when it came to rodents, but arachnids were in another league for him and Nikki reckoned there’d be a fair few cobwebs to contend with when they got down into the cellar and tunnels.
Relieved that the door opening hadn’t released a barrage of skittering feet, and disgusting rat-pissy odours, Nikki straightened her spine and stepped forward. It was dark and for a moment her eyes couldn’t adjust to the shades of grey and black that moved like silk before her. Aware of Sajid stepping forward, she stuck her head through the opening. Relief flooded her when a swaying light bulb sparked to life, sending dull, yellowy light around the immediate vicinity. Sajid rubbed his head and muttered something about ‘fucking light’ under his breath.
