Devious intention, p.18
Devious Intention, page 18
“Sergeant Bould! Un-frigging-believable. And has he been around here trying to finish off the job in the past few days? Do you know?” Ellie demanded.
Georgina frowned. “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”
Ellie was inclined to believe the woman. Perhaps her moving out and dumping Matt had forced him to escalate things. Matt must have got in touch with Bould and told him to finish the job he’d started in Cornwall. “Shit. I need to get on the phone to Jim. Ladies, can we take this in the lounge, where I can keep an eye on you both? The last thing I want to do is clear up a bloody mess when I’ve finished my call.”
The three of them reluctantly moved into the lounge. Georgina and Louise sat on opposite ends of the sofa, and Ellie paced the floor in front of them while she placed the call. “Jim, it’s me. Things have blown up down here.”
“What are you saying? Are either of you hurt?”
“No, at least not physically. We know who the woman at the villa in Spain was.”
“You do? How?”
“She’s sitting here with us now. It’s Georgina, the owner of the flat we’re staying in.”
“What the…? She’s Louise’s friend, isn’t she? How has she reacted to the news?”
“Not good, but things have settled down between them now. Enough about that. Georgina has told us something very interesting regarding the accident that Louise was involved in down in Cornwall. It was all staged by Matt and Sergeant Bould. He must be up in this area now, trying to finish off the job, Jim. Can you get in touch with the local police, see if they can track him down before he succeeds with his devious intention?”
“I’ll do that, then I’m going to head down there to be with you. I’m not going to sit around up here when my sister’s life is in danger. No arguments. Get yourself and Louise booked into a hotel ASAP.”
“You can’t do that, Jim. Stay there. I’ll ring Brian and ask him to come down, but there really is no need for either of you to come if the locals can track down this bastard. I knew we were right to be cautious, or even suspicious, about him. He must have been the one who broke Brian’s car window and stole the evidence off the backseat too.” Ellie shuddered. “He was probably watching us all the time during our holiday. I’m just relieved he didn’t try anything while we were still in Cornwall, with Cally by our sides.”
“Don’t think about it, sis. Let’s get this nutter off the streets before he gets the chance to do anything else. What about Matt? Has he returned to the UK with this woman? I haven’t had any notification from Border Control that he’s entered the country.”
“No, she’s dumped him. Apparently, she left the villa not long after Bri and I returned to the UK. I can’t see Matt being happy about that, which is why I’m ringing you.”
“There’s no need to worry on that front. Like I mentioned already, I’ll get alerted the minute he steps foot in the UK. Let me get off the phone, pack your bags, and get out of there. Let me know where you’re staying, all right?”
“What shall we do about Georgina? Isn’t she an accessory to attempted murder?”
Georgina shot out of her chair and ran towards Ellie. “What? No, I can’t go down for something I couldn’t prevent from happening.”
Ellie raised her eyebrow at the woman, warning her to back off and to return to her seat. Disgruntled and with her shoulders slouched, Georgina did just that.
“Let me see how the locals want to deal with her. I’ll be in touch soon. Lock the door and stay vigilant.”
“Thanks, Jim.”
Ellie hung up and rushed to the front door. She lifted the chain, ready to insert it, but the door flew open. The force knocked her backwards.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Matthew Gillespie pushed Ellie into the lounge, a wicked grin set firmly in place on his tanned face. Louise and Georgina gasped when they saw him.
“Hello, ladies. Don’t look so shocked to see me. George, you didn’t really think I was going to let you get away with dumping me with everything you know, did you?”
“I won’t say anything to anyone. I already told you that back in Spain. Are you saying you don’t believe me?”
“By the looks on these lovely ladies’ faces, I think you’ve already gone back on the promise you made. You know far too much for me to let things drop. Now I need you ladies to be honest and tell me if you’ve contacted the police.”
Georgina and Louise turned to look at Ellie, giving her away.
“So, you have. What was the outcome of that call? How long do I have to kill you all, in other words?”
“I haven’t rung the police. Georgina and Louise, I believe, were intimating that I used to be in the police and that I’m a PI now.” Ellie hoped the bluff would give her thinking time for what to do next. “Isn’t that right, ladies?”
Louise and Georgina nodded in unison.
Matt narrowed his eyes and stepped closer into Ellie’s personal space. His eyes travelled the length of her body.
She’d met his type before, during her years on the force, and there was no way she was going to bow to his intimidation.
“Is that right? I’ve seen you before, haven’t I?” He clicked his fingers together. “In Spain, you were following me around the supermarket, weren’t you?”
Before Ellie could reply, he lashed out and slapped her face hard. The force knocked Ellie off her feet. She crashed to the floor and hit the side of her head on the edge of the coffee table. Shit! He definitely means business. I better watch my step—we all had.
Louise rushed to help Ellie, but Matt blocked her path. “Did I tell you to move? Sit there and listen to me for a change, woman. Why do you always have to be so difficult? Why couldn’t you have just died in that crash? If you had, Sophie would have a new mother to look after her. It’s your fault that Georgina has ditched me because of the guilt she’s carrying. Well, I’ve got news for you, George, no one—you hear me? No one—runs out on me when I need them.”
While Matt’s attention was focused on the other two women, Ellie eased her hand into her jacket pocket and sought out her mobile phone. She ran her fingertips over the pad, searching for the button to hit redial. Jim’s voice sounded in her pocket, and she removed the phone swiftly. “Jim, Matt’s here. Hurry!”
Matt stormed across the room and kicked the phone out of her hand then punched her in the face and stomach. Ellie regretted her foolish actions, but the need to make Jim aware of their dire situation had outweighed the risk.
“Bitch, who did you ring?”
Ellie wiped the blood from the side of her mouth and looked at the red stain on her hand. “My brother.”
“What is he? Filth?” he demanded, leaning down, his face inches from hers.
“You know all the terms, don’t you? Is that because of the disgusting company you’ve kept over the years? I suppose it must rub off on you after a while, defending the scum of this world on their day in court.”
“You know nothing. I’ve got better friends in that field than anyone else in my business. I could take a contract out on you today, and you’d be dead within the hour.” He sneered venomously.
“What? Not keen on doing the dirty work yourself? Is that why you employed Bould down in Cornwall?”
His right eyebrow rose, and a glint appeared in his eyes. “Smart bitch, aren’t you?”
“Smarter than you, I’d say, getting that prat to work for you. I believe he’s the one that’s caused all your problems—no one else.”
Ellie’s plan appeared to be working. Always try to confuse the accused if he comes across as the confident type.
Matt straightened up and ran a hand through his cropped hair, contemplating her words for a second or two before he withdrew his mobile. “Bould, yeah, it’s me. Drop by Georgina’s flat. I have a situation that I need a hand with.” He hung up and started to grind his teeth.
All the women stayed quiet as Matt paced the floor, seemingly in a world of his own. Ellie looked around her, searching for something she could arm herself with, but there was nothing in sight.
Ten minutes dragged by before a car door slammed outside the flat. Matt rushed over to the window, waved, then went in the hallway to open the front door. Ellie bolted into the kitchen, removed a large knife from the knife block, and swiftly returned to her position on the floor. The speed at which she moved made her fuzzy head pound, and she hoped her discomfort would be worth the effort.
Sergeant Bould entered the flat with a confident swagger.
Ellie looked him over in disgust.
“Quite a gathering you have here, Matt. This one and her partner have been a severe pain in the arse from day one.” He kicked out at Ellie’s foot.
“So I’ve heard. Maybe if you had completed the job I entrusted you with, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now.”
“Hey, man, don’t put the onus on me. You should have checked your missus was dead before you ran off with that daughter of yours. But I suppose it’s easier for you to pass the buck than carry the blame yourself, isn’t it?”
“Why should I finish off a job that you were paid to do? You’re a two-bit cop with a miniscule amount of brain cells.”
“If you thought that, then maybe you should’ve paid someone else to do your crappy job instead of buggering off to Spain.”
“I thought I was dealing with a professional. Ha, that’s a laugh. All this shit is down to you. One simple task, and you couldn’t even do that properly. So, here’s the deal: either you finish these three off, or I get a refund on the twenty-five grand I paid you.”
“Fuck off! What do you take me for?”
“Apart from being a bent copper on the take?”
Bould laughed. “You’re a funny man. Maybe if you’d kept your flies zipped up, you wouldn’t be in this deep shit now!”
Matt took a gun from his pocket and aimed it at Bould. “When I pay for something to be done, I expect it to be done properly. I should never have paid you up front for the job. You’ve got one last chance to give me the money back or kill these bitches, or I’ll kill you. The choice, my friend, is yours. What’s it to be?”
Bould put his head down and charged at Matt. The gun went off, and Bould dropped to the carpet before he could reach Matt. Georgina and Louise screamed, but Ellie just sat on the ground, shaking her head. He’s lost it. Panicking! I hope the police arrive soon. Don’t let me down, Jim.
“Shut up! Or you’ll be next,” Matt ordered Louise and Georgina. Then he pointed at Georgina. “Tie the other two up with something.”
“Me? I won’t get involved in this, Matt.”
He glared at his former lover. “You don’t want to get involved? I think you’ll find it’s a little late for that, darling. Remind me whose idea it was to move out to Spain?”
Louise stared at her best friend.
Georgina shook her head. “That was before I knew about you trying to kill Louise. You neglected to tell me that part, didn’t you, Matt? That’s why I ended it with you. How could I ever trust anything you said again, after deceiving me like that?”
“I don’t understand. You didn’t know he had planned to kill me?” Louise asked, her brow wrinkled in confusion.
“No, he told me that he was going to take you down to a cottage in Cornwall, set you up with a bank account, make sure you had enough money to get you by until you found a job. He told me that he’d discussed it all with you and you’d agreed that due to your mental state Sophie would be better off living with us, in Spain.”
“You’re nothing but a sick and twisted individual, Matt. I wish I’d listened to my mother all those years ago. She despised you from the day she met you until the day she died. How could you do this to our daughter?”
“Sophie’s better off with me. Your mood swings for the past three or four months have made her a very confused little girl. She’ll be better off with me. She thinks you’re dead, and I have to tell you, she hasn’t grieved for you at all.”
“Now wait just a minute,” Ellie shouted as Louise broke down in tears. “The excitement of being in Spain will be all Sophie is experiencing right now. Children have a tendency to temporarily block out bad things and concentrate on the happier things happening to them at a given moment. Don’t make Louise feel worse than she does already, just to make yourself look good, you bastard.”
Matt’s eyes widened. He pointed the gun at Ellie and slowly walked towards her, his finger twitching on the trigger. He turned back to look at Bould lying in a heap behind him, and Ellie heard him gulp. While he was side-tracked, she kicked out at his hand. The gun hit the ceiling and fell to the carpet in slow motion as the four of them watched it. Matt was too focused on the gun to see Ellie get to her feet. She showed Matt the knife and sidestepped to stand over the gun. As Ellie bent to pick up the gun, she took her eye off Matt for a split second. In that time, he pounced on her and wrestled with her to get the knife out of her hand.
Louise picked up a large vase and smashed it over her husband’s head. He tumbled to the ground, out cold.
“Good girl. We should get out of here while we have the chance. I hope Jim understood my message and called the local police.” Ellie opened the door and stepped outside the flat.
“Wait, shouldn’t we take the gun with us?” Louise asked, standing over the weapon.
“Yes, just in case he wakes up. Grab it, Louise.”
A police car came round the corner just as the women left the flat. Ellie flagged the car down and explained the situation. The uniformed officer immediately called for backup while the other officer got out of the vehicle and placed the gun in an evidence bag.
“Stop them. They’ve killed a man,” Matt shouted from the doorway.
“He’s lying. I swear. Please don’t listen to him; he’s a wanted criminal. Slap some cuffs on him before he has the chance to get away. I can get my brother, who is a DS in the West Midlands police, to verify the story within minutes. Please don’t fall for what he tells you,” Ellie pleaded with the officer, whose head was swivelling between her and Matt.
“I’m a well-known solicitor in the area. These women are murderers. You have to believe me.”
A backup police car arrived on the scene within seconds. Four officers slapped cuffs on everyone, but Ellie was confident that the local police would do the right thing once her story could be corroborated. She sat in the back of one of the police cars, feeling more relaxed than she had been inside the house moments earlier.
EPILOGUE
The duty sergeant unlocked Ellie’s cell door. “Come with me.”
She leapt off the bunk and followed the tall man through the grey corridor back to the reception area. Jim and Brian were there to meet her. Ellie ran into their arms for a group hug.
“I’ve never been more glad to see you both.”
They parted, and each of the men kissed her as onlookers in the reception area watched. “Let that be a lesson to you. I hope it was worth prostituting yourself like that.” Jim smirked.
“Why you… bugger. Stop winding the people up like that. What about Louise? Is she free to go?”
Jim motioned with his head for Ellie to look behind her. Louise was standing there, her hair messed up, looking shell-shocked.
Ellie rushed over to embrace her friend. “How are you, love?”
“How am I? I’ve just spent the night behind bars for something I didn’t do. How do you think I feel?”
Jim chuckled. “At least you girls are free to go home now. Just think of Matt and Georgina. They’re due up before the remand court in a few days.”
Ellie smiled at Louise. “That’s good news, isn’t it, sweetie?”
“It’s only what they deserve. What about Sophie? Where is she?”
“I’ve been in touch with the Spanish authorities, and they’ve assured me they’ll do everything in their power to track her down. She wasn’t at the villa when they searched the place, and Matt is keeping schtum about who was looking after her while he travelled back to the UK,” Jim told them, sadness dwelling in his tone.
Louise started crying, but Ellie comforted her. “Are we free to go? I think we need to get out of this place.”
The four of them left Hitchin police station and drove to a nearby pub so they could continue their conversation. Brian and Jim stayed at the bar to buy the drinks while Ellie and Louise took a seat at a large square table in the centre of the cosy beamed public house.
“You’ve done well so far, Louise. Please remain strong. If it means Brian and I have to make another trip out to Spain to find Sophie, we’ll do just that.”
“I know she’ll be freaking out without either Matt or me being there with her. Can I come with you?”
“Where?” Brian asked as he placed the drinks down on the table.
Ellie gulped. “Er… Spain. I’ve told Louise that we’ll go out there to find Sophie and bring her home.”
Jim cleared his throat. “Matt was never out to harm Sophie. So let’s see what the authorities come up with in the next few hours before we start booking flights.” He raised his glass up over the centre of the table. “To you two brave girls. Glad you came out the other side of your ordeal unharmed.”
The four of them clinked their glasses together.
Then Jim informed them what charges the local police had thrown at Matt. “He’s bagged several charges: murder, attempted murder, fraud. And we’re throwing an abduction charge on him for taking Sophie out of the country without your consent. That should see him banged up behind bars for the rest of his life.”
“Good, it’s where he belongs. At least he’ll have some friends on the inside. Although I can’t see Dwayne Jennings being that pleased to see him. I suspect he was hoping that he’d spring him from prison on appeal,” Brian said.
“Oops, you’re probably right there. Was it easy to convince the locals that Louise and I were the innocent parties?” Ellie asked.
“He had them twisted around his little finger until they discovered the fake passport he’d travelled back to the UK on,” Jim said.
