Mortal Crimes: 7 Novels of Suspense (98 page)

“There’s no rush. Just tell us what you can. Did you see any of the other girls?”

Sandy shook her head slowly. “No, but I did hear them. Don’t ask me how many, as I just don’t know. The girls told me… he… umm… he… constantly rapes them.” Sandy started crying hard.

They were patient and respected the girl’s anguish, which Ellen suspected was edged with guilt. The nurse patted Sandy’s hand to comfort her, and Ellen waited until the patient had calmed down a little before she asked another question. “Do you know where he kept you?”

“There was straw. It smelt musty. I think it smelt like animals had lived there.”

“A farm, or stables maybe?”

“Perhaps. I’m not sure. I was blindfolded… and… stripped. He removed all my clothes while I was asleep. I woke up freezing and asked to be covered over.”

“Asleep, you say? Did he drug you in some way?”

“I can’t be certain of that. One minute, I was dancing at the club. The next, I was in the back of a car, going to God only knows where. But then, once we reached our destination, he hooked me up to some kind of drip. I think he used a drug of sorts to keep us dopey, so we didn’t try to escape.”

Ellen glanced at her brother. “A sedative, perhaps?”

Jim nodded, but said nothing, as they had agreed he would when they had discussed it in the car.

“I’m sure the hospital would’ve run some blood tests when Sandy was admitted. Can you get a sample to see what kind of thing we’re dealing with, Jim?”

“They did,” Sandy interjected.

Ellen smiled. “Did he feed you?”

“Not that I can remember. I wasn’t there long, compared to the others. Why do you think he let me go and not them?”

“We think it’s because you’re pregnant. I’m presuming you made him aware of that when he abducted you?”

“I did it as soon as I was conscious enough.” Sandy fell quiet for a few moments before adding, “I’m praying that he didn’t… interfere with me when I was asleep or give me anything too dangerous. According to one of the other girls, he does that sometimes.” Sandy shuddered, and the nurse threw a comforting arm around her shoulder and pleaded with Ellen to stop questioning her patient.

“We’ll leave you to recuperate, unless you can think of anything else that you think might help our investigation?”

“I can’t, I’m afraid. The drugs he gave me have sort of addled my brain. I’d like to forget about the incident and just look forward.” She touched her tummy. “The doctor said it could be bad for the baby if I dwell on things. I don’t want that to happen, so I intend thinking positive thoughts from now on until the baby arrives. I will not let what that man did affect my life any more than he has already.”

“That’s a great attitude to have, Sandy. Let’s hope what you’ve told us leads us to this man so that we can help save the others. Take care of yourself and the little one.”

“Thank you. Good luck hunting the bastard down.”

Ellen and Jim left the hospital and sat in the car, discussing what Sandy had told them.

“I’ll get forensics to look at the blood sample when I get back,” Jim said.

“If he’s not feeding the girls proper food, could he be feeding them via the drip?”

“That’s more than a possibility. I’d say it was a certainty. Maybe he doesn’t visit them every day. Feeding them intravenously would be a way around that.”

Ellen clicked her fingers together. “His place of work.”

“What about it?”

“Don’t you see? He could he getting what he needs from the drug supplies at the private hospital. Maybe his mother knows
much
more than she’s letting on about her son’s activities.”

“We can’t barge in there and accuse her of that just yet. We’ll need to get the toxicology results back first.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. Will it be all right if I contact the other missing girls’ families? You know, to let them know that Sandy had contact with some of them.”

“I don’t see what harm it can do. These families must be going out of their minds with worry.”

“Is there a chance your guys will get involved now?”

“I’ll check when I get back. There’s every reason we will. At least we have something to go on now. What are you going to do next?”

“Well, I have an appointment to keep down at the gym tomorrow. I have every intention of keeping that. The last thing I want to do is not turn up. Fallon might think the trail on him has gone cold. I want to show him that, at this particular moment, the trail leading to his door is on fire. Maybe we should be looking for hideaways, such as farms
et cetera
?”

“I’ll get on to it this afternoon. Come on. Let’s get you back to the office.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Fallon watched the PI and a man drive away from the hospital and then drove back to the farm in a pensive mood. At one point, he avoided one of the ditches on the narrow back lanes by mere inches. Ellen Brazil’s pretty face was etched in his mind.
Hmm… Blondes are usually my preference, but for her, I could definitely make an exception.
After she had turned up at his workplace, he’d decided he would set the pregnant girl free and take a few days off work. He rang his mother personally to let her know how ill he was. She’d been gullible enough to not ask questions as to the timing of his mysterious illness.

He’d been left wondering if he’d done the right thing by releasing the girl. For a start, she could inform the police of what happened during her captivity, which in retrospect, he figured wouldn’t be of much use to them without a definite location to search. Moreover, he was left with a gaping hole in his harem that needed to be filled. “Now, I wonder who I have in mind for that role.” His laugh came out as tormented as his thoughts.

He cut the engine and used the slight incline to coast the car into position, pulling up quietly so that the girls in the barn wouldn’t hear him coming. Carefully, he slid open the barn door and tiptoed inside. He could hear the girls whispering to each other.

“He’s bound to come here soon.”

“I hope not.” Diane responded. “I haven’t heard from Sandy all day. Do you think she’s okay?”

“He probably upped her sedative to keep her quiet. I hope so anyway. I’d hate for something to happen to the baby she’s carrying,” Tina whispered back.

Deliberately, he kicked the straw, loving the way the sudden noise seemed to strike fear into the girls. He stood at the entrance to Diane’s stable, surveying her luscious curves. The sack he’d thrown over her for warmth had been cast aside, probably during her fretful sleep. His erection began to grow, stiffening with every step he took towards her. She gulped and twisted her neck as her ear strained to make out where he was. Dropping to his knees, he placed his mouth close to her upraised ear.

His heavy breathing soon gave him away, and she shrank back as far as her restraints would allow. “Don’t hurt me. Please, not again. If you let me go, I swear I won’t say anything to anyone.”

“You won’t get the opportunity. You’ll never leave this place. You’re mine now. You’re my wife, you and the others.” His voice was soft and taunting, low enough for the others not to hear what he had to say.

Suddenly, Diane screamed. Finding strength from an unknown source, she twisted and kicked at him. She connected with his knee and sent him reeling backwards. He hit his elbow against the wooden stable wall and cried out in pain. The barn fell silent with an ominous air. Everyone was perfectly still, waiting for the shit to kick off like it usually did when someone had the courage to strike back.

He rubbed his sore elbow, scowling at the person who had caused him pain. She needed a lesson in manners. He left the stable and returned with a tatty broom he passed every day without usually giving it a second glance. The girl’s face twisted in fear as Fallon stepped back into the stable. He stopped a foot or so in front of her. Anger fuelled his movements as he struck the girl’s upper torso with the broom handle until red, swollen marks surfaced on her flesh. “That’ll teach you to behave in future. You won’t do anything like that again, will you?”

Diane whimpered after the beating had finished and chose not to answer him, which only made him angrier. He brought the broom handle high over his head and screamed in ecstasy when he angled the broom and brought it crashing down over Diane’s head.

He was delirious with rage and was determined to make the woman suffer. Whether that meant ending her life or not, he was past caring. She didn’t move even an inch. He didn’t care if her life was left in the balance or not—he had a desire that need fulfilling. He unzipped his jeans and released his stiff manhood, then stroked it with his clammy palm before he got down on his knees and took her. With each thrust, he snarled and grunted like a wild animal punishing its prey. Spent, he pushed her away from him, not caring about the river of blood flowing from the wound in her head.

His exertions had taken a toll on his body, so he decided to leave the other girls alone for the night.
One unnecessary battle is more than any human could handle.

He wanted to go home to rest and think about how he was going to deal with the Brazil woman.
I can return tomorrow to make it up to the other girls for neglecting them this evening.

Leaving the barn, he heard the girls sobbing, and it revived his view that he’d been right to punish those who objected to his affection.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

After Jim dropped her back at the office, she spent the whole afternoon ringing the contact relatives she had on file for the missing girls. In most instances, the news that Sandy Cox had been released was met with a mixture of overjoyed tears and relief. But each call ended on a note of sadness that the news wasn’t about their loved one instead.

All the family mush she’d dealt with during the day filled her with guilt, so she decided dropping by to visit her mum would be a good idea. A few of the regulars were parked in the car park when she got to the pub. Ellen walked through the lounge bar to the public bar, where Colin was in his usual position, propping up the bar. Her mum’s eyes lit up for a brief moment when she first saw Ellen, but then she glanced in Colin’s direction, and Ellen recognised the same fear in her mother’s eyes that she’d had when he’d held a knife to her throat.

Ellen was caught in two minds whether to stay or go. She fixed her gaze firmly on her mother’s face, watching every change imaginable. However, she could feel Colin’s glare boring into her like a drill bit.

“Hello, love. It’s so good to see you.”

Ellen leaned forward and pecked her mother on the cheek. “Everything all right, Mum?”

“Why shouldn’t it be?” Colin asked brusquely, not giving her mother the chance to reply.

Ellen kept her smile firmly in position for both her mother’s benefit and the punters’. Ignoring Colin, she asked, “Any chance I can have five minutes out the back with you, Mum?”

One of the regular’s, Old Albert, spoke next. “Go on, Irene. Have a word with her. We’re all topped up here. I’m sure Colin can man the fort for a minute or two. Can’t you, old chap?”

Ellen fought hard to suppress the giggle threatening to surface as she watched Colin’s cheeks redden with anger.

Irene looked at her husband and smiled. “Is that all right, love?”