Slur: The Riverhill Trilogy: Book 1 (19 page)

Julie had
become so flustered that she could no longer think rationally, and in her haste
to be rid of him, she took a turning into an unknown street. It was not one she
would normally use, but she was desperate to shake him off.

As soon as
she ran into the street she knew she had made a mistake. It was deserted. There
was just her and the man, and he was gaining ground. She continued to sprint.
Then she found the reason why the street was so empty in the rush hour. It was
a dead end.

She carried
on running. Hoping for an answer. Searching for a means of escape. But the only
doors were those leading out from stores. Fire exits, she thought. The type
that lead out of the store, but don’t allow anyone to go in. She tried one
anyway. She gasped in horror as the door refused to budge, and she felt the man
moving in on her. Her sweaty palms began to hammer frenziedly against the
glass. Within seconds she had caught the attention of a lady who approached the
door from inside the store.

‘Help me! Open
the door!’ Julie cried.

The lady
rushed to open the door, her curiosity aroused by Julie’s frantic state. It was
then that the man stepped into view, and Julie felt him brush against her arm
as she fled into the store, leaving them behind. She could hear words being
exchanged between him and the lady, and made the most of the few seconds of respite.

Once inside
the store Julie began to dash in and out of the displays in order to keep
herself out of the man’s view. Then she spotted a rail full of evening dresses,
standing against the wall of the shop. Julie dashed towards it and hid amongst
the garments. The length of the gowns ensured that she was well hidden. She
huddled tightly against the wall gasping from exertion and fear.

Julie
adjusted the gowns in order to form a peephole. The view from it was limited,
but she couldn’t risk making it any larger in case she exposed her hiding
place. The time spent in her hidey-hole seemed like an age. For a long while
there was no sound or movement close to Julie, until she heard the sound of
footsteps approaching followed by voices, female voices. Then she noticed them;
two middle-aged women fumbling amongst the garments.

‘Ooh, this
one’s lovely Vera,’ said one of them as she admired a dress on a nearby rail.

Julie could
see part of the woman’s back, but the other woman, Vera, was in full view. As Vera
approached Julie’s hiding place, she stopped and glanced back, admiring the
gown. ‘Oh yes, Lil. I like that. What about these ones over here?’ 

She then
continued on her mission to examine the rail that Julie was secreted behind.

Before she
had a chance to reach the rail, however, Julie noticed a swish of material in
her peripheral vision as Lil dragged out the dress she had been admiring. Lil
stepped away from the rail and held the dress up against her body, and Julie
caught full sight of her.

‘What do
you think Vera?’ she asked.

This action
was enough to command Vera’s attention, and she approached her friend, cooing
in admiration at the vision of the stunning gown against Lil’s dark complexion.

‘Should I
try it on?’ asked Lil.

‘Ooh yes,
it’s beautiful.’

To Julie’s
relief they then made their way towards the changing rooms. She watched until
they disappeared from her field of vision, then another shape stepped into the
picture. Tall, dark, thickset; it was the man who had pursued her into the
shop.

‘Oh no!’
thought Julie as he faded in and out of view, scanning the aisles. Then he
passed in front of her rail and she drew a sharp breath. Within seconds he had
gone: it hadn’t occurred to him to search behind the rows of clothing. She
exhaled in relief.

Julie
didn’t leave her hiding place straightaway however. She wanted to be sure that he
was no longer there, so it was some minutes before she extricated herself from
amongst the dresses and began to walk tentatively through the aisles. A faint
smile crossed her lips as she saw Vera and Lil standing at the cashier’s till
chatting; Lil clutching the beautiful garment. Julie couldn’t see any sign of
the man, so she made her way to the exit at the far side of the store.

She left
the store in a hurry and scanned the street for any signs of the man. Julie was
now about fifty metres from her bus stop. Once she had reached it, however, she
kept going. She was too close to the store for comfort and she figured that if
the man had been trailing her before today then he might know which bus she
caught for her trip home. Instead, she carried on to the next stop, then the next,
walking rapidly and looking back at intervals to see if she could spot her bus,
or the man.

When the
bus appeared Julie was a good hundred metres from the nearest bus stop, and she
had to gather speed to make sure that she caught it. She joined the queue,
which now consisted of a couple of remaining passengers. As soon as she stopped
running her legs began to buckle and she had to grip the edge of the bus
shelter to stop herself falling over.

It was only
when she had paid her fare that another thought occurred to her; if he had been
observing her and knew which bus she caught, then he might be on the bus
already. The colour that had flushed her face after her jog to the bus stop now
drained away as she searched amongst the passengers. When she was satisfied
that the man wasn’t amongst them, she took a seat next to an elderly lady.

The lady
turned and smiled at Julie before commenting, ‘Make yourself comfortable love.
You look as though you could do with a sit down.’

Tuesday 2
^nd
September 1986

By the time Julie reached home she had composed herself and
managed to put on an appearance of normality for the benefit of her family. She
didn’t wish to confide in her parents about the events of the last day because
she didn’t want to worry them. “
Haven’t I caused enough trouble for them
already
?” she asked herself.

She was
seeing Vinny that evening so she didn’t have to keep up the charade for long.
As soon as tea was finished and the dishes washed, Julie was in her room
getting changed and made-up. At a little after 6.30pm Julie kissed her parents
and Clare goodbye and promised to see them later.

Julie took a
taxi to Vinny’s house. Although he didn’t live far away she didn’t want to take
any chances after the day that she had experienced. Vinny was already at the
door waiting for her.

‘I thought
I heard a car, and wondered who it was,’ he announced. ‘What are you doing
catching a taxi you lazy sod?’ he teased.

The
expression on Julie’s face told him something wasn’t right.

As soon as
they were inside the house he challenged her. ‘What’s wrong Julie?’

‘Nothing
Vinny,’ she replied.

‘Come on
Julie. I know there’s something wrong. Is it something to do with why you got a
taxi here?’

‘Sort of,’
she began. ‘It’s nothing really. I just didn’t want to take any chances, that’s
all. I’ve had a bit of a bad day. Someone rang work, and I thought someone was
following me home. But it was probably me imagining it. Anyway I’m OK now, so
what’s the problem?’

Vinny’s
reaction surprised her. In no time at all he was standing facing her, gripping
her arms. ‘Don’t shut me out Julie. Don’t fuckin’ shut me out, not again! I
want to help you. Can’t you see that? But if you’re just gonna clam up every
time things are bad, then how the fuck can I help?’

‘You’re
hurting me!’ she cried.

Vinny
released his grip and stared down at the floor, embarrassed. Then, raising his
head so that his eyes met Julie’s, he said, ‘I’m sorry Julie. I didn’t mean to
hurt you but I need to know what’s happening. I don’t want it to be like it was
before when you wouldn’t even see me let alone talk to me!’

‘What did
you expect Vinny? I was cracking up. It’s not surprising after what’s happened.
And now I’ve got some fuckin’ nutcase after me and I don’t know what to do!’ As
she spoke the words she began to sob, ‘I’m scared Vinny. I’m really scared and
I don’t know how much more of this I can take!’

Vinny began
to comfort her and when the tears had subsided, he allowed her to relate the
day’s events as he listened patiently.

He
responded by asking, ‘Are you sure it wasn’t Les following you.’

‘Positive,’
Julie replied.

‘Then he
must have put someone up to it. It’s got to be Les. He knows we’re onto him
after what went on at his flat and he’s running scared. Do you think the man
who followed you was the same one that delivered the rat?’

‘Probably,’
said Julie, recoiling at the mention of the rat.

‘Right,
then we’ll have to do something about it. We’ll have to report it to the
police.’

‘Not now
Vinny, I’m tired. I just want a nice quiet night when I don’t have to think
about it.’

‘We’ll have
to do it soon Julie. I think this is all connected with Les. He’s already
killed Amanda and Jacqueline, and God knows what he might have done to you when
he found you in his flat! We can’t risk leaving it. What about tomorrow? Can
you get the day off?’

‘No, not at
such short notice. Besides, I’ve had enough time off recently. We’ll have to do
it after work. Oh Vinny, I’m so frightened!’

Vinny gently
took hold of her shoulders. ‘Don’t be,’ he said. ‘We’ll make sure there’s
always someone with you outside work. Don’t walk anywhere, get taxis and don’t
go out alone.

‘Chances
are he won’t do anything to you Julie, not when you’ve got people with you. Anyway,
as long as he’s still trying to pin the blame on you and Rita, you’re safe.’

‘I wish I
felt reassured by that Vinny.’

‘Don’t
worry, it’ll all be over soon. I’ll pick you up from work at five o’clock, and
once we tell the police what’s been going on, maybe they’ll arrest Les. Bring
the rat with you! I think Inspector Bowden will need to see that.’

--------------------

Wednesday
3
^rd
September 1986

Julie was
feeling nervous when she arrived at work the next day. After greeting Norma she
began to search for the box.

‘I’ve
already looked; it’s gone,’ said Norma.

‘Gone, gone
where?’

‘You tell
me! Where did you leave it?’

‘On the
shelf underneath the desk.’

‘Maybe the cleaners
have shifted it then.’

Julie,
however, had other suspicions. It was evidence, and to her it was just too much
of a coincidence that the box had disappeared at such a crucial time when she
and Vinny were planning to take it to the police station.

‘They can’t
have done,’ she said. ‘The cleaners never shift anything off the shelves. They
just move things that are lying on the floor. They couldn’t have taken it Norma.
I think somebody else did.’

‘What are
you saying Julie?’

‘That someone
else took the box. They must have come in and grabbed it after we went home.
What time did you leave last night Norma?’

‘Just after
you, but I can’t see how someone would have got away with walking in the
building and rummaging through the desks.’

‘Look Norma,
that door’s always open to the public. Anybody could walk in off the street,
and if most of the staff had already gone home then they’d have plenty of time
to rummage about.’

‘Well, I
suppose they could at a pinch.’

‘I think it’s
Les. In fact, me and Vinny are going to the police station tonight after work
to tell them what’s been happening. I was followed home last night. I think it
was the same man that delivered the rat. Les must have put him up to it.’

‘You’re
joking! That must have been awful. Let’s hope you have some joy with the
police. It’s about time this was all over with.’

The rest of
the morning passed by uneventfully but Julie received another menacing phone
call just after her lunch break. It sounded like the same voice again, taunting
her as it said, ‘I hope you enjoyed your little present. Pity you haven’t kept
it, isn’t it?’

Before
Julie could respond the caller had put down the receiver.

At 5pm she was
relieved when Vinny came to meet her and she flung herself towards him seeking reassurance
after another trying day.

They
arrived at the police station just before five thirty, hoping that Inspector
Bowden would still be on duty. Unfortunately for them, he was.

They were
led into the same interview room as last time. This time Inspector Bowden had
Sergeant Drummond seated beside him and they both appeared to be equally
stony-faced. As Julie and Vinny walked into the room, nobody spoke. They
weren’t offered a seat but they took one anyway. After a few seconds of
uncomfortable silence the inspector began talking.

‘I hope
you’ve not come to waste my time again,’ he stated.

‘We haven’t
been wasting your time. It’s not our fault you wouldn’t take us seriously!’
Julie began, but she was silenced by the touch of Vinny’s fingers on her arm.

‘We want to
report a case of harassment and we think it might be connected to the case,’ he
said.

‘And what
case might that be?’ asked the inspector, putting them on the spot.

Julie
decided to leave the talking to Vinny as her emotions were running high and she
knew that she would have difficulty controlling herself.

‘The case of
Amanda Morris’s death and maybe the other girl, Jacqueline, as well,’ Vinny
replied.

‘Would you
like to explain how a case of harassment could be connected to the deaths of
Amanda Morris and Jacqueline Bartlett?’ asked the inspector.

Julie
noticed how calm Vinny was trying to remain as he answered each of the inspector’s
questions.

‘Julie is being
harassed,’ he explained. ‘We think it’s connected with Les because he knows
that we suspect him.’

‘How is she
being harassed?’ the inspector asked.

‘I was
coming to that. Julie’s been getting phone calls at work from a man. She’s also
had a dead rat delivered to her at work and someone followed her last night.’

‘Have you
brought the rat?’

Julie
watched Vinny’s reaction as, unperturbed, he continued. ‘The rat went missing,
but her colleague Norma saw it as well before it disappeared. She also saw the
courier that delivered the rat. We think it’s the same man that followed
Julie.’

‘The word of
a work colleague is not evidence enough. I need to see the rat. What about the
man? Do you know who he is Miss Quinley?’

Julie
flinched as Inspector Bowden addressed her. ‘No, I’ve never seen him before,
but he looked similar to the man who delivered the rat, tall and, and … dark.’

‘Are you
describing Les Stevens?’ Sergeant Drummond asked, sounding confused.

‘No,’ Julie
retorted. ‘He was much bigger.’

Inspector
Bowden re-joined the conversation, his voice beginning to take on a tone of
annoyance. ‘Then how on earth can you claim that this so called harassment is
connected to Leslie Stevens?’

Julie was
at a loss for words. She knew that if she described the connection she would
have to admit they had broken into Les’s flat and that would land them in more
trouble. She also knew that Vinny would be aware of her thoughts at this
moment, and she heard him jump to her defence as he said, ‘We think Les put him
up to it. Maybe someone told Les that I spotted him dealing drugs, so he’s
trying to get at Julie because he knows where she works.’

Regrettably
Vinny’s reasoning was insufficient to quell Inspector Bowden’s wrath.

‘Nonsense!’
he shouted. ‘It’s all nonsense. I think you two fabricated this whole story to
get yourselves off the hook. Now get out of this station before I have you for
wasting police time!’

His voice
was still booming in Julie’s ears as she marched up the road outside the police
station. Vinny was having difficulty trying to keep pace with her as her anger
penetrated through to her fast and furious pacing. It took several minutes
before he managed to calm her down. Eventually she agreed to let him take her
home.

‘Why won’t
they listen to us Vinny?’ she asked.

‘I don’t
know Julie. Maybe there’s not enough evidence with the rat having gone missing.
All they’ve got is our word for it. For all we know he might be looking into it
now. All that might have just been an act for our benefit. After all, if he was
going to arrest Les Stevens, he wouldn’t tell us about it, would he?’

Vinny’s
words failed to convince Julie.

--------------------

Wednesday
3
^rd
September 1986

They
reached Julie’s home a little before seven o’clock. By this time Julie had
managed to steady herself, and she and Vinny decided to act as though
everything was fine, but it was to no avail. She knew by the expressions on her
parents’ faces when she walked through the door that something was amiss.

‘What is
it, what’s wrong?’ asked Julie.

‘You’d
better sit down Julie, you too Vinny,’ said Bill. ‘We’ve been getting some
phone calls, not very nice ones.’

‘What have
they been saying?’ Julie asked but, seeing the torment on her father’s face,
she spared him the anguish of having to give details. ‘It’s all right. You
don’t have to repeat them Dad. I know all about them. I’ve been getting them at
work as well.’

‘Why didn’t
you tell us?’ Bill asked, the hurt evident in his voice.

‘I didn’t
want to trouble you. I’ve put you through enough lately.’

‘Oh Julie
love,’ said her mother. ‘We’re your parents. You should confide in us if
something’s troubling you.’

‘I hope
you’re going to report it to the police,’ said Bill. ‘They were round here
quick enough when they thought they had something on you, weren’t they?’

‘I already
have done Dad. That’s where we’ve just been, but they didn’t take us seriously.
They said we didn’t have any evidence. In fact, they said we were just making
it up to get me off the hook, and they threatened to arrest us for wasting
their time.’

‘The cheeky
buggers!’ said Bill.

Julie
couldn’t stand the looks of hurt and desperation on her parent’s faces. She
left the living room and wandered into the kitchen accompanied by Vinny.

‘Jesus
Vinny, this is awful!’ she said. ‘I didn’t want them to know. I didn’t want to
put them through it again.’