Vanishing Point (26 page)

‘How do you know their names?’ Brady questioned as he realised that the initials on Melissa Ryecroft’s body now made sense.

If Melissa Ryecroft had been taken by these men and branded then ‘MD’ would stand for Marijuis and Mykolas Dabkunas. And Marijuis was the name of her Eastern European boyfriend.

It all made sense now.

‘How the hell do you think?’ lowly hissed Trina as she shot Brady a hard look.

She was clearly pissed off and Brady couldn’t figure it out.

‘Nick!’

‘What’s he done, Trina? What the fuck has Nick done?’

If there was one person who was always in Nick’s camp, that was Trina. Even when he dumped her to start a fresh life in London, she wouldn’t have a word said against him.

Brady had always wondered about Trina’s allegiance to Nick. And vice-versa. He knew that if Nick ever came up to the North East, he always made a point of visiting her. He had often wondered what the connection was between them.

‘Nick’s working for them, isn’t he? These men are evil, Jack. You have no idea. I wouldn’t even spit on them. They’re bringing girls like Nicoletta into the country and taking their passports from them and forcing them to work.’

‘What? Sex?’

‘Fuck me! You’re quick!’ she replied, her voice thick with scorn.

She looked at Brady and shook her head.

Brady was certain he could see tears welling up in her eyes.

‘Anyway, Nick’s caught up with them. I don’t know why … it’s not like him, you know?’

Brady knew alright.

‘What’s he working as?’ he asked.

But he already knew the answer. He just needed it confirming.

‘He’s working as their driver and bodyguard,’ Trina muttered reluctantly.

She looked at him. Her eyes filled with fear.

‘Jack? You’ve got to stop him,’ Trina begged. ‘Talk to him. Make him see what kind of men he’s working for.’

‘That’s why I’m here. I knew he was caught up in some real bad shit.’

‘He’s not just involved with the Dabkunas brothers though. It’s bigger than that. Much bigger …’

‘What do you mean? Who else is involved?’

‘Nick said … he said he was working for a very powerful man … an ambassador …’

Brady raised his eyebrows. ‘Come on, Trina. This is bloody Wallsend, not London!’

‘You think I don’t know that? Makes no difference though … The Dabkunas brothers are just part of a chain of command, Jack. From what Nick said, he answers directly to an ambassador … the Lithuanian Ambassador. As do the Dabkunas brothers.’

Brady stared at her. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

He suddenly remembered that Gates had mentioned that he was attending some fancy presentation talk at the Civic Centre tomorrow afternoon. The main speaker was the Lithuanian Ambassador, up on business from London.

But what business?

‘I’m scared, Jack. From what I’ve heard these brothers own their girls and if they don’t do as they’re told, then they get punished. They’d have no qualms about putting a bullet in Nick … or worse.’

Brady tried not to focus on what the Dabkunas brothers would do to Nick.

‘What do they do to their girls? How do they punish them?’ Brady asked, thinking of how Melissa Ryecroft had been murdered.

‘Ask Nicoletta,’ Trina said, her eyes on the booth in the corner. ‘Looks like she’s finished.’

Brady turned and watched as she walked towards them. With each step she was trying to rebuild the self-esteem and self-worth that the four businessmen had stripped bare.

‘It’ll cost you though,’ warned Trina. ‘Same amount.’

‘Fuck me!’ muttered Brady as he took his wallet out.

‘Cost you double if we were to do that,’ Trina said with a wry smile.

Brady ignored her and counted out the money.

‘No?’ she questioned with mock surprise, enjoying his embarrassment.

‘No,’ replied Brady, as he handed the cash over.

Luckily he had had £250 on him. He’d been to the cash-point yesterday and had withdrawn £300; part of which he’d spent that night. And seemingly the rest was going on expenses today. He knew she was fleecing him. But he had no choice but to pay.

Nicoletta quietly watched the transaction before sitting down.

Trina pushed the drink Brady had bought in front of her.

‘He wants to know about the Dabkunas brothers,’ Trina said.

‘Know nothing,’ Nicoletta replied in an Eastern European accent.

Brady looked at her. She was young, pretty and very, very scared. He hazarded a guess that she was about eighteen, nineteen, if that.

‘It’s okay,’ Trina said, taking her hand. ‘He’s a friend of mine, Nicoletta. Nothing’s going to happen.’

Brady saw her discreetly press some of the notes he’d just handed over into Nicoletta’s hand. Trina then tightly squeezed it.

Nicoletta looked at Trina. Her big brown eyes wide with terror.

‘No … they do …’ she mumbled, shaking her head.

‘Trust me. He can help you, I promise,’ reassured Trina.

Brady watched Trina, surprised by her gentleness.

Nicoletta nodded. But it was clear she wasn’t convinced.

‘Where are you from?’ Brady asked her.

She shot Trina a nervous look. Trina nodded for her to continue.

The girl gestured towards the ceiling and he realised that she must live in the apartment above the club.

‘I work … sleep … work …’ she answered, shrugging.

‘Do you live with anyone else upstairs?’ asked Brady.

‘Ronnie Macmillan, that’s who,’ angrily interrupted Trina.

‘What?’

‘Yeah … He owns this place and half of Wallsend by all accounts,’ answered Trina. ‘And he owns Nicoletta. Bought her from the Dabkunas brothers.’

‘Why did they sell you?’ Brady asked, curious.

‘I gift,’ Nicoletta quietly explained.

‘A gift?’ Brady asked, incredulous.

She nodded, making her long light brown hair fall into her face.

‘Why? Why would they make you a gift?’

‘Business … I …’ She shrugged, turning to Trina for help.

‘Macmillan took a liking to her and they handed her over to seal whatever deal it is they have going on,’ explained Trina.

Nicoletta nodded.

‘Why don’t you go home?’ asked Brady. ‘Back to your country?’

She looked at Brady, incredulous.

‘How?’ she questioned, an edge of anger to her voice. ‘No nothing … no money … nothing. They take … take everything,’ she said resignedly.

Brady thought of Claudia and her team.

‘I know people who can get you out of here. Who can get you back home,’ Brady offered.

‘They kill me,’ she coldly stated. ‘They cut sister’s hands and feet off … if … if …’

She dropped her eyes and played with the ice in her glass as she thought about her options.

‘I no go …’ she said with a tone of finality.

Brady didn’t like what he was hearing. Didn’t like what he saw – the bruising on her bare arms, on her shoulders and, he noticed, in the centre of her bare back, as if she’d been kicked. He also noted the recent purplish discolouring on her right cheek.

But what startled him more than anything was her eyes. They were cold. She had given up hope. She was living a nightmarish existence. Pimped by Macmillan but also expected to service him after she’d finished in the club. And if he felt pissed off, he kicked her around as if she were a dog.

Every part of Brady’s body screamed at him to just grab her and take her out of the place. Get into Conrad’s car and drive. Drive her as far away as possible from Ronnie Macmillan and his club. But he knew that wasn’t the answer. It was simple; she wouldn’t come without a fight. And that would result in getting them both killed. Fear was her captor. Fear that the men who had taken her would stop at nothing to hurt her. And if they couldn’t get her, then the next best thing would be her family back home.

The only way he could convince her that no harm would come to her or those she loved was by stopping these men once and for all.

‘Nicoletta?’

She looked at him. Her eyes distrustful. He was a man after all. Why should she trust him? As far as she was concerned, he was no doubt out to use her just as much as the other men in her life.

‘Have you been branded?’ Brady asked, not wanting to, but he had no choice. He needed to know.

Nicoletta looked from him to Trina, confused.

‘Show him your back. The bottom of your back,’ instructed Trina.

Nicoletta did as she was told. She turned in the seat so he could see the bottom of her back.

Brady noted that she had the identical ‘MD’ initials positioned below a scorpion.

This was much bigger than even he had imagined.

‘Do you know where they are? Where they stay? The brothers who did this to you?’ Brady questioned.

He looked from Nicoletta to Trina.

Trina shook her head, as did Nicoletta.

‘No … we watched … we …’ Nicoletta looked to the older woman for help as she gestured towards her eyes. ‘When move us.’

‘They blindfold you?’

She nodded at him.

Brady inwardly sighed. He knew it wouldn’t be that easy.

‘How do they transport you?’

‘Van,’ she answered simply.

‘Can you tell me anything about it?’

She shook her head.

‘I’ve seen it …’ interrupted Trina.

She edged forward towards Brady, looking around first to make sure no one could overhear her.

‘It’s a black Mercedes they drive. That’s what Nick was driving yesterday. I was having a tab out the back and it was parked up.’

Brady realised that Nicoletta was crying. Silent, restrained tears.

‘What is it, Nicoletta?’ asked Brady gently. ‘What are you not telling me?’

She looked at him, scared.

‘Go on,’ prompted Trina. ‘Tell him. Tell him about your friend, Edita.’

‘We friends. She Lithuanian like me,’ Nicoletta said, her eyes downcast as she stared at her untouched drink.

‘Her name? What’s her full name?’

‘Edita … Edita Aginatas …’

‘What happened to her?’ asked Brady recognising the name as that of the missing girl from Claudia’s briefing.

Nicoletta shook her head. She couldn’t speak.

Trina squeezed her hand tightly and nodded at her.

‘She’s disappeared, Jack … . That’s what they do. They punish them if they try to escape. She has a six-month-old baby back home in …’ She paused and looked at Nicoletta.

‘Raseiniai,’ Nicoletta whispered as tears slid down her face.

‘Her mother looked after her baby so she could come to England to work. To send money back home.’

‘No money … we no money send home,’ corrected Nicoletta.

‘Who took Edita, Nicoletta?’ asked Brady.

‘Dabkunas brothers. Marijuis Dabkunas … He Edita’s …’ She turned to Trina to help her explain.

‘Marijuis was her boyfriend. Convinced Edita to come here. Turns out he was only out to pimp her. She tried to escape, to get back to her baby. From what I know she tried to persuade a punter from the club Edita and Nicoletta worked in before here to help get her out.’

Brady turned from Trina to Nicoletta and watched as tears continued down her pale, haunted face. Trina’s words cutting her to the core.

He felt sick enough as it was without needing to hear any more. He knew it could only get worse.

‘What happened to her, Nicoletta?’ he prompted.

But she shook her head.

He turned to the other woman. ‘Trina?’

‘She got a package a few days ago from home. A punishment for talking to a punter and a warning of what could happen if she did it again,’ explained Trina.

‘What? What was in the package?’ asked Brady looking at Nicoletta.

She anxiously chewed her lip as she thought about it.

‘Baby. Photograph.’

Brady frowned. ‘I don’t understand.’

Trina cut in. ‘Marijuis Dabkunas is in the photograph holding Edita’s baby with his arm around her eleven year old sister.’

Brady shook his head. It didn’t make sense.

‘He has her baby and sister?’ asked Brady.

‘She doesn’t know … nobody knows. Come on, Jack … You’re the bloody copper! That’s why she tried to get away. To get a chance to contact her mother, somehow to warn her not to trust Marijuis. That they had to leave and go someplace where he couldn’t find them. But they found her before she managed to call them …’

‘If this Marijuis hasn’t already taken them,’ Brady quietly pointed out.

Trina looked at Brady.

‘I know … and now it’s all gone horribly wrong.’

Nobody said anything.‘What happened to Edita?’ Brady questioned, breaking the heavy silence.

‘You tell us,’ Trina replied.

‘Only you can tell me that,’ answered Brady.

‘She just disappeared … Who do you think Nick was looking for? Edita!’

‘Was she here, Nicoletta? Was she hiding here?’ Brady asked.

The girl nodded, surprised that he had guessed.

Brady understood now why Nick would have turned up here looking for her.

‘What happened to her then?’

Nicoletta remained silent, refusing to look at him.

‘Trina? What happened to her? What did they do with Edita?’ demanded Brady, turning to her.

Trina looked at Nicoletta.

‘Tell him,’ she insisted.

‘She no stay … she flat … with others. Come here work. Dabkunas bring her. Wanted escape … warn family … I … help … I hide her,’ she reluctantly told him, pointing to the back of the club.

Brady looked confused.

‘I don’t understand. Where?’

‘There’s a cellar downstairs, Jack. For the beer barrels. That’s where Edita hid waiting for an opportunity to get out but they found her last night … and took her,’ explained Trina.

Brady nodded at Trina, grateful that she was prepared to take the risk of telling him.

‘Nicoletta?’ he said gently.

‘Dabkunas brothers … man … took Edita.’

‘What did the other man look like?’ asked Brady. ‘Can you remember?’

Trina shot Brady a look but he ignored her.

‘What did he look like?’ he repeated.

Nicoletta shrugged.

‘Scar … here,’ she said pointing to her cheek.

Brady didn’t say anything. But inside he felt sick.

He glanced across at Trina but she had her eyes cast down, refusing to look at him. They both knew it was Nick. There was no question that he was the driver of the van.