Историческая библиотека. Том 8. Отсутствует

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      Telling the police he was responsible for murdering Lorraine, Yvonne, and Zoe made him feel powerful. The look on their faces as he described what he had done. Raven licked his lips.

      Being charged. Oh, they all thought they were so clever. Poor, poor Maggie. He wondered how she felt now as she watched her career falling down a black hole. He wished he could have seen her face when she first learned about his appeal.

      And finally, being convicted. Seeing the look of distress on the jury’s faces as the verdict was read out. He took a deep, satisfying breath. Closed his eyes and tried desperately to recapture that feeling again.

      With his appeal in place, he had access to all the paperwork that had ultimately led to his conviction. The trial hadn’t been long because he had pleaded guilty. Three women had been presumed dead and a few small bits of forensics had backed up his confession. A hair here, a droplet of blood there …

      Bill did know all three women. He had met them, sold drugs to them, partied with them. Witnesses had placed him with – or in the vicinity of – all three women at some point prior to their disappearance. He’d made sure of that.

      Snippets of events flashed through his brain at lightning speed.

      Blood. There was blood everywhere. It covered the floor like a velvety red carpet. Dripping down the walls – slowly. He had been hypnotized by it all.

      Then there were the receipts that had been recovered by the police. So clever and probably the most damning of all because he had no explanation for why he had them. Well none that he was prepared to share. Bill had been seen on CCTV purchasing a hack saw, plastic sheeting, a roll of large black bin bags and a six pack of duct tape. The receipts for all items were found in a pair of jeans he had stuffed in the back of his closet. Maybe he was going to help a friend fix his roof?

      The police hounded him in interview. Interrogated him until he was so exhausted, he just admitted it all – or that’s what his solicitor now claimed had happened. Bill had been off his face and did struggle to really remember everything. That much was true. The police had a nice scenario: he had kidnapped the women, cut up and disposed of their bodies in unknown locations and then confessed because of his overwhelming guilt. That worked, and it saved him from getting caught out in his lies, though he was too clever for that really. He confessed to killing the women because he already knew they were missing … and would never be found. They may as well have been dead. But were there more? There could be more.

      Bill’s psychosis was a godsend and he had his heroin and crack cocaine use to thank for that. The periodic psychotic breaks had been detailed in keywork sessions at the drug and alcohol agency he attended over the years. Not long before he confessed to the police, he had stopped taking his anti-psychotics and begun self-medicating with whatever drug he could get his hands on. He had needed to block out reality and live his fantasies. It had been too long.

      The meds ruined his thoughts – he couldn’t wait to be free of them, so he could see, feel and taste the fear. The thrills were what made him feel alive.

       CHAPTER TEN

      Maggie embraced the silence when she got home. She chucked her coat over the railing and removed her shoes, leaving them on the small shoe rack her brother had made. Andy wasn’t due in from work for another hour and she decided to use the time to unwind. She needed to have a conversation with him and wasn’t sure where to begin.

      Her brother had moved in a few months earlier after coming to Maggie with his financial problems. Maggie had agreed to pay off his heavy gambling debts to avoid further strain on his relationship with their parents. In exchange, he would do any home repairs and, in the long run, she probably got the better end of the deal.

      Unbeknownst to Andy, their parents had said they were hoping to visit in a few weeks. He had done a fantastic job on redecorating the spare room, but Maggie wasn’t sure when or how she would explain to their parents the current living arrangements. Why do families have to be so complicated?

      Maggie called out to Scrappy, her fiercely independent ginger cat, as she made her way into the kitchen. ‘Scrappy. Come on and get your dinner!’ No response. That’s odd. She grabbed the can opener out of the top drawer, figuring if he heard her opening a tin of food, he’d show his furry face. He didn’t.

      Maggie opened the back door and looked into the garden. She grabbed her sweater from the hook and pulled on her rubber boots, making her way down the path and calling out to the pain-in-the-backside cat of hers. ‘Scraaaaappy. Here kitty cat. I have your favourite din dins.’ She tapped the tin with the opener.

      When she got to the bottom of her garden, she noticed that the gate was open a crack. It was usually locked and she cursed her brother under her breath. Maggie pushed the gate closed, pulled the bolt across and made her way inside. Scooping his food into his bowl, Maggie placed it on the mat by the door and then took off her boots. There was a chill in the house, so she kept her sweater on and poured herself a glass of wine.

      She ambled towards the living room and reclined in the settee, putting her feet up on the table, just as her brother came through the door.

      ‘Hey, did you leave the back gate unlocked?’ She called out to him.

      ‘Well hello to you too!’ Andy laughed.

      ‘Sorry. How was your day, dear brother? Did you leave the back gate unlocked?’ A smile tugged at her lips.

      ‘Not me. I haven’t been out there for a few days. Why? Was it open?’

      ‘Yeah, it’s unlocked. I noticed when I went to go look for Scrappy.’

      ‘That’s weird. Do you want me to check it out?’

      ‘Erm – police officer here … no need. I am not worried. Probably someone trying it on, or kids – you know what they can be like. You only have to reach over to unlock it. But if you have a strong padlock spare, it might be a good idea to put that on, just in case.’

      ‘I’ll sort it.’ He scratched his head.

      ‘Was Scrappy around when you left?’

      ‘Pretty sure he was; he usually goes out his flap when I leave. But I can’t say for definite.’

      ‘OK. So, how was your day?’

      ‘Fine. Same shit, different day. I’m thinking of maybe looking for something in the building trade. I’m getting sick of the monotony of it all in the factory and the shifts can be draining. You know how I feel about starting my own business. Any experience would be good at this stage.’ He looked deflated and Maggie frowned. ‘Don’t worry. I won’t be leaving anytime soon. Just something to think about.’

      ‘Phew! I had a mini panic then. There’s still so much to do on the house!’ She grinned and then fiddled with her hair. ‘Do you have a minute to chat?’

      ‘Sounds ominous. Let me jump in the shower and put some dinner on. Have you eaten?’

      ‘Not yet. What are you making?’

      ‘Might use up the veggies and do a stir-fry or something.’

      ‘Perfect! I’ll start chopping.’

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