But I have to. I’ll fight this man with every bit of strength I have left. I yank my hand away and get to my feet, kicking the chair away. I don’t need it. He doesn’t seem to have a weapon. He must have thought he didn’t need one any more.
‘You don’t scare me,’ I say as I stare into his eyes. ‘Because I’m not a little girl. And that’s your thing, isn’t it? Little girls?’
Sally lets out a sob and I am aching to go to her, to reassure her that we’re going to get out of here, that everything will be fine.
‘Get out of my way, you mad bitch,’ he growls, grabbing my hair and throwing me on to the floor. ‘You’re supposed to be dead.’
I scramble to my feet and as he comes at me again I try to kick him in the groin. But I miss and he grabs me and throws me down hard.
‘I’ll say this for you, Kate,’ he says, kneeling on my chest and putting his hands round my neck. ‘You’re a hard one to get rid of. Those bloody pills weren’t strong enough.’
‘Pills?’ I whisper as his hands tighten round my throat.
‘Yeah, you like pills, don’t you?’ he says. ‘All those ones I found in your bag. Proper little druggie, aren’t you? Your body must be used to them, that’s all I can say.’
‘What do you mean?’ I croak out as I grab at his hands with my fingers.
‘Remember that time in the pub,’ he says, pressing his face against mine, ‘when you went crazy out on the street? Then the cosy night in we had with the bottle of red wine, that nice flask of tea on the beach? I must say, for a hotshot journalist you’re a bit stupid when it comes to leaving your drinks lying around.’
‘You drugged me?’ I gasp as I frantically try to prise his hands from my neck.
‘You didn’t give me any choice,’ he says. ‘Sticking your nose in where it wasn’t wanted. I tried to stop you but you must have the constitution of an ox. Still, you’d have to be a tough bitch to do what you did.’
‘What are you talking about?’
He nods his head and smiles.
‘Sally told me,’ he says, pressing his mouth against my cheek. The pressure on my throat releases a bit. ‘What happened when you were a kid. The big family secret.’
‘Paul, no,’ groans Sally from the corner of the room. ‘Please, no.’
‘Shut up, bitch,’ he hisses. ‘You were the one who told me. You were the one who fucking hated her for what she’d done.’
‘What did I do?’ I say, holding his gaze. I want him to know I’m not scared of him. ‘Tell me, eh? What did I do?’
He tightens his grip round my throat again then pushes his face in mine.
‘You killed your little brother,’ he hisses. ‘Your dad told Sally all about it when she was a kid. It wasn’t an accident. It was you. You held him under the water until he drowned. Evil bitch.’
No. It’s not true. He’s making it up. I yank one of my hands away from him.
‘You’re lying, you sick fuck,’ I scream, raising my free arm to his face.
But he’s quicker than me and he grabs my head and smashes it into the floor. My entire body goes limp.
‘You bitch, you fucking murdering bitch,’ he yells.
I can taste blood in my mouth as my head hits the concrete again and I close my eyes, waiting for the next blow. But it doesn’t come. Instead, a heavy weight crashes down on top of me and I feel his grip loosen.
I open my eyes as Paul rolls to the floor and see her standing there, the wooden chair raised above her head.
‘Hannah,’ I cry.
‘I’m sorry,’ she says, her lip trembling. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Paul isn’t moving.
‘It’s okay,’ I say, getting to my feet. ‘You have nothing to be sorry for, darling. It’s over now. It’s all over.’
I feel dazed as I look at his slumped body. He’s not moving but when I lean over him I can hear the faint sound of breath. Good. I want him to pay for what he’s done. I grab the rope that was tying Hannah, and bind his hands.
‘Kate.’
Sally. I stumble over to her and as I take her hand I hear footsteps overhead and relief floods through my body.
‘It’s okay,’ I say. ‘The ambulance is here now. You’re going to get seen to and then you’ll be all better.’
‘No,’ she gasps, taking my hand and squeezing it. ‘Can’t breathe.’
Her eyelids are drooping and her skin feels so cold.
‘Yes you can,’ I say, stroking her hands to warm them. ‘He’s gone, Sally. You’re safe now. I promise.’
She stares up at me. Her eyes are clouding over. I know that look. I saw it on Nidal’s face when I picked him up off the pavement.
‘No, Sally,’ I shout, rubbing frantically at her hands. ‘Don’t do this. The ambulance is here now. Hannah’s here and you’ve got the most beautiful grandson. You have so much to live for.’
‘I’m . . . sorry,’ she says, smiling up at me. ‘I’m so . . . sorry.’
‘Sorry for what?’ I say gently. ‘You have nothing to be sorry for.’
‘I should have let you in,’ she says, her voice rattling in her chest. ‘That time in the garden . . . should have let you in . . . He said . . . I’m sorry.’