‘I picked her up, Katie. She was running from someone…’ And now the bombshell: ‘The people after her tried to break into the house last night.’
Her next words were smothered by a voice from outside. The yobbo, approaching Karl’s van, mouth first. That guy’s biggest worry in the world right now was a guy slowing him down, and he was going to thrust that upon a man whose pregnant wife was in danger? No, no, no. Karl flash boiled. He was out of the car before he knew it, and in the next moment everyone on the forecourt stopped and looked.
‘FUCK OFF!’
He got back in the van. The yob continued his verbal assault, but he also returned to his ride, and then peeled away, highlighting his disdain with a screech of rubber. Karl rubbed his throbbing throat while Katie asked him what hell was going on.
‘Go to your dad’s, Katie,’ he said. ‘Leave now. In case they come back.’
‘I’m going nowhere, Karl. Who are you talking about? Who will be back? You tell me what the hell is going on.’
‘It’s not sa— It might not be safe. If they come back—’
She cut in, her first word yelled in order to ensure that he shut down while she spoke. The remainder was delivered calmly, but with an undercurrent of simmering anger. He’d only heard her this way on a handful of occasions, but knew he had to tread carefully. And do what she asked.
‘Who, Karl? Don’t you dare just tell me people might come here and I should get out. Don’t you do that. You tell me right now what’s going on.’
He closed his eyes and told it all. The dark road. The man in the mask. Liz and her gangster husband. And what he’d just watched on CCTV. She didn’t interrupt, and when it was over she didn’t shout, or hang up the phone.
She said: ‘Is that why you were distant last night?’
So he had failed to act naturally. But she hadn’t questioned it at the time.
‘Is that why you put the house alarm on when you left this morning?’
She would have set it off when she went out to the shed. It was never active while they were indoors.
‘Is that why you rushed off so early, to go to this woman?’
Yes. Yes to it all. ‘I’m sorry. She wouldn’t go to the police. I know now it’s because her husband is a criminal and wouldn’t want her to. I was going to make her leave. But I’ll go straight to your dad’s; I’ll meet you there, and I’ll call the police. I’ll send them to the shop, and they can deal with her.’
He thought that would appease her. Prayed it would, in fact, because he could think of no better idea. But it didn’t.
‘You should have called them last night, Karl. You shouldn’t have got involved.’
And as for better ideas: ‘I’m not going to my dad’s, Karl.’
‘Katie, listen to me—’
‘No, Karl, you listen to me. I’m not about to flee from my own house just because somebody tried to break into the shed. My own home. If it’s a big worry for you, then send the police here.’
‘Please, Katie.’
‘No, Karl. No way. The police can come here, and we’ll talk to them together so I can make sure you tell them everything. But I don’t want her in that shop. Can you call her there?’
He explained that he’d told the woman not to answer the phone.
‘That was stupid. It was stupid even to leave her there. You should have taken her to a police station. How many thousands of pounds have you got in stock? All of that could be missing. I almost hope it is, because it will teach you not to be such an idiot in the future.’
‘I know,’ was the only reply he could think of.
‘Carry on to the shop and get rid of her, and then come right back here. We’ll phone the police afterwards. If that annoys her, so what? She doesn’t have to talk to them. But you’ll have done the right thing.’
‘I don’t want you there alone,’ Karl replied.
‘Karl, it’s the middle of the morning. People are on the street. Nobody’s coming here. The alarm is still on. Besides, those men trying to break in last night could be a coincidence, you know? They broke into the shed first, didn’t they? There’s no proof anyone is after you, or this woman. There’s only your worrying mind, and because of it she’s sitting there in your shop and making us argue.’
‘But, Katie, her husband is—’
‘Karl, be quiet. I don’t care who she is or who her husband is. I care about not having a stranger who might be up to no good sitting in your shop. I don’t want her staying there. Throw her out, then come home and we’ll call the police together. And don’t let her trick you into doing any more favours. Get rid of her, you idiot. I’m not missing my nails because of her.’
She hung up. He sat there with his mind cartwheeling. He couldn’t ignore her logic. But he also couldn’t ignore that video.
* * *
He got increasingly wired as the journey progressed, until he was so eager to get it over and done with that he literally leaped out of the van once at the shop and cracked his head as he ducked under the part-risen shutter. The screech of the rising shutter had brought her to the hatch, and there she was, staring down at him. He was glad she hadn’t fled in the night because now he could get some answers before he went to the police. A name for the beast in the photo would be nice.
‘You okay?’ she said.
He rubbed his head, then forgot about the pain and rushed to the ladder. He climbed three steps and thrust out an arm towards her, showing his phone and the photo of the alien-like burglar.
‘Who the fuck is this guy?’
He didn’t need her words to see that she didn’t know. Her eyes showed puzzlement. He wasn’t sure whether or not that was good news.
‘Why is he green?’
‘What is he doing?’
‘I don’t know him,’ she said, still staring at the screen. ‘Who is he?’
‘That’s what I was asking you,’ Karl said. He was hit by a sudden fear that the two burglars might also know where he worked and be on their way. He jumped off the ladder and peeked out from under the shutter.
‘I meant, why are you showing me some photo?’
‘Two knobheads came to my house last night. Tried to break in. Got the shock of their lives. Literally. What do you know about it?’
‘My God,’ she said. ‘It has to be connected. They would have sent them after you.’
He stood and faced her and threw out his arms. ‘Well, that’s just lovely.’
‘I used your phone last night. Tried my husband’s mobile, but it’s off. The cottage doesn’t have one. But as soon as I get hold of him, I’ll have him look into these men who came to your house.’
He started pacing. ‘This is a goddamn joke, this. Why did you have to jump out in front of my bloody van? I told my wife all about it, by the way. So, she knows everything, and she wants me to call the police even if you don’t like it.’
She didn’t speak.
‘Get down from there. Cops, right now. You’re going to the police and you’re going to tell them men came to my house, looking for you. And you’re going to leave me out of it, okay? I don’t exist. You slept all night in a damn barn somewhere.’
‘How can I tell the police about your house yet leave you out—?’
‘Jesus!’ he yelled as he realised his error. He started to pace back and forth.
She shook her head. ‘No. No police. Not yet. How many more times must I say this? I have to find my husband first, and he will sort out this problem.’
He stopped and glared up at her. ‘By killing people, you mean?’
She looked back at him in shock. But guilt was there, too.