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  They waited, listening to the roar of the helicopter swell and recede as it circled around, until Geraldine felt as though she had been sitting at the wheel of Ashley’s car for as long as she could remember. Her feet and hands were physically hurting from the cold. Still there was no sound of cars approaching down the track, or voices calling out instructions, only the distant roar of the helicopter. The tension inside the car was becoming unbearable.

  ‘Where are they?’ Ashley burst out at last. ‘They must know we’re here. Surely the helicopter spotted us. What’s taking them so long?’

  Trained to cope under pressure, even Geraldine was finding the waiting almost intolerable. Afraid that Ashley would crack, she looked directly at her captor and forced a smile.

  ‘Do you want to talk me through your demands so I know what to say when the time comes? We can discuss what’s realistic…’

  ‘What’s there to talk about?’ Ashley interrupted her. She sounded tetchy. ‘They need to turn up and start negotiating. I know what I want.’ She paused. ‘I had to do it, you know,’ she added.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘You know what I mean.’ There was a long pause. ‘I knew it was him all along.’

  ‘Are you talking about Tim?’

  ‘Yes, of course I’m talking about Tim.’

  ‘Do you mean you knew he was killing your friends?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Why was he doing it?’

  ‘To punish me.’

  Geraldine frowned. ‘If you knew it was him, you should have come to us.’

  ‘You wouldn’t have believed me. And anyway, what good would that have done?’

  ‘He would have been arrested and tried for murder.’

  ‘And after all that, how long would he have spent behind bars? He would have pleaded guilty on the grounds of diminished responsibility or whatever other trick he could have pulled, and with good behaviour he would have been free within a few years.’

  ‘That would have been for the courts to decide.’

  ‘What do they know? I’m telling you, he would have got away with it.’

  ‘He wouldn’t have got away with anything, not after killing three people.’

  ‘He would have been locked up for a few years, that’s all.’

  ‘Ashley, whatever you think, you can’t take the law into your own hands. We have a justice system to uphold the law.’

  ‘That’s not justice. And it wouldn’t have protected me. Don’t you understand? If the police had got hold of him, he would never have gone away. I had to end it. I had to be sure it was really over.’

  ‘What was?’

  ‘His obsession with me.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘He was so possessive, and violent. If I so much as looked at another man he threatened to lock me in his cellar again.’

  ‘Again?’ Geraldine seized on the word.

  ‘Yes, he locked me in there sometimes.’

  ‘Was this while you were still at school?’

  ‘It started then, but we carried on seeing each other for years after I left, right up until I walked out and went to live with Steph in York. I thought he wouldn’t find me there. I thought I could escape.’ She gave a bitter laugh. ‘He would have found me wherever I went. He was like that. I could never have got away from him, not unless…’

  ‘I don’t understand why he killed Stephanie and Peter and Bethany,’ Geraldine said. ‘Was it to frighten you, or punish you?’

  ‘He did it to isolate me. He thought if he could take away all of my friends, I’d go back to him. He thought it would make me need him. The stupid thing is, Peter and Beth weren’t even really my friends. I wouldn’t have cared if I never saw them again as long as I lived. They were just people I knew at school. But Tim wanted to get rid of everyone I knew. He was like that. Completely mad.’ She seemed to be talking to herself. ‘I think he always was, only when I was younger I didn’t realise it.’ She laughed, but her cheeks were wet with tears. ‘I was flattered by his single-minded attention. I didn’t know then that it had nothing to do with love. It was insanity. It was only ever insanity.’

  Geraldine wondered how much truth there was in what she was hearing. But Tim had killed three people before Ashley had shot him. That at least was undeniable. And although what Ashley had said about ending Tim’s obsession with her was appalling, it did follow a terrible logic. With his death, her relationship with him really was ended, with a finality that couldn’t be delivered by the legal system Geraldine served. Despite her fundamental belief that the law was the only rightful means of delivering justice, she acknowledged its limitations. Now Ashley had become the killer who would probably serve a relatively short prison sentence on the grounds of diminished responsibility. And when she was released, she would be free of her persecutor for life.

  68

  Watching the patrol cars peel off, Ian maintained his distance, careful to keep at least one other vehicle between him and the car he was following. Once he almost lost them when he was held at a red light.

  ‘Which way? Which way?’ he demanded aloud, panicking that he had lost them.

  A helicopter pilot directed him across a roundabout and out on to the Tadcaster Road where he overtook a couple of slow-moving vehicles. With the target in sight again, he eased off the accelerator and allowed another driver to overtake him. As long as there were no more than two cars between them, he could tail them effortlessly. He avoided allowing a van or lorry to get between them and block his line of vision. With the helicopter to guide him there was little chance of losing them, but he still felt happier when he could see the car himself.

  Up ahead he saw them turn off. Reaching the entrance to the narrow lane where they had disappeared, he drew in beside the hedge and waited. After a few minutes he took his foot off the brake and allowed the car to crawl forward. When the roof of a barn came into view, he parked his car right up against the hedge and continued on foot. Pressing his back up against the shrubbery he edged forwards, one step at a time, aware that if he made any noise at all he might be responsible for a fatality that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Behind him the bushes rustled gently in protest at his movements, no louder than they might have done at a sudden wind whipping through their leaves.

  The side of the barn facing the lane was open to the elements. The car had been driven in forwards, so that the people inside it weren’t looking in his direction. Even so, he advanced very cautiously. Ashley had only to glance round and she would spot him at once, with the sun behind his back. He dropped down on to his front and hauled himself over the prickly grass as quickly as he could. Once he reached the threshold of the barn, he was below the car windows and no longer visible to the two women inside it. Slowly he pulled himself up until he was level with the back of the car. There he paused. He was within a few inches of Ashley, and he had no idea what to do next.

  For the first time it occurred to him that he had followed the two women without any plan for what to do when he found them. He had been in many other dangerous situations, but this was the first time he had reacted in such mindless panic. If his own life had been threatened he would have remained calm but, in the heat of the moment, he had allowed his judgement to be clouded by his fear for Geraldine’s safety. Shocked to discover how easy it had been to disregard his training, he forced himself to focus on his immediate predicament. Analysing his motivation for such reckless behaviour would have to wait. Right now he needed to concentrate on Geraldine’s predicament.

  As he appreciated the extent of the danger into which he had rushed, terror clutched at him until he was barely able to breathe. He crouched behind the car, clinging to the fact that he had seen Geraldine through the window, and she was still alive. He could hear a faint hum of voices which indicated the two women were talking. Geraldine would be doing her best to keep the con
versation going until help arrived. He settled down to wait. The negotiator would soon be there, and once that kicked off, he would be ready to act if necessary. If not, he would roll underneath the car and stay out of sight until it was all over. Just being close enough to Geraldine to hear her voice was reassuring.

  He felt a jolt. Peering round the edge of the car, he saw the passenger door had swung open. He pulled his head back sharply, just as Ashley looked out; another second and she would have seen him. Quickly he flung himself flat on the ground and pulled himself right underneath the car. Wedged between the freezing cold earth and the chassis he listened intently, trying to work out what was happening. He could hear raised voices above him, but the sound was muffled by the vehicle. It was excruciating having to lie there, helpless, not knowing what was going on, unable to do anything to help his colleague.

  Above him the car began to bounce and he heard Ashley yelling, ‘Put them on now!’ A moment later she shouted, ‘Get out! Get out!’ At the same time, she climbed out of the car, almost close enough for him to reach out and grab her ankle. She was wearing faded jeans and pink socks, with dirty white trainers, but that was all he could see of her. A section of a second pair of legs appeared on the other side of the car. Ian watched Geraldine’s black trousers and feet move slowly towards the exit, while Ashley’s legs moved at the same speed in the same direction on the opposite side of the car. Ian waited. In a moment the two women would walk out of the barn, unaware of his presence. Before the negotiating team arrived, he might find an opportunity to seize Geraldine’s captor from behind. Taking her completely by surprise, he would be able to overpower her before she knew what was happening. But if his plan backfired, Geraldine would be shot.

  Hardly daring to breathe, he twisted around so he could look out without being seen. The two women were walking slowly around the car, one on each side. They met at the back of the car, in the entrance to the barn. Ian swore under his breath when he saw that Geraldine was handcuffed. He slid silently backwards to the space between the far wall of the barn and the front of the car. Pulling himself out from underneath the car, he crouched down to peer over the top of the bonnet.

  ‘What was that?’ Ashley asked.

  Ian froze.

  ‘What’s what?’ Geraldine asked, although she must have heard whatever sound had alerted Ashley to Ian’s movement.

  ‘I thought I heard something.’

  ‘It’s the countryside,’ Geraldine replied. ‘There’s no one else here making any noise apart from animals and the wind.’

  Knowing her as well as he did, to Ian’s ears her casual tone sounded fake. He hoped her dismissive comment wouldn’t arouse Ashley’s suspicions. It was possible that Geraldine genuinely believed what they had heard had been the rustling of the wind, or movement of some animal through the grass. But her words made him suspect she was wondering whether anyone else was there, watching and waiting.

  ‘There’s no one here,’ Geraldine repeated firmly, as though to confirm that she thought there probably was.

  ‘What if someone’s followed us?’

  ‘Only a complete moron would go chasing after a woman with a gun. He could be shot if he was discovered.’

  Geraldine replied so decisively that Ian was now convinced she suspected he was there. The two women moved out of the barn. If they kept walking, in a few moments they would come across his car parked by the hedge and know there was someone else there. It wouldn’t take long for Ashley to scurry back to the barn, her gun at Geraldine’s head. If she threatened to shoot unless he came out of hiding, he would have to stand up and show himself. He could imagine her lining the two of them up, too far away for them to reach out and grab her, close enough for her to shoot either or both of them with ease if they tried to move. In attempting to rescue Geraldine, he had probably only managed to ensure he died alongside her at the hand of an enraged killer. It wasn’t much consolation to know that if Ashley managed to survive, she would spend the rest of her miserable life behind bars.

  69

  Geraldine eyed her captor warily. Without the use of her arms, her only means of attack were her feet and head, neither of which was very helpful against an enemy waving a gun. Her adopted mother used to tell her and Celia that they should ‘Be thankful for small mercies.’ Now Geraldine took scant comfort from the fact that her wrists were secured in front of her. Had the handcuffs been snapped shut behind her back, her shoulders would have been aching horribly.

  ‘What now?’ Geraldine asked as Ashley looked around.

  ‘We just wait until they come and exchange you.’ Ashley gave a worried smile. ‘You’re my bargaining chip.’

  She was about to say something else when the peace of the rural setting was shattered by a blur of chaotic sensations. It began with a deafening roar overhead as a helicopter swooped past, circling the barn. The noise of the engine faded as the helicopter wheeled at the furthest point on its manoeuvre. At that moment a man’s voice rang out from a loudspeaker.

  ‘Ashley Morrison, we have the area surrounded. You can’t get away. Put down your weapon and step away from the sergeant with your hands raised above your head.’

  While he was speaking, Ashley darted behind Geraldine and grabbed her around the neck, ramming the gun against the side of her head.

  ‘Back off!’ she shouted. ‘Back off or I’ll shoot her!’

  Unable to move her head, Geraldine swivelled her eyes wildly, trying to look around. There was no one else in sight. The team must have assembled behind the barn.

  ‘I’m handcuffed,’ Geraldine called out.

  She twisted her head as far as she could and repeated herself, aware that her words would be carried away by the wind. It was important that her colleagues knew she was unable to use her arms. No one answered. She didn’t know if anyone had heard her. There was a long pause which seemed to last for hours, before a woman’s voice called out through the loudspeaker system.

  ‘Let’s all stay calm and take this one step at a time. Ashley, we know you don’t want anyone to get hurt. No one wants that. We know what happened, and we understand how upset you must be feeling. The victims were your friends. We’re here to help you get through this traumatic experience. We’re not here to cause you any more trouble. We don’t want that any more than you do. Now put your weapon down so we can talk calmly about the situation.’

  Feeling the gun pressing against the side of her head, Geraldine stood as still as she could. Her arms were beginning to ache from being held in one position for so long, and she could feel her legs trembling. Cautiously she rotated her shoulders to prevent them stiffening.

  ‘Keep still,’ Ashley snapped at her.

  Geraldine stopped moving her shoulders.

  ‘What is it you want?’ the negotiator asked.

  Ashley let out a deep breath. ‘That’s more like it,’ she said softly. Raising her voice, she answered. ‘I’ll need a car with a full tank, and ten thousand pounds in cash, and twice as much again in euros, and some more ammunition. I’ve only got – a few bullets left.’

  She was careful not to reveal how many, but it would only take one to end Geraldine’s life.

  ‘If you shoot me, you’ll have nothing left to bargain with,’ Geraldine said quietly, relieved to hear how steady her voice sounded.

  The helicopter was hovering some distance away so they could hear one another more easily.

  ‘Put the gun down and we’ll talk,’ the negotiator’s voice floated across the grass.

  ‘Where are you?’ Ashley called out. ‘I can’t see you.’

  ‘I can see you.’

  ‘Are you up there in the helicopter?’

  ‘No, we’re standing very close to you.’

  ‘Stand where I can see you. I can’t talk to empty air.’

  ‘When you put the gun down I’ll come and talk to you.’

  ‘That�
��s not going to happen until I get what I want.’

  ‘We can wait,’ the negotiator said. ‘Are you hungry? We can fetch you something to eat if you like.’

  Ashley glared at Geraldine. ‘Is this a trick?’ she asked.

  Geraldine decided she might as well answer truthfully. ‘No, it’s not a trick. They think you might be easier to deal with if you have something to eat. It’s nothing personal,’ she added quickly. ‘Most people are liable to become short tempered if they’re hungry, and the last thing they want is to stress you out.’ It was an effort of will not to glance at the gun in Ashley’s hand. ‘You’ve had enough to upset you lately as it is. I know you don’t want to believe me, but we really do all want to help you get through this. You’ve had a terrible time of it lately.’

  ‘Lately?’ Ashley interrupted bitterly. ‘What do you know about what I’ve suffered – for years? He was a monster.’

  ‘You’re free of him now.’

  ‘Yes, but not free of you.’ Ashley’s voice rose.

  Without warning something hit Geraldine with tremendous force, throwing her sideways. Unable to break her fall by putting out her arms, she jarred her shoulder painfully as she crashed to the ground.

  A single shot rang out.

  One tiny splinter of metal was all it had taken to end her life. She wondered who had produced the bullet that had torn a path through her vital organs. It must have been mass produced along with thousands of other bullets, churned out of some diabolical machine. Her last thought was of Helena. Their mother’s dying request had been that she would take care of her sister. Now Geraldine was abandoning her as well, leaving no one to look out for Helena.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered as she lost consciousness. ‘I’m sorry I’m leaving you.’