Chapter 26

26

He'd sat in his shed, on and off, for most of the day, after he'd scoured the inside of the car and scrubbed himself for the third time. He thought about the man who'd been murdered on the building site. Waiting for the release of his name. Nothing had been leaked so far. He was fearful, and that angered him.

He had to park all that and direct his rage elsewhere. First, though, he had to think where he'd gone wrong with the young woman they'd found at the cinema complex. After much deliberation, and ten pots planted with seeds from little packets, he reached the conclusion that she was right. He had to watch them for a longer period before he took them. He had to listen to her and take direction from her. She wouldn't like him to make a big fucking mistake again.

One thing he was sure of, he had to be aware that the next one might fight back like Laura had. The news app gave some of her details. Laura Nolan. Age twenty-five. So she had lied about her age. Bitch. And she had a son! That had never been in the equation. Just as well he'd killed her. If he'd brought her home, there would have been hell to pay when she found out about the child. As it was, she'd shouted at him for ten full minutes before she'd run out of breath.

‘They are all prostitutes,' she'd said. ‘No one cares about them. They fade from the front page quickly, and if the media isn't harping on about them, then the guards won't put in the effort. They will be forgotten about. Like the other waste of space we have here. No one missed her. But Laura had a child! Are you totally stupid or what?'

He didn't remind her that she'd had a hand in selecting Laura. Why didn't she know about the kid? It wasn't all his fault, was it? He kept that thought to himself.

He got into his car and drove into town. He could smell the bleach. Despite that, he doubted he had got rid of every last speck of blood. He had to be even more careful now. He parked, got out and locked the car, then headed towards Fallon's, where all the young ones hung out.

It was time to stalk the next prey.

Shannon Kenny held a bottle of Coors Light in her hand while her friend Jess guzzled a pint of Orchard Thieves. Fallon's was busy by 9.30, it being Friday night and all, but they'd found a nook that afforded them a view of the pub.

‘And you left him there?' Jess said, putting her glass down. ‘You walked out on your date last night?'

‘He was a flirt. Eyeing up the woman behind the bar and ignoring me. I've had enough of that shite.'

‘Jealous boots.'

‘I didn't give a shit, to be honest.'

‘Did you get paid at least?'

‘I didn't even get the promised meal. He was a cheapskate.'

‘That's so not on, Shannon. Did you read the small print? Isn't it in the terms and conditions that you get fed?'

‘Stop messing, Jess. It wasn't funny. In all honesty, I was kind of scared.'

‘Maybe you should take your name off the site. Try dating the old-fashioned way.'

‘I want one with money.'

Jess lifted her pint and pointed it towards the bar. ‘A few fine things sitting up there.'

‘You'd shag one of them? They're ancient.'

‘They're the ones with the money.'

‘And don't forget, they're the ones with the wife and four kids at home.'

Jess leaned her head to one side. ‘Divorced, maybe?'

‘Divorce means baggage. Suitcases full of it.'

‘What about your man at the end of the bar? On his own. Nice eyes. I caught him watching us a minute ago.'

‘You can hardly see his face, let alone his eyes.'

‘Quit moaning, Shannon. Let's have fun.' Jess drank more cider. ‘Where did you stay last night if you didn't go home?'

‘Karen's. She didn't mind. Can't say the same for George when I arrived home this morning with no door key.'

‘Your brother is a nutter at times. What did he say?'

‘More like what he didn't say.'

Jess licked her lips. ‘Don't look now, but your man at the end of the bar is kind of cute. I like the ones with beards.'

‘Will you stop? I bet he's one of those with a trunk full of baggage.'

‘I wouldn't mind seeing his trunk!' Jess laughed.

Shannon had to smile. Her friend was a tonic, but even so, she felt a moment of jealousy. Jess had a natural beauty, whereas she herself had to shovel on the foundation and fake tan, and her hair was a fucking nightmare. Still, she had to admit she looked good on the agency's website. It had cost her a small fortune to get a make-up artist to work her magic. But it'd be worth it, wouldn't it? Her saviour was probably out there right now, staring at her face on a screen, his millions burning a hole in his pocket. That thought made her feel better before her mood took a downward spiral.

‘Jess, did you hear about that girl's murder?' She tugged her short skirt towards her knees, feeling suddenly vulnerable.

‘Oh God, yes. Horrific. Twenty-five, same as us. Did you know her?'

‘Kind of. Hadn't talked to her in a long time.'

‘And she had a kid.'

‘Shocking.' Shannon wondered if she should remind Jess where she'd first met Laura Nolan. A filament of unease threaded itself between her vertebrae, and she shivered.

‘Don't look now,' Jess said, ‘but he's actually staring at us.'

‘Who's staring?' She was glad the conversation had shifted.

‘Your man at the bar.'

‘That's such a cliché.'

‘A what?'

Jess wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but Shannon loved her. She was one of the few friends who had stood by her when she'd gone through all that shit last year. She sipped her Coors Light and dampened down the urge for a hit of something stronger. No, that had broken her family before. She couldn't go there again.

‘Which of us is he staring at?' She forced jollity into her tone.

‘Don't know. He's kind of all right, if you ask me.'

‘I didn't ask you, and stop staring. You're encouraging him.'

‘Get down off your high horse, Shannon, and?—'

‘Horse. What? Where?'

‘You're so mean.' Jess stared into her near-empty pint glass. ‘Another?'

‘Why not? When we're out, we're out.'

He thought the young one behind the bar was kind of cute, but she seemed to have her shit together. Anyhow, she didn't fall into the prostitute category, nor was she on the list. The two sitting over in the nook were a different story. One pure blonde and pretty as hell. The other a little darker and made up like a kid at Halloween. The target. He got out his phone and tapped into the site just to be sure he was right.

There she was, looking like an A-list film star. Shannie. What sort of a name was that? He tapped into her profile. Twenty-five. Or was her age as fake as her name? Didn't matter. She was on the list, so that was good enough for him. He was glad he'd picked Fallon's to check out first. Saved him bar-crawling, looking for her.

He called over the young one who was serving and ordered another Heineken Zero to keep his vigil going. The night might be worth it after all. Then he remembered he'd been told to watch for longer. How much longer? That, he had not been told.

‘That guy at the bar sent these over,' Chloe said as she placed the drinks on the table in front of the two women.

‘Another cliché,' Shannon said.

Jess handed Chloe their empties. ‘Tell him thanks a million.'

‘He asked if he can join you.' Chloe looked dubious.

‘Sure.' Jess shrugged.

‘No way,' Shannon said.

‘Personally, I'd decline,' Chloe said, but still she waited.

‘It'd be a laugh.' Jess nudged her friend. ‘Go on.'

Shannon leaned forward. ‘Tell him thanks for the drinks, Chloe, but we're on a girls' night out.'

Chloe winked and went back to the bar.

‘Spoilsport,' Jess said.

‘Don't forget a girl our age was murdered in town last night. That lad up there could have killed her.'

Jess feigned shock. ‘Did you ever think of writing a crime novel? You've a great imagination.'

‘Shut up. I don't like being picked up by strange men.'

‘But you can go out with a stranger from the agency?'

‘They're vetted. He's not. He could be… the Yorkshire Ripper for all we know.'

‘Isn't the Ripper in jail or dead or something?'

‘You know right well what I mean.' Shannon shoved her phone into her bag. ‘Let's go somewhere else. I'm not comfortable with him buying us drinks when we don't even know him.'

‘I like men buying me drinks, especially when I'm almost broke. Stay.'

Shannon bit the inside of her lip, considering the dilemma. Was she actually an idiot for declining a free drink? For some unknown reason the man at the bar was causing warning signals to flash through her brain. Leave, she told herself.

‘No, come on, Jess. I'm broke too, but I sneaked my brother's card into my bag. I'll get you a shot in Danny's. Deal?'

‘You know George will go apeshit again. Feck it. Deal.' Jess's eyes brightened even more than normal.

As they left the pub, Shannon noticed her friend wave to the bearded creep sitting at the bar.

She couldn't get out of there fast enough.