The Girl in the Rug (28 page)

Nellie didn’t know how much longer he could go on as he
stumbled further and further into the woods. His ribs were on fire, he must
have smashed a couple when he rolled the van, not to mention that the burns on
his face had him shaking with fever and seeing monsters behind every tree. With
sheer bloody mindedness and despite the agony, Nellie had pushed his broken
body to breaking point and climbed a tree as high as he could go. He had hidden
there, high in the canopy of the trees, lashing himself to a thick branch as
the wind and torrential rain swirled round him, whilst he watched those stupid
fuckers beating their way through the bracken below trying to find him. Once
the light had gone they had given up and he was able to half climb and half
fall back down to earth. Only then did the pain and the fever begin to kick in
as he dragged himself through the woods looking for a place where he could rest
and recoup.

His fevered brain was blurring what was real and what was
imagined. He could hear the mocking laughter of his many victims as they
watched him running blindly through the night, they were all around him, behind
every tree sometimes even rising up in front of him from the sodden earth
blocking his path. He tried to push them away shouting angrily at them, but
they evaded his fists and continued to taunt him. He spotted a faint light in
the corner of a field up ahead and began to run towards it hoping that it was
real and not something conjured up by his brain to tease him. As he got really
close to it though, he realised it was an old caravan. It was probably being
used by a woodsman or a charcoal maker, there were piles of logs stacked
against the outside of the van and a rusty old Landrover parked a few yards
away.

A filthy emaciated dog that had been sleeping unseen beneath
the van, suddenly sprang into life barking at Nellie in the shadows. Nellie
backed into the trees out of sight as a elderly man, who looked as skinny and
filthy as his dog, poked his head out of the door of the van and shouted at the
dog.

‘Shut the fuck up Weasle,’ he said peering out into the
darkness. He pulled out a torch and shone it out towards the trees checking for
intruders. He did this a few times until, satisfied that there was no one
there, he spat on the ground, switched off the torch and went back inside
mumbling under his breath, ‘stupid fucking dog’.

Nellie retreated further into the trees; circling round
behind the van and then creeping to the side nearest to the door. The dog
started up again stretching the chain that tethered it to the van and
confronting Nellie growling, its teeth bared. Nellie pulled out his knife and
lunged at the dog who barked furiously at him again.

Swearing furiously the elderly man once again opened his
door and took an angry step out towards the dog. He got no further, with a
flash of his blade Nellie opened up his throat, blood spurted out like a
fountain as gurgling and clutching at his neck he fell to the sodden floor with
a splash, his blood mixing with the pools of water on the ground. Nellie rolled
his twitching body underneath the caravan out of sight.

The dog, which proved to be a very distant relative of a
Jack Russell terrier, went mental, barking and growling at Nellie. Calmly
Nellie stared it down until the dog, recognising a lethal opponent backed away
and allowed Nellie to release his chain. With unaccustomed gentleness, Nellie
coaxed the dog into the warmth of the caravan. He liked dogs…that old bastard
deserved to die leaving a dog outside on a night like tonight. Inside, the
caravan smelt of old grease and paraffin; and it was hardly big enough for a
big man like Nellie to turn round in. There was a bed of sorts, covered with a
grubby quilt that took up the whole of one side and a small row of cupboards
and a teeny tiny kitchenette on the other. After hunting around a bit Nellie
found dried food for the dog, this was gobbled up by the poor starving creature
almost before the dish was put on the floor. He then went through the rest of
the van trying to find anything that he could use to reduce his fever and sooth
his burning face. He found both…paracetamol for his fever and an old tube of
Savlon for his face.

He took four of the paracetamol tablets, before examining
his burnt face in the tiny mirror above the kitchen sink. His skin was badly
blistered and peeling off in places, half his hair on one side had been burnt
away…he looked horrific. Nellie swore fluently and viciously as he vowed to get
revenge on the bitch that had done this to him. He carefully applied as much of
the Savlon as he could bear. His face was so sore it was all he could do to dab
at it. The drugs that he had taken were beginning to make him feel sleepy but
he knew he had to get out of his wet clothes before he could sleep. Once naked
and wrapped in the smelly quilt he finally lay down on the mean little bed.

If he could just find Freddy Robinson and get the money that
was owed him, that, along with what Tutt had stashed away, would be enough to
keep him going for a while. First thing in the morning he would find a way of
getting hold of both Tutt and Freddy…he wondered sleepily if the old Landrover
that he had seen outside the van was working…he would find out tomorrow he
thought just before he fell into a deep sleep.

Cold was seeping into her bones. She watched in horror as it
began turning her limbs blue before her eyes. She tried to rub them keeping the
cold at bay, ‘keep the blood flowing…don’t let it stop or you’ll freeze solid’
a voice was saying. She looked wildly round, who had spoken to her…it wasn’t
Tilly…Tilly wasn’t there, Tilly was all alone…oh god Tilly was all alone! She
started to crawl around towards the voice, she could feel the dirt beneath her
hands. Creatures kept running over her fingers…fast legged creatures making her
skin crawl, panic stricken she brushed them away from her, but they just came
back more and more of them crawling up her arms and legs.

‘No, no, no,’ Tracy murmured batting out wildly trying to
disperse them.

‘Make him wear a dinner jacket,’ the voice said again, ‘men
look good in dinner jackets.’

Tracy couldn’t help but smile and agree…she could see who it
was now, sitting on the far side of her cell facing away from her. She slid
along the ground towards the figure until she was right next to it.

‘I agree I love a man in a dinner jacket,’ she began,
tapping her companion on the shoulder. A face swivelled round towards her, a
frozen deadly white face, eyes fixed and staring, blackened lips which curved
into a skeletal smile. The creatures were crawling all over it, in and out of
its mouth, its eyes, its nose. Tracy flew back screaming and screaming as she
frantically scrambled away from the ghoulish creature…but it followed her, even
as she pulled away, it was there right next to her.

‘AAAAARRRGGH…no leave me…AARRGHH …PLEASE PLEASE LEAVE ME….’

‘Tracy,’ the creature called her… ‘Tracy, Tracy…wake up
sweetheart…wake up…’

Tracy woke up with a start and stared into the sweet face of
Daphne, the ward sister. Relief flooded through her and she buried her face in
her pillow and sobbed.

‘It’s ok now my lovely,’ Daphne cooed in her lovely lilting
Welsh accent. ‘You’re safe now, it’s the drugs giving you nightmares.’ She
stayed with Tracy until she had calmed down, bringing her a hot sweet tea from
the machine and talking gently to her before tucking her back in and telling
her to try to sleep some more.

‘You know they’ll be waking you up at the crack of dawn
anyway my love, so best to sleep while you can.’

Tracy lay awake looking out of the window. The rain had been
tipping down most of the night but it seemed to have stopped now and the clouds
were breaking up. She knew who it was in her dream and she knew that she hadn’t
imagined what she had seen in the cellar. Louisa had been there…correction
Louisa’s body had been there. She didn’t know when it had been taken out,
presumably when she had been knocked unconscious by that brute…but she knew it
had been there and she needed to speak to Carla as soon as possible. To make
her search the cellar again…looking for evidence of Louisa this time…there had
to be some surely, and they had to speak to Tim. Tracy would see Carla
tomorrow, she had said that she would be interviewing her then…she would tell
her all about it, make her listen. With that sorted out in her mind Tracy let
her thoughts wander, she wondered how Linda was…the nurse said she was doing
fine. She had a badly swollen jaw but she was healing nicely. Tracy owed that
girl her life…she may have been high with fever but she would never forget
Linda pulling her along, never letting her fall. Linda holding the water bottle
to her mouth and wrapping that old blanket round her shoulders.

Tracy sat bolt upright in bed, she pushed the blankets to
one side and tried to get out of bed only to be pulled back by the cables and
the drips. She needed to speak to Carla, what if they threw it away thinking it
was rubbish, oh god there would be no proof then…she needed to make sure
nothing happened to it.

Sitting on the side of the bed she rummaged through her
locker, Simon had brought her handbag up earlier; maybe her mobile was in
it…yes it was there. She quickly pressed Carla’s number; the phone rang and rang
until finally.

‘Hello…Tracy is that you?’ came Carla’s surprised and sleepy
voice on the other end.

‘Yes hi Carla it’s me…sorry I forgot it was so late. Listen
Carla I need to know if you found the blanket.’

‘What,’ Carla asked in bewilderment, ‘what the fuck are you
talking about Tracy love?’

‘The blanket…from the cellar, have you got it?’ Tracy asked
urgently again.

‘Tracy…it is two in the morning, shouldn’t you be sleeping
instead of worrying about some old blanket…’

‘Noooo…’ said Tracy getting agitated, ‘you don’t understand
Carla it’s vital that you don’t throw it away, don’t you see…she was wrapped in
it. I’ve remembered Louisa…she was wrapped in it, you’ll be able to find proof
won’t you…DNA and such like on the blanket…’

‘Right your saying there is an old blanket in the cellar and
that Louisa Boulter was wrapped in it…is that what you’re saying?’ Carla said
patiently.

‘Yes,’ answered Tracy pleased to see that Carla had got the
point. ‘You will make sure won’t you Carla, that they keep hold of it?’

Carla sighed, ‘Yes love, I will make sure…now go back to
sleep will you and stop worrying about it…night love.’

‘Night,’ said Tracy heaving a sigh of relief…she got back
into bed and snuggled down. Everything would be fine now, Carla would take care
of it she thought as her eyes slowly closed and she drifted into a dreamless
sleep.

Nellie’s mouth tasted like the bottom of a parrot’s cage
when he woke the next morning. His head was pounding and he ached all over. The
dog was asking to be let out so he slowly hauled himself up and opened the
door. The rain had stopped and for once the sun was shining…in fact the sun
seemed pretty high in the sky. Nellie hunted round for a clock or watch of any
kind, something to tell him what time it was, finally he switched on the tiny
TV that sat on the side in the kitchen, it took ages to warm up but eventually
Phillip Schofield smiled compassionately out from the miniature screen and
began to talk about the worrying problem of child obesity in the capital.

Nellie shook his head at the TV, ‘Fucking fat bastards…they
should staple the little fucker’s lips together that’d do it,’ he laughed at
his own joke as he put some more food out for the dog. He found some bottled
water and took several more pain killers, then began to search for food and any
money that might be lying around the place. There was milk in the fridge and a
box of cornflakes on the side so he sat down and watched the TV as he ate his
breakfast.

Phillip Schofield finished his interview with Jenny, an
unfortunately plump six year old, and her mum Mandy a twenty stone growler, and
took a break for the news. Nellie nearly spat his cornflakes across the caravan
as Freddy Robinson and Mayor David Wesley’s faces appeared on the screen behind
the newsreader, as she announced that the Mayor, several local Council members
and high ranking business men had been detained by the police for questioning
about sexual offences to children. She went on to say that the caretaker from a
children’s home run by the council was also being questioned although he was at
the moment recovering from a recent attack in hospital. Then worst of all
Nellie watched open mouthed as those pictures were replaced by one of him!
‘Police are looking for this man, Elliot Dentch, better known as Nellie, he is
wanted in connection with the recent abduction of two women, both of whom have
been found and are recovering in hospital. If you do happen to see this man
please do not approach him as he is known to be violent and dangerous, just
inform your local police station at once…’

‘FUCK!’ said Nellie his head in his hands…what the fuck was
he supposed to do now, he couldn’t tap Freddy up for any money and old Tutt was
in hospital…FUCK!

He sat for a long time weighing up his options. There was no
way he could get to Freddy in a police station…but old Tutt was another thing.
If he could get into the hospital he could make him tell him where the money
was…fuck it, he’d enjoy making that old pervert tell him where the money was.

He made himself another bowl of cornflakes and began to make
plans.

Carla walked through the busy station lobby and swiped her
security card before pushing open the double doors that led upstairs to her
office.

‘I haven’t a clue if there’s anything in it Dorothy,’ she
was saying into her phone, ‘but I am just checking if a) there was an old
blanket found in the cellar and b) that your boys kept hold of it.’

‘Of course we did Carla,’ said Dorothy a touch testily. ‘It
has been bagged along with everything else that was found there…’

‘Oh of course I knew you would love,’ Carla said hurriedly,
‘it was just that I promised Tracy I would make sure. Can you make it a
priority, check for DNA etc, Tracy is convinced that she saw a dead woman
wrapped up in it…yes I know there’s a good chance she imagined it but she is
adamant so…’

‘Ok I’ll get on to it…although I’m not sure what you expect
me to find. There could be any amount of DNA on it if it was an old, well used
blanket, but I’ll give it a go and let you know ok?’

‘That would be brilliant Dorothy, I owe you one.’

The incident room was buzzing with chatter as she pushed her
way up to the white board that had been erected by the back wall.

On it were pictures of all the men that had been arrested
the day before and pictures too of the little girl in the rug and Tracy and
Linda. But at the top of the board was Nellie and this is where Carla started.

‘Right…we are pretty sure Nellie is injured, he is a hunted
man…where will he go to find shelter? What is there in this area,’ she drew a
circle on the map around the woods, ‘that he could use to hide in?’

‘Small holdings…farm buildings maybe,’ Sam said. ‘We
couldn’t see any at all when we searched yesterday but who knows how far he
got…’

‘Right well we need to widen the search area today. Sam and
Midge you are back out there…we need him found, this man is truly dangerous. DI
Lucton has sent over some more officers to help us, and he and DS Ford are
pressing on with interviewing Freddy Robinson and David Wesley. Mayor Wesley is
singing from the roof tops as I understand it which will help when we interview
the others. This afternoon I’ve got a little lad coming in…Andy Hunt,’ Carla
pointed to the picture of the girl in the rug, ‘Lucy Hunt was his sister, his
mother Kathy Hunt has disappeared and he has been left in a council run
children’s home, Marshall Street to be precise. Now he is claiming that Clive
Tutt, who you may remember was attacked last week at the children’s home, has
been buggering little boys in the home and also procuring them for Freddy
Robinson’s parties. I know, I know it turns my stomach too. Anyway I will be
showing him pictures of the men we have here and I’m hoping he will be able to
identify most of them as the men at the parties…’

‘Didn’t he witness his sister’s death as well?’ Frank put
in.

‘Oh yes that’s right…according to Andy it was Nellie that
killed Lucy and Turk that helped to hide the body. Seems that Kathy was off her
face at the time, didn’t have anything to do with it. Anyway he will be coming in
later and he is scared stiff so bear that in mind ok?’

‘Bloody hell Ma’am we’re not monsters are we?’ said Mandy
indignantly.

‘Well from Andy’s perspective we are…he blames us for
bringing Nellie to his door, when we were questioning him about Amish Patel…so
I’m not expecting him to be very receptive, we are the cause of all his
troubles it seems.’

‘Oh nothing to do with having an alcoholic prossie for a
mother then,’ said Midge sarcastically.

‘There but for the grace of god, Midge,’ said Carla looking
sternly at him, ‘this little boy has been through more in the last couple of
months than hopefully any of us will ever have to go through.

‘Right, Frank and I will be going to the hospital this
morning…yes thank you,’ she said as a few rude suggestions were forwarded to
Frank who was interviewing Linda. ‘Superintendant Drew is coming in sometime
today to interview DCI Riley, Frank and I will deal with Tutt as well, seeing
as we will be at the hospital. The main priority today though is to find Elliot
Dentch…the longer that man is out there the more likely that he will attack
again especially as he becomes more and more desperate, so you leave no stone
unturned. Gary has brought a couple of dogs to help so…let’s get a result
okay?’

There was a murmur of chattering as the meeting broke up and
they all went their separate ways. Carla and Frank headed straight for the
hospital. ‘Would you believe it,’ Carla was saying in between mouthfuls of
bacon butty, ‘I got a call from Tracy, of all people, at about two this morning.’

‘That’s a bit random,’ Frank said slurping an enormous
coffee whilst trying to drive.

‘I know…she was banging on about a blanket that was left in
the cellar. She is convinced that she saw Louisa Boulter, or rather the dead
body of Louisa Boulter, wrapped in the blanket when she was first kidnapped. I
asked Dorothy…they did find a blanket; she’s going to check it for me…’

‘Who is this Louisa Boulter?’ asked Frank as he pulled into
the crowded hospital car park. ‘Bloody hell it’s going to be murder to find a
space this morning,’ he grumbled under his breath.

‘Ooh there’s one…oh never mind,’ said Carla as Frank carried
on past a perfectly good space. ‘She is an international singing star
apparently,’ Frank pulled a face, ‘I know I’d never heard of her either, but
Helen loves her and anyway she and her husband live sort of next door to Tracy
and Simon. Tracy’s been spending a bit of time with Louisa lately…she’s in a
wheelchair, climbing accident or something.’

‘It could just be that Tracy’s conjured her up in her mind
because she’d seen a lot of her just before she was kidnapped…’

‘I know…I had thought of that…ooh there’s one, quick before
that Nissan Micra gets in there,’ Carla shouted hanging onto the door handle as
Frank screeched into the tiny space seconds before the blue rinsed old lady in
the Micra. She shouted something obscene at Frank and stuck up a finger as she
drove on by.

‘Oh my god would you believe it,’ laughed Frank, ‘she’s
someone’s granny as well.’

‘What are the older generation coming to,’ said Carla
giggling. ‘I blame Mick Jagger…giving geriatrics ideas above their station.’

They continued on into the hospital which was bustling with
activity at this time of the morning. The two girls were in rooms on the fourth
floor and, as the lift was full of wheezing patients being wheeled on trolleys
to x-ray, Carla and Frank took the stairs.

They went to see Linda first, she was sitting up in bed
looking much better than she had the day before. Her face was still a bit
swollen and she had a dressing on one cheek covering her stitches, but she
attempted a smile when she saw Carla and Frank. Sitting in the chair next to
her bed was her Aunt Kat, she stood up and came over to Carla giving her a hug.
They had first met at Ted’s funeral a few years earlier, and had kept in touch
on and off since then.

‘Kat…how are you?’ asked Carla when they were seated again.

‘Oh so much better now this one is back safe and sound I can
tell you,’ said Kat in her brisk way. There was so much about her that reminded
Carla of her brother, she was all stiff upper lip and carry on just as Ted had
been, it made Carla smile. She couldn’t help smiling too at the glowering looks
that Kat was giving Frank every time he got too close to Linda, not that she
could blame her. Frank with his dark good looks and confident swagger was
enough to send alarm bells ringing in most parents hearts; he just reeked of
unsuitable boyfriend material. But if the smitten looks that Linda was giving
him were anything to go by, it looked like the damage had already been done
whether Kat liked it or not.

They took a statement from Linda as best they could with her
mouth swollen as it was. Unfortunately she had seen no one other than Tracy and
Nellie during her time in cellar so there was no way of knowing if the
Robinsons had even been aware of the two girls hidden there. She was excited
about the arrests of the men from the parties though, she had already sent her
copy into the newspaper and the exclusive story was due to run the next day,
much to the delight of her patronising editor, who was taking all the credit
for promoting her in the first place.

‘Linda,’ Carla asked, ‘Tracy is adamant that she saw a woman
in the cellar, wrapped in an old blanket…did you see her?’

Linda shook her head painfully. ‘I didn’t see anyone else
Carla, but Tracy kept on and on about this Louisa woman…I put it down to her
being so ill if I’m honest.’

‘So you think that maybe she was hallucinating when she saw
the woman?’ Carla asked.

Linda nodded and then shrugged her shoulders in sympathy for
Tracy.

‘We did however find the blanket that Tracy say’s the woman
was wrapped in,’ Carla said, ‘Do you know how that got there…was it there when
you arrived?’

Linda nodded again, ‘I found it in a corner of the cellar…it
reeked to high heaven but it kept us a bit warmer.’

Carla smiled and squeezed her hand, ‘I think that’s all we
need for now love. You were so brave Linda, thank you…thank you for rescuing my
friend, I am aware that but for you she would be dead.’

Linda grasped her hand and shook her head dismissing her
bravery, but Carla knew what she knew.

Carla let Frank have a few more minutes with Linda as she
went down the corridor to Tracy’s room. Simon was there already sitting on the
bed next to Tracy and Tilly was asleep in her buggy in the corner.

Carla gave Tracy a kiss, ‘How are you this morning
sweetheart?’ she asked.

‘Oh so much better honey…did you check on that blanket
Carla?’ Tracy asked before she could sit down.

‘Bloody hell Tracy give the woman a chance she has only just
got here,’ Simon admonished with a laugh, ‘she has been going on and on about
it all morning Carla…please tell me you’ve found it,’ he added to Carla.

‘Yes,’ Carla said pulling up a chair, ‘there was an old
blanket and forensics have it and I have asked that they make it a priority,
but Tracy love I don’t know what you think we are going to find.’

‘Surely if it had been wrapped round a dead body there would
be some sort of evidence on it wouldn’t there?’ Tracy said.

‘Well yes I suppose there would be hairs and fibres and
possibly DNA but the blanket could have belonged to any number of people
couldn’t it, it’s bound to have lots of different stuff on it from lots of
different people…’

‘Yes but if you got some DNA from Louisa’s house you could
match it couldn’t you?’

‘Tracy love I have no way of getting any of Louisa’s DNA,
she hasn’t been reported missing, when asked, Tim Boulter said that his wife
had gone to perform in Amsterdam and I have no reason to disbelieve him…’

‘Of course he’s going to say that isn’t he…Tracy said
getting very agitated, ‘he’s killed her Carla I know he has. He killed her and
then he hid her body in the cellar. And then, I don’t know when, but someone
moved it.’ She turned and looked at Carla, ‘but not before I saw her…I am not
imagining it Carla, you have to believe me I saw her and she was
dead…wwwrrapped iiin tthaat bbllankket.’ Tracy dissolved into tears and Simon
glaring at Carla gathered her into his arms.

‘It’s alright love…come on now, I’m sure Carla believes
you…don’t you Carla?’

Carla sighed, ‘I will go round to Tim Boulter’s house later
and asked him myself where his wife is…and then we’ll see won’t we,’ she told
Tracy who wiped her eyes and hugged Carla.

‘Please find her Carla; he’s hidden her somewhere I know he
has,’ she said tearfully.

‘Right, well I have to take a statement from you now honey
so let’s focus on what else you can remember.’

Tracy told her all that she could. It was definitely Nellie
that had taken her from the common, but she hadn’t seen anyone else after that,
apart from the time that he Nellie had punched her in the face. After that she
remembered Linda being thrown in with her, but then she became so ill that
everything else was pretty sketchy until she made a rush for the van doors and
found herself in the mud at Carla’s feet.

‘Oh god thank goodness he rolled the van,’ Carla was saying,
‘who knows where he was taking you, it just doesn’t bear thinking about.’

Tracy shook her head tearfully and Simon wrapped his arms
around her once again.

‘Well I think we’ve got all we’re going to get from you
today aren’t we?’ Carla said getting up, ‘I wonder where Frank has got to, he
was supposed to be following me in here. Between you and me I think there’s
more going on with those two than meets the eye…’

‘Frank and Linda do you mean?’ Tracy asked with interest.
‘Oh I do hope so…she is so lovely Carla…she genuinely saved my life. He better
not mess her around or he’ll have me to answer to,’ she finished fiercely.

‘Oh join the queue love,’ Carla said with a laugh. ‘Her
Auntie Kat’s watching his every move let me tell you, he will have to be on his
best behaviour if he wants to impress her.’

Tracy giggled, ‘Poor Frank…I remember Auntie Kat…he won’t
know what’s hit him.’

Carla left Tracy with a hug and a wave and went back down to
Linda’s room where it seemed Auntie Kat had stepped out for some fresh air and
Frank had taken full advantage and was whispering sweet nothings into Linda’s
ear. They must have been very suggestive sweet nothings too because her face was
bright red beneath the swelling.

‘Er hum,’ Carla cleared her throat noisily at the door. ‘I’m
sorry to break this up folks,’ she said not looking sorry at all, ‘but we have
to get on. Frank you might have to come back later and interview Clive Tutt if
you don’t mind. Andy Hunt will be at the station soon and I want to be there
when he arrives, and I want to pop round and speak to Tim Boulter on our way
there so…’