A Time of Peace (13 page)

‘I was going to as soon as I had a clearer picture, but
his crime was very clever and well hidden. It's taken weeks to unearth the extent of his fraud. He'd set up a series of fictitious building supplies companies and was invoicing us for non-existent goods. The money was paid into a special account only he had access to. We don't know the full extent of the fraud yet. The accountants are carrying out an investigation. If it turns out to be a substantial amount of money, then we'll prosecute. I warned him we would.'

His mother lit the stove to boil a kettle. ‘Just how vindictive is this man?'

‘I don't know for sure, Mum, but we must get Kate away from him as soon as possible.' He had no intention of telling his parents the full extent of Howard's brutal nature. One member of his staff had been forthcoming on the subject. He prayed the man had been exaggerating. His mother guarded her emotions but he could see she was blazing mad and worried as hell. This room was usually a happy and relaxed place, but now the atmosphere was tense.

Pete appeared more angry than frightened. ‘If he's hurt her, then I'll kill him!'

Rose grimaced. ‘That would be my instinct, but once we've found him we must leave this to the law.'

James opened the folder and handed the papers round. ‘This is all the information I've been able to glean at short notice. I want every place checked out. Mum and Dad, you go together, and Pete will come with me. On no account take on Howard: we don't want to do anything to put Kate in more danger.'

‘What about getting Reid and Will to help?' Bill asked.

James shook his head. ‘I think it's better if we keep
this to ourselves for the time being. No point sending everyone into a panic; that won't help.'

There was a knock on the front door and James went to see who it was. ‘Beth!'

‘Hi, is Kate ready?'

‘You'd better come in.'

Once in the kitchen, Beth looked at the strained faces. ‘What's the matter?'

‘Kate's been kidnapped by an ex-employee of Grant Phillips.'

Beth's face drained of all colour and her eyes filled with tears.

‘We'll find her,' Bill said through stiff lips.

‘Where were you going?' James asked.

‘We've got tickets to see the Shadows in Hammersmith this evening.' A tear trickled down Beth's face. ‘Kate would never have missed that. Is there anything I can do?'

‘No, Beth,' Rose said. ‘You go home and we'll let you know when we find her. Take young Steve with you tonight. Don't waste the tickets.'

Rose stood up after Kate's friend left. ‘I'll report her missing to the police, then we'll start searching.'

‘I hope they're still in London,' Pete murmured.

‘Let's pray he'll stay on familiar ground.' Bill scribbled down the location he and Rose were going to check on.

James watched in concern as his father stood up and swayed for a moment. Shock was taking hold. ‘Wouldn't it be better if you stayed here, Dad? Howard might phone in with a ransom demand, or something.'

Bills mouth tightened into a grim line. ‘If money had
been his motive, then we'd have heard from him by now. And you're not keeping me out of this, James.'

‘Let's get going.' Rose strode back with her own coat on and Bill's over her arm.

They filed out and got into their cars. No one spoke, knowing full well that they were taking on an impossible task. But they had to do something! James roared off towards London, and he knew there was only one thing on everyone's mind – was Kate still alive?

The next thing Kate knew was that she was being dragged from the car. It was dark now, her head was pounding, and she felt sick. She took some deep breaths to try to regain her senses.

‘Move!' Derek Howard pushed her forward.

She stumbled over rough ground, losing her balance. A building site? No, there would have been lighting of some kind. A demolition site!

She was pulled upright again and made to take a few more steps. Her head was clearing now, and in the gloom she glimpsed a building in front of her. Once he got her there, there would probably be no chance of escape. She stumbled again, and, as she fell, she wrenched herself out of his grip, but he soon had a firm hold on her again. The camera she had in her pocket had her name and address inside the case, so while she was down on the ground she placed it beside a heap of rubble. It was an action born of desperation, because Derek Howard would probably see it when it was light. Her only hope was that someone would find it before he did – and that they were honest and would want to return it.

There was no more time to do anything. He was pushing her up some wooden stairs. Kate couldn't see a thing, but he obviously knew every inch of the building. She made it as difficult as possible for him to manhandle
her, but he was incredibly strong. He unlocked a door at the top of the stairs and threw her inside.

‘I'll deal with you later.' He was out of breath as he locked the door and hurried back downstairs.

The room was in pitch-darkness. Kate wrapped her arms around herself in an effort to stop trembling with a mixture of fear and cold. She listened to the footsteps echoing on the wooden staircase as Derek Howard left the building. She gave a ragged sigh – at least she was safe for the moment, but the wild look she'd seen in his eyes when they'd been in the car made her very frightened. He was a man under great stress and was not to be trusted; she was in grave danger. She made herself move and groped along the wall until she found a light switch. Nothing happened when she turned it on, and the thought of spending the night in total darkness terrified her. She began to explore the room by touch. There were strips of wallpaper hanging off the walls, and she jumped when a large piece of plaster came crashing down. Dust filled her nose and mouth. She whimpered in fright. More cautious now, she moved forward again. A floorboard creaked loudly, so she eased one foot forward, testing with her toe to see if it was safe. It seemed to be, and she inched her way along until her fingers curled around the icy metal of an iron bedhead. She found the mattress and sat on the edge. It appeared to be very worn, with springs sticking through in places. It was also very cold and damp in the room.

Easing herself further on to the bed, she huddled against the wall in an effort to keep warm, and away from whatever was scuttling around in the room. She
felt so alone, and that was something she was not used to. She sat there trembling, unable to grasp what was happening to her. She felt herself start to crumble inside. She was supposed to be out with Beth tonight to see the Shadows. They'd had a terrible job getting tickets …

She scrambled off the bed and swore violently. If she allowed herself to fall apart, the chances of her coming out of this would be slim. Once morning came, she could try to find a way out. She bowed her head and prayed for sunrise.

Her eyes were becoming accustomed to the dark, and a sliver of pale light caught her attention. She edged her way across the room towards it and reached out her hand: she felt what seemed to be rough sacking. When she pulled it aside, she found herself looking out of a small window. It was a clear frosty night, and the sky was filled with stars. Kate was relieved to have something other than darkness to see as she gazed up at the twinkling lights.

She started to shiver violently. Was he going to leave her here to die of cold and hunger? Her family and Pete must be frantic with worry. How she loved them all. Would she ever see them again?

That thought snapped her alert. She began to stamp her feet and pump her arms up and down in an effort to keep warm. She couldn't do much, but she
must
get through this night.

She increased her activity, gritting her teeth in determination.

It was the worst night of Kate's life. She'd been grateful she was wearing boots, trousers and a warm coat. The
cold had even seemed to penetrate her mind: it would have been so easy to collapse on the bed and sink into oblivion, but she fought the desire with all her might. She'd spent the long hours trying to keep her blood circulating, as she knew that hypothermia was a real danger. She ripped the old piece of sacking from the window and wrapped it around her head to help conserve body heat. The fact that it smelt disgusting didn't bother her. Her attention was focused on one thing: staying alive.

As soon as it was light enough to see, she checked the room. It was completely empty except for the old bed pushed up against the wall, and a bucket in the far corner. There was a thick layer of dust everywhere, and old newspapers were strewn across the floor. What was left of the wallpaper was hanging in shreds, like tongues sticking out and mocking her. An inspection of the door showed the frame had been repaired and a stout lock added. It was very secure. She turned round and gazed helplessly at the small room. Derek Howard had chosen well: only a mouse could get in and out of this room.

She went over to the window. Rubbing the glass to remove enough dirt so she could see through it, she gave a moan of despair: the whole area was uninhabited and appeared to be ready for demolition. She'd been banking on catching someone's attention, but the place was deserted. She tugged at the window. It had been nailed up and wouldn't budge.

She continued to peer through the window, her mind whirling. She had to get out of here! She'd been looking forward to the holiday season with her family. It was always such fun, and she'd promised to go to see the
children at Wilkins House. She had presents for all of them, and Eddie was looking forward to her visit …

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs made her spin round to face the door, her heart thumping against her ribs as the lock turned with a smooth click.

Derek Howard stepped into the room, took in her dishevelled appearance, and burst out laughing. ‘I must have a picture of this. The mighty James Freeman will be horrified to see his elegant sister with an old piece of sacking tied round her head.'

Still chuckling in delight, he produced a camera – not hers, she was relieved to see. Kate guessed he intended to send pictures to her brother. Well, they weren't going to see her cowed by this brute, even if she was so terrified it was difficult to think straight all the time; it would only add to their worry. She struck an exaggerated pose she'd seen the models use many times.

‘Cocky enough to play games, are you?' he said, after he'd taken several snaps. He was scowling now, angered by her defiance. ‘We'll see what you're like after a few more days in here.'

‘If you're going to keep me in this disgusting place, then I'll need some heating and a visit to the bathroom.' She wasn't sure where her bravado had come from, because all she wanted to do was to beg him to release her. She was disgusted with her cowardice!

Howard tossed a paper bag and a bottle of lemonade on the bed. ‘There're a couple of sandwiches. That's all you're getting.'

‘Very generous of you,' she remarked, as she tried to assess her chances of rushing past him to reach the unlocked door.

He guessed what she was thinking and gave an evil leer. ‘Come on, then, try it. I guarantee you'll regret it if you do.'

Kate was now under no illusions about him; he was a big man and would enjoy hurting her. She stepped back. ‘I need to go to the bathroom.'

He pointed to the bucket in the corner of the room and sniggered. ‘You'll have to use that. See, I have provided everything for your comfort.'

She looked at it with disgust but lifted her head proudly. She wouldn't let him see that Rose Webster's daughter was scared. ‘Thank you
so
much.'

‘You would have had the pleasure of my company earlier, but by the time I'd dumped the car the trains had stopped running. But you appear to have survived the night without too much harm.'

‘Would you have cared if I hadn't?' she snapped.

‘You'd be less trouble to me dead, but I'm not ready to get rid of you yet.'

It was hard not to let her terror show. Her instinct was telling her that he was
not
going to release her once he'd had his revenge on her brother. This man was evil. Her stomach lurched.

‘What are you intending to do with me?' She wanted to know what he had in store for her, praying that she was going to be brave enough to deal with it.

‘Nothing yet.' His smile was malicious. ‘It's your brother I'm after. If he doesn't agree to drop all charges against me, then I'll probably have some fun with you first.'

‘First?' Kate's heart was hammering.

‘Before I kill you.' His gaze raked over her as if he
relished the prospect. Then he dragged her into his arms and laughed. ‘That's right, Miss Freeman, you're not getting out of this room alive. You're a beauty, all right. I think I'll change my mind about waiting.'

Kate was no weakling, but Howard was built like a rugby player. She brought her knee up and heard him grunt in pain, and when his grip loosened for a moment she tried to wrench herself free. He caught her a stinging blow across the face, laughing as he swung at her.

‘Missed your target but nice try. Now I'll make you suffer for that.'

She was stunned by the punch, and all her efforts to stop him from ripping her trousers from her body were useless. The thought of this animal raping her was more than she could stand. She fought, kicked and even bit him in desperation.

His demented laugh caught her attention and through her terror she recognized the danger. This was just what he wanted!

‘This is going to be fun. I really like a woman who struggles.' He pushed her on to the bed and came down on top of her.

It went against all her instincts, but Kate knew what she must do. She stopped struggling and became passive, turning her head away from his excited face.

He erupted into fury, hitting and shaking her, but she didn't respond – not by cries of pain or even a twitch of her hand; she remained frozen. That infuriated him even more, and she felt his hands tighten around her neck. The life was being squeezed out of her. She began to gasp and lose consciousness. Her ordeal would soon be over. She was going to die. The overriding feeling was
one of great sadness at leaving her family and little Eddie …

Suddenly the pressure on her neck was gone and she took in great gulps of air to fill her empty lungs. She became fully conscious as he hit her hard.

‘Lost your fight already, have you?' he snarled, getting off the bed. ‘Well, I'll see you don't next time. I'll take everything your family owns until they're back in the gutter where they started – and then, as the final blow, I'll kill you.'

As soon as she heard the door lock behind him, Kate curled into a tight ball with a whimper of anguish; she wasn't capable of screaming, which is what she felt like doing. Slowly the cold started to seep into her body and she scrambled back into her torn clothing as quickly as she could, then huddled up again. The sheer terror she was experiencing was something beyond her understanding. She heard the downstairs door close. Howard had stopped this time, but she knew he would be back and then her torment would really begin. Rape first, and then death.

She pushed the terrifying prospect to the back of her mind, forcing herself to think clearly. All the time she was alive there was hope. He'd dumped the car some distance away, by the sound of it, but where the blazes was this place? The only comforting thought she had was that her family would be looking for her …

Kate uncurled herself, wincing as she became aware of her bruises. The first thing she must do is eat. She hadn't had anything since the soup Pete had prepared for her. She must keep up her strength, so that if a chance came to escape she would be able to take it. She ripped open the paper bag, not caring what it was, but was
shaking so much it took two hands to bring the food to her mouth. After finishing the sandwiches she allowed herself a few mouthfuls of drink to ease her sore throat, knowing that she must make this last as there was no telling how long it would be before she was given anything else – if he even bothered. And to be truthful she prayed he would never return. It would be better to die of hunger and cold, than at the mercy of this brutal man. She swore again at that defeatist thought. She couldn't die! There was too much to live for.

Kate eyed the bucket and knew she would have to use it. She picked up some old newspapers and placed them over the top of the bucket afterwards, and then went back and sat on the bed again.