Behind the Facade (4 page)

 
Katie stood there trying to gather her confused thoughts and
control her battered emotions. As adrenalin coursed through her, her mind
cleared and her gaze travelled desperately around the bathroom, trying to take
in her new surroundings and any opportunities it might offer. The bathroom was
a true sanctuary to femininity. There was everything from pot
pourri
to soft fluffy towels but nothing that looked
remotely useful.

 
She jumped and nearly fell when he strode back into the bathroom
and dropped some items of clothing on to the floor. He frowned at her. “What
are you doing standing there in those rags? Can’t you obey a simple
instruction?”

 
She gaped at him. “Get your clothes off and get yourself
showered...or do you need me to stay and help you?” he asked. He lifted an
eyebrow and a smile played on his lips that prompted her to flinch backwards.
He noted her reaction and said “I guess not....but I’ll be just outside the
door if you change your mind.”

 
He suddenly paused on his way back out and turned back to her,
any trace of humour wiped from his face. “You have fifteen minutes and then I’m
coming back in, ready or not.”

 
Once he’d left again Katie collapsed against the wall, strung
out and dejected. She glanced briefly round the bathroom again, more in hope
than expectation, but there really was nothing it afforded that might help her
situation and whilst she dawdled she was running out of time. She had no choice
but to do as he said and as quickly as possible. Who knew what he might do if
he came back and she wasn’t clothed? He hardly needed an excuse to terrorise
her.

 
With cold and shaking fingers she peeled off her bedraggled
dress. It clung to her skin as if it was now part of her protesting at any
attempt at removal but she finally dragged it down her torso and flung it at
her feet. He’d already turned the shower on so she fiddled with the settings
and got in the cubicle. As the water cascaded down her body, despite the
throbbing from some of her injuries, it was very cathartic to have the hot,
penetrating torrent rinse the aches and dirt away. Momentarily, she lost
herself in the simple and familiar comfort of it. However, she could not afford
to take too long and, despite her reluctance to do so, she shook herself out of
her transitory reverie and turned the shower off.

 
Stepping quickly out, she hastily dried herself with one of the
towels and donned the clothes her captor had provided. There was no bra,
understandably, but she hardly needed one anyway and at least there was a
t-shirt and knickers, albeit rather lacy ones. She had barely finished pulling
the clothes on when he entered the room again.

He
grabbed her arm without ceremony marched her back into the bedroom and pushed her
down onto the bed. Before she had time to even think of struggling he’d secured
her to the metal bed frame with a pair of steel handcuffs. She cried out in
dismay and instinctively pulled on the shackle but then yelped again, as this
action aggravated the injury to her wrist that she had previously sustained.

It was
not simply an amazing piece of good fortune that he had found these. He had
known they were in the house. He had remembered that the owner of the house, an
ex-girlfriend, kept them ever handy for the games she liked to play in bed.
Never truly intended to be used to restrain someone against their will but
useful for that purpose nonetheless.
Luckily, due to their design, the chain between the cuffs was
easily extendable so he'd been able to allow the girl some freedom of movement.

It
intensified her fear of him that he had so easily produced the handcuffs. Was
he used to restraining people? She scrambled backwards, raising her knees and
clamping her free arm around them.

Sean was
struck by how young and fragile she looked with her face scrubbed clean and the
slightly oversized t-shirt drifting off one shoulder. He angrily shrugged off
the inappropriate feelings of protectiveness this stirred in him.

 
He turned abruptly and left the bedroom, determined to put her
from his mind and focus on his other acquisition. He walked down the landing
and entered a small study room. A flat screen computer was set up on a sturdy
black ash desk. He reached in his pocket for a memory stick loaded with the information
he had downloaded from Charlie’s computer at the offices of Burbank and Beck.
The sooner he found the answer he needed the sooner he could try and plan a
safe end to this episode. He wanted to have a brief look through the data
whilst he had the chance. He fired the computer up plugged the stick into an
available port and began sifting through the files, his senses alert to any
unexpected sounds from the bedroom.

 
He was looking for some clue to explain why Charles Hughes had
referred to Bespoke Cars. It was a long shot that there would be anything on
his computer but where else could he start? The files all looked completely
innocuous. He strained to find some connection but searches using the name
“Bespoke Cars” and even “Harry Pearson” proved unproductive. After reading
pages and pages of emails and
spreadsheets
the data
started to blur. He sighed in frustration and turned away from the screen.
Perhaps he’d make more headway interrogating the girl and it was fortunate,
after all, that she was here. He returned to the bedroom.

Katherine
had fallen asleep with exhaustion. Her head and body had flopped to one side
and her long chestnut hair had fallen across her face. Well, he thought
resignedly, what did it matter? Maybe they could both do with some sleep. He
closed the heavy brocaded curtains and then fell gratefully onto the adjacent
bed. Once he had closed his eyes, mercifully, after all the exertions of the
past few hours, it did not take long for sleep to claim him also.

A bomb
had gone off.

In his head.
That’s what it felt like, and the aftermath had left a cloud of
confusion and pain. Even when Robert opened his eyes, nothing was clear. All he
saw was a dim room full of shrouded objects. Struggling to focus his befuddled
brain protested with the effort and stabbed him in rebuke. He just wanted to
lay his head back on the floor and go to sleep but with the stab of pain came a
flash of memory.  Kate. He’d left her outside. The thought of her
propelled him to his feet, much too quickly for his own good. He almost
overbalanced but managed to grab onto a nearby desk just in time. Shaking and
dizzy he swallowed down the urge to vomit. He crouched and closed his eyes to
give himself time to recover. When the tilting sensation inside his head had
finally subsided, he stood to his feet and reacquainted himself with his
surroundings. Once he’d located the exit, he made his way there as quickly as
he dared, without upsetting his hard-won equilibrium. Whilst he was alive to
the fact that he should report the assault to the police, his main priority was
making sure his fiancée was ok.

When Robert failed to find Kate in the
car he fought down his panic. He was reassured by the fact that it was locked
and on glancing through the window he could see that her purse and mobile phone
were still inside. She couldn’t have gone far. He assumed she must have entered
the building to look for him. She had her own entry pass to the building since
she often visited. He checked his watch.  It was 10.00 pm.  Worry crawled
its way back down his spine. Why wasn’t she back? And if she had gone inside,
why hadn’t she found him? As his head began throbbing again, an alarming
thought struck him. What if she’d run into the person who’d attacked him?
 

He raced back towards the offices but
before he was even half-way there he fell to his knees in distress. He was in
no shape to act quickly, despite his desire to do so. His vision flared in
bright bursts of fresh agony, bringing him to his knees. Flopping to the floor,
he dug out his phone. It was time to bring in the boys in blue. However, he was
mistaken in thinking the relief he would receive from them would be fast and
effective. Instead of sympathy and immediate support the reception he met was
one of disinterest when he reported his location and situation. The incident at
the Martin de Pores building had already been reported and handled, he was
told. It didn’t help his cause that he was less than coherent after what he had
experienced and the lack of concern on their part only served to agitate him
and make him more so. He was told, in no uncertain terms, that his call would
be terminated if he didn’t calm down. 

Despite the exacerbation in his
symptoms all this had caused
he
finally regained his
composure and managed to convey enough of his story to be taken seriously. It
suddenly registered with the listener that he was in need of medical attention.
However, when he tried to report his fiancée missing he was smugly informed
that too little time had passed to report her as missing. He should check with
friends and family first. She might even return to the car. According to their
records she had last been seen with another man, calling himself Robert Spencer
as well. She had not been under any obvious duress. They would send an
ambulance but they were not prepared to get involved in what appeared to be
some kind of lovers’ quarrel or duplicity.

Robert could have screamed at the
woman then in exasperation. This mystery man was very likely the person who’d
attacked him. Kate wasn’t just missing. What she’d just told him made him
certain of it. She was either dead or was still with this stranger. And that
had to mean he’d used some means to force her to go with him. There was no
other explanation. But the police wouldn’t listen to his protestations. He was
to wait until morning, and if his fiancée still hadn’t shown up, they’d
investigate further. For now he must wait where he was until medical assistance
arrived. “What the hell do we pay these pricks for?” he raged.

He flung his phone down in disgust as
his call was terminated. Retrieving it he felt like flinging it down again when
he noted that the touch screen was damaged, rendering the phone unusable. He
got in to the car to check Kate’s phone. If the police wouldn’t listen to him
he was certain her father would take him seriously. However, fate well and
truly had it in for him; Kate’s phone battery was dead. He sighed in weary
frustration and rested his throbbing head back on the seat. He could return to
the offices but the adrenaline that had spurred him on had now evaporated from
his system. He closed his eyes.

The next time he awoke was to the hazy
images of unfamiliar faces around him and the blaring sirens of the ambulance
that was transporting him to hospital. He never did get to contact Kate’s
father as the combination of his head injury and the drugs they pumped into him
put him out of commission for the next 24 hours.

Kate woke
abruptly. It took her a few moments to adjust to where she was. She felt stiff
and sore and panic clutched at her heart as she failed to recognise her shadowy
surroundings. With a sickening jolt the memories of what had happened to her
came flooding back. She bent her head to her chest and emitted a small mew of
misery. Black wings of despair threatened to engulf her and it took all her
strength of will not to just collapse back down on the bed. She realised that
her right arm was completely numb. She rubbed at it briskly trying to get some
feeling back into it, using the activity to mentally try and revive her spirit
at the same time.

 
A low cry reached her from the other side of the room and she
froze. This was followed by more muffled utterances and wild thrashings, like
those of a captured animal. Abruptly, the activity ceased. There was a moment
of tense silence.

 
Then, clear and distinct, a name was shouted in a voice torn
with agony and grief: “Brenna!”

 
Only harsh, laboured breathing ensued.

 
Kate was so unnerved by this that she had almost cried out
herself. She surmised that the noises had come from her kidnapper and that he
was lying in the next bed, experiencing some kind of nightmare. Despite the
fact that she was still trembling from shock, she smiled malevolently to
herself; men like him deserved to be tormented by bad dreams. She heard him
swear softly but vehemently and remained very quiet, not wishing to alert him
to the fact that he had woken her.

Her body
stiffened as she heard the springs of his bed creak. Her eyes followed him
warily as he moved, swaying slightly, towards the window. His form was outlined
in the pearly light of the morning as he reached out to open the curtains and
lift up the frame. She watched, bizarrely fascinated by the muscles rippling in
his back, as he forced the window up and then leant out gulping in the cool
winter air as if it were water long withheld.

 
Sean passed a shaky hand over his face, wet with sweat and tears
and his body shuddered as he tried to dispel the disturbing images from his
mind. He felt the cool fingers of the breeze caress his feverish face and
chest. He closed his eyes and strived to fix his thoughts on something else
other than the memories that tormented him. Katherine’s tense, pale face slipped
again to the forefront of his mind. Christ, he suddenly thought, was he mad?
He’d taken her against her will and having done so he was probably guilty of
the very same crime perpetrated against his sister. What was he thinking?
Nothing he might learn excused this. Nothing he might risk. He had to let her
go. He had to let her go now.

A
slight noise from her vicinity roused him. Had he woken her? He
brought his upper body into the warmth of the room and closed the window.

 
“You awake?” he asked.

 
She did not answer.

 
Kate watched as he moved towards her. She wondered whether to
try and move away from him or just pretend to be asleep. Her heart beat
rapidly, like a caged bird in her chest and she squeezed her eyes shut, opting
to feign sleep.

 
Sean sat on the edge of the bed and peered towards her. Her eyes
were closed. Perhaps she had made the noise in her sleep. He stared at her. Her
face was like that of a child - so smooth and perfect. Would this experience
mark her? Would it etch lines in her face, like his experiences had carved in
his? The urge to touch that alabaster skin was suddenly overwhelming. It was as
though she sensed this as her eyes suddenly flicked open. The orbs were dark,
gleaming and afraid.

 
When she felt his touch on her hand she jerked violently away,
crying out.

 
“Don’t be so bloody stupid!” he said, grabbing her right arm.
“I’m just releasing you.”

Kate was
confused. Could he actually be letting her go? Or was he merely unshackling her
in order to further torment her?

Before he
could unlock the handcuffs there was a loud thud, followed by the sound of
footsteps coming up the stairs. Sean turned towards the bedroom door in dismay.
The noise was unlikely to be the sound of an intruder as the doors were locked
to the outside. The mistress of the house must have returned home. This was an
unexpected development as Angela led a busy lifestyle and spent most of her
time out of the country. He hastily dropped Kate’s arm, leaving her cuffed to
the bed.

Before
Angela could discover Kate, Sean stepped quickly out onto the landing. The tall
elegant woman, just reaching the top of the stairs, turned and saw him. She let
out a gasp of astonishment, stepped back in surprise but then rushed forwards,
her crimson mouth breaking into a stunning smile.

“
Seanie
, baby!” she exclaimed, holding her arms out wide.
“What an unexpected but wonderful surprise! Why didn’t you tell me you were
coming
?“

She
reached him and pulled him into her embrace, pressing herself against him. He
was enveloped in her fragrant, exotic perfume and reminded of her all too
womanly attributes, which was no doubt intentional.

 
When she finally released him, she held him at arm’s length,
eyeing him up and down appreciatively and commented, “You’re as sexy as ever,
you devil!”

 
“Same goes, Angela,” he said, “apart from the devil part!”

He
laughed as he looked at her and noticed that she had not lost any of her
sparkle and was a truly spectacular sight. She was all tanned legs and blonde
hair, dressed to kill in a sheer, low-cut dress of dazzling white that clung
alluringly to each curve. She was the kind of woman men fell over themselves to
please and other women resented with a burning envy.

She took
his arm and asked, “What kept you away so long? I knew you‘d kept your key, you
naughty boy.” She ended with a coquettish laugh and then slowly slid her
exquisitely manicured finger teasingly down his face, ending suggestively on
his lips.

A
clunking noise from the vicinity of the guest bedroom interrupted this
re-acquaintance. Angela dropped her hand, frowning and looking in that
direction.

She
looked back at him and asked, “Do you know what that noise was? Did you bring
someone with you?”

Sean knew
he wouldn’t be able to keep Kate’s presence a secret. “Yes,” he admitted. “I’m
sorry Angela. I didn’t expect you to be here…”

Angela
immediately drew the obvious conclusion from this. “You’ve brought some other
woman here, haven’t you?!
To my house?
Without my permission?”
Her voice
rose
an octave at the end of each question and, without even giving him the chance
to answer her, she ranted on with, “Oh, I know what’s happened here, now. You
wanted a cosy romantic hideaway. You’ve brought some girl here and thought I’d
be helpfully out of the way! Well, I’m sorry to have ruined your plans! You’re
not welcome here, Get out,
get
out now!” she ended
furiously. 

 
Sean couldn’t believe this had got out of hand so quickly.
“Angela,
m'Aingeal
,” he soothed “you’ve got it all
wrong. She’s my sister.”

His words
certainly had the desired effect. Angela was momentarily struck speechless.
When she regained her composure she admonished, “Well, why didn’t you say
so?” 

He was
about to remind her she hadn’t given him the opportunity to but she walked past
him, towards the guest bedroom. “Well, is she in here then? Aren’t you going to
introduce us?” she asked, putting her hand on the door knob.

“Stop!”
Sean cautioned
quickly, making Angela start in surprise. “I can’t let you meet her just yet.
She may not react well to you… Please come away and let me explain,” he asked,
taking her by the arm and manoeuvring her away from the door. 

Before he
could lead her out of Kate’s earshot, Kate shouted from the bedroom “Hello?
Who’s there? Please help me!” Desperate thumping and rattling noises ensued.

Angela’s
eyes widened at this and she resisted being drawn away saying, “Why is she
asking for help
?“
She moved towards the door again and
Sean had to think extremely quickly.

“Katie!”
he called “It‘s only me. Don‘t get upset. I’m going to get you something
that’ll help.”  

He turned
back to Angela, pulling a wry face as the noises and shouts from the bedroom
continued. “She’s extremely troubled,” Sean explained.

 
“Look,” he said, taking hold of her arm again and continuing to
steer her towards the stairs, “it’s a long story. Let’s go down so I can make
her a cup of tea and tell you all about it.” Sean was so calm that Angela’s
instinctive concerns were allayed and she allowed him to escort her downstairs.

As Angela
put the kettle on to boil, Sean sat down at the kitchen table and admitted.
“I’ll be honest
Angela,
I did come here hoping you
wouldn’t be home. She’s in trouble and there was nowhere else I could bring
her, where she wouldn’t be found.”

 
“Wouldn’t be found?” queried Angela. “Why? Who’s after her?”

 
“Look,” he said “let’s just say she reacted extremely badly to
the news her fiancé was
cheatin
’ on her. He had to
get a restraining order out against her. She recently ignored it, big-
time,
by gate-crashing a party her fella was holding and
attackin
’ him and some of his guests. To cut a long story
short, the police are looking for her. She’s...,” he paused as if struggling to
find the right words, “become mentally unhinged by it all and is extremely
fragile. I’ll give you fair warning, she absolutely detests men, even me to an
extent. She refuses to talk to me because I’m holding her against her will. I
can’t let her go because she’s still desperate for revenge on her fiancé and
I’m worried she’ll end up in prison or even sectioned.” He pulled an
appropriately pained expression, hoping to elicit her sympathy.
 

Angela
placed the cup of tea she had made on the table and sat in front of Sean,
leaning towards him to ensure that he couldn’t miss noticing her amazingly
buoyant cleavage in the low cut dress. She pursed her crimson lips and said, “I
cannot say I am happy about the situation Sean. You bring some madwoman to my
house without as much as a by your leave and now expect me to just go along
with it?”
 

“I know
it was very rude of me,” Sean accepted, “but she isn’t a madwoman…She just
needs some time to come to her senses. I’m really sorry Angela. I didn’t think
you’d mind me using the house temporarily. I didn’t check with you first
because I didn’t want to have to involve you in this whole sorry mess.” 

 
Sean placed his hand on hers and looked her in the eyes, trying
to appeal to her vanity,
saying
, “I’m glad you’re here
now though. I’d forgotten just how bloody gorgeous you are.”

Angela
stared hard at him for a moment and then shrugged and smiled. “OK then,” she
conceded, “but I don’t want her under my roof for long.” She then kissed him
lightly but lingeringly on the lips, murmuring, “I want you all to myself as
soon as possible. I’m sure you’ll do your utmost to repay me, won’t you?”

Sean
quickly stood up now wondering if he had been wise to encourage Angela’s
obvious desire to rekindle their relationship. It was really not the time to
complicate his life even further by getting entangled with this woman again.
“I’d better take this tea to Katie and try and get her settled,” he said.

Kate fell
silent as Sean entered the room with the tea and strode over to her. A little
liquid slopped over the side of the cup as he placed it angrily down on the
bedside table, unable to disguise the exasperation he felt. She cowered and he
swore, backing away and clawing through his hair. “Why did you have to make
such a
fuckin
’ racket?!” he berated her. Now he
couldn’t be rid of her, nor could he risk her alerting Angela to the reality of
her predicament.

He blew
out a harsh breath and squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to calm himself.
Opening them again, he moved slowly and sat down next to her. She still
flinched away from him. “Listen to me,” he demanded. Her eyes felt like
burning, condemning brands on his skin. “The owner of this house is here. As
far as she is concerned, you are my lunatic sister. Do not speak to her. She
will not help you. Even if you say anything, you will not be believed.”

They both
turned their heads in unison as Angela entered the room. Sean noticed Kate’s
pupils dilate as she took in Angela’s striking appearance. Angela, in her turn,
blanched on catching sight of Kate manacled to the bed.

She
turned to Sean, “Is this strictly necessary?” she asked in a stage whisper.

“As I explained,
Angela, I had no choice but to restrain her,” he said a forlorn tone to his
voice.

Angela
presented him with a plate of sandwiches. “I thought you’d both be hungry.” She
had obviously made the food to use as an excuse for coming in.