The Midnight Hour (17 page)

This pathetic “bonding” idea gave her the perfect opportunity to finally sort it all out.

Glancing at the clock, she quickly walked into the main room of the apartment, tying her hair back into a ponytail as she did so. She walked to the table and opened the “Ethel Austin” bag that she had placed there yesterday after her shopping trip into town. She would not normally have shopped at such a place, preferring the up-market designer outlets, but today it would serve its purpose.

She pulled out a plain black t-shirt, jeans, trainers and a baseball cap. She dressed quickly, pulling a face at herself in the full-length mirror that stood to the left of the door.

“Jill, you look a mess,” she said to herself. “But it’ll be worth it.”

She took her mobile phone out of her bag and selected a number from the address book. It rang only twice before being answered.

“It’s on. Be there in forty minutes.”

She ended the call, pushed her phone back into her bag and grabbed up the baseball cap from the table. She pulled it on, pushing her hair up under it.

With a final grimace in the mirror, she left her apartment to make her way to the mall.

Linda did not have time to change from her work clothes.

Ten minutes driving, fifteen allowing for traffic, and she would be there. She would bet anything that Jill would be waiting impatiently, even though she would not be late. Jill liked to make everyone feel that they inconvenienced her.

“Bitch!”

She joined the traffic edging its way towards the junction, indicated, and eased across the three lanes until she was where she needed to be. The roads here were a nightmare. Everyone agreed on that, even Jill!

It took her five minutes to drive the 200 yards to the motorway, but then the congestion eased and she was able to put her foot down.  The speedometer crept up to 60mph and held there. She didn’t feel comfortable driving any faster, even though most other cars on the motorway were drifting past with apparent ease. She might not have Jill’s self-confidence but she could be stubborn.

The signs for the shopping mall started almost as soon as she was on the motorway. Less than eight minutes and she was indicating, moving down the purpose built slip road and into the shopping mall’s huge car park. It was busy but not packed and she found a space easily.

She didn’t run, but she walked quickly to the main entrance and, for a moment, she thought she was the first there. But then she saw Jill. She simply hadn’t recognised her on first glance.

She stopped, slightly taken aback at the taller girl’s appearance. She had never seen Jill look so... well,
plain!
It should have made her feel like the attractive one, instead it made her feel overdressed in her calf-length black skirt, white blouse and black jacket.

“Hope you don’t mind,” said Jill as Linda reached her. “Just thought I’d throw something casual and comfortable on.”

I didn’t even think you
owned
casual and comfortable, thought Linda, but she said “No problem. Looks great on you.”

“Thanks. Shall we get started and spend the boss’s money?”

Linda had never been in the mall on a working day. Normally she would only find her way here on the occasional weekend, just after payday. It was the only time she could afford the prices. Today it was quieter, less crowded, fewer teenagers, more old people. She preferred the teenagers.

“How about starting up in the food hall and then we can get down to some serious shopping?” Jill smiled and strode off without looking back, apparently in no doubt that Linda would follow her.

For a moment Linda considered walking off on her own. It annoyed her the way Jill just presumed that she could take control of where they went and what they did. On the other hand, this was meant to be a “bonding” session, and there couldn’t be any bonding if they weren’t together. Linda had serious doubts whether they could ever “bond” but she was determined to try and make it work. It was what the company wanted of her. It was what Tom wanted.

The thought of Tom sent a pleasant shiver through her body and she almost reached for her phone to call him, just to speak to him. It would be so nice if he were here too. Would defeat the object of the exercise though! With a slight sigh she followed Jill to the escalator.

The food hall was on the upper floor of the two-storey mall and the escalator rose into the middle of it. A wide circle of fast food counters, coffee shops, cafes, restaurants. Everything from McDonalds to Starbucks to a classy looking Italian place she couldn’t even pronounce the name of. She looked around to find Jill and wasn’t particularly surprised to find her in the queue at McDonalds. So much for the expensive meal!

With fewer teenagers in the mall it didn’t take them long to get served and they found a table for two and sat down. Linda felt less than enthusiastic about biting into her burger and fries but Jill was eagerly pulling open the Happy Meal box she had got for herself. Linda watched with some amusement as the first thing she pulled out was the toy. Jill seemed to notice Linda looking for the first time.

“You’re never too old for a Happy Meal,” she smiled.

Linda almost felt herself warming to her colleague. How could you not find some affection in you for a twenty-six year old who bought herself Happy Meals and played with the toy in a busy food hall? Linda was three years younger than Jill, but at that moment she felt like the mature, serious one. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

They ate their burgers and picked at their fries in silence for a few minutes. Linda sucked on a diet Coke through a straw and looked around the food hall, wishing she could come here at this time of day more often. It was nice when it wasn’t so busy with weekend shoppers and “mall rats”. She was almost sorry when Jill broke the silence, but then she knew it would have to happen sooner or later.

“Listen Lin.” Jill wiped some mayonnaise from the corner of her mouth and sucked it off her finger. “We’re never going to be the best of friends, I think we both know that, but I guess we can maybe get on as work colleagues a bit better than we have been.”

Linda nodded cautiously. “Sounds reasonable.” She wished she didn’t feel so suspicious of everything Jill said.

“Great.” Jill smiled and Linda thought she actually detected some genuine pleasure in there for once. “Just got to go for a pee and then I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Linda watched as Jill marched away towards the toilets. A surprise? What was she up to? Nothing terrible she was sure, but even so... no harm in letting somebody else know how things were going.

She pulled her mobile out of her bag and selected Tom’s number from the address book.

Jill sent the text and then pushed the phone back into her bag.

She looked at herself in the bathroom’s full wall mirror and pushed a few dangling strands of hair back under the baseball cap. She hated the way she looked, but it had its purpose. Linda had barely recognised her and
she
was looking for her. Anyone else she knew just casually glancing her way was unlikely to realise who she was. As an added bonus, she didn’t have to worry about getting any of her good clothes messy.

She pulled tongues at her reflection. She was feeling good. This
was
good. The answer to all her problems and £150 to spend as well. Life couldn’t be better.

Time for Linda’s surprise.

Linda saw Jill wave and point to the down escalator as she came out of the toilets. Grabbing her bag from the floor, she followed the taller girl back down to the ground floor of the mall.

“So, what’s this surprise?” she asked as she finally managed to catch up, her shorter legs taking twice as many steps as Jill’s long strides.

“Friend of mine is getting ready to open a clothes shop in here. He’s already got a load of stock in, only the best by the way, and he’s just waiting for all the outside to be done. When he heard we were coming down here today he said we could take a look around. Our own private viewing.”

“Sounds great.”

“It is. Plus, anything we want he’ll sell to us at cost price.”

Linda had to admit she was impressed. She might actually be able to get something decent for her wardrobe out of this. She knew Jill and clothes. If Jill said this shop had only the best then it
had
to be good.

Jill led the way round corners, past busy shops, through a large department store and out the other side, until they came to an area of the mall where the shops began to thin out and most of the windows displayed “Coming Soon” or “To Let” signs. It was in front of one of the “To Let” windows that Jill finally stopped.

Linda looked doubtfully at the sign and at the brown paper taped over the inside of the window.

Jill turned, noticing the slight apprehension.

“Oh, don’t worry about the sign. The mall hasn’t got round to changing it yet. Peter, that’s my friend who’s opening this place, says they’re hopeless. He’s been on to them again and again about it.”

Jill stepped to the door, also taped over with brown paper, and pushed it open.

It swung in easily and Linda peered nervously into the blackness inside the shop.

“Isn’t your friend here?” She tried to keep the slight tremble out of her voice. She didn’t want Jill to think she was a wimp.

“He’s probably in the back somewhere, sorting out more stock. Don’t worry.” Jill stepped into the dark and called back, “I’ll find the light switch. Come on in.”

Linda hesitated for a moment and then walked towards the door. It was ok. Jill would switch the light on any minute and they could have a good time browsing round some decent clothes without the irritation of other shoppers. Besides, if she backed out now her and Jill would never stand a chance of “bonding” in any shape or form!

She stepped into the shop, her eyes struggling to adapt to the complete darkness inside.

“Jill?”

There was the sound of movement to her left. She turned, expecting to see Jill. Something slammed into the back of her head. She fell.

Linda woke slowly, a thumping pain in her head, behind her eyes.

What happened? Had she bumped into something? She must have hit it hard. She felt sick.

There was some light now but she was still having a hard time focussing. When she spoke her voice cracked and her throat felt dry.

“Jill?”

“Right here Lin.”

“Thank God for that. I don’t know what I walked into but...”

Her eyes finally came into focus. Jill sat opposite her, smiling.

She guessed they were still in the store, but it looked empty except for a few skeletal clothes racks, hangers hanging loose from the rails. There was certainly no stock to browse around.

“Where are all the clothes?” She struggled to speak coherently, fighting against the agony shooting through her head, getting worse with each moment.

“No clothes I’m afraid Lin. Just you and me and some very close friends of mine.”

For the first time Linda noticed that there were others in the shop, standing behind Jill. They were mostly in shadow, but she thought she saw at least three men, all wearing black, one of them slapping what looked like a thick heavy bar into the palm of his hand over and over.

“I’m afraid they’re what you bumped into, and it wasn’t exactly an accident.”

The pain in Linda’s head pounded even harder as she tried to understand what Jill, her work colleague Jill, her partner in this “bonding” exercise Jill, was saying to her.

She tried to stand, realised that her wrists and ankles were bound by what looked like electric cable.

She fell backwards, rolled onto her side and vomited.

Her head felt ready to burst open with pain and she blacked out.

When she came to again she was no longer on the floor.

She was standing against one of the clothes racks, her arms stretched out along the bar, her wrists tied to the metal. Her shoulders ached. Her head had eased slightly but she still had the worst headache she could ever remember. A quick experimental push with her feet told her that her ankles were still bound together. She had lost her jacket at some point but otherwise she was still fully clothed, and she was more relieved about that than she could have imagined.

She couldn’t see anyone. No Jill. No strange, anonymous, threatening men.

She tried to stand up straight but the rack was not tall enough. Her legs ached as she tried to keep the weight off her shoulders.

“Glad you could rejoin us.”

The voice came from behind her, an unmistakeable voice with more than a note of laughter in it.

Jill stepped round in front of her, smiling, holding a knife in her right hand, her left index finger turning gently on the point of the blade.

“Jill.” Linda struggled to keep her voice steady, to sound reasonable in the face of a situation that was anything but. “There’s no need for this. Surely we can...”

“Linda,” interrupted Jill, her voice quiet but commanding. “Do you have any idea how much I hate you? How much I’ve hated you since the first day you started work with me?”

“I know, but...”

“No, you don’t. You can’t. I doubt you have it in you to hate anyone or anything as much as I hate you.”

She stepped closer, pushing the tip of the knife under Linda’s chin, forcing the bound girl’s head back. A droplet of blood trickled down her neck.

“I hate your voice because it’s softer and quieter than mine. I hate your hair because it’s a different colour from mine. I hate your clothes because they’re cheaper than mine. I hate your tits because they’re bigger than mine. People think you’re nice and I hate that. Tom wants to get in your pants and I hate that. I hate...” She shrugged, smiled and slid the knife down Linda’s neck to the shoulder of her white blouse. “I just hate
you
!”

She pulled the knife, slicing across the shoulder.

Linda screamed. Blood stained the blouse, seemed to spread, soaked up by the cotton.

Linda sniffed back tears, gritted her teeth against the pain in her shoulder and tried once again to be reasonable.