Abandoning herself, she ran full pelt at the door, crashing into it. The pain was intense – a searing burning sensation in her shoulder that slowly transmuted to a sadistic dull ache. She turned, angry.
‘Aren’t you going to help m-’
Her voice gave out when she saw Martina pointing the gun at her. She’d been tricked. That devious bitch had tricked her.
‘I’m really sorry,’ muttered Martina, then she pulled the trigger, closing her eyes so as not to see the horror. The gunshot reverberated around the brick chamber.
But no scream came. No sound of flesh tearing. Just the dull thunk of the bullet burying itself in the door. She had missed.
She pulled the trigger again and again, but she knew there had only been one bullet in it. One shot at salvation.
Caroline flew through the air, knocking Martina to the ground. They struggled fiercely in the dirt, but Martina was on the back foot and soon Caroline was on top. Her knees pressed down heavily on Martina’s chest, then spread to pinion her arms. And now Caroline’s bloody, raw fingers were wrapping themselves around Martina’s throat.
She was wild, unhinged. But she was triumphant. And she shouted and screamed for joy as she choked the life out of the young prostitute.
She had won.
‘Where is she?’ Charlie shouted. Martha Reeves sat calmly on the living room chair, dressed in one of Mickery’s dressing gowns. Despite staring down the barrel of a police charge, she seemed utterly unrepentant. Her point of view seemed to be that the police had got it wrong, were unfairly harassing an innocent woman, so if she could help her out, why not?
‘She’s under investigation on suspicion of murder. And what you’ve done makes you an accessory. Do you know what you get for that? Ten years. Ten years ducking the hairy Marys in Holloway.’
Cold, naked defiance.
‘What do you come here for anyway?’
‘Oh come off it, surely you don’t ex-’
‘What are you? A pervert? An addict? What little peccadillo needs ironing out so bad that you’ll pay £300 an hour to this quack?’
DC Grounds chose this moment to step outside. He didn’t like scenes and Brooks seemed to be going way over the top. For whose benefit he wasn’t sure. Whatever it was about, it wouldn’t get them anywhere, so he took the opportunity to radio in – see if anyone else had had any luck.
The call had gone out, all available units had scrambled to the area, but there’d been no sign of Mickery. An eagle-eyed Community Support Officer had found a discarded red coat in a wheelie bin just outside Marlands Shopping Centre, but that was all. She had vanished into thin air. Cursing, Grounds headed back into the house.