Читать книгу For All Our Sins - T.M.E. Walsh - Страница 14

CHAPTER 5

Haverbridge town centre was teeming with Wednesday afternoon shoppers enjoying the glorious sunshine. The Costa coffee shop was doing a roaring trade, with not a seat to be found at the metal tables and chairs scattered about outside.

Inside felt like a blazing inferno; the hot pastries and lattes combined with the heat of the day had many of its employees congregating behind the shop in the shade, just to find some form of relief.

A young male employee with Dean emblazoned across his name badge stooped to wipe down a vacant table. As he began to wipe the crumbs to the floor and remove the circle of coffee-ring stains, he glanced up, catching the flash of red in his peripheral vision.

Then he saw her, her red hair almost glowing in the sunlight like hellfire. She was small and slender, with very pale skin which was like porcelain.

Dean’s eyes followed after her, looking at her from the top of her head, past her light-green top, to tight low-slung jeans, to her simple black open-backed flats. She casually slung her large leather bag higher on her shoulder before disappearing in the crowd.

Mesmerised, Dean walked away from the table. He tried to keep her in his sights, but soon the fiery hair was lost in a sea of ordinary faces.

***

Amelia had known he was looking.

Why wouldn’t he? Most men did, and from past experience, so did women on occasion.

She smiled to herself as she opened her bag and caught sight of the red stain running the length of her thumb, smudged and flaky.

Blood really did get everywhere. She knew what happened could have been so different, less violence, less mess, less frenzied.

But then it would have been less enjoyable. Less fitting.

She raised her hand to her lips, and licked the blood from her thumb. Then she searched for her keys. She raised her security fob to the sensor on the heavy door and awaited the red glow from the panel before pushing the door and entering the communal halls.

She walked to the lift that would take her to her floor, which always smelt of urine and was decorated with some form of new graffiti each day.

Living above shops in the centre of town, sharing the area with drug dealers and users alike, was as good as it got. When she reached the doors to the lift she saw a large piece of white paper sellotaped roughly across the stainless steel and remembered the lift was out of order still.

She sighed, heading towards the door leading to the stairwells. As she pushed the glass door open she remembered the day she first came here to view the flat.

It had been another hot day not unlike this one, and she’d deliberately worn a low-cut top and a short low-slung skirt to distract the estate agent when they discussed the monthly rent.

As planned, he’d taken the bait.

All men are weak…

He would tell the landlord she accepted the monthly rent but he would ‘fix the books’, as he put it, and she would pay less.

‘It will be our little secret of course,’ he’d said.

‘I can’t thank you enough, Mr Brown,’ Amelia had replied in her sweetest of voices.

He’d extended his hand once again, eyes narrowed. ‘Call me Adrian, I insist.’

Amelia had almost reached the top of the stairs and she shuddered, recalling the events that had taken place that afternoon.

She turned to face another door leading to the second floor of flats, and pushed it half-heartedly, the hinges squeaking.

The once brightly painted wood, now a grimy shade of brown, had been vandalised again. The frosted glass window had been smashed for the second time in two weeks and there was additional coloured graffiti climbing the length of the door frame.

Amelia wandered further along the corridor, hearing a dog bark from behind the door of flat fifteen, not unlike any other day, but it made her jump nonetheless.

Although keeping animals in the flats was prohibited, she knew that tenant had probably struck a deal with Adrian to keep him sweet.

Besides, considering what she’d seen, no one with any common sense would confront the tenant about the noise level from the dog. Most people draw the line at suicide.

After walking past a few more doors, Amelia rested her head against her own, not wanting to enter. After a few moments of staring at the heavily soiled brown carpet beneath her feet, she forced her key into the lock and quickly turned it.

She pushed the door open and kicked off her shoes before dumping her bag down on the kitchen table. She pulled a chair out from under the table, went to the fridge, retrieved a bottle of wine and poured herself a glass, before returning to the table and taking a seat. She took a long drink from the large glass and stared around at her tiny living area.

The walls were painted a neutral colour throughout the flat, with plain light-coloured carpets. She had a small red two-seat sofa in the corner facing a small portable television set. Her battered coffee table had seen better days, but it’d been a bargain purchase from a charity shop in the centre of town.

Her thoughts were broken by the thudding of a stereo above her head, which seemed to shake the ceiling to a continuous beat.

Sighing, she opened her bag, her breathing suddenly rapid as she zipped apart the soft leather. She found the blister pack of small white pills, popped one out and swallowed it dry.

The stereo above her head pounded harder and Amelia checked her watch. Soon she would welcome the distraction of the music above; it would give her something to focus on and forget where she was and what she was doing.

During her life, Amelia had learnt how to detach herself from her body and imagine she was somewhere else.

Today would be no different.

Glancing at her watch again, she headed towards the bedroom. She began to remove her clothes, folded them neatly and placed them on the cream-coloured duvet in front of her. She drew the dark-red curtains, blocking most of the light from the room, which now cast black-red shadows across her face.

She hoped it would be in the dark this time, and then she wouldn’t have to keep her eyes open and pretend she wanted to be there.

As was routine, she pulled back the duvet and slid between the sheets. She shivered at the coolness of the fabric against her skin. As the bed began to warm with the heat of her body, it offered little comfort while she waited.

Then she heard a key turn in the front door.

The hinges whined as the door swung open then closed softly. She heard shoes being removed and slung carelessly, thudding on the floor. She heard the heavy footsteps approaching the bedroom door, hesitating before the door was pushed open.

A shaft of light broke the shadows in the room and she closed her eyes tight, pretending to be asleep. The door shut and someone moved closer to the bed and Amelia tried to sneak a look beneath her thick eyelashes.

She saw a tall shadow move around the foot of the bed and peek through the curtains.

He is so afraid of being caught…and I wish he would be.

The figure at the curtain pulled the material shut and then wandered back around the bed towards the light switch.

Amelia winced at the sudden break in the darkness, her eyes trying to adjust as she slowly opened them, seeing him looking at her.

‘I told you I want the lights on. That was the agreement,’ said Adrian.

‘Your agreement. Not mine,’ she spat as she rolled over to face towards the window.

Adrian smiled as he removed his navy suit jacket, placing it over the back of a chair. He unbuttoned his light-blue shirt.

Amelia glanced over her shoulder towards him. She could tell he’d recently visited the tanning salon, judging by his golden tan. His hair looked freshly styled too, glued into place with expensive hair gel. His fingernails were also well groomed and his fingers set off with expensive rings.

Amelia hated what money could do to people. She hated the way Adrian paraded himself around with his expensive suits and fast cars. She hated the way he could talk his way into people’s heads and convince them to part with vast amounts of money for a new home. He would even take extra money from people and keep it for himself, despite his high pay grade and commission perks. She hated this and she hated him.

Her thoughts were broken when she saw him remove his underwear, and then approach the bed.

‘I haven’t got long today. I have a viewing to do at three,’ he whispered as his hand clasped her shoulder.

Amelia lay back and detached herself from the moment.

Robotically she spent the next twenty minutes making the right moves and noises in the right places before he finished, dressed, then left as quickly as he’d arrived.

***

After Amelia had scrubbed herself so hard her skin almost bled, she had towelled off and sat on the bed staring at her phone in one hand and Adrian’s business card in the other.

After she’d put in a call to Adrian’s office and hung up, she drafted a text message to send to the name listed only as ‘G’ in the contacts list.

Made the call. Will let you know when it’s done… A

She hit send.

Amelia knew the plan set for her and knew she’d have no trouble executing it to its full exquisite potential. She only hoped that when it came down to it, she had enough self-control not to cut too deep.