While Sadie stood waiting, she gradually became aware of a disturbance. As if pulled by an invisible force, people were starting to drift towards the far end of the fair. A murmur was passing quickly through the crowd, a ripple of excitement. She stood on her toes, trying to see what was happening, but her view was blocked by the wall of spectators.

A group of uniformed police officers came striding down the central path and Sadie shrank back at the sight of them. For one terrifying second she thought they were coming for her, that Mona had confessed everything and set her up for an easy arrest. She heaved a sigh of relief as they passed straight by.

A couple of girls came sauntering over from the direction of the crowd and stopped by the Big Wheel to gaze up at the lights.

‘Excuse me,’ Sadie said. ‘I don’t suppose you know what’s going on over there, do you?’

The older of the two – they looked like sisters – shifted a wad of chewing gum from one cheek to the other. ‘It’s some old bloke. Reckon he’s collapsed or whatever.’ There was a hint of disappointment in her voice as if she’d been hoping for something more dramatic. ‘We couldn’t see properly, mind. There were too many people in the way.’

‘Oh, right,’ Sadie said. ‘Thanks. I was just wondering.’

The girls walked on and Sadie continued to look around. It occurred to her that Mona might have spotted the police on her way in. Had she turned tail and fled, afraid that she was walking into a trap? It was possible. She could have had the same knee-jerk reaction as herself, and if that was the case then there was no chance of her turning up.

Sadie glanced at her watch again, wondering how much longer she should wait. Five more minutes, she decided, and that was it. There was no point hanging around in the cold if Mona wasn’t going to show. She gazed in the direction of the crowd again. Even though she knew the police hadn’t come for her, their presence still made her feel jumpy. That was the problem with having a guilty conscience.

An ambulance crew hurried past, carrying a stretcher. For Sadie, the atmosphere of the fair had changed now, its former frivolity overlain by a darker note. She felt a thin shiver run through her. No, she wasn’t going to wait any longer. Mona had said eight o’clock and it was now twenty past. She turned away from the wheel and headed for the exit.

As she walked, Sadie glanced over her shoulder a few times, half hoping, half dreading that she would spot the familiar black spiky hair. The courageous part of her wanted to get the confrontation over and done with, but the more cowardly part was relieved at the reprieve. She took one final look round before passing through the turnstile and on to the promenade.

An ambulance was parked up by the gates along with a couple of panda cars. Sadie lowered her head and dodged round them. As she cut down towards the town, she wondered if Mona was staying at the Bold again. She slowed, debating whether to retrace her steps, return to the promenade and ask at the hotel, but decided against it. If Mona had been spooked she wouldn’t hang around; she’d get out of Haverlea as fast as she could. Anyway, all Sadie wanted to do now was to get back to the relative safety of the flat.

It began to drizzle as she drew closer to home, thin spits of rain that settled on her head and shoulders. She picked up the pace as she turned the corner into Buckingham Road. It crossed her mind that Mona might be waiting for her at the house, but she instantly dismissed the idea. No, if the police had scared her off at the fairground then she’d hardly show her face here.

Still, Sadie kept her eyes peeled as she drew closer. She was so focused on number 67 that she took no notice at all of the white van that was parked a few yards from the gate. And that, as it turned out, was a big mistake. The side door of the vehicle slid quickly open as she drew adjacent to it and two women jumped out. They hurled themselves at her, grabbing her arms. Taken by surprise, Sadie only registered a flash of blonde hair, a hissing of breath, before she was bundled into the back of the van.

There was no time to shout or scream. It was over in seconds. Her first instinct was to struggle, to try and fight, but her efforts were useless. Quickly she was thrown to the floor and pinned down by a third assailant. He straddled her back, sitting heavily on the base of her spine. He grabbed her hair and yanked back her head. As he leaned forward she could feel his hot angry breath on the back of her neck.

‘It’s over, bitch! It’s payback time.’

Sadie felt her blood run cold as she realised who it was.

48

Sadie was all alone in the back of the van. It was dark and cold and it stank of exhaust fumes and oil. Her feet were bound at the ankles, her hands tied behind her back. A wide piece of gaffer tape had been placed across her mouth. Her body ached from the bad suspension, the muscles in her legs going into spasm every time the vehicle hit a bump in the road. Afraid of being sick and choking, she had managed to manoeuvre herself into a sitting position but the motion of the van still made her feel nauseous. Although maybe it wasn’t just the van. Wayne Gissing’s threatening voice still echoed in her head:

‘Enjoy the journey, babe. It could be your last.’

Sadie’s stomach twisted with fear. Although she didn’t know how long they’d been travelling – three, four hours? – she was pretty sure from the straight line they were going in that they must be on the motorway. This meant they were probably heading towards London. She closed her eyes, trying to blank out the horror. She couldn’t decide what was worse, being stuck in the back of the van for another few hours or arriving at their destination.

They had stopped only once so far and that had been at a service station. She’d heard the sound of the cap coming off the petrol tank, the click as the nozzle was put back in place on the pump. There had been silence for a while – perhaps the Gissings had gone off to the toilets or to get a coffee – but then the side door had slid open and Wayne had looked in and grinned.

‘Still breathing, then?’ he’d said. ‘That’s a shame.’

She’d tried to peer around him, but could only see a brick wall. She could hear cars coming and going in the background, but the van must have been parked up in a corner away from prying eyes.

‘Where’s Nathan Stone when you need him?’ Wayne had asked, clearly enjoying himself. ‘Oh, hey, nowhere to be seen. Looks like you’re on your own, babe.’ And with that he’d given a snort and slammed shut the door again. A few seconds later the van had started up and they were back on the road.

Sadie continued to think about Nathan Stone. His attempt at ‘sorting’ the situation obviously hadn’t gone too well. Still, she couldn’t blame him for that. When push came to shove, the only person to blame for all this was herself. She’d made mistake after mistake until she’d become trapped in a web of lies and deceit… and now she was reaping the reward.

She shifted her arms and flexed her fingers, trying to loosen the rope that was wrapped around her wrists, but only succeeded in making the ties dig even deeper into her flesh. Her whole body was filled with pain and every time she moved the agony increased. Although struggling only made it worse, she couldn’t stop herself from trying. It was better than doing nothing.

It was another hour or so before she became aware that they had come off the motorway and were now driving on ordinary roads. Her heart began to thump in her chest. A dull feeling of dread seeped into her bones. What was going to happen next? Where they going to kill her when they arrived at their destination? Maybe they were taking her to a forest or a wood, somewhere lost and lonely where they could dig a shallow grave and…