Maybe the police were already looking for her. She held on to this hope, needing something to cling to. But in the back of her mind the little voices were chattering away: Why would they check out the Gissing house? Why would they look for her in London? Would they even take her absence seriously? People failed to return home every day. She would just be one more girl in a long list of missing people.

Sadie’s gaze slid over the ceiling as she tried to fight off her despair. She made an effort not to breathe too deeply; there was a stench emanating from the bucket in the corner. Nobody ever emptied it. She must stink as well; she hadn’t been able to have a wash or brush her teeth since she’d got here.

She had time, too much time, to dwell on all the mistakes that had led her to this God-forsaken hole in the ground, but feeling sorry for herself wasn’t going to achieve anything. She had to figure out a plan, a way of getting out of here before she became too weak to act. But what? Wayne was always guarding the door, creating a barrier between her and the cellar beyond.

It was cold in the room, but that wasn’t why she shivered. Just the thought of Wayne Gissing made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. The last time he’d come, he’d leaned over her before he left and whispered, ‘I could do anything to you, anything at all.’ And of course it was true. He had all the power and she had none.

Sadie forced herself to sit up. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her knees. Think. The idea that she might die here filled her with horror. It was better to die fighting, she decided, than to just lie down and give up.

52

Wayne Gissing limped into the hall as Sharon was pulling on her leather jacket. He frowned at her. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Going to work.’

‘You can’t.’

Sharon started doing up the zip. ‘Huh?’

‘Kel’s already gone out and I’ve got a bit of business. I told you.’

‘So?’

‘So we can’t all be out at the same time.’ He lowered his voice and glanced up the stairs, knowing that his mother was in the bathroom. ‘Who’s going to keep an eye on things?’

Sharon gave a careless shrug. ‘Well, not me, that’s for sure.’

Wayne took hold of her elbow, propelled her back into the living room and closed the door. ‘Someone’s got to stay here. What if she decides to go poking about in the cellar?’

‘She won’t.’

‘Oh yeah, and you know that for a fact, do you?’

‘I know she can’t stand the place. And no offence, babe, but I’m not spending the evening alone with her. She’s got a bloody screw loose. You’ll have to change your plans.’

‘It’s too late for that.’

‘And I’ve got to go to work so that’s that.’

Wayne, who had been looking forward to a few pints down at the Dog, raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. ‘So give it a swerve. It’s not as though you need the cash. Shit, we’re going to be rolling in it in a couple of days.’

‘A couple of days is a couple of days. I need money now, love. I can’t live off air.’

Wayne tried again. ‘Twenty grand,’ he said. ‘That’s plenty to go round.’

‘If he pays up.’

‘Course he’ll pay up. Wants the tart back in one piece, don’t he?’ The ransom note had already gone off, delivered in the dead of night to the Hope. Nathan Stone might not have all the money, but his boss certainly would. Terry Street was rolling in it. Twenty grand would be a drop in the ocean to him. And how could he refuse to help? Stone was a smart bastard, the brains behind most of the firm’s investments. Terry relied on him and couldn’t afford to have him pissed off.

‘And what if he doesn’t? Maybe he doesn’t give a fuck about the girl.’

‘Then we’ll send her back a piece at a time until he changes his mind.’

Sharon glared at him. ‘What? You’re kidding, right? I didn’t —’

‘Yeah yeah, keep your knickers on. I’m only messing. Look, he’s going to pay. Trust me, he will. So are you staying or not?’

‘I’ve already told you. I can’t afford it.’

Wayne didn’t want to leave Sadie Wise unattended, but he didn’t relish a night in with his mother either. She probably wouldn’t venture down into the cellar, but was it worth the risk? There was only thing for it. He took his wallet from his back pocket, slipped out a fiver and offered it to Sharon. ‘Come on, help me out here.’

She screwed up her face, ignoring his outstretched hand. ‘A fiver? That’s not going to go far. Make it a score and I’ll think about it.’

‘Are you having a laugh?’

Sharon gave another shrug and made as if to leave. ‘It’s not worth me skipping work for less. See you later.’

‘Okay, okay,’ he said, reluctantly taking out a twenty. The woman was robbing him blind, but he didn’t have a choice. It was worth paying just to escape from an evening of soap operas and game shows, not to mention his mother’s endless nagging. There was only so much a bloke could take.

‘Ta,’ Sharon said, quickly snatching it from his fingers before he could change his mind. ‘And believe me, you’re getting a bargain.’

‘You reckon?’

‘You know it.’

Wayne smirked, put his wallet in his pocket and went back through to the hall. He took his heavy winter overcoat from the peg and left the house. As he limped towards the Dog, he thought about what he’d spend the ransom money on when he got it: a holiday first of all, a fortnight on the Costa, and then a new motor, something flash to pull the birds in. He could do with some new threads too.

It was a shame he was going to have to share the cash. With a three-way split it would be just under seven grand each. Not bad, but not a fortune either. Really, he should be getting more than a third. After all, he was the one who’d taken the bullet. He scowled as he thought about that moment in the graveyard when the mad cow had pulled the trigger. Jesus, he deserved to get at least half for the pain he’d been through – he’d earned it.

Wayne glanced casually over his shoulder, certain that one of Street’s goons would be lurking in the shadows. They would have guessed by now – although they couldn’t be a hundred per cent sure – that the Gissings were behind the abduction, and they’d be trying to find out where Sadie was being held. Would they even think of looking in the house? Well, if they did, they wouldn’t find her. She was securely hidden and you couldn’t hear a damn thing through the thick walls of the cellar.

He was still trying to figure out exactly how and where they were going to do the exchange. It was going to be tricky, a time when things could go badly wrong. After all, once Stone got the tart back there was nothing to stop him and Street from blowing their fuckin’ heads off.

Wayne pushed open the door to the pub and stepped into the warm smoky interior. He went over to the counter and ordered a drink. By the time he was on his third pint, his mood was starting to get even darker. The more he thought about what Sadie had done to him, the more resentful he became. What was seven grand compared to a bullet in a leg, a leg that would probably never be the same again? Yeah, he’d like to chop the crazy bitch into pieces and post them back to the Hope. And maybe he would. Maybe he’d do just that.

53

It was rare that Petra Gissing ever got the house to herself but with both the kids out for the evening it was her intention to put her feet up, watch the telly and make the most of the peace and quiet. Which was why she wasn’t best pleased to find Sharon comfortably settled on the sofa, already in her dressing gown and studying a copy of the TV Times.