When I enter the basement, Joanna is still in the same place.
‘You should eat,’ I say, placing the plate on the floor.
‘Are you going to kill me?’ she asks.
I reel back in shock. ‘What?’
‘Are you going to kill me? I’ve seen your face. You know I’ll go to the police. You can’t let me go, can you?’
I swallow.
‘N…no… It’s all going to get sorted out,’ I stammer.
‘Sorted out?’ she repeats, glaring at me with hatred in her eyes.
‘I mean… Of course I’m not going to kill you,’ I say, knowing I sound like an idiot.
She laughs; a sharp, hysterical sound. ‘So you’re just going to let me go, so I can tell the whole world you kidnapped me?’
My head spins. ‘No,’ I snap, more sharply than I mean to. ‘It’s going to get sorted.’ I take a step back. ‘I have to go out. I suggest you eat.’
She keeps staring at me until I start to feel uncomfortable.
I open the door and step out.
‘Bastard!’ she screams, and the plate slams into the door, shattering with a violent crack that jolts through me.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Stuart King, known on the dark web as Kingpin, strolls past the house on Millwall Lane.
‘Nice,’ he mutters. ‘Very nice.’
He walks past the drive twice, then wanders along the street, checking the neighbouring houses. Stuart never gets ruffled, and today is no exception. Every step he takes is slow and deliberate, so he doesn’t miss a thing. His idea of hurrying is to tilt his head downwards as he saunters along, without changing the pace of his footfalls. That’s just the way the man is, born calm, and nothing can change him.
In truth, there’s another reason for his slowness, and Stuart is fully aware of it. He’s very overweight. Unfortunately, that means people tend to remember him. But if there’s one thing Stuart loves, it’s food. He’s already thinking about the fish and chip shop he passed on the way here. The menu is already running through his head.
He turns back and walks down the driveway of 13 Millwall Lane, glancing at the house for one last time before walking backand squeezing himself behind the wheel of his Clio.This should be an easy job. They won’t be expecting it.He’ll go in when it’s dark, cut the power, and then, hey presto, he’ll finish them off.
The last paid murder he carried out was in Austria. That one was dead easy, too. He chuckles.Dead easy.
Glancing around for one last time to make sure no one’s clocked his car, he heads back to the fish and chip shop.
***
He notices the assistant trying to hide her look of disgust as she hands him his order.
Fat shaming, he wants to shout, but he doesn’t.Don’t draw attention to yourself.
The assistant is pretty. He could wait for her to finish her shift and… He shakes his head, annoyed with himself. This isn’t the right time. After the murders, maybe. Yes, that would be better. She’ll most likely be finishing her shift by then. Something to look forward to. Teach her a lesson.
***
Neville
Joanna refused to talk to me at breakfast and left the granola that I’d made her untouched. The same thing happened at lunch. I’m starting to get worried.
But at last, I’ve had contact. Everything will get sorted out tonight. So, I decide to get fish and chips as a treat.
