Kim froze for a horrified second, taking in the rich red blood oozing from the cut on Cassie’s temple, and then she flew, heading back towards the conservatory.
Shit! She’d locked the doors. Her stomach clenched violently. She could almost feel Cassie’s breath on her neck as she fumbled with the key.
Fifty-Five
Cassandra
Cassie watched Kim as she stood with her back pressed to the conservatory doors. Kim broke eye contact first, glancing quickly towards the kitchen and then taking a faltering step sideways. Cassie shadowed her, and Kim froze. ‘What do you want?’ she asked tremulously.
‘My grandson,’ Cassie answered, her tone even, her temper simmering dangerously.
‘He’s not here! I’ve told you,’ Kim cried, her voice catching. ‘Please leave me alone, or…’
‘Or what, Kim? What will you do? Send me a threatening text?’ Cassie narrowed her eyes. I know all about you, the first text had said. Others had followed. Don’t you think it’s time to acknowledge what you did? You took everything that was worth anything away from me. How much did Kim know? How much had she learnt stalking them, storing up information to use in her twisted little plan? I haven’t put a price on it yet, she’d replied when Cassie had asked her how much she’d wanted.
She had, though. She’d wanted to take everything.
‘Why did you send them?’ she asked, out of curiosity.
‘I didn’t. I haven’t… I don’t know what you’re talking about!’
‘Why have you done all of this?’ Cassie ignored her. ‘To drive me mad? Convince Adam that I was crazy? Is that what you did to Josh? Played mind games with him, tried to manipulate him?’
The colour drained from Kim’s cheeks. ‘You need to leave.’
‘Do you know how close I was to murdering the person I thought had sent those texts?’ Cassie watched her interestedly. ‘I was an inch away from mowing her down in my car. I even considered giving her fatal drugs.’
Kim’s eyes widened with shock.
‘Did you factor that in when you started out? That you might be dealing with someone who is every bit as capable of evil as you are?’
‘You need to go!’ Kim shouted.
‘Where is he?’ Cassie growled. ‘Where has Jemma taken him?’
Kim’s eyes skittered again to the kitchen, Cassie could almost see the wheels going around. ‘I’ll call the police!’ she warned her.
Cassie saw her hand tighten around her phone, gripping it as if her life depended on it. The way Cassie was feeling, it might. ‘Will you, Kim?’ she asked her, with a doubtful frown. ‘Will you really?’
The air between them crackled for an instant, and then Kim moved, darting with remarkable agility towards the back door.
Cassie spurted after her, skidding to a halt as Kim stepped outside and then stopped, a yelp of pain spilling from her mouth. She’d stood on some glass, Cassie realised as the woman gingerly lifted one foot. Presumably it had spilled from the split binbag Cassie had seen dumped untidily outside the back door. Kim really might have done better to clean it up, she thought with a flash of satisfaction.
Kim hobbled on, leaving a red snail’s trail behind her. Cassie raised an eyebrow in surprise. Obviously her adrenalin was fuelling her flight. She was terrified. As she should be. Anger twisting her chest, Cassie followed her. The back gate was locked, fortunately.
Reaching it, Kim emitted a woeful sob and looked desperately back. She’d deduced, presumably, that Cassie would be on her before she was able to scale it. Turning slowly, she surveyed Cassie fearfully for a second, her face deathly pale under the glow of the security light, and then, her gaze darting sideways, took off again, across the garden this time to scramble over the neighbour’s fence.
Cassie’s own adrenalin kicked in, launching her into action. Kim wouldn’t get far once she reached the lane. Grit biting into the bare soles of her feet, along with the wound, should slow her down. Cassie prayed it did. The car was parked a little way up the lane. She needed to get to it. She couldn’t lose her. She had to find Samuel, find out how much Kim knew about Josh.
Climbing over the fence, she’d almost caught up when Kim wrenched open the neighbour’s gate, squeezing through the gap and sprinting off. Cassie noticed the limp as she fled. A toxic mixture of anger and contempt burning inside her, she hardened her resolve and raced after her.
Passing Adam’s car, Kim glanced frantically over her shoulder, a look of stone-cold terror on her face.