Beyond Evil

Chapter Sixty-Three

Sheldon sat in the back of the marked police car, commandeered from two uniformed officers who were now walking the streets rather than staying warm in their car. Lowther was driving. The blue lights bounced from the windows of the town centre, transforming the quiet streets into a stroboscope. As the shops faded, there were curtain twitches from the houses they passed.

Soon they were into open countryside, and the headlights became a beacon across the open fields.

‘So tell me about this group,’ Tracey said, turning round from the front.

Sheldon leaned forward so that he was perched between the seats. ‘Do you remember how Billy Privett’s friends said they didn’t get invited to the parties anymore?’

Tracey nodded.

‘Billy got involved with this group. Or rather, the group got involved with him. They wanted his money. They were involved in Alice’s death, and it seemed that Billy thought they were going after him, so he recorded a video, like a confession, and they found out. So they killed him. It’s as simple as that, except they didn’t know that the video was only to be made public if Billy died.’

‘What about Amelia?’

‘She made the video. Henry Mason was just getting rid of the witnesses.’

‘But why cut the faces off?’

Sheldon sighed. ‘Like most sick killers, Henry just likes the attention.’

‘Is that it?’

‘Can you think of a different reason? This group are attention seekers. You’ve seen them on the riot footage, those in white shop-dummy masks.’

Tracey shook her head. ‘I’ve seen them, but I didn’t think they were capable of that.’ Then she raised her eyebrows, shock on her face.

‘What is it?’

‘The masks,’ she said. ‘Remember how neatly the faces were cut away?’

‘A template,’ Sheldon said.

‘That’s what I was thinking, that they put a mask on Billy and Amelia and then cut around it.’

‘That will help in proving they did it though.’

‘DNA?’ Tracey said.

‘That’s right,’ Sheldon said. ‘If we can find Billy or Amelia’s DNA on a mask, we can prove their involvement.’

‘But we won’t know which of them took part.’

‘Arrest all of them. Separate them. One of them will give in and talk, because as much fun as it might be to be free in the hills, the thought of prison loosens tongues.’

Lowther pressed a little harder on the accelerator as they turned towards Jackson Heights. There were more cars coming behind them.

‘Let’s just hope we get there in time,’ Lowther said. ‘And I know something else too.’ He looked at Sheldon in the rear view mirror. ‘If what they did to Billy and Amelia is a sign, they are not going to come willingly.’

That made Sheldon sit back in his seat, because the hills were going to be dark, and they might be outnumbered. But he knew one thing; they were going to stop them, whatever it cost.

The group rushed towards the old man’s room, but they all pulled away as the flames crackled through the room, the heat becoming more intense. Those holding on to Donia had let go of her. Arni had dropped the mask and was holding on to the chain around her wrist, his knuckles white as she struggled against him, blood streaming down her face. Arni stared at the doorway, the orange flickers reflected in his eyes, smoke belching out of the top of the frame.

‘Get some water,’ someone shouted.

Charlie looked into the room one last time, saw the figure of the old man, sitting up in bed, blackened by the flames.

He stepped back. The heat made his cheeks smart. Henry was no longer behind him. Charlie leaned away and started to cough. His eyes hurt from the smoke and the heat had become painful. Everything about him felt like it was searing. His skin, his face, his clothes.

People ran past, buffeting Charlie, holding cups of water. It was futile, like scattering ashes into a gale. He darted forward and grabbed Donia’s hand, tried to pull her towards him. It seemed to jolt Arni out of his trance, because he pushed Charlie and yanked Donia back into the room. She tried to twist out of Arni’s grip, but he was too strong. Arni was distracted though, his eyes darting from the flames to Charlie.

Someone shouted, ‘Henry!’ A young woman, a hysterical voice, and then there was a rush of air, fanning the flames onto the peeling wallpaper outside the bedroom. Charlie whirled around. Henry wasn’t there anymore. There was no one there. And the front door was closed.

Charlie ran to it, just for an escape route, Donia screaming behind him, but when he pulled at the door, it was locked. He kicked at it, and then banged on it with his fists. ‘Henry, Henry. What are you doing?’

No reply. It was getting harder to hear anything though. The flames were roaring now, and there were shouts and screams from everyone inside, with the occasional pop of a bottle from inside the room.

Charlie turned back to Donia. He had to shield his face, the heat was too strong. Arni’s spare arm was over his head, curled over, coughing. Donia was hitting him, trying to get him to let go, pulling on the chain. She was coughing too, and so when the chain slipped out of Arni’s hand, she fell to her knees, spluttering.

Arni crawled across the floor, eyes streaming, heading for the kitchen. Charlie guessed he was looking for a bucket, or maybe even a way out. The stream of people vainly throwing water at the flames had gone now, and they were backed into the corner of the living room.

The flames were peeling off the wallpaper in the hall, so that the fire ripped up the walls and spread across the ceiling, making an arch of flame. Donia was shrinking back, scared. The heat over Charlie’s head was intense, beating him back towards the door.

There was some movement near the living room window, the sound of smashing glass as someone tried to make an exit through a window, but the inward rush of air seemed to make the flames burn faster, long licks of orange and black, the crackle of destruction.

‘He’s left you,’ Charlie cried. ‘Save yourself. Forget him. Find a way out.’

The group was a huddle now, coughing, apart from one person trying to squeeze through the barbed wire, heading for the broken window, but stopped by the grille outside.

‘Donia!’ Charlie shouted. ‘Come to me. Quickly.’

He had no plan, but he knew he had to get her away from the group, because they weren’t helping themselves.

She started to crawl forwards, but then Arni’s hand reached and grabbed her hair, pulling her so that she was at his feet.

Charlie knew he was going to have to get her.