Little Boy Blue

102

Helen parked her bike three blocks away, then began to walk hurriedly towards Angelique’s flat. The sun had set now and Helen stuck close to the wall, avoiding the sodium glow of the streetlights. She had no idea what she was walking into, but she didn’t want to announce her arrival.

Had Angelique followed her that night? Seen her drop the phone down the drain? If so, why had she fished it out and how had she gained access to her flat? Helen’s cleaner had been in today, it was possible she’d forgotten to lock the door properly, but she was usually very scrupulous about security. Had Angelique got a key somehow?

It made little sense but the shadow of a memory now rose in her mind. Helen remembered looking through the list of names drawn up by Sanderson, detailing people who’d attended her Munch or who were regular visitors there. There was an Angelique on that list somewhere – Helen was sure of that – but she’d thought little of it at the time. Sanderson hadn’t met her, they had nothing specific on her and there was no guarantee it was even the same person. But she had been on the list – she was part of the community. It was very possible she was a size 6 shoe and from memory she did like to wear boots. Did she know Paine? Had she frequented the Torture Rooms? And if she was responsible for these crimes, what was driving her?

The chief question in Helen’s mind was why she had gone to such lengths to summon her. If she wanted to be anonymous or discreet there would have been easier, less sinister ways to do so. So what was this then? Some kind of power game? A signal that she was in control?

Helen paused at the top of Angelique’s street. It was near the docks and largely made up of converted warehouses and a few specialist shops – most of which never seemed to be open. There didn’t appear to be any CCTV on the street, so Helen moved quickly forward, walking down the opposite side of the road to get a better look at Angelique’s building.

It was plum in the middle of the quiet street, backing on to another large set of flats. There appeared to be no back entrance, nor any fire escape either. Her only means of entry was through the front door. This made Helen nervous, but it had one advantage. There were two other sex workers operating from the flats, which meant that the front door was often in use, especially after dark. Helen crossed the road, taking up a position a few yards away from the front door, shielded by a couple of large municipal bins.

Helen breathed out, trying to calm her racing heart. Was she foolish to come here? She had no choice really – she had to find out why Angelique was playing games with her – but it didn’t make her any less apprehensive. This was not her turf, nor was she arriving under circumstances of her own choosing. She was dancing on the end of somebody else’s line.

A noise made her look up – a man with an overcoat and briefcase was hurrying away from the flats. Helen gave him a couple of seconds start, then emerged from her hiding place – to see the heavy front door swinging to a close. Darting forward, she grabbed at the handle, arresting its progress just in time.

Moving inside, she eased the door shut, then looked up the stairwell. There was no one in sight and all was quiet, so Helen walked quickly but quietly up the stairs. Soon she was on the third floor, outside Angelique’s flat. Now she didn’t hesitate, pulling a credit card from her jacket pocket. If the dead lock was on, she would get nowhere. But if it wasn’t…

She eased the card through the gap between the door and the frame and, moving it upwards, felt for the latch. The card hit metal and, having gained traction, Helen kneaded it back and forth, manoeuvring the metal tongue out of its mooring. She increased the pressure of her body on the door and moments later it opened with a gentle sigh.

Helen stepped inside and listened. A distant beat drifted down from above – someone upstairs had the music ramped up – but there was little sound in this flat. Nor was there any light – the whole place stood in utter darkness. Silently slipping her baton from her pocket, she extended it and took a step forward.

The floorboard creaked under her weight, so Helen took a step back. Changing her route, she now clung to the wall, moving faster and with less clamour. The flat was a small one-bed affair and wouldn’t take long to scout. Helen was suddenly keen to have this over with – it occurred to her that perhaps the place was so quiet because there was no one here. Wouldn’t that be rich if she was creeping around an empty flat, braced for an attack that was never going to come?

She had reached the kitchen and darted her head in. But it was deserted. She moved forward now into the living room, ducking low to avoid any possible attack. Whatever misgivings, there was no point taking unnecessary chances. But this room too was deserted. She could see through the open door opposite that the bathroom was empty as well, which just left the bedroom.

Helen padded towards the door, which hung ajar. Perhaps the place was unoccupied? Perhaps Angelique was waiting until Helen was inside before following her in? She shot a look over her shoulder, but all was still, so using the point of her baton, she pushed the door open.

Still nothing. So cautiously Helen took a step forward. The curtains were closed and it was dimly lit, but something made Helen hesitate on the threshold. Something – or someone – was in here. They had the advantage, but Helen suddenly flicked the light on to level the playing field.

And there was Angelique, lying on the bed. She wasn’t moving, so checking the corners of the room, Helen moved forward. As she g0t closer, it became clear that Helen had come too late. Angelique lay there in her catsuit, her limbs tethered to the four corners of the bed with Japanese bondage cords. Her face was blue and as Helen now leant over she saw that the unfortunate dominatrix had a ball gag secured in her mouth. Worse still her entire head, from chin to crown, was covered in clingfilm.

Helen had been right all along. She had just walked into a trap.