The answers that Ruby had waited to hear were finally within her grasp. Sharing the sofa with Nathan, she half-expected the door buzzer to ring as police demanded entry to Tweedy Steve’s flat. But no such interruption was forthcoming and she focused on Nathan’s voice as he drew breath to speak.
‘He used to work for the family business. “No questions asked,” Mum used to say. You remember our old GP, don’t you?’
‘Doctor Tanner?’ Ruby said, their first encounter with him still fresh in her mind.
They were just children, Ruby and Nathan, playing together on the kitchen floor as their mothers chatted at the table. Their ordinary day was transformed into pandemonium as Ruby’s father dragged Nathan’s dad into their living room, leaving a trail of blood leaking from a stab wound that looked sure to finish him off. Dr Tanner was quick to arrive. The lean, beak-nosed young man was adept at stitching up wounds and curing ailments. Ruby mentally did the math. He must be in his early sixties now.
‘Are you saying it’s him? He’s the murderer?’
Nathan nodded in response.
His unwillingness to elaborate made Ruby sigh. Must she tease out every piece of information? She would need more than this if she was to secure a conviction. ‘But why? Is he still on the payroll?’
‘God, no! It’s another reason why I didn’t think of him straightaway. I thought we’d seen the last of him years ago. Especially after. . .’ The words died in his mouth, and as he leaned back on the sofa, Nathan seemed reluctant for them to find a home in Ruby’s consciousness.
‘Don’t hold back,’ she said. ‘After the stuff I’ve dealt with, you can’t shock me.’
Nathan shot her a doubtful look, and Ruby knew he was right to do so. She may have seen it all, but things were different as far as he was concerned.
He stretched his arms on the back of the sofa and, with his index finger, began to twirl Ruby’s hair. It was something he had done since they were kids. The warmth of his fingers against the nape of her neck made goosebumps rise on her skin. Exhausted from lack of sleep, she allowed herself to briefly close her eyes and fall into the steady lull of his voice as he spoke about Doctor Tanner. The stress-laced tone from their previous encounter had evaporated. He seemed assured that he had the right man. Ruby guessed Nathan had done his homework and was willing to stay in hiding a few days longer so that he could gift her a positive outcome. She blinked, pushing away the sleep that was threatening to overcome her, despite the urgency of her task.
‘Sorry,’ she said, inhaling a deep breath as she sat forward. ‘I’m bloody knackered. Can’t you give me the details so I can get back to the station and get him nicked?’
‘All in good time.’ Nathan rose, walked to the fridge and took out a can of Red Bull. ‘Here, get this down you.’ He cracked open the can.
Ruby took a sip, the cool, fizzy concoction refreshing her senses. She waited for Nathan to continue as he sat beside her. Being in such close proximity was playing havoc with her thought patterns. As his knee touched hers, she edged back in her seat, forcing herself to concentrate on the real reason for her visit.
‘You were saying about Doctor Tanner?’ she said, feeling self-conscious beneath his lingering gaze.
‘My old man offered him a job and helped him train as a surgeon. It wasn’t enough that he was on call to stitch up Dad’s cronies, he had to get him involved in the torture side of things too. He had a flair for it, but he enjoyed it a bit too much.’
‘I remember him. He used to give me the creeps. It was the way he used to look at me like he wanted to peel off my skin to see what was underneath.’ Ruby shuddered at the memory. ‘When did he stop working for you?’
‘He didn’t bloody report to me,’ Nathan said, his mouth set in a grimace. ‘Lenny kept him on until a couple of years ago when he was fired. I reckon that’s why he’s really killed those girls. He thrived on hurting people. Someone like that, they don’t change.’
‘Why was he sacked?’ Ruby said, sensing his hesitation. They were finally getting to the crux of things, and she did not want him to stop now. She took another mouthful of Red Bull then focused all her attention on Nathan.
‘Do you remember that eight-year-old kid that went missing? Hannah Marshall, the one that was found in the woods?’
Ruby slowly nodded, wondering what Hannah had to do with Ellie Mason. They had many missing children on their books at that time, but Hannah had stood out because she was also a victim of parental neglect. Social services had been ready to place her in care when she disappeared from her home. Her parents had claimed abduction and, with concerns that she had been murdered Ruby’s team had become involved. Ruby had never been so relieved to find a missing child. Three days later Hannah was discovered in woodlands, pale-faced and shaking, but unwilling to speak a word. Whatever trauma she had been through, it was enough to keep her experiences locked deeply inside. It had always bothered Ruby because Hannah’s wispy blonde hair had been dyed brown, and she was found wearing brand-new clothes.
‘Her parents still claim it wasn’t them that took her,’ Ruby said, lost in thoughts of the young girl.
‘It wasn’t, it was Tanner.’
‘How can you be so sure?’ Ruby said.
‘Because it was me that left her in the woods.’
‘What?’ Ruby whispered, shock robbing the strength from her words.
‘Tanner was renting one of our properties, and I decided to pay him a visit. I wanted to warn him off. Tell him we had no use for him anymore. Things had changed, and I didn’t want a vulture like Tanner around my gaff.’
‘And Lenny agreed to this?’
Nathan nodded, gesticulating as he spoke. ‘From the confines of his prison cell. He didn’t like him any more than I did.’
Ruby nodded. How could she forget that Lenny was inside when it happened? Perhaps deep down a part of her wanted to blame him for whatever bombshell Nathan was going to drop next.
‘When I got there, Tanner didn’t answer and the windows were all boarded up. I had a spare key, so I let myself in. I found Hannah unconscious in one of the bedrooms.’
Ruby inhaled a gasp. ‘No! Really? Why didn’t you call the police?’
‘Me? Call you lot and say I’ve got your missing child in one of my properties? I couldn’t risk it. I got her dressed, covered her with a blanket and left her in the woods. I guess that’s why she couldn’t remember much because she’d been unconscious the whole time she was gone.’
‘She would have known who took her in the first place,’ Ruby said, imagining Nathan scooping up the little girl and taking her out of harm’s way. ‘So you were our mystery informant.’ She touched his shoulder, and he shifted on the sofa, turning to face her.
She wanted to hug him for keeping the little girl safe. It was just like Nathan to keep his heroics quiet, shying away from the admiration she was willing to bestow.
Lacing his fingers between hers, Nathan drew the back of Ruby’s hand to his mouth and softly planted a kiss. It was a tender act from a man who had spent half his life immersed in violence.
Ruby swallowed, fighting to keep the rush of emotions in check. She’d spent years trying to tame their sexual chemistry. Seconds ticked by as unspoken words passed between them. She knew what he was thinking because he had said it a thousand times before. Why couldn’t she just leave all this behind? Give up the police and spend her days with him? But they would only hurt each other in the end.
‘I got someone to make the call,’ Nathan said, finally, releasing her grip. ‘I kept watch until she was picked up.’
Ruby nodded, trying to gather up her broken thoughts as tiredness and emotion overwhelmed her all at once. ‘There weren’t any signs of abuse. She was unharmed, wasn’t she?’
‘Only because I got to her in time.’ Nathan’s frown grew at the recollection. ‘It was risky. I could have been caught with her in the back of the van. But I couldn’t think what else to do. Back then I didn’t trust anyone I knew to look after her. It was obvious what Tanner was planning.’
‘I’m surprised you didn’t kill him for that,’ Ruby said.
‘You know me by now, babe,’ Nathan said. ‘If there’s one thing that makes me see red, it’s kids being abused. He probably told her he was a doctor. She trusted him enough to get in his car. I set out to fix things so it wouldn’t happen again.’
‘You ambushed him? What did you do?’ Ruby said, cold dread rising inside her.
‘The only thing I could do. I disfigured him for life.’ A hint of a satisfied grin touched his lips. ‘By the time the acid hit his skin, I knew no kid would ever walk away with him again.’
Ruby winced at the ugliness of the words. ‘And now he’s killed Ellie as revenge? Why her, Nathan? Did you and Ellie have a fling?’
‘Ellie? No, she worked in Lenny’s escort agency. I gave her the sack when she was caught sampling the gear. I guess the doctor treated her at some point. The girls. . . Lenny made them have regular check-ups to make sure they were clean.’
‘Hmm,’ Ruby said, the sound of women being objectified making her hackles rise. ‘What happened to him after the attack?’
Nathan shrugged. ‘His face was a mess.’ He caught Ruby’s disapproving glare. ‘But I don’t regret any of it. If I hadn’t turned up that day, he would have killed her for sure.’
‘But acid, that’s so brutal. Have you ever used it before?’
‘What do you take me for?’ Nathan said.
‘Seriously?’ Ruby said, her voice rising. ‘You’re telling me you’ve thrown acid in someone’s face, and then asking me not to judge you for it?’
Nathan got to his feet. ‘See, this is why I didn’t tell you straightaway. You’ve always been a bit of an ostrich. You’re fine dealing with other people’s problems, but when it’s a little bit close to home, you hide away. This is life in all its ugly splendour. Now, what are you going to do about it?’
Ruby stood. There was only one answer to that question. ‘I’m going to make an arrest.’