‘You live with your boyfriend, don’t you?’ As far as Ruby knew, Sharon didn’t have a pimp on board ready to beat her up if she didn’t meet her quota. But her boyfriend was more than capable of manipulating her into heading out to the streets.
Sharon looked at her with a measure of distrust. ‘What’s it got to do with you?’
Ruby reiterated everything she knew about Doctor Tanner and how she believed that Sharon was next on the list.
But Sharon simply stared lifelessly into space. ‘I’ve already told you lot, I can take care of myself.’
‘Don’t you get it?’ Ruby said, unable to believe what she was hearing. ‘Lisa, Ellie, April… they’re all dead. You’re next. There’s no such thing as a safe punter any more. I’m working as hard as I can to get this guy off the streets, and I don’t want your death on my conscience.’
Flopping back on the sofa Sharon stared up at the ceiling, allowing her tears to streak down each side of her face. ‘It’s alright for you, with your good job and copper friends,’ she sniffed. ‘I’m an addict. You don’t know what it’s like.’
Ruby exhaled an exasperated breath. Was she speaking a different language or something? She was trying to keep her alive. ‘Believe it or not, I care about your sorry arse, and not because of what I can get out of you. I know you don’t work the streets for fun, you do it because you have to.’ Ruby knew about Sharon’s background after a lengthy chat with the liaison officer. ‘That fella of yours. . . how can he let you put your neck on the line? Do you think that’s what a caring relationship involves? I care more about you than he does, and I barely know you. Why else would I be risking my job to keep you somewhere safe?’ She checked her watch, tutting at the time that had ran away since her arrival. ‘This is the plan. You’re staying here tonight, away from your boyfriend. You can text him if you like, tell him you’re down the station helping us with our enquiries.’
‘I can’t stay here. In your place? Why?’
‘Because it will keep you safe.’ Ruby pointed out her window to the streets below, where a monster prowled. ‘Tanner’s out there looking for you, I can feel it.’ She returned her gaze to Sharon. ‘I’ve bought soup, chocolates and even beer. Chill in front of the TV, veg out. I’ll be back soon in a few hours and we can talk about it then.’
‘I need a fix, that’s what I need. Get me some gear. Please. There’s a dealer the next floor up, just get me what I need and I’ll stay.’
The fact that there were dealers living in the same block of flats came as no surprise. Ruby had turned a blind eye to their activities in the hope of a quiet life. There was no way she was going to approach them now. Besides, she didn’t need to. If she wanted drugs, she knew where to get them. But her risk taking would only stretch so far.
Ruby dipped her fingers into her trouser pocket and pulled out twenty pounds. It was all she had, but enough to get Sharon through the night. ‘I’m leaving this on the coffee table,’ she said. ‘If it’s gone after you leave I won’t say a word. But please, wait for me to get back so we can talk about this together.’
Staring at the cash, Sharon bit her bottom lip so hard it turned white.
‘Sharon, focus. Do you want to live, or are you playing with your life because you just don’t want to be here anymore?’
The answer was instant. ‘Of course I want to live. What sort of a stupid question is that?’
‘Because you’re playing Russian roulette.’ Ruby folded her arms. ‘There’s one bullet and, say, six chambers. Each time you go out on the streets represents a chamber in a gun. So you spin the chambers, and each time you tout for business you put that gun to your head and pull the trigger. Think about it, you’re playing with your life.’
‘I don’t want to hear it,’ Sharon said, blinking back the tears filling her red-rimmed eyes.
But Ruby continued. She had to hammer her message home. ‘And it’s not an easy death. He doesn’t gently lull women to sleep, he tortures them. Why doesn’t that frighten you? Because if you want to end it all, there’s a lot nicer ways to die.’ Ruby’s belief that Sharon was suicidal seemed to make her think.
‘I want a new life,’ Sharon blurted, her words strained. ‘I know Billy’s no good for me. It’s just that he’s got me through some tough times in the past. But maybe you’re right. If I can get myself out of this, then he will too.’
Finally, she’s starting to see sense, Ruby thought, although she wasn’t naive enough to believe that all was well. ‘You have to be strong enough for the both of you, otherwise how’s he going to feel if you end up dead?’
‘I know, I know,’ Sharon said, giving her a sideways glance.
But Ruby was not finished with her yet. Picking up her bag from the side of the sofa, she slid out a photo, moving the sandwich aside to place it on the coffee table before them. ‘This is Ellie after that monster finished with her. He left us a message, this freak, operated on her while she was alive – and she would have felt every slice of pain.’
Sharon clamped her hand over her mouth, ‘I knew her,’ she whispered between her fingers. ‘I knew her.’
‘And you knew April, too, didn’t you?’ Ruby said, placing her photo beside Ellie’s.
Sharon retched at the sight of April on the mortuary table. April with her mouth open, devoid of a tongue.
‘He cut her tongue out. Can you imagine being awake and not being able to fight? He keeps them for days, suspended between life and death. I can’t comprehend going through that sort of pain for five minutes, never mind three long days.’ Ruby paused for breath. ‘These girls were just like you. April was due to move to Essex to be near her family, but she took just one more punter.’ As the tears trickled down Sharon’s cheeks Ruby could see her words had the desired effect. She didn’t know if April or Ellie were alive when Dr Tanner worked on them, but she had to be graphic to show Sharon where she was going to end up. ‘When I get back, we’ll talk about getting you into a women’s refuge. I can get you safeguarding. I can. . .’
‘I shouldn’t have shouted at you,’ Sharon said, wiping her nose with the back of her sleeve. ‘You were only trying to help.’
‘The shouting I can deal with,’ Ruby said, ‘but if you report me for bringing you here then I’ll be removed from the investigation. Nobody knows the case like me. I’m willing to put my neck on the line to catch this monster. Do you understand what I’m saying? Because he’s coming to get you, I can guarantee that.’
Sharon offered up a small smile. ‘I won’t dob you in, I ain’t no grass.’ She wiped her eyes, but no amount of rubbing could shift the dark shadows beneath. She stared at Ruby. The hatred she harboured had dissipated, replaced by a quiet respect. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever get those pictures out of my head,’ she said, swallowing back tears. ‘Are you sure they suffered?’
Ruby nodded. She could have been kind, but the truth had to be brutal. Just like the world outside. It was the only way to open Sharon’s eyes.
Sharon lowered her head, her limp hair hanging around her face. ‘Catch him, yeah? Get the bastard and make him pay.’
‘I will.’ Ruby stood up to leave. ‘Help yourself to food,’ she said, noticing the sandwich had remained uneaten.
‘There’s only one thing I need,’ Sharon said, snatching the twenty-pound note from the table in the living room. Plucking her phone from the sofa where Ruby had left it, she began to make a call.