2010
‘Hello, darling. Bet you’re surprised to see me, eh?’ Liam leered at her, his speech slurred.
She looked at him in horror. Fear knotted her stomach and her brain ceased to function. It must be a bad dream…
‘Aren’t you going to ask me in? And after all the trouble I’ve taken to find you. Tut tut. Where are your manners?’ He pushed her backwards into the hall and, gripping her arm, kicked the door back behind him. Natalie saw it didn’t quite close and briefly thought of making a run for it, but Liam’s grip was too tight. Adrenaline began to flow through her veins and she decided not to fight, to pretend to accept his unexpected arrival.
‘Would you like a drink? A coffee, perhaps? The kitchen’s just here.’ She edged her way along the wall and Liam, still gripping her arm, followed. He lent in close and the smell of alcohol on his breath made her feel sick but she kept her face a mask.
Once in the kitchen he released her and pulled open the fridge door, grabbing a can of lager.
‘This is better than stupid coffee. Wanna join me?’ He proffered a can but she shook her head. Best not to drink any more if she wanted to outwit him. If only she could reach the knives…
Liam slumped onto a stool and Natalie eased herself closer to the knife rack, all the time keeping her eyes on his.
‘How did you find me, Liam? You know you’re supposed to stay away from me.’ She kept her voice neutral, but inside she raged. How dare he invade her private space! And there was a restraining order against him. Surely it was valid in Guernsey, too?
He glugged down the lager, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, and belched.
‘Wasn’t that difficult. While the boss man was busy offering you his, er, support,’ he grinned wickedly, ‘I was bribing one of his men to tell me where you were going. He only knew your stuff was going into storage, and that you were moving to Guernsey. I came over a couple of days ago and it didn’t take much detective work to find out you’d bought this place.’ He opened his arms wide, spilling lager on the tiled floor in the process, and added, ‘And very nice it looks too. Bit bigger than the cosy flat in London, eh?’ He stood up, staggering slightly, and moved towards her. ‘You remember those cosy nights we spent in that flat, don’t you? Couldn’t get enough of me then, could you? Begged me for more, right? So why don’t you show me around this place? Shall we start upstairs?’ Lust clouded his eyes and Natalie, her heart thumping, reached behind her and grabbed a knife.
Thrusting it at Liam, she shouted, ‘Stay away from me! Come any nearer and I’ll stick this in you!’
For a moment he wavered, balancing on the balls of his feet, a surprised look on his face. Then his face darkened and he lurched towards her. Natalie held the knife steady with both hands and was about to stab at him when Stuart appeared in the doorway, grabbed Liam around the neck and karate chopped him. He fell senseless to the ground.
‘You okay? Got here just in time by the look of it.’
The knife dropped from her fingers and she fell into Stuart’s arms. He stroked her hair while she sobbed, the horror of what might have happened overwhelming her. Gently he steered her to a chair in the dining area before going to check on Liam.
‘He’s out cold. Shall I call the police? I take it he’s not a friend of yours?’ He returned to her side.
She shuddered.
‘He was…once. But he was violent and…I had to get a court order against…him. Please, phone the police. I don’t want him waking up here.’
‘No probs. I’ll tie his hands and feet together once I’ve made the call.’ Pulling out his phone Stuart dialled 999 and then, taking Natalie’s instructions, found some extra-strong packing tape in a drawer and quickly taped the recumbent Liam’s feet and hands together.
‘Right, that should do until the police arrive. Now, have you got any brandy?’
She pointed to a cupboard and he poured a couple of glasses and handed her one.
‘I think we both need this, don’t we? I’ve never tackled a man like that before.’ He grinned.
Natalie took a sip and allowed the fiery liquid to flow down her throat, bringing warmth to her shaking limbs. She wasn’t cold. It was shock.
‘How, how did you know I…I was in trouble?’
Stuart sat beside her and sipped his brandy.
‘I came home a few minutes ago and noticed a hire car parked at the top of the lane. Which was odd as we’re the only ones down here. I walked across here in case someone had broken down. The front door was ajar, which alerted me something might be wrong. I crept in and could hear voices in the kitchen. I was debating whether or not to come in when you shouted and the rest, as they say, is history.’
Natalie smiled wanly.
‘I was never more glad to see anyone! I wasn’t sure I’d actually manage to stab him at all, let alone in time. He’s such a big bloke and…an ex-soldier. I can’t believe you managed to overpower him so quickly!’
‘I always knew karate would come in useful at some point! It was the element of surprise that carried the day and the fact he was pretty pissed by the smell of him.’ He wrinkled his nose.
‘Yes–’
The doorbell interrupted her and Stuart went to answer it, coming back with two police officers. Their eyebrows rose at the sight of the trussed man on the floor, still out cold. Natalie and Stuart explained what had happened and the sergeant made notes, giving Stuart an admiring glance when he explained how he had overpowered Liam.
‘Right, that’ll do for tonight, we’ll get this fellow out of your way, Miss, and I’d be grateful if you’d both come in and sign statements tomorrow.’ He gave Natalie a keen look. ‘Are you sure you don’t need a doctor, Miss? I can get one to call round and give you something to help you sleep.’
She shook her head.
‘It’s all right, thank you, Sergeant. Knowing that man,’ she nodded towards Liam, being dragged upright by the constable, ‘is safe in the cells, I’ll be fine.’ A thought struck her. ‘He won’t be allowed out on bail or anything, will he?’ Her hands grew clammy at the thought.
‘Oh no. We’ll get him off the island into the hands of the English police asap. He’ll be locked up for assault and breaking the restraining order. We don’t want scum like that here, do we constable?’
‘No, Sarge, we don’t.’ The policeman grinned as he dragged Liam across the floor.
The sergeant nodded at Natalie before lending a hand with the prisoner and Stuart followed them to the front door. She drank some more brandy, willing herself to stop shaking. Stuart came back and grabbed her hands.
‘You can’t stay here on your own tonight, Natalie. Why don’t you ring your parents?’
‘They’d only fuss and I don’t want that. I’d rather tell them tomorrow when things are back to…normal.’
‘Hmm. Look, don’t take this the wrong way, but how about if I slept in your spare room tonight? I’d feel happier knowing I was around in case you needed something. Shock can do funny things to people, you know.’ His forehead creased as if from a memory. ‘And I have some herbal tablets which will help you sleep. I use them whenever I get stressed.’
‘Well, thanks for the offer, but I don’t want to put you out even more–’
‘You’re not putting me out. What are neighbours for, if not to help each other? I can bring my sleeping bag if it helps.’
‘That won’t be necessary, the spare bed’s made up. I would appreciate you being here, Stuart. I do feel a bit wobbly and I’d like some of those tablets you mentioned.’
Stuart shifted his feet. ‘Was he the man who stalked you in London?’
She drew a sharp breath. ‘He was more than a stalker. We…we had a relationship for a few months and he seemed like a nice guy. We met online initially. Always polite and quite the gentleman, he’d been an officer in the army.’ She remembered that first date, when Liam turned up with a bunch of flowers and insisted on paying for the meal. With his rugged good looks and easy charm Natalie thought she had struck lucky. But it hadn’t lasted…‘Then it was like a switch had been thrown. He became moody and aggressive and lost his temper.’
‘Was he violent?’ Stuart asked softly.
‘Yes. Oh, only the odd slap to begin with and he made it seem like it had been my fault. I deserved it. But then, this particular time, he…he punched me hard on the jaw and I ended up in hospital.’ Tears of self-pity and shame filled her eyes and Natalie reached for a tissue. Looking back she couldn’t believe she had allowed herself to become a victim.
‘God, that’s awful. What happened to change him like that?’
Natalie blew her nose. ‘After he was arrested for what he did to me, the doctors diagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, brought on by something that happened in Afghanistan. He saw his best friend blown up and couldn’t save him.’ She tore the tissue into shreds. ‘The docs prescribed treatment but either he isn’t following it or it’s not working. He…started drinking heavily and lost his job.’
‘Poor bugger. It must have been difficult for you, knowing he was ill but threatening to hurt you.’ Stuart patted her arm. She was glad he didn’t think her a wimp.
‘It was. I truly want him to get the help he needs, not just be locked up in a cell. I’ll try and explain that when I go to the station tomorrow.’
He nodded and left to fetch his things and Natalie leant back in the chair, suddenly drained of energy. What a day it had been! First having to admit to her parents things were far from fine at the cottage; either ghosts from the past were invading her home or she was losing her mind. And then Liam had arrived on her doorstep. Thank God for Stuart! The thought of what might have happened if he hadn’t turned up made her stomach clench. All Natalie wanted to do now was crash into bed and sleep, undisturbed, for as long as possible. She might go into work a bit later than normal, give herself time to feel in control. And there was the matter of the statement for the police…Definitely a priority in the morning. Standing up she went over to the fridge and took out the milk. Pouring two mugs’ full into a pan Natalie switched on the hob before grabbing a tin of hot chocolate.
The milk was close to the boil when Stuart returned, bearing a rucksack which he dropped on the floor.
‘Fancy a hot chocolate? Almost ready.’
‘Great, thanks.’ He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a small bottle. ‘And here’s the tablets.’ He placed it on the worktop.
She nodded her thanks and carried on mixing the drinks. After handing him a mug Natalie pocketed the bottle and headed for the door. ‘I’ll show you to your room. I’m exhausted and going to bed, but please feel free to stay up if you want to watch telly.’
‘No thanks, I’m off to bed. I’ve got my most challenging class first thing tomorrow and need my sleep or they’ll walk all over me.’
‘Perhaps you should demonstrate the odd karate chop on one of them. That would keep them under control!’ She grinned at him.
Stuart laughed as he followed her upstairs.
The herbal pills worked as promised and Natalie slept heavily until she was woken by a knock on her bedroom door. For a moment panic kicked in. Liam! But then she remembered Stuart and called out for him to come in, pulling the duvet around her.
Stuart’s face appeared round the door. ‘Morning, sorry if I woke you, but wanted to check you were all right before I left for work.’ He kept his gaze averted from her.
‘I’m fine, thanks. Slept like a log.’ She rubbed bleary eyes and yawned. ‘Thanks again for last night, Stuart. You were the proverbial knight in shining armour and I’ll be eternally grateful. Hope the guest bed was comfortable?’ Natalie pulled herself up, hanging on to the duvet. She saw his face flush.
‘It was and I slept well, thanks. Now I’m off to tackle the monsters of year eight. If you’re going to the police station this morning, please tell them I’ll be in at lunchtime.’
‘Sure. Catch you later.’
‘Bye.’ His head disappeared and Natalie stretched her arms and legs. Turning her head she saw the clock registering eight o’clock. Normally she would be on the way herself but there was nothing urgent on her desk that couldn’t wait a bit longer. Reaching for the phone she called in to say she would be late but didn’t give any details. Lying in bed she ran through the events of the previous night, focussing on Stuart. He was proving to be a man of surprises and Natalie realised she had misjudged him. There was no way he would have played tricks on her, he was too honourable. But it meant the voices and moving of the photo must have been the work of her ‘ghosts’. If only Stuart could rescue her from those, too. Her musings were interrupted by the sound of a vehicle pulling up in front of the house. She had forgotten about Matt.
Showered and dressed Natalie caught up with him in the garden and they discussed the aims of the coming week. According to Matt, he would be finished with everything except the pond by Friday and that was delayed thanks to a faulty liner. He would be back once a replacement arrived. Natalie, normally impatient about delays, was sanguine. The proposed pond was planned for the far right-hand side, near the kitchen, and the delay would not affect the rest of the garden.
After breakfast Natalie drove into Town, heading for the police station in Hospital Lane. The muscles in her neck tightened as she parked the car and she hoped she wouldn’t have to face Liam. Much as she knew he needed help more than punishment, he did scare her.
The sergeant took her statement and she added her view about Liam’s mental state.
‘I’ve requested a doctor checks him out this morning. He’ll provide an assessment for our colleagues in the UK. It’ll be up to the courts to decide what happens after that, Miss Ogier.’
‘Right. I’d better get off to work and Stuart – Mr Cross – will be in at lunchtime.’ The sergeant accompanied her towards the front desk. Before they reached it a door opened and a uniformed police officer came out, handcuffed to a prisoner. He glanced her way and Natalie gasped. It was Liam. His eyes flashed and he looked as if he was about to say something when the constable pulled him away. She drew a deep breath. His eyes had held a mix of anger – and despair.