Child's Play (D.I. Kim Stone #11)(89)

Kim stopped moving.

‘You didn’t seem surprised to see me, Inspector?’ he said, disappointed. ‘What gave me away?’

Kim was tempted to tell him he’d been too clever for his own good, but she had to try and think how best to get him off that see-saw.

‘Salt, Eric,’ she said, calmly. ‘You overcooked your reaction to finding the body of Belinda Evans. Your vomit contained high levels of sodium chloride that was in your water bottle to make you throw up once you’d killed her. You refused to take a drink of it when I told you to.

‘You wanted people to see how clever you are. You got no gratification from your first kill. No one found Freddie Compton for days, so when you killed Belinda you wanted to see what you’d caused while sitting there with your head bowed, feigning shock.’

He smiled appreciatively, and the see-saw had slowed while she had his attention.

He clearly enjoyed having his actions replayed to him. She would try and take advantage of that fact.

‘You went into the college on open day and called Belinda from that cleaner’s room. You arranged a meeting at the…’

‘Yeah, she was a dirty old bitch all right.’

Kim ignored the insult, knowing the woman had been so much more than that.

‘Your last victim wasn’t hard to find, was he, being your brother-in-law?’ Kim said, remembering the last three cases Stacey had highlighted.

The brother heckling Beth’s performance when they were kids. Trying to take the attention away from her.

‘And that poor boy’s suicide pushed you over the edge, didn’t it? The brother of a genius who felt the only way out was death.’

Kim knew she had to keep him focussed, keep his attention on her until she could work out how to get him off the see-saw.

‘You were always second fiddle to your sister. Weren’t you?’ she asked gently.

She had no weapon and no help but the one thing she did have was knowledge, her mouth and the seedling of a plan to divert his attention and anger away from Ellie.

‘I get it, Eric,’ she said. ‘I understand how awful it must have been as a child when Beth was getting all the attention. All these people played with your sister, lavished attention on her while completely ignoring you. None of these people saw how special you are. None of them took the time to play with you.’

His eyes were on her and he opened his mouth but she didn’t want him to speak. She wanted him to listen. She needed her words to enter his brain and register. For her plan to work she needed to pick at the scab of rejection in his mind.

‘I bet she even got special treatment, didn’t she? More presents, more treats, more toys. Everyone thought she was cleverer, funnier, cuter. Your parents showed her off at parties, telling everyone what she could do, bragging about her achievements. You were totally forgotten, constantly in her shadow, trying to get some attention for yourself. Trying to stand out, be noticed. I can’t even imagine what that could do to a child. All that rejection so young.’

She knew she had him. The see-saw had slowed and Ellie had had the sense to match his speed so that her leg was getting less nicks and the blood loss had slowed.

And now for the gamble that fresh hurt cut deeper than old wounds.

‘So difficult for a child to take that level of rejection, except it doesn’t end there, does it, Eric?’ she asked as her voice hardened.

‘Especially when it follows you into adulthood, cos I’ve met both you and your sister and I have to say I liked her much better than I liked you.’

Her eyes challenged him.

‘So, why don’t you come play with me?’





One Hundred Five





‘Jesus, will you get out of the way, man?’ Bryant growled when he got to the fire exit door that led out on to the scented garden.

‘Just a sec, mate, gotta make sure the magnets are holding and the activation is received back at the control room.’

The security guy was holding his radio up to his ear awaiting a response.

Bryant tried to control his breathing after his sprint through the building. His only alternative had been a two-mile run from one end of the complex to the other.

And now he was just a couple of minutes away from the play area where he was guessing his boss was facing down psycho Beth or her half-brother alone.

‘Too many activations from these doors, mate. Gotta make sure they’re all in order.’

Bryant nudged him out of the way and pushed hard.

The doors opened.

‘They’re working,’ he called back as he ran as fast as he could across the plants.





One Hundred Six





Kim saw the expression in his eyes turn murderous as he dismounted the see-saw. The second he was off Kim sprinted to Ellie’s side of the see-saw as her legs headed towards the knives.

Kim managed one swift kick at the blades before Eric grabbed hold of her hair and pulled her down to the ground.

The sting went from her scalp to her eyes. She prepared her body for an onslaught as he dragged her across the tarmac.

‘You’ve spoiled it all, you fucking…’

His words trailed away as the grip loosened on her hair. She lifted her head to see him looking beyond her.

A figure was rushing towards them.