111 West End

Chapter Twenty: The Agent

At ten-thirty, the lights went out in 111 West End. Ben watched from his car. It was eleven when he crossed the road and let himself into 112 carrying a torch in one hand and his keys in the other.

Ben's heart raced as he crept along the hall toward the door dividing the properties and unlocked it. His excitement built as he passed the clock, walked through the lounge, and into the kitchen. Ben's hands shook when he placed his torch and keys on the worktop. Without a sound, he unlatched the cellar door, allowing it to swing open.

111 West End stayed silent as Ben climbed the stairs and crept into Georgie's bedroom. She slept facing the window, and he slipped into the corner by the wardrobe. He pulled a pair of gloves from his coat pocket and put them on. Despite fifteen years of scrubbing, he still felt Natalie's blood on his hands.

Georgie stirred and rolled over, her hair falling across her cheek. She was lovely, and for a moment he felt a tinge of regret.

"Wake up!"

Georgie's eyes fluttered open and half asleep, she whispered, "Children, is that you?"

"No, Mrs Reynolds. It's me." Ben stepped out of the shadows.

"Mr Goldman." Georgie sat up and slid to the other side of her bed. "What are you doing here?"

"You couldn't leave things alone." He moved closer.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Georgie slipped off the edge of the bed, her gaze flicking between Ben and the door, no doubt trying to gauge the likelihood of making it past him.

"Don't waste your time, Georgie. You won't outrun me." He positioned himself between the bed and the door. A good foot taller than her and twice as wide, she didn't stand a chance.

"Please, I don't understand."

"Then let me enlighten you." Ben gestured for her to come closer.

Georgie had nowhere to go. If she wanted to escape, she would have to cooperate. She quickly came to the same logical conclusion as him and cautiously approached.

Ben grabbed her arm and steered her along the landing and down the stairs to the kitchen. He grabbed the torch from the worktop and switched it on.

"Unlock the door." He waited while she turned the key and pushed the door open. He marched her bare foot into the snow, her body trembling against his. Savouring her fear, he leant closer and whispered into her ear, "Look down, Georgie." Ben shone the torch onto the ground beside the pond.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she stared into the shallow grave. A scrap of faded blue material poked up through the soil and the fast-melting snow. "Oh, God," she sobbed.

Ben held her closer and hissed, "You've seen enough."

He gripped Georgie's arm and pulled her back to the house. Ben crossed the lawn and raised his eyes to the bedroom window. Doctor Arthur Bennet stared back.

Son of a bitch! You can't save this one either!

Ben locked the French doors behind him, slipped the key into his coat pocket, and put the torch back in the kitchen. He forcefully shoved Georgie into the lounge, flicked on the light, and gestured to the sofa.

"Sit!" Ben paced across the lounge, his anxiety increasing with each step. "Now!"

Georgie perched nervously on the edge of the sofa, her hands clasped in her lap. "Ben, who is buried in the garden?"

He stopped pacing and glared at her. Did it matter if Georgie knew? Natalie couldn't tell anyone from her grave beside the pond. Arthur may roam 111 West End, but in fifteen years he'd never seen or heard from Natalie. Because of him, she had vanished as though she never existed.

"Her name was Natalie."

"Were you together?"

"God, no!" He considered his answer. "She wasn't my type." Although that was a lie. She had certainly caught his attention.

"Did you murder her?" Georgie sobbed again.

Ben didn't know how to answer. He remembered the events leading up to her fall, but there was a moment in time that, no matter how hard he tried to recall, remained blank in his memory.

"It all happened so fast, I can't remember."

"But you buried her?"

"If I don't remember, how could I explain what happened to the police? Who would believe it was an accident? I'd go to prison and lose everything." Ben ran his fingers through his hair. "So, I buried her in the garden she loved and kept it how she left it. A lasting tribute to Natalie and my attempt at making amends."