Eye for an Eye

it—’
    ‘Forget about it.’
    ‘That’s easy to say.’
    ‘Did you see the way he ran? He couldn’t leave quick enough. He was scared we were going to call the police.’
    ‘Maybe he won’t be so scared next time.’
    Cindy grabbed Beth’s arm. ‘What next time?’
    Beth pulled her arm free and kept walking.
    ‘You think he’s going to come back?’ Cindy asked.
    ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’
    They reached the entrance to Crail Lane, a narrow alley that connected South Street to Market Street. Beth halted as Cindy stepped into it.
    ‘Aren’t you coming?’ Cindy asked her.
    Beth stared toward Market Street. The stone walls cast shadows like waiting figures. She shook her head. ‘I’m going to take the long way.’
    Cindy glanced behind her then retreated.
     
    As the echo of their departing voices died in the wind, out of the walled shadows stepped a man. Without a backward glance, he walked along the lane, stepped into the brightness and strode across Market Street like a single-minded madman. Two couples stepped to the side as he stalked past. One of the girls turned to watch and tapped a finger to her head.
    But the man never noticed.
    He crossed onto Union Street, then left onto North, and marched down the shallow incline toward the sand dunes and the dark expanse of the West Sands.
    In the cold darkness he faced the sea, erect penis in hand. The only way to appease his pain was to have her. He knew that now. And as his sperm spurted into the wind like thin strips of white ribbon, he whispered to the surf, ‘Yes, Mother. I’ll do as you say.’

CHAPTER 19
     
    Cindy waved goodnight at the corner of Bell Street then set off with brisk steps to prepare for her date with Stewart. As Beth watched her leave, the thought of going home to an empty flat sent a shiver through her. She felt an overpowering need to talk to someone and, on impulse, pulled out her mobile phone.
    She smiled when she heard his voice. ‘Is that offer still on?’ she asked.
     
    ‘You look stunning,’ Gilchrist said as Beth took the seat beside him, then gave her a peck on the cheek. ‘And that perfume. It’s familiar. What is it?’
    ‘Men.’
    ‘Never heard of that one before.’
    ‘No, Andy. You bought it for me. Way back.’
    ‘Ah, yes, so I did.’
    ‘What’s it called, then?’
    ‘The name eludes me.’
    She gave his arm a playful slap. ‘Ysatis.’
    ‘I was about to say that.’
    ‘You have such a way with words.’ She slipped off her jacket and folded it over the back of her seat.
    ‘Would you like a drink?’ he asked.
    She nodded. ‘I’d love a drink.’
    ‘The usual?’
    ‘Does that elude you, too?’
    ‘Dry white wine. Chilled. Splash of soda. Slice of lime. Not lemon.’
    ‘I’m impressed.’
    While he stood at the bar, he watched Beth dig into her leather satchel for her mobile. By the time he returned, it was back in her bag. She frowned and rubbed her upper arms, as if cold.
    ‘Problems?’ he asked her.
    Beth reached for her wine and took a large sip.
    ‘Want to talk about it?’ he tried.
    She held her glass for a long moment, deep in thought, twirling the stem. Then she sat back. ‘That was Cindy,’ she said. ‘She just called me from home.’
    ‘Is she all right?’
    ‘She’s fine. It’s just ... Cindy’s got a great memory.’
    Gilchrist took a sip of his beer, not sure where this was leading. ‘Give her time,’ he joked.
    ‘Do you remember the body on the beach? Some years ago?’
    Gilchrist was not sure which body on which beach Beth was referring to. He had seen seven, as best he could recall, but he nodded anyway.
    ‘Cindy was a student at the time. She used to jog along the West Sands every morning. She was there.’
    Gilchrist leaned closer. ‘Go on.’
    ‘She remembered the boy. She remembered thinking how awful it must have been for him. It was his father.’
    Gilchrist remembered, too. The body she was talking about was the bloodless corpse with the gash on the neck.
    ‘What about the boy?’ he asked.
    ‘It wasn’t until Cindy got home that it hit her. The boy on the beach. That creep in the shop ...’
    ‘The same person?’
    ‘She’s not sure. It only flashed into her head.’
    Beth looked frightened, and he resisted putting his arm around her. Instead, he changed the subject. ‘Leave it with me. I’ll check it out. In the meantime, you once had a friend who was big into computers.’
    ‘Terry Leighton?’
    ‘That’s the one. Still