Kizzy fly by night.

Part 20

Chapter 20

Todd paces up and down behind the shop checking his watch. Kizzy still hasn't collected her bag which is highly unlike her (unless of course something drastic has happened). He knows her well enough to know that bag will always be picked up, (especially after a lecture.) She needs him he reasons and doubts very much that she has anyone else that she can turn to. He frowns as thoughts of that no-good junkie friend of hers spring to mind, but then smiles from now on things will be different. He has thought long and hard and is excited to tell her the good news. He will invite her to stay at his family home in the spare room temporarily until she sorts herself out, who knows? Maybe she'll go back to school. He'd be more than willing to help her if that's what she wants. He lights a roll-up and scans the darkness hoping to see her leap out of the shadows grinning.

"Here I am!" she'll say, "Did you miss me?"

And he'll frown and mumble, "You're late again."

Then she'll kiss his cheek, snatch her bag, and skip off into the night leaving him shaking his head in exasperation.

A light wind picks up so he tightens his bandanna and sits exhaling ghostly rings from the cigarette. Something is telling him that she's not going to show. Soho carries on regardless with the noise from the traffic seeming louder than usual.

Being a spiritual man he always pays attention when his inner guide is speaking. Now it is positively screaming, causing his stomach to gurgle with anxiety. His eyes drift to the bins and he shudders at the thought of the body discovered behind them. Initially, he had peered behind out of morbid curiosity but there was nothing to be seen apart from thick Police tape which has now been removed. He wonders why the killer had chosen his bin of all the bins available and imagined that it would have been very bad for business, but if anything he was busier than ever. He'd never have believed it. People sure were strange.

He stubs out his smoke and is just about to go inside when he notices a crumpled piece of paper caught between one of the trash cans. He reaches down and lifts the side of the bin carefully. It is covered in dirt as if trying to avoid detection. He eases it out slowly holding it up using his lighter for vision. A brown-orange stain which he thought was mud or dog mess looks very much like dried blood. Quickly he walks back inside and locks the door. He puts on his glasses and scans the content. It's a bank statement he reads on...Some guy named Matthew Rhodes residing at a South London address... His heart bangs as he fumbles around trying to get his thoughts in order. This letter needs to be given to the Police, how on earth had they missed it? Should he have touched it? And more importantly, would they now think he was the killer?

He picks up the phone then hangs up as an image of tearing open a bin bag and finding Kizzy's lifeless body flashes before him. He has a solid gut instinct about this, only problem is what should he do? He goes to the store cupboard and carefully lifts out a shoe box.

Kizzy.

The hours tick slowly by as I stare at Gale helplessly. His head has rolled off to the side and he's snoring loudly. I get up and pace the room muttering, occasionally kicking the door in frustration wondering if Dad's gone out or simply forgotten that we're here. In my wildest moments, I'd often wondered what my tactics would be if I came face to face with a killer and now here I am... clueless of my next move. Deep down there's still a part of me that sees him as 'Dad', so I don't all out fear him, even though I know I probably should. My only emotions are loathing and a deep hatred that I've been harbouring for years which has festered like a cancer. Strangely I'm almost certain that he won't hurt me, sure he's crazy, but I'm his little girl and something inside him clearly needs me. I can see it in his eyes, the longing for normality but Gale is a different matter. Unless I can come up with a plan then he's as good as dead. I pick up the chair leg and bang it against the door.