by M A Comley
“Oh dear. Well, let’s see what we can do to help you out then. No promises, though.”
“Anything you can give us at this time will help, Carol. An eighteen-year-old girl has gone missing from her home in Hatch End.”
“Is that it? I’m supposed to get the spirits’ support on such little information?”
“You know how this works. If I give you too many details, then that just wouldn’t be fair, would it?”
Carol tutted. “Still doubting our abilities after all these years, Lorne? Shame on you.”
Lorne cringed and sighed heavily. “You know it’s not like that, Carol.”
Carol laughed. “I’m teasing you. You know I wouldn’t expect you to give me all the details on a plate. What would be the point of that? Okay, let’s see what I can come up with. Can you give me the girl’s name? First name will do.”
“Of course. It’s Emma.”
“Do you want to leave it with me for a while? If you’ve got better things to do that is, or hang on a few minutes?”
“I’ll hang on. I need to tell you that it’s important we find this girl, as DCI Roberts is personally involved in this case. Emma is his goddaughter.”
“No wonder you’re dealing with the case. I didn’t think a missing persons case was up your alley. Now quiet. Give me some peace to summon up the spirits.”
Lorne quietly drummed her fingers on the desk while she waited.
It was a good five minutes before Carol spoke again, to her, anyway. “Lorne, are you still there?”
“I am. What do you have for me?” she asked, bouncing upright in her chair with her pen poised.
“Sadly, not much. I’m getting an image of a girl with longish curly hair. Is that her?”
Lorne sought out the picture of Emma that Sean had given her and nodded. “Yes, that’s her.”
“The spirits are telling me that she’s alive. She’s scared, though, Lorne. That might seem an obvious statement to make, but she’s truly scared. I’m getting the impression that she knows the man.”
Lorne’s interest piqued. “She does? Is it someone close? Or someone from her past maybe?”
Carol sighed. “I’m not sure… the spirits have departed again. Can you leave it with me? I’ll try to get them back during the course of the day and ring you if they give me anything else.”
“Do your very best for me, Carol. I fear time is running out for Emma, and anything the spirits can give us can only be advantageous for the investigation. I’ll leave you to it. I have a press conference to attend. No pressure, but please, if you can go the extra mile on this one, I’d truly appreciate it. Otherwise, I’ll have Roberts continuously on my back.”
“I hear you. Leave it with me. I hope to get back to you soon. Good luck, love.”
“Speak soon, Carol. Thank you.” Lorne left the room with her notes in her hand and almost bumped into Katy. “Whoa, what’s the rush?”
Katy’s cheeks coloured up. “Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going. I’ve carried out the background check on Phil Drummond. I’ve asked the Old Bill in Birmingham to pay him a visit. I’ve told them how urgent it is, and they’ve assured me they’re going to do that in the next few hours. Not a lot we can do in the meantime.”
“As usual, we just have to sit it out and wait for things to fall into place, no matter how frustrating that may be. Let’s hope Roberts understands that and leaves us alone for a few hours before he starts jumping up and down on our heads.”
“We can’t magic up the information, Lorne. He understands that, surely.”
Lorne shrugged. “It’s different when things are personal, Katy. I remember how impatient I was when Charlie was abducted. The time drags while your mind races as different scenarios are played out. It’s a horrible situation to find yourself in, I can assure you.”
Katy nodded. “I understand. I guess we’ll have to ride the wave of his anxieties until we find Emma.”
“Yep, he’ll snap and bark at us—I’m certain of that. What we mustn’t do is take what he says to heart.”
“I know you’re speaking from experience—having to deal with a similar situation, I mean—so I’m happy to listen to you. Let’s hope we find Emma before it’s too late.”
“By the way, I’ve just got off the phone with Carol.”
“So you listened to me then?”
Lorne chuckled. “I did. The only thing the spirits could come up with was that Emma was scared and that Carol believes Emma knows her abductor.”
“Wow, okay. I get Emma being scared. Who wouldn’t be in her situation? But the fact she knows her abductor should really work in our favour, right?”
“I’m hoping that turns out to be the case. We need to up the background checks on all the family, whether they’re Christians or not. That’s how I think we should proceed.”
Katy chewed her lip. “I hope we don’t piss off the family in the process. Carol and the spirits could have been referring to someone she knows as opposed to an immediate family member.”
“I’m aware of that, Katy. We need to dig deep on her acquaintances, as well. I’m not ready to give up on Jack, either, in that statement.”
“I guess you’re right, although I have my doubts in his case, having listened to him.”
“I’m not ready to discount him just yet. I need to get on with the conference now. Do you want to press on with things here in my absence?”
“Sure. As long as Roberts keeps his distance.”
“I think you’re safe for a few hours. Wish me luck. I’m going to need it.”
“You’ll be fine. Have you got all your notes?”
Lorne waved the sheets of paper she was holding and raced towards the door. Before she could reach it, DCI Roberts appeared in the doorway, blocking her way. “Hello, sir. I was just on my way downstairs to hold a press conference.”
“I know. I heard. I’ve come to accompany you.”
Lorne’s eyes widened. “You have?”
Roberts stepped aside to let her pass then closed the door to the incident room behind him. “Don’t look so shocked. I’ll leave you to make the plea. I’ll merely be there, showing you my support.”
Lorne shook her head in disbelief. Lowering her voice, she said, “That’s utter bullshit, Sean, and you know it. Don’t you trust me?”
He shrugged and walked to the top of the stairs. “We’re wasting time.” He stomped down the stairs.
She stared after him, unsure for the first time in years how to respond to him. Their relationship had met large peaks and troughs over the years, but somehow, they had always overcome the fact that she’d dumped him years ago in favour of her ex-husband, Tom. However, she had always found herself guarding what she said to her boss over the years. She shook her head. Remember to put yourself in his situation before having a go at him, girl.
She rushed down the stairs after him. He was a few feet away from the conference room before she caught up with him. She tugged on his arm, spinning him around to look at her. “You’re too close to this, Sean. You know I won’t let you down. Please leave this to me.”
He inhaled a few deep breaths before he muttered, “I have every intention of leaving this to you, Inspector. I’ve already stated that. My need to be there far outweighs my need to interfere with you doing your job properly. To answer your previous question, yes, I trust you implicitly.”
Lorne smiled and rubbed his arm. “Thank you. I promise you I won’t let you down.”
He nodded. “I have no doubts about that. Let’s do this, Lorne. I hope something comes of it—we need to find Emma before her time runs out.”
“We will. I promise you.”
They walked into a room filled with camera crews and newspaper journalists. Lorne felt the familiar clenching of her stomach muscles as she walked towards the small stage that had been set up for the conference. Sean sat on her right, his leg touching hers as she took her seat beside him. Lorne was grateful there was a tablecloth draping the ta
ble, hiding the contact.
CHAPTER FOUR
Emma could hear him muttering under his breath, and a high-pitched scraping noise assaulted her ears. He had blindfolded her, maybe intending to elevate her fear. If that was his intention, he had succeeded. Her arms and ankles were bound tightly by rope that irritated her skin. Her breathing was erratic, and there was a thick band of tape stretched across her mouth. She had no concept of time, no idea how long she had been unconscious or how long ago he’d taken her. Tears constantly dripped onto her cheeks. Her eyes were sore from their saltiness. It was impossible for her not to cry, and she was petrified of what he planned to do to her. What threat could she be to him? Why restrain her the way he had?
Her level of fear intensified with each passing moment. Her heart had begun to ache a long time ago. She knew the man and would never have thought him capable of treating her so terribly. Worse than an animal.
The room fell into silence and remained quiet until she heard footsteps approaching. Everything, including her breathing and her heart, stopped for a few seconds.
His hands grabbed her bound wrists and hauled her to her feet. She tottered when she was erect, feeling light-headed from the sudden movement. She hadn’t eaten anything in hours, and due to a fast metabolism, she craved food every few hours. She felt one of his hands behind her knees, then her feet left the floor. He was carrying her, but she didn’t know where. She tried to speak, but the tape suppressed her words. When he laughed, Emma felt his warm breath against her cheek and could smell alcohol on his breath.
In spite of the blindfold covering her eyes, she squeezed them tightly together, wanting whatever he had planned for her to be over.
“Here you are. This will be your bed for the next few days, weeks or months. I haven’t quite decided what to do with you yet. Actually, that’s a lie. I know exactly what I’m going to do with you. What I’ve yet to decide is how long I intend keeping you. Until I’m bored with you, I suppose.”
“Please, please let me go. At least untie me, and let’s discuss this like adults,” she pleaded. Even to her own ears, the words didn’t penetrate the tape and just came out as a muffled utterance.
He laughed again and lowered her. She felt a cold object touch her wrists. Moving her face to the side, she gasped when an icy-cold surface brushed her skin. Then she heard what sounded like a door being slammed above her. She flinched as yet more tears seeped through the fabric covering her eyes and dripped onto her cheek. Her arms hurt, and her ankles ached. Her whole body was riddled with pain and felt like it belonged to someone else. Please, God. Why is he doing this to me? Please, take me before he makes his intentions clear. Get me out of this situation before my body starts to shut down.
She closed her eyes and recited the Lord’s Prayer over and over until a calmness descended over her. Emma could hear him shuffling around the room but had no idea what he was up to. Then she heard voices.
Does he have visitors? She hadn’t heard a doorbell chime, but there were distinct voices in the room. Her senses were playing cruel tricks on her, and it took her a while to figure out the voices were coming from a radio. Once she’d worked that out, she strained her neck and raised her ear, trying to hear what was being said.
Suddenly, the man erupted into laughter. The volume on the radio increased, enabling her to properly hear what was being said. Her ears pricked up when she heard her name being mentioned by a female voice. “Emma Lansbury went missing from her home between one and one thirty yesterday lunchtime. Her vehicle, a royal-blue Volkswagen Golf, registration KV24SOM, was seen on the ANPR cameras heading out towards Abbots Langley at two thirty-five on the same day. If anyone knows where this vehicle is, please ring the number across the bottom of your screen now. Emma is not the type of girl who just ups and leaves her loving family. We believe she has been abducted. Her family is keen to have her back unharmed. If you know anything relating to this case, please, please, come forward. We believe this young woman’s life is in grave danger. If you can prevent something happening to her, then please do what you can to help us.”
Emma heard the man swear. She closed her eyes every time a curse word left his lips. She detested any form of swearing with a passion. He cussed again, and she heard an object land somewhere on the other side of the room. She was desperate to know what was going on. Then she heard a door bang. She tried to call out, but her attempt to gain his attention went unheard. All she could hear was the woman on the radio being bombarded with questions from several male voices.
She felt relieved that someone cared enough to be out there searching for her. If only she could get word to them. But how? How could I possibly escape these bindings?
Her stomach rumbled. She didn’t feel hungry and couldn’t face the thought of eating, but her body was informing her that she needed to eat to keep her strength up.
Emma listened to the woman speaking, answering the questions. She had a friendly voice, although sometimes she sounded a little irritated by having to answer the same questions being rehashed by the journalists. Emma tried to smile. However, the tape refused to budge even an inch. Something about the way the woman sounded made Emma feel confident that she would be found, sooner rather than later. The woman on the radio—she’d heard one of the journalists call her DI Warner—ended the conference, and the radio station resumed its normal programming.
Her prayers increased. Most of all, she prayed the man would return as her fears rose because of her confinement. She didn’t have a clue when or even if he was going to return.
It seemed like an eternity before she heard someone enter the room. The door slammed, startling her. She was desperate to call out but knew how pointless her efforts would be. A waft of air told her that the man had raised the lid of whatever he was concealing her in. She waited with bated breath to see what he was going to do next. Something cold brushed her forearm above her wrist, then seconds later, her hands were free. She froze, unsure whether he was testing her. She was desperate to rub her hands across her wrists, but she remained perfectly still. The last thing she wanted to do was to anger him.
Next, the cold knife ran along the length of her cheek, and her heart skipped several beats as she held her breath. Is he about to kill me? To end my torment? The knife slipped down to her lips. Behind the blindfold, her eyes squeezed shut again, her anxiety level rising instantly. The blade traced the outline of her mouth before the man’s fingers yanked off the tape. She yelped as the pain erupted in her sensitive lips.
“Please, don’t hurt me. I won’t do anything to jeopardise my safety. Please, won’t you tell me what you want?”
Next, she felt the man’s hands reach behind her head, and she raised her head to give him access to the blindfold. Within seconds, the cloth was whisked away from her eyes. They were sore, so it was a struggle to open them. Slowly, she eased them open only to close them again when she saw him hovering a few inches above her.
He laughed and ordered, “Open them. Look at me.”
She tried again and succeeded in opening her eyes at least halfway. Her eyes squeezed shut again as the light proved too painful to negotiate.
“Open them!” he shouted, almost deafening her.
Her eyes flew open. “Please, don’t hurt me.”
His hand slapped her hard across the face. Her head jerked to the right from the impact, and her cheek stung.
“Stop snivelling. You’ve angered me, and now you’re going to get punished.”
“Please, no. How have I angered you? I’ve done nothing.”
“Maybe I said that wrong. I’m angry that the police are on our tails already. I thought it would be days before they realised what had happened to you, not hours. Now you need to be punished.”
“Do you not think being held captive is punishment enough?”
“No. This is what your punishment will consist of.” He stood up, glared down at her as his hands moved to his midriff and began removing his belt from his trousers.
; Her eyes widened. Oh my God, please don’t let him rape me. Sweet Jesus, please not that.
CHAPTER FIVE
Lorne and DCI Roberts left the conference room and walked up the stairs in silence. Instead of returning to his office, Sean followed Lorne into the incident room. The team glanced their way, and Lorne looked over at Katy and rolled her eyes, uncomfortable that Sean had accompanied her.
“Okay, guys. It’s a waiting game now. Hopefully, we’ll be inundated with calls within the next half an hour or so.”
With that, the phone on Graham’s desk rang, and he pounced on it.
“Lorne, I want to see the CCTV footage of Emma’s car,” Sean demanded brusquely.
“Graham is dealing with that, sir. He’ll sort it out for you after he’s finished with his call. Would you like a coffee?”
“Yes, black, no sugar.”
Lorne walked past Katy’s desk and tapped her on the shoulder. “Help me get the coffees, hon.”
Katy jumped out of her chair and fell into step behind Lorne. “What’s he doing here?”
Lorne sighed. “Keeping an eye on us. It was awful presenting the facts to the media with him sitting beside me. Doesn’t he think we’re under enough pressure as it is, just knowing that he’s personally involved in the case? I can see us falling out before long if he doesn’t back off.”
“Try to hold your temper, Lorne. He could be testing you. Is it worth falling out with him? That’s only going to hamper Emma’s chances of being rescued.”
“I hear you, but if he’s going to be on our backs every five minutes, that’s only going to piss me off. Put yourself in my shoes, Katy. How would you react if he’d been like this with you when you were DI?”
“Fair point! But then I would’ve had you by my side, saying all the right things to keep me calm.”
Lorne smiled as she inserted a second fifty-pence piece into the vending machine and handed Katy the first cup of coffee, which happened to be Sean’s black one. “You can do the honours.”