by Sally Rigby
Birdie held her breath, hoping that the woman would do as she’d asked.
‘It’s not a proper kidnap. He’s not going to hurt you. He told me. But he might if you escape. I’m sorry. I can’t let you go, or he’ll punish me. I know he will.’
‘Does he know you’re here?’ Birdie forced her voice to sound calm. She didn’t want to panic Tessa even more.
‘Yes. I told him I was bringing you some water. Would you like a sip?’ Tessa held the mug under Birdie’s mouth.
Was it water or something else? Casey could have made Tessa come in intending to drug her.
‘No, thanks.’ She wasn’t prepared to risk it.
‘You should have something in case you’re here for a long time. We’re leaving soon, and you might not be found for a while, and …’ Her hand shot up to her mouth. ‘I don’t think I’m meant to tell you what we’re doing.’
‘I won’t say anything. But why do you want to go with him? We’ll find you somewhere to live. Somewhere close to Emily. We could even let you see her again. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?’ Birdie wasn’t sure whether social services would allow it, but they might, if the visit was supervised. And at this precise moment she was prepared to say anything if it got her out of there.
‘How do I know you’re telling me the truth?’ Indecision flickered in the woman’s eyes.
‘I haven’t lied to you up to now. Surely you want to get away from Patrick and everything he’s done to you. Look at the state of you. The bruises on your arms and on your face. Do you want to be beaten for the rest of your life? Because that’s what will happen if you stay with your brother.’
‘He doesn’t mean it. You saw what he was like. He has a short fuse. He’s always sorry afterwards. It’s how he is. He’s kind in lots of other ways.’
How could she stick up for him like that?
‘You were strong enough to get Emily away from him, why can’t you do that for yourself? Come on, Tessa. Think about seeing Emily again. Untie me and let’s both of us get out of here.’
‘I can’t. He’ll find me. I know he will.’
‘Not if he’s in prison.’
‘He’ll never go back there again. He’ll do anything to make sure he doesn’t.’
‘Untie me now,’ Birdie snapped, hoping to shock Tessa into it.
‘I can’t. Please don’t ask me to. Patrick will kill us both if he sees us leave.’
‘Has he killed before?’
‘I don’t think so, but that doesn’t mean he won’t if we push him too far. I’m going back to the house to pack. If I’m here too long, he’ll think we’re planning something.’
‘Please untie me. We’ll leave in my car and drive somewhere safe.’
‘I keep telling you, no. We can’t do that because he’ll see us.’
‘He won’t realise until it’s too late. We can creep over to my car if we go around the back of the barn. My car can’t be seen from the kitchen window.’
‘Your bag is in the kitchen on the back of the chair.’
‘I don’t need it. The keys are in the ignition.’
Unless Patrick had removed them. But would he have done? He hadn’t asked for her phone. Surely he wouldn’t think of her car keys.
The woman hesitated. Was she going to give in and help?
‘I’m not sure.’ She closed her eyes for a few seconds. ‘No. I can’t. He’ll see us. I’m sorry.’
‘Well, untie me and let me go. Please, Tessa. Do the right thing.’ She had no intention of leaving without the woman. She’d force her if necessary.
‘I can’t, so stop asking.’ Tessa held out the mug. ‘Take a drink before I go back.’
Birdie shook her head. ‘No. You go, before he comes looking for you.’
‘I’m sorry, but it’s for the best,’ Tessa said before walking away and leaving the barn.
Birdie sat on the ground, totally deflated. ‘This is ridiculous,’ she said to herself. ‘There has to be a way out of here.’
Chapter 34
Seb leant against his car, his eyes fixed firmly on the printing shop. Two more minutes and he’d call the police. He’d waited long enough.
He marched back to the shop. The woman had a mug of coffee in one hand and a biscuit in the other.
‘I’m going to call the police and ask them to instruct the driver to move his van.’
‘Don’t do that. We’ve already been warned about blocking the road in the past.’
‘Then I suggest you ensure the driver is out of here in sixty seconds or it’s exactly what I’m going to do.’
Why hadn’t he threatened the police before? It would have avoided all this.
He waited in his car, the engine running, as the seconds ticked down on his watch. With only five to go, the driver left the shop, gave a wave in Seb’s direction and then marched to his van. He checked the back and then got into the driving seat.
‘Hurry up,’ Seb said impatiently, when the van didn’t leave immediately.
Finally, the driver pulled away and Seb drove down the street and turned right. The traffic through to Kingsthorpe went at a snail’s pace until he was through the worst of it and on the A508 which was free-flowing and would take him back to the turning towards Holcot and the farm.
It would take him at least fifteen minutes to reach the farm. He’d call for backup. Birdie might not like it, but he had no choice.
He’d put the station on speed dial after the last case they’d been working on.
‘Market Harborough police.’
‘Please, could you put me through to DC Branch, it’s Sebastian Clifford,’ he said to the woman who answered.
‘Just one moment, I’ll see if he’s available.’
He was put on hold for what seemed like ages.
‘DC Branch.’ Twiggy made no sign that he knew who he was talking to.
‘It’s Sebastian Clifford.’
‘Yes, I know. What do you want?’
‘Birdie might be in danger and I need your help.’
‘What?’ he said sharply.
‘You’re aware of what we’re working on, aren’t you?’
‘Yes. Birdie has included me in her investigation into the abandoned child.’
‘Good. I was following Patrick Casey, the brother of Lacey’s mother, and who we believe is the father while Birdie was speaking to the sister at the farm. Unfortunately, I lost him.’
‘How?’
‘My car was blocked in by a van.’
‘On purpose? Was someone working with him?’
‘I don’t believe so. If Casey goes home and finds Birdie there with his sister, he might harm both of them. I’ve phoned Birdie three times to warn her, but she didn’t answer. He couldn’t have been there when I first called, so I’ve no idea why she didn’t pick up. I’ve also left messages.’
‘Could the sister have harmed Birdie?’ The panic in Twiggy’s voice echoed Seb’s own.
‘I doubt it but we won’t know until we get there. I should arrive in fifteen minutes at the most, traffic dependent.’
‘What’s the address?’
‘It’s a cottage outside Holcot on the Walgrave Road. There’s a track leading up to it. You can’t see the house from the road. It’s the first turn you come to on the right once you’re out of the village.’
‘With the sirens on, we should make it in fifteen. About the same time as you. Is he armed?’
That thought had been plaguing him.
‘I didn’t see any weapons in the kitchen, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a gun stashed somewhere. It’s a farm. There are bound to be implements lying around that he could use to harm her.’
‘Jesus, Clifford. How could you let this happen?’
He didn’t need reminding.
‘There’s no time for recriminations. We have to assume he’s going to be violent when confronted, so make sure all officers take adequate precautions.’ Seb could feel himself slipping into detective inspector mode because of
his past, and made a conscious effort to pull back. Angering Twiggy wouldn’t get them anywhere.
‘Like you did, you mean?’ the officer snapped.
‘Enough,’ Seb said, his voice flat.
‘Do nothing without us being there. You’re not on the force now, remember.’
‘Understood.’
‘We’ll be there as soon as we can.’
Seb ended the call, and within seconds, his phone rang.
Was it Birdie?
‘Clifford.’ He pressed the button on his steering wheel while concentrating on the road ahead, waiting for a chance to overtake the vehicle in front, and not paying attention to his screen to see who it was.
‘Hello, Sebastian.’
It was Hubert.
‘Sorry, I can’t talk now. Do you mind if I call you back later? I’m in the middle of an investigation.’
‘This won’t take long. I’ve been to see the local doctor, who was very understanding of my circumstances. He’s given me some medication and recommended that I speak to a counsellor. He’s given me the number of someone who works in Winchester. I made an appointment straight away before I could change my mind.’
‘It’s a scary step, but you’ve done the right thing. How was Virginia when you told her?’
‘Supportive. More so than I’d imagined.’
Seb hadn’t doubted her for a moment. His sister-in-law had showed how caring she was when he’d seen her with the children.
‘Let me know how the counselling sessions go.’
‘I will. I’ll let you go now as you’re busy.’
Seb ended the call, pleased that Hubert had taken his advice and hopeful that his brother would soon be back at work.
His thoughts returned to Birdie as he continued along the A508, going as fast as he could without breaking the speed limit, and soon he was close to the Holcot turn.
Chapter 35
Twiggy left his desk and rushed to Sarge’s office. The door was closed, which meant he was busy, but this couldn’t wait. He tapped on it three times and waited for a response. Everyone knew you couldn’t walk in unless the door was ajar.
‘Enter,’ Sarge’s voice came booming out.
He opened the door and headed over to the desk, not bothering to sit. ‘I’ve had a call from Clifford. That ex-officer who worked with Birdie on the Donald Witherspoon case. Do you know who I mean?’
‘Yes. What did he want?’ Sarge gestured in the familiar circular movement with his right hand, which meant get a move on, I’m busy.
‘He’s been helping Birdie look into the background of the girl who was abandoned last year in the town centre. Remember the case?’
Sarge thumped his desk and stood. ‘Birdie will be the death of me. Of course I do. She asked me to reopen it and I refused. Lack of staff and there was no new evidence. Did you know that she’d asked him to help? Is this why she took annual leave? She told me it was a family thing.’
‘Well, Lacey does live with Birdie’s aunt.’
‘Did you know about all this? You still haven’t answered.’
He’d save his views on Clifford and the way he seemed to have Birdie at his beck and call for another time.
‘There’s no time to talk about it, now, Sarge. Clifford thinks Birdie’s in danger.’
‘Danger? How?’ Panic shone from his boss’s eyes.
‘All I know is they tracked down the little girl’s parents, and Birdie went to the house to talk with the mother while Clifford kept an eye on the father who was out somewhere in Northampton. Oh, and he’s also the uncle.’
‘What?’ Sarge frowned.
‘Long story short. Brother and sister relationship. Nasty stuff. Abuse. He used to be a priest until being locked up for sexual offences. Anyway, Clifford’s lost the brother, and he’s worried he’ll go back to the house and find Birdie with his sister. Clifford’s on his way, but I told him not to approach the house and to wait for us.’
‘At least we have someone following protocol. So, what are you waiting for? Take the others and get there fast. Is he armed?’
‘We don’t know.’
‘Take Tasers and I’ll inform the DI what’s going on. I’m due in a meeting I can’t get out of at Wigston, which includes the Chief Constable. Keep in touch. And make sure Clifford doesn’t get involved.’
‘Yes, Sarge.’
How the hell he was going to do that remained to be seen. But, to be honest, he didn’t care whether Clifford joined in or not. Twiggy’s prime concern was getting Birdie out of there unscathed. The rest could be dealt with after.
He ran back to the office, where Tiny and Sparkle were chatting over a mug of coffee.
‘What’s going on?’ Sparkle asked, looking across as he came charging over towards them.
‘Birdie’s in trouble. Grab Tasers and come with me. We’ll take two cars. I’ll call uniform and arrange more cars for backup.’
Chapter 36
Seb parked in the same spot as he had the other times. Where was Twiggy and the backup? He’d expected them to arrive before him. Unless they’d driven up the track. But that wasn’t what they’d arranged.
With or without them, though, he wasn’t prepared to leave Birdie on her own for a moment longer than necessary. That meant he had to get to the cottage without alerting Casey of his presence. Instead of sticking to the track, he’d walk alongside of it and keep out of view. There were sufficient hedgerows to keep him hidden on his way up. Twiggy would realise where he’d gone when he found the empty car.
Having justified to himself his reason for not waiting for the police as arranged, Seb crossed the road onto the track and then immediately veered off it. He couldn’t see the house, and was sure that they couldn’t see him. The fact the track was winding went in his favour. With his long strides, it shouldn’t take him many minutes to get to the top.
After the final curve, the house came into view. Birdie’s car was outside, and behind it, blocking her exit, was the silver Golf.
Where was she? It didn’t bode well that she hadn’t answered her phone. If Casey had harmed her he’d have Seb to answer to.
He couldn’t go to the front door in case he was walking into a trap. He’d shelter in one of the outbuildings and assess the situation.
There was a small barn to the right of the house, and he crept over, intending to hide and observe for a few minutes. There appeared to be no signs of life. Where were they? He walked along the back of the outbuilding and then up to the side, looking for the entrance. He poked his head out. Tessa was heading out of the barn holding a mug in her hand.
Why had she been in there? To see Birdie? Had Casey imprisoned her?
Tessa remained outside the barn and stared up at the sky for a few seconds. Then she headed to the rear of the house, and he remained stationary until she’d gone inside through the back door.
He knew that from the angle of the kitchen windows he couldn’t be seen, so he quickly edged around the rest of the barn, stopping to pick up a broken handle from a farm tool that he’d spotted in the grass, in case he needed to defend himself. He got to the door and nudged it open. It gave a loud creak, and he swallowed hard.
Was Casey in there? He hadn’t considered that. His grip tightened around his weapon, and he marched in, his arm raised.
‘About time, too.’
He jumped at the sound of Birdie’s voice. She was sitting on the ground, with her legs out in front of her, tied to one of the roof supports.
He ran over, dropping the handle on the floor as he went. ‘Are you okay?’ He crouched down beside her and scanned her face. She appeared uninjured, although one of her cheeks was redder than the other.
‘I am now you’re here. Where have you been? Why didn’t you phone and tell me Casey was on his way back.’
‘My car got blocked in by a van for twenty minutes and I lost him. I phoned you three times, texted and left messages. Why didn’t you answer?’
‘It didn’t ring.’
> ‘Why didn’t you phone me?’
‘Because I enjoy being here tied up.’
‘Now I know you’re fine, as your sense of humour hasn’t deserted you.’
‘You think I was being funny? Well, I wasn’t. I thought I had my phone, and it wasn’t until I got my hand in my pocket that I realised it was on the kitchen table. I’d been showing Tessa photos of Lacey. I’d persuaded Tessa to come with me to the station, to make a full confession and find out more about Lacey, when her brother came back. We fought, but he was too strong for me.’ She rubbed her cheek.
‘Did he do that?’
‘He slapped me, but it doesn’t sting anymore. Then he tied me up and left me here.’
‘You were lucky he didn’t do more damage.’
‘I wonder if my phone was on silent and that’s why I didn’t hear it.’
‘Did you turn it to silent?’
‘No.’
‘Then who could have? Tessa?’
‘That makes no sense. Unless she accidentally flicked the button when looking at the photos. She came to see me a few minutes before you arrived.’
‘Yes, I saw her leave.’
‘I tried to persuade her to release me and escape together, but she wouldn’t. She’s too scared of him. She thinks that wherever she goes, he’s going to come after and kill her. She told me she was going to stay with him. What are we going to do? We can’t leave her because God knows what he’ll do.’
‘I phoned Twiggy and arranged to meet him at the bottom of the track, but I couldn’t wait. Has Casey got a weapon?’
‘I haven’t seen one.’
‘Our best bet is to stay here until backup arrives, in case he tries to escape. If he does, we can go after him. Where are your car keys?’
‘I left them in the car’s ignition.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘Don’t say anything.’
‘I won’t. For now.’
‘Wise move. Are you going to untie me or have I got to wait for Twiggy and the others to turn up?’
‘Sorry, I’ll do it now.’ He slid around to the back of the pole and pulled at the knot, eventually releasing her.
She shook her arms. ‘Thanks, my hands had totally gone to sleep.’