by M K Farrar
She was going to need extra resources and extra bodies, which meant she was also going to have to run this by Superintendent Woods. She’d have to admit she went behind his back about looking into Angela Hargreaves when he’d told her to walk away. But she was right to have done so and she would stick by her decision, no matter what.
“I’m going to send you home, but I’ll have a Family Liaison Officer with you the whole time. Later, I’ll have one of my detectives come and stay with you, too. You can’t go anywhere, do you understand? And you can’t contact anyone without our prior approval, and that includes Millicent as well.”
“I understand.”
She led Angela Hargreaves out, only to come face to face with Superintendent Woods.
He caught sight of Angela and stopped short, and Erica didn’t miss the flush in both his and the councillor’s faces.
“Angela, hello. How are you?” His gaze flicked to Erica.
“Gerard, of course. I hadn’t thought that you’d be here.”
“Yes, well...” He was clearly flustered. “It’s been how many years?”
“Too many. It’s good to see you again, though I’d have preferred for it to have been under better circumstances.”
The super shot Erica a glare but turned his attention back to the councillor. “I’m sure you would have.” He looked back to Erica. “DCI Swift, I assume we need to have a chat.”
Erica straightened her shoulders. “Yes, I believe we do.”
“I’ll let you finish here, and then come straight up.”
“Yes, sir.”
He ducked a nod at Angela. “Good to see you again. We must catch up for coffee sometime.”
Angela risked a smile. “That would be lovely.”
Erica didn’t correct either of them to say that she doubted Angela would be free for coffee anytime soon.
ERICA MADE SURE ANGELA Hargreaves was accompanied home by a plain clothes officer—she didn’t want to lose Hargreaves at this point, or for the councillor to send a warning message to this John James—then she went up to the super’s office.
He was sitting behind his desk, his brow drawn down in a frown.
“What are you doing, Swift?” he said. “I thought I told you not to look into Ms Hargreaves.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but you were wrong. She is connected to this case, and her involvement is of particular importance. I believe we can find who was behind the deaths of those two women, and we might even be able to save the girl who was taken from the hotel.”
“She’s admitted her involvement?”
“Yes, she has, and she’s willing to help us. If I’d been allowed to proceed with my suspicions earlier, Chau Phan might never have been taken.” She fought to keep her tone level and calm. He might have a higher rank than her, but he was the one who’d acted badly.
Woods sniffed. “I had my reasons for not suspecting her.”
“You told me not to look into her because of some kind of personal involvement, not because you thought it was the wrong thing to do. How do you know her?”
“We went to university together. We both studied politics.”
Erica cocked an eyebrow. “And then you joined the police?”
“Yes, I decided politics wasn’t for me.”
Hmm...seemed to her he was still using it in his current position.
“And the two of you had a relationship?” It wasn’t really any of her business, but she wanted to know exactly what his line of thinking had been when he’d instructed her not to check up on Angela Hargreaves.
Woods’ expression hardened. “My personal life is none of your business, detective. I suggest you stay on point regarding the case, instead of talking about my former girlfriends.”
So, she was a former girlfriend, then. Her instincts about there being something more regarding his determination not to have her look into Angela had been correct. She wanted to dig deeper, to find out how they’d met—perhaps they’d been at university together—or how long their relationship had lasted, but, aware that she wanted to keep her job, she kept her mouth shut.
“Very well,” she said, choosing her words carefully, “but my hunch that she was connected to the case was correct.”
He gave a curt nod. “In retrospect, yes, it was. I shouldn’t have let my past relationship blur my view of the case, but you also shouldn’t have disobeyed my direct orders. I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Swift. One more foot wrong, and I’ll be forced to seriously consider your new job role.”
Considering the amount of additional paperwork she’d done, together with essentially still being forced to continue her old job, since Woods had never thought to put anyone into her empty DI position, she wasn’t sure she wanted it anyway. She didn’t say that either, however, not wanting to give him any rope with which to hang her with.
Instead, she bit the inside of her cheek and ducked her head in a nod. “Yes, sir.”
She still needed to ask for what she wanted to wrap up this case. Erica explained her plan to him. “And I’m going to need extra officers for a sting tomorrow, plus surveillance equipment.”
“Whatever you need.”
“Thank you, sir.”
She stood to leave, but his voice stopped her.
“You did the right thing by investigating Angela.”
The knot of anxiety in her chest loosened a fraction. “Thank you, sir.”
“Keep me updated, okay?”
Erica turned and left. She had other work to do, such as getting digital forensics onto the profile of John James that Angela had shown her on her phone. She had no idea how easy or hard it would be to track down the person behind the profile. Angela said the picture was correct, so they at least knew what he looked like, but she highly doubted anything else would be real. Whoever was behind this wouldn’t be so stupid as to use their real name. She also had to contact a prosecutor to see what deals could be offered to Angela and what charges would be brought upon the politician.
There was going to be a lot to put into action before tomorrow.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chau was thirteen years old and had already been through more in her life than most girls. There had been numerous times during the journey to the UK where she’d believed she was going to die. There had been those terrible hours in the back of the lorry where she’d thought they were all going to suffocate to death. Another time, in a country whose name she couldn’t even remember, her and her mother had been attacked by a gang of men, mocking and jeering at them, snatching their belongings from their hands and throwing them to the ground. Má had shouted at them, and they’d got aggressive and pushed her over. Chau had crouched to help her mother, and the men had stood over them, shouting in a language she didn’t understand. One of the men had kicked out at them, and when they’d both cowered, they’d laughed. Chau had been sure they were going to take things further—that they’d do all the unspeakable things men did to women and girls when they were alone—but someone must have been watching over them that day as they’d got bored before then and had turned and walked away, nudging each other and laughing as they went.
This time, however, she was certain her luck had run out. There was no way these men intended to let her live.
She wasn’t sure where she was. She remembered taking the laundry to the chute at the end of the corridor, like her mother had asked her, and then someone had called to her from the stairs. She’d been stupid and gone to see who needed her, thinking she’d get into trouble if she didn’t do what she was told, but a hand had reached out from behind her and wrapped around her mouth with something sweet-smelling. She struggled briefly but hadn’t been able to free herself. He’d used tape to cover the rag over her mouth, stopping her from crying and shouting, and then a giant bag had been pulled over her head. She’d felt herself being lifted, but her mind had already started to float by then, drawing away from the real world as it did right as she was falling asleep. But she knew this wasn’t sleep. Whatever
had been held over her mouth had made her feel this way. She tried to fight against it— Má would be worried sick when she didn’t come back—but she wasn’t strong enough. The rhythmical jolt-jolt-jolt of the man going down the stairs only made her struggle to stay awake worse. She tried to speak but only managed a weak moan, the sound stifled by both the tape and the bag.
After what had probably only been a matter of minutes, she’d faded into darkness.
When she woke again, she didn’t know where she was. Her mouth was still taped, her hands behind her back, and her ankles tied together. It was cold, and she shivered. The surface she sat upon was smooth and metal, and the walls were metal, too. What was this place?
Tears trickled from her eyes, and she inhaled a breath through her nose. She bit down on her sorrow, but it was hard not to experience the huge swell of self-pity inside her. They’d been through so much, and now this was happening—whatever this was. She wasn’t so young as not to know what men did to young women they kidnapped. Her mother had warned her of those dangers before they’d left to come here. A country that was supposed to be safe.
Her thoughts went to her mother. She would be blaming herself for Chau’s disappearance, even though it wasn’t her fault. But Má had put everything on herself—the happiness of Chau and their entire family on her shoulders. It was too much, but she’d never be told. All her mother wanted was for everyone to be taken care of. This would be killing her now.
Movement came at the door—which was also no more than a metal slab. There was a strange sucking noise as it opened, and the chilled air billowed out to whatever lay beyond.
A man stepped into the room. He was tall with dark hair and wore a suit. She recognised him as the same man who’d come to take their blood when they’d first arrived.
He offered her a smile, which was completely unfitting to the situation. It was as though he’d come to meet her in a restaurant or something, a polite duck of his head, that wide smile with the perfect teeth. She didn’t trust him at all.
“Hello, Chau.”
She had tape across her mouth, so it wasn’t as though she could reply. What did he expect from her? She blinked back her tears and narrowed her eyes into a scowl. Her heart hammered so fast she thought she might pass out, but she wasn’t going to give him the pleasure of seeing her fear. She’d been through so much over the past month or so and thought she was going to die on so many occasions. She wasn’t going to let some smiling Western man in suit get the better of her.
He put his hand out to her as though steadying a horse. “Just relax. I’m not going to hurt you, Chau. I need to check some things, is that okay?”
Chau screamed against the tape and kicked out her bound feet, doing her best to keep him away.
“Do you like helping people, Chau?”
She froze, every muscle tensed. She wasn’t going to help this man, no matter what he wanted.
He dropped to a crouch to bring himself to her level. “You seem like a nice girl. I imagine you’re the type of girl who wouldn’t like to see someone else suffering.”
Chau couldn’t reply with the tape across her mouth, so she responded with a glare.
“I’m sorry you were treated like this.” He reached out, and she jerked her head away, her eyes wide, her nostrils flared with fear.
“It’s okay. I’m just going to take the tape off your mouth. I bet you’re hungry and thirsty, too?” He reached in his bag and took out a bottle of water and a chocolate bar.
She was thirsty more than anything else. Her mouth was bone-dry, and her head hurt right behind her eyeballs. The need for water suddenly overcame her fear of the man, and she nodded but didn’t meet his eye.
“Good,” he said. “I’ll be as gentle as I can.”
She forced herself to keep still as he reached out again and caught the edge of the tape.
“Sorry,” he apologised, ripping the tape from her lips.
It stung, and her eyes watered, but she was thankful to no longer have her mouth covered. She parted her lips and stretched out her jaw but remained silent. Her English had come on a long way, even in the short time she’d spent in the country, plus they’d been learning during the journey, at her mother’s insistence. Má’s English wasn’t good at all, but Chau had picked it up much quicker. Her mother insisted it was because she was younger, and her brain was still in the learning phase, where hers was older and already set in its way, but Chau didn’t know how much truth there was in that.
“I’ll do these, too, shall I?” He gestured at her bound wrists.
This time, she nodded, her lips pressed together, and she held out her hands to him. He picked off the edge of the tape and pulled it loose, and unwound it from her wrists until she was able to yank them apart. Her skin had reddened where the tape had been, and she rubbed at her wrists with her opposite hand.
Chau was fully aware that she was tiny for her age—and would have been considered small compared to her counterparts back in Vietnam. Years of only the most basic of food had stunted her growth. This man was twice her body weight, if not more, and she knew she didn’t stand a chance if she tried to attack him or rush by him. Besides, that door was heavy and metal, and appeared to have some kind of electronic lock on it. It had closed automatically, and something had buzzed, and a light next to the door had flashed red. She didn’t need to know the ins and outs of how it worked to understand that meant it was locked.
No, she was going to need to be cleverer than that. She didn’t have any clue how, but she had no other choice.
He left her ankles bound, but the moment he left her alone again, she intended to undo the tape herself so she could walk around. Not that there seemed to be anything in this room that would help her get free. This whole room was like a metal box.
He handed her the water and the chocolate bar. “Here.”
She snatched the bottle, cracked off the lid, and gulped down half the contents. She briefly considered refusing the chocolate, but then she realised she had no idea how long she’d be kept here for and in a few hours she might find herself desperate for something to eat and kicking herself for not taking it. Chau plucked it from his fingers and shoved it in her pocket.
“Good idea.” He nodded approvingly. “Save it for later. Anyway, I was telling you about the reason you’re here. There’s a girl who’s about your age, and she’s very sick right now. She hasn’t been able to do all the things a girl your age should be able to do, and that’s made her really sad, and made her mother sad, too. But you have something that can make her better. Do you remember when I came and did blood tests on you and your mother?”
Chau didn’t respond, didn’t justify his question with a nod.
“Well, we did some tests on your blood and it turns out that you have the ability to save this girl’s life. That’s why you’re here, now.”
He was right, she did like to help people. She’d grown up with it drilled into her that she should always take care of others, just like her mother did.
“So, here’s the thing,” the man continued. “To save this other girl, you’ll need to have a small operation, but then once that operation is done, we’ll take you back to your mother, and both you and the other girl will go on to have an amazing life. Doesn’t that sound good?”
“An operation?” she said. “What kind of operation?”
“A really small one. You don’t need to know the details.”
“If I say no?”
“I’m afraid that isn’t really an option, but this whole thing will be far more pleasant for everyone involved if you agree to help.”
He was asking her for help, but he wasn’t really asking her. He was telling her this would happen whether she liked it or not.
This man hid behind the wide, white smile and the smart suit, and spoke in a calm voice, but it was all a façade. This wasn’t who he was at all. He’d abducted her and he wanted to cut her open. Was this other girl even real?
Instinctively, she knew
if she said no, it wouldn’t help her at all. She needed to be patient and wait and see what happened next. If they were going to do an operation, wouldn’t that mean they’d have to take her to a hospital? There would be other people in hospitals—doctors and nurses she’d be able to speak to. Maybe she’d be able to tell them that she didn’t want to go ahead with the operation and that she’d been kidnapped and forced into it. The niggling worry that they wouldn’t believe her wormed into her stomach, but what other choice did she have?
“Okay,” she said in her stilted English. “I will do it.”
He blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting her to be so agreeable. Maybe he’d thought she would scream and fight and cry—and inside, that was exactly what she was doing. But she wouldn’t let him see that.
“That’s wonderful news. Thank you, Chau. The girl you’ll be saving will be eternally grateful. Her name is Milly, and you’re going to change her life for the better.”
Fear and worry twisted itself all up into a knot inside Chau’s belly. What if the girl was real? What if she really needed Chau’s help? If she didn’t agree, would the girl, Milly, die?
No, it was all a trick. She mustn’t fall for it.
“When will it happen?” she dared to ask.
“Tomorrow, first thing.”
“And I must stay here? I want to see my mother.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let that happen. You’ll be taken to her as soon as you’re ready to leave the operating room.”
She nodded, knowing there was no point in arguing.
“Good girl.”
The man rose to his feet and left her with the half-drunk bottle of water. He stopped at the door and flashed a kind of card at a small screen beside the door. She tried to see what was beyond, but it just looked like a corridor, with no windows or even pictures on the wall.
The door buzzed again and slammed shut, locking her back in.
Of all the things her mother had warned her to be careful of, she’d never mentioned this.