by M A Comley
Sara left her desk and joined Carla at the door. “I’ll have to think about it.” She paused and posed as Rodin’s Thinker for a second or two. “All right, I’ve thunk. I don’t see why not.”
Carla spun on her heel and punched the air. Sara was relieved her partner had taken the news so well, nothing worse than spending a tough day at work with a mardy colleague.
She clapped to gain the team’s attention. “Okay, I want to make this brief. We have a lot of angles we need to hit this morning.” She went over the two calls she’d personally received from the appeal the night before and then sifted through the half dozen others that had come in after she’d left for the evening. There was no new evidence from what she could tell. “So, Craig, this morning, I need you to obtain the CCTV footage from Monday, specifically around the bus stop and in the precinct, if you will?”
He nodded. “Want me to try and get the footage from the bus as well?”
“Good idea. If you need a hand, give Barry a shout. Carla and I will be going over Amber’s phone statement. There’s also the matter of the firm in the email, we need to keep looking into that aspect. Anything else that I might have forgotten?”
“Would it be worth trying to find out how many limousines are in the area?” Jill suggested.
“Yes, although we don’t have a registration number yet, not until Craig has scrolled through the footage, it might be good to make a start, Jill.”
“What about trying to track Amber’s phone?” Will asked.
Sara shrugged. “I wish there was a way. We can’t do that until it’s switched back on again. Worth a shout though, Will. Carla and I will be paying Sasha another visit this morning, now we have indisputable proof that we believe she contacted Amber on Monday and not Sunday. Why did she lie? Anything else, or is that enough to be going on with?”
“I think we’ve covered everything,” Carla noted.
“Good. Right, are you ready, partner?”
“Too right. I can’t wait to confront the little minx.”
They left the incident room and wound their way down the concrete stairs. “Not sure I want to go in there to intentionally confront her. Let’s play it casual for now, see if she slips up once she sees the evidence against her.”
“Are you intending to question her at the shop or are you going to ask her to accompany us to the station?”
“I think the latter will have more impact, however, given the way she was reacting yesterday, maybe being hauled into the station will freak her out.”
“Perhaps you’re right. Either way, I’m eager to hear what she has to say or what excuse she’s going to give for trying to deceive us.”
They pulled into the staff car park at New Look five minutes later and entered the main entrance. The same assistant Sara spoke to the previous day was behind the counter. “Oh, hello again. Back so soon?”
“Yes. We have a few things we need to clear up with Sasha, if that’s okay, is she around?”
“Nope. She called in sick this morning. I was livid, she knows we’re all up against it around here with the area manager arriving any day for his annual inspection, and she drops me in it like this.”
“Did she say what’s wrong with her?” Sara asked, a nugget of concern tugging at her insides.
“No, apart from having flu-like symptoms. Astounding, considering she seemed to be fit and well enough yesterday. C’est la vie, we just have to accept it and move on.”
“Sorry to hear that she’s let you down. We’ll drop over and see her.”
“Ha… if she’s there and not off out somewhere, gallivanting.”
Sara smiled and nudged Carla to leave. “Thanks for your help.”
They left the shop before either of them spoke again. “Hell, I hope she’s okay. Maybe Will and I should have stuck around outside her house a bit longer last night, instead of calling it a day early.”
“Don’t go getting yourself all worked up. She could be genuinely ill. We’ll know soon enough. Come on.”
Sasha appeared devastated to see them standing on her doorstep when they rang the bell. She stepped back and allowed them to enter the hallway and whispered, “Do you mind keeping this down, Mum’s not too well, hence the reason I rang in sick today.”
“So, you haven’t got the flu, then?”
“No. My boss is an ogre, she wouldn’t have allowed me to have had the time off if I’d told her I needed it to care for Mum.”
“I see. Can we go somewhere else to have a chat? Somewhere we’re not likely to disturb your mother.”
“Yes, come through to the kitchen, you’ll have to excuse the mess. I’m trying to organise dinner for later. Mum said not to bother, but I wanted to make an effort for her, especially as she’s not very well.”
“May I ask what’s wrong?” Sara asked once they’d entered the kitchen and closed the door behind them.
“She has fits, she’s epileptic. I have to monitor her. Some days are worse than others.”
“Is your mum married?”
“No, Dad left as soon as her epilepsy started to get worse.”
“Sorry to hear that, Sasha.”
“We cope, most of the time. I feel guilty leaving her and going to work every day, but if I stayed at home, there’s no way we’d cope on benefits; Dad refuses to dip his hand in his pocket to send us any extra to cover the household expenses.”
“That’s such a shame.”
“You’re not here to offer me sympathy, we don’t need it anyway. What’s wrong, have you found Amber?”
Sara noticed a glimmer of hope enter the young woman’s eyes. “Why don’t we take a seat?”
They all sat around the circular pine table. Sasha reached for the salt pot and began twisting it nervously. “It’s bad news, isn’t it? She’s not… dead, is she?”
“No, it’s nothing like that, I promise. We simply need to review a few things you mentioned to me yesterday.”
“Oh, such as?”
Sara withdrew the sheet of phone records, unfurled it and pressed it flat onto the table. “Maybe you can clarify your phone number for us, if you would?”
“I don’t understand. Why? What’s that?”
“This is Amber’s latest phone record. What’s your number, Sasha?”
Sasha closed her eyes for an instant as if she was regretting getting caught out and reeled off her number.
Sara tapped the paper at the bottom. “Your number is the last one she called.”
“It was? Oh right, not surprising, we’re very close. She’s like the sister I’ve never had.”
“I see. Now, this is the part that I find perplexing…”
Sasha’s gaze darted between Sara and Carla. She let out a huge sigh, and her head flopped forward. “Am I in trouble?”
“For what? Making a false declaration? Did you, Sasha?”
Tears bulged and slipped onto her crimson cheeks. “I’m so sorry, it’s just that… umm… they warned me not to say anything.”
“They? Who are they?”
“The people who have Amber. They warned me that if I said anything to the police… oh God, I can’t tell you anything else… they’ll make good on their threat and kill her.”
“It’s pointless not telling us everything now. If you confide in us, there’s every chance we can save Amber, but you’re going to have to trust us.”
“But… I can’t. Please, don’t force me. I want her to stay safe. If I open my mouth, she’ll die.”
“I understand what a horrendous predicament you’re in, Sasha, but you need to do the right thing and tell us what you know.”
“They could be here, watching my house. What if they are and they saw you turn up?” She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
Sara rubbed her right arm. “That’s it, get it all out. We checked, there was no one hanging around outside when we arrived, love.” Sara cringed at how easily the lie slipped out of her mouth. She would say just about anything to get Sasha onside, in the hop
e that she revealed what they were likely up against.
Sasha shook her head. “I’m petrified of what they’ll do. They threatened they would kill her and come back to get me. That’s the truth, the reason I haven’t stepped foot outside the door today. My mum isn’t ill in bed, she’s at work. Please, I didn’t mean to deceive you. Don’t punish me for trying to keep myself and my family safe.”
Sara gripped Sasha’s hand. “We can help to keep you safe, if you’ll tell us what you know.”
“That’s just it, I don’t really know much, except that Amber was due to meet a man for an interview and went missing. I spoke to her on Monday morning, she was on the bus on her way to meet this man. I told her to ring me after the interview, to let me know how she got on.”
“And did she?” Sara glanced down to corroborate what she was thinking. “Yes, she called you at around three on Monday.”
“No, she didn’t. It wasn’t her. It was an evil man. He told me that if I ever wanted to see her alive again, I was to tell the police that I hadn’t spoken to Amber since Sunday.”
“Did he say what his aim is? Why he’s holding her?”
“No. The alarm bells should have rung long before she ever went for that damn interview.”
“I don’t understand. Why?”
“Who in their right mind employs a nineteen-year-old to be a globe-trotting assistant on a huge wage?”
“Is that what the job entailed?”
“Yes, she would have the world at her feet. Travel extensively, accompanying this man on business trips around the globe.”
“What’s his name, Sasha?”
She swallowed. “I don’t know. I tried to get more information out of her, but for some reason she wanted to keep everything else a secret from me. Maybe he warned her not to spout her mouth off. I don’t know. Jesus, I lay awake at night, regretting so much. Why didn’t I try harder to persuade her that this job seemed too damn good to be true? I had my doubts about it, but she was so damned excited. I didn’t want to press the point home and burst her bubble of euphoria. Oh God, now, I don’t know what’s going to happen to her. I’m distraught. I want her back, you have to help me save her.”
“We’re going to do our best. We’ll arrange a safe house for you. This man, or these people, won’t be able to find you, I promise.”
“What if they ring me? They have her phone.” She gasped. “Can’t you trace it? You must be able to do that, surely?”
“Not at present, we’ve tried. The phone is turned off. Will you work with us?”
“If I have your assurance that my family and I will be safe.”
“You do.”
“Okay, but I really don’t know much.”
“How did Amber hear about the job vacancy?” Sara asked.
Carla opened up her notebook, ready to jot down the answers.
“Damn, she didn’t say, and I didn’t ask. How dumb is that of me? I should’ve bloody asked her. She was so excited. I didn’t want my reservations to dampen her spirits. Amber loves money, spending it mostly. She saw the position as giving her a great start in life.”
“We’re aware that she has a fondness for shopping.”
“I kept asking her where she got her money from. She had a new bag every bloody week, and she didn’t buy them from the market either. I’m talking designer handbags that cost a packet.”
“We found a bank statement in her room, she’s in a lot of debt.”
Sasha shook her head. “Why am I not surprised?”
“You believe she got a taste for the high life and sought out a specific role to apply for?”
“Maybe. She was very secretive in that respect. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more.”
“The name of the person who was interviewing her, perhaps?”
“Nope, sorry. It’s not coming to me.”
“If I mentioned the name Barrows Associates or Henry?”
“No, why? Is that the firm and the name of the person who she had the interview with?”
“We believe so, we found an email on her laptop.”
“So, what are you waiting for? Go and arrest him. Why haven’t you picked him up yet?”
Sara inclined her head. “The firm doesn’t exist and we can’t trace a Henry Barrows.”
“Oh shit! How is that possible? How can someone deliberately set out to lure a young woman into a trap? What a sick individual… shit, I don’t even want to go there. Why would he do this to Amber? She’s a bit flighty at times, but basically, she’s a nice enough girl. Why choose her?”
“Flighty? In what way?” Sara probed, trying to get to the depths of Amber’s character.
“I don’t know. She’s what I would call eccentric, not your run-of-the-mill type of friend.”
“That’s not really telling me much.”
She shrugged. “Sorry, that’s all I can think of saying.”
“It doesn’t matter. Perhaps you can tell us where the interview was due to be held?”
“Nope. She said she had to catch a bus into town and someone would meet her outside a coffee house in the precinct. Honestly, I tried to tell her how suspicious that sounded, and no, this isn’t me just saying it after the event. I truly tried to warn her about going to meet someone in such circumstances.”
“And what was her reaction?”
“She outright told me that I was being jealous. That happened when we met up over the weekend. She’d forgiven me by the Monday and called me from the bus to say how excited, yet nervous, she felt. I knew better than to cast further doubts, so went along with the conversation, except I urged her to call me the second the interview ended. It was my way of trying to keep tabs on her. I spent the rest of the day being frantic until I received the call that afternoon, except it wasn’t from her. My life fell apart. I was torn in two. But his voice and the sinister threat he issued will remain with me for the rest of my days. I apologise for not confiding in you sooner.” Fresh tears cascaded. “Please, please, you have to help her. I know she’s in danger. I don’t know what this man is capable of, although I can imagine. She doesn’t deserve this. No girl deserves to be abducted and kept against her will.”
“Try not to imagine what she’s possibly going through. Did you see the press appeal go out last night?”
“Yes. Again, I was filled with guilt and almost rang the number on the screen. To say what, I don’t know. Actually, I do. I could’ve told you that I felt she’d been lured away. In truth, I thought you would come down heavy on me after how I reacted during our last meeting. I’m so confused right now. I want you to find Amber, but am I guilty of thinking of my own welfare before hers?”
“My take is that this person, or people, just wanted to keep you on your toes by threatening you. I could be wrong.”
“I hope so, but you said you’d get me and my mum a safe place to stay. Is that still on the table?”
“Of course it is, I never go back on my word. Returning to the appeal, we received a couple of calls, one from a passenger on the bus who pointed us in your direction.” Sasha frowned. “By that, I mean, he informed us that Amber was talking to someone, a friend on the phone and mentioned an interview. The other significant call we received was from a young lady who said she saw Amber walking through the precinct and then get in the back of a limousine.”
Sasha gasped and covered her mouth, then dropped her hand. Her eyes wide with expectation, she asked, “There, that’s something good for you to go on, isn’t it? The number plate, you have that, don’t you?”
“Sadly, nothing as detailed as that came from the witness. We’re doing our very best to establish more information about the vehicle, don’t worry.”
“I’ll keep thinking positive, then. God, what else can I do? I want her back home. I dread to think how she’s being treated by this person. I doubt he’s treating her kindly, not after abducting her. Am I wrong to think that?”
“Let’s hope something puts us on the right track today. We’re still receivin
g calls from the appeal, so all is not lost just yet. Right, I’m going to sort out some accommodation for you, give me five minutes.” Sara excused herself and stepped into the hallway. She rang her contact at the station and was given the all-clear to use one of the safe houses situated on the outskirts of Hereford. Sara arranged for a member of the team to meet them at the location in a couple of hours. That would give Sasha and her mother time to pack a few essentials for a few days. Sara shared the news, and immediately, Sasha started panicking.
“God, I need to ring Mum. She’s at work, her boss isn’t going to be pleased.”
“My advice would be for your mother to tell her boss she’s facing a family emergency and can’t go into detail right now.”
“Good idea.” Sasha picked up her mobile and pressed a single number. “Hi, Mum, sorry to trouble you at work, it’s an emergency… No, you need to listen very carefully, I have the police here.” Sasha rolled her eyes and held the phone away from her ear. “Mum, calm down. I haven’t done anything wrong. I’ll tell you what’s happened when you get here… Yes, you need to come home straight away… Tell him it’s a family emergency and you’ll be back in a few days.” Sasha held the phone away a second time when her mother started shouting again. “Mum, I’m not messing around, this is really serious… Okay, I’ll see you soon… thank you for trusting me.”
After she’d finished her call, she placed her mobile on the table. “I think I got through to her in the end. She’s coming home, she should be here in about fifteen minutes. Do you want me to pack a bag while I’m waiting?”
“Why not? I’m sure your mother will understand once she learns the truth.”
Sasha rose from the table. “I hope so. She can be a nightmare for weeks if she gets in a foul mood, and to be trapped in a strange house with her is going to do my head in.”
“I’ll have a word with her when she arrives, pave the way for you. How’s that?”
“Thanks! I won’t be long. Help yourself to tea or coffee, the milk’s in the fridge and mugs are in the cupboard.”
“We’ll do that, do you want anything?”