Locked Away (DI Sara Ramsey Book 13)

by M A Comley

  “Yes.”

  “Did you manage to stop him last night or did he run out of steam after he’d vented his fucking anger?”

  Carla’s head dropping again gave her the answer she was seeking.

  “Right, I’ve heard enough. I refuse to sit back and not do anything. I’m going to haul his fucking arse in here and have it out with him.”

  Carla shot out of her chair, placed her hands on the desk and leaned in. “No. I won’t allow you to. I resign. I’ve had it with you.” She stormed out of the room before what she’d said had a chance to register with Sara.

  Had it with me? What the fuck did I do wrong, except say I thought Gary should be punished for assaulting her?

  Dazed, she got to her feet and flew out of the office. She searched the room for Carla; she was nowhere to be seen. “Where is she?”

  Christine rolled her eyes. “She grabbed her bag and bolted, boss. When I asked her what was wrong, she grumbled something about resigning, burst into tears and ran out before anyone could ask her what she meant or even stop her. What’s going on, boss?”

  Sara flopped into the nearby chair, placed her elbows on her thighs and put a hand on either side of her head. “It all got out of hand. I told her she needed to lay charges on Gary, or words to that effect.” Her head muzzy, the clarity of the conversation was lost on her. “No, what I actually said was that I was going to haul his arse in here and have it out with him.”

  “Crikey! Go you. I think I would have said the same if I was in your position. He can’t be allowed to get away with this, can he?”

  “He shouldn’t. However, if Carla allows him to get away with it there’s nothing we can do about it. He’s scum, I can’t stand the bastard. I’m afraid she’s noticed that I detest him, and things deteriorated quickly between us. The truth is, I wished I’d kept my mouth shut, but how could I? He needs to be punished for beating her to a pulp. You know what, she hasn’t even looked at herself in the mirror this morning. Had she had the courage to do so, maybe we wouldn’t be in this position now.”

  “And what position might that be, may I ask?”

  Sara cringed, recognising the voice coming from directly behind her. She gulped and swivelled in her chair to face DCI Price. “Umm… maybe we should discuss this in my office, ma’am.”

  “Very well, after you, Inspector Ramsey. Be quick about it, I have a meeting with the Superintendent planned in an hour, I’d rather not be late if it’s all the same to you.”

  Sara apprehensively led the way back into her office. She passed by Christine and muttered, “Wish me luck.”

  “Good luck,” Christine whispered back.

  Carol Price was already seated, sighing heavily when Sara entered the office. Sara closed the door, inhaled a few deep breaths and took her seat opposite. “I was on my way to come and see you, ma’am.”

  “It didn’t seem that way to me. What position? What’s going on? And spare me the minor details, get to the bullet points right from the get-go, will you?”

  Sara picked up a pen and jiggled it through her fingers. “The problem is, we’re one man down.”

  “Okay, you’ve coped with someone being off sick before, what’s the trouble this time?”

  “Correction, we’re a woman down…”

  “Either way, it doesn’t matter. Get to the point, I’m ordering you, Inspector.”

  “Carla stormed out.”

  The chief’s brow wrinkled, and her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. “Stormed out? Am I supposed to interpret what that means, apart from the bloody obvious? You’re going to need to give me more than that, and quickly, do I have to remind you about the time restraint I’m under?”

  Sara sighed. “She turned up for work looking like a poor replacement for Mike Tyson’s sparring partner.”

  “You’re not making any sense. Who is Mike Tyson?”

  She groaned. “The boxer. What I’m trying to tell you in a ham-fisted way, is that Carla had been assaulted.”

  “What? Not again. That poor cow. Hang on a sec, if she bothered to turn up for work this morning, why wouldn’t she stick around? More to the point, why would she ‘storm out’ as you put it?” She tapped her watch to emphasise her need for Sara to reveal all swiftly.

  “This time it was different. Her fella knocked seven bells out of her. After listening to her constantly making excuses for him, well, I blew my top, told her I was going to bring him in for questioning. I actually used much firmer words than that. Her reaction was to take flight.”

  “Oh, I see. She’ll be back. She just needs to calm down a little first.”

  Sara shook her head. Here we go, once I reveal the truth, she’s going to go spare! “That’s not all. Her final words to me were that… umm…”

  “Spit it out, woman.”

  “She resigned.”

  Carol’s expression darkened, and her gaze darted towards the window. After a brief pause, she demanded, “She did what? Was she bloody serious? How did it come to this? Why did you hound her?”

  “Whoa! I said what every self-respecting woman would say in my situation. Are you telling me you would have listened to her making excuses for that bastard and not reacted?”

  “No, I’m not saying that at all, but bloody hell, Sara, telling her you were going to arrest him…” Carol sat back and shook her head.

  “What? You can’t put this on my shoulders. All I was doing was pointing out to her how wrong she was to accept his illness or his injuries were to blame for him lashing out. You should have frigging seen the state she was in. If you don’t believe me how bad she was, I’m sure the rest of the team will back me up. Furthermore, it wasn’t just her face that was black and blue. I lifted her shirt, and her ribs had taken a hammering as well. It wouldn’t surprise me if she had a couple of broken ribs thrown into the mix, too. And Lord knows what else, she could be bruised all over for all I know. I said what I had to say to a friend and colleague. I had no idea she would bloody react the way she did.” She replaced the breath she’d used up and began again. “Any woman with a conscience would have reacted the same way as me. I couldn’t sit back and watch her suffer and keep my mouth shut. He deserves to be brought in, put in a cell and be set upon by a dozen officers for what he’s put that girl through over this past year or so.”

  “Why did they get back together?”

  “Fucked if I know. Again, I think Carla must have felt sorry for him after they were both abducted. I suppose near-death syndrome would have been a major factor, perhaps.”

  “Jesus. I can’t do anything about this now, my meeting has to take priority. But if you let me have her address, I’ll call round and have a word. See if I can’t iron things out between you. She’s a good person, an exceptional copper, we’d be foolish to stand back and let her walk away. What would she do if she wasn’t a copper?”

  “I doubt if that thought has even crossed her mind. One thing is for sure, if she gave up her job, it would mean they would be with each other twenty-four-seven, and I can only foresee one outcome to that.”

  “I trust your instincts. I still think you handled the situation the wrong way, but what’s done is done. Do me a favour, jot down her address for me.”

  Sara reached for a pen and paper, jotted down the requested information and handed it to the chief. “I’m sorry. I realise now that I was in the wrong. I thought I was sticking up for a friend and a colleague. I misjudged the situation. I refuse to keep defending my actions. I think one apology is enough, don’t you?”

  Carol didn’t answer. She rose from her chair and made her way to the door. “We’ll see what happens when I pop round and see her later. If she’s as bad as you say she is, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to bite my tongue either. However, what I do recognise is she needs our support, not our reprimands. We’ll see how things pan out.”

  Sara hung her head in shame. The chief was right, she should have swallowed down the anger she was dealing with and openly listened to Carla’s needs. N
ow it might be too late for that. I might have lost her as a friend as well as a partner. She stared out at the white fluffy clouds sweeping past the window for a few moments before she tackled the day’s post.

  Christine popped her head around the door a second or two later. “Just checking you’re all right, boss.”

  “I’ll be fine, full of regrets, but fine nonetheless. Tell Craig to prepare himself, he’ll be coming out on the road with me today. I’ll be another five minutes here.”

  “I will, boss.”

  Christine left her to it. Sara looked down at the first envelope. It had a wet patch on it where a stray tear had fallen. Daft mare! Get a grip!

  She resisted the temptation to call her husband. To hear his comforting words that everything would be all right.

  Ten minutes later, her daily chore dealt with in the quickest time possible, she walked into the incident room to find Craig sitting at his desk, staring at her door. Once she emerged from her office, he bounced to his feet like an overexcited Labrador.

  “Okay, I forgot to mention, with all that has gone on here today, that Jeff collared me on the way in this morning, informed me that another possible abduction could be on the agenda. We’ll go and see the next of kin now to get an idea of what we’re dealing with. I need you guys to continue with what you were doing regarding Jennifer Moore. The young lady we’re concerned about is an Amanda Smith—at present, that’s all I know about her. I know we’re a woman down, but do your best. See you later.”

  Sara and Craig left the station.

  Outside, en route to her car, Craig asked quietly, “Do you think she’ll be back?”

  “Who? Carla?” Sara replied, looking at him over the top of the car.

  “Yes. She seemed pretty upset.”

  “I know. I’m hoping common sense will prevail. The DCI is planning on going around to see her later. I’m hoping she’ll be able to talk some sense into her. Until then, matey, you can class yourself as my new sidekick.”

  The colour rose in his cheeks, and he smiled warmly at her. “I’m thrilled by the promotion, no matter how long it may last. Thank you for giving me the opportunity, boss.”

  “Hey, and sucking up to the boss isn’t acceptable, got that? Just be yourself, Craig, and we’ll get along famously.”

  “You’ve got it.”

  They both dived into the car. Sara set the satnav with the co-ordinates and drove out of the car park.

  “All right if I ask another question?”

  She half-turned to look at him. “Shoot.”

  “If the DCI fails to talk Carla around, where does that leave us? Apart from up shit creek, that is.”

  “I’d rather not think about it. I suppose we could always reinstate Will, if we have to.”

  Craig cleared his throat.

  Sara had a feeling she wasn’t going to like what he was about to say next. “Go on, give it to me. What are you thinking?”

  “Umm… I think Will may have already found alternative employment.”

  “You’re kidding! Really?”

  “If my eavesdropping is up to scratch, yes. I overheard him speaking to a friend of his yesterday afternoon about some kind of mercenary work.”

  Sara slammed on the brakes; luckily there were no vehicles behind her. “You’re not pulling my chain, are you?”

  “No. I wouldn’t do that, boss. He’s got an ex-serviceman mate who is working out in the Middle East. Apparently, he told Will to get in touch if he ever fancied a role in his line of work. I don’t think Will was relishing being at home with his wife, truth be told.”

  “But mercenary work? Who’d have thunk it? It’s always the quiet ones you have to watch, eh? Come on, let’s have it, what secrets do you possess, Craig? I feel as though I’ve been shafted today. I guess I don’t know you guys as well as I thought I did.” She started on the journey again.

  “Me? I’ve got nothing, boss, I assure you. I’m just a boring detective constable, hoping that one day his boss will think enough of his work to put him forward for promotion, when the opportunity arises.”

  “Hey, don’t think your efforts have gone unnoticed, matey. Why do you think I’ve had a tough month trying to decide who was up for the chop? You’re all exceptional to me, and the chief appreciates what a horrible situation she put me in.”

  He beamed beside her. “That’s great to hear. If the opportunity comes up, will you put my name forward, boss?”

  “Of course I will. If you’re eager to get a promotion, why on earth didn’t you come and see me sooner?”

  “Umm… I didn’t want to appear pushy.”

  Sara tutted. “You’re nuts. You’re young, Craig, not stupid. Have the courage of your convictions. If you don’t ask you don’t get, that’s the motto my parents instilled into me from a very young age. I’m passing it on to you.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  I’m glad some members of my team welcome my wise words, even if others refuse to accept them. Carla, you’re a damned idiot, but you’re also a dear friend. I hope for your sake, you’re going to listen to what the chief has to say. We can’t all be wrong. Come back to us soon, girl, before it’s too late.

  Roderick Adams was in his driveway, cleaning his Audi when Sara pulled up outside his home. He dropped the sponge into his bucket and wiped his hand on his jeans, already patchy with soap suds and water. He held out his hand for Sara to shake. “You must be the police. I’m Roderick Adams.”

  Sara shook his hand and smiled. “I’m DI Sara Ramsey, and this is my partner, DC Craig Watson. Sorry to interrupt, would it be possible for us to chat inside?”

  “Yes, I can deal with this later. I was trying to keep my mind occupied. I’ve done a bunch of DIY chores around the house today, rather than sit around stewing on things. It’s the not knowing that’s hard to handle.”

  “I’m sure. Let’s hear what you have to say and hopefully we can offer some form of solution for you.”

  “I doubt it. I know when something is wrong, Inspector. Amanda and I have no secrets from each other. We ring each other at least five or six times a day, we’re genuine soulmates. I’ve never liked the term, not really, but it sums up our relationship accurately enough. Sorry, I’m waffling on. I’m nervous and scared about what’s happened to her. Please, come inside. I can finish this off later.”

  They followed him into the small detached house on one of the new estates close to the racecourse near Bobblestock. He invited them to take a seat in the lounge. It was decorated in a subtle grey, pops of mustard yellow in the cushions and throws, with highlights of the same colours in the curtains hanging at the two windows, one overlooking the drive at the front, the other with a view of the walled garden at the rear.

  “Perhaps you can tell us what you know about your fiancée’s disappearance, Mr Adams?”

  “I can try. Please, call me Rod, that way I won’t feel as old as my dad.” He smiled, but it soon evaporated.

  “Of course. In your own time, Rod.”

  The three of them took a seat.

  Rod remained on the edge of his. “She always rings me before leaving work. That way I can get a sandwich made ready for when she walks in the door. I know, I spoil her. She’s worth spoiling, though. She’s my life, a one-in-a-million type of girl. I miss her and I’m extremely worried about what might have happened to her.”

  Sara nodded. “Stick to the facts, if you will?”

  “Sorry, of course.”

  “Where does Amanda work?”

  He wrung his hands. “She’s a barmaid at the Dog and Duck, a couple of miles away.”

  Sara glanced at Craig who gave a brief nod to acknowledge he knew the pub.

  “And you say she rang you, what time was that?” Sara asked.

  “Around eleven-twenty-five. She normally leaves the pub about then. I generally stand at the window, waiting for her to arrive. She never came home. I tried ringing her mobile, and it was dead. I was going frantic. Rang my mum, she told
me to contact the police straight away. Please, you have to help me find her. I’ll be lost without her. Not only that, we’re due to get married in a couple of weeks, and there are dozens of arrangements that need sorting before then. She’s in charge of that side of things. If we fall behind on the decision-making, I can see the wedding getting called off.”

  “I understand the urgency behind you finding her, but please, we’re going to need you to remain calm. What type of character is she?”

  “Loving, can’t do enough for people. She hasn’t got a selfish bone in her body.”

  Sara smiled. “Good to hear. Has anything occurred in her private life which could have backfired or have any bearing on her disappearance?”

  He frowned. “Sorry, I don’t understand what you mean.”

  “Has she perhaps fallen out with anyone recently?”

  “No, she’s not the type. She’d rather walk away from an argument than upset anyone.”

  Sara nodded and looked sideways to see if Craig was taking notes. He was. “Okay, what about you? Have you got into any trouble lately that might come back and bite you?”

  “No, I’m pretty boring. Never been involved in anything dodgy, if that’s what you’re inferring.”

  “Okay, so we can discard that as a possibility. Have you checked with the pub?”

  “Yes, the landlady, Bella, told me Amanda’s car is sitting in the car park. Again, once I heard that news, I contacted the police. I know something dreadful has happened to her. I’m begging you to take this seriously. The woman I spoke to at the police station told me you can’t do anything for twenty-four hours; I’m scared that’s going to be too late.”

  Sara smiled again to try to reassure him. “We’re prepared to overlook protocol in your fiancée’s case.”

  “You are? That’s brilliant news. May I ask why?”

  She drew in a deep breath. “Because we’re investigating a very similar case which materialised at the weekend.”

  Rod inched forward in his seat. “Oh, God, and you think there’s a connection, is that what you’re telling me?”

  “Possibly, yes.”

  He scratched the side of his face and frowned. “I haven’t seen anything mentioned on the news. Why not?”