Find Her Alive

by Diane Saxon

  She’d hear him go, smell the fumes from his car.

  She craned her neck to look at the medical trolley he’d brought in previously, studied the precision with which he’d placed every single item on it. None of them touching the others. The guy had OCD. He couldn’t help but remove the dirty bowl. An interesting snippet she filed away in case she needed it later. Not that she had any intention of being around later, but when she escaped, she needed to be able to identify the bastard so her sister could arrest him.

  Her sister. Fliss screwed her face up, regret hammering at her heart. Jenna would be devastated. She’d think she was dead. Mum was dead, Domino was dead, and Jenna was all alone.

  Tears pricked the back of her eyes. How would Jenna cope on her own? No matter how much fuss Jenna had made when Fliss had moved in with her, Fliss knew her sister loved having company, knew she hated to be alone. It was why she’d wheedled her way into Jenna’s home instead of getting a place of her own. They both needed each other since their mum had gone.

  Fliss blinked away the hot scald of tears that blurred her vision.

  ‘Mum.’ Her breath hitched in painful gasps. ‘Mum. Please, please help.’

  To conserve her energy, Fliss lay her head back and drifted in and out of consciousness as time shimmered past.

  The sharp clack of the man’s leather-soled shoes warned her he was back. It wouldn’t be for long and then she’d be left alone so she could plot her escape and get out of there before he returned.

  He gave little irritating sniffs as he inspected the small trolley, rearranging items until he was satisfied they were in the right order.

  ‘I see you haven’t eaten your porridge. I do hope you’re not sulking.’ Deep disappointment furrowed his brow.

  ‘No, I…’

  ‘I thought I’d bring you a sandwich, but I can see it would only go to waste.’

  ‘Please, I…’ She clamped her mouth shut on her words as his gaze sharpened on her face. She couldn’t risk him losing control again. She just needed him to go.

  A worm of doubt writhed in her stomach as he picked up a small vial and a needle. Her battered, swollen mouth dried up as he filled the hypodermic, tapping the side and squirting out a little fluid before he turned to her, a placid, condescending smile on his face.

  ‘You didn’t think I’d leave you alone all night so you could play, did you?’

  ‘I…’

  ‘Shhhh. It’s okay. There’s nothing for you to concern yourself about. Don’t worry, I’m fully trained.’

  Fliss scrunched her brow as he pushed the needle into her skin.

  Soft, black clouds floated around her to encase her in a warm, floating sensation where her fears evaporated, and the man’s face filled her vision for a moment before darkness took him away.

  24

  Monday 29 October, 06:30 hrs

  Jenna shoved one last piece of toast in her mouth, choked down the free-range eggs she’d scrambled. No appetite, but she knew if she was to keep up her strength, she needed to eat, and she needed her strength because she had to find her sister.

  Another shit night’s sleep.

  She pushed herself away from the kitchen table, rinsed her plate before she stacked it in the virtually empty dishwasher. That was another thing about Fliss that had bugged her. Instead of putting her crockery in the dishwasher, she left it in the sink, and then the bloody dog got up on the side and started licking at the dirty dishes.

  A strangled sob broke from her as she turned away from the dishwasher. She wouldn’t care if only Domino was okay, if only Fliss would come through the front door.

  She wiped her hands, snatched up her bag and coat and slammed out of the door as fast as she could, leaving behind the accusing silence.

  As she pulled the car up outside the vets’ practice, she sucked in several deep breaths, unsure if she could bear to see him. She’d phoned three times the previous day, but they’d told her there was no point her visiting because he was still heavily sedated.

  Her heart ached as she stepped inside the quiet reception at just after seven in the morning. She needed to get in and out before they became busy. Get on with her own work.

  ‘Morning. I’m Detective Sergeant Jenna Morgan. I’m here to visit Domino.’

  The flicker of surprise in the young veterinary nurse’s gaze served to remind Jenna she wasn’t there to arrest anyone, merely to visit the damned dog. She should never have whipped out her warrant card, but her mind hadn’t engaged. The woman in pale blue scrubs probably thought she was an arse of epic proportions. Jenna gave her a tight smile. ‘Sorry, bad night.’

  The soft touch of the woman’s hand against Jenna’s arm almost brought her to her knees. Unsure she could cope with sympathy, Jenna swallowed hard and ducked her head so the nurse didn’t catch the gleam of tears that had sprung from nowhere.

  A gentle lilt of Irish wound around the nurse’s words. ‘I understand. Come through to the kennels. Domino’s doing well. He’s a strong boy.’

  Jenna weaved through the narrow passageways behind the nurse, sucking in deep breaths of air, unsure if she’d be able to cope when she saw what a mess her sister’s dog was in.

  The nurse swung open a door and gave Jenna room to peer past her into the dimly lit room. ‘I’ll leave you alone with him.’

  Jenna stared down at his limp, lifeless body and wondered how they could have told her he was stable. He looked dead.

  With a sharp crackle and pop of her knees, she crouched down.

  Her fingers shook as she reached out. Surprise rippled through her at the satin heat of him, the sturdy beat of his heart as she stroked her hand over the length of him and felt the life pulse through the palm of her hand.

  Hope fluttered. If he could survive, surely her sister could.

  Jenna laid her head against Domino’s shoulder instead of cheek to cheek the way he liked it. His face was too much of a mess. There was barely anywhere she could touch with all the stitching and bandages.

  The scald of tears ran into his fur and she pulled away, desperate to wipe them from her cheeks as the vet knocked on the door before sliding through the narrow gap she’d created, obviously used to animals trying to escape.

  ‘It looks a lot worse than it is, Jenna.’ The cool, calm tones of the woman helped to dry up Jenna’s tears, and with one last swipe, she turned to face the vet, keeping her hand lightly on Domino’s neck.

  ‘What’s the prognosis?’

  Sarah stepped closer, hunkered down on the floor next to Jenna and touched Domino’s shoulder with fondness. ‘Most of the cuts and abrasions are superficial, they should heal relatively quickly. Except for this one.’ She indicated the long zipper of clamps from shoulder to hips. ‘We’ll have him up today. He was lucky, the break in his jaw is what we’d call favourable. It’ll take a few weeks to heal, but he’ll be as good as new. We’ve wired it, you’ll have to take care with him, especially in the first few weeks. Knowing Domino, he’ll be full on straight away. He’ll want to charge around like the idiot he is. So far, we’ve kept him a little bit sedated for his own good.’ Sarah’s lips curved with affectionate humour while she ran her hand over him again. ‘You can probably take him home tomorrow.’

  With a fast jolt, Jenna realised Domino was her responsibility. She jerked her head up, faced Sarah. ‘I’m not sure I can, I’m at work most of the time. Fliss…’ Panic rose in her throat. She’d always been there for him when her shifts allowed. Even when Fliss had been with her idiot of a boyfriend, she’d dropped Domino off when Jenna wasn’t working, so he had company and she could walk him. She’d loved their walks, she’d loved having him, although she’d never admitted it to Fliss. She’d made it a game. She grumbled just to wind her sister up.

  This, though, was different. The dog was injured. He needed care for far more time than Jenna had available. She needed Fliss, damn her.

  ‘I’m so sorry about Fliss. Have you had any news?’

  Jenna could only shake h
er head, her fingers trembled as she flexed them in Domino’s fur, the thick ball of tears clogged her throat.

  ‘I can recommend a good dog sitter. She’d probably be able to fit around your shifts.’

  She didn’t want a good dog sitter. She wanted Fliss.

  She clenched her jaw, unable to meet Sarah’s observant gaze. ‘That would be helpful. Thank you.’

  The dark expanse of him filled the doorway to her office, where he lounged with casual negligence. Under other circumstances, she may well have acted on the instinctive attraction to him. But she had nothing to give, no real interest apart from how to perform her job without getting into trouble. And that was the only function she required of him.

  He was a seriously attractive man. And she was emotionally dead inside.

  She caught the delicious aroma of strong coffee and her legs almost gave way with gratitude.

  ‘So,’ She snatched up the paper cup, peeped under the lid and sighed at the sight of the thick cream on the top of the cappuccino he’d brought her. She indulged herself in a long sip before she met his amused gaze. ‘What brings you here today? I thought you had a court case.’ She thought he trusted her not to interfere with her sister’s case. She glanced at the paper bag on her desk, drew it towards her with one finger. ‘What’s this?’

  Adrian’s lips twitched as he slipped into the chair opposite, his wide shoulders in a dark burgundy cashmere jumper appeared to take up even more room than they had the day before. Despite his more casual dress, the man emanated class and money. Someone for her to definitely steer clear of.

  Every penny she’d ever had, she’d earned herself. The financial struggle her mum had gone through when her dad left had never got them back on their feet again. Not until Jenna had joined the Force and Fliss had graduated with honours in her teacher’s degree, initially working in a primary school in Birmingham until she’d fallen lucky enough to scoop a position in Ironbridge and Coalbrookdale school, much closer to home.

  Adrian reached out and drew the package back over the desk. ‘I figured you probably needed feeding this morning, as you’d have left the house without food.’ He drew a chocolate twist and a croissant from the brown package and the sweet aroma filled the air. He twitched his eyebrows and gave a wide grin, so she noticed for the first time how straight and neat his teeth were. He took the plain croissant and pushed the paper bag back at her.

  ‘Are they warmed?’ The twist flopped against her hand, so he didn’t need to answer as the warm gloop of chocolate smeared across her fingers and she pushed it into her mouth to take a bite. ‘I had breakfast.’

  His dark brows raised to crinkle his forehead.

  ‘Yep.’ She took another bite, enjoyed the sweet and savoury as she chewed. ‘I’m not the type to do without food for long. I need to keep my strength up. There’s work to be done.’

  He leaned back in the chair, kept one hand under the croissant as he took a large bite. His jaw distracted her as it flexed, tight and muscular while he chewed. She’d not realised when he wore his suit just how toned he was. He smiled around his food. ‘You didn’t need to take it, you could have let me have it.’

  ‘No chance. I had breakfast two hours ago.’ She glanced at her watch. Nine o’clock. ‘This is elevenses.’

  He chuckled while he finished off the croissant and dusted his fingers, so the tiny flakes fell to the floor instead of on his neat jumper.

  Jenna found her gaze staying on his hands. No wedding ring, but it didn’t always mean something. His smart chequered shirt and burgundy tie showing through the V-neck of his fine knitted jumper was more of a giveaway, especially with the razor-sharp folds in his slate-grey trousers. Married men had never been her thing, not since her dad had left her mum for a younger woman he worked with.

  She leaned back in her chair, rested her elbows on the chair arms and linked her fingers in front of her. ‘What can I do for you today, Adrian?’

  ‘I thought I’d sit in on the brief, see where they’ve got to.’

  Irritation skittered through her veins. ‘I can’t, I have to interview my rapist.’

  ‘Alleged rapist.’

  In one swift move, she came to her feet, pushed the last morsel of food into her mouth and swiped up her paper cup, the coffee still too hot to drink. ‘No. He’s a rapist. I can tell you that right now.’ She touched her fingers to her cheek, where the bruise she’d disguised with a little make-up still smarted.

  More leisurely than Jenna, Adrian stood, his own cup still on her desk.

  His gaze raked over her as he stepped into her path and raised his hand to touch cool fingers against her florid cheek. ‘He hit you?’

  She tried to step back, but he slid his hand around the back of her neck, under her hair. Firm fingers held her captive while he inspected her face.

  ‘It’s nothing. He didn’t hit me.’

  He quirked his brow, doubt sliding over his face.

  ‘He kneed me.’

  The sharp hiss he sucked in accompanied the quick slam of his eyebrows across darkened eyes. ‘He kneed you in the face?’

  ‘Yeah.’ She raised her hand to encircle his wrist with her fingers and pull it away from her neck, the fear of his sympathy too much for her to bear. ‘It’s what happens, Adrian. Sometimes I’m in the line of fire.’ She wasn’t sure how he managed to tangle his fingers in hers, but when she tugged away, he held on and drew her back.

  ‘Jenna. Hold still.’

  ‘I can’t. I need to go.’

  ‘Hold on just one minute. Did anyone check your face?’

  ‘Yes. The duty doctor. There’s nothing broken, he said he caught the fleshy part of my cheek. Hurt like hell.’ She smiled up at him, but the effort was too much as anger swirled in his eyes and his lips dipped into a straight line. She didn’t need his sympathy, didn’t want anyone’s sympathy. She was holding up just fine. Unless someone raked a gentle gaze over her or smoothed a tender hand from shoulder to elbow, then held onto her fingers again.

  The constriction in her chest tightened to a painful wrench and the sob she’d held back escaped.

  He opened his arms and wrapped her in the warm comfort of another human being while she encircled his waist with her arms and hugged him tightly, still gripping her coffee in one hand.

  She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had anyone hug her other than Fliss. Her mum had been all too frail at the end for anything other than a gentle stroke of her fingers across the back of her hand to reassure her she was still there.

  This bear of a man made her feel so small and delicate, a rarity with her height. She gripped his soft jumper with her fingers and burrowed her nose into his neck to accept the comfort he offered. The desire to cry evaporated, but she simply stood in the circle of his arms and breathed long and slow.

  He’d allowed her a moment of weakness and she appreciated it, but it was time for her to be strong once again.

  She pulled back. ‘I need to get to work.’ Voice a husky whisper, she took another step back, so she could gain her equilibrium.

  ‘Okay.’ His slow nod jangled her heart. ‘Me too. I’ll sit in on the briefing and let you know what you need to. You go and carry out your interview.’ He raised a hand and grazed a tender thumb over her cheek. ‘Watch out for the little bastard this time, Sergeant. Don’t let him get the upper hand.’

  Heart already struggling to contain her feelings, Jenna swung open her office door.

  ‘Morning, Sarg.’

  That heart almost leapt out of her mouth as the scrawny kid stood at the entrance to her office, fist raised ready to knock. If he’d been just twenty seconds earlier, he may well have caught her in the arms of the Chief Crown Prosecutor.

  ‘Ryan. What do you want?’ She took large strides across the outer office, let him follow her. It wasn’t that she was trying to escape, she convinced herself, merely that she needed to interview her suspect before time ran out and she was required to request an extension. Just another pain in the
arse paperwork exercise she could do without. She suspected it would be frowned upon when her excuse was she was taking comfort from the newly assigned Chief Crown Prosecutor they’d sent to further torture her while she was completely helpless to find her sister.

  ‘DC Ellis asked me to check on you. Said to tell you he’s gone to the briefing and was there anything you needed him to ask?’

  She whipped around with such speed the young kid almost skidded into her. ‘Yes. I do have a question.’ She leaned in close. ‘Where the fuck is my little sister?’

  His eyes sprang wide, showing a huge amount of white as the shock of her attack constricted his pupils to pinpricks. His ears flushed crimson.

  Immediately regretting her outburst, Jenna bit her lip. ‘Look, Ryan, just go along to the briefing.’ She lowered her voice to soothe him a little more before he ran crying from the room. ‘DI Taylor will be running the show. He’s a quality boss. I trust him.’ Ryan dipped his head in a slow nod. ‘Keep your ears open, I know you’ve a bright enquiring mind, that’s why you’ve been assigned to us. If you think of anything, anything you believe has the slightest impact on my sister’s whereabouts, express it. This is not the time to keep quiet. Ask your questions. Collate your answers and write things down. Not everything sticks. Not everything means something to everyone, but if there’s the slightest clue, anything, then speak with DI Taylor, or Salter and Wainwright. See how they got on with their questioning of Ed, Fliss's ex-boyfriend,’ she qualified.

  ‘They’ve done it.’

  ‘What? They’ve done what?’

  ‘Questioned the slimy ex.’

  At her raised eyebrow, Ryan gave an idle shrug. ‘Mason called him that.’