by Carys Jones
‘If we go now we might still—’
‘I’m not going anywhere.’ Shane’s voice was hard, distant. ‘I actually can’t believe that you came here to tell me this.’
Amanda reached for her cup of tea wondering what troubled Shane more; that she’d found Will or that she clearly no longer wanted him dropping by her house unannounced?
‘This is dangerous information, Amanda,’ he continued. ‘I told you to stay away from this, to leave things be.’
‘I need to find my husband.’ What part of doing anything she could to find him didn’t Shane get? ‘You’d do anything to find Jayne if she went missing and you know it.’
‘Last night,’ Shane stared at Amanda long and hard for a second before letting his gaze slide over to the small window in the upper part of the wall. It revealed a square of perfect blue sky. ‘I didn’t swing by your place as I was busy getting kicked out of my apartment.’
‘Kicked out?’
‘It’s fine,’ Shane pushed his hands into his trouser pockets. ‘I’ll crash at my parents’ place until I find a new place to rent.’
‘Why did Jayne kick you out?’ Her eyes widened in surprise.
‘Why do you think?’ Shane wasn’t looking at her; he was staring down at his polished black shoes.
‘She’s mad at you for helping me?’ Amanda stood up, feeling outraged.
‘Not helping you, no.’ He lifted his head and looked at her. Amanda saw herself reflected in his green gaze, felt the tug of all their shared memories pull her heart towards his. ‘She’s mad at me for caring.’
Amanda’s lips parted. She wanted to say something, she just didn’t know what. Shane was edging around the table, coming closer to her.
Beep.
It was shrill and sharp, cutting through the tension of the moment like a brutal blade. Amanda jumped, failing to recognize the noise. Shane was staring at her like a lost puppy, waiting for her to tell him how to act, what to do next. The beep came again.
‘I…’ Amanda’s hands rummaged in her jeans pockets and she pulled out her phone. There was an alert blinking on the screen. It was just a reminder that her scrape had found a positive match. Amanda sighed, remembering how she’d synced her phone up to her laptop to relay any results, not realizing that there was an obvious time delay.
‘Amanda?’
Her hand was shaking as she looked at her phone. ‘He’s in Glasgow,’ she explained, not recognizing her own voice. ‘I have to go and find him.’
‘No, you can’t,’ Shane reached for her forearm, his eyes pleading. ‘Not like this. Amanda, you’re working beyond the law, I can’t protect you.’
‘Then don’t,’ Amanda shook herself free of his grip. ‘If you truly wanted to help me you’d come with me now.’
‘You’re not following a legitimate lead.’
‘Yes, I am,’ she accessed the image of Will on the platform on her phone and waved it in Shane’s face. ‘See?’
‘You can’t show me that,’ Shane pushed the device away. ‘I can have no part in your illegal activity, Amanda.’
‘Fine, suit yourself,’ Amanda shouldered her way past him, heading for the door.
‘If you go to Scotland then you’re going alone,’ Shane warned, his eyes wide with hurt like a dog who’d just been scolded.
‘Then I’m going alone.’ Amanda powered through the door, waving briefly at John before dashing out of the station towards her parked car. She didn’t have much time if she hoped to catch Will while he was still in Glasgow. The thought of going alone filled her with dread, but she refused to give up. She was going to find her husband. No matter what.
17
Amanda could barely remember driving home from the police station. She was on auto-pilot as she navigated the narrow, twisting streets of Tremwell Bay. Her mind was already two steps ahead; plotting how she’d reach Scotland and what she’d do once she was there.
Back at her house Amanda hurried through the front door and up the stairs, gasping for breath as she burst into her bedroom. She hauled an old overnight bag out of her closet and began hastily filling it with items.
She kept asking herself questions she couldn’t answer; how long would she be gone for? What did she need to take with her?
All the while her heartbeat drummed in her ears, marking each passing second.
‘Please still be there,’ she whispered tensely, thinking of Will as she shoved some jeans and a vest top into the overnight bag. She knew that her husband could already be long gone, having boarded a train at the station and disappeared to God knows where. Perhaps he’d disappeared into the Scottish highlands, out in the wilderness, away from the prying eyes of CCTV cameras, and thus untraceable. Grinding her teeth together, she kept packing, refusing to accept that Will had already moved on. He had to be in Scotland; it was the only lead she had.
With her bag packed, Amanda slung it over her shoulders and dashed out on to the landing. Powering down the stairs and entering the hallway, she saw the figure at the door before they’d even had chance to ring the bell.
‘Dammit,’ she dropped her bag to floor as her heart sunk. She didn’t have time to waste. With a brief glance she looked towards the back of the house, towards the kitchen, and considered stealing out through the French doors and using the side gate to get to her car. But she guessed that the man at her door was Shane and she wasn’t about to run away from him. He deserved better than that.
Amanda opened the door to find Shane was staring back at her. One hand lingered nervously by his side whilst the other was held up towards the doorbell.
‘I…’ he clicked his fingers together as if trying to summon the words.
‘If you’ve come here to stop me then don’t waste your breath.’ Amanda was doubling back towards the staircase and grabbing her bag. ‘I’m going to find him, Shane. I don’t care what you say.’
‘I’m not here to stop you.’ Shane looked pale as sweat beaded on his forehead.
‘Then why are you here?’ Amanda demanded hotly.
‘I’m coming with you.’
The shock of his comment caused Amanda to drop her bag a second time. It landed on her feet but she barely registered the weight. She was staring at Shane, looking deep into his eyes and trying to judge if he was joking or not, if this was all part of some ruse to make her stay.
‘You’re going to go, I get that,’ he was talking quickly, his words running together. ‘And I can’t condone how you came by the information. But, Amanda,’ he sighed when he looked at her, his jaw clenching, ‘I just can’t let you do this alone.’
‘What about your job?’
‘I told them that I’m following a lead on something. Because that’s what I’m doing, right? If I’m gone any longer I’ll tell them I got a sick bug.’
‘Won’t they wonder where you’ve gone?’
‘I’m often out in the field during an investigation. I just need to make sure I keep checking in with them. Besides, John has my back.’
Amanda smiled sadly, remembering a time when John used to have her back too. It felt surreal to recall when they all would have done anything for one another. Stooping down, Amanda picked her bag back up and gave Shane a long, level look. Perhaps the distance between their former selves really wasn’t so great. Because Shane was here, on her doorstep, willing to stand by her. Willing to prove the unconditional aspect of their friendship.
And it was just friendship. Amanda wanted to pinch herself to remind her of that. Jayne had ended things with Shane but that meant nothing. Amanda was still a married woman. Although she didn’t actually know who she was even married to anymore. She released a dry laugh at the absurdity of it all.
‘What’s so funny?’
‘I was just thinking that this is easily the most bizarre thing we’ve ever done,’ she was stepping outside and locking up her front door. ‘I mean, we’re about to chase after my husband, who kind of isn’t my husband as he’s someone else entirely. It’s madness.’ S
he approached her car, breathing in the crisp, sweet air of a summer’s morning. ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ her hand rested on the door handle but she didn’t open it up. ‘I mean, I could go alone, Shane. It’s no problem. I don’t want you risking your job.’
‘I’d rather risk losing my job than risk something happening to you.’ He sounded so brave, so certain. This was a side of Shane that Amanda hadn’t seen in so long that she’d thought it gone. ‘That said,’ he walked around to his car and popped the door open, ‘I really think I should drive.’
‘What?’ Amanda’s mouth fell open with her objection.
‘Come on, Amanda, you’re a terrible driver. And I’d like to get to Scotland in one piece.’
‘I am not a terrible driver,’ despite her protest Amanda was going over to Shane’s car and dropping her bag into the boot.
‘Remember when you knocked over the signpost outside of town?’
‘It came out of nowhere!’ Amanda was laughing as she climbed into the passenger seat, remembering the night in question. The streets of Tremwell Bay had been slick with rain and Amanda had barely passed her driving test. In her little beat-up Metro she’d driven Shane and John to the fancy cinema two towns over so that they could all watch Avatar in its full three-dimensional glory. Driving home, Amanda had been so caught up in chatting away with her friends that she forgot to fully commit to her role as driver. The next thing she knew she’d ploughed her little car straight into the sign for Tremwell Bay which had subsequently rested on her bonnet in a twisted medley of distorted metal.
‘You drive then,’ Amanda leaned back in her seat as Shane typed their destination into his satnav.
‘It’s going to be okay,’ Shane assured her as he reversed out of her driveway. ‘We’re going to find him.’
*
There was an art to getting out of Tremwell Bay. You wanted to avoid all the little roundabouts decked out in flowers that got backed up the second more than one car approached them. You also wanted to avoid certain sets of traffic lights which were in seemingly constant use thanks to a steady flow of tourists. There was an art to it all which the satnav wasn’t privy to, despite its formal, assured tone.
Shane cursed several times as they remained held in their little town thanks to an abundance of traffic. Almost forty minutes passed before they were out on the motorway, heading north towards Scotland.
They had barely spoken since they left the bay. Amanda pressed her head against the window and watched the passing traffic power by in the neighbouring lanes. The thought of seeing Will made her feel as contorted inside as the town sign which had almost made her car a write-off. A part of her was desperate to get folded up in his thick arms, to breathe in his familiar scent and just let go of all her worry, her anguish. But a larger part of her teetered between anger and confusion. Why had he left her like he had? And who was Jake Burton? Amanda needed answers.
A large lorry grunted by them in the next lane, the straps holding down its cargo flapping in the breeze.
‘How about you don’t drive like a grandma?’ Amanda turned towards Shane, raising an eyebrow.
He gave her a tight shake of the head and kept his eyes on the road ahead. They were in the slow lane. They’d been in the slow lane since they’d merged onto the motorway some twenty miles ago.
‘Seriously, Shane, I want to get there today not tomorrow,’ Amanda moaned. She was all too aware of the fact that Will might not even be in Glasgow anymore.
‘I’m not going to rush, Amanda,’ he told her tightly.
‘You’re doing sixty,’ she leaned forward to peer angrily at his speedometer.
‘And that’s just fine.’
‘I should have driven,’ Amanda sat back and sighed heavily.
‘You weave through lanes like a pinball on acid.’
‘Driving is boring,’ Amanda rolled her eyes, ‘switching lanes keeps it interesting.’
‘And dangerous.’
‘Since when did you become such a stickler for safety?’
‘When I realized I had something to lose,’ Shane looked away from the road for a second to let his eyes fall on Amanda. She found herself blushing beneath his gaze. ‘Besides, we’ll be there well before nightfall.’
‘Right, great,’ Amanda shifted nervously in her seat. Again she wondered what exactly she was going to say to Will. There was so much she needed to know.
‘Are you thinking what you’ll say to him?’ Shane enquired after a moment’s silence.
‘I guess,’ Amanda resumed watching the passing traffic speed by. She liked to look at the cars and imagine where the occupants were going, why there was the need for such haste.
‘Do you think he’ll be pleased that you tracked him down?’ Shane asked, his jaw tightening.
‘I…’ Amanda wanted to say yes, of course he’d be pleased. Grateful even. He was her husband so he’d naturally expect her to come after him. But she didn’t feel certain of his response. She didn’t feel certain of anything when it came to Will anymore. Over the last few days, he’d become a stranger to her. ‘I don’t know,’ she admitted sadly. She could feel a weight pressing against her chest, making each breath laboured. ‘I hope so,’ Amanda coughed against the pressure.
‘If he’s got any sense he’ll be pleased.’
‘Mmm.’ Amanda knew that Will Thorn would be pleased to see her. He’d bundle her up in his arms and kiss her forehead and tell her how sorry he was to have worried her. But how would Jake Burton react? Amanda’s hands twitched, thinking of her laptop which she’d shoved into her overnight bag before she’d left the house. The internet would be sluggish out on the motorway but she’d have enough of a signal to search for Jake Burton. She glanced at Shane out of the corner of her eye. He was once again focused on driving, both hands resting firmly on the wheel. It seemed like he was rarely off duty, always acting like the cop he now was.
But he was here with her in the car. That had to mean something. That he was okay with some of her methods. Maybe he was okay with her accessing the darknet in his presence? Amanda turned in her seat, wondering how she could get him to stop for a moment, pull off the motorway and allow her to access her laptop. She desperately wanted to keep checking for updates, it felt like a compulsion, one which she’d not had to resist since she was a student. The black hole of the darknet was definitely drawing her in, placing her beneath its shadowy spell. Her mouth opened to ask for a bathroom break when her phone buzzed in her pocket. The vibration trembled through her body as Amanda squirmed in her seat to allow herself easy access to it.
There was an alert on the screen. Amanda sucked in a breath, her eyes wide. The alert was from the scrape she’d set up on her laptop. It had made another positive ID. Amanda looked at the image on the screen, feeling dizzy.
Will was stood putting petrol into a car she didn’t recognize. The image was a little blurry. She couldn’t make out the registration number of the car, but she knew it was Will who was filling it up, even if his features weren’t as clear as they were in the previous picture. He was in the same clothes, one arm casually resting on the roof of the car, just a man filling up with petrol not a husband on the run. He was glancing upwards, unknowingly locking eyes with a CCTV camera overhead.
‘Oh my God,’ Amanda’s free hand was at her throat.
‘What is it?’ Shane immediately sounded alarmed.
‘My um…’ Was he going to be mad at her for still using the darknet? Did it even matter anymore? ‘My scrape made another positive ID.’
‘On Will?’ An edge crept into Shane’s voice which Amanda couldn’t decipher.
‘Uh-huh.’
‘So where is he? Is he still in Glasgow?’
‘Just let me…’ Amanda was logging into her laptop via her phone. She needed more details. ‘He’s at a service station, but I don’t know where.’
The internet was frustratingly slow as Amanda waited to be told where and when the image had been taken. She knew the feed bet
ween her laptop and phone was slow, the delay could have already wasted precious time.
Finally, the address came up on her screen. Amanda peered at the unfamiliar places, trying to put all the pieces together.
‘Well?’ Shane was growing inpatient.
‘Dunbroch.’ Amanda said the name of the place as though it didn’t fit properly in her mouth. She’d never heard of it before.
‘Dunbroch?’ Shane repeated with more ease. ‘That’s in the south of Scotland. Small town, pretty rural. I went camping there once with my scout troop.’
Amanda was barely listening as she stared at her phone in disbelief. So Will had already moved on from Glasgow. But why? It seemed like he was running, but from what? From her?
‘How old is the image?’ Shane pressed her.
Amanda typed things into her phone, groaning at the sluggish connection. Begrudgingly, the device revealed the additional information.
‘It was taken three hours ago.’
‘Right, okay,’ Shane sped up and eased into the middle lane.
Amanda threw him a frantic look. ‘What are you doing? What happened to slow and steady?’
‘Your husband just became a flight risk. He’s moving too much.’
‘What?’
‘He’s in Dunbroch now, but within the next twenty-four hours he could be anywhere in Scotland and that scrape of yours won’t find him if he holes himself up on some distant island. If you want to catch him, we need to act fast.’
‘So, what, we’re just going to drive to Dunbroch?’ Amanda blurted. She and Shane used to plan about taking road trips together, about driving off towards the sunset and seeing where the night took them. But they never did it. It remained yet another pie-in-the-sky idea between the couple.
‘It’s not much further than Glasgow. Do you want to find your husband?’
‘Yes,’ Amanda responded instinctively.
‘Then we need to move quickly.’
‘So we’re going to Dunbroch?’
Shane nodded as he entered the fast lane. ‘So we’re going to Dunbroch.’