by M A Comley
“Now, I’m not sure about that, love. I think so. Maybe it would be better if we rang around the hospitals or something just to make sure.”
“Shit! Not Charlie, not my baby—this can’t be happening. Hasn’t she been through enough crap in her young life already?”
“I know how hard this is. Please, Lorne, the spirits might be wrong on this one. Please bear that in mind. Tony, are you listening?”
“I’m here, Carol.”
“Don’t let Lorne leave the house on her own. I’m on my way over now. I’ll stay there just in case Charlie comes home.”
“You’re a treasure, Carol. Can you tell us any more about the accident? Do you have any idea of the surroundings? Anything at all?” Lorne asked, pulling her jeans over her still-damp thighs.
“No, nothing. I do know that there was another car involved… the other driver was a menace to them. How, I’m not quite sure. Look, I’m going to hang up. I’m on my way.”
The line disconnected, and Lorne collapsed onto the bed, buried her head in her hands, and sobbed. Tony knelt in front of her and gathered her in his strong arms. “Come on, love, try and hold it together. Carol could be wrong about this.”
She sniffled as her gaze met his. “I can sense something has happened, Tony, and why isn’t Charlie answering her phone?”
“You have a point about that, but thinking logically, if they’re at the cinema, she wouldn’t be able to answer the call anyway. That’s not dismissing what Carol is saying—you know I wouldn’t do that, not after how accurate her visions have been over the years.”
“You’ve hit the nail on the head there.” She inhaled and exhaled a few large breaths and slipped into DI mode. “I need to ring the station, see if any accidents have been reported before I start ringing round the hospitals.”
“Good idea. I’ll make us both a coffee and unlock the back door for Carol.”
“I’ll make the calls up here and finish getting dressed and join you in a few minutes. Thanks, Tony. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
He stood up and placed a hand on her cheek. “You’d probably make the coffee yourself,” he said, trying to lighten the mood.
She turned her head and kissed the palm of his hand. “Go, let me place the calls.” As Tony turned to leave the bedroom, Lorne noticed he was limping as he walked across the room. “Hey, wait a minute—is your prosthetic leg playing up?”
“Nah, it’s nothing. I shouldn’t have got down on my knees. Old age kicking in, that’s all. We have more important things to worry about at the moment.”
“Keep an eye on it, Tony. The last thing we want is another infection breaking out.”
He shook his head, smiled at her then left the room.
Lorne pulled a sweater over her head, combed her wet hair, and dialled the station. The desk sergeant answered her call. “Mick, it’s DI Warner. Can you tell me if there have been any reports of a car accident this evening?”
“Let me check the computer, ma’am.” After a pause, he said, “Yes, ma’am, we have a road rage incident out in the Swanscombe area.”
Lorne gasped. “Okay, I think my daughter might be involved in that incident. Can you give me the exact location and tell me what the outcome was?” Lorne closed her eyes, said a silent prayer, and waited for his response.
He gave her the address and added, “The two youngsters in the car were transported to the Kent and Canterbury Hospital.”
Lorne closed her eyes. “What are their conditions? Any idea?”
“No, ma’am. Want me to ring the hospital to find out?”
“Thanks, Mick. No, I’ll do that now. Can you do me a favour?”
“Of course.”
“Let DCI Roberts know what’s going on when he arrives in the morning, and my team, too.”
“Consider it done, ma’am. Fingers crossed the youngsters aren’t seriously hurt.”
“You’re very kind. Thanks.”
Lorne hung up, finished getting ready, and rushed downstairs. Carol had just arrived and was hugging Tony near the back door. Lorne flew into her arms. “I’ve rung the station. Two youngsters were involved in a road rage incident. They’re at the K&C Hospital now. We need to get over there ASAP, Tony.”
“Crap. You should ring the hospital, check they’re not badly hurt. Are you sure it’s even them, Lorne? Did you check the car reg?”
“I’ll ring now, but my gut instinct is rarely wrong. Plus, we have Carol’s insight into the accident.” Lorne placed the call, and the receptionist confirmed that Charlie and Brandon had been admitted but would only confirm Charlie’s condition. She hung up and smiled at Tony. “Charlie’s fine. Come on, we’re wasting time. I need to see her.” She pulled Tony’s arm and headed for the back door.
Carol waved them off and shouted, “Drive carefully. Give Charlie my love.”
Tony persuaded Lorne to call at the scene of the accident first as it was on the way to the hospital. As soon as they pulled up, Lorne recognised Brandon’s car and fought the urge to be sick. Tony told her to stay in the vehicle while he investigated the damage, but she chased after him, aware that he wouldn’t get past the crime scene tape without her.
Luckily, the uniformed officer guarding the area recognised Lorne and let them both duck under the tape. Lorne followed Tony to the rear of the vehicle, where the bumper was pretty smashed up.
Lorne moved to the front of the car and saw that the windscreen was busted up pretty badly, too. “Would that amount of damage be caused in an accident? It doesn’t look right to me.”
A nearby uniformed officer stepped forward. “No, this is a road rage incident. Looks like the windscreen was attacked by the assailant before he drove off and left the scene.”
“My God, who would do such a thing? Were there any witnesses? This car belongs to my daughter’s boyfriend. We’re just on our way to the hospital to see them now.”
“Yes, we’ve taken a statement down and let the witness go. The woman was pretty shaken up. Sorry to hear your daughter was involved, ma’am. The witness stated that the driver of the rear vehicle was driving erratically. He tried to overtake this car, and when the driver refused to let him pass, the erratic driver began shunting this car up the rear. He finally forced it off the road, got out of his vehicle, and had a slanging match with the driver before he beat seven bells out of the windscreen with a crowbar.”
“What about Brandon—sorry, the driver of this car? Was he seriously hurt?”
“They’re very shaken up, like the witness, ma’am. I believe the ambulance whisked them away as a precaution, although I think the male might have been injured slightly in the incident.”
Lorne blew out a relieved breath. “Oh no, the hospital wouldn’t tell me how he was. I’ve been out of my mind with worry. We’ll head over to the hospital now.”
Tony put his foot down and reached the hospital within twenty minutes. They both ran through the hospital’s main entrance and down the long corridors to Accident and Emergency.
Lorne smiled at the receptionist. “I rang earlier. My daughter and her boyfriend were involved in a car accident earlier this evening. Can I see them?”
“If you’d like to take a seat, I’ll get one of the nursing staff to come and see you shortly.”
Lorne paced the floor near the seating area until a petite brunette nurse came to see them.
“Hello there. I want to assure you that both patients are doing well and eager to see you. If you’d like to follow me.”
After a short walk, the nurse stopped outside a curtain. She pulled it open to reveal Charlie, sitting up on a stretcher. Lorne ran to her daughter and crushed her against her chest. “Thank God, you’re okay, love. How are you?”
Charlie wriggled out of her grasp. “Feeling delicate, Mum. It was awful. One of the scariest things I’ve ever had to deal with, apart from… well, you know what I mean.”
Lorne nodded; she knew that Charlie was referring to her abduction by the Unicorn. “I�
�m just glad you’re okay, sweetheart. Do you know how Brandon is?”
“Worse than me. I think he suffered a broken rib, maybe some internal bleeding.”
Lorne frowned. “How? The car didn’t seem that damaged?”
Tears welled up in Charlie’s eyes, and she gulped noisily. “The man who ran us off the road dragged Brandon from the car and started beating him up. You should have seen how angry he was, Mum.”
“How terrifying for you both. Do you know why he did it?”
Charlie shook her head. “We were just driving along, chatting, and suddenly, this car came out of nowhere behind us. You know how narrow the back lanes can be. He kept flashing his lights and beeping his horn at us. Brandon was furious. He stubbornly kept at the same speed, which only incensed the driver more. He followed us for miles, inches behind us. Then it was as if he just snapped. He began ramming into the back of us, trying to force us off the road. I couldn’t take any more and pleaded with Brandon to pull over and let him pass. Brandon really didn’t think it was a good idea, but he could see how upset I was.” Charlie paused as tears toppled onto her pale cheeks.
Lorne squeezed her hand tightly. “There’s no rush. Take your time, sweetie.”
“No, I want to tell you. You need to catch this animal before he does this to someone else, Mum.”
“We will catch him, love. You can be sure of that.”
“Brandon pulled over. The man drove past. We both blew out a sigh of relief. The man was looking at us in his rear-view mirror, and he drove up the road a little then slammed on his brakes. Brandon and I looked at each other, puzzled by what he was doing. Then we saw his reversing lights come on. He drove back towards us, screeched to a halt, went to the boot of his car, and took something out. Then he ripped open Brandon’s door and dragged him out. The man, all six feet plus of him, was like an enraged gorilla. I was so scared. I screamed at Brandon to get back in the car, but it was too late. The man struck Brandon in the stomach with the object he’d taken from his boot—I think it was a crowbar. Brandon dropped to the ground. The man marched over to where I was. I locked the car doors. The man was furious. He kept hitting the windscreen over and over with the crowbar. Luckily for me, the screen held. I shouted at the man that my mum and dad are coppers. He paused, gave the screen another swipe then backed up. He looked behind me. I swivelled in my seat to see another car pull up. I dread to think what he would have done to Brandon if that woman hadn’t arrived behind us. The man stormed past Brandon and kicked him in the stomach, then he got in his car and drove off. The lady in the car behind rushed to help us. Brandon was writhing in pain. The woman called 999 and asked for an ambulance and the police.”
“Where was your phone, love? I’ve been trying to ring you.”
“When I tried to ring you I realised that my battery was dead. I forgot to charge it during the day. I’m so sorry, Mum.”
“It’s all right, love. You’re okay—that’s all that matters. Maybe when you’ve recovered, you could give us a detailed description of the man. Would you be up for that?”
Charlie’s gaze dropped to her shaking hands clenched in her lap. “Of course I would. I doubt it’ll be much use, though.”
Lorne frowned. It wasn’t like Charlie to be so negative. Maybe the crash had affected her confidence more than they realised. She hated pushing her daughter, but she knew how important it was to trace the man quickly. She asked quietly, “Did you get a good look at his registration number?”
“No, I’m sorry. It all happened so quickly. I was in a panic about Brandon,” Charlie mumbled, not looking up.
“That’s understandable, love. Not to worry. As long as you can identify the thug, that should be all we need to arrest him. His car will be picked up and forensically investigated. That should give us all the evidence we need to throw the book at him. When you feel better and up to it, of course.”
“I’m fine, compared to Brandon. Maybe I could do it in the next day or two, while his features are still prominent in my mind,” Charlie said before asking, “Can you do me a favour and see how Brandon is?”
“Leave that to me,” Tony said and left the cubicle.
Lorne hugged Charlie again and stroked her hair. “Darling, I was so worried when I couldn’t contact you.”
“How did you know about the accident, Mum?”
“Carol. She hinted at something the other day. We thought it appertained to the case I’m working on, but then she rang up tonight, asking where you were. The spirits picked up two youngsters involved in a car accident, and we both went from there. We’re so lucky to have her in our lives, protecting us.”
Tony returned a few moments later with the news that Brandon was about to have surgery.
“Oh no, poor Brandon. Because of his ribs?” Charlie asked, distraught at the news.
“Yes, plus they’re concerned about the internal bleeding. His mum and dad are here and said to give you their best wishes.”
Charlie sniffled. “That was kind of them. Do they blame me, Tony?”
His brow furrowed. “For what? Don’t be silly. They’re just pleased that you’re both alive. So many of these kinds of incidents end in… well, you know what I’m getting at. Brandon will recover. You have my word on that, love.”
“I hope so. All he was doing was protecting me. It really wasn’t worth the risk. If that lady hadn’t pulled up when she did…”
“Hush now. There’s no point thinking like that. Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll go and talk to the staff, ask them when we’ll be able to take you home.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
The woman watched her husband pace the floor of the kitchen. He was agitated, and she knew that talking to him while he was in this state could result in her sporting a black eye. She walked across the room, placed the kettle on the range, and set the mugs out.
“What are you doing?” he snapped.
Her hands shook, and the sugar tipped off the spoon onto the worktop. She quickly wiped up the mess before he noticed. “I thought a cup of tea would calm you down, dear.”
“Tea? Is that your answer to everything? I’ll make you a nice cup of tea! You’re a waste of space woman, an utter waste.”
Her hands shook even more as she poured the boiling water into one of the mugs and dunked the tea bag a few times before returning to her seat at the kitchen table. She stared at her hands wrapped around the mug, aware that his gaze was boring into her, the way it always did when he was in a foul mood. She really should have found the courage to leave him years ago. Now, at their time of life, it was far too late for that. Where would she go? She had no access to any money. He’d made sure of that. She was totally reliant on him for everything. He told her when to get up in the morning, what to eat during the day, and even when to go to sleep at night. And he would force her to have sex with him every night. She was getting tired; the years were passing her by more quickly than they used to. If only she could escape her situation… however, she knew that would never happen while there was a breath left in her husband’s body.
The chill in the room grew worse as he sat in the seat opposite. “I’m going to do it today.”
“Do what, dear?”
His lip curled up, and his eyes widened with rage. “Kill her,” he said through gritted teeth.
Her hands shook even more.
He looked down at her hands and tutted. “You’re pathetic! What’s wrong with you, woman. I told you what I was going to do with her when I abducted her.”
“Why? Why do you have to kill her?” she whispered, looking over her shoulder at the door.
“Because that’s how it has to be. I take their money, then I finish them off. It’s the way it’s always been. Why are you questioning me now?”
“I’m not. I’m just saying that we’re not getting any younger. Why does it always have to be this way?”
“You think working here can sustain our lifestyles? You want the decent holidays abroad? Then we need to go above and
beyond to achieve those goals. What we make here couldn’t give us a weekend in Blackpool. Stop your whinging.”
“I’m not whinging. I appreciate our holidays. It’s always nice to get away. If you’re not happy here, then maybe we should consider moving on. Pastures new and all that.”
“You live in a world of your own most of the time. You have no idea how difficult it is out there to find a suitable job. This one suits us for now. I have big plans going on up here,” he said, pointing at his temple.
She remained silent as he rose from his chair and walked towards the back door. He left the house, and she broke down in tears, full of self-pity and fear that she might soon be a top priority on her husband’s hit list.
~ ~ ~
He walked the length of the garden to the shed tucked away behind the trees at the bottom. The woman was sitting up, her head tilted, listening.
“Please won’t you consider letting me go? I’ve told you where I keep my money. What more can I give you? What if I sign the house over to you? Would you let me go then?”
The man paused to contemplate the details of her idea. Maybe I should delay killing her until she does that. He grinned broadly, but the blindfolded woman couldn’t see his display of pleasure. He thought about the implications of the woman putting his name on any documents. He shuddered at the thought of the police tracking him down because of one greedy move.
He walked over to the wooden bench filled with garden tools and ran his hand down the blades seductively as in his mind’s eye he pictured how to kill the woman. His erection grew at the thought of decapitating and dismembering her. That way he could dispose of her in different locations. But where would the fun be in that?
The woman started to sob behind him.
“Shut up. You’ll only make things worse for yourself.”