New Encounters

by Helena Smith

  I am pleased to see that no one is sat next to me. This is a huge relief as I am definitely not capable of polite conversation today. This trip feels like the longest on the planet. My trip to Australia felt like half of what this does. I impatiently flick through the on flight magazine, and finally we descend into land. I can barely contain myself when the plane settles and people get up. I do my best to push my way to the front of the queue, and run through to passport control. Thankfully, there are only a few other flights so getting through was quick. Turning my phone back on and checking if anyone has tried to call or text. But nothing. Typical though the luggage carousel was dead.... no suitcases, not yet. I wait, and pace and walk around checking that I am at the right one. I am, it says my flight on the screen above. Finally it whirrs into action and the cases come out through the hatch like a magic trick. The odd one getting stuck. All different colours, and the ones that are black people choose to tie ribbons around the handles to distinguish theirs. Makes me glad that mine are very different, and I can spot it coming out of the hatch now. I grab my case, and head for the double doors and straight away I spot David. I go over and he grabs my case.

  ‘Are you ok Bella?’

  ‘Not really David, I am frantic to be honest. ‘

  ‘Understandable. Let’s get straight to yours.’

  David was fantastic. That’s what I needed, a man to take control of everything and be understanding with it. That’s what Robert should have done, this is where Robert should be, with me, right here right now, supporting me. Helping me to look for Ash and to make sure she is ok. We get out of the short stay car park quickly and we are heading to my house. The traffic is unbearable busy, it would have to be like this today. The day I need to rush. I hope she is at home. If she is I am going to give her a royal bollocking before I hug her to death. David calls Robert and I can hear him speaking into his earpiece.

  ‘Bella is with me Sir, she is fine but concerned, we are en route to the house. I will update you after that. Bye’

  David weaves in and out of the traffic and takes some short cuts when his sat nav tells him to. I feel shattered, watching the rain hammer against the windscreen, and the windscreen wipers rhythmically moving. I am scared, terrified, frightened... all rolled into one. We pull down my street and I can feel the adrenaline pumping through my body. This is it. My car is there and so is Ash’s. She must be here.

  ‘David that’s Ash’s car, she must be here.’

  As we pull up, David has barely brought the car to a stop before I fling the door open and fumble in my bag for my keys. David is shouting at me to wait for him, but I carry on regardless. I try to get the key in the door but my hands are shaking, finally the key slots in its hole. I open the door and shout

  ‘ASH? ASH?’ No answer, ‘ASH... ARE YOU HERE?’ Nothing.... no sounds come. I see Ash’s suitcase is in the hall still, but the side table has moved. It’s squiffy and I jump as I feel David is behind me and he places his hand on my arm.

  ‘It’s just me Bella... It’s just me’

  I look down and there are scattered papers that must have fallen from the side table all over the floor. I bend down to pick them up and then I notice, there is blood. I fall back and David rushes over and looks at the blood. Tears begin to flow down my face. I run into the lounge but everything looks normal in there, so does the kitchen and the dining room. My heart is pounding that loud, I am sure David can hear it. He runs with me as I go frantically from room to room. Wiping the tears away from my face, they are blurring my vision. I run upstairs, and stumble on the last few in my hurry to check out her room. As I open the door, I steel myself. But Ash is not in here. Its clear she was though, and it looks like there has been a struggle. Her makeup is smashed on the floor, her blusher has decorated the cream carpet. The mirror has been smashed in the corner and the duvet is strewn across the floor. I start to feel hysterical. My breathing is erratic, and I have pain creeping across my chest. I fall to my knees and clutch at my chest. My Ash, my poor Ash what the hell has happened. I can hear David on the phone, I look at him, I’m confused, who is he speaking to. I hear him saying

  ‘There has definitely been a struggle in the bedroom and there is blood downstairs on the floor in the hallway.’

  As if to answer my question he thrusts the phone at me.

  ‘It’s Robert.’

  ‘I can’t breath David.’ I am gasping for air. David throws the phone on the bed and gets down on the floor with me, kneeling in front of me.

  ‘Bella, listen to me carefully. Look at me.’ I look up and his eyes are looking into mine.

  ‘Cup your hands together like this, and breath in and breath out. Do it now.’

  I do as he says and copy him.

  ‘Breath in... that’s it... deep breath. Now... breathe out slowly. Again, breathe in slowly, a little deeper Bella, that’s it... and now breathe out... slowly. Pushing out all the air that’s in your lungs. Good girl.’ We do this over and over again, until the pain in my chest has gone and my breathing has returned to normal. I slump on the floor with my head in my hands. He hands the phone to me, and I hear a voice. The room is spinning

  ‘Bella... sweetheart. Speak to me. ‘

  ‘Robert?’ I don’t know why I am sound so surprised, but I feel like I am swimming right now in a black hole. Spinning out of control.

  ‘Are you ok? ‘

  ‘No.... no Robert.....I ‘I sob down the phone.

  ‘Shhhhhhhhh its ok.’

  ‘Its not... its not ok. Oh shit I need to call the police’

  ‘Its ok Bella, David has gone to do that now. I’m so sorry Bella. But we will find her, we will find out who has done this ok.’

  ‘Yeah the Police will find her won’t they Robert. They will find her safe and sound. I don’t care about anything else. As long as she is safe and sound. Thats all I care about.’

  ‘If they don’t. I fucking well will’ the anger in his voice shocks me. Before I get a chance to process what he says, he adds.

  ‘Bella, I need to go. David will look after you and the bodyguards will be with you around the clock. David will keep me updated and I will speak with you shortly. I love you. ‘

  ‘I love you too’. He hangs up. How will he find her if the police can’t? Maybe he means her mobile phone. Maybe he will trace it, get his IT guy to do it. David walks back into the room and gently bends and puts his hand on my elbow.

  ‘Bella, we need to go downstairs so we don’t contaminate anything. They will be here in about 10 minutes.’ I nod and he leads me downstairs and makes us both a hot drink. I can’t touch mine, I feel sick. I know if anything enters my mouth right now it will come right back up again.

  The doorbell rings and David goes to get it. Police pour through the door, and then a few people in white suits. The site is too much and I lean over the kitchen sink and relieve the contents of my stomach into it. A hand rubs my back and hands me some kitchen roll to wipe my mouth after I have finished. It was David, he then gets me a glass of water.

  ‘Thanks David.’

  ‘No problem’

  ‘Miss Stone? I am DC Wise. May I ask you some questions please?’

  ‘Yeah of course.’

  David stands up to come with me, but the policeman stops him.

  ‘She has to go on her own.’

  The questioning took what felt like hours, it was draining but I didn’t care. Not if it meant finding Ash. He asked if David was my boyfriend but I said he worked for my boyfriend. He then asked who my boyfriend was, and when I told him Roberts name he looked up and he raised his eyebrows.

  ‘What?’ I asked innocently. ‘Do you know him?’

  ‘I have heard of him’

  ‘Oh. Right. So what is the next step then? Oh my god, her Mum and Dad.’

  ‘We will send some police officers around later to let them know what has happened.’

  ‘What about tracing her phone?’

  ‘Yes, we will do that it just takes a little time.�
��

  ‘Time? It takes no time at all. I will get Robert to get one of his guys to do it if you lot are going to drag your feet.’

  ‘How do you know that one of Robert’s men can track phones?’

  ‘He traced mine once...’ I knew that was a mistake as soon as it came out of my mouth.

  ‘Does he do that often Miss Stone?’

  ‘No he does not’

  ‘Hmm that you know of’

  ‘What do you mean by that? Isn’t it better if he can do something quicker?’

  ‘Let us handle this Miss Stone.’

  ‘What can I do to help?’

  ‘Nothing, you have told us all we need to know for now. We will start doing door to door in the area to see if anyone saw or heard anything, and check with your neighbours. The forensic team are checking now for any further details that may help. Needless to say, if you do hear of anything you need to let us know immediately.’

  ‘Well of course I will.’

  ‘After we have told her Mum and Dad, we will proceed with TV reports. For now, you will need to leave the house as it is officially a crime scene’ With those words, the tears rolled out of my eyes and down my cheeks. My house, a crime scene. My best friend, gone to.... god knows where. I just pray..... pray that she is safe. David walks into the lounge and helps me to stand and walks me to the car. He opens the door and helps me in. As I turn to look at my house the DC is stood in the doorway staring at me. Why is he staring at me like that?

  We drive off and I tell David everything I told the officer, but as soon as I mentioned that he was odd about Robert he turned sharply to look at me and then looked back at the road. He has checked us both in at a hotel and on parting our separate ways in the corridor David speaks.

  ‘Bella, I will bring our cases up in 10 minutes ok. I will knock at your door, but you must check through the peep hole to make sure it’s me. ‘

  ‘You sound like Robert.’

  ‘This is really important Bella. You must do this.’

  ‘Okay. I promise’ As David turns to walk away, I shout ‘David’ and he turns to look at me. ‘Thanks, for everything today you have been amazing’

  He smiles and walks off. Then I remember, I haven’t called Sarah or Emma. How do I tell them this?

  I sit down on my bed and I see what looks like a mini bar. God I hope it has wine in it, as I pull it open, to my delight... it has. Phew. I empty one of the little wine bottles into a glass and I know it won’t touch the sides, but it will help me to explain to the girls the news so far. Then I am going to order room service. I look around my room that David must have booked. It is simple, and modern. I think back to some of the horrible hotel rooms I have stayed in, with the dreadful dowdy pictures hanging off the walls and the tired curtains. This has modern suede curtains and modern light fixtures. I can’t put it off any longer..... I need to call them. I call Sarah first and when I finish telling her she sobs down the phone and I comfort her.

  ‘I’m ..... I’m so sorry you had to walk into that Bells. So sorry. ‘

  ‘You have nothing to be sorry for Sarah don’t be silly. Let’s just focus on finding her. We all need to think of what we can do.’

  ‘Jesus.... I should have broken into the house or something, we would have known days ago that she was in trouble.’

  ‘Oh Sarah, don’t think like that. For all we knew, she was fine and having the time of her life from that damn text. Shit Sarah... who sent that text?’ The thought had just occurred to me. How stupid is that.

  ‘I know... someone has sent it from her phone. But we don’t know when she was.... you know... taken. You told the police though didn’t you’

  ‘Yeah, cos he said he would speak with Emma and look at her phone. It has just slipped my mind... so much has happened... and you know I have been in shock to be honest.’

  ‘I’m not surprised. Where the hell are you?’

  ‘In the hotel off Bridge street.’

  ‘Is Robert with you?’

  ‘No, he is away on business and he is not able to come back yet. But he is seeing what he can do.’

  ‘What can he do from so far away?’

  ‘I have no idea, but knowing Robert, he will throw money and resource at it to help.’

  ‘That’s good of him.’ Wow, this takes me back, Sarah is not exactly his biggest fan. But when the shit hits the fan.... like it has now. I break down and am not able to hide it from Sarah.

  ‘Bells... oh sweetheart, I will come over. You shouldn’t be on your own.’

  ‘I’m not, David is here.’

  ‘Who the hell is David?’

  ‘He is like Roberts driver. Sarah, he has been amazing. Such a rock. I had a sort of panic attack at the house and he was really sweet and helped to stop it. I felt like I was having a heart attack. Then I spewed my guts up and he was dead supportive. ‘

  ‘That’s good, I am pleased someone is looking after you.’

  ‘Yeah, I am just going to get some room service and have a bath and try and get some rest. Tomorrow I really want to, I don’t know... but do something to find her.’ Just then there was a knock at the door so I tell Sarah to hang on for a second. I open the door and its David with my bags, I open the door wider for him and he frowns at me and blurts out.

  ‘I told you, that you must check who I am first. You must also put the chain on first as well.’

  ‘Sorry, I will. Just going to order room service after I have finished speak with Sarah.’

  ‘What do you want and I will order it and deliver it.’

  ‘David its fine I will sort it.’

  ‘No, I insist.’

  ‘I would like a bottle of wine, anything as long as it contains alcohol, and to eat... just anything. I probably will end up pushing it around the plate anyway, but I need to try. ‘

  ‘Yes, you need to keep your strength up. Leave it with me and I will sort it out. I have the room opposite you. I will come with your food, but remember to check its me.’

  ‘I will. Thank you’

  With that he leaves my room.

  ‘Sorry Sarah.’

  ‘I heard him.’

  ‘Yeah, he is dead sweet.’

  ‘And clearly very concerned Bella. Jesus, do they think you’re in danger?’ She sounds near enough hysterical.

  ‘No, no they won’t think that. I am fine, don’t you worry yourself. ‘

  ‘Worry? Jesus, I think I need some alcohol now. You must listen to him and be careful’

  ‘I will, Robert has minders everywhere anyway.’

  ‘Minders? What for Bella?’

  ‘Because he has so much money, he said its necessary’

  ‘Necessary? I don’t like the sound of that. Not one bit.’

  ‘Don’t worry about me, Roberts’s team will be here. haha...’ I laugh, but I think I am trying to convince myself now. ‘ I better go and call Emma now. Let’s talk in the morning and see if we have any ideas. I will call that policeman tomorrow and see if there is any update.’

  ‘Take care and Bella... listen to David. He is looking after you.’

  ‘I will, you to.’

  We hang up and I take a gulp of my wine, which is now gone. Damn those ridiculously small sized bottles. I call Emma and she picks up after one ring. It turns out that the DC has already been there to see her and update her.

  ‘I am so sorry I never got to call you in time and warn you. But I literally have just sat down and called Sarah.’

  ‘Don’t apologise Bells... you have been through a lot. ‘ Her voice sounds tired, and weary. In fact she sounds just like I feel.

  ‘That DC has only just left. I showed him the text from Bella, and he has made a note of it and the time that it came through. God ... I hope they find her soon. We don’t even know exactly when she went missing.’

  ‘I know... that’s what keeps running through my head. I mean the last time I saw her was the day I left for Sicily. She text me on the night before she was due to come to say how excit
ed she was, and then didn’t make her flight. Then she text you on Sunday afternoon to say she was going away for a dirty few days away with a fella. Was she? Or was it someone else... sending the text.’ At this thought... chills go up and down my spine and it takes me a long time to breath. I can tell Emma is just the same.

  ‘I know.... ‘She said quietly in a hushed voice. ‘I know. Oh Bells, what can we do?’

  ‘I don’t know, but I said that I would speak with you and Sarah in the morning after I call the DC first thing. I will also check to see if Robert has found anything out. He is trying to help as well.’

  ‘That’s sweet of him. Oh... Bells that reminds me. The DC asked me a really bizarre question.’

  ‘What was that?’

  ‘He asked me if I had met Robert. I just thought it was really bizarre.’

  ‘Oh my god, they don’t think he had anything to do with it for god sake? He is away on business with his family.’

  ‘It didn’t come across like that. Just if I had met him. I said I hadn’t, but from the sounds of it he had swept you off your feet and he was also sweet with Ash. As she said how lovely he was.’

  ‘Yeah, they really got on. Robert jokes that he knows if he takes me on, he has to take Ash on as well. We come part and parcel....’ My words break up, I don’t know if Emma can understand them or not as I am sobbing... sobbing hard now. Emma is comforting me now, trying her hardest to convince me that Ash is fine.

  ‘She will be ok. I just know it, in my heart I know she is fine. ‘

  ‘I know... me too. Listen I am going to go, but let’s speak tomorrow and meet up I guess.’

  ‘Okay. Take care.’

  ‘You to... you to’

  I hang up and walk over to the mirror and look at my aged skin. I seem to have aged about 20 years in the past 24 hours. My best friend. Where the hell are you Ash. There is a knock at the door, and I walk over and peep through the hole as requested by David. I don’t want to be told off again. It is him, so I put the chain on and open the door slightly. He smiles at me but refrains from telling me I am a good girl. I open the door and he has a huge tray , that he balances very well. He walks through and puts it on the table.