by M A Comley
“If you’d like to take a seat in the family room, I’ll get a doctor to come and see you.”
“Thanks.” Sara led Jenny through the corridor to the family room a few yards away. They sat in silence and waited for the doctor to appear. Half an hour later, a petite female doctor joined them.
“Hi, I’m Doctor Jones.”
“Hello, Doctor. I’m DI Sara Ramsey. This is Mr Haldon’s daughter, Jenny. How is he?”
The doctor smiled briefly. “He’s alive. That’s all we can say at this point. He’s gone down to surgery to repair a tear in his lung. We’re hopeful that nothing will go wrong while he’s under anaesthetic, but I have to tell you he’s a long way off being out of the woods yet. It really depends on how strong he is physically as to whether he pulls through this.”
Jenny sniffled. “He’s a fighter, though whether he’ll continue to fight when he finds out about Mum is another matter entirely. When can I see him?”
“Not for a good few hours yet. The surgery could take anything between an hour and four, depending on the severity of the hole they need to plug. I’m sorry I can’t give you more than that. You’re welcome to wait here for him, and we’ll come and fetch you when he’s in recovery.”
“Thank you, we appreciate that, Doctor,” Sara replied, throwing an arm around Jenny to support her in case her legs gave way again.
“My pleasure.” The doctor left the room.
Sara guided Jenny to a seat. “Can I get you anything?”
“Apart from the obvious, like bringing my mother back to life and ensuring my father gets through his surgery okay? No, thank you. Sorry for snapping, this is very hard for me to handle. We lost my brother in a car accident only last year. Mum has had a problematic year dealing with her grief, and now this…”
“I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
“Look, I’ll be fine. There’s really no point in you staying here with me.”
“I’d like to, just for a few hours at least.” Sara was dying to curl up in her own bed, but the thought of leaving the woman alone to deal with such a fraught situation didn’t sit well with her in the slightest.
“If you insist. I really need you to be out there trying to find the maniac who carried out this awful crime. My parents didn’t deserve this. No one deserves to go through this. I saw you on the news earlier—sorry, that has only just hit me. Do you think those cases are connected to what went on at my parents’ house?”
“I’m inclined to think that way, yes. The last thing I want to do is start bombarding you with questions right now, but I do have one I’d like to ask, if that’s okay?”
Jenny nodded. “If I can answer it, I will.”
“Do you know if your parents knew Ted and Maureen Flowers?”
Jenny frowned. “Gosh, the name rings a bell at the back of my mind, so I’m going to say yes. They’re the couple who were killed earlier this week, right?”
“Unfortunately, yes. What about Linda and Samuel Meredith?”
“Again, I think so.”
“That’s what I suspected. The person responsible for all the crimes that have taken place this week knew each of the couples.”
“How? Can you give me more to go on than that?”
Sara shrugged. “Not at this time. Maybe they’ve employed the person recently to do some kind of work to their homes. We’re really unsure at present. Do you recall your parents having any form of contractor in their home in the last few weeks?”
“No, nothing along those lines. Dad is really handy around the house. He would have to be out of his depth to call a proper tradesman in.”
“And are you in regular contact with your parents?”
“Yes, we ring each other all the time. They would have told me if anything like that had happened.”
“Hopefully, the calls we’ve received from the appeal being aired tonight will give us a better idea of what we’re dealing with. If there’s a killer on the loose in Hereford, then someone knows who that killer is.”
“Wait, what about the woman who has been abducted? Surely someone will come forward if they witness her in distress with this person, or am I being foolish to think people care enough nowadays?”
“It’s a consideration. That was our intention in showing a picture of Geraldine, in the hope it will trigger something in someone’s mind. The killer has to be living locally. He seems to know the area where your parents live like the back of his hand.”
“I hope something comes to light for you soon. I’d hate for yet another family to have to go through what I’m going through right now.”
“We’re going to try our best to ensure that doesn’t happen.” Sara hoped her words didn’t sound hollow. She was desperate to find the culprit herself.
Chapter 15
It was gone three in the morning when Sara finally slipped her key into the front door of her home. Misty was there to welcome her in spite of the late hour. She swept her cat into her arms and buried her head in her fur. Misty purred contentedly. “Come on, you, back to bed. I hope I can bloody sleep. I better set my alarm ten minutes earlier just in case I have trouble opening my eyes later.”
Sara undressed and crawled into bed. She drifted off to sleep, but her recurring nightmare woke her only an hour later. She was drenched in sweat. She kicked off the quilt, forgetting that Misty was curled up on the bed beside her. After splashing cold water on her face, she dried herself and returned to her bed.
Her attempt to get further sleep proved futile. In the end, she got up at six and fixed herself a fry-up to set her up for the long day she suspected lay ahead of her.
After showering and sorting through her wardrobe for a comfortable suit to wear, she left the house and drove into work.
For the third morning on the trot, Carla was already at her desk when Sara arrived. “Crikey, there was me feeling pleased as Punch about probably beating you into work this morning. Couldn’t you sleep?”
“Nope. Could you?”
Sara shook her head. “I think I managed an hour or so. I didn’t get home until three. Is there something concerning you that you’d like to share with me?”
Carla tilted her head. “Honestly, no, there’s nothing. I can’t sleep when Andrew is away. He should be back either today or tomorrow.”
“Ah, ain’t that sweet. It must be love,” Sara ribbed her partner.
“Whatever. I’m not the hearts-and-roses type, but there’s something about having a man to share your bed…shit! I’m sorry. Me and my big mouth.”
“No need to apologise. I’m happy that you have someone to share your life with. Hang on to him, treat him well, because you never know what’s around the corner. Bugger, listen to me. Ignore me being maudlin at this time of the day. Coffee?”
“Please.”
Sara bought two white coffees from the machine and returned to Carla’s desk. “Why the sad face?”
“No reason. Hate suffering from foot-in-mouth disease, that’s all.”
Sara walked towards her office and called out, “I’m not listening. It’s forgotten about already. Let me see what joys the postman has brought while I down my coffee, and I’ll be with you soon. We’ve got a lot to get through today.”
She paused at the window to see the sun rising over the Brecon Beacons in the distance and sighed. Such a beautiful place. Why on earth would someone bring all the darkness to its door? She continued to her desk, ripped open the post and sorted it into the relevant piles of urgency. Then, coffee in hand, she returned to the incident room to find all the team sitting at their desks.
Carla smiled. “I rang them and asked them to come in early.”
A warm glow swept through Sara. She was proud to have such an amazing group of people working under her. “I appreciate it, guys. Do you want to gather around?”
Everyone turned their chair to face her.
Sara sighed when she glanced at the two whiteboards sitting side by side. “Bugger, we’re going to need another one of these.
Never mind, we’ll sort that out later. Talking to the last victims’ daughter at the hospital in the early hours of this morning, we came to the conclusion that there is possibly a connection between all three families. That’s where our priorities lie today, finding what type of connection that is. Barry, why don’t you and Jill do that? Our other main focus needs to be to go through the calls we’ve received overnight from the appeal. Christine and Scott, why don’t you sift through those, see what shows up? Will and Marissa, I’d like you to go out to the Haldons’ home and question the neighbours. One of them reported seeing the front door open—he’s the one who rang 999. I need you to take his statement and interview the other neighbours, see if they possibly saw anyone hanging around. Jenny said she spoke to her mother on the phone at nine. I received the call to go to the property around ten-thirty, I believe it was. Check with control what time the 999 call came in—that should give you a timeline to work to. Okay, let’s get to it, guys.”
The team dispersed. Carla glanced at her and shrugged. “What do you want me to do?”
Sara tutted. “We need to stick around in case the killer tries to make contact again. He mentioned calling back at ten with instructions. My thoughts are that he won’t bother doing that now.”
“May I ask why?”
“Intuition is telling me that he received a large haul from his last job, somewhere around forty grand, Jenny said. Therefore, I’d like us to concentrate our efforts on trying to locate Geraldine. Why don’t you ring the desk sergeant? He was sending a search party out to the Merediths’ house yesterday. See if anything came of it. I doubt it, otherwise we would have heard. It doesn’t hurt to chase things up, though.”
“On it.”
“While you’re at it, ask him to send up another whiteboard for the third victim. I’m going to ring the hospital, see if there’s any news regarding Laurence Haldon.” She rushed into her office to make the call.
After being patched through to the intensive care unit, the duty sister on the ward told her that Jenny was still sitting by her father’s bedside. The operation had been a success, but they were still waiting for him to regain consciousness. Sara hung up and sat back in her chair, willing Laurence Haldon to come round and tell them who the culprit was.
Chapter 16
He crept around the house. It was seven-thirty. Geraldine had been asleep all night, and he was trying his hardest not to wake her. He poked his head into the room and heard something that didn’t sit right with him. Memories of what his sister had gone through flooded his mind. He walked towards the bed and peered at Geraldine. Her eyes were puffy. His nostrils twitched at the smell when he got closer to the bed. She’d wet herself.
No shit, Sherlock. How the hell was she supposed to get to the toilet when I’ve tied her to the bed?
He bashed his clenched fists on either side of his head. He was panicking now, aware that she wasn’t well. “Geraldine, can you hear me, sweetheart?”
She didn’t respond.
He paced the room, tearing his hair from its roots. “Damn, now what am I going to do? I can’t leave her like this, she needs her medication. I need to get her to the hospital.”
He untied her wrist. Ignoring the smell, he hoisted her onto his shoulder and carried her down the stairs. She was heavier than he’d predicted she would be. Once he’d reached the front door, he propped her up against the wall and opened the door. After checking the coast was clear, he hoisted her back onto his shoulder again, took out his keys to the car, pressed the key fob and ran up the path before anyone could spot him. He opened the car door and gently placed Geraldine in the back seat.
The hospital was at least ten minutes away. The traffic was flowing well—none of the usual snarl-ups at that time of the morning, much to his relief. He pulled his hood up, ready to dive into A&E. Two minutes later, he left the car running, dashed into the hospital and emerged with a wheelchair he’d found lying around in the hallway. He placed Geraldine in the chair, kissed her cheek lightly and wheeled her into the A&E department. With his head down, he rushed up to the reception desk. “She needs help. I have to go.”
“Stop! Sir, you can’t just dump her here. Wait!”
“She needs medication. I’m outta here.”
“Stop! Somebody stop him. Don’t let him leave,” the receptionist frantically cried out.
Luckily for him, there were no security guards or other nursing staff around. He escaped with ease and ran back to his car. His emotions were all over the place. Predominantly, he feared that he’d endangered Geraldine’s life unnecessarily by abducting her. “Pull through, little lady. I never meant to harm you. I never meant to harm anyone. All I ever wanted was the cash.”
Chapter 17
Sara was sitting in her office with Carla going over possible scenarios on what they should do next regarding Geraldine’s safe return when the call came in.
“Ma’am, it’s Jeff on the front desk.”
“Hi, Jeff. What’s up?”
“I think I have some good news for you. I’ve had a call from the hospital.”
“I’m listening. What are you getting so excited about, Jeff?” Sara gestured with her hand as if to urge the desk sergeant to hurry up.
Carla chuckled.
“Sorry, ma’am, I’m a tad emotional. She’s there, at the hospital.”
“You’re not making sense. Who are you talking about? Jenny Haldon?”
The desk sergeant took a deep breath then said, “No, ma’am, Geraldine. He’s only gone and taken her to the hospital.”
“Jesus! Really? That’s excellent news. Wait, is she okay?” She held her thumb up to Carla and smiled cautiously.
“They think she’s going to be okay, ma’am. She was in dire need of her medication. But he did the right thing taking her there rather than dumping her on the street.”
“I agree. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll ring her aunt and share the good news.”
“You’re welcome, ma’am.”
Sara hung up and punched her fist in the air. “We’ve got her. Let me ring Katherine.”
Carla smiled and left her seat. “I’ll tell the others.”
“Katherine, it’s Sara Ramsey. Are you sitting down?”
“Oh no, that sounds ominous. Yes, I’m sitting in the garden doing my crossword, trying to keep my mind occupied.”
“Can you join me at the hospital?”
“What? Why?”
“Because Geraldine has just shown up there. I don’t know any more than that at this stage.”
“Oh heavens! Is she all right? Please don’t tell me the bastard has hurt her.”
“As far as I know, he hasn’t hurt her. Can you make your own way there or do you want me to pick you up?”
“No. I can get there under my own steam, I think.”
“Okay, drive carefully. I’ll meet you in the Accident and Emergency Department soon. This is good news, Katherine.”
“I might not sound excited, but I’m thrilled, I promise.”
“See you soon.”
“Thank you, Sara.”
She ended the call and let out a relieved sigh that ended with a huge smile.
She’s safe. Thank God for that! He hadn’t done the unthinkable to her. But why? Why has he let her go? Because he didn’t want her death on his hands? How bad is she? There’s only one way to find out.
She jumped out of her chair and entered the incident room, tugging on her jacket while she walked. “I’m going to the hospital. Katherine is joining me there. Carla, why don’t you stay here to ensure all the angles are covered and collate any information that comes in?”
“Fine by me, boss. Excellent news that Geraldine is safe. Do we know if she’s okay? He hasn’t hurt her, has he?”
“I’m getting the impression he hasn’t. I’ll know more when I get there. I’ll see you later.”
Sara arrived at the hospital and spotted Katherine pulling into the car park close to the main entrance. She waited for her t
o join her.
Katherine smiled and hugged her. “Thank you for all you’ve done.”
“I really didn’t do anything. I’ve had time to think on the drive over here. My take is that you making the appeal did the trick. If the person who had her saw that, maybe your plea touched a nerve and pricked their conscience.”
“You really think so? I’ve often watched the police appeals on TV and wondered if they truly made any difference. I guess they do if she’s back with us. I’m dying to see her. It’s going to be a bittersweet moment. We don’t know yet if she’s aware of what has happened to Linda and Samuel.”
Sara linked arms with Katherine and steered her towards the entrance. “We’re about to find out.”
A&E was surprisingly busy when they walked into the reception area.
“Can I help you?” asked the brunette young woman with rosy cheeks sitting at the desk.
Sara flashed her ID. “I received a call to say Geraldine Meredith was here. This is her aunt. Would it be possible for us to see her?”
“If you’d like to wait here a moment, I’ll get someone to come and have a chat with you.”
“Thanks.” Sara and Katherine stepped away from the desk and the small queue behind them and waited anxiously for the woman to return. “Here she is now.”
The receptionist was accompanied by a tall male dressed in a light-blue uniform. “Hi, if you’d like to come with me, I’ll take you to see Geraldine now.”
“How is she?” Katherine asked.
“She’s doing better now. We’ve given her some of her medication, and she’s improving bit by bit.”
“Did he hurt her? The person who abducted her?” Sara asked.
“I don’t think so. It’s hard to tell. She hasn’t spoken at all, and we didn’t want to put her through the ordeal of bombarding her with questions. You might consider that when you see her.”