“I’ll see myself out.” She turned and went back into the house.
He watched as she went, slamming the porch door behind her, and debated whether to follow. Deciding it was best just to let her calm down, he remained on the deck long after he’d heard her car start up and pull away, the squeal of her tires telling him it might be a while before she did.
She had been wrong, though. That wasn’t why he thought the way he did. There simply wasn’t any evidence pointing to foul play. He truly did want to help her, but she needed to accept that she might not like what they discovered. If they discovered anything at all.
I should have just said no, he thought to himself. It would have been much easier if he’d just told her to deal with the chief directly. He was glad he had company coming over tonight. He really didn’t want to spend time analyzing his reasons for saying yes again. He wasn’t sure he’d like the result.
26
She was still pissed, but the fire had gone from her anger. She’d spent the evening slamming her way around the house and even Marrie had had the good sense to avoid her. In the mood she was in, she would have gone for the jugular.
She had no idea why she’d reacted as strongly as she had but if she was honest with herself, she figured it probably had something to do with the guilt she felt. Being in this place again was too much. This was exactly why she’d never come back. She needed to get out of here as soon as she could and get back to her own life. It may not be a particularly full one, but at least she wasn’t on an emotional roller coaster all the time.
The house was quiet now as she padded back upstairs with a glass of hot milk. She’d had it as a child when she couldn’t sleep and thought she’d give it a try. It was nearly 3 a.m. and she hadn’t slept a wink, even though she was so tired her bones ached.
Propping herself up in bed, she settled back to watch the news. They were showing a special report about a suspected serial killer in the next state. The hot milk nearly scalded her as she spilled it down herself, leaping out of bed. It was her! It had only been a few seconds, but there was no doubt in her mind. Andrew had been in that broadcast!
For a moment, she didn’t know what to do, shocked by what she had just seen. She wanted to run and wake up Neil and tell him that his sister was alive, but what if she was wrong? No, she couldn’t raise his hopes like that.
Immediately, she thought of Finn. She had to speak to Finn. Shit! She’d never gotten his cellphone number. She very briefly considered waiting until morning, but that thought was quickly pushed aside. This couldn’t wait until then; she had to see him now.
Throwing on a pair of jeans and a sweater, she ran down the stairs as quietly as she could. If she woke Neil and Marrie up, they’d want to know where she was going in the middle of the night and she couldn’t tell them, not yet.
The roads were deserted as she drove way over the speed limit in her hurry to get there, replaying what she’d seen in her mind. She was absolutely sure it was her. She looked different, and she’d been dressed like a hooker, but it was her. She was sure of it.
Pulling her car to a stop outside Finn’s house, all thoughts of what had happened earlier long gone, she banged on his door. She’d been banging for what felt like ages before a light went on upstairs. She heard someone on the other side of the door and saw a shadow fall across the peephole. The door opened and Finn stood there in his shorts, his hair rumpled from where he’d been sleeping.
“Beth? It’s the middle of the night! What’s wrong?” He rubbed his eyes.
Trying to keep her eyes averted from his naked chest, the words tumbled out of her mouth. “She’s alive! Andrew! She’s alive!” She walked past him into the house. “I saw her on TV. I know it was her!”
“Whoa, slow down!” He took hold of her arms to get her to stand still “What on earth are you talking about?”
“I was watching TV just now and I saw her!”
“Is everything okay?” Beth spun round at the sound of a female voice. About halfway up the stairs stood a woman, wearing nothing but a man’s shirt. She was quite beautiful, with long red, curly hair and a great pair of legs, from what she could see.
Suddenly, she felt incredibly foolish. What had she been thinking, coming over here in the middle of the night? It had never occurred to her that he wouldn’t be alone, though she didn’t know why.
“Shit. I’m sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking.” She couldn’t look at Finn. “Look, I’ll come back in the morning. I’m so sorry.” She had her hand on the door handle when Finn stopped her.
“Beth, its fine. Isn’t it, babe?” He addressed the woman on the stairs. “You don’t mind, do you? It’s work.”
“Of course I don’t. I’ll go back to bed. Nice to meet you.” She offered to Beth before turning and going back up the stairs.
Finn led her into the living room before closing the door gently and turning to her. “Now, what’s this all about?”
Taking a deep breath and trying to explain properly this time, Beth told him what she’d seen on the news a short time ago.
“Are you sure? It’s the middle of the night. You’re tired and, understandably, a bit emotional at the moment.”
She could hear the doubt in his voice and it irritated her. “Don’t patronize me. I may be tired and emotional, but I’m still a highly trained detective. My brain hasn’t turned to mush. I know what I saw and it was her.”
He looked her in the eye and she met his gaze unwaveringly. For a few moments they remained like that, eyes locked, before he spoke again. “Okay. I believe you. Well, there’s nothing we can do tonight so we should both try and get some sleep. We can look into it first thing in the morning.”
Like she was going to get any sleep now! She should have just waited until it was light before charging round here, but she’d been so shocked that she’d just needed to tell him right away. “Yes. Of course, you’re right. Please apologize to your friend for me.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. This is wonderful news. Don’t worry, okay?” He took hold of her upper arms, looking into her eyes “we’ll find her.”
She watched as the lights downstairs went off before she started her engine. Seeing that woman on the stairs had come as a shock, though she had no idea why. Did she honestly think that he’d spent the last twenty years pining for her? She had no claim on him, but her own feelings were betraying her.
She’d needed his help but she could take it from here. She needed to distance herself from him. Being this close wasn’t healthy. She’d thought she’d be able to handle it, but she was wrong.
The news broadcast had been filmed in Parkway. If she left now, she could be there by breakfast time. She just needed to swing by the house, pack a few things and leave a note for Neil. She would just tell him that she was following up on a lead, where she was headed and that she would be in touch as soon as she had any news.
With one last look at the house, she put the car in drive and drove off.
27
Apart from a couple of coffee and bathroom stops, she’d driven through the night and had arrived at Parkway’s local TV station at just after 8 a.m.
She knew she was right, but what Finn had said last night had been nagging at her constantly on the drive. What if she was wrong and it was wishful thinking? She needed to be sure before she went off on a wild goose chase, and the only way to do that was going to the source.
Leaving her car in the parking lot out front, she went inside. The TV station was one of the smaller local stations and was situated in an older building away from the center of town where the other, bigger, stations were based. A bored security guard manned the reception desk, and when she asked to see someone about the broadcast he lazily waved his hand towards an elevator to his left and told her to go to the third floor.
Stepping out, she looked around, unsure who to speak to. The whole floor was open with cubicles dotted around, many already occupied even at
this early hour. No one paid her any attention as she spotted an enclosed office in the far corner and made her way over to it.
A harassed-looking man waved her in impatiently when she knocked, barely glancing in her direction.
“Hi. I wonder if you can help me.”
“Who are you?” He looked at her, a puzzled expression on his face. “Do you work here?”
“No, I’ve come about a news broadcast you showed last night.” She held out her hand. “My name is Beth Donald.”
He took her outstretched hand. “I’m sorry. Everyone is supposed to be met in reception. I’ll have to speak to Gus about that he shouldn’t have just sent you up. I’m Jude Flint. I’m in charge around here. How can I help you?”
Beth explained what she’d come for.
“And you think your missing niece was captured on the broadcast? Okay, well there’s one way to find out for sure.” He stood up. “Follow me and I’ll take you down to the production office. They’ll be able to show you a tape of the show and you can find out either way.”
After explaining what she needed and wishing her luck, Jude left her in the production office. It took a few minutes for them to bring up the broadcast and her stomach was in knots by the time they indicated that it was ready.
Taking a seat in front of one of the many screens in the room, she held her breath as the technician pressed play. “Stop it there!” she said when they were a couple of minutes into the tape. Frozen on the screen was her niece. There was absolutely no doubt about it.
“Can I get a copy of the tape?”
“Yep, sure,” the technician replied, and quickly made her a copy before handing her a disc.
Thanking him, she quickly made her way back out of the building to her car. Though she was exhausted from being up most of the night, she didn’t have time to rest. She needed to get this tape to the police as soon as possible.
She’d felt excited and hopeful on the way over to the Parkway P.D. building, in downtown Parkway. Those feelings had quickly dissipated, though, and now she was growing increasingly frustrated with the detective that had taken her into a side room to listen to her story. One thing was for sure, she was getting a better understanding of the victims of crime she dealt with must feel. Usually she was on the other side of the table, the one asking the questions. Now, though, she was at the mercy of the great lump of a man sitting opposite her who didn’t seem in any hurry to get anything done to find Andrew.
“Okay, just so I understand, do you mind if we run through it one more time from the top?” he asked, speaking to her as if she were some kind of half wit.
“Yes, I do mind!” She had tried to stay calm, repeating it twice already, but now she was losing her cool. “I’ve told you everything I know. All you have to do is get in touch with Brecon Point police and they will fill you in on all the details I haven’t covered. Now, can we please get out there and start looking for my niece?”
“It’s not that simple, I’m afraid.” He even seemed to speak in slow motion. Looking at his wide girth, she suspected he did everything in slow motion. “We have to do everything through the proper channels.” He picked up his pad where he had been scribbling notes as she filled him in on the case. “Leave it with me and I’ll be in touch as soon as I can. Is there a number I can get you on?”
Not trusting herself to speak, Beth scribbled her cell number down on the bottom of the pad he was holding out to her and, without another word, turned and walked out. What a waste of time that was! She was fuming. If he thought she had come all this way just to sit around and wait until they decided to do something, they were wrong.
There wasn’t much more she could do for now, and the overnight drive was taking its toll. She could barely keep her eyes open. She’d spotted a hotel not far from the police station on her way into town, so she headed there now. After checking in, she took the elevator to her room and let herself in.
Knowing that it was unlikely that combing the streets at this time of the morning would do any good, she decided to get some sleep and start looking once it got dark. She would spend every night walking every street in town if he had to. Holding on to that thought, she just about managed to get herself undressed and climb under the cool, crisp covers of the bed before falling into a deep and blissfully dreamless sleep.
28
He was pissed. Damn that stubborn woman! When he hadn’t heard from her by midday, he’d driven up to the house to find her. It had been Marrie who’d opened the door and informed him that she’d left during the night, leaving a note for Neil. It hadn’t said much, just where she was going and that she’d be back as soon as she could. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what she had planned. The question was, what should he do now?
He should just let her get on with it and get back to his own job. She was a highly trained detective, as she’d been so eager to remind him. It wasn’t his fault that she was too damn impatient.
Banging his fist on the steering wheel of his car that was still in the driveway of the house, he cursed. He knew he wasn’t going to let her do this alone and it irritated the hell out of him that he couldn’t just walk away.
From what she’d told him the night before, Andrew was on the streets and you didn’t need to be an L.A. detective to know that wandering the streets at night looking for someone was not the safest, or smartest, thing to do. He knew she’d argue that she didn’t need a man to protect her but, whether she liked it or not, it was much more dangerous for a woman alone. He didn’t have a choice, really, did he?
Putting his car in drive, he headed home. He’d need to pack a few things, not that he was planning on being away long, and make a couple of calls. He needed to let his boss know what was happening and he should call Sheila and let her know, too.
He’d been dating Sheila for about six months now. She owned the local hair salon and they’d met at a mutual friend’s barbeque, hitting it off right away. He wasn’t looking for anything long term, and he’d made that plain to her at the start, but recently things had been getting more and more committed. She spent most nights at his house now and he’d noticed more and more of her things left behind after each visit. He hadn’t brought the subject up yet as he wasn’t sure about his own feelings about it, but he knew the time was coming when he would have to make a decision about their future.
For now, though, he didn’t have time to worry about it. Getting the all clear from his boss, he threw a few things into a gym bag and headed out the door. If she’d left in the middle of the night, she would have arrived early this morning. That meant, he hoped, that she wouldn’t have had chance yet to actually get out onto the streets. If he made good time, he could be there by late afternoon.
29
The noise from the street outside woke her. Glancing at her watch, she realized with a start that she’d been asleep for several hours and it was now late afternoon. Sitting up, she raised her hands above her head and stretched, her body tense after lying in the same position for a long time.
Padding over to the hotel room window, she pulled the curtains aside, letting in the last of the afternoon sun. The streets were full of people going about their business. Somewhere out there was her niece, and she wasn’t going home until she found her.
Knowing that she had a long night ahead of her, she decided to shower and then go and have something to eat. Her stomach was reminding her that she hadn’t eaten that day and she needed to re-fuel.
She was just about to step into the shower when she heard a loud buzzing. Curious, she slipped on the hotel’s courtesy robe and stepped back into the bedroom, realizing it was her cell, vibrating silently on the bedside table.
Picking it up, she noted that she had twenty-five missed calls and several voice mail messages. She must have been in a really deep sleep as the buzzing hadn’t woken her up. Pressing the button to listen to the messages, she soon realized each one was from Finn and he sounded increasingly pissed in each one
. The last of the messages had been left just now and in it he told her that if she didn’t call him back he was headed straight to the police to report her as a missing person.
Annoyed, she sat back down on the bed and dialed the number on the screen.
“About damn time!” he barked at her as soon as he picked up. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to get hold of you since lunchtime!”
“I’m sorry, since when do I answer to you?” She was pleased that he’d called but who did he think he was, talking to her like that? “And where did you get my number from anyway?” She could hear him take a deep breath down the line.
“I’m sorry if I shouted. I’ve just been worried because I’ve been trying all afternoon and you didn’t pick up. I stopped by the house this morning and Marrie gave it to me, along with your note.”
“I’ve been asleep. I drove through the night and needed to catch up. My phone’s been on vibrate.”
“Well, if you had waited for me instead of dashing off in the middle of the night you wouldn’t have had to drive through the night, would you?”
He had a point, but there was no way she was admitting it. “Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. I did and I’m here now. What do you want, anyway?”
“Where are you now?”
“In a hotel. I’m just going to shower then have something to eat and start looking.”
“What hotel?”
What was this? Twenty questions? “A Holiday Inn near the police station. Why?”
“Just go and have your shower. I’ll talk to you later.”
And with that she was left holding the phone to her ear, listening to the dial tone. What was that all about?
Shrugging it off, she showered quickly, not wanting to waste any time, and got dressed in fresh clothes.
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