‘Why are you doing this to me?’ She paused, knowing that her words were slurred. ‘I’m meant to be somewhere. He’ll call the police if I don’t turn up.’ He grinned and shook his head. She tried to pull her phone from her pocket. ‘You won’t get away with this.’
He snatched it from her hand and popped it in his pocket. ‘You won’t need that any more.’
Another flash of pain seared through her head as he brought the rock down again before forcing her into the boot. Pinpricks of light filled her vision as she fumbled for anything but there was no room to move. When the boot lid slammed, she knew she was in trouble. Her shoes were catching on everything and her coat was twisting. The other crutch was sticking into her side. Jammed in, she was stuck. The car trundled over a speed bump, then it carried on and on. Then nothing but the sound of a dual carriageway followed. The whooshing past of fast-moving cars and a horn in the distance.
She was going to die, she knew it.
2
Monday, 25 January
The thaw had begun and there was an icy chill in the air. DI Gina Harte sloshed across the car park at the station, headed through the main door and along the corridor until she reached the ladies. She ran her fingers through her tangled brown hair and tied it up at the back with an elastic band, the very thing that kept ripping it to pieces.
‘Ah, guv.’ DC Paula Wyre headed towards the sink and ran the tap. Her jet-black hair fell down her back and her fringe had almost grown out. It wasn’t like Wyre to let herself become even remotely unkempt.
‘Are you okay?’ Gina leaned against the sink waiting for a reply.
Wyre began fiddling with her cuff. ‘Me and George, we’re over.’
‘I am so sorry. The wedding?’ Stupid thing to say and Gina instantly regretted it. She glanced down at Wyre’s ring finger. The shiny rock that had recently adorned it was no longer there.
‘It’s as over as it’s going to be and…’ She shrugged. ‘I had no idea, not an inkling that anything was wrong in our relationship. He wasn’t keen on my hours but I told him from the start, I’m a police detective. People don’t just commit serious crimes between nine and five. Anyway, shit happens but another day waits for no one. I’ve just got to get on with things. Maybe I’ll get myself back out there, back in the saddle as they say.’
‘Look, if you need to take a short break to—’
She shook her head. ‘No. What I need is a distraction. It is what it is. At least the tenancy on the flat was in my name so I sent him packing yesterday. He is gone.’ She sighed. ‘Anyway, I just want to get on with things so less talk about me and George.’
‘A distraction would be most welcome. It’s been a bit quiet lately, not that I’m complaining.’
‘Not as quiet as you might think.’
‘Do tell.’ Gina finished pulling her hair into the elastic band and checked out her appearance. It wasn’t good but to hell with it. At the moment, she didn’t really care. It was January, it was gloomy and it was freezing cold. On top of it all, the boiler at the station was on the blink and they were relying on fan heaters in every room to keep hypothermia away. She almost revealed her smile, the one that might reveal that last night she was with her DCI, Chris Briggs. That night shouldn’t have happened but history had repeated itself. She enjoyed his warmth and the fact that he always managed to press her right buttons, but no one would know. She didn’t want to be moved from Cleevesford Police and neither did he.
‘A woman called Lauren Sandiford is coming in to report her missing neighbour as she hasn’t come back to her apartment all weekend. They’re both students and live at the large converted house on Bulmore Drive.’
‘I know the one. There’s been a lot of trouble there in the past but I don’t recall any incidents there over this past couple of years. Do we know anything more? Is it just a case of uniform following this one up?’ Gina straightened her back, undid her heavy woollen overcoat to expose her grey suit jacket.
‘As you say, we’ve been a bit quiet but uniform have been run off their feet with volume crime lately so I thought we could take the pressure off them for a change.’
‘Sounds good. I hope that our missing woman is just staying with friends.’
Wyre leaned against the sink. ‘Lauren Sandiford did say that she and Amber Slater had become close friends and that she’s not answering her phone. It may be something, it may be nothing. Let’s hope it’s nothing and Amber turns up.’ Wyre reached into her pocket again and pulled a proper hair bobble out. ‘I got this for you, guv. It pains me to see your hair being ripped to shreds when you remove those elastic bands.’
Gina snorted out a little laugh, prompting Wyre to follow suit. ‘Thank you.’ She wrenched the elastic from her hair, pulling out a few more strands, and replaced it with the lovely padded bobble. ‘Better.’
Wyre nodded.
‘I think we’ll interview this woman together when she gets here?’
‘Great.’ Ever the professional, Wyre had left whatever heartache she may be suffering in the toilet block.
Gina hoped that their missing woman was just having a wild weekend with some guy she’d met. After all, she hadn’t been gone long. A little cold shiver prickled on her neck. Hope was pointless. What she needed to do was find the woman, then she could relax.
3
Lauren Sandiford nervously sipped on the tea that Wyre had made. Her face was blank, giving nothing away, but her fingers nervously traced the grain on the wooden table. Gina had chosen the room she considered their best, although none of them were particularly inviting, such was the result of the cuts to their budget. The fan heater whirred away, making a clanking noise every now and again. The smell of burning dust filled the room.
‘I feel stupid for being here.’ The young woman threw her mini backpack to the floor but kept her khaki duffle coat completely zipped up to her round double chin. Her mousy hair fell from the sides of her fur-lined hood. After grabbing a tissue from the box on the table, she wiped her red nose and blew.
