He grasped my arm. His eyes registered what had happened and, in what felt like slow motion, he lost his balance, crashing backwards and taking me with him.
We both fell, landing in the drain.
White hot pain shot up my leg. Vinny had cushioned the worst of my landing as he'd fallen first and was lying perfectly still underneath me. I couldn't see a thing. It was totally black down there, but I could hear him breathing.
I screamed in agony as I tried to move. I'd never had a broken bone before, but I knew my shin had probably snapped because when I tried to move my foot it swung completely independent to the rest of my leg.
Horrified and in agony I lay as still as was humanly possible on top of Vinny, who still hadn’t moved at all.
I must have passed out because I remember coming round, and I was freezing cold. Vinny still hadn’t moved.
I knew I needed to get out of that drain but, with the state my leg was in, I knew the chances were very slim.
"Vinny?"
Nothing.
"Vinny, answer me."
Still nothing."
I remembered he was still holding my phone when we fell, so I reached out and felt his neck for a pulse.
I couldn't find it, and I suddenly realised I could no longer hear him breathing.
"Vinny!" I screamed with all my might, but the sound was almost not there.
It was bad enough being trapped down there with a lunatic—but to be stuck and pinned to a corpse was even worse.
"Vinny." I slapped at his face and felt the sticky coating of blood under my fingers.
I snatched my hand away and suppressed another scream, trying to keep my head. I felt down Vinny's right arm to his hand. I said a silent prayer for the phone to still be there.
It was.
With fumbling fingers, I eventually managed to retrieve my phone from his grip. With tears flooding down my face, I pressed redial, knowing home was the last place I called.
Nothing.
"Oh no—oh no—oh please no!" I said over and over as I lifted the phone to my face trying to make out the tiny icons on the screen.
No signal.
Completely deflated, I rested my head back on Vinny's dead chest and began to sob.
The pain in my leg overshadowed the pain in my stomach, but I was still aware of it.
I was losing my baby in this stinking hole, and then I would die too.
An owl hooted in the distance and I slowly felt myself fading. Thankfully, I no longer felt cold. I could hear my mother’s voice—soothing and cajoling.
If Mum was here, I knew I would be okay.
Chapter 41
"So you're moving on then?" said Marco, the hotel manager, as he waited for the final account to print.
"Afraid so, mate. There's nothing much to keep me around here now," James said.
"So there you go—paid up 'til tomorrow morning at ten." He handed James the receipt. "If you need any more time, let me know."
"Will do, boss. Cheers for everything." James’ phone began vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and waved to Marco before heading for the door.
"Hi Geri, I was just about to call you."
"James, it's Maxwell Eve. Sorry to bother you but I'm worried something's happened to Geri."
"I'm just across the road, Max. Give me two minutes and I'll be with you."
He pulled open the hotel swing door and braced himself against the bitter cold wind.
Max was standing at the front gate of the cottage as he arrived, and Beryl at the front door.
"What's happened?” James asked as they all piled inside.
"Geraldine's not come home. She had a doctor’s appointment at two this afternoon in Kirkby Mayor, and nobody's seen her since."
James glanced at his watch.
"Flaming hell—it's almost six o'clock. Have you rung around her friends?"
"She doesn't have any really. Carl's erm ..." Max glanced around at Beryl. "Well, he and you are her only friends."
"What about Simon?"
"He's on his way. Her mobile phone's going straight to messages. I'm worried, James. Extremely worried. It's so unlike her," Max said, his voice cracking.
Beryl moved to his side and linked her arm through his.
"Don't worry, lovey. I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation."
"Okay—I'll go and look for her. You stay here and call me as soon as she shows up." James headed for the door.
He drove to Kirkby Mayor, and up and down the high street.
The doctor's surgery was in darkness but as he approached the carpark, his headlights lit up Geri’s silver Nissan parked there.
He drove up beside it, jumped out of the car and peered in the windows. He'd never been in Geraldine's car before so he wasn't sure what he was even looking for—but there was a cream lace scarf lying on the back of the seat and he was sure it belonged to her.
He knew Doctor Jessop used to live in the old blue and white house just out of town. Maybe he still lived there. Village life wasn't like living in the city. People rarely moved house here, some families owning the same houses for centuries.
The impressive property was lit up like a Christmas tree with lights on in every room.
A yappy dog barked as he knocked on the ancient wooden door.
Moments later, the door was tentatively opened by a middle-aged lady in a fuchsia pink robe and a row of curlers in the front of her hair.
"Oh!" she said, her hand flying to the curlers.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Mrs Jessop, but I need to speak to the doctor. It’s important."
"Just a minute." She closed the door behind her. Soon after, Doctor Jessop appeared.
"James! I'd heard you were back," he said warmly.
"Not for long, Doc. I'm sorry to bother you, but did Geraldine Eve come to see you today?"
"You know I can't discuss my clients with you, James."
"No—I'm aware of that and I don't want any details. It's just that she hasn't been seen since she left home this afternoon and her dad is worried sick. Plus her car is still at the surgery."
Doctor Jessop's eyebrows furrowed as he pushed his glasses further onto his nose. "I noticed there was a car still there as I left this evening. I didn't know who it belonged to."
"So, did she make her appointment?"
"Yes, she did. She was on time and seemed perfectly fine when she left."
"Thanks, Doc. I'd best get on."
"Okay. I hope she's alright."
"Me too, Doc, me too."
Back in the car, James started the engine and was startled by a loud knock on the bonnet of the car. He wound the window down to see Doctor Jessop hopping from foot to foot and clapping himself on the arms.
"Just a thought, but I saw her with Vinny Martin earlier. I can’t swear to it, but I think she might have got into his car. Maybe he knows something."
"Cheers, Doc—I'll check it out."
James waited until the doctor was back inside his house before dialling Vinny's mobile. It went straight to voicemail.
"Vinny—James here. I'm looking for Geraldine and I believe you spoke to her earlier today. Call me."
James sighed, tapping both hands on the steering wheel.
After a few minutes, he put the car in gear and headed back into Kirby Mayor village, pulling up outside the police station.
Inside, he stood behind an elderly man who was complaining about his neighbour playing music.
"I'll get one of our officers to look into it for you, Mr Bennett."
"Pardon?" Mr Bennett said, cupping his ear.
"I said, I'll send an officer round." The sergeant raised his voice.
"Well, tell them not to come around tonight. I go to bed early and don't want to be disturbed, you see."
"Isn't the music disturbing you?" The sergeant scratched his head in confusion.
"Oh no—they always turn it off at night time," he said.
"I see." The sergeant raised his eyebrows
at James.
James smiled.
"Okay, Mr Bennett. I'll make a note of it for you."
James held the door open for the old gentleman and then stepped back to the desk.
"How can I help you, James?"
"Hi Joey—is Tom Sullivan available?"
"I'll check for you, mate."
James knew a lot of the officers at this station. He'd played football with most of them. They knew why he was back in the area and helped him with information whenever they could, despite Vinny warning them all off.
Joey reappeared. "You're in luck. Tom's on his way in. Shouldn’t be too long."
James paced the floor for a few minutes. He sat on the edge of a plastic seat, his legs twitching nervously, and flicked through a boating magazine.
"Jimmy—I wondered if you'd call in to say goodbye. Frances and Kevin told me you were leaving."
James stood up and they exchange a man hug and a few shoulder slaps.
"I'm here for some information, Tom. I need your help."
"Course, come through."
Tom led James through to an open office at the back of the reception.
"So what can I do for you?" he asked.
"I'm looking for a friend of mine—Geraldine Eve—or she may go by the name McIntyre," James said. "Anyway, she's been missing since this afternoon."
Tom nodded. "I see."
"The thing is, Tom, she was last seen talking to Vinny Martin. Doctor Jessop said he thinks she got into his car. They're both not answering their phones. I'm worried something's happened to her."
"I could try to get Vinny on the car radio, if you'll just bear with me for a second."
"Yeah, no problem—thanks, Tom."
James glanced at his watch as Tom strode off, disappearing into a side room. It had been almost an hour since he'd left Max, and he had a terrible feeling about this.
"No luck on his radio or his cell phone I'm afraid," Tom said as he returned. "I did check our GPS system though and it appears Vinny's car has been parked in the same place for almost two hours now."
"Where is it?"
"That's the strange bit. It's on the old Camberley Road. There's nothing out there but woodland. I'll send a car out there to check ..."
James didn't hear anymore as he ran from the station. He sped off in his car heading to Camberley.
He knew as soon as he came across the car that something terrible had happened. Both front doors and the boot were wide open.
He pulled up behind it and got out, leaving his hazard lights flashing.
"Geraldine?" he shouted. "Vinny?"
Nothing.
He noticed the car had been jacked up, and the spare tyre half fitted.
"Geraldine?" he yelled again.
Looking inside the car, he saw Geraldine's bag had been upended on the passenger seat and spotted a flashlight on the back seat of the car. He reached inside for it and switched it on.
It worked.
Shining the light all around him, he called again. "Geraldine?"
Blue and red flashing lights appeared around the bend, and Tom and another uniformed officer stepped from the police car.
James jogged towards them.
"Something's wrong, Tom. The car's wide open. Geri's handbag's on the seat, but there's no sign of either of them."
"Okay, sir. Calm down," the other officer said in a strong Scottish accent.
While they examined the car, James walked back along the bank at the side of the road, shining the torch into the trees beyond.
He froze—his heart and breathing totally stopped as he came across a large drain and what appeared to be two dead bodies within.
Chapter 42
Somebody was stroking my face and talking in a calm voice.
I was vaguely aware of bright lights, and lots of noise and then a feeling of weightlessness as if I was being lifted up to the sky.
There were lots of sirens.
Somebody must be in a lot of trouble close by.
***
"Wake up sweetheart, wake up."
James' voice was so soft and tender, as he stroked my hair, that at first I thought I must be dreaming. I didn't know what to do. If I opened my eyes now, while he was talking to me like this, it would embarrass us both.
"Come on, Geri. Wake up, my love."
My love ... what's going on? He said my love. I slowly opened my eyes and saw that his eyes were closed, his face just inches from mine.
"James?" My voice came out in a whisper.
"Oh, Geri. Thank goodness you're okay. I was so worried about you." He kissed me on the forehead and then again on the lips.
"My baby?" My arms were already folded protectively around my little bump.
"The doctor has examined you. He said the seatbelt caused a lot of trauma to your lower abdomen, and the next few days will prove critical to the baby."
"You mean ... I'm still pregnant?"
James nodded, tears filling his eyes.
I closed my eyes tightly, trying to ward off my own tears.
When I opened them again, I realised I must have dropped off as the light had completely altered in the room.
I glanced around me for the first time.
James was now sitting in an armchair at the side of the bed, and he was asleep, snoring softly. As I looked at him, my stomach did that strange flip once again.
Blue curtains were pulled around one half of the bed. A window on the far wall was partially covered with a roller blind, and daylight streamed into the room from the six inch gap at the bottom. I figured I'd been asleep for a while. A huge bunch of beautiful ruby-red roses filled a vase on the bedside cabinet.
As I lay there in the silence, recent events began to play out in my mind.
From the safety and stillness of my hospital bed, it was hard to believe it had all actually happened. Memories flooded my mind of being chased through the forest, of Vinny tearing my trousers off, and the crazed expression in his eyes. I remembered the devastating feelings I'd had when I thought I'd lost my baby. It was as though it had played out in a dream, or a movie I'd seen.
I felt numb to it all. Maybe it was just my way of dealing with things. God only knows I should be as mad as Vinny was by now, especially with everything that had happened recently.
James sat up, rubbing at his eyes. "Are you okay? Can I get you anything?"
I shook my head, closing my eyes wearily for a few seconds.
"How did you find me?" I asked. My voice sounded hoarse.
James got to his feet and poured me a glass of water.
"Here, drink this," he said, placing the glass to my lips.
I sipped at the water from my supine position. A steady stream dribbled down my face and soaked my left ear.
After returning the glass to the cabinet, he turned back to me. "Your dad called me when you didn't show up at home. Thankfully Doctor Jessop saw you getting into Vinny's car, and with a bit of help I was able to track you both."
"Is Vinny ...?"
James nodded. "He's dead."
All the while we were talking, he was stroking my hair.
"Do you know he's the rapist?" I asked, my voice slow and flat.
"It took a while to work it out, but yes, everyone knows it now."
"What about Carl?"
"Tom, my friend in the police, is on to it. I don't know how long it will take, but I'm sure Carl will be released as soon as possible."
"What about my leg? Did I break it?" I didn't have the energy to even try to move my feet.
"You did, good and proper. They've managed to set it with a couple of pins and a cast. You'll be incapacitated for a few weeks, I'd say."
"Thank you. I was sure I was going to die."
"I thought I was too late. I can't tell you the fright I had when I looked down that drain and saw you both."
My face flushed at the thought of him finding me partially clothed and covered in blood. But he didn't seem to care. Maybe Simon was right after al
l—he did like me. Being this close to him made me uncomfortable, however. His chocolate eyes made me melt, and I couldn't stop looking at those juicy lips. I wanted to bite them.
Just then, Simon walked into the room like a whirlwind.
"You're awake! Thank God for that. How are you?" He ran round the bed and planted a kiss on my lips. I noticed Kevin standing in the doorway looking uncomfortable.
James got up and grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair. "I'll leave you to it. Let me know if you need anything, and I'll pop back later." He kissed my forehead before leaving.
"I can't believe it. That bastard could have killed you, Geri. I knew he wasn't all there in the head," Simon continued. "Why you got in the car with that nutter, I'll never know. You could have lost our baby, Geri. It's a good job he's dead or else I'd kill him with my bare hands for doing this to you."
"Shit, Simon," I said. "Take a breath and calm down. I'm okay, and so is the baby."
I was much too tired for this, and I was more than a bit miffed that he'd chased James away. James, who had called me my love and sweetheart. James with the dairy milk chocolate gaze and the most kissable lips.
"Let Geri rest now, Simon. She's been through quite an ordeal." Kevin had finally ventured further into the room and was standing behind Simon, looking warily at me.
"Hi, Kevin."
"Hello, love. You gave us all quite a scare, you know."
I nodded and smiled.
"Where's Dad?" I asked Simon.
"We just took him home. He's been here all day, but he looked shattered."
Simon seemed to have calmed down now.
"Thanks for the flowers," I said.
"They're not from us."
"Really?"
Simon smirked. "Oh look, there's a card." He got up and pulled out a tiny envelope.
"Shall I?" He nodded at the card, his eyebrows raised questioningly.
I shrugged and nodded.
Simon read it, the smirk still on his face. Then he read it again and handed it to Kevin, nodding.
***
My mind was racing, and although exhausted, I couldn't sleep.
I'd been relieved when Simon and Kevin finally left. I'd pretended to be falling to sleep in the end and they got the message.
The nurse came in wheeling a phone on a stand, and she plugged it in at the side of me.
Embellished Deception: A Psychological Suspense Novel (The Crime Files) Page 22
