by Clare Revell
“And we’ll find her.” DS Philips looked at him. “If it’s any consolation, I’ve been where you are when Amy went missing. You need to calm down unless you want to be taken off the case.”
“He’s not even going there!” Zander muttered.
“Oh, he will. He’ll try but it won’t work. You can’t find her unless you calm down and treat this like any other case.”
“It’s not any other case!” Zander raised his eyes heavenward. But DS Philips was right. He had to at least appear calm or he’d be allowed nowhere near it. Even though he’d made the connection. Just as Isabel had the other day with Kacie. “OK. You call SOCO. I’m going down to reception to see what time she left her room. The key cards are logged on the system with each swipe.”
DS Philips smiled. “Now you’re thinking logically.”
Zander trotted down the stairs to reception. “Jan, I need the key card information for Isabel’s room.”
“Is she all right?”
“No. She’s missing. Who was on the desk last night?”
Jan looked at him, shock written on her face. “Missing?”
“Yes. Missing. Who was on duty last night?”
“Pam O’Shea. She’ll be asleep now. She’ll be back on duty tonight.”
Zander hissed. “I need her back here now. I need that key card information and the CCTV footage from about one thirty yesterday afternoon until just before I arrived back here just now.”
“What’s the rush?”
“We have a police officer missing. We need to move quickly. I really don’t have time to stand and debate this. So please, if I could have that information, now.”
Jan checked the computer. “Her room was last entered at half-past nine last night. Before that it was twenty-five to eight and before then twenty-five past two.”
Zander frowned. That made no sense. The earlier one would probably have been her coming in sick, but the others? “You have that footage?”
“One moment.” Jan worked at the computer, moving the mouse and clicking the keyboard.
DS Philips came down the stairs. “SOCO is on the way. What have you got?”
“Just checking the CCTV. Her door was opened three times after about twenty-five past two yesterday afternoon.” He peered at the computer screen. “OK. Time stamp with her leaving her room is nineteen thirty. She looks awful.”
“Where were you?”
“Still at work. I didn’t get back until nine. I tapped on her door. I got no answer, but then, migraines knock her out for days.” He pointed to the screen. “See, there’s me, knocking on her door, then going into my room at nine.”
“OK.”
Zander skipped the tape forwards a bit. “Now to get to half nine when her room was accessed again.”
A man carrying something in his arms walked down the corridor. Another man opened Isabel’s door with a key card. Both men headed inside leaving the door ajar. Two minutes later they exited, closing the door behind them.
Jan rewound the video feed and froze the screen. “Isn’t that Isabel in his arms as they go into the room? Long, dark hair?”
Zander shook his head. “No. She has short, blonde hair now.” His phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket. “DS Ellery.”
“Zander, it’s me.” DI Holmes was even more brusque than usual. “I need an update and I need it five minutes ago.”
“She’s not here.” Zander could be equally terse. “She left under her own steam at seven forty-five last night. We’re watching the CCTV now.”
“Good. SOCO are about five minutes out. Leave Dane there to handle them. I want you back here now.”
“Guv…” Zander’s protest fell on deaf ears.
“I need you to go over all the CCTV footage from the surrounding area as I pull it. I need a timeline and you’re the best person to do one.”
“I’d far rather be out there looking.”
“You have no idea where to go until you’ve checked the cameras.”
“Fine. You get hold of Austin yet?”
“Still trying. Just get back here.”
Zander ended the call. Probably shouldn’t have hung up on his boss, but he really didn’t care. “I’ve been summoned back to my desk,” he snarled, letting his anger loose for a moment. “Apparently, all I’m fit for is studying CCTV from traffic and building cams. You get to stay here and work the scene with SOCO.”
“At least you’re involved.” DS Philips handed over his keys. “Take the car.”
“What about you?”
“I can get a lift back later. Run. Sooner you go through the footage, the sooner we may find her.”
Zander had to admit he was right. “OK. See you later.”
~*~
Isabel ran, desperate to get away, stumbling over twigs. Crashing bushes came from behind her. She darted off the path, to find herself going over the edge of a steep embankment. Her ankle rolled beneath her. Unable to break her fall, she bit her lip as she fell headlong over stones and twigs catching her arms, face, and hair. It felt as if she were being cut to shreds.
Winded, she finally came to a halt against a tall tree. She whimpered in pain but pushed herself upright. Her ankle howled in protest, but she could hear the men crashing down the embankment after her. Somehow she kept moving, her limping gait barely keeping her ahead.
Suddenly she spied a fisherman’s tent in a gap by the river. She rolled to the ground and under the canvas, praying it was empty. It was. She lay still, heard pounding, breathing as quietly as her aching, oxygen starved lungs would let her.
Footsteps ran past, and then stopped. “Better check that tent,” said a voice. The footsteps got closer and the tent rustled.
Isabel held her breath, shaking with fear.
“Oy! What do yer two blokes think yer doing with ma stuff?” A new, irate voice spoke from just outside the tent.
“My dog ran off. I’m just looking for it,” the bloke replied.
“Ain’t no dog here. Now git! Leave ma stuff alone afore I call the cops.”
The footsteps retreated back to the path and set off.
There was a long pause, before someone said. “They’ve gone. Yer can come out now, missy.”
Isabel pushed out of the tent and held out her taped wrists. “Please?”
The fisherman pulled out a pocketknife and cut the tape. “Are yer all right? They didn’t hurt yer none?”
“I hurt my ankle running from them. Do you have a phone?”
“Battery’s dead. There’re houses just beyond them trees over there. They’d have one.”
“Thank you.” Isabel tried to walk, but her ankle was just too painful. Now she didn’t have the adrenaline flooding her system, it was all she could do to limp half a step.
The fisherman strapped her ankle with some cloth he had and helped her up the embankment. “Best go afore them blokes come back. I never saw ye.”
“Thank you.” She turned her back on her would be saviour and limped towards the tree line. She prayed he was right about the houses and that someone would be in and willing to help her.
~*~
Zander sat at the desk, trying to curb his frustration at being forced to sit here and not search the streets for her. “Right. We have CCTV of her in the chemists in town. Then one right over in Upper Tidmarsh which is where the report said the poison hemlock came from. It looks as if she’s on her phone. Then she and Austin get in the car and leave. We need to pull her phone records.” He scribbled a note to remind himself to do it.
He tracked them across town to the art gallery. Why there? She and Austin vanished inside. Not long later, Isabel stormed out, face like thunder, followed by Chief Superintendent Clydesdale. “That looks like a heated discussion. And she’s on her phone again.”
“Physical discussion, not just heated.” DI Holmes frowned. “What’s the time stamp on that?”
Zander peered at the screen. “Thirteen twenty-one.”
DI Holmes checked his phone. �
�That’s me she’s calling then.” As Isabel could be seen storming off, he tilted his head. “She’s not happy. We need to find out what they were talking about.”
Zander followed her on the cameras. “She went into the Abbey ruins. There’s no cameras in there, but…yeah, there she is by the canal. Austin picks her up. Under protest, by the looks of it.”
“He’s not alone,” DI Holmes commented. “Who’s in the car with them?”
“I can’t tell. Hang on.” Zander worked the mouse and zoomed in. “It looks like the Chief Super again, but really can’t tell. We’d need the tech blokes to enhance the image.” He tracked the car. “OK, they went to the pub and it’s definitely the Chief Super with them.”
DI Holmes glanced across the room. “Will, get over to the Fox and Hounds on Kingsway. Show them this photo…” He took a photo of the screen and worked his phone. “I want to know how long they were there, what they ordered, and when they left.”
“Yes, Guv.” Will hurried out.
Zander took a deep breath. “OK, half an hour later, they leave. Just Austin and Isabel, by the looks of it. She’s leaning on him.” He followed the car. “He drops her at mine.” He squinted at the screen. “She looks drunk, only she doesn’t drink. She staggers to the hotel and arrives there just before two twenty-five, which fits with the key card log.”
“We need a statement from the receptionist.”
“DS Phillips is on it. I’m going over to the art gallery, talk to our old friend Farrell Vixen. Find out what Isabel was doing over there. And why the PIN was rescinded. I assume you took out a new one.”
DI Holmes nodded. “Yes, I did. Take Jason. And bring Mr. Vixen in for questioning. There’s a few things I need clarified from him.”
“Yes, Guv.” He paused. “I want a car with blues and twos. The traffic is a nightmare today.”
“Do it. I’ll call traffic and clear it. Then I’ll carry on with the footage, see where she went last night and if it was under her own steam.”
“Thanks, Guv. Jason, let’s roll.”
Twenty minutes later, feeling very much like the kid Isabel would insist he was, Zander pulled up outside Abbey Gate Gallery, with lights and sirens going.
Jason grinned. “That was fun.”
Zander had to admit it was. “Yep, but now for the serious stuff. Be warned, this bloke is a fox. Vixen by name and by nature.” He headed inside, pulling out his ID. “DS Ellery and DC August. We need to speak with Mr. Vixen urgently.”
“I’m afraid he’s out of town. There was a death in the family yesterday.” The name badge told him the girl’s name was Bessie.
“That’s convenient,” Zander muttered. “Yesterday another officer came in. DC York.”
“Yes,” Bessie told him. “They came in response to a phone call Mr. Vixen had made regarding a theft of a painting. She was rather upset with Mr. Vixen and his friend. Something about a pin being broken. She blamed Mr. Vixen’s friend for breaking it.”
Warning signs flashed and alarms sounded in Zander’s mind. “A pin?”
“That’s what she said. She also referred to his friend as a senior officer. Anyway, she stormed out in a huff and the other officer took Mr. Vixen’s statement.”
Zander exchanged a long look with Jason. “Well, death in the family or not, I need to speak to Mr. Vixen urgently. Can I have his home number please?”
“One moment.” Bessie turned to the computer.
Zander turned around, looking at the displays. A new one caught his eye, which had taken the place of the stolen Lost Love painting. He moved closer to look. A necklace in a glass case. A gold chain, gold oval locket, with a small diamond in the centre from which the intricate, engraved design seemed to begin. It looked familiar, but he’d seen so many necklaces over the past few weeks that they all kind of blurred into one.
“Here you are,” Bessie said. “But he’s not at home. He’ll be in Ireland for a funeral for at least a week.”
Zander took the piece of paper. “Thank you. Is that necklace new?”
“Yes.” Bessie beamed. “It’s a new collection. Mr. Vixen started putting them up yesterday. He wants me to finish it. There are quite a few pieces to go up, all necklaces.”
“What’s it called?” Something niggled at the back of Zander’s mind.
“It’s a weird name. Let me look it up.” She headed back to the counter. “Here you go.” She held up the board that would go above the collection. “I can’t pronounce it, never mind tell you what it means.”
“Tá admháil maith don anam,” Zander read, probably making a total hash of the words. He copied it onto the piece of paper, then photographed the sign on his camera. “Thank you. And thank you for Mr. Vixen’s contact details. I’ll get in touch with him.” He headed outside and rang the Guv as he got into the car with Jason. “Guv. According to Bessie at the gallery, Isabel was arguing with Farrell Vixen and the Chief Super over a broken pin. I’m assuming she meant P-I-N rather than pin. Farrell is on leave for the next week following a death in the family. I’ll go over to his place now to try to catch him before he leaves for Ireland.”
“Come back to the station and call him from there.”
“Sir, I’m in the car. It’d be just as quick to go and pay him a visit and—”
“I need you back here.”
Zander sighed. “You’re the boss. On our way.” He ended the call and tossed the phone into the gap between the seats. “It’d be much quicker my way, but you’re the boss.” He started the engine.
“So what do we do?” Jason asked.
“Follow orders. Go back to the nick, just like the Guv wants.”
~*~
Isabel finally reached the road. Her ankle was beyond painful, despite the strapping, and her limp meant even walking was now almost impossible. She staggered to the first house on the corner of the road. She couldn’t be choosy and prayed that someone was in and would let her use their phone. Then within a few minutes, Zander and back up would be swarming the area and she’d be safe.
She made it up the path and rang the doorbell. There was no response. Typical, she picked the house where no one was home. She turned to leave and took a small step.
“Can I help you?”
Isabel turned back. A tall woman with ginger hair and glasses stood in the open doorway. Isabel nodded. “I need to use your phone, please.”
“Oh, you’re hurt. Come in and I’ll get you some water.”
“I need your phone to call the police,” Isabel said.
“Isabel, is that you?” Chief Superintendent Clydesdale was the last voice she expected to hear, but a welcome one.
Relief flooded her. She didn’t like the bloke as he’d lied to her more than once, but at least she was safe now. “Sir, thank goodness. You have to help me. I need to contact Zander, and I can’t find my phone.”
“Let’s get you sat down first.” He took her arm and helped her into the lounge. He put a stool by her feet and lifted her injured leg onto it. “Let me get you a phone.”
“Thank you.” The door behind her opened, sending a blast of cold air over her.
Footsteps padded across the carpet and Farrell stood beside her, trademark smirk on his face.
“Time to pay for your sins, dear.”
15
Zander slung his jacket over the back of his chair. He grabbed the desk phone and called Austin again. He was about to give up when the call answered.
“DC Lexington.”
“Austin, it’s Zander. Where are you?”
“Busy,” came the quiet, curt reply. “Why?”
“Isabel is missing, and you were one of the last to see her.”
“She was fine when I last saw her. I took her home, then came into work and did the hemlock report. Why?”
“We need you here.”
“Mum, I’ll be right back, it’s work.” Austin’s voice was muffled, as if he’d put his hand over the phone. Then clearer. “I have to go. It’s my gran’s fun
eral. I’ll be in as soon as I can.” The call went dead.
Zander hissed in annoyance. He called DS Painter’s mobile. “Hey, it’s Zander. I’m hoping you’re driving and on your way back from Margate. We have a huge situation here. Isabel has gone missing. The incident board spells her name in both directions. We’re working on the assumption it’s the Slayer. I’ll send you photos. Call me as soon as you get this message.”
DI Holmes appeared by his desk. “Zander? Was that Austin?”
“No, that was the previous call. Austin is at his gran’s funeral or so he says. Way too many funerals today for my liking. That was DS Painter. I left him a message. Did you track down the rest of the CCTV from last night?”
“Yes.” DI Holmes leaned over and opened the folder on Zander’s computer. “Look. She walked from the hotel to the inn. She ate something, looks like crisps and had a sip or two of a can of drink. Then she left. She got into a taxi outside and vanished. So did the taxi.”
“You traced it I hope?”
DI Holmes shook his head. “Fake plates. The town CCTV broke down shortly after this, so the last sighting we have of her is getting into this cab at eight fifteen last night.”
Zander shoved a hand through his hair and glanced at the clock. “Doesn’t leave us long to find her.”
“We haven’t had a postcard yet. It’s normally twenty-four hours from delivery of the card.”
“He knows we know that. He’s upped his game, reduced the timescale. Honestly, Guv, I don’t think we even have twenty-four hours.” He pulled the piece of paper from his pocket. “I’m calling our friend, Farrell. See what he has to say for himself. Did you find out who rescinded the PIN?”
“I have Niamh looking into it. It can only be done by court order.”
“I’d imagine that’s what Isabel and the Chief Super were arguing about outside the gallery. Although why she’d then go to lunch with the man is beyond me. She looked as if she could quite cheerfully kill him.”
DI Holmes grunted. “Not a good move if she did. Especially to a senior officer.”
Zander finished tapping in the number and listened to it ring.
“Hello.” Farrell answered on the third ring.
