by Deb McEwan
Mel read the text and handed her phone over to her teacher.
‘That’s a little strange that she wants to pick you up from the garage in town and not the school?’
‘Hmm, but it does say that we’ll save half an hour if I can meet her where she’s filling up the car, and the flight times are really tight.’
‘Fair enough,’ said her teacher. ‘It’s not as if she always picks you up from school.’ Mel had met her mother in the town before but with the Deputy Head’s words still ringing in his head, he would get the secretary to call Mrs Dawkins to see if she could come to the school instead.
‘Go on then, Mel. Go and get changed and get ready to go and come to the office at 2pm so we can sign you out.’
She nodded and tried not to run to her room, her mind whizzing with thoughts of sandy shores and good looking waiters. Her friends would be green. The only thing that slightly marred her happiness was the fact that she couldn’t share it with Drew and Alice. Since their denial earlier in the year their friendship had suffered and she’d been moved to a different room. Although she’d made new friends she missed them both, more so Drew who’d been taken out of school and nobody knew what was going on with her.
*****
The twins had discussed their half-sister with Fiona and Libby the night before. The girls thought it reasonable that they wanted to meet her, especially having lost Claire fourteen months previously.
‘And your father says it’s too soon to see her?’ Asked Libby.
‘That’s right. But I think it should be her choice.’ Tony had left out the bit about their father asking her if she wanted to meet them and Mel saying that she didn’t. Jim raised his eyebrows at his brother, but Tony decided to ignore him. Fiona didn’t miss the look.
‘And what does she think? She must have an opinion, surely?’
‘Well what...’
‘Who knows?’ Tony interrupted his brother.
‘Well I think you should arrange to see her, but only if she wants to see you both.’ Said Libby and Tony smiled and kissed her on the cheek. They’d been extremely patient with their father and he still hadn’t arranged a meeting. Their curiosity had won over patience and the brothers planned to visit Mel’s school the following day and hoped to see her when her mother picked her up, amongst the general chaos that went along with collection of hordes of children. They’d seen a few photos of Carol at their father’s flat, one of her and her distinctive car, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. Jim could see that Tony didn’t intend to come clean with the girls. He hated deceiving Fiona so kept his head down in the hope that she wouldn’t guess what they were up to. He didn’t fancy an argument tonight, with his brother, or with his fiancée.
*****
The School Secretary had said that Mel was definitely to meet her mother at the filling station so she was making her way there. She attempted to pick up her rucksack out of the luggage compartment of the bus. The other passengers smiled at the sight of the teenager trying to sling a bag almost as big at herself onto her back. A man felt sorry for her and got up to give her a hand and she took out her earphones and thanked him. He acknowledged the thanks, grateful that some of the day’s youth had been brought up with manners and respect for their elders. She held onto the pole until the bus stopped, then grabbed onto the straps of her rucksack, hoisting the pack further up her back. She thanked the driver - impressing her earlier helper even more - and jumped off the bottom step. Mel put her earphones back in, planning to listen to her iPod for the ten-minute walk to the petrol station where she would meet her mother. She didn’t get there and her mother didn’t know she was missing until the following day.
*****
Carol was cursing herself for losing her phone. She’d hunted high and low but still couldn’t find it. She knew that Mel wasn’t expecting her to call today and that she’d be seeing her tomorrow, but was still miffed. She intended to turn the house upside down at the weekend and buy another if she couldn’t find it. Mel was always going on to her to buy a smart phone so she’d treat herself if her old pay as you go didn’t turn up, and her daughter could help her choose it. She was about to log-on to her computer for a quick chat with Mel when she remembered that she had a hockey match and wouldn’t be back yet. Tomorrow would come soon enough and they could have a proper face-to-face catch up.
*****
It took the twins ages to find a parking space. Tony looked around.
‘Most of these are abandoned and not parked. Bloody women drivers.’
‘Don’t let the girls hear you say that.’ They laughed and got out of the car. After a search of the car park, neither saw Carol’s Nissan Micra. They got back into the car and waited, people watching as the parents, mostly mothers, returned to the cars with their children, fussing over them as if they hadn’t seen them for years and not weeks. It wasn’t long before the little blue car with a flower and bee emblem on the passenger door arrived. The car park was now overflowing and they watched her park in the wooded area between two trees, the little car’s wheels spinning on the muddy surface. Carol made her way to the path wiping the bottom of her shoes on the grass before walking on the stony surface.
‘What now?’ Asked Jim and Tony’s look told him that they wait until she returned to the car with their sister.
‘Should be less than fifteen minutes if the others are anything to go by.’ And so they prepared for the short wait before getting the first look at their sister.
Fifteen minutes passed, then thirty. Both started to feel uneasy and as they were beginning to suspect that something wasn’t right, a police car arrived carrying two uniformed officers who got out of their car and waited. Another car arrived shortly after and a man and woman in plain clothes approached the uniformed officers. It seemed to the boys that they were giving them instructions and it was pretty obvious that these were plain clothed detectives.
‘Come on, let’s go in.’ Said Tony but Jim put a restraining hand on him.
Tony knew he was right - there was no way they could go and introduce themselves to their father’s ex-lover when she was dealing with some sort of crisis over her daughter.
‘We’ll need to wait and see what happens but I’m going to call Dad.’ He hung up when there was no answer and the twins remained in the car worried about their half-sister, each minute that ticked away seeming like an hour.
Tony was looking out of the window towards the trees. ‘She’s not there is she?’
Jim didn’t need to say anything. They feared the worst and sat in silence, each lost in his own thoughts and undecided what to do next.
‘Duck!’ Tony obeyed instantly but it was too late as their father banged on the driver’s side window. Jim sat up as if he’d been looking for something on the floor of the car and rolled down the window. The anguish showed on his father’s face.
‘Mel’s gone missing.’ He was rushed and agitated, stopping only briefly on his way to the school. He hadn’t bothered quizzing them about their presence, nor had he asked how they had got the address or why they were trying to hide from him.
‘Where is she? Is she safe?’
Graham shook his head, turning his back on their car as he made his way to the school building. ‘I don’t know the full story. Carol phoned me and she was frantic. Somebody called yesterday and pretended to be Carol. I don’t know any more. I’ll contact you as soon as I do.’
‘We’ll wait here until you come out, Dad.’ Tony shouted as they watched him hurrying away.
*****
Mel opened her eyes slowly and the room moved. She felt like she had when she’d tried too many Alco pops and she squeezed her eyes shut again before re-opening them. She vaguely recalled being grabbed from behind and not being able to move. Then something damp and smelly had covered her mouth and nose. She’d hoped it was a bad dream but now that the blurriness had gone and she sat up on the unclean mattress and looked around, she knew it was real. The room was bare with damp rising from the flo
or and a sink in the corner. She didn’t know what colour the walls had once been, they varied from a dirty grey to a gone off cream. There was a small window, which had bars on it, and it wasn’t until she went to move from the bed to have a look out of the window, that she realized that her right hand was shackled to the side of the bed frame. She tried to quell her rising terror by allowing her anger to rise to the surface and she banged her free hand on the mattress. Her stomach rumbled and Mel realized that she hadn’t eaten for a while. She looked at her watch and it was 2 o’clock. She could see it was light outside so it must be the afternoon and it must also be Friday. So she’d slept for almost 24 hours, no wonder she felt so muggy. She was desperate for the loo and when she put her feet on the floor, Mel’s foot hit something. She looked and saw the cracked potty at her feet. After some internal wrangling, she decided to swallow her disgust and attempt to use the vessel – it was either that or wet herself. The shackle was long enough for her to be able to get off the bed and bend down. She could use her hand a little but had to wrap her left hand around the back of her body to pull down her underwear. Despite her circumstances it was a good feeling to be able to relieve herself. When she rearranged her clothing after she’d finished and sat back down on the bed, she contemplated her circumstances in an attempt to stop the terror from taking over.
Before Mel had time to think properly about the situation the door to the room opened. A woman dressed in a black gown from head to toe, with only a slit for her eyes, walked slowly into the room carrying a tray. Despite her own fear Mel noticed that the woman walked with a laboured limp as if she were in pain.
‘Stand and face the wall.’ Mel followed her orders.
‘Where am I? Wh..’
‘Shut up.’ Said the voice in barely a whisper and she did as she was told.
The tray was placed on the mattress at the bottom of the bed and Mel saw the woman leave from the corner of her eye. She waited for the door to close and remained facing the wall for a few minutes before turning to sit down and face the tray. It contained sandwiches, a can of coke, a bag of crisps and an apple. Abduct me but make sure I have one of my five a day thought Mel as she debated whether to eat the food, wondering if it might be drugged. Her hunger won and she devoured it as if she hadn’t eaten for a week, not a single day. The food made her feel better initially, then the hours passed and all she could do was think. There was no doubt in her mind as to who had arranged the abduction and she remembered how distressed Drew and Alice had been after their encounter. She tried being brave and hoping for the best but lost the battle. The fear crept into every fibre of her being and she lay down and curled into the foetal position, crying and calling for her mother. Nobody heard her.
*****
DI Sparks left the school reassuring the parents that the police would do everything they could to find their daughter as soon as possible. The mother was beside herself and had reluctantly accepted comfort from the father but the DI didn’t need to be told that they were no longer together. Years in the job had made him an expert on body language and subtle nuances of human behaviour, and he could see that the mother was resentful of the father. Mind you, he thought, anyone with an IQ of one or more would be able to tell that the ex-couple still had many issues.
He’d left his best Liaison Officer at the school and she’d be able to tease out any information from the parents and teachers without causing them further distress. He didn’t yet have proof but his gut instinct told him that Big Ed was behind this although he’d been a relatively small time criminal previously. If he could get the teenagers to talk about the party earlier in the year, he’d be able to prove the connection and knew his boss would be one hundred per cent behind him. Back at the station he quickly briefed the DCI who authorized an All Points Bulletin for Edward Cathcart, AKA Big Ed. DI Sparks also arranged interviews with the parents of Drew and Alice. Alice’s parents were sympathetic but unhelpful and he was informed that they would get back to him after speaking to their daughter, and that on no account was he to attempt to speak to her before then. Even informing them about the danger Mel Sylvester was in elicited the same response, and DI Sparks left feeling frustrated and deflated. He’d called ahead to Drew’s mother who’d told him to come round straight away. He felt slightly more positive as he knocked on the door accompanied by his detective sergeant.
She smiled a weary smile and stepped aside to let them into the house. A quick glance told him that this was an affluent family and she led him into the lounge. DI Sparks noticed the computer on in the study and a few files askew on the desk.
‘I’m working from home for a while until Drew’s well enough to go back to school.’ She said and he raised his eyebrows.
‘Come and sit down and I’ll explain.’
They accepted her offer of coffee and once she brought in the drinks, she explained.
‘Drew’s not well and is currently undergoing therapy.’ They were the only people she’d told outside of her immediate family and she let out a deep sigh at the revelation. ‘Her therapist believes that her self-harming is due to a traumatic event that she’s not yet ready to talk about, but I’m beginning to think that Drew’s friend was telling the truth. And now you say she’s missing it doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together.’
Bingo! They were getting somewhere. The mother agreed that they could interview Drew as long as her therapist could be present and events moved swiftly from that point. DS James rang the therapist and he cancelled his appointments for the remainder of the day and arrived at the house within thirty minutes.
Drew was still frightened but upset when she heard that Mel was missing, knowing that if their suspicions were correct she could have prevented it. It was hard after keeping it in for so long but she told the police all that she could remember from the night of the party and her mother held her as she recalled what she could. Drew looked down and cried, feeling a mixture of shame and relief.
‘Why, oh why didn’t you tell me?’ She held her daughter and stroked her hair, wishing she could make her pain go away.
‘I’m sorry, Mum. I’m so sorry.’ The police and therapist remained silent while mother and daughter shut out the rest of the world for a few moments, Drew taking comfort from her confession at long last and from the love and warmth of her mother. The police reassured them that she would be safe. Now that the truth was out the therapist knew that the healing process could start and the police left shortly after, telling Drew’s mother that a family Liaison Officer would be allocated, and leaving DI Sparks’ contact details should she need them.
He made various calls on the way back to the station and it wasn’t long before he was able to have a chat with one of his snouts.
Chapter 14
Claire, Ron and Ken were waiting patiently for Gabriella. Ken was pacing back and forth and was extremely nervous in anticipation of his future. Gabriella had informed him that the Committee had decided to give him one final chance. He was to return to Earth for a rebirth. Although relieved that he’d escaped a future of hell, for now at least, he had mixed feelings about not being able to remember his latest life and his next one would be the only one he’d remember until his soul was sent to its final resting place. Ken was literally soul searching and hoped that he did really have a good side and that it would prevail, whatever his future life held in store. The sudden whoosh interrupted his thoughts and he closed his eyes for a few seconds to calm and prepare himself for what was to come.
Claire was the first to notice that all was not well. Instead of the usual serenity that accompanied Gabriella, she felt a sense of urgency and spoke before the others fully realized that something was up.
‘What is it?’
‘Very perceptive, Claire, you are progressing quite nicely,’ she allowed herself a small smile before turning serious. ‘But I have bad news.’
They waited and she looked at each in turn. ‘Kenneth, your rebirth has been postponed, but don’t worry, it will still g
o ahead.’
‘What is it?’ Claire asked again and Gabriella carried on as if she hadn’t heard.
‘The bad news concerns your new sibling, Claire. I’m afraid she’s been abducted,’ she waited for the information to sink in. ‘And they’re going to need help to rescue her.’
Claire put her hand to her mouth. She’d seen her sister on a visit with Ron, but didn’t know her. Why then did she feel a sudden surge of love for the missing girl and an overwhelming need to find and protect her?
‘I know, Claire. You do love her, but can’t understand why. It happens and it’s a perfectly normal reaction.’
Ron felt for his friend and gave her a comforting squeeze before asking how it happened.
‘She was told that her mother was taking her out of school a day before they broke up, to take her on holiday. It was a ruse of course, and she was taken shortly after she left the bus.’
Gabriella explained how the woman pretending to be Carol had arranged for Mel to go into town.
‘But why would the school allow that? What about security? And where have they taken her?’
‘Questions, questions, questions, Claire. I don’t know all the answers, yet. One of my staff was dealing with a soul and only saw the event in passing. He returned later to find out what had happened and reported back to me as soon as he could.’
‘I bet it’s Big Ed.’ Ken had remained silent until then and Gabriella nodded in agreement.
‘From the description I was given it appears so, and he has a female accomplice. Ron and Claire, I want you to go and help.’
‘But what about me?’
‘You will stay here, Kenneth until I can reorganize my schedule and send you to your new life.’
‘But what if Ron and Claire are still away when that happens? Will I see them again?’
The others tried to hide their surprise at his comments. It wasn’t as if they were besties.
