Callibet: Book 2 of The Bet Series

by Sienna Grant

  “That’s fine.”

  I stood on shaky legs and followed Cathy from the room, passing Chris as he leaned against the door outside.

  “We’re going to X-ray. Follow us.”

  Chris stood and walked silently behind us, but I tried to ignore him. It was working too, but I was exhausted. My legs shook like I was walking on a vibration plate at the gym.

  My vision blurred from tiredness, and I wondered what was going to happen if I passed out, when warm hands wrapped around me.

  I turned, expecting to see Chris, but instead, it was Dr Boyd. He walked me to a wheelchair and sat me down.

  “I think you’ll be safer in this.”

  He gave Chris a sharp look as he stood staring at his mobile, but then Cathy was pulling me along. She left me in the reception of the X-ray department and asked the clerk to call her when I was done.

  My eyes were rolling, and I knew it wouldn’t be long until I passed out, but I had to get through this and then I could sleep, couldn’t I?

  “Chris?” I whispered in a small voice, and he gave me a sharp look that made me shrink back in my seat, shaking my head.

  “Yes, Ms. Beckett?”

  His use of my surname hurt me all over again, and I wished I hadn’t even opened my mouth, so I snapped it shut and he went back to staring at his phone when I didn’t speak.

  The X-ray was quick, and although painful, showed I had a radial and ulnas fracture in my right arm. I was given co-codamol and a brace to wear.

  Once we were back in A&E, and I was back in the small side room, Chris took off and Detective Anderson took over. She was lovely, sweet, and kind, plus, she didn’t make me feel like a criminal.

  After the bloods, she explained that they wanted to do a rape kit on me, so I consented to it.

  I lay on the bed as they swabbed me and took DNA samples, cutting the hairs around my vagina and swabbing in the crease of my legs, around the skin at the front of me, and my rectum too.

  It took forty minutes, and when they were finally done, I felt totally violated.

  I just wanted to go home, but my mobile was out of battery and I had no cash on me, so I knew I was going to have to walk.

  Detective Anderson had gone back to the station, and I was standing outside, staring at the pavement, when Cathy came out to hand me my painkillers.

  “Are you okay?”

  Her soft voice broke me. I turned around and burst into loud sobs. She led me back inside and set me down with a coffee as she tried to figure out what was wrong.

  When she found out that I had no cash to get home and I didn’t want to go to my home anyway, she was furious. She couldn’t believe that the cops had just left me there.

  “Where do you want to go?”

  I stared at her for a minute as I pondered my answer. Beth and Charlie were on their honeymoon and I had a key for her flat, so I could go there.

  Yeah, that was a good idea.

  “I need to go to Notting hill.”

  She nodded as she handed me a piece of paper to write the address on before she went out and ordered me a cab.

  The cab ride was endless, but when I knocked on Beth’s neighbour, she gave me the key she was holding for me and I let myself into Beth’s flat. Within seconds, I relaxed and drew a shaky breath as I moved towards the bathroom. I grabbed a towel and some warm pyjamas from Beth’s drawers, plugged my mobile into the charger on the wall, and went for a warm bath.

  I sat in the bath for a while, but when I started slipping down, I knew it was time to get out.

  The water was disgusting, so I quickly washed out the bath and then washed my hair over the tub, drying it off with a towel before I went out to the couch with a pilfered blanket and pillow.

  As soon as I put my head down, I was asleep, and I must have been wiped out because I slept for the next fourteen hours straight.

  I shouldn’t have left her there.

  As soon as Anderson had arrived, I handed over to her, telling her what was going on, and I was out of Accident and Emergency like my arse was on fire. I got in the lift and headed to ICU. When I reached the door, I pressed the buzzer and waited for a nurse to let me in.

  A voice came over the speaker and she asked my name.

  “I’m Detective Farmer. I’m enquiring about Louisa Farmer.”

  I held my badge up to the glass, and she opened the door, letting me in.

  She waited until I was fully inside and closed the door before turning back to me with a face full of pity. “There’s no change, really. She’s a fighter though, I’ll give her that.” That put a small smile on my face. “Follow me.” She took me into another room and my gaze fell on her body as it lay lifeless on the bed. There was a tube going into her nose, and at the side of her, there was a bag of blood on a stand through an IV, and also a saline drip running into her. “You have the same name.”

  “She’s my cousin.” I glanced away from Louisa to see the nurse’s reaction, but in less than a second, my eyes were back on her.

  “I’m so sorry, Detective.”

  Looking down at her, I thanked her and gave her a small, polite smile. “Thank you.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out a card. “If I give you this, can you call me directly and let me know how she is, please?”

  The door opened behind me, and I half turned when I saw my Aunt Susan. “Chris! I’m so pleased to see you, sweetheart.” She fell against me and I wrapped her up in my arms.

  “Hey. No change then?”

  “Unfortunately not. The doctor said to keep talking to her.”

  “I need to grab another bag of fluids, so I’ll give you some privacy, but call me if you need anything,” the nurse said.

  I smiled at her and watched her walk out and close the door behind her.

  “Have you got any answers yet?” My aunt stepped out of my arms and re-took her seat.

  “No.”

  “You know it was that girl, don’t you? How could she do that? I heard it was supposed to be her friend. Some friend. She was obviously jealous of her.”

  “Aunty Susan, you know I can’t discuss the case.”

  “Hmm.” She pouted and twisted her mouth up before taking Lou’s slack hand in hers.

  “Look, I’m going to have to go, but please keep me posted.” My aunt nodded, and I leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

  “Please bring her to justice, Chris.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  With one last look at my cousin lying there fighting for her life, I left the room, stopping at the nurses’ station on the way out.

  “Hey, thank you for letting me see her. If there’s anything new that comes to light, could you let me know, please?”

  “We’re only supposed to let next of kin know about her status.”

  “I’m also one of the leading officers on the case, Nurse, and it’s an attempted murder case. Please?”

  “Okay.” She slid the card it into her uniform pocket. With a thanks and a small smile, I walked towards the doors, sanitised my hands, and pushed the button to unlock the door. Once I was out of there, I headed for the lift.

  On the way back to the station, my guilt started to kick in. I still had the image in my head of Callie sat on the bed, her knees pulled up to her chin and her arms wrapped around her legs as she sat in the corner. Her chin rested on the top of her knees as she kept glancing over at me; I didn’t look at her. I should have been offering her some sympathy, but I didn’t. I was a bastard. Pure and simple.

  I arrived back at the station and parked the car, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel, and leaned back. I rested my head against the seat and closed my eyes. I couldn’t get my head around all of this, it was just too much of a coincidence, but I realised I couldn’t sit there any longer, so I got out and headed into the station. I could catch up on some paperwork while I waited for Anderson to come back. Summers caught me as I waltzed through the entrance. I didn’t stop for him. Instead, I pushed through the door into the back of
fice of reception.

  “Well?” Summers urged.

  “Well, what?”

  “What did the hospital say?”

  I turned around and faced him. “They asked her if she’d consent to a rape kit being done, and she said yes. I had to get Anderson to meet me there because there needed to be a female officer present.”

  “So how come you’re back here?”

  “Because there was no way I was hanging around. I didn’t want to be there for any longer than I had to be.”

  I went to move past him when his hand landed on my chest, stopping me. “Are you fucking kidding me? Chris, this is an attempted murder!” Summers hissed. “Is this because it’s her? Is it because you didn’t want it to be your little friend?”

  I lowered my gaze to his hand and lifted an eyebrow at him as I raised my head back to meet his. “Get your fucking hand off, Summers,” I demanded in a low, deep tone. I dipped my head a little lower and whispered, “You have no fucking idea how I’m feeling right now. Don’t assume you know anything because you know what assumptions are?” He shook his head as he stared at me. “They’re the mother of all fuck-ups. Now, get out of my way!”

  Banging his shoulder with mine, I pushed past him and carried on to his office, grabbing the case file. I dropped down into one of the chairs and started thumbing through it, going over the notes, taking the images of Lou and holding them up one by one, making my stomach churn. Then I came across Callie’s mugshot. She looked scared. No, she looked fucking petrified. You could see it in her eyes. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, and her normal olive glow had been replaced by an ashen hue. Surely if she was tried to kill my cousin in cold blood, she wouldn’t look like this.

  I dragged my hands over my face and rubbed my tired eyes with my fingers, trying to get a hold of myself. I tried to think rationally, but rationality wasn’t my friend right then. I read through all the notes, then went through the interviews with Callie, and out of everything, I picked up on one fact. Callie’s alibi stayed consistent.

  Callie gave us the camera footage and we downloaded it to our system. Finding it on the memory stick, I clicked play and watched again. The seconds whizzed by until they were soon turning into minutes, then hours. Brown unlocked the front door with a key. But where did he get the key from? Maybe Lou gave it to him. He looked around him and slipped through the door. That was it. Nothing else to go on. No concrete evidence that Callie didn’t do it, and no concrete evidence that she did.

  Lifting my hand, I toyed with my bottom lip, something I always did when I was deep in thought. I saw the picture of Lou in her hospital bed, and again, I wondered if Callie was telling the truth. She had no reason to lie. No reason to hurt Louisa.

  I heard voices outside the office and the door opened behind me. I turned around and saw Anderson with Summers.

  Getting up from my chair, I walked towards them. “Well… what’s the outcome?”

  “They’re still waiting on some tests they ran, but although there was no evidence of rape, there were traces of semen on her body and saliva around her vagina… which means...”

  “I know what it means.” I growled in the back of my throat. This was fucking Callie. The girl I’d had an intimate relationship with. Could I really not know her that well?

  Have you ever heard of a red mist?

  Well, that was me. A red mist was taking over all my rational thinking. Just then, Reynolds’ phone rang. “Excuse me a second.” She walked from the room just as she said her name in greeting to whoever was on the other end.

  Summers leaned his back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Something to say to me, Summers?”

  I held his stare. I wasn’t in the mood for anymore of his bullshit. I’d let him take the lead in this because of the closeness I had to it, all but if he thought he could treat me like some kind of rookie than he could fucking think twice.

  He shook his head from side to side slowly. “Nope.”

  “Didn’t think so.” I was quietly raging. I was like an elastic band and almost ready to snap.

  With my hands on my hips, I turned back to all the paperwork scattered over the desk. I couldn’t look at him anymore. If I did, I might have hit him in his smug fucking face. I had a feeling my captain might just frown upon that. Pity, because I wanted to do nothing more.

  “Chris.”

  Anderson came back into the room holding her phone in her hand, waving it around. “That was the lab. One of the blood tests they ran has come back. She was drugged.”

  From the side of me, Summers snorted. With a snap of my head, I gave him a look that said keep pushing me and put my full attention back on Anderson.

  “What drug was it? Where’s C… Calindra now?” I nearly called her by her shortened name and had to stop myself.

  “It was a drug called Midazolam. It’s injectable. It's what surgeons use for surgery, but it depends on how much was administered.”

  “Either way, she couldn't have done it,” I stated as a matter of fact.

  Pushing my fingers into my hair, I tugged on the ends. “Did you take her home?” I asked Anderson.

  “Erm, no. I left her at the hospital.”

  “You did fucking what?” I bellowed. My voice bounced off each wall.

  Trying to restrain my temper, I turned away from the two incompetent arseholes I had to work with and tidied the papers up, slipping them back into the file, and placed it back on the desk. I shrugged my jacket on and pulled out my phone, finding Callie’s number.

  “Reynolds!” I shouted from the room. “Are forensics still at their flat?” While I waited for an answer, I pointed at the two dickheads, Anderson and Summers. “You need to find Calindra Beckett, and when you find her, call me.”

  Leaving the small office, I walked towards Reynolds, and when I reached her, I asked her to come with me.

  I woke up on the couch, stiff and sore, as the house phone rang loudly. I almost reached it, but it stopped before I got to it and I realised I was bursting for the loo.

  I was so tired, and I had no idea what time it was or how long I’d slept, but it didn’t matter. I decided to take a shower to wake myself up, then I’d call Beth to see if she’d be okay with me staying at their flat for a few days.

  I didn’t really want to be in my flat knowing Finley had a key and could come and go as he pleased. I knew they still suspected me, and I honestly doubted that they were looking at him too closely, but I hoped they’d at least take him in since he was there, in my flat, when Lou was stabbed. It creeped me out, and I knew I’d be safer at Beth’s.

  My shower was warm, and I’d just started washing my hair when the door went. I ignored it, but it was loud, and the person was really hammering on it. I quickly rinsed the shampoo out and dragged my ass to the door, but there wasn’t anyone there.

  I went back into the bathroom, putting one foot in the shower when the door went again, and this time the person knocking was louder than before.

  Before I could get to the door, the lock clicked open and I stared in shock as a few people bustled inside. My mum, my dad, and my little sister, Cordelia. Yes, my parents watched Angel and Buffy. It was lucky my name wasn’t Faith. They were followed in by a harassed Chris.

  “Callie, we got a key from Bessie. You okay?” My mom called as I stood there, but I wasn’t looking at her, my eyes were fixed on Chris.

  His eyes widened when he saw me standing in a towel, and everyone started talking at once.

  My mum’s shrill voice and Delia’s chipper tones made my ears ring, and I held up my hands.

  “Look, I don’t know why you’re all here in Beth’s flat, but I’m just going to get dressed. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  I stood in the bedroom stiffly for a minute before my body caught up to my mind. My wrist was throbbing in the brace, but I would take some paracetamol as soon as I was dressed.

  I knew Beth wouldn’t mind me pinching some clothes, so I rifled th
rough her drawers, feeling a bit creepy, and stifled a laugh as I came across a bunch of sex toys.

  Beth and Charlie were kinky fuckers. I’d known that the whole time I’d known them. I moved onto the second dresser and found a pack of unopened pants. My hand shook as I tugged them on one-handed, and I grabbed a pair of leggings and a loose t-shirt, dragging them on while wishing I was still asleep. I winced as the movements set off a cacophony of pain through me. I needed to forgo the bra since Beth was a little smaller in the chest than me, but I was just ready when Chris came in.

  “Hey,” he mumbled, and I turned to stare at him. I didn’t want to talk to him. The way he treated me, the way they all did, hurt so much.

  He opened his mouth to speak, and I glowered at him until he snapped it shut. My mum interrupted by coming into the room. Her eyes widened as she glanced at the stand-off between us.

  “Hi. I’ll come back later.” She turned and went to step back out of the room when I moved toward her.

  “It’s fine, Mum. Chris and I are done here.”

  There was a cold note to my voice, and I didn’t miss how he flinched, but he stepped aside to let me out.

  “Callie, please…”

  His whispered plea made me pause. I spun to meet his pained look, but what could he say to make it better? I woke up in bed to see one of my friends bleeding out beside me, and he made me feel that it was my fault.

  “What do you want?”

  I couldn’t keep the ice from my tone, and he swallowed hard before he turned to face me, taking my hand and ignoring my protest when I tried to pull away.

  “I just need a few minutes and then I’ll leave.”

  My eyes appraised him, and I could see how ill he looked under his pale skin.

  “Fine. You have two minutes.”

  He sighed in relief and ran his hands through his hair. The gesture was too familiar to me, and I dropped my eyes to stare at my feet when his fingers lifted my chin gently.