Taken, page 2
part #6 of DI Kayli Bright Series
The girl went around the other side of the car and removed Jaime’s handbag from the back seat. “Bingo! Fifty quid, we’re rich.” She squealed, fanning her face with the notes Jaime had just taken from the cashpoint.
“Please take it, I have more if you need it.”
“How much more?” the male asked.
“I can withdraw up to three hundred a day, if that will help?”
“Okay, we’ll do that. But not here. Get in the car. Billie, you get in the back, and I’ll sit in the front with the bitch.”
Jaime winced every time he called her that name. “Where are you taking me?” Her voice faltered.
“You’ve got that wrong. You’re taking us for a little drive to get some more cash, then, and only then, we’ll decide what to do with you.”
“Take the car. It’s insured. I have no need for it. Please, let me go. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
The youth punched her in the face. “Stop fucking whinging and get in the car.” He waited while she slipped behind the steering wheel.
Her mind was racing, trying to think what she could do to get out of this mess. She could kick herself for drawing a blank. What can I do? He’s holding all the cards. My life is in his hands. I’m scared! Scared of what they will do to me and scared of what will happen to my family if they find my address. Oh God, please, please help me!
Her hands shook as she inserted the key into the ignition. She was trying her hardest to block out the evil way the man was staring at her from the passenger seat—she could see him out of her peripheral vision and cursed herself for having twenty-twenty vision. She’d passed her recent eye test with flying colours.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s get out of here,” the male ordered, jabbing her in the ribs with his fingertips.
“Ouch! That hurt. Please, what more do you want from me?”
“Stop with the stupid fucking questions and drive. I’ll tell you which way to go.”
Her leg was shaking so much that when she selected first gear her foot slipped off the clutch and the car stalled.
He punched her in the head. “You’re trying my patience, bitch. Get a grip and stop delaying the inevitable.”
Delaying the inevitable? What the heck did that mean?
She got her shit together and did as instructed, driving out of the car park. A man crossed the road in front of her. She mouthed ‘help me’ to him. He smiled and dipped his trilby and went on his way. Another ploy of hers had failed. How could she get out of this mess? When? Why was this happening to her?
“Take a right. Then the second left.”
She was so caught up in her thoughts she almost missed the second turning completely, earning herself yet another jab in the side. “Ugh…I’m sorry. Please, I’m scared of what you’re going to do to me.”
“You should be scared. I would be in your shoes.”
She exhaled a shuddering breath. Her wonderful family’s faces filtered into her mind, and tears of frustration and anguish welled up.
“At the end of the road, take the first right.”
She did as she was instructed, her vision blurry with unshed tears.
“There, pull up outside the bank. Sod the double yellow lines, we won’t be out there long.”
She drew up outside the NatWest bank on the high street. He shot out of the car and raced around the front, appearing at the driver’s side. He opened the door and tugged her out. She’d forgotten to unlatch her seat belt which infuriated him further.
“I’m sorry, it wasn’t intentional.”
“Whatever. You’ll pay for that.” He grabbed her arm and yanked her out. Several people were milling around the area, all caught up in the conversations they were involved in. “Don’t even think about crying out for help, we know where your family lives. Once we’ve dealt with you, they’ll be next, you hear me?”
“Yes, I’ll behave myself. I promise. How much do you want?”
“All of it.”
Her fingers felt like sausages as she punched in her PIN. She went through the motions and withdrew the cash and shoved it in her pocket.
He held out his hand. “I’ll take that.”
“Of course, I’m—”
“Yeah, I know, you’re frigging sorry. If you utter that word once more…” He left the threat dangling.
Her bowels moved. She was desperate to hang on and not make a show of herself in front of him. How long would she be able to hang on for, though? How long did she have left before they…?
He guided her back to the car and opened the door for her, shoved her behind the wheel and bolted back to the passenger side once more.
What now? They have the money. Are they going to do away with me now?
“I fancy a drive out. You got enough fuel in the tank?” He leaned over to see for himself, obviously not trusting her to tell him the truth. “Okay, head out of town, towards the M5.”
“I don’t know what direction that is. I’m sorry, my husband usually does all the driving when we leave the city.”
He growled. “What are you, thick? See that over there? It’s a blue motorway sign, follow that.”
“Okay, I wasn’t trying to be awkward, I promise.”
“You know what? Your whining voice is ticking me off. In other words, shut the fuck up and just do the driving.”
Jaime thought better about apologising, fearing she’d try his patience further if she did. She had to come up with a plan to save herself. But how, without endangering all their lives? She’d need to bide her time, wait for the opportunity to arise. The saving grace was that it was Sunday, with less people on the road. On the other hand, she was guessing that would also mean that there would be less police around as well.
She drove out of the city and followed the numerous signs leading to the motorway which she joined a few minutes later. She had to push down her lifelong fear of travelling faster than forty miles an hour. Jaime hunched over the steering wheel, a force of habit she’d had since passing her test nearly fifteen years before.
“What’s your problem?” the male asked.
“I hate driving at speed.”
“Moan, moan, moan, is that all you ever do? Get over it, bitch.”
She ground her teeth. He was beginning to pee her off, calling her that bloody name. Her speed remained the same. “Where are we going?”
“I fancy a trip out to Weston. You got a problem with that?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not too far, if I remember rightly.”
“That’s for starters,” he said.
Her heart sank. Although she loved driving, she had always been more comfortable leaving the motorway driving to Andy. Tears welled up as she thought of her family again. She drifted off. The next thing she knew, the youth was grabbing the steering wheel and walloping her in the side of the head again.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, lady? You got a death wish or something?”
Jaime cleared her head of any thoughts and concentrated on the task in hand. “Oh God, I’m sorry. I hate driving on the motorway. Please, won’t you consider taking over from me?”
“Jesus, all right. Pull over on the hard shoulder.”
She checked her mirrors and indicated off to the left. The car lurched to a faster halt than she’d anticipated, and the three of them surged forward in their seats.
“If that was intentional…”
“It wasn’t, I swear. I warned you how much I detested driving at speed.”
“Get out and swap seats.”
Jaime watched the cars whizzing past and glanced in her mirror for a gap in the traffic then opened her door and jumped out. The two youths remained in the car. The male slipped across the interior to sit in the driver’s seat while she ran around the back. A van whizzed past them. She’d motioned for the driver to stop, but he ignored her and carried on. The cars were few and far between now, just her luck. She shrugged and opened the door.
“What took you so long? Get in,” the male demanded, his expression telling her how annoyed he was because of the delay she had caused.
“I had to be careful of the traffic. I’m here now.”
The youth ground through the gears as he pulled away. She recoiled at the way he was carelessly driving her car. She’d always looked after it, driven it smoothly over the years. The engine whined as he aggressively upped the speed.
“Woohoo, now this is having a fun day out, what do you say, Billie?”
“Go, Daz, go,” the girl shouted enthusiastically from the back seat.
Jaime shook from head to foot. Speed wasn’t something that thrilled her in this life. She tried closing her eyes, but the sensation only appeared to be far worse. He drove like a maniac, caught up with the traffic and began weaving between the cars as if he was involved in one of those damn computer games.
Her fear rose up a couple of notches. “Please, can you slow down?”
The youth tipped back his head and laughed. That was when the car clipped one of the vehicles in the pack in front. The other car spun around and faced them.
“Shit!” Daz shouted and struggled to take control of the steering wheel.
Jaime’s heart all but leapt into her mouth, and Billie screamed. Is this how it’s all going to end?
1
K ayli and Mark were snuggled up on the couch, watching the latest Jack Ryan season on Prime TV. “Hmm…it’s not as good as the first season, is it?”
Mark shook his head. “Far from it. Too many bloody subtitles for it to be good. The first season was excellent, truly authentic.”
He should know. Mark had been in the army, based in the Middle East where the first season had taken place. They had watched the series together, gripping hands tightly, neither of them saying a word during the episodes—always a sign of a great show. However, in Kayli’s case, it had brought back memories of when she’d flown out to Afghanistan to save Mark, along with her brother, Giles. It had been one of the toughest times in her life, but there was no way she would have considered staying at home, twiddling her thumbs, waiting for news of him. The Taliban had captured him, and it was only a matter of time before they ended his life.
But, with Giles by her side, along with a few of his former army mates, they had risked their own lives in order to rescue Mark.
That adventure, if you could call it that, had brought her and Mark together. He’d returned to the UK and become a bouncer at a nightclub in town. That in itself, had been fraught with danger. A terrorist group had held some of the punters hostage—they’d had no idea that a man with Mark’s skills in covert operations was inside the building. He had saved the day and earned himself public recognition in Bristol from none other than the mayor.
Kayli had pleaded with Mark to give up his role at the nightclub after that escapade. Mark had eventually agreed. The remarkable thing was that since the story of his bravery broke in the media, he’d been inundated with job offers. It had taken him a few weeks to decide which opportunity to grasp. In the end, the one that took his fancy was to become a personal trainer. Not just any personal trainer, no, this was for corporate people, people with money who weren’t concerned about the exorbitant cost of getting fit. His job also included teaching these people personal survival skills in case anything disastrous happened to them while they were on foreign soil. Kayli was relieved when he finally flipped a coin between two jobs that truly sparked an interest for him. It meant that most of the time he was on hand to be with her in the evening and at weekends, something they were both grateful for after working different shifts for months on end—that was, when Mark hadn’t been away on duty with the army before that.
Yes, life was so much better now that she had her man back in her life doing regular hours.
Her phone vibrated across the coffee table. She debated whether to ignore it. However, curiosity got the better of her. “Do you mind if I take this?”
“Go for it. Want a coffee?” Mark leaned over and kissed her as she sat upright to take the call.
“That would be wonderful.” She glanced down at the caller ID. It was the station, which could only mean one thing: her lazy Sunday afternoon was about to be disrupted. “You’ve reached DI Kayli Bright. Sorry I can’t take your call right now. Leave a message after the beep and I’ll get back to you.”
“Umm…sorry to disturb you, ma’am, it’s Ray Donaldson at the station. I was hoping to have a quick chat with you—”
“I’m here, Ray, just teasing you. What’s wrong? You sound concerned.”
“Phew, I hate talking to those damn machines. Right, where do I begin?”
“I find at the beginning always helps.”
“Of course, in other words, get on with it, right?”
“Your words, not mine.”
“We received a strange call from a woman who wanted to report an incident which happened this afternoon.”
“What type of incident, Ray?”
Mark came back into the room carrying two mugs. He placed one on the table in front of her and then sat on the edge of the couch beside her. She rolled her eyes at him.
“She works at the Co-op, ma’am, and said that a youth had caused a few problems in the store. She didn’t think anything of it at the time, but around five minutes later a red flag was raised, in her eyes anyway, when she saw this youth get in a woman’s car.”
“Right, meaning?”
“The car was being driven by a woman who’d had the run-in with the youth.”
“Okay. Was this a family member perhaps?”
“Unlikely. There’s more.”
“I can’t wait to hear what that is, Ray.” She placed a hand over the phone and laughed. “It’s like extracting milk from an ant at times.”
“Around the same time, we got a call from a concerned husband, saying that his wife had popped to the Co-op store a few hours ago and hadn’t returned.”
“Are you telling me this turned out to be the same woman?”
“I believe so, yes, ma’am. Forgive me if I’m wrong about that. You know when you get a gut feeling and think you should chase something up?”
“It happens more often than we care to mention. The problem is, that this is supposed to be my day off, Ray. Can’t someone else deal with it?”
“Umm…There’s no one else around, and well…”
“You think the case is right up my street because I’m a caring and compassionate human being as well as a shit-hot detective. Go on, tell me I took the words right out of your mouth?”
Ray laughed. “Yep, that, ma’am.”
“All right. Let me have the cuppa my dear husband has just made me and I’ll trundle over there.”
“It’s the Co-op at Long Ashton. I’ll send you the postcode and the address where this lady lives. She’s called Jaime Connor, and her husband is Andy.”
“Brilliant. Okay, remember me at Christmas for giving up my day off on a hunch, won’t you?”
“I’ll definitely do that. Thank you, ma’am.”
She ended the call and blew out a breath. “Sorry, do you mind me chasing this one up? It’s unusual for Ray to contact me off the cuff like this. He must be really concerned about this woman.”
“Honestly, it’s fine. We were just chilling out. I can sort through some paperwork while you’re gone. I haven’t even started on my accounts yet, even though I had the intention of dealing with them monthly. You’re too tempting. Mostly I’d rather spend my spare time with you than pulling my hair out over a bunch of receipts.”
She kissed him. “That’s good to hear. Our life is so much better now you have your new job. We’re happier than we’ve ever been, right? It was such a strain working all the time and not spending any quality time together.”
He placed a finger under her chin and searched her eyes. “That will never happen again in the future, I promise you. How we got through that patch is beyond me, but looking at it positively, we did, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”
“You’re right. I love you.”
“You’re my heart and my soul, Kayli. It’s onwards and upwards for us now. Yes?”
“Too right.”
Kayli rushed upstairs to slip on some suitable work clothes, rather than show up to question witnesses in her ripped jeans, then she kissed Mark again and left the house. En route, she called her partner on the hands-free. “Dave, sorry to disturb you. What are you up to?”
“Hi, Suranne and I are at the lake, feeding the ducks with Luke.”
Their four-year-old son squealed with delight in the background.
“Ah, okay. You stay there and have fun.”
“Hang on a sec, you can’t leave me dangling like that. What’s up? Oh God, is Mark all right?”
“Yes, worryguts. He’s fine. I’ve had a call from the station. I’m attending an incident which happened a few hours ago. I’ll deal with it. It’s probably something and nothing.”
“Holler if you need me.”
“I will, you can be sure of that, matey. Go back to having fun. Say hi to Suranne and Luke for me.” She ended the call and concentrated on her driving.
Long Ashton was around fifteen minutes from her home. She switched on the radio to keep her company on the journey, which thankfully was a breeze—no sign of heavy traffic on the roads to make her frustrated.
She drew into the Co-op car park and left her vehicle. Notebook and pen in hand, she entered the shop. A middle-aged blonde lady sat behind the checkout, and a few customers were milling around the shop.
She approached the counter and flashed her ID. “DI Kayli Bright. Are you the lady who placed the call?”
The woman nodded and smiled weakly. “I am. Phyllis Johnson. You’ll probably think I’m nuts, but you know what it’s like when something doesn’t fit comfortably with you. If I didn’t say anything…well, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if it turned out that something bad had happened to the woman.”
“Is there another member of staff on duty?”
“No, I’m here alone. Always the same on a Sunday afternoon.”
“I see. That’s a little awkward because we can’t have a chat with customers around.”
“I could serve these and drop the closed sign on the door for five minutes, if that will help?”
“Please take it, I have more if you need it.”
“How much more?” the male asked.
“I can withdraw up to three hundred a day, if that will help?”
“Okay, we’ll do that. But not here. Get in the car. Billie, you get in the back, and I’ll sit in the front with the bitch.”
Jaime winced every time he called her that name. “Where are you taking me?” Her voice faltered.
“You’ve got that wrong. You’re taking us for a little drive to get some more cash, then, and only then, we’ll decide what to do with you.”
“Take the car. It’s insured. I have no need for it. Please, let me go. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
The youth punched her in the face. “Stop fucking whinging and get in the car.” He waited while she slipped behind the steering wheel.
Her mind was racing, trying to think what she could do to get out of this mess. She could kick herself for drawing a blank. What can I do? He’s holding all the cards. My life is in his hands. I’m scared! Scared of what they will do to me and scared of what will happen to my family if they find my address. Oh God, please, please help me!
Her hands shook as she inserted the key into the ignition. She was trying her hardest to block out the evil way the man was staring at her from the passenger seat—she could see him out of her peripheral vision and cursed herself for having twenty-twenty vision. She’d passed her recent eye test with flying colours.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s get out of here,” the male ordered, jabbing her in the ribs with his fingertips.
“Ouch! That hurt. Please, what more do you want from me?”
“Stop with the stupid fucking questions and drive. I’ll tell you which way to go.”
Her leg was shaking so much that when she selected first gear her foot slipped off the clutch and the car stalled.
He punched her in the head. “You’re trying my patience, bitch. Get a grip and stop delaying the inevitable.”
Delaying the inevitable? What the heck did that mean?
She got her shit together and did as instructed, driving out of the car park. A man crossed the road in front of her. She mouthed ‘help me’ to him. He smiled and dipped his trilby and went on his way. Another ploy of hers had failed. How could she get out of this mess? When? Why was this happening to her?
“Take a right. Then the second left.”
She was so caught up in her thoughts she almost missed the second turning completely, earning herself yet another jab in the side. “Ugh…I’m sorry. Please, I’m scared of what you’re going to do to me.”
“You should be scared. I would be in your shoes.”
She exhaled a shuddering breath. Her wonderful family’s faces filtered into her mind, and tears of frustration and anguish welled up.
“At the end of the road, take the first right.”
She did as she was instructed, her vision blurry with unshed tears.
“There, pull up outside the bank. Sod the double yellow lines, we won’t be out there long.”
She drew up outside the NatWest bank on the high street. He shot out of the car and raced around the front, appearing at the driver’s side. He opened the door and tugged her out. She’d forgotten to unlatch her seat belt which infuriated him further.
“I’m sorry, it wasn’t intentional.”
“Whatever. You’ll pay for that.” He grabbed her arm and yanked her out. Several people were milling around the area, all caught up in the conversations they were involved in. “Don’t even think about crying out for help, we know where your family lives. Once we’ve dealt with you, they’ll be next, you hear me?”
“Yes, I’ll behave myself. I promise. How much do you want?”
“All of it.”
Her fingers felt like sausages as she punched in her PIN. She went through the motions and withdrew the cash and shoved it in her pocket.
He held out his hand. “I’ll take that.”
“Of course, I’m—”
“Yeah, I know, you’re frigging sorry. If you utter that word once more…” He left the threat dangling.
Her bowels moved. She was desperate to hang on and not make a show of herself in front of him. How long would she be able to hang on for, though? How long did she have left before they…?
He guided her back to the car and opened the door for her, shoved her behind the wheel and bolted back to the passenger side once more.
What now? They have the money. Are they going to do away with me now?
“I fancy a drive out. You got enough fuel in the tank?” He leaned over to see for himself, obviously not trusting her to tell him the truth. “Okay, head out of town, towards the M5.”
“I don’t know what direction that is. I’m sorry, my husband usually does all the driving when we leave the city.”
He growled. “What are you, thick? See that over there? It’s a blue motorway sign, follow that.”
“Okay, I wasn’t trying to be awkward, I promise.”
“You know what? Your whining voice is ticking me off. In other words, shut the fuck up and just do the driving.”
Jaime thought better about apologising, fearing she’d try his patience further if she did. She had to come up with a plan to save herself. But how, without endangering all their lives? She’d need to bide her time, wait for the opportunity to arise. The saving grace was that it was Sunday, with less people on the road. On the other hand, she was guessing that would also mean that there would be less police around as well.
She drove out of the city and followed the numerous signs leading to the motorway which she joined a few minutes later. She had to push down her lifelong fear of travelling faster than forty miles an hour. Jaime hunched over the steering wheel, a force of habit she’d had since passing her test nearly fifteen years before.
“What’s your problem?” the male asked.
“I hate driving at speed.”
“Moan, moan, moan, is that all you ever do? Get over it, bitch.”
She ground her teeth. He was beginning to pee her off, calling her that bloody name. Her speed remained the same. “Where are we going?”
“I fancy a trip out to Weston. You got a problem with that?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not too far, if I remember rightly.”
“That’s for starters,” he said.
Her heart sank. Although she loved driving, she had always been more comfortable leaving the motorway driving to Andy. Tears welled up as she thought of her family again. She drifted off. The next thing she knew, the youth was grabbing the steering wheel and walloping her in the side of the head again.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, lady? You got a death wish or something?”
Jaime cleared her head of any thoughts and concentrated on the task in hand. “Oh God, I’m sorry. I hate driving on the motorway. Please, won’t you consider taking over from me?”
“Jesus, all right. Pull over on the hard shoulder.”
She checked her mirrors and indicated off to the left. The car lurched to a faster halt than she’d anticipated, and the three of them surged forward in their seats.
“If that was intentional…”
“It wasn’t, I swear. I warned you how much I detested driving at speed.”
“Get out and swap seats.”
Jaime watched the cars whizzing past and glanced in her mirror for a gap in the traffic then opened her door and jumped out. The two youths remained in the car. The male slipped across the interior to sit in the driver’s seat while she ran around the back. A van whizzed past them. She’d motioned for the driver to stop, but he ignored her and carried on. The cars were few and far between now, just her luck. She shrugged and opened the door.
“What took you so long? Get in,” the male demanded, his expression telling her how annoyed he was because of the delay she had caused.
“I had to be careful of the traffic. I’m here now.”
The youth ground through the gears as he pulled away. She recoiled at the way he was carelessly driving her car. She’d always looked after it, driven it smoothly over the years. The engine whined as he aggressively upped the speed.
“Woohoo, now this is having a fun day out, what do you say, Billie?”
“Go, Daz, go,” the girl shouted enthusiastically from the back seat.
Jaime shook from head to foot. Speed wasn’t something that thrilled her in this life. She tried closing her eyes, but the sensation only appeared to be far worse. He drove like a maniac, caught up with the traffic and began weaving between the cars as if he was involved in one of those damn computer games.
Her fear rose up a couple of notches. “Please, can you slow down?”
The youth tipped back his head and laughed. That was when the car clipped one of the vehicles in the pack in front. The other car spun around and faced them.
“Shit!” Daz shouted and struggled to take control of the steering wheel.
Jaime’s heart all but leapt into her mouth, and Billie screamed. Is this how it’s all going to end?
1
K ayli and Mark were snuggled up on the couch, watching the latest Jack Ryan season on Prime TV. “Hmm…it’s not as good as the first season, is it?”
Mark shook his head. “Far from it. Too many bloody subtitles for it to be good. The first season was excellent, truly authentic.”
He should know. Mark had been in the army, based in the Middle East where the first season had taken place. They had watched the series together, gripping hands tightly, neither of them saying a word during the episodes—always a sign of a great show. However, in Kayli’s case, it had brought back memories of when she’d flown out to Afghanistan to save Mark, along with her brother, Giles. It had been one of the toughest times in her life, but there was no way she would have considered staying at home, twiddling her thumbs, waiting for news of him. The Taliban had captured him, and it was only a matter of time before they ended his life.
But, with Giles by her side, along with a few of his former army mates, they had risked their own lives in order to rescue Mark.
That adventure, if you could call it that, had brought her and Mark together. He’d returned to the UK and become a bouncer at a nightclub in town. That in itself, had been fraught with danger. A terrorist group had held some of the punters hostage—they’d had no idea that a man with Mark’s skills in covert operations was inside the building. He had saved the day and earned himself public recognition in Bristol from none other than the mayor.
Kayli had pleaded with Mark to give up his role at the nightclub after that escapade. Mark had eventually agreed. The remarkable thing was that since the story of his bravery broke in the media, he’d been inundated with job offers. It had taken him a few weeks to decide which opportunity to grasp. In the end, the one that took his fancy was to become a personal trainer. Not just any personal trainer, no, this was for corporate people, people with money who weren’t concerned about the exorbitant cost of getting fit. His job also included teaching these people personal survival skills in case anything disastrous happened to them while they were on foreign soil. Kayli was relieved when he finally flipped a coin between two jobs that truly sparked an interest for him. It meant that most of the time he was on hand to be with her in the evening and at weekends, something they were both grateful for after working different shifts for months on end—that was, when Mark hadn’t been away on duty with the army before that.
Yes, life was so much better now that she had her man back in her life doing regular hours.
Her phone vibrated across the coffee table. She debated whether to ignore it. However, curiosity got the better of her. “Do you mind if I take this?”
“Go for it. Want a coffee?” Mark leaned over and kissed her as she sat upright to take the call.
“That would be wonderful.” She glanced down at the caller ID. It was the station, which could only mean one thing: her lazy Sunday afternoon was about to be disrupted. “You’ve reached DI Kayli Bright. Sorry I can’t take your call right now. Leave a message after the beep and I’ll get back to you.”
“Umm…sorry to disturb you, ma’am, it’s Ray Donaldson at the station. I was hoping to have a quick chat with you—”
“I’m here, Ray, just teasing you. What’s wrong? You sound concerned.”
“Phew, I hate talking to those damn machines. Right, where do I begin?”
“I find at the beginning always helps.”
“Of course, in other words, get on with it, right?”
“Your words, not mine.”
“We received a strange call from a woman who wanted to report an incident which happened this afternoon.”
“What type of incident, Ray?”
Mark came back into the room carrying two mugs. He placed one on the table in front of her and then sat on the edge of the couch beside her. She rolled her eyes at him.
“She works at the Co-op, ma’am, and said that a youth had caused a few problems in the store. She didn’t think anything of it at the time, but around five minutes later a red flag was raised, in her eyes anyway, when she saw this youth get in a woman’s car.”
“Right, meaning?”
“The car was being driven by a woman who’d had the run-in with the youth.”
“Okay. Was this a family member perhaps?”
“Unlikely. There’s more.”
“I can’t wait to hear what that is, Ray.” She placed a hand over the phone and laughed. “It’s like extracting milk from an ant at times.”
“Around the same time, we got a call from a concerned husband, saying that his wife had popped to the Co-op store a few hours ago and hadn’t returned.”
“Are you telling me this turned out to be the same woman?”
“I believe so, yes, ma’am. Forgive me if I’m wrong about that. You know when you get a gut feeling and think you should chase something up?”
“It happens more often than we care to mention. The problem is, that this is supposed to be my day off, Ray. Can’t someone else deal with it?”
“Umm…There’s no one else around, and well…”
“You think the case is right up my street because I’m a caring and compassionate human being as well as a shit-hot detective. Go on, tell me I took the words right out of your mouth?”
Ray laughed. “Yep, that, ma’am.”
“All right. Let me have the cuppa my dear husband has just made me and I’ll trundle over there.”
“It’s the Co-op at Long Ashton. I’ll send you the postcode and the address where this lady lives. She’s called Jaime Connor, and her husband is Andy.”
“Brilliant. Okay, remember me at Christmas for giving up my day off on a hunch, won’t you?”
“I’ll definitely do that. Thank you, ma’am.”
She ended the call and blew out a breath. “Sorry, do you mind me chasing this one up? It’s unusual for Ray to contact me off the cuff like this. He must be really concerned about this woman.”
“Honestly, it’s fine. We were just chilling out. I can sort through some paperwork while you’re gone. I haven’t even started on my accounts yet, even though I had the intention of dealing with them monthly. You’re too tempting. Mostly I’d rather spend my spare time with you than pulling my hair out over a bunch of receipts.”
She kissed him. “That’s good to hear. Our life is so much better now you have your new job. We’re happier than we’ve ever been, right? It was such a strain working all the time and not spending any quality time together.”
He placed a finger under her chin and searched her eyes. “That will never happen again in the future, I promise you. How we got through that patch is beyond me, but looking at it positively, we did, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”
“You’re right. I love you.”
“You’re my heart and my soul, Kayli. It’s onwards and upwards for us now. Yes?”
“Too right.”
Kayli rushed upstairs to slip on some suitable work clothes, rather than show up to question witnesses in her ripped jeans, then she kissed Mark again and left the house. En route, she called her partner on the hands-free. “Dave, sorry to disturb you. What are you up to?”
“Hi, Suranne and I are at the lake, feeding the ducks with Luke.”
Their four-year-old son squealed with delight in the background.
“Ah, okay. You stay there and have fun.”
“Hang on a sec, you can’t leave me dangling like that. What’s up? Oh God, is Mark all right?”
“Yes, worryguts. He’s fine. I’ve had a call from the station. I’m attending an incident which happened a few hours ago. I’ll deal with it. It’s probably something and nothing.”
“Holler if you need me.”
“I will, you can be sure of that, matey. Go back to having fun. Say hi to Suranne and Luke for me.” She ended the call and concentrated on her driving.
Long Ashton was around fifteen minutes from her home. She switched on the radio to keep her company on the journey, which thankfully was a breeze—no sign of heavy traffic on the roads to make her frustrated.
She drew into the Co-op car park and left her vehicle. Notebook and pen in hand, she entered the shop. A middle-aged blonde lady sat behind the checkout, and a few customers were milling around the shop.
She approached the counter and flashed her ID. “DI Kayli Bright. Are you the lady who placed the call?”
The woman nodded and smiled weakly. “I am. Phyllis Johnson. You’ll probably think I’m nuts, but you know what it’s like when something doesn’t fit comfortably with you. If I didn’t say anything…well, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if it turned out that something bad had happened to the woman.”
“Is there another member of staff on duty?”
“No, I’m here alone. Always the same on a Sunday afternoon.”
“I see. That’s a little awkward because we can’t have a chat with customers around.”
“I could serve these and drop the closed sign on the door for five minutes, if that will help?”
