Page 72 of Her Deadly Promise

All I can see is the eyes and they look deep into my soul. I scream and scream because I can’t remember. Please make this end. Please. ‘I’m losing my mind.’

‘It’s okay, Nadia. You’re going to be fine.’ A hand strokes mine. It’s the lovely nurse. I’m in hospital.

‘Who are you?’ I need a name. It might help.

‘Meera. Your friend Meera.’ The voice sounds demonic and as I slip into a thought that won’t leave me alone, all I see is Meera with an evil laugh. I try to move my arm but it’s as if it’s filled with concrete. I try to shout again but the dryness in my throat has won. ‘Stop shouting, I’m here to help.’

I don’t want her here. It’s all coming back. She and Ed were having an affair. Billie must have known. They’re trying to get rid of me and there’s nothing I can do about it. I imagine poison running through my veins or a pillow over my head. I’m going to die.

FIFTY-SIX

As Gina hurried out of Jacob’s car, she ran up Candice and Gavin’s drive. Her heart sunk. A trainer leaned up against the brick of the porch. Jacob stood by her side. She went to grab the knocker, that’s when she noticed it on the floor and there were two holes where it had been wrenched out of the door. A smeared handprint snaked down the glass panel and Gina swallowed down the sick nerves that told her she was right to be worried about Candice. ‘I don’t like this,’ she said.

She peered through the window and coats were strewn all over the place and an ornament had been smashed. Only one car was on the drive, the other had gone. ‘Guv, she might be in there.’ He leaned over her and knocked hard.

Gina pushed the letter box just as the neighbours’ dog barked. ‘Mrs Brent,’ she called. ‘Please open the door.’

‘I’ll try the back.’ Jacob began walking alongside the large semi while Gina called for backup.

‘We need uniform. There’s sign of a disturbance at the Brent household.’

‘Guv.’ She looked up. ‘The back door is open.’ Jacob beckoned her to follow him, and she didn’t waste any time in going through the side gate and along the cluttered path. She nudged past the child’s scooter and the mouldy old fence panel.

‘We’re going in. Candice may be in there and she may be hurt. The back door is unlocked so no forced entry needed.’ She ended the call.

As she gazed up the long garden, nothing seemed out of place at the back of the house. She nearly tripped over the snaking hosepipe.

Jacob pushed the door open wide and stepped into the kitchen. ‘Mrs Brent? Hello.’

Nothing but silence. Gina stepped into the kitchen and crept through to the lounge where the chipped ornament lay on the floor. She didn’t disturb the coats, the shoes or the handprint. ‘We need to keep this area secure for now.’ Stepping back, she glanced around the lounge and back towards the kitchen before running back through the house. ‘The office.’ She passed the back of the kitchen until she reached the open door. A small gift box lay on the desk and a pile of paper had fallen to the floor. She put on a pair of latex gloves and opened the box. There was nothing in it. ‘Mrs Brent.’ Nothing. ‘We need to check upstairs.’

Jacob nodded, then they went back through the lounge.

Step by step, Gina felt heat crawling up her neck and a line of perspiration under her hairline. ‘Mrs Brent.’ Bedroom one was clear. Bedroom two, the room with the Disney mural was clear and the playroom at the end of the landing – clear. She nudged the door to the bathroom and exhaled. ‘She’s not here.’ The bathroom cabinet was slightly ajar. Gina leaned over and opened it. Nothing. She slid open the top drawer that was bulging with make-up. That’s when she spotted the card. She reached in and pulled it out. ‘There’s a note from Edward to Nadia on this card saying he’s sorry. It’s the same colour as the gift box in the office. It had to contain the hair clip. Can I have Mrs Brent’s phone number?’

Jacob scrolled through their online system and showed her the number. She punched it into her mobile and began calling but the call ended as if the phone was no longer in operation. ‘We need all units on this. I want Mrs Brent found.’

‘On it, guv.’ He placed his phone to his ear and stepped out of the room and down the stairs.

Gina clenched the sides of her hair and let out a silent scream. It had been too obvious that Mrs Brent had been in some sort of trouble and Gina had left her with her husband. The news about Nadia had broken and he had to have taken her. One thing was certain, looking at the mess left behind, she had not left voluntarily.

‘Guv, I found the keys to the garage. Isn’t she a dog groomer?’

‘Yes.’ She ran down the stairs and through the internal garage door. Nothing seemed out of place. The stainless-steel table sat in the centre of the room and a noose hung down from a frame; one that would normally keep the dog in place while being trimmed. Right now, it looked sinister. Cupboards filled the back wall, and a deep dog bath and drying station filled the other. The whole room stank of disinfectant and light bounced off every surface. On the desk sat a pile of papers all showing vacant factory units that were local to the area. Where to start?

She ran back to the office and opened Gavin Brent’s drawers and there was more paperwork. A flyer for the dog grooming business and notes for a new website but underneath it, a photocopied single page for the lease of a unit. The only problem was the page showing the address was not there. Gina scrutinised the lease and it referred to another section on page three that would list the address. She rummaged around the drawer and amongst his pens and stationery. ‘This is the same colour and make.’

Jacob looked up from the sideboard. ‘Huh.’

‘The same brand of red pen used in Billie’s house and Nadia’s garage. We need to contact the letting agent on this lease and find out which unit this relates to. He’s taken her there. He must have.’ She paced up and down as she pressed the numbers. ‘We’re too late, I know we are. Why did we leave her this morning? Why?’ An answerphone kicked in for the letting agent. ‘Damn, what kind of business is this? Have uniform arrived? Please tell me they’re here as I want this scene secured.’

Jacob went out of the office and back through the house. ‘They’re just pulling up.’

‘Great, quick info handover. Keep trying Halston Groves Commercial Lettings. As soon as someone answers, tell them we’re on our way. In the meantime, Candice’s life depends on us not screwing this up. I’m going to call PC Kapoor. We can hurry over and speak to Nadia. She’s out of surgery. We can only hope that she remembers what happened.’

She felt her phone start to buzz. ‘Hello,’ she said as she answered.

Her heart began to speed up. ‘PC Kapoor has just caught Meera sneaking into Nadia’s hospital room. We need to get there, now.’

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