Page 65 of The Truth Will Out
“Sounds delicious. Sending hugs. I love you, Sam, more than life itself. I don’t tell you nearly enough.”
“Don’t, you’ll start me off. I love you to the moon and back. I always have.”
Sam cleaned up the kitchen and let Tilly in the back garden to have an extra wee before they went up to bed. She planned to watch some TV upstairs before she turned in for the night. She ended up staring at the screen for the next three hours and eventually turned it off around eleven, hoping that sleep would soon come her way. It didn’t. Tilly spent a restless night beside her. It was as if she knewsomething bad had happened to Rhys, which only made Sam more agitated.
In the end, she finally fell asleep at four a.m. Even then, she kept waking up, perspiring, after dreaming about the torture Rhys might be going through. Her alarm buzzed at seven. After a quick shower, she dressed and took Tilly for her morning walk before heading into work.
8
Sam arrived at work and summoned the team together. She had no intention of telling them about the message she had received. Bob had dropped by her office as soon as he’d got there to check how she had coped the evening before. He seemed distressed by her appearance, although he tried not to show it.
“Right, as far as I can tell, there have been no developments overnight.”In other words, Rhys’s body hasn’t been discovered yet, or if it has, we haven’t received word of it. Otherwise, Jason would have told me on my way in this morning.“I want you to finish off going through the list of names we have from the back of the photo. Try to track down the ones you didn’t speak to yesterday. I believe this could be important. Maybe the suggestion Bob made about one of them being the killer is true. Who knows? The more people we speak to, the better. Bob, can you get on to the council and ask them to hand over any files they have about Pendle House? I’m guessing they’ll request a warrant, but it’s worth a try, and yes, you can tell them about the investigation, as nothing has appeared on the news yet.”
“Okay, I’ll still keep it sketchy and see what I can get out of them.”
“We also need to go over the other idea that surfaced late yesterday, before we left for the evening. Liam, I’d like you to thoroughly gothrough Claire’s computer. Specifically, her search history. Let’s see what she’s been working on, for Lord knows how long, behind our backs. It could turn out to be the key and tell us how the killer found out about her and what she was up to.”
Bob’s brow furrowed. “You think she might have triggered a file on the computer? A website perhaps?”
Sam shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. I’m just throwing it out there, partner. It’s not like we’ve got anything else to go on, is it? I don’t have to remind you all of the need for speed and accuracy in obtaining this information. Rhys is still missing. That fact alone should be enough to urge us on. I’m clinging on to the other important fact that is staring us in the face: his body hasn’t been found yet. Until it is, there’s every chance we might find him alive, safe and well…” Her voice trailed off. That was the hope. She needed to get the urgency across to her team, but inside, she was crying out to be out there, scouring the streets to find him.
She had woken up in a slightly more forgiving mood; however, she had no idea how long that would last. “I’ll be in my office, dealing with my usual mundane task.” She closed the door behind her. On the way to her seat, she paused to admire the view as usual, but this time, her gaze dropped below her to a figure she thought she saw in the corner of the car park. The sunlight glinted on something. She turned and ran out of the office, took the stairs two at a time and sprinted through the reception area. By the time she reached the spot where she’d seen the person lingering, it was too late.
Seconds later, she received another text:
Close, but not close enough. You’re slacking, Inspector Cobbs. One more slip-up and it could signify the end for someone close to you. Do I mean Rhys? Or do I have someone else in mind? Maybe your sister or her husband. Both celebrities in their own right within the town. I’ll be in touch soon, Inspector. Until then, happy hunting. Not all roads lead to the truth, don’t forget that.
Sam heaved out a sigh and headed back to the station. Bob was standing at the entrance.
“Is everything all right? Did you forget something in the car?”
She was in two minds whether to reveal the truth or not. “I thought I saw someone lurking in the shadows. It was my imagination playing me up.”
“Christ, don’t do that to me. If it happens again, promise me you’ll ask either me or another member of the team to go with you. What if it had turned out to be the killer? You wouldn’t have stood a chance; you had no weapon with you. Why take the risk? With what’s been going on, it’s too dangerous for you to be out there alone. Got that?”
Sam stroked his arm. “Thanks for caring. Message received, partner. You have my word; I won’t do it again. Come on, let’s get back to work. I’m in need of a caffeine fix. I think I’ve missed my usual quota for this time of the morning.”
“Easily sorted.”
They reached the main office. “I’ll be in my cave. Can you bring my drink in, Bob?”
He nodded and fixed the drinks, offering to make one for the entire team while he was at it.
He delivered her coffee and said, “Don’t tell me, I’ve missed my vocation in life.”
A glimmer of a smile tugged at her lips. “I’m saying nothing. Thanks, Bob, for everything.”
“For checking to see if you’re all right? Are you sure you’re not keeping something from me?”
“You know me better than that. I wouldn’t do it.”
His eyes formed tiny slits. “That’s debatable. I’ll leave you to it, for now.”
“Give me a shout if you discover anything interesting.”
He saluted and closed the door behind him.
Before she started on her post, Sam picked up the phone and rang her sister. “Crystal, it’s me.”
