Wait a minute, Laura Crane… has she been
interviewed? Has anyone reported back?’
‘ Not that I know of,
everything has moved so fast, I did schedule for DS Fox to
interview her, but he may have low-prioritised it.’
The DCI picked up his phone and buzzed the
squad room.
‘ Right. Leave it with me.
No, unless there is anything significant, leave it until the next
briefing. Good.’
‘ It seems they did try, but
she is refusing to co-operate. Said something about not wanting the
duty solicitor, but her own solicitor can’t make it until the
morning. Fox had held it for the next briefing. Told him that is
fine, there is no need for him to bother us with every little
thing. It will only undermine any decisions he needs to take if we
are tied up.’
‘ Right, but what if we
offered her some kind of deal? She’s our best shot, sir. She knows
him and probably intimately. If we could get her to
talk…’
‘ You mean a witness
program?’
‘ Yes, scare her into
realising how dangerous her position is.’
‘ You’re right, Lorne. You
can almost feel sorry for the stupid cow. She’s lost her job, the
respect of her colleagues and any friendships she made here, but
they are nothing to compare with what The Unicorn will have in
store for her the minute we release her. She is a dead woman and
that gives us a strong bargaining position. Let’s do
it….’
Chapter Twenty –Seven.
‘ Wakey, wakey. Rise and
shine little one!’
Lulled from her sleep, Charlie blinked. The
bright lights above her pierced her fragile eyes as she adjusted to
the light and became fully awake. Awareness gripped and locked her
in terror. The man bending over her, his eyes brimming with mocking
hatred, featured in snapshots flooding her memory, and what he’d
subjected her to filled her with horror. She remembered his name –
The Unicorn, and wondered again why he had such a nickname.
‘ It is time for your
medicine, little one…’
His sour laughter trembled through her and
echoed off the walls, but then, she realised it wasn’t just him
laughing. Two other men were standing near the door. Their stance
made them look like guards and each followed the Unicorn’s lead in
laughing at her.
She tried to concentrate. What did he mean her medicine?
Her surroundings came into focus as he
straightened up. The room reminded her of the Pop Stars’ bedrooms
she’d seen in her magazines, rich and sumptuous. Deep gold, satin
sheets covered her naked body.
Without warning the Unicorn snatched the
cover from her. It billowed out before landing in a heap behind
him. She cowered in fear and embarrassment, ‘No…no... Please
don’t.’
The men mimicked her and the Unicorn laughed.
His eyes travelled the length of her slight body. She scrunched
backwards into the pillows.
‘ Enough! Let us get on with
it!’
The room fell silent and the men moved
forward, one each side of the bed. They grabbed her arms and
stretched her out. She wriggled and kicked and begged, but she
didn’t have the strength to match theirs.
The Unicorn opened a drawer next to the bed.
Something glinted in the light. Charlie turned her head. Her voice
would not release the scream mounting inside her. It threatened to
choke her as it strangled in her throat.
A spray of clear liquid squirted from the
syringe. It dropped like raindrops on to her arm. Then, the needle
plunged into her skin.
Her mind calling out to her mum gave her the
courage to speak: ‘Please don’t. Please ring my mum again. She’ll
give you everything you want. She’s a very important person….’
‘ You should be a comedienne
little one. She’s not so important, otherwise she would have
bargained for your life by now…’
The phial emptied into her.
‘ She is. She’s in the police. She’s an Inspector and my
grandfather used to be a Chief Inspector. Between them they have
many contacts… Important people… Just ring her, please!’
Her voice sounded strange, far away, like
interviewed? Has anyone reported back?’
‘ Not that I know of,
everything has moved so fast, I did schedule for DS Fox to
interview her, but he may have low-prioritised it.’
The DCI picked up his phone and buzzed the
squad room.
‘ Right. Leave it with me.
No, unless there is anything significant, leave it until the next
briefing. Good.’
‘ It seems they did try, but
she is refusing to co-operate. Said something about not wanting the
duty solicitor, but her own solicitor can’t make it until the
morning. Fox had held it for the next briefing. Told him that is
fine, there is no need for him to bother us with every little
thing. It will only undermine any decisions he needs to take if we
are tied up.’
‘ Right, but what if we
offered her some kind of deal? She’s our best shot, sir. She knows
him and probably intimately. If we could get her to
talk…’
‘ You mean a witness
program?’
‘ Yes, scare her into
realising how dangerous her position is.’
‘ You’re right, Lorne. You
can almost feel sorry for the stupid cow. She’s lost her job, the
respect of her colleagues and any friendships she made here, but
they are nothing to compare with what The Unicorn will have in
store for her the minute we release her. She is a dead woman and
that gives us a strong bargaining position. Let’s do
it….’
Chapter Twenty –Seven.
‘ Wakey, wakey. Rise and
shine little one!’
Lulled from her sleep, Charlie blinked. The
bright lights above her pierced her fragile eyes as she adjusted to
the light and became fully awake. Awareness gripped and locked her
in terror. The man bending over her, his eyes brimming with mocking
hatred, featured in snapshots flooding her memory, and what he’d
subjected her to filled her with horror. She remembered his name –
The Unicorn, and wondered again why he had such a nickname.
‘ It is time for your
medicine, little one…’
His sour laughter trembled through her and
echoed off the walls, but then, she realised it wasn’t just him
laughing. Two other men were standing near the door. Their stance
made them look like guards and each followed the Unicorn’s lead in
laughing at her.
She tried to concentrate. What did he mean her medicine?
Her surroundings came into focus as he
straightened up. The room reminded her of the Pop Stars’ bedrooms
she’d seen in her magazines, rich and sumptuous. Deep gold, satin
sheets covered her naked body.
Without warning the Unicorn snatched the
cover from her. It billowed out before landing in a heap behind
him. She cowered in fear and embarrassment, ‘No…no... Please
don’t.’
The men mimicked her and the Unicorn laughed.
His eyes travelled the length of her slight body. She scrunched
backwards into the pillows.
‘ Enough! Let us get on with
it!’
The room fell silent and the men moved
forward, one each side of the bed. They grabbed her arms and
stretched her out. She wriggled and kicked and begged, but she
didn’t have the strength to match theirs.
The Unicorn opened a drawer next to the bed.
Something glinted in the light. Charlie turned her head. Her voice
would not release the scream mounting inside her. It threatened to
choke her as it strangled in her throat.
A spray of clear liquid squirted from the
syringe. It dropped like raindrops on to her arm. Then, the needle
plunged into her skin.
Her mind calling out to her mum gave her the
courage to speak: ‘Please don’t. Please ring my mum again. She’ll
give you everything you want. She’s a very important person….’
‘ You should be a comedienne
little one. She’s not so important, otherwise she would have
bargained for your life by now…’
The phial emptied into her.
‘ She is. She’s in the police. She’s an Inspector and my
grandfather used to be a Chief Inspector. Between them they have
many contacts… Important people… Just ring her, please!’
Her voice sounded strange, far away, like
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