RichardIn the hallway, I hover before tapping into my contacts, considering what to say. I don't wish to lie to Will, either as my friend or as Commissioner of Police.And the phone vibes in my hand... Will's avatar flashes up."Will, I was about to call you...""Hello, Richard. What about?""I want to request copies of the hospital camera data going back for at least the last month. We'd like to go over it between us.""You beat me to it, Richard. In fact, that's why I was calling you. Let James and Michael know to check their messages. I've just had the lab send exactly that across. How are things over there? How are they bearing up?""Not good. James especially. He knows it wasn't his fault but...""Yeah... it goes that way. Misplaced guilt. He's going to have to deal with that. And Mitch?""She's shattered, as you can imagine. But with all of them, being able to go over the video footage gives them something useful to contribute.""'Course it does." In the back

RichardThe waiter serves our meals and I wait until he is out of earshot before I speak. "Has anything turned up on how they got her away?"Will looks blue, shaking his head. "The 'ambulance' made its way out of the hospital grounds in the normal way. We have it on the traffic-cams going through the City. With the siren blaring, the traffic simply parted to let it through. We have them entering a car park and we found the vehicle abandoned there." He heaves air. "And of course, who would interfere with medics with an ambulance and a woman on a stretcher?"He fills two tumblers from a bottle of mineral water. "So, what's this matter so urgent that at a time like this, you leave Beth at home by herself?""She's not by herself. Michael and Mitch are both keeping an eye on her. Or she on them maybe...""Nonetheless...""Will, I have a hypothetical question for you."He arches a brow. His face neutral, "Go on.""Hypothetically, if a Chief of Police became aware of the pres

CharlotteMy back hurts...Michael... his hands, soothing away the ache... Calming me...I've been so bad-tempered recently...So awful to him... Them...I'm sorry.I'm so sorry...I wish you were here. I want to tell you I'm sorry...Master...My Master...The softness in your eyes when I kneel for you, the velvet kiss of the falls trailing over my skin...The bite of the lash...With you... I fly....*****MichaelBeth pops her head up. "James, how do I zoom in here?""It's a touch screen. Just scissor it out."He watches as she zooms, peering in on the screen, then replays..."Beth, what are you looking at?""I think I might have something."She sheers off as Klempner abandons his laptop, striding over to sit by her. "Show me."His eyes slide sidelong. "Mrs Haswell, I realise you don't care for me, but we have to work together in this, and I haven't come here to eat you. I believe you and Jenny are close, so please remember I'm here on her b

CharlotteIt hurts. Oh God.... It hurts.Master. Where are you?Michael...Momma...I'm cold...I'm so cold.They'll come. They'll come...Stay calm...The pain ripples over my stomach and I writhe, curling around myself as, inside, my body clenches and spasms... And with the contraction, my lungs pulse out another fit of coughing, racking my chest and throat.Oh God... Come soon...Please come soon...*****JamesBack home, Klempner broods in silence, staring at the pinned-up face on the wall; the 'medic', as I tell the tale of our encounter with Finchby"So, do you believe him?" asks Richard... "Klempner? Klempner... Are you with us at all?"Klempner seems to jerk back to reality. "Sorry... lost in thought, there. But no, not necessarily. His story doesn't sound right. As I told James here, Finchby's sharp. A bit of misdirection would be just his style. Baxter has no cause to be at odds with me. I didn't abandon him. He wasn't there to be abandoned. Th

CharlotteThe green indicator winks out and I collapse onto my side, trying to find a position that relieves the pain.As the next contraction takes me, I scream... But...They're coming...*****Michael"James, copy the screen recording to my laptop please. Can you trace the source of those messages?"He swipes a hand over his mouth. "it's not likely. The most that's generally traceable would be the IP for the server of origin. And that doesn't tell you much. It's likely the signal was routed via Delhi or Buenos Aires or who-knows-the-fuck-where... They're bound to have covered their tracks. But I'll try. Maybe we'll get lucky."I take a couple of deep breaths. "Let's have another look at the video." I tap it onto 'loop'. "Klempner, did you pick anything up? You seemed to be listening hard.""I thought I might recognise the voice, but no...I didn't.""Oh my God! Look!" Beth, one hand clapped over her mouth; with the other, she aims a shaking finger at the screen. E