Strings (41 page)

             
Jay-Den called her, and this time she answered.

‘Melissa, have you heard from him
?’ He sounded worried. Things were still a bit awkward but he had stuck to his word and kept it strictly professional recently.

             
‘No, something’s wrong, Jay-Den, I just know it.’ Her words rushed out, the panic evident. ‘People keep telling me to be calm and wait. But what if he needs me now?’ It had been twelve hours since she’d seen him, and nine since his last sighting. She had to wait a further fifteen hours until the police could do anything.

‘This is torture. Amber was at the premiere – what if she has something to do with it?’
Jay-Den emphasised that anything was possible.

‘Melissa, you have to accept that it could be another woman,’ he said, knowing it would add to her stress.

              ‘No!’ she yelled. ‘No! He wouldn't do that to me, he wouldn't.’ She hung up and flung her phone across the room. Jay-Den called again but she ignored him, but listened to the message he left.

‘Melissa, I am so sorry, I never meant to upset you. I don't actually think that either. Of course he wouldn't. I’m just an insensiti
ve moron. If you need anything just call.’

She deleted it immediately.
             

             
She finally got some restless sleep, and woke around six. She checked her phone, and also checked around the house that he hadn't arrived home. That was ridiculous as he obviously hadn't, but she had a tiny hope that she would find him working away as if nothing had happened, or asleep on the couch.

Luke was gone; he wasn't coming home and she knew it
.

*****

The police came to take some details. They needed to know what he was wearing, and his last known movements. As Dale had been one of the last people to see him, he filled them in on everything he knew. He told them that Luke had stayed until around half one, then said goodbye to their group before heading home. He wasn’t staggering drunk, although he’d had a fair bit, but there was nothing unusual about him. They already knew about the incident with Amber, and said they would look into it. But as she hadn't approached them or caused them any actual harm there wasn't an awful lot that could be done. The driver booked to take Luke home confirmed that he had waited for nearly two hours, but he never arrived. The CCTV was checked, but it didn’t show a clear angle of the entrance. It hadn’t even caught Luke leaving the venue.

It was a complete
mystery.

             
‘Miss Webb, I know this is hard, but you must stay calm. He is now officially listed as missing, and we will do everything we can to find him. I’ll be in touch,’ the police officer promised as he left.

             
Melissa sank to the floor. ‘This can’t be happening.’

             
‘Liss, I am so sorry,’ Beth whispered. Hadn't they been through enough? She thought. Were they not allowed to be happy? Melissa wasn't the only person who would be affected though – she had Dale to think about too. Luke was her boyfriend’s best friend as well as her best friend’s boyfriend, which was confusing in itself. She wasn’t sure who to comfort first.

             
‘I need to lie down. My head’s hurting again,’ Melissa muttered as she wandered numbly to her room. She buried herself in their sheets, which the scent of his aftershave still clung to, and cried as she held them to her face.

             
Dale was putting on a brave face, but was obviously worried sick, and the cries from Melissa were heartbreaking. To keep himself busy, he called anyone who hadn't already been told what was going on.

             
Cassie burst into tears when she heard the news.

‘
What the hell? Dale, he wouldn't just walk off like that,’ She made him promise to keep her informed. She would call Melissa later, once she felt able to talk. Next, Dale called Luke's mum, to check on her.

             
‘Dale, was he back on the drugs?’ She asked frantically. He assured her that he wasn't – at least he hadn't seen any evidence of it. There was only so many crying women one man could take, he thought, and he was frustrated that he didn't have the words to make any of them feel any better. He shared their concern, but he needed to be strong for Beth and Melissa. Beth couldn't be too stressed out in her condition. They had only found out they were going to be parents a few hours ago, and they were still getting over the shock of that news.

Dale and Beth stayed until
the evening when Melissa insisted they’d done enough for her, and they should go home.

*****

‘Mum, honestly I’m fine. Don't drive tonight, it's late,’ Melissa’s parents had been away for a long weekend in Italy, only landing in Gatwick that night. It would be the early hours before they arrived, so they agreed to stay put. They promised to be there the next morning.

             
The quietness of the house got to Melissa very quickly, so she put the TV on for some company. The half bottle of wine she found in the fridge disappeared quickly, so she opened another bottle and wandered into Luke's studio, closing the door behind her as if to shut out the world. The studio was all she had, and even the mess was comforting. His new guitar stood proudly in the corner, still plugged in, and his notebook sat open on the table. His scribbles made her cry, and she wondered if she would ever see him write in it again.

             
The words jumped off the page. They were new, but she wondered if they would ever be finished.

             
‘See me, the man before, I stand here still, yours all yours

             
Let them lie and scheme, for a score.

             
You are my wings, for me to soar …’

             
Melissa sat on the floor and cried, unable to read the whole thing. He was her world and she knew she couldn't be without him. When they were together everything made sense. He knew her better than anyone, including Beth, because when you give yourself to someone absolutely, and you trust them without exception, you tell them all your hopes and dreams and fears. He knew things about her she had never told anyone and he made her feel safe. Nobody had ever made her feel the way he did, and when he kissed her, touched her, she wanted nobody else. She had always believed in soul mates, and he was hers, she was certain of that.

*****

Drunk and emotionally exhausted, Melissa had fallen asleep on the sofa. She didn’t hear the sound of the key in the lock.

             
‘Mmmmmmhhh,’ was the only sound that came out of her mouth, as she woke to feel pressure on her chest, and something covering her mouth. It took a few seconds for her to realise what was happening.

             
‘Surprise,’ Amber said smugly, her face almost touching Melissa’s. She couldn't move under the weight on top of her. Amber smiled wickedly, then lifted her hand away.

             
‘Amber, how the fuck did you get in?’ Her heart raced and beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and a headache from the wine began to take hold. Fear raced through her as Amber waved a hunting knife above her face, and Melissa noticed that she had dyed her hair blonde.

             
‘Just thought I’d stop by. Luke sends his love, by the way,’ she sniggered. Hearing her say his name made Melissa struggle to free herself.

‘Where is he?’

              Amber shook her head and dug her knee into Melissa’s stomach, making her retch.

             
‘Amber, please ... stop.’ She winced as she felt another dig. Amber was clearly enjoying this, so begging wouldn't stop it.

             
‘I didn't mean it, I didn't mean for him to get hurt!’ She said suddenly, panic and desperation in her voice like a child scared of being punished. She yanked Melissa up by her hair, still begging her to believe that she had never meant to hurt him.

             
‘Amber, what have you done?’

             
‘I just wanted to talk to him, that’s all. I wanted to say sorry for Kelsey and that I did it all because I love him. I never meant it.’ The emotion in her voice was genuine and for a moment, she sounded truly sorry. But just as quickly, her expression changed again, and she whipped her arm around, catching Melissa on the side of the face. There was so much force behind it that Melissa fell against the wall.

             
‘Get up, now!’ Amber screamed, grabbing Melissa’s hair and pulling her to her feet. She clamped a hand over her mouth and held her against the wall, the knife brushing against her neck. The changes in Amber’s character from one moment to the next weren’t normal. Melissa could see it now, how she seemed to flick back and forth between the childlike, scared Amber, and then the aggressive, dominant alter ego who would suddenly take over.

‘Do as I say, Melissa. You
need to be a good girl if you want to help him.’ Melissa didn't know if this was just Amber lying, or she really did know where he was.

             
Amber laughed. ‘Of course we know where he is. We put him there.’ She pulled her phone from her pocket and showed Melissa a picture. Melissa gasped, and begged Amber to tell her where he was. The picture showed Luke bound at the wrists and ankles, laying on a stone floor. His eyes were closed and there was blood down one side of his face. Melissa couldn't tell if he was even alive.

‘Just shut up. We’re going to leave without a fuss.’ Melissa noticed that Amber had Luke's keys in her hand, expl
aining how she had got in. She held the knife to her side and they walked to the lift, then out into the car park, to Luke’s car.

‘Good, you listened to me. It's a first
, but it's a start,’ the calmer Amber was back. She rooted around until she found Luke's iPhone connector and plugged her phone in.

             
‘Don't you just love their album?’ She said, nodding her head as ‘Games’ boomed out through the sound system. Melissa tried to think of a way to escape, but she had no ideas. She only had the clothes she was wearing – purple sweat pants and white jumper. She didn't even have any shoes on. Her phone was charging at home and she felt helpless without it.

             
‘This is my favourite … what's yours?’ Amber asked as though they were best friends. Melissa’s mind was racing, and songs were the last thing on her mind. Luke needed help.               ‘You don't care about him. You don't even know what your favourite song is. I know every word to every song. Do you?!’ Crazy Amber was back. She whipped her left arm out, the knife stopping next to Melissa’s throat.

‘Sing,’
she demanded.

             
‘What?’ Melissa gasped. Singing was even lower down her list of things to do. This was the most insane situation yet. All she could focus on was the knife at her throat, and the fact that the car swerved and skidded as Amber tried to control it with one hand.

             
‘If you know the words, you can sing. If you don’t, I will cut your throat.’

The
hand holding the knife was shaking, and she hit a small bump in the road, but she kept the car under control somehow. But it meant using both hands, and Melissa breathed a sigh of relief as the blade was pushed back into her jacket.

             
‘If you’ve hurt him I will kill you.’

             
‘Shut up.’ Amber shook her head frantically as if trying to dispel a memory.

             
‘Amber, what do you want from us?’ Melissa yelled. Then something on Amber's arm caught her attention. Luke’s leather cuff was too big for Amber's skinny wrist.

             
‘He wants me. I’m the only person who truly knows him.’ Amber sobbed. ‘He wants me…he wants me…’

             
Melissa was getting more and more irritated at this girl and her delusions.

‘It was just one night
. No strings attached, you told him.’

             
Amber wouldn't listen. As far as she was concerned, Melissa had stolen him, and was keeping them apart. Melissa decided that it was no good trying to reason with her. ‘He never came back for more? Melissa taunted smugly, glaring at Amber.

             
Amber’s lips twitched. ‘What?’

             
‘You know what I mean; he never came back for more. If he wanted you like you’ve convinced yourself he did, then once wouldn't be enough.’ 

             
Amber twitched again, and her eyes seemed to glaze over. They had been driving for over an hour and Melissa had no idea where they were going. Suddenly, they turned sharp left into a dark dirt track. Melissa started shaking. If Amber dumped her here, she would freeze to death.

             
‘You stopped him coming back to me,’ she snarled.