The Girl in the Rug (24 page)

‘OK Frank calm down…when did you last speak to her?’ Carla
said her mouth full of toast.

‘A couple of days ago, same time as you…when Tracy first
went missing,’ Frank said with studied patience. ‘I just have an awful feeling
something’s wrong Carla, I mean she texted me to say she was staking out the
house and then nothing. I have texted her…oh I don’t know how many times,
called her but I just keep getting her voice mail…’

‘Have you two had a row or something?’ Carla said as she was
trying to slurp down her cup of tea, get her coat on and talk to Frank on her
mobile, all at the same time.

‘No…although I will be having some very strong words with
her believe me…’

‘Have you tried the newspaper…they must know where she is
surely?’ interrupted Carla distractedly as she hunted around for her keys.

‘Yes of course I have, it was the first place I
tried…apparently she has been out for a few days following up on some big
story.’

‘Well then,’ said Carl infuriatingly calm. ‘She’s probably
got loads of other stuff to do Frank, I mean she does have a day job doesn’t
she…um…as do you I might add. Mandy has come up with a number for the white van
that Nellie was driving, it seems it is owned by Robinsons builders. Funny how
their name and their house keep on coming up isn’t it? I’m off to see Mr
Robinson this morning see if he can shed any light on why it was spotted
driving past the common at the very time that Tracy disappeared.’

‘Are you going to the house then,’ Frank asked.

‘No I think I’ll stand a better chance of catching one of
them if I go to the offices, why?’

‘Oh I think I might just pop by the house, have a nosy round
you never know I might bump into them there…I’ll let you know.’

An hour or so later Frank pulled up outside the big iron
gates that led up to the big house, the drive was empty of cars and the house
looked deserted, he parked the car and walked up the gravelled drive. There had
obviously been some activity at the house quite recently; he noted a quite a
few cigarette butts in the gravel and a recycling bin full of bottles and cans
that had been left near the front gates. Frank went up the steps to the big
double front doors and rang the bell, but despite ringing it a few times there
was no movement from inside. He wandered back down the steps and round to the
side of the house, noting fresh tyre marks in the gravel near to the side door,
he tried that door, but it was shut tight.

Frank carried on round to the rear of the house, and up the
steps to the patio outside the glazed French doors, he peered inside through
one of the windows. The huge room was pretty impressive, an enormous fireplace
with an equally enormous mirror above it was directly opposite the window, it
reflected the huge crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. Frank
could imagine how splendid the room would look when it was used for entertaining.
It was empty now but he could see tables pushed up against the walls and chairs
stacked neatly ready for the next function.

It was obvious though that there was nobody home today, so
Frank made his way back round to the front of the house. He wondered if Linda
had managed to get into the garden without being seen and if she had seen
anything worth reporting. There was no sign of her here that was certain, so
where was she?

Frank was getting increasingly worried about her, Carla was
right, these men that they were stalking were not the sort of men that would
take interference into their lives lying down, in fact they would probably do
all they could to stop it. Is that what had happened, had Linda been caught
while she was snooping around, and if so…what would they do to her, rough her
up a bit maybe, scare the living daylights out of her perhaps…or maybe even
worse.

Frank quickly headed back to his car, he needed to find
Linda and quickly, Carla had to be made to see that she was another missing
person and start the hunt for her as well as Tracy. Frank pulled out of the
space he had parked in and headed up the road at speed, only to slam on the
brakes a few minutes later…there parked a little further down the road was
Linda’s car.

His heart racing, he left his car in the middle of the road
and ran over to the little red hatchback. Yes it was Linda’s alright, there was
the scarf she had been wearing the other night when he had taken her out for
dinner and there on the passenger seat was her mobile phone.

‘Shit,’ Frank muttered, he got back into his car and parked
it further up the road, then walked back towards where Linda had parked. All
along this end of the road was a high fence which belonged to the big house he
had just come from, as he walked further he noticed a place where one of the
fence panels had become loose and had been pulled to one side…this must have
been how Linda had got into the garden. Frank pulled the panel open further and
with a bit of a struggle (at six two he was considerably taller than tiny
little Linda) he managed to squeeze his way into the garden. Almost immediately
he spotted scuffed footprints and skids consistent with a struggle of some
sort, brambles and weeds had been squashed down and branches broken. Frank
tried to follow the trail of footprints but they soon disappeared the closer he
got to the house. He was now convinced that Linda had been caught and taken
somewhere, so he began again to look round the house, noting anything that
looked unusual. He walked round towards the front again checking behind all the
thick shrubs that clung to the walls of the house, trying to spot for any sort
of disturbance that might give him a clue but could see nothing. So overgrown
were some of the bushes that Frank completely missed the little row of steps
that led down to a wooden door, at the side of the house.   Frustrated at the
lack of clues, Frank headed back to his car, he needed to speak to Carla and
arrange for a warrant to search this place he was sure they would find some clues
as to Linda’s whereabouts and maybe even Tracy’s…it felt like somehow the two
disappearances were linked somehow…although he couldn’t think  how.

Thinking it would be quicker to get to his car if he went
back through the broken fence panel, he pushed and struggled his way back
through, catching his trousers on a nail as he did so and ripping them.

‘Shit, shit, shit!’ he swore looking at the hole at his
crotch, of all the places to tear them, he would be teased to death back at the
station. As he was fiddling about with the torn material his eye was caught by
something lying in the thick grass a few yards away from him, he went to
investigate…

‘Oh no…oh fuck!’ his heart sank as he recognised Linda’s
camera and retrieved it from where it had lain ever since she had thrown it
over the fence nearly two days before.

Frank raced back to his car and phoned Carla explaining as
calmly as he could what he had found.

‘Right get it to forensics ASAP Frank,’ Carla said. ‘And I
will see if DCI Riley can get us a warrant to search the place…I haven’t been
able to speak to messrs. Robinson I’m afraid it seems they’ve gone to Edinburgh
for a conference, won’t be back till Thursday evening apparently. But I did get
something from their secretary, a right snotty unhelpful cow, she seems to
think the white van is used by Freddy Robinson’s handy man, although she didn’t
have a name for him, he only works for Freddy it seems and doesn’t ever go to
the office. So now we have to ask ourselves why Freddy Robinson would want to
abduct Tracy, assuming of course that Nellie was acting on his bosses
instructions and didn’t have some axe of his own to grind…’

‘And what did Linda manage to get that could have caused her
to be abducted as well,’ Frank interrupted, ‘well maybe whatever is on this
camera will tell us.’

‘We’ll treat Linda as a missing person too Frank,’ Carla was
saying, ‘I’ll get the ball rolling when we get back. We’d better get forensics
out to her car, if you say her phone is there you never know there maybe
something on it that will lead us to her.’

Frank drove back to the station in a panic, he was amazed at
how scared he felt for Linda, how important she had become to him in such a
short space of time. He had told her things that night at dinner, things he’d
never revealed to another living soul and it had felt good to do it. He trusted
her, trusted that she would keep his secrets and also trusted her that she
understood and didn’t for one minute judge him. She had put her arms around him
and held him close when the emotion had become too much, and he had taken
strength from her…it had felt so right as if she was the one he had been
waiting for all his life. And now she was missing…and he didn’t think he would
be able to bear it if he lost her now.

The house was in darkness when Maggie finally got home
despite the fact that it was only eight thirty, winter was nearly upon them. It
had been freezing walking around the town today handing out flyers with a
smiling picture of Tracy emblazoned on the front, asking anybody that would
stop if they had seen her. People were lovely Maggie thought, so many stopped
what they were doing and looked carefully at the picture, asking about Tracy
and wishing her luck in finding her. Quite a few had heard about it from the radio
interview that DCI Riley had done the previous evening, but most of the ones
that hadn’t were concerned that this lovely young woman had disappeared. Of
course there would always be the other ones…the ones that ignored you as they
raced by, too wrapped up in their own lives to give you a moment of their time
or even worse the ones that pretended to listen but then offered their own
crude opinions, the more vile the better it seemed.

Maggie shook her head and went over and switched on the
coffee machine. Simon had been beside himself with worry when Maggie had looked
in on him on her way to pick up Helen, drawn and tired, he looked as if he
hadn’t slept for days and that was probably the truth. He was going on
television tonight to appeal for help and Maggie’s heart had broken for him as
he told her that he didn’t know if he could do it without breaking down.

‘Oh sweetheart,’ Maggie had said putting her arms around
him, ‘no one expects you to be strong at a time like this.’

‘I can’t function Maggie…I just can’t do it without her…’ he
had sobbed in her arms and it had taken Maggie a good half an hour to calm him
down. By that time WPC Irene Watkins had arrived, and she had spoken calmly and
comfortingly to him, her down to earth common sense having more effect than
Maggie’s sentimentality. Helen had been nearly as bad, red eyed and nervy, they
were all so scared that something really terrible had happened to their friend.

Maggie sat at the kitchen table with her coffee letting the
warmth of the kitchen sooth her tired bones, she thought about making something
to eat, but she just couldn’t be bothered, maybe she’d watch a bit of TV before
having an early night. That got her all upset again when she started thinking
about where Tracy was tonight, was she cold or frightened…was she lying injured
somewhere and couldn’t get help…it was all too much for Maggie and she just put
her head in her hands and cried.

‘Maggie?’ a voice jolted her out of her misery, and she
hastily wiped her eyes as she saw Maylee standing in the doorway.

‘Maggie…are you ok, I’m sorry I heard you come in and I
wanted to ask if you’d got any news,’ Maylee said coming further into the room.

Maggie looked up at her with tear filled eyes and shook her
head.

Maylee rushed to her side then and gathered her into her
arms, ‘Oh sweetheart, oh honey…you poor thing you must be so worried,’ she
soothed as Maggie relaxed into her embrace and allowed herself to be comforted.

They sat there for a while, Maylee whispering soothing words
as Maggie cried until finally Maggie lifted red rimmed eyes to Maylee and gave
a watery smile, ‘I’m sorry…you must think I’m such a soppy cow,’ she said
blowing her nose.

‘Don’t be silly hun,’ said Maylee giving her a squeeze
before going to fill the kettle, ‘I can’t imagine how much you are worrying…I
mean it’s been days now hasn’t it?’

‘I know,’ said Maggie, ‘I was so sure that she would just
turn up wondering what all the fuss was about…but it’s got to the point now
that I know she’s in trouble, and there’s nothing I can do to heeellppp heerr.’
Maggie dissolved into tears again, Maylee stopped what she was doing and came
and gave her another hug.

‘Listen you stupid thing, you are doing everything you can
aren’t you? I mean you must have spent the whole day today wandering around in
the freezing cold handing out those pictures of her. And yesterday you were one
of the last ones to come out of the woods…you must have covered every inch of
that place.’ She turned Maggie towards her and looked her in the eyes, ‘You are
doing your best love…now I am going to make you some of my famous hot chocolate
and then you are going to have a hot bath and go to bed,’ she held up a hand
when Maggie would have argued. ‘No arguments …you need a good night’s sleep.
And tomorrow I will come out with you if you like, I can get the day off
work…I’ve only got Mrs Herring’s roots at three tomorrow anyway, and to be
quite honest with you her hair could do with the rest, talk about giant
haystacks!’ And with that she carried on making them both a delicious steaming
mug of frothy hot chocolate.

They took their drinks in the living room; and Maggie looked
over her mug at the girl sitting opposite her.  She was amazed, she had never
seen this side of Maylee before and she realised that she had seriously misjudged
the girl. Oh yes she was sure that there would always be a side of Maylee that
would grate on her, and yes there were still plenty of things about the way she
treated Dom that wound her up…but who would have thought that beneath that hard
materialistic exterior there was this soft kind girl.

Maylee caught her staring at her, ‘What?’ she asked checking
her upper lip for chocolate moustache.

‘I was just thinking how little I know about you that’s
all,’ Maggie said.

‘Not much to know really,’ said Maylee shrugging, ‘born in
Coventry, my dad was a butcher, owned his own shop actually…until a big
supermarket was built on the outskirts of town that is. He couldn’t compete
with their prices…lost the shop and ended up working for the big supermarket in
the butchers department, how stupid is that?’ she said with a laugh.

‘What does your mum do?’ Maggie asked.

Maylee shrugged her shoulders, ‘Who knows… she left us when
I was about seven…ran off with an insurance salesman would you believe.’ She
gave a hard smile, ‘We were better off without her, Dad and me, and I ‘spose
she was better off without us, because I never heard from her again.’

‘Oh Maylee, I am sorry…’Maggie began.

‘I couldn’t give a monkey’s,’ she said in a hard voice
waving a hand of dismissal, ‘she didn’t want us that was fine. I had Dad and he
was all I needed…we were a team he used to say.’

‘Where does your dad live now…is he still in Coventry?’
Maggie asked draining the last of her hot chocolate.

Maylee didn’t answer for a minute, ‘He died,’ she said
eventually. ‘Cancer…we didn’t have much warning, one minute he was diagnosed
and the next he was dead…and I moved down here to Redbank…got myself pregnant.
I always wish Dad had seen Jukie, that’s a big regret…he would have loved him.’

It was Maggie’s turn to give a hug this time, ‘Oh love I’m
sorry…I didn’t know…’

‘Anyway now I’ve met Domie and you and things are looking up
for me and Jukie,’ Maylee said briskly collecting up the mugs.

Maggie followed her into the kitchen, ‘I’m so glad we’ve had
this chat Maylee,’ she said, ‘and I wish in a way that we had spoken like this
before now, it’s let me see you in a different light…you do tend to put up a
huge barrier you know. If you’re going to be part of our family…you and Jukie
then we need to see more of the real you. Because this Maylee,’ she put her arm
round Maylee’s shoulders, ‘this lovely girl here, she would be an asset to any
family.’ She paused choosing her words carefully, ‘I wish you and Jools could
be better friends though…I think you two would get on like a house on fire if
you would just give it a chance…’

Maylee stiffened and pulled a mulish expression, ‘I’m quite
happy to be friends with the girl,’ she said in clipped accents, obviously NOT
quite happy to be friends with Jools. ‘But she always seems to try and make me
feel like she’s your favourite and always will be and you two have so much in
common…I just don’t think she wants me around Maggie, I think she feels
threatened by me if you want the truth,’ she finished with a defiant look.

It dawned on Maggie that this was all about her…and about
how insecure Maylee was with regard to Maggie.

She went over to Maylee and took her hand, ‘Look, of course
I love Jools, we’ve known each other for years…but I’d love to get to know you
too Maylee, and I don’t want my family at each other’s throats just because of
my friendships with you two. I know, why don’t we go out, just the three of us
have a girls day out somewhere, what do you think?’

Maylee looked a bit reluctant.

‘We could try out that swanky new place in Brighton,’ Maggie
said trying to tempt her.

Maylee shook her head with a laugh, knowing exactly what
Maggie was up to, but then she shrugged her shoulders. ‘Yeh why not…it might be
a laugh and I could try out my new Gucci boots that Domie bought me for our
fifteen week anniversary.’

‘You could indeed,’ Maggie said with a smile…’of course
we’ll have to wait until Tracy’s back home…I will be fully tied up until then…’

‘Oh of course,’ said Maylee squeezing Maggie’s hand. ‘Now
why don’t you go and have that hot bath and then get some sleep…we’ve got a lot
of flyers to give out tomorrow.’

‘I will, I must admit I am exhausted…thank you Maylee, I’ll
see you in the morning.’

Half an hour later and up to her neck in scented bubbles,
Maggie was just relaxing into a comfortable doze, when there was a tapping on
her bathroom door.

Thinking it must be Maylee she smiled and said, ‘Don’t even
think about changing your mind, you’ve said you’ll come and that’s that…’

‘Maggie,’ Duncan’s deep voice came through the door, ‘Maggie
it’s me, Duncan, I need to speak to you…’

‘Duncan!’ spluttered Maggie, swallowing a mouthful of soapy
water and frantically trying to cover herself with a flannel, even though
Duncan was on the other side of the door, ‘What are you doing here…how did you
get in?’

‘Maylee let me in,’ said Duncan sounding far too close for
comfort, ‘I’m sorry to disturb your bath, but I needed to speak to you.’

‘Oh my god is it Tracy…have they found Tracy, oh Duncan
please don’t tell me…’

‘No…sorry honey no it’s not about Tracy. It’s about us…you
and me, well mostly me I suppose and I suppose that in a way it is about Tracy,
but not in the way you mean…oh bloody hell I am making a right pigs ear out of
this aren’t I?’ he finished in a frustrated voice.

Maggie started to get out of the bath, ‘Hang on Duncan I’ll
be out in a moment, just let me get myself decent…oh bugger all the towels are
out there can you grab me one honey…’

‘No no no…I don’t want to disturb your bath Maggie, just lie
back and let me talk ok,’ Duncan said and Maggie could hear him sitting down
next the door. ‘It will probably be easier to say what I’ve got to say if I
can’t see you anyway.’

Maggie swallowed hard and lay back down in the bath, waiting
for him to end all her dreams of happiness. ’Ok,’ she said miserably, ‘I’m
listening.’

Duncan didn’t speak for a moment or two, but Maggie could
hear him breathing on the other side of the door so she waited.

‘Um…oh god now I’m here I don’t know how to start,’ she
heard him mutter, it was obvious that the man was trying to let her down
gently… maybe she should just do it for him Maggie thought sadly.

‘It’s ok Duncan,’ she began, ‘I know why you’re here, and
it’s fine sweetheart…I know I have been a bit of a pest hanging round you. Oh
god I expect you have been cringing at how pathetic I’ve been, telling you I
love you…when you have made it so obvious that you don’t feel the same. I’m so
sorry, I will try not to be so weird…’

‘NO!’ Duncan almost shouted through the door, ‘Maggie
darling that’s not why I’m here, I came to tell you that I love you, you silly
cow, and I don’t think I can live without you.’

Maggie stared at the door in shock, ‘What…um…what?’ she said
at last.

Duncan sighed, ‘Someone pointed out to me what a self
pitying ignorant fool I was being…’

‘Who said that…how dare they…’ shouted Maggie crossly,
sitting up in the bath so quickly that half the water sloshed out onto the
floor.

‘Well it was Martha actually…’ Duncan said with a laugh,
‘and she was right darling, I have been so full of self pity and self
righteousness that I was even beginning to make myself feel a bit nauseous. How
dare I belittle your feelings for me, and how dare I try and tell you that I
know what’s best for you…I am so sorry Maggie darling. I realised after
spending this afternoon with Simon, who is terrified…absolutely terrified that
he is going to hear the news that Tracy isn’t coming home…it made me think of
how I would feel if I lost you…oh god Maggie I wouldn’t be able to go on. You
are so special…so necessary to my well being…please forgive me darling, forgive
me for being such a stupid bastar…’

The bathroom door flew open and a gloriously naked Maggie,
still wet and covered in bubbles threw herself into Duncan’s arms. Duncan, who
wasn’t one to pass up such an opportunity, gathered her to him and kissed her
passionately.

‘Oh god Maggie I love you so much,’ he gasped when they came
up for air a few minutes later, ‘do you think you could get used to a
disfigured old bastard like me?’ He added looking her over appreciatively,
‘because you are so very beautiful…too, too beautiful…’

‘Oh don’t start all that rubbish again,’ giggled Maggie
pulling him into her room and towards the bed, ‘you’ve said it now Duncan and
you can’t take it back…’ she said removing his shirt. Duncan winced slightly as
his scars came into view, but Maggie just put her lips to them, kissing them
better and making him gasp with pleasure.

Kissing him and soothing him as she went, Maggie soon had
Duncan as naked as she was. She knelt back on the bed looking him over…ignoring
his self consciousness she ran her fingers over every hurt that Kerry Webb had
inflicted on him in her madness. ‘You are magnificent my love…’ she told him
with tears in her eyes, ‘even that cruel bitch couldn’t take away your beauty and
I am going to love every little inch of you.’