Joel
In the station’s locker room, my mobile rings as I change clothes to begin my morning shift – Annie’s name illuminates the screen. I depress the answer button.
‘Hello Annie.’
‘She’s gone!’ I can hear the panic in her voice.
‘What?’
‘Flora… she’s bolted during the night. She’s left a pile of money on the bedspread as payment and taken her clothes, the car has gone – she’s left us, Joel.’
‘Did she leave a note?’
‘Nothing… just the pile of money and an empty room.’
‘I don’t understand… yesterday was a tough day but she saw it through.’
‘We had an awful night here at The Peacock… lots of wild accusations have come out and understandably she’s upset but they make for a difficult situation. I’m so sorry but I think she’s gone back home.’
‘She can’t go home, not yet!’ I can hear the panic rising in my voice, other officers who were changing alongside me, spin round to stare. ‘I’ll be right over.’
I snap the mobile shut and ignore my colleagues’ questions.
‘Where’s Scotty?’ I demand.
‘I think you’ll find he’s called in sick due to personal reasons,’ explains one officer.
‘Bullshit! He hasn’t a choice but to face it,’ I say, striding from the changing room.
My mind is whirring into action.
Flora can’t have gone home, not after everything we said. I haven’t strung her along, I’ve been honest. She agreed. So why bolt? And what did Annie mean it was a difficult night at The Peacock? Surely, they can calm her and handle things when I’m not there. Common sense is all that’s needed.
I sign in for duty, giving little thought to the orders of the day or Kylie, my stand-in duty partner.
‘You seem distracted,’ was all she says as I march across the snow covered yard to collect our patrol car. ‘Hey, I thought I’d be driving in Scott’s absence.’
‘Not today, Kylie.’ I swing the driver’s door open and climb inside. She quickly occupies the passenger seat before protesting some more.
It’s going to be one of those days.
I swing the car out of the station and head for The Square, I’ll get the whole story from Annie first before beginning our search.
*
Within minutes we’re parking outside The Peacock: everything looks as it should before opening time.
‘Kylie, stay here and fetch me if anything comes through on the radio,’ I ask, slamming the car door.
Annie and Mick are like glum statues behind the bar; neither looks surprised to see me enter in full uniform.
‘Any news?’ I ask.
‘Last night, Mick told Flora that there’s a high possibility that he is her father,’ says Annie, pronouncing each word slowly and deliberately for my benefit.
‘Sorry, repeat that again?’ I ask, as clearly my ears are deceiving me. ‘How can that be?’
‘It’s a long story.’
‘Well, make it quick – I’ve got to find her!’
It took Annie another ten minutes to fill me in on what happened last night, Scotty’s unexpected arrival and accusation, the everything-is-fine-cover-up sending us out on a walk, the doctor’s doorstep drama and the early morning father-daughter introduction in The Square.
‘Is that it, there’s nothing else to tell me?’
‘Nothing more,’ mutters Mick, his head in his hands.
How stupid are these people? Wasn’t it clear how distressed she was last night prior to our walk and then to learn the truth. Who knows where she is now, probably bombing down the motorway towards Bushey in the same hurry as she arrived in.
I muster a polite voice.
‘Thanks Annie, I’ll be in touch.’
‘You don’t think she’ll do anything stupid, do you?’ asks Annie.
‘Unlikely, but you never know,’ I add, glancing between the pair.
‘Please find her, Joel… this has to end well, for her… for all of us,’ says Annie, wiping her eyes.
‘You’re too right, some of us more than others!’
*
We confirm that her Mini has definitely gone from the car park from the oblong of dry tarmac so distinguishable in the snow.
‘Now what?’ asks Kylie, picking at her thumb nail.
‘We get Scotty.’
‘He’s off sick.’
‘No, he isn’t. He’s drained and confused about everything but right now, that can all wait – I need him.’
I glance at Kylie hoping she isn’t offended but I need my duty partner, not a stand in.
Within ten minutes we are pulling up outside his dad’s house. The lounge curtains remain closed and the mail is poking out of the letterbox.
I run along the pathway and hammer on the door until Scotty climbs from his pit.
‘What the hell are you doing, man?’ he mumbles on opening the door, wearing a pair of grey boxers and a baggy tee-shirt. ‘I’m off sick.’
‘Get dressed, Flora’s done a bunk.’
‘Good.’
My hand grasps his tee-shirt pushing him off balance and against the hallway wall quicker than I thought possible.
‘Woo, Joel man – cool it!’
‘I’ll fecking cool you in a minute… you have your feelings and I have mine… now get dressed before I start showing you some more of mine.’ I release his tee-shirt, which he nonchalantly tries to straighten before following my request.
I watch as he drags his sorry ass up the staircase.
What am I doing? In full uniform, I’ve just man-handled my duty partner when he’s called in sick. Let’s hope his neighbours are all late risers and didn’t witness my behaviour.
‘Scotty mate, I have to find her… you understand that,’ I shout after him.
He reaches the top stair and bends down to view us past the hallway ceiling.
‘No, I don’t frigging get it, but I’ve got a funny feeling I’m going to have to get used to it!’ Scotty disappears from sight.
I turn apologetically to Kylie.
‘Sorry!’
She shrugs.
‘I saw nothing.’
*