‘It’s not crazy, Jennifer. I … I was just about to ring you. We rushed through the forensics on the van. We’ve found traces of Will’s blood.’
Jennifer gasped in horror as he delivered the words, her stomach clenching at the thoughts of her nightmare becoming a reality. She bit down hard on her lip, forcing herself to focus. She needed to be strong for Will, now was not the time to fall apart.
‘Jennifer, are you there?’ Ethan said, his voice sounding echoey and far away.
Jennifer took a deep breath. ‘I’m OK. I’m almost at his flat. Can you look up his parents’ phone number on the system and see if he’s with them? He left two days ago to go to theirs but I haven’t heard from him since.’ She tried to work out a timeline. Bert must have kidnapped Will and then moved on to George. Traces of blood, the DI said, not pools. She clung to the hope it was not too late to save him. Had Bert given Will a reading? Just how did he overpower him? Questions came quick and fast as she realised the DI was still talking.
‘Don’t worry, Jennifer, Will’s a tough nut, and I have everybody out looking for him. I’ll contact his parents myself, and try to get a unit to meet you at his flat. God knows they’re thin on the ground this morning. Keep me updated and don’t send any texts or try to call him. I don’t want anyone turning off the phone while we triangulate it.’
Jennifer nodded into the phone. At least triangulation would give them a rough idea of where he was, or rather where his phone was. Will never went anywhere without it. She thought of the dark space, the wire bindings, and the silent watcher. Will was bleeding and unconscious in her premonition. He was barely breathing but at least he was alive. But time was running out, and they needed to find him fast.
[#]
She wished she had accepted the offer of a key for his flat. But within minutes of talking to his neighbours she discovered he was not home, and nobody had seen him for a couple of days. His parents were on their way with a spare key, and her colleagues would search every inch of the place, but in her heart, Jennifer knew he was not there. Very gently, she closed her eyes and scoped the area with her mind. There was nothing. Standing outside, she searched the bushes for anything that may have been thrown away in haste if he had left in a hurry. The only thing she found were some strange looks from the PCSO that turned up to assist. Jennifer asked him to search the area for Will, but he was unconvinced there was anything to worry about.
‘Will’s always messing about, he’s probably sleeping off a hangover somewhere,’ the PCSO said jokily. He lived in the area himself, and had known Will for several years. He had only just come on duty, and had headed straight out after being notified of the search.
Jennifer updated him on the forensics, watching his eyes widen as he digested the news.
‘Shit,’ the young lad said, ‘I’ve seen that Raven guy in all the briefings. If he’s hurt Will … shit. He could be dead for all we know.’ His pessimism was enough to tip Jennifer over the edge. She swallowed back the lump in her throat as she trotted back to her car. Turning up her police radio, she listened for updates as she drove to see Ethan
[#]
The CID office was bustling, the air filled with a sense of urgency as telephones rang and printers jammed. The doors between their office and Op Moonlight had been flung open, as both teams worked together to find their lost colleague. Jennifer collared Ethan as he rushed past, snapping at someone to turn off the radio in his wake. His shirt was stained with sweat, and she guessed he had not been to bed. She stood apprehensively at the door of his office as he went inside.
He waggled the mouse to awake his computer, his Outlook Express displaying virtual chaos as dozens of unread emails pinged up notifications. Ethan picked up a half-eaten ham sandwich from his desk, raising his eyebrows in Jennifer’s direction as he chewed.
She hated when he was like this, uncharacteristically harried and stressed. She wanted to see him focused and hopeful. She’d known him long enough to know that snappy and tense meant he was worried. She began to wish she had troubled someone else for an update rather than relying on their friendship to provide her with answers. She desperately wanted to relay the strength of her intuition, but Ethan did not appear to be in a listening mood.
She took a deep breath. ‘Have you managed to trace Will’s phone yet?’
Ethan finished his sandwich and gulped back some cold coffee to wash it down. ‘We’re doing everything we can. His phone is dead, most likely battery failure. They’ve checked ANPR and his car hasn’t left Haven, so he’s most likely still about. The ’copter will be taking off as soon as weather permits. Now why don’t you go home and let me get on with things. You’re meant to be having a day off.’
Jennifer opened her mouth to protest and Ethan waved her down. ‘We’re doing everything we can to trace Will, now if you don’t mind, I need to be getting on.’
The source of his irritation became clear as she caught a glimpse of an email from his superiors. It wasn’t just Will’s disappearance that was playing on Ethan’s mind. She did not need psychic abilities to cotton on that he had received a rollicking for his run-in with the Lexton DCI. He picked up the phone to make a call, and looked at her as if to ask why she was still standing there.
Jennifer looked at him cagily. She was beginning to prefer the young and carefree Ethan, before he succumbed to the pressures of being her boss.
‘With all respect, sir, this is my shift partner we’re talking about, and he’s in danger. I can’t just go home and put on Jeremy Kyle.’
‘Go home,’ he mouthed, before speaking into the phone.
She nodded, tight-lipped, not trusting her response. But she was never one to do as she was told, and made herself a cup of coffee before checking her work emails in the empty office of Operation Moonlight. The budget only ran to one shift, but the sheer volume of mysterious cases hitting their desks dictated that soon the team would grow. She scanned through enquiries and responses to earlier emails, finding nothing of relevance surrounding Will’s disappearance. Pulling on her jacket, she took to the streets in the hope of some insight. His car had to be in Haven, but where? Jennifer grasped for hope, unlikely tales spinning in her mind. Maybe he had come across the van and cut himself. Maybe he was away, chasing up leads, not knowing the Raven had been arrested. But why hadn’t he been in touch? The same ugly answer resounded in her head: Because he’s dead. Jennifer hit her steering wheel as the incessant thoughts drove her crazy. She couldn’t face the answer that had been staring her in the face all along. It was why she felt Will’s presence, breathing in the walls of her home. He had died, cold and alone, and had come back to be with her. Turning her car for home, she forced herself to face the truth. If she could not communicate with Will on an earthly plane, it was time to seek his presence on the other side.
Chapter Fifty-One
Efforts to communicate with Will had proved fruitless, and Jennifer felt like banging her useless head against a wall. Not that the communication she desperately sought came from her head. No, it emanated from her soul, and for the hundredth time she wished it was something tangible she could physically control. Her eyes danced around her home, wishing she didn’t feel his presence so strongly. It was her turn to call Christian for comfort, and she bit back her tears as she updated him on Will’s disappearance. With the police failing to turn up any leads, he was her last port of call.
‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ Christian asked. ‘Will’s been gone some time, I may not give you the answers you’re looking for.’