Don't Swipe Right by L.M. Chilton

Author:L.M. Chilton [Chilton, L.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781837930227
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

TWENTY-FIVE

I practically skidded down the escalator and out into the car park. There was no sign of Parker among the handful of shoppers beginning to arrive at the mall. It must have just opened, and apart from a young couple wrestling a pram from their car boot and a few teenagers mooching around the entrance, the car park was empty. Then, in the distance, I saw a lone hooded figure, running. It had to be him.

I grabbed my bike from where I’d chucked it by the entrance and started pedalling furiously towards the figure, silently cursing all those times I’d stayed in bed instead of going to those Wednesday morning spin classes. I had no idea what the hell I would even do if I caught up with him. He must have heard my increasingly loud panting, as I saw him turn around. His hood was up, and he was too far away for me to make out any distinct features, but I swear he looked me in the eye and knew I was coming for him.

As I gained on him, he reached the barrier at the end of the car park and squeezed through the gap into the skate park next door. I jammed my brakes on, skidded up to the barrier and jumped off my bike.

I looked around frantically. My heart sank. My field of vision was filled with a sea of hooded teenagers, trundling down the half pipes and ramps, smoking dubious-looking cigarettes on the bench and watching each other fall off their boards as they attempted jumps off the handrails. Whoever it was, they were lost in a sea of identical-looking hoodies.

‘Shit,’ I panted.

Defeated, I wandered back to my bike. I picked it up and leant it against the barrier. I could see an ambulance in the car park, and paramedics were swarming around the entrance to the mall. My heart jumped as Lyons emerged, followed closely by Dev on a stretcher.

‘Is he okay?’ I asked, running over.

‘He’ll make it,’ Lyons replied. ‘What happened to Parker? Did you see him?’

‘I thought I did,’ I muttered. ‘But…’

‘Right, just stay here, will you? DCI Forrester will be here in a minute,’ he said. ‘We’ll need to take your statement.’

‘My statement? I already told you what happened. You’re wasting time. Look at Dev,’ I said, pointing to the ambulance crew as they loaded the stretcher on board. ‘You need to find Parker before he does that to anyone else.’

‘No,’ Lyons said firmly. ‘You need to slow down. You’re in shock. We have zero leads on Parker. Forensics are in the alley now, and we’ll speak to Dev when he wakes up. But right now, that’s all we can do.’

I was about to argue with him when a white-jumpsuited forensics officer approached, holding a transparent bag. Inside was a black hoodie, just like the one Parker had been wearing, and I could make out spots of dark red blood on it.

‘We found this outside the back window,’ the officer said to Lyons.

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