The River's Edge by Joy Ellis

Author:Joy Ellis [ELLIS, JOY]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-12T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

Ashcroft sat up in bed and looked with interest at the figure in the doorway. It was rather late in the day for anyone to come visiting.

‘I can only think that this is something very important,’ he said quietly.

Without answering, the stranger walked in and handed Ashcroft a piece of paper with a few words written on it.

Alistair took it, switched on the light and read what it said. He handed the note back and whispered, ‘Contact Christos. Phase Two to be activated immediately.’

The man turned and left. He hadn’t uttered a single word.

Ashcroft lay back and took a few deep breaths. It was hard not to get excited after so long, after so much careful planning. As soon as he learned of the furore out at the site of the filming, he knew that the time was right. There would be no sleep for Alistair Ashcroft that night.

* * *

Hazel Palgrave was a light sleeper, when she slept at all, so she answered her mobile at once.

She had known the call would come soon, but it was still a shock to hear that it was happening now.

She was out of bed and into her clothes in moments and was soon speeding towards the office. On arrival, she filled the kettle and switched it on. She and John could have a cup of coffee while they waited for the call.

Hazel had been through the procedure a hundred times, but still her heart beat fast. A lot was down to her and she didn’t want to show herself wanting. She closed her eyes and muttered a prayer. It was not to a deity, but to someone very special. ‘I have to get this right . . . for you.’ The emotion in her voice made the words even more powerful. ‘I have to.’

John arrived moments later. She could sense his tension as soon as he walked in the door. Good. It meant the outcome was important to him too.

She checked through everything one last time. Every file was in place, every piece of information to hand. John’s final piece of investigative work had been cancelled, deemed no longer necessary at this late hour.

They waited, their eyes fixed on her screen.

* * *

Sam and Julia arrived to find Dex much calmer. His doctor had received his medical history from the GP who had treated him when he was younger. ‘It answers a lot of our questions,’ said the doctor. ‘As you thought, something triggered a memory of a past trauma. We think his mind couldn’t cope with it, hence his retreat into a fugue state. Luckily, it was short-lived.’

‘But you will keep him for the full assessment?’ asked Julia warily.

‘Yes. I’d like to make sure he’s on an even keel again before we discharge him. Don’t worry, Dr Tennant, we’ll take very good care of him. Now, I’ll take you to his room.’

They found Dexter sitting in a chair by the window. He even managed a wan smile when they entered and stammered an apology for the trouble he’d caused.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.