Fatal Finale by Miranda Rijks

Author:Miranda Rijks [Rijks, Miranda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Inkubator Books
Published: 2019-06-05T16:00:00+00:00

28

I give chase. It’s not easy trying to catch up with a car when exiting a small town, and it’s even harder following someone along narrow country lanes when the roads are slippery and full of tight bends. I can see the Defender two cars ahead of me, but the vehicle in front is driving painfully slowly. Its speed would drive me insane even if I wasn’t in a hurry.

‘Come on, come on!’ I screech, pulling my car into the middle of the road to try and overtake. But I can’t. It’s too dangerous. And then the Defender is gone. I pull over into a cul-de-sac to turn the car around. Mungo gives me a look which I interpret as disdain.

And then my phone rings. I grab it and accept the call without looking at the incoming number.

‘Yes,’ I say, abruptly.

‘You left me a message.’ Her voice is faint.

‘Is this Alice?’

‘How do you know my name?’

‘I’ve been given your number by Sophie Buck. She is worried about you. My name’s Pippa. Where are you, Alice?’

There is a long silence.

‘Alice?’ I ask again.

‘How do I know I can trust you?’

‘I’m a friend of Sophie’s and am involved in trying to find Cat. Are you safe, Alice?’

‘I don’t want to talk to the police or Karl or Venetia. I just want to go home to Dad, but he’s not answering his phone and Granddad isn’t either and I’ve got no money to get home.’

‘And your mother? Is she with you?’

‘No,’ Alice whispers.

‘Tell me where you are and I’ll come and rescue you.’

‘I’m in Macclesfield.’

I gasp. ‘But that’s over two hundred miles away! What are you doing there?’

‘I ran away. I haven’t got enough money for a train ticket.’

I think for a moment. There is no way I can drive all the way to Macclesfield to rescue Alice. It would take four to five hours to get there, but then I think of Flo. If someone had offered my daughter a safe haven, might she be safe and well today? I’ve got to save Alice and I’ve got to find Martha. First, I need to take Alice somewhere safe, and then I need to lure her mother and find out what the hell she is doing abducting her own child and, quite probably, keeping Cat locked away somewhere too. My brain is racing.

‘I’ll pay your ticket and meet you in London. I’ll make sure you’re safe. How does that sound?’

‘Okay,’ Alice says, sniffing.

‘I’ll book you a train ticket online and call you back with the reference number. Where are you at the moment?’

‘In the waiting room at Macclesfield Station.’

I ring off. With fumbling fingers, I go to NationalRail.com and buy Alice a single ticket to London. Then I call her back with the reference number.

‘Stay on the phone whilst you collect the ticket,’ I instruct.

It takes forever, but eventually she says, ‘I can’t buy it. I need your credit card number.’

I curse. ‘Let me talk to the ticket salesperson,’ I instruct.

It takes several long minutes before he is prepared to release the ticket to Alice.

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