The Kidnapper's Word by E.J. Wood

Author:E.J. Wood [Wood, E.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-11-09T22:00:00+00:00

Landon and Burke were working the late shift that evening at the police station. Landon rarely smiled, and he spoke in a long-winded and pedantic way that Burke often found frustrating.

They sat at opposite desks. The walls were grey, and the room had only one window. Landon’s desk was neat and uncluttered. Unlike Burke’s – they were like chalk and cheese.

Burke observed the fresh flowers on her desk, the only element of colour in the room. The flower vase was elegant in its simplicity and allowed the purple flowers to exude their vibrancy. As she smelled their fragrance she sighed, it had been a long time since anyone had given her flowers.

‘I wish you would open up, Landon,’ she pleaded as he rifled through paperwork. ‘Whilst you have made me who I am today which I am very grateful for…’ she continued as she fingered the petals.

‘No need for expressions of recognition,’ he answered.

‘Look,’ she said as she stood up and walked beside him stroking the side of his arm. ‘I cannot imagine what you’re going through.’

‘It is an incomprehensible tragedy, Burke.’

Landon was aloof most of the time, and despite his manipulative abilities when it came to criminals he possessed a desire to do well; he just lacked social skills.

‘Well, thank you for the flowers.’

‘Flowers? Don’t thank me, Burke. Bloody insect attractants.’

Inspector Atkinson tapped at the door, ‘Excuse me, Landon, there’s a Mrs Henderson out front quite hysterical.’

‘I’m on my way,’ Landon jumped out of his seat and glanced at Burke. The pair hurried down the corridor to find a distraught Mrs Henderson.

Claudia paced back and forth. She felt the need to move without pause. The anxiety coursed through her veins as she told Landon and Burke that Wallace was missing. She had the look on her face like someone had hooked her up to an electric fence and was toying with the idea of flicking the switch. Burke settled her into a seat before her panic grew. Claudia shook like a leaf in a winter’s storm and was strangled by the air she breathed. ‘He’s gone,’ she muttered.

‘Perhaps he has just gone for a walk?’ Burke tried to reassure her.

‘No, not my Wallace, I know what he is like.’ Claudia’s heart raced on, and she tensed with a primal urge to get up and flee. Her eyes grew puffy and she was a shadow of her former self.

‘So let’s get this straight, Mrs Henderson,’ Landon stated whilst clearing his throat. ‘You came home early from being out with friends and discovered Wallace wasn’t home? Correct?’

‘Correct….’

‘And this is unusual?’

‘Well no, but he wasn’t alone….your….wife…partner…Ava was with him.’

‘What do you mean with him?’

‘She had baked a beef something and dropped it round; I left them to eat as I had already arranged a prior engagement.’

Burke looked at Landon and reassured him she would stay with Mrs Henderson whilst he drove home to check on Ava.

Clarence drove home immediately and every headlamp from an oncoming car resembled a ghost charging towards him.

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