Thirty Four

“Adams, will you calm down?” Mason told him, but he couldn’t stay calm. How could he? His partner was missing; only she wasn’t his partner was she? A colleague then, yeah that’s what she was a colleague. Only he’d never felt this way about a colleague before, before when colleagues had gone missing, he’d been concerned but not like this, this was different. He hadn’t wanted to go and tear someone limb from limb before. “Let me question him” he said, Mason stared at him, “Why?” Adams paced the floor. “Because I can get results”, the older man wasn’t so sure. “Give it time Adams” he suggested, time was something Jo didn’t have. “With all due respect Sir, we ain’t got time.” Mason drew in a deep breath then glanced through the two way mirror, to where King sat and then back at Adams. “Okay, but the first sign of trouble and you’re outa there do you understand?” Adams nodded quickly as he marched towards the room.

Jo sat in the back of the car, her hands cuffed to the handle, although relieved to be out of the trunk, she still didn’t know where they were taking her, dawn was now breaking, she eyed the woman seated in the passenger seat. “You won’t get away with this?” she said in a low tone of voice, “Why don’t you shut the hell up bitch” she eyed the young man wearily; “You killed him didn’t you?” There was silence.

“I always knew you were rotten to the core Anderson”

“That’s funny hon, as I recall you could never get enough of me”

“Oh go screw yourself!”

“I’d rather screw you!”

Jo felt her heart begin to thump against her chest; she worried that he’d kill her, but rape her first. Now she hadn’t really banked on that.

“So tell me, why d’you do it?”

“Do what hon?”

“Kill Larry”

“Who said I killed Larry, last I remember some bum were in the state penitentiary, serving 25 to life for killing Larry”

“Really? Well last I heard the FBI were investigating the case”

“They won’t find out nought”

“I wouldn’t be too sure”

“Please, just shut up, shut up, shut uuuuuuuuupppp!” cried Shelby.

“Okay babe, it’s okay, I told you everything would be okay didn’t I? Look King has taken care of Ingebrigtsen and we’re gonna take care of her, in another hour or so we’ll be home and dry.”

Jo knew she had to do something, and fast but what? She knew Shelby Geddes was scared shitless, if she could only get to her, talk her round to giving herself up, then maybe just maybe she’d survive. “I gotta go” she said suddenly, he eyed her in the mirror, “Tough you can piss in your pants!” he laughed, “I wanna go to” Shelby muttered, Jo relaxed as the car slowed, “Here take this, if she tries anything. Shoot her!” Geddes was instructed.

Jo felt herself being hauled from the car and pushed towards the bushes, Geddes following, “So tell me, how the hell you get mixed up with that jerk?” Shelby bowed her head.

“It’s a long story, we met in a bar, Chris and I had had one big fight and I’d stormed out, I had been speeding and Tony pulled me over”

Jo sat down on an old tree stump to listen having decided the young woman posed no particular threat; she sensed that she wanted to unburden herself.

“Anyway, he were real sweet, he told me that he were getting off duty soon and would I meet him in moody blues, I’d been so mad with Chris that I agreed to go, well he came and we got talking and before I knew it I were in his house and we were making love, at first it were a real buzz and I found myself falling for him big time, one night he took me to Sam’s place, they play poker there you see, well Tony were losing and I mean really losing, he must have owed this guy thousands of dollars, which he didn’t have, of course, he knew Chris’s mom had money but I said that it were her husband’s, that was the first time Tony hit me, Chris was real sweet, I told him someone had tried to come onto me at the club and he refused to let me go back, I know we fought sometimes, and they were full blown rows but he never hit me”

Jo looked confused. “I thought you said he had hit you?”

“Yeah, at the trial, Tony said if I didn’t testify against him I’d regret it”

“What the hell are you two doing down there!” Anderson cried.

“I’m taking a shit, is that okay with you?” yelled Jo. “Go on” she urged.

“I was determined to break if off with Tony and I’d gone to tell him so, that’s when I met him, Larry, he’d come into the bar and were boasting about how much money he’d won. That’s when Tony put his plan into action, he already knew what history were between Chris and Larry, he Killed Larry and framed Chris.”

A sudden movement hushed both women, Anderson appearing seconds later, his face tight with rage. “What the hell do you two think you’re doin?” he hissed, Jo glanced at the gun in his hands, “You stupid, stupid bitch, you fucking told her didn’t you?” Shelby backed away, shaking her head as she went, “She didn’t tell me nothing!” cried Jo, he continued towards her, “Get fucking moving, I were gonna have some fun with you, but it’s too late for that” Jo braced herself as fingers tightened around her hair, “Let’s go” he muttered, then led her back to the car, but she’d managed press Ben’s number on her phone, now all she had to do was keep talking.

Mark looked concerned, he’d gone to the hospital with Hollie and was now driving her little car back to his home, “Where is she Mark” Hollie said, “Where the hell’s my sister?” He didn’t know what to say to her, he wasn’t use to comforting women, sleeping with them yes, comforting them no.

“I’m sure Adams is doing all he can”

“They should have picked her up by now”

“You heard what that officer said, she’s probably hiding out”

“No, she wouldn’t hide, that’s not Jo’s style, she’d have tried to make it back to the precinct”

“Then that’s what she’ll be doing”

“Mark I wanna go down there and see what’s going on”

“Hols you heard what the Doc said, you’re in shock, you need to rest”

“I can’t rest, not until I know my sister is safe”

Mark knew this was true; Hollie wouldn’t rest until then and so against his better judgement he agreed.

King sat sneering back at Adams, all he had to do was sit tight and things would be over, Adams was becoming more and more frustrated with each question. The answer was always the same. He didn’t know,

“You called someone, I wanna know who?”

“I called a lot of people”

“Tell me who?”

“Gee I’ve suddenly contracted amnesia”

Adams flew from the seat and before King knew where he was, the younger man had him up against the wall.

“Gee Adams, now that really ain’t very professional is it?”

Adams clenched his fist and was about to smash it against his face when Welsh rushed in.

“We got a lead, come on” he said, handing Adams his cell phone.

“Jo is that you?” he asked, his tone low, she wasn’t listening, just talking.

“Shit! She’s in trouble, let’s go” he instructed them.

Jo’s heart was racing as she travelled, talking nine to the dozen as Anderson weaved along the deserted road, in just under an hour this road would be full of cars.

“This is the road to Hanson’s ridge isn’t it? Why are we going there?”

“You’ll see”

“Oh God!” You’re gonna kill me!”

“Boy you never really were one for catching on quick hon.”

“Tony don’t do anything stupid” Shelby said.

“Shut up bitch!”

“Ton she’s a cop”

“So?”

Oh I get it, you’re gonna throw me off Hansom’s Ridge!”

He turned right round on the seat, “What, you bitch, you’ve been guiding them all along” he yelled as he began to weave all over the road, they came to a halt. Jo now having to keep her wits about her as she was dragged from the car, “The game’s up!” she cried, “Everyone knows you killed Anderson” she sobbed, he didn’t hear her. It was as through he was completely oblivious to everything and everyone; he didn’t even hear Shelby scream for him to stop. “You’re going over, you stupid interfering bitch!”

Jo felt herself edge near the edge and fought with all her might but her foot slipped and she fell.