Sleepwalk (47 page)

‘Yes.’

‘Women don’t do that.’

‘No……. Flick ……. We believe Ellie has been kidnapped …… by your husband…….’

‘I don’t understand. Why would he?’

‘We don’t know. We were kind of hoping you could shed some light on this whole thing…… a motive?’

‘Perhaps he still loves her. Perhaps they have run away together.’

‘Flick ……. Does David use drugs?’

‘What? No; of course not!’

‘Along with a spare set of car keys to Ellie’s old blue Fiesta which David used to own; a number of substances were found at the garage in
Rose Lane
. Some of them, when combined are quite lethal. Do you know what chloroform is Flick?’

‘I think so. I’ve seen it in films and TV dramas. It ……. Doesn’t it knock you out or something?’

Even as she said the words she visualised Ellie lying across the front seat of her car …….

‘Flick, we believe Ellie may be in great danger. Do you have any idea where he might have taken her?’

‘No. Why would I? Look …… DC Peters ……. This is completely crazy. David is….. normal. God I’ve never met anyone more normal. He doesn’t do drugs. He barely even drinks……….’

‘Where do you go when you want to have a break Flick? …….. You and David …….. Is there a place …….. anywhere that he takes you for a bit of …… escapism?

‘The sea.’

‘Sorry? …... To the beach? …… where? …… Sidmouth …… Exmouth?’

‘Branscombe.’

‘Branscombe?’

‘Yes. Not to the beach exactly. We used to go there a lot you know, before I became pregnant with Charlie. He would ask me where I wanted to go and I’d say
I don’t mind
;
honestly
, and he’d say
anywhere you want Flick
……
name the place and we’ll go
…….. but we always ended up at Branscombe. He used to take the cliff road and he’d park the car and we’d walk for miles along the coastal path; sometimes watch the sunset…….’

DC Peters was already on her feet.

‘Thank you Flick, for your time. I’ll be in touch.’

Felicity followed her to the door and Claire Peters
was
already h
olding one of those state of the art mobile telephones in her hand
and was moving her fingers quickly
over
the key pad.

‘You will let me know DC Peters …… If you hear anything?’

‘Yes of course.’

She waved and Felicity heard her speak into the handset as she unlocked her car door, ‘Branscombe Sir. Try the cliff road.’

Then she was gone.

Ellie must have blacked out because when she opened her eyes the car was heading away from the cliffs over the bumpy coastguards track.
Thank God
………
for a while there she’d thought
……….. But then the car slowed and suddenly turned sharp right onto the grass and was heading back across the cliff tops, past gorse bushes and bare trees with white sun bleached branches and David was accelerating at a ridiculous rate until the gorse bushes and purple heather seemed to be flying past them. He was going to do it. He was going to drive off the edge of the cliffs at Branscombe to his death ………
and he was going to take her with him
. Ellie tried desperately to summon the strength to move her arms. She could almost reach the catch on the passenger door but the car was bumping and shaking over the uneven rocky ground and every stone; every mound of earth was vibrating through her whole body knocking her and her outstretched arm backwards. Finally her fingers caught the door catch and she held it firmly and pulled, hearing the catch click open but the door remained closed and then she was knocked suddenly back into the seat as David’s fist caught her hard in the stomach.

‘Don’t give up on me now Ell!’ he screamed over the engine’s loud revs, ‘This is it Ell. We’ll be together forever and no one will tear us apart! I Love you!’

She could see the sea now as the car climbed higher and sped toward the cliffs and now she could see the last final rays of the sun as it slipped down beneath the horizon. She could see the fear in David’s eyes; now wide and staring straight ahead, fixed on the crest of the sun’s orange glow as it started to fade into darkness. As the car reached the summit and the highest point of Branscombe then began to career down the last stretch of green toward the cliffs edge Ellie summoned her final strength and grasped the handbrake, pulling with all her might. The car began to swerve and suddenly from nowhere a blue Ford Sierra shot across their vision and came to rest in front of them. David managed to straighten the wheel, released the brake and continued forward smashing into the back of the stationary vehicle spinning it sideways. The Audi plunged on toward the cliffs edge then, with some twenty yards to go it hit a small boulder and tilted sideways. DI Carter could do nothing but watch as the passenger door flew open and he prayed to God that Ellie would roll out, but all too quickly the cliff top was behind them and the car had taken off like a silver bird and disappeared. Carter raced to the edge of the cliff. He could hear the cry of a man, screaming out, ‘No!.............’ the haunting echo of his voice as it slowly faded and Carter watched in stunned silence as it floated down and down until it came to rest with an unearthly crash on the rocks below and burst into flames.
Carter felt desolate. That was the only way he could describe his feelings at that point. A cloud of black smoke followed the almighty crunching sound and it drifted upward until he could smell the burning and destruction.
Then he saw Ellie. She was lying on a grassy knoll some thirty feet below but her body was deathly still. Carter screamed down at her, ‘Ellie? Ellie can you hear me?’ But there was no sign of any movement. He went back to his car and reached for the radio.

‘Steve,’ he said despairingly, ‘Send the chopper over to Branscombe …….. on the cliffs …….. and hurry. They’ll need the winch; there’s one on the cliffs……. But I think we’re too late.’

‘Will do Sir ……… er, any landmarks for them to look out for?

‘Oh believe me Steve …….. they’ll know exactly where we are when they get here; gone out in a blaze of glory, poor sod.’

Felicity was sitting in the garden at
Rose Lane
reading a magazine and watching little Charlie as he tottered around and climbed onto his yellow tractor. He’d only just started walking two weeks before and now there was no stopping him. He was into everything. Sometimes she felt like she needed eyes in the back of her head. It was a beautiful summer’s day. The sun was high in a cloudless sky and somewhere, a cuckoo called.

‘Did you hear that Flick; was it a cuckoo?’

‘Yes it was! Well done Ollie!’

Oliver had become familiar with all the birds and animals in the woodland. He could identify them all from their calls and cries.

‘Here you go then guys. Drinks all round. Lemon beer for Charlie and Ribena beer for you Ollie, and Flick and I are having grown ups beer. Dinner will be ready soon.’

‘Oh I wanted Lemon beer like Charlie.’ Oliver moaned.

‘You asked for Ribena Oliver and that’s what you’ve got.’

‘But I made a mistake Mummy. Really I wanted Lemon beer.’

‘We all make mistakes Ollie …….. eh Flick?’

‘Oh yes ……… we certainly do.’

Ellie sat down on the sun lounger next to Felicity and raised her wine glass. Flick raised hers and the glasses chinked as they met.

‘Cheers!’ said Ellie

‘Cheers!’ said Flick and they both smiled, sank back into the soft cushions and soaked up the sunshine ……….. together.

THE END

FIN