***
Gil
Gil couldn’t afford another mistake. She wasn’t with it, and people were beginning to notice.
‘You okay?’ asked Rich, the anaesthetist, eyeing her with concern.
‘Yeah. Fine,’ she said – just a touch too quickly.
The moment the surgery finished, she bolted to the staff toilets, locked herself in a cubicle, and sat with her head in her hands. The smell of disinfectant only intensified her nausea.
A memory surfaced of some late-night, true crime documentary that she’d watched.‘Once the ransom’s paid, there’s no leverage left,’ a detective had said. ‘Most hostages don’t make it. Time is of the essence.’
Those lines echoed in her head, louder even than the blood rushing in her ears.
What if one of the kidnappers made a mistake and used their real name or accidentally showed their face? If that happened, then they wouldn’t risk letting her go.
They already had a million. What if they got the second half and then asked for more? Or, worse, what if Danny missed the drop because he had a flat tyre or an accident? Anything could go wrong. Then what?
Guilt wrapped tightly around her chest like a vice. If only she’d insisted that Jo got in her car on the day she went missing. If only they knew where it had happened. There could be CCTV cameras there. Someone might have seen a number plate.
Gil pressed her palms into her eyes, trying to stop her mind from spinning.
Then, it struck her. It was so simple, so obvious: why hadn’t she thought of it before? She’d retrace Jo’s walk home tonight. Every step. Every corner. Perhaps she’d see something, anything, that could help.
She had to try.
Because if the current plan went wrong, Jo wouldn’t be coming home.
***
Nicola
Nicola couldn’t focus. She sat on the floor playing a memory game with Joel, but her mind kept drifting.
Joanna Neal wasn’t someone who ignored calls. Her phone was always fully charged. Always on. She checked in with Joel constantly unless she was in surgery, and even then, she’d call the moment she could.
Daniel said her phone had died. But surely Jo would’ve charged it at the airport? She always called to say goodbye before a trip.
Something didn’t sit right.
Joel huffed in frustration. ‘Sorry, sweetheart,’ Nicola said, turning over a card.
No. Joanna wouldn’t just leave, not without calling and definitely not without saying goodbye to Joel.
She stood. ‘Snack time.’
Once Joel was settled at the table, happily spooning yoghurt, Nicola dialled Joanna’s mobile. It went straight to voicemail.
She snapped a photo of Joel mid-snack and sent it via WhatsApp. Then, she waited desperately for the second tick to show it was on Joanna’s phone. But it never came.
Nicola checked again after clearing the dishes. There was still one tick.
Something wasn’t right. But Nicola had no idea what to do about it.
Chapter Eighteen
Joanna
