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One of the large windows at the rear was shattered, shards littering the floor. The television was smashed, as was the coffee table. Books and photos were strewn everywhere, and Allee saw blood and fur matted on the corner of the entertainment unit.
There was more blood in the kitchen, where a knife lay on the counter, staining the blade crimson. Allee did not hear the scream that welled up from the depths of her soul, nor did she realise that she had collapsed to the floor, Noah holding her tightly in his arms. She could only stare at the message that had been left, written in the blood of her beloved companion.
FOUND YOU had been smeared on the wall above the shredded couch.
All Allee could think was how she'd never escape.
After what seemed like an eternity, Allee came back to the present, realising that she and Noah weren’t alone. They had been joined by two uniformed police officers, as well as a lady in her mid-60's, who seemed familiar.
Looking up at Noah, she could see him talking to one of the officers, but her brain was not registering what was being discussed. She was numb inside and only wanted to sleep, and never wake up.
Noah kept his eyes glued to Allee while he answered the questions asked by Sergeant Carson, one of the police officers who had arrived. Sergeant Carson's partner, Constable Shelley, was speaking to the woman, who turned out was Allee's neighbour, and it was she who had called them.
“We have our suspicions about who did this. Allee has a nasty ex, and I wouldn't put it past him to pull a stunt like this. I can't give you a lot of information about him, as I've never met the creep, but I know he's from down south.”
“We need to get as much information from Ms Duggan as we can,” the constable replied, “if we want to be able to catch the person responsible. If you could please get her to contact us when she's feeling up to talking to us, I'd appreciate it.”
“No worries, I'll make sure she comes in. When can we start cleaning all of this up?”
“We'll send a specialist over this afternoon to take photos and dust for prints,” said the police officer. “Once they're done, you can clean up.”
“Okay, thanks for that. I'll let you get on with it then.”
Sergeant Carson nodded, and Noah led Allee over to the dining table, sitting her down on a chair. He was seething inside, beyond furious that Stuart had broken into Allee's home, desecrating the security and safety she'd felt, and he wanted to physically tear Stuart apart for whatever he'd done to Piddle. He didn't know if Allee was aware that she had managed to escape next door, and that Mr Barker had driven the injured feline to an emergency vet surgery. Mrs Barker made to follow the police out the door, but Noah called out to her, halting her in her tracks.
“Mrs Barker, would you mind waiting? I need to make a phone call, but I don't want to leave Allee alone?” Mrs Barker smiled at Noah, nodding as she sat beside Allee, holding her hands gently, murmuring softly to comfort her. Meanwhile, Noah stepped into Allee's home office, which appeared untouched, pulled out his mobile phone, and called Craig's line.
“Hey, it's me.”
“Noah! For fuck's sake, what's going on? Is Allee okay?”
“No, she's not. Her place was broken into and trashed, her cat was hurt, and she is at the vets as we speak. Sorry to do this to you, mate, but I need to stay with her. I also need someone else to come over and give me a hand, so if you could spare either Charlie or Beth, that would be great.”
“Shit! I'll get onto them both and see if one of them can swing by. Have the cops been yet?”
“Yeah, they've just left. They're gonna send someone over to process the place, and then we can work on getting it secure again and clean it up. It's a fucking mess.”
Noah ended the call and went back out into the living area. “Thanks, Mrs Barker. Another friend is on her way, and she shouldn't be too long.”
“If it's okay with you, dear, I'd like to stay for a little while until they get here?”
“That would be wonderful. Would you like a cuppa?”
“No, I'm fine, thank you. If I drink too much tea or coffee during the day, I'm up all night.”
Noah nodded, going into the kitchen and working on the part of the bench that was still clear. He had just filled his mug when the intercom buzzed, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Allee flinch.
The security feed showed Beth's Patrol idling at the gate, so he buzzed her in before opening the front door. Just as well, as moments later, Charlie charged in, Beth hot on her heels. Both women ground to a halt at the carnage, and simultaneously, they turned towards Allee in silent horror.
Moving towards Allee slowly, not wanting to startle her, Charlie knelt in front of her, taking both her hands, with Beth walking around to bend over the back of Allee’s chair, gently embracing her from behind. Charlie spoke softly, trying to reassure her friend.
“Allee, babe, we're here. We're going to help Noah look after you and clean this place up. You're safe; nobody is going to hurt you.”
Noah could feel a lump growing in his throat, feeling he'd failed Allee somehow and was determined to atone.
“If you ladies are all right down here for the moment, I'm going to go and check upstairs. I don't think he made it up there, but if he did, I don't want Allee to get any more nasty surprises.” Both women nodded, neither of them taking their eyes from Allee.
Noah made his way upstairs, looking for further damage. He checked Allee's bedroom thoroughly, even pulling the sheets back to check the bed. Nothing seemed out of place, except for the overturned cat bed on the floor by the wardrobe, patches of cat fur littering the carpet. Noah suspected that Stuart had come upstairs primarily to find Piddle. He quickly righted the cat bed and picked up the larger clumps of fur until everything appeared normal. He went back downstairs, determined to do whatever he could to help Allee feel safe again.
