Page 25 of The Truth Will Out (DI Sam Cobbs #18)

T he killer watched, lurking in the safety of the shadows in the corner of the car park.

His plan was working. He could tell Sam Cobbs was slipping he could see it.

He held the binoculars up again when he saw her standing at her office window, the doubt in her eyes evident as she took in the view of the surrounding hills.

She was second-guessing her instincts. It was beautiful to witness.

There was nothing finer than watching an SIO sink fast, tightrope-walking on a precipice.

Truth was a significant weapon.

And lies? They were an art.

He would wait until she was home and send her a message, an untraceable text to her mobile. He knew the effect it would have on her fragile state of mind. Did he care? Not one bit. He laughed and slipped away.

Sam made a conscious effort to shake the tension out of her body as she entered Doreen’s house to pick up Tilly after work. “How has she been today? ”

Doreen frowned. Sam got the impression that Doreen sensed there was something wrong.

“Perfect as always. She’s a little treasure, sent from Heaven. Now, no beating about the bush, Sam, you look exhausted. Let me make you a drink. I’m not going to take no for an answer.”

Sam smiled and sat on the sofa. She played with Tilly until Doreen reappeared with a mug of coffee.

“Now, tell me what’s on your mind. Is it the investigation you’re working on, love? Is that what’s getting you down? If you don’t mind me saying, you look as miserable as sin, and yet you have your wedding coming up in a few weeks.”

Sam stared at Tilly. The tears emerged and dripped onto her cheek.

“Sam, my dear. Please tell me. Don’t keep me in the dark. I’m worried about you.”

“I’m sorry, Doreen. I didn’t want to burden you with this. It’s Rhys.”

Doreen’s hand covered her chest. “What about him? He hasn’t left you, has he? He’s usually home long before this. I was wondering where he had got to this evening.”

“No. We believe he’s been kidnapped. I think the killer we’re chasing has abducted him.”

Doreen’s mouth dropped open, and her hands began to tremble.

Sam knelt beside her and comforted her. “No, no, I shouldn’t have told you.”

Doreen’s lip quivered. “I’m glad you have. How? What are you doing about it? I don’t mean that nastily, as if you’re not doing anything… I’m sorry, I wasn’t criticising you. I can’t imagine the torment you must be going through.”

“It’s okay. It’s natural for you to ask. We’ve had men out there since just after lunch. I met him for a coffee earlier… He disappeared not long after he left me. Bob and I retraced his steps back to the office, but… came up blank.”

“Oh, my goodness. No wonder you’re down, dear.

This is heartbreaking. You know if there’s anything I can do, you only have to ask.

If you need me to look after Tilly for longer, well, you know the offer is always on the table.

One thing is puzzling me. You told me the killer has him.

Have they made contact with you to confirm that? ”

“No. But experience tells me that this person has him. We’ve recently found out that Rhys is linked to a place that has been highlighted during our investigation.”

Doreen frowned and shook her head. “I don’t understand. You don’t have to tell me, but it might ease your burden if you confide in me, Sam. You know it won’t go any further.”

“That goes without saying. I trust you unreservedly. Do you remember a children’s home which closed down years ago called Pendle House?”

Doreen’s eyes widened. “Yes, of course I do. It was linked to some kind of scandal back in the day, wasn’t it? I can’t for the life of me remember what that was… Hang on, yes, I can. It was an outrage about the children being abused. Or am I wrong?”

“No, you’ve got it spot on.”

“How was Rhys involved? He didn’t…”

Sam hugged Doreen, then sat back down next to Tilly. “No, not as far as I know. I asked him about his experience, and he told me he had only worked there for three weeks. It was part of his university course.”

“And he never told you?”

Tears stung. “No. That’s what I’m struggling with.

I had trouble processing the information.

It caused a rift between us last night, and when another body was discovered this morning, I rang him and arranged to meet him at a café.

I plucked up the courage to confront him about it, and we both said things we shouldn’t have.

He ended up walking out on me. I’m totally to blame, and now I’m riddled with guilt because he’s gone missing. ”

“You can’t blame yourself, Sam. Please don’t do it. It’ll eat you alive and prevent you from carrying out your job properly. For your own sake, rid yourself of that guilt this evening.”

Sam took a sip from her coffee and nodded. “You’re right. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that, though. There’s more, something I have been keeping from you for a few days.”

“And what’s that, love? Come on, let it out. You can trust me.”

“I’ve spoken about her before, Claire Owen. Do you remember?”

“The name sounds familiar. Isn’t she a member of your team?”

“She is. Or should I say was. She was murdered yesterday.”

“No! Don’t tell me her death is linked to the investigation?”

“It is. Furthermore, during the day, it’s come to our attention that she was also connected to Pendle House.

We believe she uncovered something important which ultimately led to her death.

We’ve since found an email from the killer, requesting that she meet them at the harbour on the night she died. ”

“And she didn’t tell you? I’m sensing a pattern here.”

Sam sighed. “Yes. God, it has been eating away at me all day, the fact that both Claire and Rhys have deceived me over the years.”

Doreen wagged her finger. “You mustn’t think that, Sam. There must be a reason they both kept the information from you. I’m not saying it was intentional, but there must be some reason why they didn’t tell you.”

“I’ve got a lot of thinking to do this evening. First, I’m going to drink my coffee, and then I’m going to take Tilly for a walk. I’m sure it’ll help clear my head.”

“I agree. Walking, especially on a lovely evening like tonight, will be good for your mental health.”

Sam smiled and finished her coffee. “I’m going to love you and leave you. Thanks for letting me bend your ear. Sorry if you found the revelation about Rhys upsetting.”

“It’s life, sweetheart. Think about Rhys and the time you’ve shared together so far. Don’t let his past, and the horrors it holds, define your future. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that he’s returned to us safely.”

Sam hugged her friend. “Thank you for being you. You truly brighten my life.”

“That’s the sweetest thing to say. You know I regard you as family, Sam. I’m always here for you. Please, please remember that.”

“I will. I’m forever in your debt, kind lady. ”

After her walk and feeding Tilly, Sam turned her attention to cobbling together an evening meal for herself from the limited food she found in the fridge. “Looks like omelette for tea this evening, girl. Cheese and tomato, with a few chunks of pepper and bacon thrown into the mix.”

As she watched the egg mixture cook, her thoughts wandered back to Rhys and what must be happening to him, if she was right and he had been abducted by the killer.

A burning smell brought her back to the here and now.

“Shit! I can’t even make my own dinner properly.

What’s the frigging chance of rescuing my bloody fiancé?

” She flipped the omelette in the pan and sighed.

“Burnt offerings on the menu for this evening, Tilly. Even your dinner seems more appetising than what I’m about to eat. ”

Her mobile tinkled. A message had arrived. She closed her eyes and uttered a silent prayer that it was from Rhys.

When you find out the ones closest to you lie, who do you become?

Sam stared at the message and reread it three times, her stomach twisting and her heart racing. Caller ID not recognised. No signature—as if there would be. Nothing.

He was taunting her, letting her know that he had Rhys. She considered calling Bob but feared what the repercussions would be if she did. The killer was watching her, striking the litmus paper and daring her to crumble.

Again, the same doubts she had experienced during the day resurfaced. Who could she trust?

Did she have it in her to remain focused? A ripple of fear reverberated through her body.

Do I have it in me to counter yet another serial killer who appears intent on coming after me and the people closest to me? I have to warn my family, just in case.

Fortunately, her father and Margaret were overseas in the Channel Islands, so she didn’t feel it necessary to worry them. She rang Crystal, her sister, and spilled the truth.

“What? No, you can’t be serious. Why do these feckers keep going after Rhys?” Crystal asked.

“Pass. Ask me another. The problem is, I don’t know who this bastard is going to come after next. I need you and Vernon to stay somewhere else for a few days. Out of danger. Just until we’ve caught the fucker.”

“Where can we go?”

“I don’t know. Rent a cottage. I’ll pay if necessary.”

“This is insane, Sam. Who would come after you and your family like this?”

Sam explained what she and her team had been tackling since the first murder had landed on her desk and the connection between the victims. “You see what we’re up against here?

The killer has already taken out one of my team and abducted my fiancé.

I wouldn’t ask you to leave your home if I didn’t feel it was important, sis. ”

“All right. I’ll see what we can come up with between us and let you know what we decide later. Silly question coming up: how are you holding up?”

Sam smiled. “Apart from burning my omelette, fair to middling.”

“Sounds delicious. Sending hugs. I love you, Sam, more than life itself. I don’t tell you nearly enough.”

“Don’t, you’ll start me off. I love you to the moon and back. I always have.”

Sam cleaned up the kitchen and let Tilly in the back garden to have an extra wee before they went up to bed.

She planned to watch some TV upstairs before she turned in for the night.

She ended up staring at the screen for the next three hours and eventually turned it off around eleven, hoping that sleep would soon come her way.

It didn’t. Tilly spent a restless night beside her.

It was as if she knew something bad had happened to Rhys, which only made Sam more agitated.

In the end, she finally fell asleep at four a.m. Even then, she kept waking up, perspiring, after dreaming about the torture Rhys might be going through. Her alarm buzzed at seven. After a quick shower, she dressed and took Tilly for her morning walk before heading into work.