Page 31 of The Truth Will Out (DI Sam Cobbs #18)

“Not me. I did nothing wrong,” Rhys said, prepared to fight his corner despite his vulnerability.

“I was young. I was there only because of my placement. If I had known sooner what was going on under that roof, I would have revealed the truth. I would have told someone in authority. You know me well enough to know that’s the truth, Ivy. ”

“Do I? Yes, our paths have crossed over the years, but do I really know you? You had your chance to speak out once you’d left university.

You chose to keep your mouth shut, knowing that several children had died at Pendle.

I tried my best to protect them… I failed.

There was no way I could shield all of them. ”

On closer inspection, Sam could see that her eyes seemed hollow. They were almost lifeless, as if life had taken its toll on her over the years.

“You did your best,” Sam replied. “No one could ask for more. Is that why you left?”

“Yes. I tried to help the children. The owners said I was a fool and ordered me to stop getting in the way. I felt like I was fighting a losing battle. In the end, I threw in the towel. I disappeared. I needed to get my life back on track first. I questioned everything, life itself at times. The horrors of what those children went through haunted me day and night. There were nights I barely slept. We had to do the right thing for the children in the end: avenge their deaths and the torture some of those innocent souls had to endure.”

Choosing Ivy’s moment of weakness, Sam withdrew her Taser. “Drop the syringe, Penn. Now. This ends here. Rhys did nothing wrong.”

Penn took a step forward. “Don’t you understand? We had no choice. The people we sought out and killed made it through the cracks. Every one of them wore their guilt like a mask. We took pleasure in stripping that from them.”

The door burst open, and the rest of the team barged into the room, Tasers drawn.

Penn lunged at Rhys, syringe held high, ready to sink it into his neck.

Liam was the first to react. He fired. The Taser wires entered Penn’s chest, and he dropped to the floor, fifty thousand volts surging through him.

Michele paused for a moment, then made her move. She searched for the syringe that had landed close to her feet. Sam pounced on her, preferring to tackle the woman herself rather than resort to using her Taser.

“Don’t be foolish,” Sam snapped, kicking the syringe out of Michele’s grasp.

“I need to do it. To get revenge for the children who suffered at the hands of their aggressors.”

“You’re not listening. Rhys had nothing to do with it.”

“He was there. I know he heard the screams. Why won’t he admit it?”

“I didn’t. I spent three weeks there, that’s all, Ivy. Sorry, Michele, whatever your bloody name is now,” Rhys objected. “Untie me. Get me out of here, Sam.”

Sam stared at him, suddenly seeing him in a different light. Something about his demeanour had changed, making her question the trust she once had in him. “Nick, can you free Rhys?”

“Of course, boss.”

Sam took a step back and watched as her three colleagues dealt with the two suspects and her fiancé.

A knife dropped to the floor—one Michele had concealed up her sleeve. Rhys would never realise how lucky he had been; Sam was sure of that.

It was over… or was it?

“Do you need medical care?” she asked Rhys.

He shook his head firmly. “No, they didn’t hurt me. You rescued me before they got the chance.”

Sam smiled, but inside, her stomach was churning. There was something in his smile that didn’t sit comfortably with her. “Call for backup. We need to get the three of them transferred to the station ASAP.”

“Wait, you want me to go to the station?” Rhys queried.

“Yes. You’ll need to give us a statement.”

His eyes narrowed. “Can’t that wait? I’ve been held prisoner for a few days, and the first thing you want from me is a statement ? I don’t get it, Sam.”

She shrugged and stood back into the shadows, confused by the emotions stirring within her.

Three patrol cars arrived. The suspects and Rhys were loaded into separate cars, and the convoy headed back to the station. Sam had the tech guy, Adam, sitting beside her during the journey. He kept silent, sensing she wasn’t in the mood to hold a conversation with him.

At the station, Jason asked how she wanted to proceed with the suspects and Rhys.

“I’ll interview the suspects in the morning, but I want to get Rhys’s statement down now.”

Her three colleagues stood in the background, probably wondering what the heck was going on.

Sam turned to face them, her smile catching each of them off guard. “You did good this evening, boys. I couldn’t be prouder of you. Go on, off you go. We’ll go over what has happened in the morning. Hopefully, Bob will be back with us, then.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to hang around with you, boss?” Nick asked.

“No, it’s fine. Go, I won’t be long behind you. ”

Her colleagues reluctantly left the station. Jason, the desk sergeant, had put Rhys in an interview room. Sam collected two cups of coffee from the vending machine and went to see him.

“I still can’t believe you’re not allowing me to go home, Sam.”

“I’m sorry. Had you needed medical care, this would have been delayed. I need to get down the facts of what happened while they’re still fresh in your mind.”

“What? That’s insane, as if I’m likely to forget. Why are you treating me like a criminal? They abducted me and, I believe, had you not shown up, they would have killed me. I’m thankful for your intervention. I’ll be forever in your debt.”

“You’re welcome. My team and I were only doing our jobs.”

He stared at her, bewildered, and shook his head. “Have you heard yourself? I’m your fiancé, but you’re treating me like a stranger. I want to know why.”

Ignoring his question, she said, “Rhys, the quicker you start telling me how you were abducted and what happened during your time spent at the hands of those criminals, the sooner you can go home.”

“You and not we ? What does that mean? Aren’t you coming with me?”

Her gaze dropped to her notebook. “No, I’ll stay at the station tonight. I have two suspects I need to interview. Shall we get on?”

Half an hour later, Rhys finally finished telling her how he’d been abducted and the level of violence he had suffered at the hands of Penn and Turner.

Sam arranged for a patrol car to drop Rhys home.

She hated the way she felt, but until she had the chance to figure out her emotions, Sam knew she would struggle to be in the same room as him.

Maybe she would feel differently once she had interviewed Penn and Turner, although she had grave reservations if that would be the case.

She spent the night at her desk, going over the facts and pulling together the missing pieces that she had discovered since they had made the arrests.

Eventually, around three in the morning, after making copious notes for the upcoming interviews, she curled into her jacket, surrounded by empty coffee cups and plenty of ghosts, and fell asleep at her desk.

Sam always kept a change of clothes at work. After having a wash in the ladies’ toilet, she returned to her office, ready for her day to begin. Rhys rang her mobile at seven and every fifteen minutes after that, until she finally accepted his call.

“Where have you been?”

“I’ve been busy in the interview room. Why?”

“Sam, why are you avoiding me?”

“I’m not. Sorry, I have to go now. I need to hold my morning meeting with the team. Enjoy your day.”

“Sam… Sam…”

She ended the call and swallowed down the lump clogging her throat.

The only bright spark to Sam’s morning was the fact that Bob had joined them. He knocked on the door to her office and poked his head in. “Good morning. Do you need a coffee?”

She tore out of her seat and kissed him on the cheek. “How are you?”

“No lasting damage done. I threatened to do all sorts to the doctor if he didn’t release me.”

“You didn’t?”

He grinned. “You know me too well. No, I didn’t, but I would have if he’d tried to keep me in. How are you?” He studied her warily.

“I’m fine. I think. I’ll let you know once I’ve interviewed the suspects. You can’t be involved. I’ll get Nick to sit in with me, if that’s all right?”

“I was about to suggest the same. No offence taken. It wouldn’t be right for me to be there. Umm… are we all right, Sam?”

Her smile slipped. “I think so. I’m still trying to process everything that’s happened.”

“I know I shouldn’t have to remind you—you’re getting married in a few weeks. The quicker you get your head around things, the better. How’s Rhys? I was surprised that he didn’t join me at the hospital. I asked the staff if he had been admitted; they told me there was nothing on the system.”

“I think he’s all right. He seemed so last night… when I took down his statement.”

Bob’s brow wrinkled. “You did what? Hang on just a second. You said you hadn’t seen him since last night. That means either you came in super early this morning, or you never went home. Please don’t tell me you spent the night here?”

Sam returned to her seat. “Guilty as charged. I’d rather not discuss it; my head’s a mess.”

“You need to talk to someone; otherwise, you won’t be able to move on, Sam. Rhys wasn’t to blame, nor was I, and yet you seem to have forgiven me. Or is that my imagination?”

Sam waved her hand from side to side. “I said I still have to work through my emotions. Can we talk about this later? I have two interviews I need to prepare for, and time is running out.”

“Whatever. I’ll tell Nick that he’ll be required to sit in with you.”

Guilt ripped through her for upsetting her partner after all he had been through in the last twenty-four hours. She watched him walk away, shoulders heavy with fatigue, and regret burned her chest like acid.

Half an hour later, notes in hand, Sam collected Nick, and they made their way downstairs.

“I appreciate you choosing me for this task, boss,” Nick said without sounding too gushy.