DS Clarke had just finished typing up his records from the day when the phone started ringing. He’d been about to walk out of the door after already sending Rebecca home to have an evening off after their success. His fingers hovered over the phone before relenting and picking it up, the voice in his head taunting that he might miss something important.
“Hello?”
“Detective Sergeant, I have a Stephanie Walker on the phone for you.”
He froze. Had Suzanne done a runner, despite her fragile mental state? They’d only agreed on the discretional bail because they had thought she was too messed-up to attempt to go anywhere. “Put her though.”
Stephanie’s frantic voice came through the phone. “Sergeant Clarke? I need help — she’s attacked me! She’s gone mental!”
“Where are you? At Suzanne’s?” He was already up, had grabbed his car keys and headed towards the car park, silently cursing himself for letting her slip through his grasp.
“No, no. Never mind me — I’m somewhere else. She’s locked me in a cupboard, but I’m fine. She’s gone to finish off Teigan, that’s what she said. I tried to stop her, but she’s lost it.”
“Finish her off?” Clarke’s heart clenched in his chest. Teigan had still been alive, after all. “Where is she? Where’s she gone?”
“She’s been keeping her in some caravan in Mundesley. Please, you have to get there. It might be too late, already. She went mad, saying she was going to frame me or some nonsense. Please, just save my niece.”
Clarke ran towards the car, all thoughts of sympathy towards Suzanne’s broken state now having left him. He never should have let her out of his sight. He couldn’t ignore his bitter resentment that DS Colliers hadn’t locked her up years ago. He unlocked the car and jumped into the front seat. He knew the way to Mundesley — it was just a question of how quickly he could get there. He slammed his foot down on the accelerator. There was no time to lose.
Ten minutes into the journey, he left a garbled voicemail on Rebecca’s phone, explaining that Suzanne had gone mad and was trying to frame Stephanie. He had his sirens on, weaving in and out of the country traffic. He still had a way to go to Mundesley, but he could make it. He had to.