“Whoops… Well, that is acting rather quickly on you… I really wish you had left things alone. If you had just left things be then this wouldn’t have had to happen to you…”
Sally grabbed hold of my arms, dragging me out of the tack room, I tried to resist but my muscles were loose, my body felt like a ragdoll. She dropped my body into a wheelbarrow she had placed outside the tack room. “You must understand, I didn’t want to do this to you. This is all completely your own fault; you have brought this upon yourself, Kate. Please remember there is nobody else to blame but you!”
I struggled, but my body was refusing to answer my commands, my limbs were numb and my mind was clouding. I looked up helplessly as Sally stared down at me. I mumbled ‘Adam?’ but my words were slurred and confused.
“You sleep now Kate; you’re going on a little journey.”
* * *
I woke with a splitting headache, I struggled to my knees, initially unable to open my eyes with the urge to vomit at the forefront of my mind. I opened my eyes slowly, the room was misty, dark and damp. There was an earthy, damp smell in the air. I reached out, touching a stone wall that ran with rivulets of water. I was aware of someone in the room with me. Fearfully I struggled towards the wall, leaning my forehead on the stone. I could feel the chill, the dampness. I reached out, trying desperately to stand, but it was impossible.
“Kate. Take it slowly.”
I recognised the voice but my mind refused to tell me where from. It was a woman. Was it her, the one who had done this to me? I lurched forward, knocking my shoulder into the wall, I fell heavily onto the floor, my mouth open, I could taste mud as I lay there. I blacked out.
26
Lost or Found
“I’m worried.”
“Mandy, Kate is an adult. You can’t report her as missing just because she hasn’t called you for a couple of days. She does have a hell of a lot on her mind after all.”
“But Dan, her phone is going straight to voicemail. She hasn’t called me back.”
“As I said, she’s under a lot of stress. She may just not want to speak to you. ”
“But that’s why I’m worried. She is under a lot of stress, maybe too much. Look I’m ringing the main yard number.”
Dan sighed and walked back into the kitchen where he was preparing dinner. I dialled the stables phone number which rang for a long time, I expected this however as everyone would be busy on the yard. I was about to hang up my phone when Jacqueline came on the phone sounding out of breath.
“Hello Glebe Farm Equestrian Centre, how can I help you?”
“Jacq’s it’s Amanda. Is Kate there?”
“Amanda, oh hi… No, she’s not been around for a few days.”
“Not around? What do you mean? Not on the yard or not around at all…”
“Amanda, her car’s gone and she certainly isn’t in the farmhouse. To be honest, we’ve all been a bit worried.”
“Shit! Okay, I’ll look into it. Thanks, Jacq’s.”
I hung up the phone. Dan stepped back into the living room. He could tell from my face that there was a problem and as I explained what Jacqueline had said he immediately took out his mobile phone and called for a welfare check on Kate.
“Mandy, she’s probably okay, but as you are concerned…”
“Okay Dan, now say she’s okay like you mean it.”
“I can’t lie babe… It seems you may have been right to worry.”
* * *
“Kate…” I felt my shoulder being rocked. “Wake up Kate.”
I pried my eyes open, wishing this was just a dream, but instead found myself in the same dark dank room. Hands helped me sit up, my back against the rough stone wall. I looked around, blinking, adjusting my eyes to the darkness. There was someone in front of me, she was dishevelled and dirty with dark rings around her eyes, her hair was matted and lank. I gasped as I realised how it was.
“Hilary? What are you doing here? Sally said you’d gone to Germany for work. I thought you might have… Well, I thought it may have all been too much for you.”
“No. I wish I had got away.” Hilary coughed, grasping her chest in pain. “Sorry. She broke some of my ribs.”
“Who did this to you? What the hell is happening?”
“Sally… Sally did this. She brought you in yesterday unconscious. I’m so glad you are alive.”
“Sally… What? Sorry, Hilary, you’re making no sense.”
“Kate this doesn’t make any sense. Sally hit me. She knocked me out and then, as I was coming round she drugged me. I woke up here. I don’t know how long I’ve been here but it’s been days, weeks? Maybe longer. She’s gone mad. I don’t know what’s happened but…”
“What?”
“Kate, I think it was Sally who killed Olivia, and I think she’s going to do the same to us.”
* * *
“So…”
“Look Mandy, please try not to worry…”
“Dan, fucking tell me. Kate is my sister-in-law… What the hell has happened to her?”
“I spoke with the national vehicle data centre. They’ve traced her vehicle with ANPR, that’s the national number plate tracking system. That shows that she went down the motorway, her car was last picked up in Devon.”
“Devon? What the hell was she doing in Devon? Do you know where specifically?”
“No. There was a trace off the M5 motorway, and then a couple of hits but it is so rural down there. The local force has her details…”
I stood up, grabbing my coat and car keys.
“Where are you going?”
“Cumbria and then, if I have
