The End Of The Road | HEROPHINE

Chapter 19

Hero's Pov:
Eventually, I find that there are no tears left to cry. I never thought i'd watch myself crumble like this. The struggle is so much worse than I thought it would be, and I knew it would be horrendous.
A ringing sound interrupts my thoughts, and I notice my phone screen is lit up. Immediately, I swipe across and bring it to my ear, wiping my eyes and composing myself.
'Hello?' I say, a little quieter than I intended.
'Is this Mr Fiennes Tiffin?'
'Yes, speaking.' I reply, my own formality giving me a surprise. I sound a lot more rational than I expected I would. Luckily I'm good at hiding my emotions when I need to.
'This is DI Thompson. I'm working on your wife's case, and I have some information I'd like to share with you.' He says, making my heart rate skyrocket.
Is this it? Do they know where she is or at least have a suspect?
I remain calm and just say 'okay,' trying not to get my hopes up.
'I wouldn't usually share this information, but I believe there is a link between the two disappearances.'
Then I'm reminded of the fact Clara is missing now too. I hadn't even registered it really, given that I was occupied by a physical fight with her husband.
'Clara Campbell?' I ask, already knowing the answer.
'Yes, that's right. I understand yourself and your wife are friends with the family?'
I roll my eyes. 'Yeah you could say that.'
'Well, it turns out, both Clara and Josephine's phones were loaded with the safe software. They were both being listened to, and tracked geographically.'
Shit. This is all a lot closer to home than we thought, it would seem.
'So, what does this all mean?'
'Well, sir, it most likely would suggest that the person responsible for the two crimes is someone in close contact with both your wife and Mrs Campbell. We will be questioning relatives as soon as possible.' The Inspector says, and I respect how much information he is giving me. It seems as though he's being totally open and keeping me in the loop. I should be, after all. It is my wife that is missing.
'What about the other woman who was out with Josephine and Clara?' I question.
'Miss Wilson is in New Zealand at this time.'
'She left the country?!' I begin to panic.
'Please don't fret, sir. She was interviewed prior to her trip, and ruled out as a suspect. She never left the pub until after Jo had left. And she has an alibi for the rest of the night, which checks out.'
'I guess that makes sense.' I sigh, rubbing my temple with the fingertips of my spare hand.
'I want to assure you we are doing everything we can at this time, Mr Tiffin.'
I don't mind his use of only one of my names, accepting that Fiennes Tiffin is a bit of a mouthful to have to keep repeating.
'I understand. Thankyou for calling.'
'Good day, sir.' He says, before hanging up.

I pace up and down the bedroom, trying to let everything I just learned sink in. That was a lot to process. Maybe whoever this guy may be, he's a bit more of a strong force than I had anticipated. Two kidnappings with no witnesses? And no evidence left behind whatsoever? On top of that, of course- the phones. When would this dickhead have gotten hold of Jo's phone? 9 times out of 10, she has it on her person all day long. This is just getting weirder and weirder. However, the fact he now has Clara too, gives me some hope Jo is still alive. It's more like an elaborate game than an abduction. It's like he's doing it for the fun of it, or maybe to torture both Jo and I. Who knows? But either way, this kind of game doesn't end well, and time is running out. I have to find her, before something bad happens.
John needs his mum; I need my wife.
I text Elizabeth a lengthy paragraph detailing everything the detective just told me over the phone. She deserves to be updated, she misses her daughter more than even she can comprehend, and I honestly feel so fucking terrible about it. I wish there was something I could do to take that pain away. But there isn't.