Costa Crew 3: Make or Break

Chapter 11 - The Hunt

"You haven't stopped pacing," Anthony said anxiously. "Please, sit down."

Amelia shook her head. "They haven't found her," she muttered. "Where is she hiding?"

"She offered to come to you, just call her," Anthony reasoned.

Amelia stopped and slammed a fist on the table. "That's not the PLAN!" she screamed. "I need Hidgens alone and in a prison cell before we get her. She can't be with her friends before!"

"They'll find her," Anthony said calmly. "She can't run forever."

"She can't run for five seconds without being out of breath for hours," snapped Amelia. "And yet somehow she's hiding from DCI Dimwit. It's her precious Costa Crew, hiding her away, keeping her safe from me. Well, I think it's time I gave Drake some motivation."

***

"Sir, we've run checks on all Hidgens' possible associates," Greg said, closing the blinds in Drake's office. "All of them have vanished, except for DS Green and Lisa Kleinman. Either someone's coming after all of them, or…"

"They helped her," Drake said triumphantly. "Arrest DS Green."

Greg hesitated, then stood. "Yes sir."

Drake smirked as Greg left his office, then approached Ted's desk. "Hey Greg, what's up?" asked Ted.

Greg sighed. "Edward Green, I'm arresting you on suspicion of aiding a fugitive. You do not have to say anything, however it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something you will later rely on in court. Anything you do say can be used in evidence."

"Show him to an interrogation room," Drake added. "I'm just going for coffee."

Ted stood. "No need for handcuffs, I'll come," he said.

Drake nodded, respecting Ted's dignity as he followed Greg down the corridor, then continued towards the elevator. He was more certain than ever of Hidgens' guilt, and that Paul Houston had played a part in her escape. DS Green would have the answers, he just had to be persuaded to talk. But first, coffee.

When Paul had done the coffee runs, he had always gone to Costa, but Drake was more of a Starbucks man himself, so he turned right as he left the police station, walking straight into the barrel of a gun.

"Just keep walking, DCI Drake," Amelia Murphy snarled. "Unless, of course, you want me to blow your brains out. Which I'd be happy to do, but I think we'd both rather I didn't. So just walk down to Starbucks, get your coffee, and don't even think about calling for help or running off."

Drake, too dumbfounded to say anything, hurried down the street, Amelia's gun against his back the whole time. "I'm appalled by your police work, Drake," Amelia continued. "Are you even close to finding Hidgens?"

Drake shook his head slowly. "You're alive," he managed to say.

"Wow, great solve," Amelia drawled sarcastically. "You are, hands down, the most incompetent detective I've ever heard of. And when it came to finding Hidgens' killer or finding out my 'killer' it was rather handy. But now it's just annoying."

"How…?" asked Drake, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Amelia shook her head. "That's for a select few to know, and that doesn't include you. But you're going to find Hidgens and you're going to find her quickly. Once you've got her locked up, give me a call. If you don't, I'll just kill you. Oh, and if you try and let any of the Costa Crew know what's happening, I'll kill you for that too. Do we understand each other?"

Drake nodded quickly. "I'll find her. Please, put the gun down."

"Also, get me coffee," said Amelia. "I'm more of a Starbucks person too. I went off Costa a long time ago."

Drake glanced at the gun then hurried into Starbucks while Amelia waited outside and let out a satisfied sigh. That was that dealt with. She'd have Hidgens soon enough. Then her revenge would go ahead as planned, and then…

Actually, she hadn't put much thought into that. She'd kill Hidgens, but after that, what? Hidgens had ruined her forever. And no matter how much she suffered for her actions, there was no going back to the life she knew. She'd have to flee the country. Start a new life somewhere else. With Anthony. Ugh.

Either way, she was going to enjoy making Rebecca Hidgens beg for mercy. Which wouldn't be too hard - Amelia knew all her weaknesses and knew exactly what she had to do to exploit them and have Hidgens do exactly what she wanted.

"Here you go," Drake said, still shaking as he emerged holding two cups of coffee. "I'll need your number."

Amelia held out a slip of paper. "Call me on this," she said. "And remember, if you let anyone know about any of this, it'll be a bullet through your brain. Off you go now, you spineless worm."

Drake's heart was pounding as he half-walked, half-ran down the street, the words you were wrong repeating over and over again in his head. Rebecca Hidgens was innocent. Amelia Murphy was alive. And if he didn't find Rebecca Hidgens, Amelia Murphy was going to blow his brains out. He'd made Hidgens a fugitive and now he was going to send her to her death to save his own life.

Because if he went through with this, there was no question that she would die. Murphy had declared that she would get her revenge, and she clearly had a plan in place. She had probably had Curt Hidgens killed, and must have planted a decoy in the prison cell whom she had then killed, so there was nothing she wouldn't do to see Hidgens dead.

Drake sighed as he strolled into the interrogation room where Ted and Greg were waiting. He had two options. Tell Ted everything and try to save Hidgens at the potential cost of his own life, or save himself by pressing Ted for information on Hidgens before bringing her in then contacting Amelia. Either way, he lost.

He knew the choice he had to make.

"Right then," he sighed as he sat down and opened up his file. "Let's get started."