Hope for the Underworld

21

A few hours later, her door was pushed open, and the smiling nurse walked in again. 'Hello, sweetheart. The police are here, and they would like to talk to you, if you feel up to it,' she paused, waiting for Cora's response. When it failed to arrive, the nurse added. 'Do not worry, honey. Dr Kostakis will be also here, and he'll make sure you are alright the whole time... Can I send them in?'

Cora just nodded in ascent. It strangely aggravated her to be called sweetheart and honey by this complete stranger. But maybe she was over-sensitive? This could be just the nurse's friendly manner.

Two police officers, a man and a woman walked in, followed by a doctor, who she assumed was the shrink.

'Miss Lancaster,' the male police officer spoke gently. 'My name is Inspector Christopoulos, and this is Officer Costas.' He pointed to his colleague. 'We are here to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind. May we sit down?' He looked at her, clearly waiting for permission and Cora decided she liked that about him.

'Of course, Inspector.' She made an inviting gesture.

'Miss Lancaster, I realise this may be painful, but let me assure you that our only priority is your safety and wellbeing. So, if you wish, at any point, to take a break, please do let us know.'

'Thank you, Inspector.' He seemed genuine and his light-brown eyes met hers without any fake platitudes.

'Ok. So, let us start at the beginning.' Hearing that, the female officer took out her pad and got ready to take notes. 'You arrived in Tainaron on the 3rd of April, is that correct?' He looked directly at her, and she could sense kindness in his gaze.

'Yes,' she confirmed.

'You took a room at a B&B and stayed there for a few days,' he continued.

'Yes... Have you got my things?' she asked with sudden urgency.

'Why do you ask?'

'If what you say is true and I've been missing, I must notify my friends that I'm fine.'

'Yes, we have retrieved your belongings after the B&B's owner reported you missing...' he paused, as if considering his next question carefully. 'May I ask, what was the purpose of your visit to the town?'

'I...' she stumbled for words, suddenly feeling anew the humiliation of her breakup with Barry. 'I needed to re-adjust after the end of a relationship.' She was painfully aware they probably already knew about the whole sordid affair.

'I am sorry to hear that, miss Lancaster. This must have been very painful.'

'It was.' Her response was clipped enough to tell him not to probe it any further.

'Now, could you tell us, as much as it's possible, about the last thing you remember, please?'

'I went for a walk. I read somewhere that the cliff and the caves underneath were believed to be the entrance to the mythical Underworld, and I wanted to see it.' There was an expression of concentration on her face; her gaze drifted up and slightly to the left, and the Inspector interpreted her body language as truthful. 'The weather was beautiful, and I enjoyed the walk. But then, when I was high up on the cliff, there was a deafening clap of thunder and the ground started shaking. I thought it was an earthquake and turned to run, but...' she trailed away; her eyes unfocussed all of the sudden.

'But?' he prompted, observing her closely.

'All I can remember is darkness...' A single tear ran down her cheek. She wiped it hastily and cleared her throat. 'And then, I woke up in here.'

'Can you remember anything else? Anything at all? Sounds, smells, touch.'

Her breath caught and she closed her eyes, while her body shuddered.

The doctor and the Inspector exchanged glances, as if confirming they both had noticed.

'The man who brought me in.' Her voice sounded hoarse. 'Do you have a picture?'

'Yes.' His answer was guarded.

'May I see it?'

'Why?'

'I need to know if I can recognise him.'

The Inspector nodded in ascent and the female officer pulled out a tablet; she turned it on and passed it to Cora. Everyone in the room watched her reactions very closely, trying not to miss any telltale signs.

Cora picked up the tablet and turned her gaze to the man on the picture. He was captured kneeling on the floor of the waiting area, with his head hung low, as if in defeat. He was dressed all in black and when she zoomed in on the image, she could tell that his three-piece suit was very elegant, but at that moment also dusty and a bit dishevelled.

How far did he have to carry her?

'Do you have any other frames?' she asked, but even before receiving an answer, she swiped the picture aside to load the others.

The other photos contained close-ups and when she saw him, her heart skipped a beat. His handsome face was pale and framed by bleach-blond hair that was falling in disarray over his high forehead. But the most startling were his eyes; they were steel-grey and, in that precise moment, brimming with pain.

The Inspector observed her reaction very closely and what he saw could only be described as... longing. She must have developed deep feelings for the man in the picture. But when she looked up, there was nothing but honesty in her eyes when she said. 'I don't recognise him. I mean, he must know me to bring me to the clinic... And even if it seems evident that he was my captor, I... can't stop feeling deep sadness and pain when I look at him. Not my pain!' she clarified immediately. 'His pain and his sadness.' There were fresh tears streaming from her eyes.

'I think this will have to be enough for the moment.' The doctor stood up, signalling the end of the interview.

'I am very sorry to have caused you distress, miss Lancaster.' The Inspector extended his hand, which she took instinctively; it was warm and strong, with some old calluses on his fingers. 'I only want to help you.'

'Thank you, Inspector.' She wiped her tears and offered him a tiny smile in return.

He couldn't stop himself thinking how pretty she was. 'May we visit again?' he spoke quickly, to shake off that feeling. 'Maybe in a few days?... Perhaps you will be able to recall something else?'

'Do I need to stay here?' She turned her eyes on the doctor.

'That's necessary, I'm afraid. We need to make sure there are no side effects of your choking. You couldn't breathe for quite a while. I would also suggest hypnosis. This may help you remember.'

'In that case,' she sighed with resignation, 'I will be glad to see a non-medical face, Inspector.'

He found himself smiling in response.

As he turned to leave, the Inspector heard the doctor addressing miss Lancaster, asking about the insurance, and he grimaced; it was always about the money...

'You like her.' The female officer cast a knowing look at her partner, as they headed for the exit.

'What?' He pretended not to understand.

'And the fact that you deny it, tells me exactly how much you like her.'

'For heaven's sake, the woman was dumped at the altar and then kidnapped, with unthinkable things done to her, and you think I want to date her?!'

'That's not what I said.' She shrugged.

He turned away, grumbling, and missed her amused grin.