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Chapter 26

The pitter patter of keys could clearly be heard emanating from Nolan Ross's kitchen. He was frantically tapping, in an all-night redbull-fuelled frenzy. He had put trackers on Daniel and Emily's phones, but the little flashing lights had gone off. Daniel's blue one had gone out first, and Nolan thought nothing of it, until Emily's corresponding red one went out too.

He absentmindedly stroked the stubble on his chin. He'd been there, watching, for days. He hadn't taken his eyes off them. And now they were gone. He thought he'd better call the police. No, he'd go straight to Garcia. He thought she'd know what to do for sure. He reached across himself for the landline and dialled. 'Hello? This is Nolan Ross for Detective Sergeant Garcia' his voice was shakey and nervous, and Garcia could tell that he was perturbed. 'Speaking' she hastily replied, eager to once again converse with this man, whose reputation preceeded him, and whom she hadn't conversed with since he and Daniel had come so close to finding Emily, which just ended up being an exercise in futility. She had missed his dulcet tones, and it was only when he began to call her name, that she realised she had completely missed everything he'd said. 'I'm sorry, I missed that' Nolan, sounding a little exasperated replied 'Where, pray tell, did you fall off my train of thought?' Garcia, a little embarrassed, answered in a small voice; 'At, this is Nolan Ross for Detective Sergeant Garcia'.

As Victoria sat across from her smug visitor, who seemed to be revelling in the fact that she'd been incarcerated, and was presented to him, with messy hair, no makeup and was in a bright orange jumpsuit. For all Victoria could tell, he was ticked pink by her social demise. She began to wonder what on earth had brought him here? She knew for a fact that it wasn't out of affection. She giggled mentally at the thought that maybe he'd come for the tense, yet oddly thrilling atmosphere. She used the term lightly but did find it so when she'd been to visit people inside. The excitement was, however lost on her once she became a resident.

'So,' she began 'what caused you to crawl out from under your rock?' Her visitor replied with a toothy grin 'Ah! A delight, as always Victoria! Well, I couldn't stay away! What could I do but come? You know I can't resist a good story...' As Mason Treadwell's face lit up at the prospect of a sequel to his book, Victoria's was ashen at the sudden realisation that she'd become what she'd destroyed years ago. She'd become David Clarke.

She tipped back and back in the blue plastic chair, he pupils slipping back into her skull. Back, further, further, until... her world went dark.

© Sarah Egan 2013 - 2014 This story is subject to copyright and may not be copied or reproduced without the express permission of the author.