Something In The Air

Chapter 7 - Lost And Found

When Maddox next regained awareness it was like crawling out from a deep dark pit in the ground - the journey was painfully slow and at no point was he ever certain he would make it. When he finally broke through to the surface and opened his eyes, it was to a horrific headache and his mobile phone blaring incessantly somewhere nearby. Through the smog that currently filled his head, he vaguely recognised the sound of his ringtone and briefly flirted with the idea of trying to answer it. However, when he tried to move, his whole body groaned in protest. His head was an iron anchor and refused to budge when he told it to. It could have been seconds but equally it could have been hours before the phone finally returned to quiet and something reminiscent of peace was restored. Maddox closed his eyes and slipped into the murky depths of his subconsciousness once more.

It was impossible to tell how long he was asleep for, but at one point he was dreaming of hurtling tube trains and falling from great heights, the next he was alert in bed. He took a deep breath and mentally-steeled himself for the challenge ahead. It was toiling work, but this time his muscles responded to his motor commands and he was able to sit up and look around. He spotted his mobile phone down by the foot of the bed, half-smothered by the quilt. Gingerly, he leaned over and retrieved it.

The screen – which Maddox noticed with dismay had acquired a fresh crack in the bottom right corner since yesterday evening - informed him that he had a new message from Megan asking if he'd made any further progress on the case. With his forehead pounding, he looked round the room and concluded that the only progress he'd made since their last phone call was in destroying his liver. There was also a voicemail, but this time it didn't say who it was from. Suspecting it might be Leon checking to see whether he was still alive, Maddox brought the voicemail up and pressed play.

"One new message...

"Hello Hugo, it's Christos. Something arrived in the post today that I think you should know about. It concerns my wife. Ring me back when you get this."

The voicemail ended and Maddox immediately listened to it one more time before deleting it. He frowned, wondering what this mysterious letter or parcel could possibly be. For a few moments he feared it might be something sinister, like an amputated finger or a lock of Sophie's hair stained in blood. But firstly, it didn't fit in with his theory that she'd simply run away and also Christos' tone of voice hadn't been appropriate. If it had been something sinister, Maddox would have expected to hear more than a tinge of horror or fear, but instead he had been calm and matter-of-fact, almost as if he wasn't really bothered.

Maddox considered calling back straightaway, but he felt like he still wasn't in the correct state of mind to start thinking and analysing to any great depth, so instead refreshed himself under a cold shower and restored his energy levels with a large lunch before returning back to his phone. With his hangover now all but gone, he redialled Christos' number and stared pensively out of the kitchen window as he waited.

"Hugo, is that you?"

"Yes, it is. I just listened to your voicemail, Christos. It sounds as if you might have something important for me."

"I do. It arrived in the post this morning - a letter from Greenwich Borough Council."

"Greenwich... that's where Sophie works."

"That's right. I opened it and it's a parking fine for Charlton Car Park, registered to Sophie's vehicle and dating back to last Monday – the day she disappeared. According to the letter, the vehicle is still there now despite numerous tickets on the windscreen, so the value of the fine is ongoing rather than a fixed amount."