Cody was relieved to get out of there. Ruby was crying and bleeding all over the place. Stupid bitch. He didn’t even do anything. It wasn’t his fault she whacked her head. If she’d been tied properly in the first place, none of this would have happened. But as usual, his dad changed the rules. Allowing himself to be coerced and manipulated by a pretty face and a decent pair of tits. That fucking Ruby was taking liberties—she deserved all she got.
He drove at breakneck speed on along the country roads, once again, forcing himself to slow down as he approached the town.
A police car was parked outside Ruby’s house.
Cody sat in the car gripping the steering wheel until he had the courage to go inside.
The door opened as he approached and Scarlett stepped backwards allowing him to enter. “Any luck?” she asked.
“Yes, actually.”
“Come through, Cody,” Sharon called from the lounge.
The two police officers, one a plain-looking woman in her twenties and the other, a square-shaped middle-aged man, sat side by side on the sofa. Both got to their feet when he entered.
Cody noticed the stupid little dog lying on a mat beside the hearth. It started growling when it spotted Cody and its entire body began to quiver. Cody tried to ignore him.
“This is Cody, the one I was telling you about,” Sharon informed the officers. “Sorry, Cody, I don’t know your surname...”
“Strong. Cody Strong.”
The officers nodded at Cody before sitting back down.
“Thanks,” Sharon continued. “Cody was the last person to see Ruby in the early hours of this morning.”
“We believe there was an altercation last night,” the female officer said. “Did you manage to find out the name of the man who attacked you?”
“I did, yes. His name’s Peter Cross. Apparently he lives on the Mayor Estate.”
She scribbled something onto a pad. “Where do you live, Mr Strong?”
“Twenty-two Fernleigh Street. I share a flat with two others.”
“And can you tell me what time you left Ruby and where you went afterwards?”
“Of course. Apparently the neighbour knows the exact time I dropped her off. Then I went to Jed’s bar.”
“Can anybody confirm this?”
“Why are you asking me this? Do you think I had something to do with her going missing?”
We just need to establish your whereabouts at this stage, sir. Nothing for you to worry about,” the male officer said, in a hoarse, gravelly voice.
“Well, I saw a few friends—Roger Bell, from the butchers on the high street, and Joan Davies, the barmaid. There were others too.”
“That should be enough for now. How long did you stay there?” the female officer asked.
“An hour or so. Not long really.”
“And then what did you do?”
“Went home. My flatmates can vouch for me. I didn’t go out again after that.”
“Okay, thank you, sir.”
She turned back to Sharon.
“We’ll make some enquiries, but at this stage I’d say there’s nothing to worry about. I’m sure she’ll show up before too long.”
“No! You’re wrong. Something’s happened to her. I know—I know it…”
“There’s no sign of a struggle or a break in. Nobody saw or heard anything. The house was all locked up.”
“Yes. But her keys are still here.”
“Maybe she had a spare,” the policeman said.
“I took her only spare, plus her phone’s still here. Honestly, she never goes anywhere without it.”
The female officer got to her feet. “Leave it with us. We’ll check out this Peter Cross character and get back to you shortly. In the meantime, if she should show up, please let us know right away.”
The policeman stood up and turned back to Cody. “Cody Strong? You’re not related to Steven Strong by any chance are you?”
“Yes. He’s my dad.”
“Ah, so it was your mother who vanished from her home up near Melody Falls years ago?”
“Yes, that’s right.” Cody struggled to maintain an even tone while he could hear his heartbeat thumping in his ears.
“Where’s your dad living these days?”
“Same place. He’s never moved.”
“Still up on the hill there? A bit too remote for me, but a stunning spot. Tell him Officer Croydon said hi.”
He clapped Cody roughly on the back.
They left, and Cody thought he might vomit with relief. He’d never been so nervous in the whole of his life.
After seeing the officers out, Scarlett came back into the lounge and sat on the carpet beside her mum. “So what now?”
“Why won’t they take me seriously? I have a bad feeling about this.” Sharon poked at the inside corners of her eyes.
“They will, Mum. They just need to wait a little longer.”
“At least Cody got that guy’s details. Let’s hope they pay him a visit right away.”
“Shall I make us all a coffee?” Cody asked, feeling claustrophobic in the tiny room.
“Thanks, that’ll be nice.” Sharon smiled, her eyes were full of unshed tears.
Cody had reached the door when Scarlett cried, “Baxter! What the hell’s the matter with you?” Cody almost jumped out of his skin at the raised voice. His nerves were frazzled. He shot out of the room. The conversation followed him down the hallway.
“Look, Mum. He’s peed again—in his bed this time.”
“Put him outside. I’ve got enough on my mind without having to worry about a dirty, bloody dog,” Sharon said.
In the kitchen, Cody busied himself making coffee. Scarlett eased past him, holding the dog at arm’s length and threw it into the yard.
“Ruby keeps her coffee in the tea canister in the cupboard,” she said.
“Thanks. I found it.”
“Did you? It took me half an hour to find it this morning and I only found it in the end when I decided to have tea instead.” She laughed.
Shit! Cody thought. He’d also spent ages the night before trying to find the coffee. If he wasn’t careful, they would be questioning if he had actually been inside the house before today.
Scarlett didn’t seem in the least suspicious. She prattled on about instant coffee being just as good as real coffee.
He nodded, agreeing with her completely.
Scarlett took her mug from him and Cody carried the other two mugs through to the lounge.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” Sharon said as he handed one to her.
“Oh, hang on. What’s that on your cheek? Is it blood?”
Cody froze.
Sharon rubbed a thumb across his cheek. “It is blood!”
“I had another nosebleed earlier,” he said. “I haven’t had a nosebleed since I was a kid, that guy must have caused some damage.”
“You’d better get it checked out,” she said.
He gave an internal sigh. Fuck, this was getting too close for comfort.
Cody spent the rest of the day there, eating chocolate chip cookies and drinking copious amounts of coffee.
The police finally returned just as it was going dark.
The female officer took the lead once again. “We’ve ruled out Peter Cross. He’s a nasty piece of work, just as you described, Mr Strong. But after assaulting you, he was arrested for assaulting another young man. He spent the night in a cell.”
“We’ve also checked your alibi and they all confirm your version of events.”
“Someone called Kath is still waiting at your flat,” the male officer said, raising one eyebrow at Cody.
Cody was relieved they didn’t say any more in front of Sharon.
Once the police had left, Cody also left for home, promising to return at first light if Ruby still hadn’t shown up.
He practically skipped to his car.