Hii! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who read and voted for my story! :) Sorry for taking very long to update chapter 7, I have been extremely busy with work.
I will also be slowly editing all the previous chapters as they are in dire need of slight changes, I actually cringe when I read them back to myself! If you have any suggestions to make it better, please do share :)
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Jeanne parked her bright white and green car outside of Emily's school and walked into the reception. The weather was gloomy, rain spitting down looking like tiny dots on the grey floor.
She greeted Sophie who told her Dean would be coming soon to visit her. She took a seat in a big round blue chair and leisurely looked around the modern looking reception.
Half an hour later, Dean decided to make an arrival, looking all red and puffed in the face. He shut the door after him and made his way to Jeanne, "I'm so sorry officer for being this late, unfortunately I had to deal with some troublesome kids who wouldn't stop pestering me," he breathed out heavily.
"No problem,"Jeanne reassured waving her hand, feeling quite sorry for his state in appearance.
"I'm guessing Paul has talked to you about why I'm here?"
Dean nodded, "Of course, I'll take you to Hannah, if you don't mind me asking is she in any trouble at all?"
Jeanne immediately replied, "No no, nothing like that at all, just a talk that's all."
"Ah, follow me then."
Dean led Jeanne to a boisterous classroom and waited patiently outside. She could hear laughter and Dean shouting at them to be quiet as an officer was standing outside. Yeah...they still didn't listen.
A few minutes later Dean exited the classroom with Hannah following behind. The headmaster forcefully shut the door waggling a finger at the students through the window in the door.
Dean moved to one side so Jeanne could greet the child properly. She spoke kindly, "Hello Hannah, my names Jeanne and I would like to have a chat with you."
Hannah gazed warily at her then smiled slowly, "Ok...Jeanne."
"Well I'll take you both to a private room so you can have a nice chat." Dean exclaimed clasping his hands together.
Jeanne followed Dean to a small room where a few wooden tables and chairs were placed inside. The officer and Hannah walked into the cold room and Dean closed the door shut. Jeanne sat down in a chair and motioned for Hannah to sit opposite her. She sat down gingerly on the cold chair, hands folded in her lap.
Jeanne spoke first, "So Hannah, how are you?"
"I'm fine," she timidly answered.
"That's good, I'm guessing you're friends with Emily aren't you?"
She nodded a yes.
Jeanne decided to approach the subject carefully as she did not want Hannah to be on the defensive, "I wanted to ask if you have anything you would like to tell me about Emily or anything at all perhaps?"
"No Miss," Hannah replied a bit too quickly and started to fidget with her hands, making nervous eye contact with the police officer.
"Are you sure?" Jeanne noted how anxious she was.
Hannah looked into her eyes searching for something, then turning them away from her, "Yes, I'm sure."
She's hiding something, she's been fidgeting with her hands all that time. I guess I have to say it directly.
Jeanne decided to use tactic number two, "Hannah, if you have any information on Emily, even the slightest detail, please do share as we can find her as early as possible." She emphasized on any.
Hannah clenched her fists underneath the table, "I..."
"You asked for help on the camera when you were walking home the day Emily went missing. What was that about?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," She replied with normality looking at the wall behind Jeanne.
"Well I do have the CD and pictures with me to show you if you still don't know," Hannah's eyes widened slightly before they returned to normal. She gulped visibly.
"You were walking home with a friend and then you mouthed help as if you were scared of something."
Hannah was silent.
Jeanne sighed, "Is there anything you would like to say?"
Still silent.
Tactic number three. "Do you want Emily to be found or not?"
Hannah was angry, her personality changing in a split second, "Of course I do she's my best friend. Look I don't know anything about where Emily is or what happened to her!"
A moment of silence passed creating heavy tension between the two.
"Ok, I'm sorry Hannah. You can go now."Jeanne stated softly as she realized Hannah wasn't going to tell her anything.
Hannah looked surprised, all anger vanishing. She carefully got out the seat and walked towards the door uncertainly. She turned back to look at Jeanne who was watching her with a sad smile and hurriedly walked out. Jeanne rested her head in her hands staring at the empty seat in front of her.
What now? I failed my task, but what if she actually didn't know anything. I could looking too deeply into this.
Jeanne was now walking back to her police car, irritation clearly showing on her face. She suddenly caught sight of a girl with a black hoodie in the trees ahead of her. Jeanne walked over to see but the girl ran out the school.
Who is that?
Jeanne quickly jogged after her catching a glimpse of the girl running into a back alley. The officer then ran as fast as she could and finally after a few twists and turns, she was surprised to see the teenager waiting for her, cheeks slightly red from all the running in the freezing air.
The girl looked around rapidly speaking heavily, "I'm sorry for leading you here, but I've got a message from Hannah."
Hannah?
"What is it?" Jeanne questioned, quite confused at the sudden changes.
The girl answered, "She wants you to meet her at the park up the road at 12:15, and she said to come alone." The girl ran off before Jeanne could ask anything else, her hand reaching out towards her.
So that means Hannah was faking it but why?
I'll get my answers soon enough.
She was without doubt hiding something big, something she couldn't say in the school. Was she afraid of being heard? Well whatever the case was, what was she going to do until then, feed the ducks?
She walked back out the alley and onto the main road. She caught sight of a postman and quickly checked her phone for a message.
"DELIVERY LEFT WITH NEIGHBOR ADAM AT 9:15."
She sighed with relief as she knew her post would be safe with the neighbor and not left out on the porch begging to be stolen. She walked around the area, hands behind her and waving at the elderly people who decided to stop there to have a chat with Jeanne.
After an awkward chat about her personal life, she was glad the elderly group decided to move on from her to someone else. She found a small corner shop at the end of the road and walked in.
The familiar sound of the bell tinkling resounded throughout the shop causing the lady shopkeeper to pop in from the back door. She appreciated the cleanliness and how organized the shop was.
She greeted the lady now working at the till and roamed around looking for a chocolate bar and an energy drink. She then paid for her items and waited for her change from the note given. Humming to herself, her eyes landed on a picture sitting on a small table.
In the old picture there was a joyful Maria smiling genuinely and her arms were around her husband. The shop lady followed her gaze, her voice shaking Jeanne out of her daze.
"That was my brother and his wife."
Jeanne stuttered apologetically, "S-sorry, I didn't mean to look, it's because I've met the lady in the photo, she looks so much happier here."
"No worries dear," she replied pleasantly, sadness slowly creeping into her aging voice, "That's what they all say. She was a very cheerful lady once but she changed when he died."
The lady's smile dropped but was held again. "He was severely ill with cancer for a very long time so he had to be hospitalized. My sister-in-law was becoming depressed and after he passed away she locked herself away from everyone, even me."
"But while he was in the hospital, strange things happened in there. Two of the nurses quit their jobs when they were looking after him and one even committed suicide!"
She gazed into Jeanne's eyes sorrowful eyes, "I have been trying to find out what happened to him, but no one will tell me, not even Maria. They say it's classified but I have a right to know about my brother don't I?" She whispered near the end.
"You're from the police aren't you," she spoke while looking at the officer's uniform, "You can find some information from the hospital can't you?"
Jeanne could not refuse the tiny glimmering hope in the lady's greying eyes. Why wasn't she allowed to know about her brother anyway? She was from the police and if they weren't going to help her who would?
"Sure thing, if you give me your details I can ring ya when I've got some information."
The lady's beam caused Jeanne to smile back at her. Her shaking hands quickly got a pen and paper and wrote: 'John's Private Medical Hospital, patient: Mathew Benedict, phone number: 07700 900205'.
Jeanne gracefully tucked the crinkled paper into a pocket in her jacket, "Maria never told me about having any relatives and as far I know she hates all children."
The shop keeper clenched her pen tighter, "She blames me for his death, my own husband died a few months before Mathew did in a work accident. She said it was because of him and me her husband died. Whenever I tried to ask her why she went quiet and walked out the room. For the children, she doesn't hate them, she can't face their blissful expressions while she's in mourning, even after all these years. "
She took a deep breath, "I don't know what to do, she's all alone in this world with no one to support her. While I have my children, she has no one. No matter how much she hates me, I can't help but be worried about her." Her bottom lip trembled as she talked.
"I'm really sorry for what happened to you," Jeanne spoke softly laying her warm hands over hers. "I'll make sure to find out what happened to your brother."
"Thank you officer." Her eyes held admiration for Jeanne who wondered how she was going to fulfill the lady's request.
"No problem, well I must get going now, so I'll see you soon."
"Goodbye officer."
Jeanne stepped out the shop and found a quiet place to sit down. There was more to Maria than what she showed to the world. Why on earth would she hide information about her husband from his sister? Maria puzzled her in more ways than one which was begging to be unpicked like a surgeon with a dead body.
She took out her phone and typed in the hospital's name and waited for the results to show. The hospital was quite a while away and would take some time to reach there. She could only visit later in the evening when she was back at the station.
Looking at her watch it was now 11:45, so she had half an hour at least to reach the park.
She strolled slowly back to the school, past the eyesore of an entrance, to the park up the road. She spotted the small serene park, a place of tranquility and calmness.
Empty patches once full of colourful flowers dotted the whole area, but it still did not lower the natural beauty of the park. The smell of fresh grass coaxed her tension filled body into peace. She found Hannah sitting on the bench playing with the ducks that were waddling around her.
Hannah heard her footsteps which were scraping the tiny stones on the ground. She looked up to her and immediately stood up bowing her head, "I-I'm really s-sorry for my early behaviour but I had reasons for my actions."
Jeanne was stumped at how Hannah had changed her attitude, right now she was this meek girl who was very ashamed of her earlier actions.
So this is the real Hannah.
"I may forgive you if you tell me the truth," she teased Hannah, trying to cheer her up. The blonde looked up to simper at the officer.
"Ok, I have to say I can't say much, only what I can tell you." Jeanne sat down on the cold bench, body facing towards Hannah. The girl started eyebrows furrowing, "I couldn't say anything in there, not while they were listening in the room."
Jeanne was confused, "What do you mean, they would be listening?"
"The school is being watched from the inside. I don't how but that's what I heard them say."Hannah answered quietly. Jeane took her time to digest this piece of information.
"Is it someone in school that kidnapped Emily?"
Hannah thought for a second, "I don't know that but all I know Maria, that old lady is involved with a few others."
And even...I can't betray my own, I'm sorry Jeanne.
Why does Maria's name keep popping up like this?
"I was walking back to my house at night and I saw a group of people in a back alley. I couldn't see their faces properly but I heard the name Emily."
She looked up to see Jeanne's eyes which were full of disbelief. "They got Emily captive somewhere and said something about giving her food on time. They gave her a book to pass the time until she's ready for some kind of rite. They kept referring to someone called He as well. They heard me moving and I ran from there. I don't think they saw me though."
The officer was stunned into silence, finding it quite hard to believe this new revelation.
"But why did you contact us like this?"Jeanne asked her voice shaking.
Hannah looked at the fast moving water captivated, as the ducks were huddled in one corner quacking loudly. "I'm not meant to tell anyone what I know only because I found out by accident. If they knew I told, then what would happen to me?"
Jeanne nodded understandingly at the girl. She had to tread around this carefully so Hannah's name did not show up anywhere. Otherwise what happened to Emily could happen to her.
"Maria rarely checks her camera, I know cause I see students chucking stones at her window and she has no clue on who actually throws it. She blames her neighbor's four year old son for it." Hannah smirked slightly.
Her phone vibrated, "I have to go! They'll notice I'm gone and ring home," Hannah realized looking at the message on her phone.
Hannah got up from the seat along with Jeanne both facing each other to bid farewell.
Before Jeanne could thank her Hannah pleaded, "Please find Emily as soon as you can, I miss her so much..." At the last few words Hannah broke down crying and Jeanne could not help but hug her and rub her back soothingly.
"Don't worry Hannah, I promise we will find Emily and make sure all her kidnappers are put behind bars. And thank you for all you help." She looked down to see Hannah wiping her tears away profusely, smiling at her.
"Thank you Jeanne, please don't tell anyone I told you. I'll get into trouble by them."
"Of course Hannah. You start making your way back to school then, and I'll hopefully see you later then."
Hannah nodded and walked back to the school at a fast pace. The wind was blowing her blonde hair in all directions amusing Jeanne as she tried holding her hair down. Her eyes widened suddenly as she nearly headed straight for a lamppost.
Jeanne sat down on the bench and made notes swiftly in her notepad.
Maria, Maria, Maria. A kind old lady who turned out to be involved with Emily's kidnapping. Right now she had to head back to the police station and talk to Paul, if he had not already left for Maria's house.
Should she call him or let him go there?
She bit her lip and decided to call him. She quickly got her phone out and dialed Paul's number. His phone was unavailable, meaning it was switched off. She sighed, all she could do now was head back to the police station and wait for Paul.
Who was He?
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