Chapter 4

She wiped the tears from her cheeks with both palms and pushed herself onto her feet she needed to think straight, think what to do next. After pacing up and down the room for a few minutes she tried to regulate her breathing but her chest still felt incredibly tight making her feel light headed despite this she steadied herself, took a deep breath saying over and over "It's gonna be ok….he is gonna to be ok." She ran through to the closet and grabbed Charles' passport from the safe, leaving the room she had decided her first move was to go downstairs to the lobby and check if anyone had seen him.

She walked straight toward the check in desk first and asked both the receptionists if they had seen him…nothing. She quickly moved toward the concierge he had seen them coming and going so would recognise Charles, again nothing. He sensed the panic in Molly and could see that she was looking pale and increasingly disoriented her breathing become more erratic, he recognised the signs of a panic attack and led her over to a seat running and grabbing one of the paper lunch bags he kept under the concierge desk he then grabbed both of her hands making direct eye contact "What's your name Mam?" Molly was panting but managed a very shaky "Molly" he lifted her chin so that she maintained eye contact "Ok Molly I am Derek now I want you to take this bag and hold it to your mouth and try breathing more slowly ok?" Molly eyes were widening in fear but she nodded, took the bag and did as he said. After a few minutes she could feel the tightness in her chest releasing and her breathing slowing down she took the bag away from her mouth "Thanks, I thought I was going to have a heart attack." He got up from kneeling in front of her and took a seat beside her. "Ok Molly I want you to relax, keep breathing and tell me slowly what has happened."

Molly began explaining the events of the day to Derek and the tears came again as she got to the part where she had last seen Charles looking back at her as he left the picnic field. Derek listened intently "Ok Molly we are going to contact the Police and they will come and talk to you about this" Molly looked anxious again so he held onto her hand "The Police will be able to help us call around the hospitals in case your husband" Molly Interrupted "He's not my husband, he is my boyfriend…he is the love of my life…what if he's…I can't lose him….I nearly lost him once before….it can't…." Derek stopped her "Listen Molly you need to relax, I know this is hard but you need to try and keep calm for me ok?"

As the two Police officers left the hotel lobby Derek took Molly back up to her room. "I want you to try and get some rest Molly and if you need anything, anything at all you just pick up that phone there and dial 121." He pulled the hotel door too and left her staring around the empty hotel room she walked over toward the doors to the terrace opened them wide and stepped out into the cold air, the light was starting to fade as she looked out over the city tears burning in her eyes that were sore from crying so much. She held her arms around herself and sobbed praying that he was still out there alive somewhere.

She sat on the bed waiting all night she kept trying his phone it was now going straight to voicemail like it had been switched off or the battery had died, she clung on to the latter option. She was startled by loud knocking on the hotel room door, she was bolt upright in seconds and dashed to the door, tearing it open " Char….thank…god" except it wasn't him it was the two Police officers from earlier. "Mam may we come in" she moved to the side to let them come into the room and then followed behind them. "Mam we need you to take a seat please" Molly was feeling dizzy again this wasn't good news when they asked you to sit down she wanted to stay standing but felt that if she didn't sit down she may soon fall down because she couldn't feel her legs, there was a growing numbness that was slowly enveloping her entire being , their words began to echo like her head was in a fishbowl everything was in slow motion "Mam we need you to come with us, we are sorry to tell you that we have found a body that matches the description of your boyfriend. " Molly screamed "No…..No…..No."

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She was led into a room it looked familiar and then it came to her it was exactly the same as the Mortuary room in Bastion, long rows of steel doors she walked with the officers and a man in scrubs to the far end of the room where they stopped in front of one of the lower doors. The man in scrubs opened the door and slid out a gurney covered with a white sheet. One of the Police officers looked at Molly "Are you ready Mam?" she stared at the white sheet and could see the outline of a face pressed against it she could feel the bile rising in her stomach and before she could stop it she turned away and vomited on the floor. The Officer stepped forward to help her "Do you need a moment Mam?" Molly wiped her mouth on her sleeve "No" she blurted it out with a defiant tone. The man in scrubs pulled back the sheet slowly Molly fixed her gaze as the face behind the sheet was revealed to her, she was frozen staring at him, he looked like he was asleep, she stepped back "It's not him" she gasped "It's not Charles."

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He stumbled along the alleyway feeling cold, he could see a group of men at the end huddled around something burning he moved toward them maybe they would be able to tell him where he was.