**For authors notes, disclaimer etc see chapter 1**
Seven Days and Counting 8
"Ok so the main suspects at the time where John Fletcher and Professor Styles;" Gerry said attaching pictures of both people to a newly cleared section of the incident board as Jack finished the phone call he was making.
"And we can't discount James Farlow himself he might have been old but he was vicious enough." Brian added as Jack joined them shaking his head.
"We can discount him I just spoke to his solicitor he's been in the London Metropolitan Hospital for the last month with severe phenomena they don't think he's going to last so he hasn't been running around abducting anyone." He said, venom dripping from his words as Gerry and Brian exchanged concerned glances knowing there was more to be said there but right now they had to focus on Sandra.
"Ok so that leaves us Fletcher and Styles." Brian sighed looking at the pictures and shaking his head firmly. "This isn't something I can see Styles being involved with. I mean she was a whack job but a very particular sort of whack job if it was Scampi we were looking for instead of Sandra she'd be our woman but this isn't her style. Fletcher on the other hand; when he came here to "confess" to the dog murders he hated her by the time he left."
"What's happening I got Jack's message." Strickland interrupted entering the office and looking at the table and incident board as Gerry filled him in and Jack played back the tape of Sandra's phone call. "Right I'll get on to the switchboard and see if they can trace that call and you'll need to talk to Fletcher."
"Me and Brian will go talk to him." Jack said quickly before Gerry could speak. He knew that if there as even a hint the Fletcher might be behind this Gerry wouldn't be able to control himself and that was the last thing any of them needed.
"Ok well you go do that and Gerry we'll keep going through this and see if there's anyone else we should be looking at." Strickland agreed shuffling the case file around as Jack and Brian left the room.
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Sometimes people say a hot shower can solve anything right now I wish that were true but at least I have some hope now, maybe this will be the last one I have in this god awful room. Right now I'd give anything to be at home in a hot bath with Gerry bringing me a glass of wine and washing my back. God it feel like months since I last seen him instead of 4 days I never knew it was possible to miss someone so much and hearing his voice earlier and hearing how concerned he was has only made it worse.
Jesus Christ where did he come from? I've turned around to reach for the towel and he's standing at the bathroom door watching me. Shit he's creepy as I grab the towel and quickly wrap it around myself staring at him in shock.
"Relax Sandra it won't be long until I can look at you all I want I was just enjoying a preview. A couple of hours and we'll be into day 5 with no sign of your knights in shining armour. I'll leave you to get sorted sleep well it'll not be long before it's all over I promise."
He's gone again and I'm actually shaking as I lean back against the wall to steady myself. God I hope he's right and this is almost over but unlike him I hope it ends the right way and the boys are on their way already.
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"This guy Fletcher is a real piece of work Jack if he has her god knows what he'll do or might already have done." Brian said quietly filling the heavy silence in the car as they drove toward Fletchers home.
"Yeah I know let's not say that to Gerry eh? He's so close to the edge right now it'll not take much to push him over." Jack agreed trying to push the unwanted images from his mind. "Have you heard from Esther how did she get on today?"
"Yeah she says it went ok, she brought home clothes and bedding and stuff to wash and she says she'll take it all back in the morning then the place should be back to normal." Brian replied shaking his head to remove the images of Sandra's home. "She's going to bring us all something to eat later so you can ask her then but I think she's got it covered."
Pulling up outside Fletchers home they stared at each other for a second both clearly wondering if they were going to knock the door and have found her as they got out of the car.
"Mr Fletcher? Jack Halford UCOS." Jack said firmly a moment later when John Fletcher opened his door. "We've not met but I think you know my colleague Brian Lane."
"Oh yes what is it? Someone else bumping off mutts are they?" Fletcher spat looking at Brian contempt in his gaze "Sorry to disappoint you but not guilty again!"
"We're not here about dogs this time." Brian replied "we're here about a person now how about we talk about this inside instead of on your doorstep."
"A person? God here as me thinking you lot were only interested in animals." Fletcher scoffed standing aside and letting them in. "So who's the lucky human being warranting your time and why would I have anything to do with it? I like people remember its only dogs I can't stand!"
"When you decided to "confess" in our original case you were interviewed by Mr Lane and DS Pullman." Jack said once they had got inside and he watched Brian take in their surroundings.
"Yeah the blond, she was a right bitch I'm surprised you haven't brought her with you does she actually let you out alone, not worried dementia might kick in and you'll forget your way home?" Fletcher replied the hatred in his tone making the hairs on the back of Jack's neck stand on edge as Brian asked to use the bathroom and was told it was at the top of the stairs.
"She's busy at the minute and she was a big fan of yours too." Jack snapped as Brian left the room. "Can you tell me where you were between 10pm on Monday night and 8am on Tuesday morning?"
"Ah see much as I'd like to give you a result to take back to she who must be obeyed I'm afraid I can't." Fletcher smiled "I only flew home yesterday from ten days in Corfu I can even provide you with tickets, boarding passes, my passport, people who saw me, so you'll have to tell Blondie she'll need to find some other way to fit me up."
"We'll be checking all that out Mr Fletcher don't go anywhere in the meantime." Jack replied as Brian came back into the room and took his cue to leave.
"There was nothing upstairs." Brian said when they were safely back in the care and pulling away from the house.
"He's not our guy." Jack sighed "He hates Sandra but then men like him always hate beautiful women, but he's too sure of himself. If we'd said it was her that was missing he'd have found it hilarious but he didn't take her."
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"How are you three holding up?" Strickland asked as he and Gerry continued going through the files they were lifting from the box.
"We're not." Gerry replied refusing to meet the other man's eyes "but we don't need to hold up we need to find her, I don't expect you to understand I know you've never really got what this unit means to all of us."
"That's not true if I didn't understand how you all work I'd have told the three of you to go home four days ago and handed this over to CID." Strickland sighed reaching for the bottle of scotch still sitting on Jack's desk and pouring some into two cups before handing one to Gerry. "I know you all think of me as some sort of ogre who lives to make your lives more difficult but I understand what you have here and I know how much she means to you three. I know that nobody would work harder or put more effort into finding her that's why you're doing it and nobody else!"
"Yeah well we appreciate it." Gerry replied rooting around in the bottom of the box before pulling out an audio tape and scanning it for a label. "Look at this there's no label on it but it looks like an interview tape."
"Strange but you're right it looks like one of ours."
"Fletcher's not our guy." Jack said loudly interrupting them as he and Brian returned to the office and Gerry held up the tape.
"Any idea what this might be?" He asked as Jack took it from him "It's not labelled but it was in the Farlow evidence box."
"No idea." Jack replied shrugging as he reached for the tape player on this desk. "But let's find out."