Strings (2 page)

             
‘Ray’s taking care of it. Stop worrying. Nobody will take anything from your home. They can't do that without your permission.’

             
‘I don’t want anyone touching his stuff, and I don’t trust many people right now.’ She knew it sounded as though she was being paranoid, but until Luke was found safe and well, she was on edge about everything. The police had already been to the flat to investigate and take fingerprints. The thought of strangers in their home bothered her, perhaps more than it should have. But it was their personal, private space, and it made her nervous, even though it wasn’t particularly significant at a time like this.

             
‘OK, but don't worry. They won't take anything, honey, I promise.’

             
Melissa smiled slightly as Liz returned to check her over. She liked Liz, who seemed to genuinely care for her well-being and nothing else.

             
‘Melissa, darling, the police are here to take your statement. Are you ready?’

             
‘Not really, but do I have a choice?’ Melissa asked.

             
Liz shrugged. ‘Probably best to get it over with sooner rather than later. Putting it off will only drag things out.

             
‘You’re right,’ Melissa agreed, messing with her sheets to cover herself up properly. She started to look for a mirror to check her hair and make-up, something which had become an almost unconscious habit, but she stopped herself when she thought how pointless that would be while lying in a hospital bed. But it made her realise that life in the public eye had changed her, even though in every way that mattered she was still the same girl she had always been.

*****

Two men came into the room and stood at the side of the bed. One was around fifty, with grey hair and a matching grey suit that might have fitted him twenty years ago, but was now too small to accommodate his impressive beer belly. The other was younger, probably early thirties, with short brown hair. He was much more smartly dressed in a black suit and cufflinks. Beer Belly was clearly in charge.

             
‘Miss Webb, I’m Detective Inspector Fox and this is my colleague, Detective Sergeant Noels from Thornvale CID. We are in charge of this investigation.’

             
‘Hi,’ was all Melissa could think of to say.

             
Mick stood up and shook hands, and offered them seats. ‘You might need them. I believe this is a long story.’

             
They thanked him and sat down. Their training taught them to ensure that a witness felt at ease in an interview situation – it helped them to establish trust and obtain complete and honest responses to their questions. In an investigation like this the key witness was the most valuable source of information and must be handled extremely carefully. Melissa assured them she felt well enough to be interviewed, and so they began.

             
‘Miss Webb, can you explain, in your own words, the events that led up to Mr Black's disappearance and your admission to hospital yesterday?’ DI Fox asked.

             
‘Luke. His name is Luke.’

             
DI Fox leaned forward in his chair. ‘I’m sorry. I know this is difficult, and we’ll try to make it as easy as we can for you. But you must understand that in order to find him, we need to know everything that you know. I understand that there have been some tough times between you since—’

             
Melissa cut him off before he could finish his sentence. ‘Since what?’ she snapped. ‘Since they broke my heart for entertainment? Read the magazines. They seem to know all the gory details. Ask
them
what goes on in my life!’ Tears streamed down her face. ‘It was fucking
her
! All of it! Don't bring that up. I don't want to talk about it!’ Melissa was yelling now, her fists clenched tightly. She was still hurt from their past problems; it still broke her heart to think about it, but she couldn't change it. DI Fox had touched a very raw nerve.

             
‘Darling, calm down. They’re just doing their job – don't upset yourself.’ Jean was on the other side of the bed. She grabbed her daughter’s hand, squeezing it tightly to emphasise what she was saying, then relaxed her grip when she felt the anger start to subside.

             
Melissa wiped her eyes. ‘Sorry, I didn't mean to shout at you. It just wasn’t a very nice part of our lives and I don't like talking about it. We are … I mean we were … great. We’d managed to move on from it. It’s a pity the rest of the world won't let us forget.’ She paused and took some deep breaths. ‘Please find him.’

             
She had been winding the leather bracelet round her fingers and even that upset her more. He never took it off – it was a reminder to him of where they came from; those good old days, looking for their big break, before he became the star he was now. They were ordinary people who could walk down the street without being noticed. The bracelet may not have cost much – it had been just £15.00 – but that wasn’t the point - it meant more to him than anything expensive they had now, because Melissa gave it to him.

             
She heard the door open and let out a cry as her best friend ran in, throwing her arms around her.

             
‘Liss … are you OK? Oh my God! What the hell happened? Have they found him?’               Melissa hugged her back and the tears flowed again. ‘Beth! I’m so glad you’re here. It was
her
. She tried to kill me! She said ... she said ... I can't even repeat it!’ Melissa sobbed again.

             
Beth's black curls rained down over her face, and her honey eyes were sad and angry. Her immediate instinct was the wellbeing of her best friend, and she held her tightly. She too felt full of guilt, thinking that if she hadn’t left Melissa alone, none of this would have happened. But deep down she knew that nobody could have predicted what had happened. ‘Twisted bitch! They’ll find him, I know they will.’

             
Beth’s boyfriend, Dale, hovered closely behind her, quietly greeting everyone in the room. His eyes looked tired and stressed and his long hair was tied back in its usual scruffy way.

             
Melissa broke from her best friend’s hold and reached out to him. ‘I'm so sorry. This is all my fault.’

             
Dale shook his head as he hugged her and kissed the top of her head. ‘Don’t be silly. None of this is your fault any more than it’s Beth’s.’ He warmly held the fragile girl who had become like a sister to him.

             
DI Fox leaned forward and cleared his throat. In view of the exceptional circumstances, he had allowed the intrusion to take place, even though he was trying to conduct his interview. But he was conscious that it was a crucial interview in the most time-sensitive of investigations, and he had decided that enough was enough. ‘Mr Baxter, I will need to ask you some questions as well. You’ve known Luke for … how long?’

             
‘Since we were ten. Ask me anything.’

             
‘I will, thank you, after I’ve finished speaking to Miss Webb.’

             
Dale had grown up with Luke and they had spent most of their lives together. They were brothers in all but name, and he was the closest person to Luke after Melissa.

‘
Have you found Amber? She’s a maniac and she needs to be stopped, you do understand that?’ Dale felt uneasy that someone so clearly unstable was allowed to walk the streets freely in this day and age, especially after what had happened recently.

             
Fox knew it was essential to maintain his professionalism in such an emotionally charged situation. ‘Please be assured that we’re giving this investigation every available resource, Mr Baxter. But our first priority is to find Mr Black.’

             
Melissa shivered and Dale tightened his arms around her protectively. His thick jumper and his strong arms warmed her enough to stop her shaking. Dale was like a brother to her – there was nothing to be read into this long embrace except a friend taking care of a friend. He was one of the very few people in the world she trusted. The quizzical look on Fox’s face showed what anyone else outside of their close-knit group would think, but she ignored it.

             
‘Don't look at us like that! Luke is my best friend and I would never betray him. And anyway, my girlfriend is right there!’ Dale was defensive. He was sick of the lies about Melissa. It was beyond ridiculous. On more than one occasion she had been accused of sleeping with the entire band. Yes, he thought she was attractive, but he didn't fancy her. He was in love and very happy with her best friend, who at that moment was pacing the room, looking ready to kill someone. Their glances met, and Dale gave her an ‘Are you OK?’ look.
              ‘Yes, I’m fine’, her expression silently replied.

             
‘I wasn’t looking at you like anything, Mr Baxter,’ said Fox, although he knew he had been.

             
‘Yes, you were!’ Dale snapped.

             
‘OK, I’m sorry, maybe it seemed that way, but I just noticed that you seem very close.’

             
Dale nodded, realising he had overreacted. ‘We’ve all been through a lot together. Melissa is like a sister to me, that's all, and if this was the other way round and Beth was lying in this bed, Luke would be here doing exactly the same thing. We take care of each other, all of us – we’re a family.’

             
Fox was still nodding and his younger colleague was scribbling everything down, quietly trying to look studious and professional and not the least bit excited at being involved at the centre of this hugely high-profile case. The rest of the world was on tenterhooks, wondering and speculating about what was happening in this room, and he was here, listening to it first-hand.

             
Melissa looked up at Dale like a frightened animal. ‘She could come back to finish me off … she hates me so much. I don't think she’ll rest until I’m dead.’ There was panic in her voice.

             
‘No, she won't. But if she does she’ll have to take me on first,’ Dale said, and Jean, who had been silent for a while, patted her daughter’s hand.

             
‘Nobody will let her near you again, darling,’ Jean assured her, although privately she was terrified that if they left her alone again, even for a minute, anything could happen.

             
‘That twisted little freak of nature should be in a nut house! I’ll take her down myself! Just give me two minutes with her, just two ...’ Beth quietly raged as she paced round the room, flicking her curls as she did so. She was a tough girl, on the outside anyway. She definitely ‘told it like it was’ and made no apologies for it.

             
‘What protection does she have?’ Jean asked Fox.

             
‘I’ve arranged for two officers to be outside her door at all times until we track Amber down. Now if you don’t mind, I think we’d better return to your interview. Why don’t you start from the beginning – when did you and Mr Black meet?’

             
It all seemed such a long time ago now to Melissa. But so much had happened in such a short space of time. It was like a bad dream and right now she wished she would wake up from it. She took a deep breath and began.

             
‘I met him just over twelve months ago ...’

C
ollide

September 27th 2013 

‘These guys are brilliant!’ Beth had to shout over the music so Melissa could hear her.

             
Ruby's was packed. A local band was playing, and the place was jumping. The two girls were at the front, squeezed against the barrier at the edge of the stage. It wasn't a very big stage, and the venue had an intimate feel – they could reach out and touch the lead singer if they wanted to.

             
‘Liss, stop drooling!’ Beth laughed.

             
Melissa hadn't stopped staring at him since the gig started. ‘I'm not!’ she said defensively.

             
Beth flicked her hair. ‘You totally were! Anyway have you seen
him
with the long hair? I like!’ Long messy hair was Beth’s thing.

             
‘Now who’s drooling? Anyway, will you shut up. I’m trying to listen,’ Melissa said, her attention back on the band, or on him anyway. She blushed as he looked down and caught her eye. She could have sworn he smiled just slightly before turning away and looking at his bandmate. But she thought no more of it.

             
By the time the band had finished their set, the girls were definitely fans. They agreed that they couldn't quite place them into a particular genre. Beth thought they were alternative rock, but with a little something different, edgier perhaps. Some songs were much more aggressive and rocky than others, and some were softer with an acoustic touch. But all had more than a little attitude to them. The front man was an incredible guitarist, and they worked well together as a group. This band were clearly more than just a group of mates messing around – they were good. But it was definitely his voice that drew you in, commanding your attention. It was raspy but strong – even when the music was full-on, he sounded as though it was no effort at all. This band were unique, and the girls were hooked.

             
‘That was epic!’ Melissa gushed as they made their way to the bar. It was crowded after the show, and when they’d eventually got their drinks, they headed outside for a smoke. The smoking area was already busy but they found a space, lit their cigarettes and sipped their wine.

             
‘Have you heard from him?’ Beth asked.

             
Melissa had recently split with her boyfriend, Shaun, who she’d been with for eight months. He was a nice guy, but he was a bit boring and just didn't ‘light her fire’ as Beth put it. Melissa had been unhappy for a while but was afraid of hurting him because he hadn't done anything wrong. In fact he couldn't do enough for her. But the bottom line was that she didn't love him or want to be with him.

             
Beth had told her over and over, ‘Just tell him. It’ll hurt him no matter when or how you do it.’ Beth didn’t particularly like him, but she felt that Melissa had dragged it out longer than she should have, and it wasn’t fair. He didn’t excite her in or out of the bedroom, and that, ultimately, meant it couldn’t last. But Melissa couldn't tell him that. She wasn't a heartless person, but she didn’t want to be with someone who couldn't satisfy her. Her previous boyfriend, Leon, had satisfied her, but he was an arrogant jerk, who she discovered was also satisfying half of Portsmouth when he was supposed to be with her. She felt as though she couldn't win.

             
Beth was having no luck on the romantic front either. She’d been on a few dates recently, but none of them were right for her. They were either too clingy, came with baggage, or loved themselves way too much. She was supposed to be meeting one of them that night but had cancelled at the last minute. It hadn't gone down well. ‘If it isn't working, it isn't working. He’s not for me, so no point pretending otherwise,’ she said before downing her drink and checking her phone.

             
Beth loved Twitter and would tweet everything. Melissa was more of a ‘tweet when it really matters’ kind of girl. They chatted about what to do for the rest of the weekend, and how good the band were, before moving on to the more pressing business of who was going to get through the scrum at the bar to buy the next round.

             
‘They were really good – what were they called?’ Melissa asked.

             
Beth shrugged, unable to remember.

*****

       ‘We smashed it tonight!’ Dale said, patting his best friend on the shoulder to congratulate him as they returned to the dingy backstage room which was their staging area for the evening. Another band were just leaving, ready to take to the stage.

             
The manager of the club came in to thank them for the show, and handed Luke their fee – the princely sum of two hundred pounds, which would pay for their drinks for the rest of the night. Luke high-fived Dale, his oldest friend and the band’s rhythm guitarist, then placed his guitar on its stand. Toby, the band’s drummer bounded in after them, shouting about drinking shots and getting wasted.

             
Everyone was in high spirits after one of their best gigs yet. But then Tom, the bass player, sighed as he noticed that the ‘two shadows’ were back. He looked at Luke, frustrated, but all Luke could do was return the look and shrug his shoulders. He glanced over at the two girls sitting in the corner, lying in wait for their prey. Luke wasn’t happy that they were there either. They had seemed OK at first, and the band had initially been flattered by the attention. After all, these were their first ‘fans’ and as a new and aspiring band, fans were what they needed. Jenny wasn't that bad, although Luke had a feeling that she didn't want to be there any more than the band wanted them around. But she wasn’t really the problem. Luke could feel the other girl’s eyes on him. They were like lasers, and she was becoming more than a minor irritation.

             
‘Amber, you’re not welcome, go home,’ Dale said pointedly, but Amber ignored him and continued to look at Luke, who was busy trying to pretend she wasn’t there. She smiled and called him over. He didn't want anything to do with her but she continued to follow him around. Quite how they’d managed to get backstage he wasn’t sure, but he knew that it was much easier for girls who could flirt with security and flash a bit of leg to get what they wanted. Luke wasn't a nasty person and didn't want to hurt her feelings, but he was beginning to lose patience.

             
‘She’s a bit weird if you ask me. How many times do you have to tell her to do one before she gets the message?’ Tom whispered, as he opened two beers and passed one to Luke.

             
The band were growing increasingly tired of Amber, and if they were honest, her presence was becoming almost creepy. It was the way she watched Luke, as though she owned him and anyone who took his attention away from her was committing an offence. She was glaring at Tom now, and he was uncomfortably aware of it. He could feel her glare burning the back of his head like a laser. Luke continued trying to pretend she wasn't there, but it wasn’t working very well. He resolved that he wasn't going to encourage her, and if she wanted to sit there and make herself look like an idiot, that was her choice. He definitely wasn't going to talk to her because that would be accepting her presence. It was becoming a very awkward situation, he thought, and one that needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later. He just wasn’t sure how to go about it. Right now, he just wanted to get pissed.

             
Dale wanted to go for a cigarette and see if he could find the girl he’d spotted in the front row earlier. He thought she was hot, and Luke wasn’t going to argue. It was a good excuse to get out of the room.

             
‘Did you see her mate? Stunning!’ Luke said and gave a wolf whistle. They all laughed and Luke admitted she’d almost put him off – she had the most amazing eyes.

             
‘Wow, nothing ever puts you off!’ Dale was shocked by this admission because his best friend was never distracted when they were playing. He got himself into “the zone” before they went on, and stayed there until they left the stage. Although they were an amateur band, his approach was extremely professional, and he set a perfect example for the rest of the band.

             
Dale declared that if they had almost distracted Luke from ‘the zone’, the girls had to be found because they must be special. Then, as though fate wanted to prove him right, they opened the stage door to go outside and almost collided with them.

             
‘Sorry, excuse us,’ Luke said as he jumped out of the way of the dark-haired girl.                Beth also tried to step out of his way as the rest of his group walked past. She caught the eye of the long-haired guitarist and winked at him. Her heart fluttered a little as he smiled back. It was unusual because Beth didn’t usually get flutters. She was quite hard to please, and she definitely knew what she wanted. Melissa side-stepped in the doorway, letting the band’s singer past. He looked at her, catching her eye. He held the look a few seconds longer than was needed, and smiled warmly at her.

             
‘Thanks,’ he said, and walked on towards a group of people they knew.

             
Luke couldn’t help but take one more quick glance back at the girl who had mesmerised him twice in one night. He decided there and then that she was going to be his before the night was over. He watched as a guy approached her and asked for a light for his cigarette in an attempt to start a conversation with her. The guy clearly had a lighter in his back pocket – Luke had watched him put it there as he walked over. Strangely, he felt uneasy about her talking to someone else. He knew it was a ridiculous feeling to have because he didn’t even know the girl, but he knew that he wanted to change that. She is beautiful, he thought. The girl lit the guy’s cigarette but showed no further interest. After the guy had returned to his friends and stared at her for a few minutes, he gave up and moved his attention to another target. Luke felt relieved.

             
‘He is
so
checking you out!’ Beth teased, once they were out of earshot.

             
Melissa knew that Beth was now on a matchmaking mission, and when she was set on something, it was a waste of time trying to talk her out of it. ‘Beth, don't start with your cupid stuff, not tonight!’ she moaned.

             
‘Oh be quiet. Look, you get with him and I get with his mate. It’s just meant to be! Look at him!’ Beth wouldn't listen to reason now, her claws were out, ready for her prey, and Dale was that prey. Melissa laughed to herself, thinking, ‘poor guy!’
,
but she knew her friend wasn’t a man-eater. Beth just didn't hang around waiting for things to happen. She decided what she wanted, and she went for it – that was just how she worked. Sometimes Melissa wished she could be a bit more like that. But at the same time it made her feel slightly uncomfortable when she was dragged along by Beth’s unstoppable momentum.

             
‘You know my motto, babe.’ Beth flicked her cigarette away.               

             
‘Yes ... get on with it, you might be dead tomorrow.’

             
Beth grinned at her. She wouldn't be swayed. They heard loud shouts and shrieks from some of the band who had started play fighting, attracting quite an audience. It was the usual behaviour you expect when you put young men and beer together – ‘peacocking’ Beth called it. They knew people were watching as they tried to outdo each other and achieve top dog status. The good-natured brawl spilled into the crowd, knocking people over like dominoes. Suddenly, the girls were right next to Luke, who tried to move out of the way, but not quickly enough. He could see it coming, but the shove was much too hard and he lost his balance, falling into Melissa, the very girl he had decided he wanted to impress. She fell unceremoniously to the floor. 

             
‘Hey, watch it. You could have seriously hurt her! Idiots!’ Beth yelled, holding her arms out over her friend and making sure she was OK. But secretly she was pleased. This was perfect.

             
‘Shit. I'm so sorry!’ Luke said as he looked down at her sprawled on the pavement. Beth tried to smother her laugh and Melissa shot her a deadly stare. This was
so
not funny.

             
‘Are you OK?’ Luke asked. He couldn’t believe he had just done that, although it was a complete accident and he’d had no control over it, having been pushed by his friend.

             
Melissa tried to play it cool in front of him, but it wasn’t easy whilst laying flat on the floor. He was gorgeous, in an ‘ultimate rock band’ kind of way. He had a cigarette in his mouth, and the smoke rose over his head as he looked down at her. Then he held out his hand to help her to her feet.

             
‘I'm fine thanks. I don’t think there are any broken bones.’ She was, however, a little irritated that this had happened in front of so many people, many of whom were now falling about laughing. The rest of the band came over to apologise for pushing him and knocking her over.