Chapter 3 #2
Gina shivered a little at the thought of Mindy leaving a toxic relationship, taking her beloved pet with her, and she couldn’t help but think that her ex had caught up with her. She glanced out of the window half expecting to see the youths, but they weren’t there.
‘She never put anything on Instagram that might hint at where she lived or worked. That’s why she never shared posts from here.’
Gina knew that people had their ways. Most people running from a bad relationship or abuse would at some point fall for their partner’s love bombing and promises to change and then they might let their whereabouts slip.
Gina had fallen for similar things with Terry in another life.
She’d forgiven him for the most terrible of abuses.
She’d dished out forgiveness without a second thought back then. ‘Do you know where her brother lives?’
‘Somewhere in Cleevesford, that’s why she came to live here.
I don’t know where but I do know that Mindy parks in the car park on the high street when she sees him, the one everyone uses for the supermarket.
His house is down one of the narrow side streets where the cars pack in. She didn’t like parallel parking.’
‘Do you know his name?’
She nodded. ‘He’s been here to meet her for lunch. He’s lovely. His name is Lonnie. I don’t think Mindy ever married so he’s probably called Lonnie Carson.’
Gina nodded to O’Connor to send a message to Wyre, who was looking into family back at the station.
They knew roughly where he lived and what his full name likely was.
‘May we look at her desk?’ If Mindy was scared or anxious about someone or an ex, she may well have left something behind.
Gina didn’t know what she expected to find but it was worth a look.
‘Of course. Knock yourself out. It’s just through that door. Light switch is on your left.’
‘Oh, another thing, could you please head to the station this evening? We’ll need to take a formal statement.’
‘I’ve told you everything I know.’
‘We’ll try not to keep you too long but we need to find Mindy.’
‘I’ll call my husband, tell him I’ll be late.’
As Gina left O’Connor in the salon with Ursula, she heard Ursula calling her husband. ‘Pick up, pick up,’ Ursula said before pausing and waiting. On the second attempt, he answered and Ursula went straight into how Mindy had disappeared, telling him everything.
Gina sat at Mindy’s desk. There was a huge pad with notes to call people about their pets, some crossed out after Mindy had obviously attended to them.
She opened the desk drawer and there was nothing but some stationery and a flyer advertising poke bowls.
She lifted that up – nothing underneath.
The rest of the drawers were full of salon paperwork.
She checked the in-tray and there were several invoices in a pile that were clipped together.
A sticky yellow note had been stuck to the front with the words, please pay, written on it.
Just as she was about to stand and leave the desk, she nudged the mouse and the computer screen came to life.
That’s when she saw the already opened email amongst the others.
The sender was called OpenMeSmilerX1284552 and the message was sent just before six that evening.
Gina went back in. ‘Can I borrow you a minute?’
Ursula nodded and came into the office, followed by O’Connor.
‘See this email, would you mind if I open it?’
‘No. There’s nothing private on this computer. Open whatever you like.’ O’Connor came to her side and Ursula stepped out of the way so he could see. She headed to the door. ‘Can I get you both a drink?’
‘Yes, please. Could I have some water?’ Gina wanted to check out the email without Ursula looking over her shoulder. The rest of Mindy’s inbox didn’t look remotely suspicious.
As soon as Ursula left the room, Gina clicked on the email.
There was no message but there was a video.
She clicked play. That’s when they both saw a close up of a man with a tattoo of an eagle on his thigh, thrusting into a woman in a dimly lit room.
The faces and feet were chopped off the video but the woman did have a large brown birthmark on her hand, and flowery bedding.
After twenty seconds some text popped up before the video abruptly ended.
Delete this message. Leave the salon now.
If I see you touch your phone, I’ll send this to all your contacts.
That birthmark is so unique. Gina quickly checked Mindy’s outbox. Mindy hadn’t replied.
Gina reduced the email as Ursula walked in with a small bottle of water and handed it to her. ‘Did you find anything?’
‘Yes. I’m really sorry to tell you this but we’ll need to book your computer into evidence.’
‘But… it’s my business. I need it.’ She pressed her lips together for a second as she frowned. ‘Sorry. You obviously need it to help find Mindy. I have a laptop I can use for now but I’ll need to transfer some things off that computer onto it.’
Gina let out a long breath. ‘I’ll get someone from digital forensics to come here and help you do that. DC O’Connor, could you call Garth?’
He nodded and left the room.
‘Can I ask,’ Gina continued, ‘did Mindy have any distinguishing marks?’
Ursula raised her brows and stared for a moment. ‘You’ve found her, haven’t you? You’ve found a body and you want me to… to…’ Her eyes started watering up.
‘No, it’s just a routine question.’
She placed a hand across her chest. ‘She had a birthmark on her hand, a large one about the size of a two-pence piece.’
Just like the woman in the video. Revenge porn came to mind but it had gone a lot further than that.
Mindy had been sent the video and asked to delete the evidence and leave the salon.
She shivered. She couldn’t forget that there was blood smeared all over Mindy’s windscreen and that more than likely happened just after Mindy received and opened that message.
They were looking for a very dangerous person and she had to find them before anything else happened to Mindy.
Someone had been watching her and… Gina shivered.
There was no doubt at all in Gina’s mind. Someone had definitely kidnapped Mindy.