The Eyes of the Accused: A dark disturbing mystery thriller (The Ben Whittle Investigation Series Book 2) by Mark Tilbury
Authors: Mark Tilbury
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badge still read the same. She turned it over in her hand, studying it as if it might be a new species of life. She pulled her phone out of her coat pocket and called Ben.
Ben answered on the first ring. ‘I’m about to leave Sunnyside. Where are you?’
‘I’ve found Hannah’s name badge.’
A lengthy silence. Maddie thought for a moment they’d lost reception. And then: ‘I’ll be right there.’
Maddie disconnected the call. ‘What happened to you, Hannah? What in God’s name happened to you?’
Chapter Eight
Geoff studied the badge for a few moments, and then put it down on the office desk. ‘You say this was just lying on the grass verge?’
‘I stopped to rest,’ Maddie said, neglecting to tell Geoff about her dizzy spell and sickness. ‘Then I saw it. The sun was shining on it.’
‘What a stroke of luck. Almost as if God pointed it out.’
‘Since when have you believed in God?’ Ben asked. ‘I seem to remember you saying that God’s nothing more than a character in a fairy story.’
‘God. Lady Luck. The Finger of Fate. Who cares? Now we know we can definitely place Hannah Heath on that stretch of road.’
‘What do we do?’ ben asked. ‘Hand it in to the police?’
Geoff looked at Ben as if he’d just admitted to the abduction himself. ‘Police, be buggered. We’ll hang on to it for now. Anyway, they wouldn’t do much with it. It only proves that Hannah was along that stretch of road. It was hardly pinned to a corpse, was it?’
Maddie shuddered. ‘Thank God.’
‘But it’s evidence,’ Ben persisted. ‘Surely the police need to know.’
Geoff didn’t agree. ‘It’s just a name badge. It doesn’t prove diddly-squat.’
‘It proves Hannah was there,’ Ben said.
‘I know that, Sherlock. Now we just need to establish how it got there. Where exactly did you find it?’
‘About four miles away from Sunnyside,’ Ben said. ‘Right on the bend where the road straightens up near the airfield.’
Geoff’s eyes widened. ‘That far away?’
‘I’m struggling to understand how Hannah walked all that way,’ Maddie said. ‘I get stomach cramps sometimes, and I can barely get out of bed.’
‘It does seem odd,’ Geoff agreed. ‘I reckon Crowley watched her leave and then let her get a good distance away from Sunnyside before he pounced.’
‘I still don’t understand why she didn’t just call a cab,’ Ben said. ‘It makes no sense that she’d walk.’
Geoff didn’t seem to hear him. ‘Crowley stopped and offered her a lift and she said no. Then he forced her into his car. That’s when she lost the badge.’
‘I agree she might have lost the badge in a struggle,’ Ben said. ‘But that doesn’t mean it was Crowley, does it? It could have been anyone.’
‘Crowley has a direct link to Hannah, though,’ Geoff said. ‘That’s more than the rest of the male population has.’
Ben reminded his father that assumption was the best friend of error.
‘But this is based on likelihood. The sooner we check Crowley out, the better.’
‘You mean, the sooner Maddie checks Crowley out.’
Maddie felt better now she was back in the warm with a cup of hot sweet tea inside her. Her earlier doubts had vanished. ‘It’s okay, Ben. I want to help.’
‘I’m glad someone has enthusiasm for the case,’ Geoff said. He turned to Ben. ‘What did you find out at Sunnyside?’
Ben didn’t answer.
Maddie thought he was sulking. She reached out and touched his arm. ‘Don’t worry about me. The important thing is we find Hannah, right?’
‘I suppose.’
‘You talked to the care manager?’ Geoff prompted. ‘What did she say?’
A slight pause. And then: ‘She said Hannah had been complaining of stomach pains all day. At tea time, she excused Hannah her duties and let her lie down in the medical room next to her office. She said Hannah stayed there until around seven and then went home.’
‘Didn’t she try to arrange transport?’
‘No. To
Ben answered on the first ring. ‘I’m about to leave Sunnyside. Where are you?’
‘I’ve found Hannah’s name badge.’
A lengthy silence. Maddie thought for a moment they’d lost reception. And then: ‘I’ll be right there.’
Maddie disconnected the call. ‘What happened to you, Hannah? What in God’s name happened to you?’
Chapter Eight
Geoff studied the badge for a few moments, and then put it down on the office desk. ‘You say this was just lying on the grass verge?’
‘I stopped to rest,’ Maddie said, neglecting to tell Geoff about her dizzy spell and sickness. ‘Then I saw it. The sun was shining on it.’
‘What a stroke of luck. Almost as if God pointed it out.’
‘Since when have you believed in God?’ Ben asked. ‘I seem to remember you saying that God’s nothing more than a character in a fairy story.’
‘God. Lady Luck. The Finger of Fate. Who cares? Now we know we can definitely place Hannah Heath on that stretch of road.’
‘What do we do?’ ben asked. ‘Hand it in to the police?’
Geoff looked at Ben as if he’d just admitted to the abduction himself. ‘Police, be buggered. We’ll hang on to it for now. Anyway, they wouldn’t do much with it. It only proves that Hannah was along that stretch of road. It was hardly pinned to a corpse, was it?’
Maddie shuddered. ‘Thank God.’
‘But it’s evidence,’ Ben persisted. ‘Surely the police need to know.’
Geoff didn’t agree. ‘It’s just a name badge. It doesn’t prove diddly-squat.’
‘It proves Hannah was there,’ Ben said.
‘I know that, Sherlock. Now we just need to establish how it got there. Where exactly did you find it?’
‘About four miles away from Sunnyside,’ Ben said. ‘Right on the bend where the road straightens up near the airfield.’
Geoff’s eyes widened. ‘That far away?’
‘I’m struggling to understand how Hannah walked all that way,’ Maddie said. ‘I get stomach cramps sometimes, and I can barely get out of bed.’
‘It does seem odd,’ Geoff agreed. ‘I reckon Crowley watched her leave and then let her get a good distance away from Sunnyside before he pounced.’
‘I still don’t understand why she didn’t just call a cab,’ Ben said. ‘It makes no sense that she’d walk.’
Geoff didn’t seem to hear him. ‘Crowley stopped and offered her a lift and she said no. Then he forced her into his car. That’s when she lost the badge.’
‘I agree she might have lost the badge in a struggle,’ Ben said. ‘But that doesn’t mean it was Crowley, does it? It could have been anyone.’
‘Crowley has a direct link to Hannah, though,’ Geoff said. ‘That’s more than the rest of the male population has.’
Ben reminded his father that assumption was the best friend of error.
‘But this is based on likelihood. The sooner we check Crowley out, the better.’
‘You mean, the sooner Maddie checks Crowley out.’
Maddie felt better now she was back in the warm with a cup of hot sweet tea inside her. Her earlier doubts had vanished. ‘It’s okay, Ben. I want to help.’
‘I’m glad someone has enthusiasm for the case,’ Geoff said. He turned to Ben. ‘What did you find out at Sunnyside?’
Ben didn’t answer.
Maddie thought he was sulking. She reached out and touched his arm. ‘Don’t worry about me. The important thing is we find Hannah, right?’
‘I suppose.’
‘You talked to the care manager?’ Geoff prompted. ‘What did she say?’
A slight pause. And then: ‘She said Hannah had been complaining of stomach pains all day. At tea time, she excused Hannah her duties and let her lie down in the medical room next to her office. She said Hannah stayed there until around seven and then went home.’
‘Didn’t she try to arrange transport?’
‘No. To
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