Snared by Ed James Read Free Book Online Page B

injuries, certainly nothing serious. Paul, on the other hand . . . Well. He’s been throwing himself against that cage as much as possible, not that it’s done them any good. He’s got a sprain in his ankle and some bruising on his shoulder.”
    “And the bad news?”
    “Well, they’re just not in a good way.”
    Vicky finished her can. “Can we speak to her yet?”
    Rankine nodded. “I’ll clear Rachel to speak to you.”
    “What about Paul?”
    Rankine looked away. “He’s still not speaking, I’m afraid. I’m not sure if he’s suffered a brain injury or what.” She brushed her thick hair away from her eyes and stared at Karen’s can. “He’s just not talking to us or anyone.”
    “Thanks.” Vicky took a deep breath. “Let’s speak to Rachel then.” She entered the room, the third-floor window looking into the garden in the middle of the building, and sat on the seat by the bed. “Mrs Hay?”
    Rachel didn’t speak, her eyes moist with tears.
    “My name’s DS Vicky Dodds of Police Scotland. DC Woods and I are investigating what’s happened to you. Can you understand me?”
    Rachel nodded, fingers screwing a tissue tight. “Are my dogs okay?”
    “They’re fine. They ran back home last night. Your husband’s got them.”
    Rachel adjusted her position on the bed, the frame crunching as she moved. “Where’s Derek?”
    “Your husband’s being brought in just now. You’ll get to see him soon.”
    “How’s Paul?”
    “He’s not doing so well, I’m afraid. He’s either unable to speak or is refusing to.”
    Rachel closed her eyes. “Oh.”
    “Mrs Hay, we want to catch whoever did this to you. Do you know who abducted you?”
    Rachel shook her head.
    “Did you see them?”
    “No. They wore masks.” Rachel clicked her fingers, trying to find the words. “Balaclavas.”
    “Did you hear their voices?”
    Rachel nodded. “They’d done something to them, though. The voices were deep, like when the IRA spoke on the news years ago.”
    Vicky noted it. “Tell us what you remember when you were abducted?”
    Rachel took a few seconds to compose herself. “I was walking my dogs just outside of Invergowrie, just past the Hutton Institute , when I was grabbed from behind. I dropped their leads and the dogs ran off.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I thought that was th e la st time I’d see my babies.”
    “How did they abduct you?”
    Rachel turned her head to the side and looked out of the window, her jigging leg making the bed rattle. “I remember hearing a car approach. I thought nothing of it — it’s a fairly busy route. There was a noise and they blindfolded me. I didn’t know where we were taken.”
    “Were you there before Paul?”
    “He was already there. They forced us to strip then locked us in the cage. They welded it shut. I thought we’d die in there. Paul started kicking at it.”
    “When did you last see your abductors?”
    “I lost track of time. They left us maybe a couple of hours ago. I kept thinking we were going to die.”
    “It’s okay. You’re safe now.” Vicky gave her a fake smile. “Do you have any idea why anyone would want to do this to you?”
    Rachel rubbed a tear from her cheek. “None whatsoever.”
    “What about the dogs you sold with PDE?”
    Rachel’s eyes widened as her hands tightened on the tissue. “The Blacks wouldn’t do this to us, would they?”
    “You sure about that?”
    “We settled everything. It was all amicable at the end.”
    “Anybody else spring to mind?”
    Rachel shook her head. “I kept thinking it was Paul they were after. He lives out in the countryside. They do this sort of thing out there, don’t they?”
    “I’m not so sure. This feels fairly well organised. I wouldn’t assume it’s some country boys having fun.”
    “That’s the only conclusion I can draw from this.” Rachel shrugged. “I’m sorry.”
    “What happened to you in the cage?”
    “I don’t want to talk about