Chapter 17
Carla awoke with a radiant smile, basking in the warm glow of the passionate night she had just shared with Lisa. Every detail of their intimacy flooded her mind, igniting a sense of joy that was almost overwhelming. The memories danced around her, tender and vivid, enveloping her like a soft, loving embrace.
As she rolled over to gaze at Lisa, her heart fluttered with anticipation—but the other side of the bed was glaringly empty. Confusion swept over her like a cold wave. For a fleeting moment, panic tugged at her heart, but she quickly tried to reassure herself. Surely, Lisa must have woken up early and slipped into the shower or ventured to make them coffee.
“Lisa?” she called out, her voice echoing into the silence. But there was no response, just a suffocating hush that settled heavily around her.
Wrestling with the growing unease, she dragged herself out of bed, the sheets feeling cold against her skin as she stepped into the void. The unnerving silence deepened her anxiety with each step. She sprinted to the bathroom, heartbeat pounding in her ears, but it was empty too. A knot of dread twisted tighter in her stomach, gnawing at the euphoria she had just felt.
Returning to the bedroom, she snatched up her phone from the bedside table, eyes wide with desperation. No messages. No missed calls. An icy tendril of fear coiled around her heart, squeezing it painfully. Had Lisa regretted their night together? Had she fled now that they had crossed a line that felt both exhilarating and terrifying?
Carla’s breath quickened as frustration and sadness mingled within her. She couldn't silence the doubts—thoughts spiraled into dark corners of her mind. Where was Lisa? Why hadn’t she reached out? Struggling to maintain her composure, she decided to call Lisa, her hands trembling as she pressed the buttons. The phone rang, each tone leaving her in limbo, taunting her with its emptiness. After what felt like a bleak eternity, the call cut off, leaving her in a silence that echoed her growing despair.
Feeling abandoned, Carla sank to the edge of the bed, her heart heavy with a sense of loss. The warmth they had shared now felt like a distant memory, overshadowed by an aching loneliness that clawed at her chest. Was it foolish to feel this way after just one night? Yet the intensity of her feelings for Lisa was undeniable. She buried her face in her hands, fighting back tears that threatened to spill over.
Did Lisa regret last night? Had she fled, overwhelmed by the intensity of their connection? Was Betsy in trouble, urgently needing her home? Maybe she was called into work, but no—surely she would have said something. Panic surged through Carla as her mind spiraled, a vortex of fear and uncertainty consuming her. What could have compelled Lisa to leave so abruptly?
The thought clawed at her insides: what if this was the end before it had even begun? A wave of desperation washed over Carla, each heartbeat echoing her dread. Her heart raced through a labyrinth of scenarios, searching for any glimmer of hope. Deep down, however, a chilling fear took hold: what if their spark had flickered out just as swiftly as it had ignited?
———————-
It was lunchtime now. Minutes turned into agonising hours, each second stretching on endlessly. Carla felt as if she were trapped in a suffocating darkness. She rose, pacing the room, the walls closing in around her like an oppressive cage. Shadows whispered doubts in her ears, and the tender warmth of their shared moments felt like a distant dream, one that could shatter into a million pieces at any moment. She ached for Lisa, her heart heavy with an unbearable longing, yet here she stood—alone, adrift in an ocean of confusion and heartache.
As each hour passed, Carla's anxiety deepened into a raw, unbearable ache. She stared at her phone, willing it to light up with a call or message, praying for any sign of life from Lisa. Silence hung heavily in the air, a suffocating blanket that magnified her sense of abandonment.
Every minute stretched, rampant thoughts spiraling deeper into her mind. The ghosts of her past rose within her, memories of trauma pressing down on her heart like an iron weight. She felt trapped in an unending reel of regret, convinced she had somehow tainted what she and Lisa had shared. Had she pushed Lisa away by allowing her past to seep into their present? Had she drawn her into the very darkness she was desperate to escape? The thought was paralysing, leaving her lost in a whirlwind of heartbreak and hopelessness.
Minutes turned into hours and day turned into night, leaving Carla sat alone in her dimly lit flat, staring out the window as dusk settled over the cobbles, feeling more isolated than ever. Memories of laughter filled the room but felt hollow without Lisa beside her. The weight of neglect pressed down hard, and tears pooled in her eyes. Did she ruin everything?
Carla felt a surge of desperation as she clutched her phone tightly, knuckles whitening around the edges. Enough was enough. She couldn’t shake this gnawing dread that sunk deeper with each passing moment. Taking a deep breath, she frantically searched for the station’s number, dialing it with trembling fingers.
The ringing felt like an eternity, but finally, a familiar voice broke through the tension.
“PC Tinker here,” he answered, his tone reassuring.
“Craig! It’s Carla!” Her voice cracked with urgency as panic bubbled to the surface. “Have you seen Lisa? Has she been in today?”
“Hold on, Carla,” he replied, the concern in his voice palpable. “I haven’t seen her, but let me check.”
Carla could hear him moving in the background, her heart pounding louder than the ringing in her ears. Seconds felt like hours as she waited, the silence stretching and warping, twisting her anxious thoughts into sharper, darker shapes.
“Sir?” PC Tinker called out, his voice filled with hopeful desperation as he spotted DI Costello walking past.
DI Costello paused, irritation flickering in his gaze as he turned. “PC Tinker, what can I do for you?” He sounded weary, his tone flat, as if layers of stress weighed upon him.
“Have you seen DS Swain today? I’ve got Carla Connor on the phone asking about her. She sounds worried— I know they’re good friends.”
“No, she’s not here, PC Tinker,” Costello replied sharply, keeping his face impassive, unwilling to reveal the gravity of the situation, the undercover operation swirling just beneath the surface. He appreciated Craig's caring nature but knew involving him would only open a Pandora’s box of complications.
“Oh right, okay. Sorry to bother you, Sir,” Craig replied, his voice losing a hint of confidence as he hung his head, embarrassed.
The once encouraging murmur of the station faded into an oppressive silence as Craig returned to the phone, the weight of his news heavy. “I’m sorry, Carla, but she hasn’t been in today. Nobody has seen her.”
In that instant, Carla’s heart plummeted into an abyss of despair. Each word felt like a punch to her gut, leaving her breathless, her world spinning out of control. “Thanks, Craig,” she replied, her voice barely a whisper as she abruptly ended the call, not wanting to hear his voice any longer.
As the phone fell from her hand, clattering onto the table, the reality sank in. A cold, creeping sense of dread coiled around her heart. Something was wrong—deeply wrong. The nagging thought twisted her insides until she could no longer contain it.
Hot tears streamed down her face, each sob breaking free like a dam overflowing. Carla collapsed into her chair, cradling her head in her hands, overwhelmed by a tide of anguish and fear. The thought of Lisa in trouble sent waves of panic crashing over her, drowning her in a whirlpool of what-ifs.
What if she was hurt? What if she needed her and she wasn’t there in time? The sobs tore through her, raw and desperate, echoing through the emptiness of the room. She was alone, and her heart felt like it was unraveling at the seams. Every moment spent without Lisa felt like a weight she could barely bear—a taunting reminder that their beautiful connection was now hanging by the thinnest of threads.
She picked up her phone one last time to call Lisa, heart pounding with hope and fear. "Where are you, Lisa?" she whispered into the darkness. The message hovered ominously in the air, a plea echoing the growing void between them, each word filled with the desperate longing for the woman who seemed unreachable—caught in a world of danger and secrets that threatened to consume them both.