The Professor

Chapter Twenty-Six | Life support

Sisters. Clarissa and Chloe are sisters. She would've been nine years old at the time of the event and—according to one article—the pair were inseparable. My heart plummets the more I read and for the life of me, I cannot breathe. I reach for my phone, desperate to inform James and Freddie.

"Hi, you've reached James..."

"BOLLOCKS!"

I spring from my chair, trying to force rationality. Calling the police seems irrational when I'm not one hundred percent certain. Then again, if Nic's life is in danger, all dignity flies out the window.

"Hello, you've reached Oxfordshire police headquarters, how can I help?"

"Hi, I need to get in contact with Freddie Hudson. He's a police officer."

"Do you know his collar number?" asks the voice on the other end.

"No."

I hear her typing and tap my foot in anticipation.

"Officer Hudson is on call at the moment. I can have dispatch get a message to him at the earliest convenience."

"Yes, please. Tell him Clarissa has Nicole."

"And what's your name?" she asks.

"Sloan. It's urgent," I stress, quickly hanging up.

There's no way in hell I'm waiting around for that message to get to Freddie and James. Too much is at stake here. If James and Freddie are unreachable, then it's up to me to intervene.

But how?

Where would Clarissa take Nicole?

An idea enters my mind and although it's a longshot, I decide to go with it. Chloe was buried in a nearby forest and provided this is all Clarissa's doing, there's a good chance she's taken Nicole there. I grab James' car keys and don't bother locking the flat up on my way out. Frantically, I type the name of the forest into my GPS and slam on the accelerator. By now, the sun has long set, and the roads are practically empty. I try calling James again and when I get his voicemail, I leave a message.

"Clarissa is Chloe's sister! I'm on my way to Windfall Forest now. I think that's where she's taken her. Call me when you can!"

The closer I get to my destination, the spookier my surroundings are. There are no streetlamps, and the wind has picked up dramatically. I have no fucking idea where I'm going or what my play is here. According to Google maps, the forest is two miles long and I have no way of knowing which direction they came from. Or if they're even here to begin with. I must be smart here. Clarissa is likely in a heightened state and if I go in all guns blazing, there will be repercussions. I must approach this with empathy and control. Clarissa is my classmate. My friend. I must reason with her.

Out of nowhere, my phone rings, startling me.

"Hello?"

"SLOAN!"

It's James.

"Where are you?"

"Almost there," I inform.

"We're on our way," he assures. "We're about twenty minutes away. Don't do anything!"

"I have to, James. She's got Nicole!"

"I know!" he stresses. "But—"

"James—"

"Please wait for us," he pleads.

I come across an abandoned car on the side of the road and park up beside it.

"Sloan?"

"There's a car," I inform, stepping out.