Chenford - more depth

Chapter 75

Lucy's pov
I'm still half throwing up but also coughing up blood. I can hear it all on the radio. Then my heart drops when I realise they've figured out it's me, but how?
Wayne wouldn't have clicked on as to who I was, not now. Not even with the description the woman had given. I can't even get myself to stand up because every time I move I cough up more.
The floors cold, I know I need to move. But they may know it was me but there's no links to me being here.  After what feels like eternity I stop throwing up and I just sit back against the bathroom sink. My head goes back, I'm so tired.

Tims pov
"He's just said?! Angela?! He didn't did he?" I jump up, i jump off the sofa grabbing the radio. Angela turns the tv off.
She grabs the radio.
"Nolan it's detective Lopez, are we sure the missing driver is Lucy because Tim is about to have a heart attack?"
"The description the other driver gave matches Lucy, Wayne recognises her from when he pulled her over earlier. Don't ask me about that right now. But the thing that clarified it was a Polaroid photo of Tim and Lucy by the car. I'm assuming it had fallen out of her bag maybe." Nolan radios back.
"Nolan I'm on my way I'll be 4 minutes" Grey radios.
"And Lopez get to the scene. Bring Tim but he needs to keep his calm"
"Understood Sir" Angela radios.
I'm already getting my shoes on and I'm ready to go. I'm happy because it's news, it's something. But then what if she's hurt somewhere? What if she's dead? What if she needs our help? And she's all alone. I nearly gave up on her.. it's not even been 24 hours and I was willing to give up on her.
"Let's go ange. Come on" i say hopeful.
"Tim please keep calm when we get there, and two it's some hope right?" Angela says and i can tell she's worried. I've been so caught up in myself that I forgot that Lucy is like a best friend to Angela almost like a sister. Almost like a daughter to Grey. I just wish she knew how much we all cared, that we would never see her as weak.
"It is Ange, it's hope" I say as we rush out of the door.

Nolan's pov
"Wayne go over it. I need to know everything." I say looking at him as I make notes.
"Yes sir, so I pulled her over.."
"Reason?"
"Driving 33mph in 30. I  spoke to dispatch who told me she had rented the car, so I asked for the paper work. She grabbed it from the car door but she winced in pain as she did. I looked at it."
"Did you ask about the pain? What did the paper work say?"
"She said she had surgery recently and was sore. Just that she had rented the car on a credit card in her name. I then heard a bottle hence why I asked for the breathalyser."
"Right. How did she respond? And what was her reading?"
"She asked me if she was driving dangerously or over the speed limit. Which she wasn't. She then asked about if I could smell alcohol which I couldn't so she said there was no need. I stood my ground and said if I believed she had been drinking she needed to do the breathalyser."
"Lucy lesson" i chuckle. It's a thing between her and Tim. He does Tim tests and she does Lucy lessons as payback. Its kept between them two, but everyone in the station knew about them because if one of them got it wrong, the other was definitely gloating about it around the station.
"I'm sorry sir?" He says confused.
"Nothing, carry on."
"So I forgot my breathalyser so i went to the shop to get it. She blowed. Then that's when Grey ordered for us to go to the hospital to check for well.. Officer Chen, if she blew under which she did. I then said she blew under and that she could go"
"Right and did she say anything else?"
"Yes sir, that's when I realised I didn't know her name. I said good bye miss and then looked at her for her name. She said you can call me Lucy and have a good shift stay safe"
"Sounds like her, she always said have a good shift and stay safe. Now how did she seem?"
"She seemed okay other than the wincing from her pain. I honestly don't know how I didn't piece it together when she said her name was Lucy or how I didn't recognise her sir"
"It's not me you'll need to explain it to" i reply back.
I then radio back to Angela and explain the situation and within a few minutes they arrive as well as Grey just a minute behind.

Tim's pov
As we pull up, I see the car turned over. I know from experience that this isn't good. The way it's on it's side, the amount the windows smashed and the windshield, the damage to the paint work, to the tyres.
I feel my heart drop, knowing that she was in that car, that while I was sat at home debating on whether to give up on her she was in that car.
I look at Angela and you can see the fear in her eyes because she also has plenty of experience.
We both just look at each other as we pull up, we don't say anything but we both know what we mean.
I get out of the car and walk straight up to Nolan and Wayne.
I feel Angela pulling my arm back as I feel the anger, this anger just like when I found out what Chris did to her, when I see Wayne's face. If he had just done his job properly she would have been found, she wouldn't have been in this car crash.
Just as I open my mouth I hear Grey shouting me.
"Bradford hold up" he says as he comes running over.
Myself, Angela, Grey, Nolan and Wayne are stood together in a half circle shape looking the car or what was left of it anyways.
"Are we 100% sure it's her?" I ask.
Nolan just shows me the Polaroid photo in which he had found. I get this feeling, this anger but mixed with sadness looking at it. I'm so angry, so angry Wayne. This sadness comes from seeing how happy we was, I just can't process the fact she was in this car and even that still made her go.
How scared was she? The fact that she's pulled herself out of a car crash and ran. A car crash that most would be in hospital by now.
"Fuck." I say looking at it.
"Okay so we know she was here and she fled the scene. She's clearly panicking now, she can't have gone far" Grey says.
"Sir with all due respect when has Lucy ever panicked?" Angela says.
"She's got a point" Nolan agrees.
"But this is all out of character, this running away"
I say. I don't let Wayne know that she's my.. well partner.. i want to see how he reacts to all this. But if he pushes my buttons.
He's stood there beside Nolan. I know that Grey has already given him the you're in shit look.
"Wayne. I need you to explain everything you said to Nolan when you pulled her over earlier." Grey says.
"Yes sir" he says nervously.
"I pulled her over due to driving 33mph in a 30. Yes I understand it wasn't exactly a reason to. I  spoke to dispatch who told me she had rented the car, so I asked for the paper work. She grabbed it from the car door but she winced in pain as she did. I looked at it" he says as he gets interrupted by Angela.
"Why didn't you record her name?" Angela asks firmly.
"I forgot. I know I should have done" he says looks at Nolan. I know that means Nolan has had words with him.
"Did her name not ring alarm bells? Or her face as you was sent a photo of her at the beginning of your shift officer Wayne" Grey asks with his arms crossed, looking at him.
"No sir, I mean partly when she said Lucy but I didn't think anything of it at the time." He says getting increasingly more nervous.
"Did you ask her about her pain? Was she bleeding?"
I ask him.
"I did, she said she'd surgery recently and was still sore. And no, I saw no blood" he says.
Me, Angela and Grey all exchange a look as we know she was bleeding. Elsie had told us.
"Not at all?" I ask him again.
"No sir" he says.
"What colour top was she wearing?" I ask him.
"A dark grey top but I could only see the top of it as she had her coat zipped up" he says.
"You sure?" Nolan looks confused.
"What is it?" Angela asks him.
"Yes I'm sure sir" Wayne replies.
"Well the description the other driver gave me said she was wearing a blue t shirt" he says confused.
"So she's changed outfit?" Grey says.
"It appears so" Nolan replied.
"Told you, she's smart" i say briefly smiling.
"Carry on Officer Wayne" Grey says.
"As she put the paperwork back into the car, I heard a bottle hence why i asked her if she had been drinking. She then asked me if she was driving dangerously or over the speed limit. Which she wasn't. She then asked about if I could smell alcohol which I couldn't so she said there was no need. I stood my ground and said if I believed she had been drinking she needed to do the breathalyser." He says.
We all immediately chuckle and say "Lucy lesson"
I roll my eyes. That's my girl.
"I said that too" Nolan said.
"What's a Lucy lesson?" Wayne asked confused.
"It's like a test to see if you would wash out as a rookie." Nolan says.
"She was letting you know Tim" Angela says reassuringly.
I smile again briefly.
"So I forgot my breathalyser so i went to the shop to get it. She blowed. Then that's when Grey ordered for us to go to the hospital to check for well.. Officer Chen, if she blew under which she did. I then said she blew under and that she could go" he carried on with what he was saying.
"That was true, I did say but obviously she blew under anyways" Grey says.
"So not only do you not recognise her? Or her name? You don't ask her for her name or any identification, then you fail to equip your duty belt correctly too?" I snap at him.
I feel Angela pulling at my hand. I know I need to keep calm till he finishes telling us what happened but I'm just pissed off.
"Yes sir, I am sorry" he says fidgeting. "that's when I realised I didn't know her name. I said good bye miss and then looked at her for her name. She said you can call me Lucy and have a good shift stay safe" he finishes.
"Typical Lucy" we all say again knowing she always said that to someone if she was talking to them before rollcall.
Grey and Angela and Nolan walk off to look at the map to see where she could have possibly gone. I'm stood there with Wayne. I keep my calm and keep looking forward. Now I know that Lucy has these photos printed off probably her phone which means she didn't actually want to go right.. or maybe she knew wasn't going to come back. I try to imagine I'm her, I know she's a good Officer so she's probably going to be one step ahead of us but I know her. She can't have gone far, I know she's had to change her outfit.
"Grey ask dispatch to check the ANPR cameras around to see if we can gage her movements?" I shout over.
"I will do Bradford."  He shouts back.
Then Wayne says something.. and I just snap...