Chapter 9: Though the Brightest Fell

She stared up at the shower spray; seconds later the hot water hit her head, plastering her hair to her scalp. The torrent of water washed away the wine-induced fuzziness, and Leanne began to sing.

"Show me Love, 'til it's inside my pores.

Show me Love, Show me Love, Show me Love,

Show me Love, Show me Love, 'til I'm screaming for more."

Leanne held her mouth open and allowed the water to purge her taste buds of last night's wine. It had been a long time since she had felt this good; all her frustrations seemed a thing of the past. The simple things in life can wash away the deepest of cares. Against her will, Leanne's mind drifted back to the events of the past week.

Suddenly she felt incredibly guilty; how could she be so happy when Cath was missing? Leanne turned off the water with reluctance, 'Ah well, back to reality, ' she thought glumly. She wondered for the one thousandth time where her daughter could have gone. The police had been very nice, but she was unsure of their enthusiasm when it came to finding errant teenagers.

Water dripped from her cropped black hair, dampening the collar of her towelling robe, as she crossed the landing and returned to her bedroom. Casually she flung the robe onto the crumpled duvet; her eyes caught her reflection in the wardrobe mirror. Leanne turned and scrutinised her naked body, 'Not bad, even if I say so myself, ' she thought. Her hands caressed the rounded globes of flesh, her fingers teasing the nipples to hard buds. For an instant, the fondling halted, 'I really should get on... I can't, but it's been so long... ' she chastised herself. A second later her decision was made.

The damp robe was flung to the floor, and Leanne wiggled her body into the softness of the duvet. She spread her legs as far apart as they would go, and let her fingers plunder the soft wetness of her insatiable vulva. Leanne rolled her crinkled labia between her fingers, and spread the wetness along her trembling slit. Her back arched as the soft massage reached the shaft of her clitoris. Leanne was amazed by the bulk of her normally tiny organ; she gripped its head and slowly wanked it with a smooth motion. Her touch was electric, in seconds she came, driving her hips towards the vibrating digits.

Her lust soared. There was no relief. Her left hand fell lower and the fingers crawled into her humid vagina, spreading it lewdly. The trusting fingers found the area, the resistant spongy spot; she was rewarded by a warm squirt of fluid on her flexing palm. Her contracting fists fell into an established rhythm; Leanne's libido expanded. It filled her. It possessed her completely.

A link was created, and the ecstatic, erotic download began; images flooded into her fevered brain. Cath appeared before her, her thighs spread wide, whilst a long female tongue fucked her. Leanne drank in the swell of her daughter's breasts, and her tongue lolled from her twitching lips, stretching, reaching for the imagined nipples. Leanne exploded, ignoring the hot stream of piss that ruined her favourite duvet.

Minutes passed, an hour flew by. Eventually Leanne stood; she gazed down at the wreckage of her bed. Tears stung her eyes as she wept for herself, and her absent daughter. After a while, Leanne staggered from her urine fragranced boudoir. She stomped down the stairs, sadly dragging her soggy duvet in her wake. At the foot of the stairs she halted. The headline on the morning paper screamed at her from the doormat.

'Man Held Over Local Disappearances - Police Concerned'.

Janet's tired eyes struggled to stay open, her head nodded momentarily. Suddenly she was much closer to the rear of the police car than she had remembered, 'Come on girl, wakey, wakey!' she thought. Janet brought her right hand down from the steering wheel and slapped her right thigh hard. Her eyes sprung open and her attention was back fully on the road before her. It was not a moment too soon, the Police car indicated and turned into a deserted car park. Janet braked, indicated right and followed Helen's lead. Seconds later, she sighed contentedly, as she turned off the Subaru's throbbing engine.

Helen rapped her knuckles against Janet's driver's window; it slid down silently.

"Are you OK?" Helen asked.

"Yeah, just tired, I almost lost it at the end there."

"Well we're here now, let's see what these West Country plods have to say for themselves."

"Haven't you got to get back?" Janet asked.

"I should, but this is a damn sight more interesting than anything waiting for me in Thames Valley, and I want to help."

"Thanks," said Janet, "you've already done a lot."

"Us girls have got to stick together!" Helen smiled.

Janet linked arms with the smiling WPC and walked towards the Railway Station.

Leanne sat patiently in the reception area watching the early morning comings and goings. The latest arrivals walked in, and approached the counter. The taller uniformed one spoke clearly.

"This is Janet Widdowson. I believe you are holding a friend of hers, one Jeff Contadino, on suspicion of murder."

Before there was any reply from the desk sergeant, Leanne erupted, furiously gesticulating, as she dashed to the counter.

"Jeff! You think Jeff Contadino has murdered my Cathy. Why the hell have I been sat here like a lemon for an hour? 'Nothing substantive' you told me, you bastard!"

The pale-faced desk sergeant swallowed hard.

"Please calm down, Mrs Hebbert, there's nothing to get upset about."

"Nothing to... Are you mad? Cathy's dead and you have the man, but you don't tell me, I repeat, Are you MAD?" Leanne screamed.

"Mrs Hebbert, we don't know anything yet. It's suspected kidnap and murder, there are no bodies or evidence."

Leanne Hebbert turned and launched a desperate attack on Janet; her fists pummelled the surprised woman. Helen snaked her arms around the attacker's waist, and tugged her away from a terrified Janet. Helen caught an elbow in the eye, and reeled backwards. The wild mother was held by another woman, in seconds the cuffs were on. The shocked sergeant led Leanne away.

"You just come and have a chat with me, Mrs Hebbert, we will sort this out," he said.

Helen caught hold of the hand that was extended towards her, and pulled herself to her feet.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"No problem, DI Lorna Mills at your service. Are you both OK?"

"Sure," said Helen.

"More surprised than hurt," replied Janet.

"Well, you are going to have quite a shiner from that elbow. Let's get a cold compress on that now," Lorna advised, "follow me."

Lorna led them through the double doors, and into the female changing room.

"Take off that tunic; we don't want to get your uniform messed up," Lorna said.

Leanne sat glaring at the empty space in front of her; she was livid. 'Just who do they think they are, trying to pull the wool over a mother's eyes?' her thoughts boiled. The door swung open, a white haired, ruddy faced man in a grey suit had joined the thin, pale sergeant. Both of them filed in, the stocky one sat with a slight groan. The silent sergeant remained standing, his back poker-straight against the breeze block wall.

"Mrs Hebbert, Leanne, this is most unfortunate," George Clunes cleared his throat, "allow me to explain."

"Explain away! This had better be good," Leanne spat.

Clunes sighed, cast a withering glance at his sergeant, and began his explanation.

Rachael was the first in the crowded bed to awaken; to her immense frustration none of the others would stir, not even one muscle. They were exhausted by the hours of passionate love play. Rachael, on the other hand, was wide awake. Her fretful nature took over, within seconds she was bored, within minutes she rose; Rachael was on the hunt for some excitement.

Rachael pulled her discarded tee-shirt over her head and smoothed it down over her contours. Bare legged, she strode to the hotel door, aggravated by the dull snoring behind her. She stuck her tousled head out of the door and looked to the left and right, 'All clear'. Rachael chuckled and slipped unnoticed into the hotel corridor. A quick tour of her floor was fruitless, it was deserted.