Page 206 - My Home on the Earth

slipping the phone into Alice’s hand. ‘I’d make one for you, Mrs Cooper, but we’re out of arsenic.’
Alice, wide-eyed and gobsmacked thought Elise was pushing her luck, but Melanie didn’t seem to understand her last remark. Tension grew in her face and her eyes darted back and forth as she tightened and loosened her grip on her cardigan sleeves. Alice watched her breathing quicken and cringed at her grimacing face movements. Now what? she thought as she pressed 999, hoping the call operator would listen in to their conversation, track Helen’s mobile and send help. Alice placed the mobile beside a book on a shelf. If they spoke loudly to each other, the operator on the other end might catch their conversation.
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When Rauston Police Station received a call from Shatford Lodge stating a woman had gone missing, the deployed officers searched the grounds. Staff couldn’t fathom out how she’d slipped past security, and highlighted her state of mind and safety. Police vehicles scoured the local area, streets and main roads. Steve Bates had a job to do but his family took precedence when he learned the woman was Melanie Cooper. His heart skipped a beat when his mobile rang. Emily!
‘Calm down, please. I can’t make out what you are saying. What did you say about Elise?’
‘Mum came here to see the girls, and they went with her to visit a lady in Bay Park Apartments, but we don’t know the name of the resident,’ sobbed Emily. ‘They
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