Missing Years ( Part 5)

The whiskey kicked in and Ray fell asleep again, a deep, deep sleep.

In his dream he was being chased, he was running fast, but someone or something was catching him up. Whatever it was it was dark, almost a shadow. He looked round as he ran and he could see something but couldn’t make out its shape or form. He didn’t know whether it was human or not, but it was fast, very fast. No matter how fast he ran it seemed to be gaining on him, just like in a cartoon when the villain is walking slower than the person he is chasing but seems to get closer. Then he stumbled, fell, seemed to fall a long way down. Down a muddy slope until at last his body came to a stop. There was silence, then he felt a hot breath upon his face and an awful stagnant smell. Whatever it was, was upon him, close, no more than a few inches from his face He slowly opened his eyes and then he saw it!

“Ray, Ray, wake up we’ve got some news”

It was Tom Lucas he had been shaking Ray for a good two minutes.

“Come on son, liven up, we’ve got some news!”

“News, what news?”

“Romford have been in touch, they want me to confirm what I told them during the night, we need to get back to the station”

Ray had a shower, then put on some of Toms clothes and began to feel normal again. He had a million questions going through his head but he knew he couldn’t answer any of them. Neither could Tom.

They drove to the station in silence. Tom was hoping that Romford had found something out about Ray and maybe this had all be a massive mistake or misunderstanding. He was also thinking that if all this was real, the poor sod sitting next to him had never seen a mobile phone, microwave or laptop, mind you on the plus side at least he’d missed all the Thatcher years. Tom smiled.

Ray was hoping that Romford might have some answers as to why he was there, there in Buxton. Hundreds of miles away from his family, why it was also 25 years since he went jogging. During his sleep he had remembered again about his work, Laura his wife, Stacey. His mum and Dad, in fact everything! But then the dream ended with that horrible black shadow, hovering over him, breathing his putrid breath and those eyes….

They reached the station and went in together both anxious for news.

“Hello Sarge, that was quick. Romford have asked you to call them urgently. Seems Mr Samuels is a bit of a celebrity down in Essex!”

Tom picked up the desk phone and called Romford. He called a DCI Spencer.

“I hear you have someone there claiming to be Ray Samuels”

“We had a man brought in early this morning, he was suffering from hypothermia, he said his name was Ray Samuels”

“How old is he?”

Tom called out loudly to Ray

“Ray, how old are you?”

“28!”

“He says he is 28, he says he lives at 284 Malvern Road Romford”

“He’s talking bollocks, Ray Samuels would be over 50 by now, I don’t know who you’ve got there but it aint our Ray”

Tom held the phone close to his mouth and turned away from Ray.

“I’m going to take a photo of him and send it over to you, compare it to the one you have on file, then call me back. Something is not right here. I think the man I’ve got here IS your Ray Samuels. If he is, god help us all!”

“Ok do it, do it quick, let’s put this to bed asap”

Tom put the phone down.

He went behind the desk and got a camera, He took Rays photo.

He scanned it and sent it over to Romford. Two minutes later the desk phone rang

“What the hells going on Sergeant, that blokes the spitting image of our missing Ray Samuels”

“Sir, as I said before, I believe it IS your Ray Samuels, how I don’t know, I have no idea, but I think it is”

“Impossible Sergeant our man would be in his fifties by now”

“I know , I know, let me bring him down to you, see for yourself, lets get him home again, I can be with you in four hours!”

“Ok, bring him down, but lets be discreet, call me on my mobile when you’re a couple of mile away and I’ll tell you where to go, if he really is Ray Samuels then we have got a lot to talk about”

Tom hung up.

“Get ready Ray, I’m taking you home!”

Ray didn’t know whether to laugh or cry!

Meanwhile 200 miles a way, Alan Swan was just getting ready to have his lunch when his phone rang.

"Sir, Ray Samuels has come back"

"Repeat what you just said"

"Ray Samuels is back, the whole of the stations talking about it, seems he's turned up in Buxton Derbyshire"

"Where is he now?"

"He's being driven back to us at Romford, should be here about four o'clock"

"Whose in charge?"

"Spencer"

"Ok, I'll call Spencer, I'm on my way. Fuck!"