Chapter Six - You Are Forever In My Heart

I immediately recognise the branded saffiano leather case.
“How many Prada branded cases do you see regularly on mobile phones?” I ask, trying to suppress the frustration bubbling beneath the surface.
The platform manager raises an eyebrow, a flicker of doubt crosses his face. “I admit that I haven't seen any like this however, I can’t just hand it over without proper verification; the protocols are in place for a reason,” he insists.
“Of course not,” I reply, understanding the manager’s predicament, “I can call her mother; she knows that I'm looking for her daughter. I’m sure that she can verify that the phone is indeed Victoria's. Is it at all possible, whilst I’m contacting her mother, that you could search your CCTV to see if she boarded the train. Her train left the station at 11:15 this morning from platform 7, the same platform where her phone was found. Could it be that she didn’t board the train? Please, I urge you to check. I’m really concerned for her whereabouts.”
The platform manager’s expression softens, a hint of empathy creeps into his stern demeanour. I can see he is wrestling with the necessity of protocols versus the urgency of my plight. “Alright,” he says tightly, “I’ll allow you to make that call, and I will check the CCTV footage, but we can only go so far without authorisation. We need to tread carefully here.”
I nod, grateful that he is willing to bend the rules. “Thank you. I just need a lead before it’s too late.”
The manager leads me to a small office adorned with wires and screens, displaying the hustle and bustle of the station. He gestures to a chair on the opposite side of the screens. “Make your call. I’ll pull up the footage from platform 7.”
I grab my phone and dial her mother’s number, my heart racing as it rings. It feels like an eternity before Victoria's mother answers, her voice shaky.
“Hello?”
“Margaret. It’s John,” I begin, not wanting to announce her title in front of the platform manager. "We have a situation. Victoria’s phone was found on platform 7, but she’s nowhere to be seen.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line, filled only by the hum of the office machinery around us. The platform manager continues to work diligently on his end, his eyes glued to the screens as he manipulates the CCTV footage.
“John, what do you mean? Where is she?” Lady Margaret’s voice is tight with concern.
“I don’t know, Margaret. That’s what I’m trying to figure out. The platform manager here is checking the CCTV to see if she boarded the train, this morning, as planned. Can you verify that the phone is indeed hers. If you can confirm that it is, then the platform manager will let me see the video footage from the train station. I think something may have gone wrong,” I speak urgently, praying she will have what I need. “I’m sending you a photograph of the phone in its case.”
“I’ll check. Just a moment. I’ll just fetch my i-pad," Lady Margaret replies.
The line goes silent, then I can hear a door slam.
Meanwhile, the platform manager is already at the controls, scanning through the angles from platform 7. I can see the concentration etch across his face, his fingers tapping furiously on the keyboard.
Finally, Victoria’s mother comes back on the line, breathless. “Yes, it looks exactly like her phone! I can see the case in the photo that you’ve sent me - she loves that case. I gave her that case for her 25th birthday present. To be sure it's hers, ask if you can remove the case from the phone. There’s an inscription inside from me. If it’s Victoria’s it will read, ‘Victoria - You are forever in my heart.’
The platform manager, overhearing the conversation, nods his approval.
I prise the cover off the phone, to reveal the inscription engraved in the leather case - ‘Victoria - You are forever in my heart’, and turn the case to face the manager, so that he too can read it, I convey the inscribed words to Margaret.
We both hear Margaret cry out, “You have to find her, John!”
“I will, and I promise to call you back the minute I have any news, Margaret.”
“Thank you, and be safe.” The line goes dead.
The manager glances over the bank of screens at me, signalling he was ready to show me some footage. “I’m pulling it up now. Let’s see if she boarded that train…”
The seconds seem to drag into minutes as we wait for the right footage to load. I lean closer, heart pounding as a ghost of doubt creeps in. What if she hasn't boarded the train?
Then the video starts. I watch intently as the screen replays the footage showing bustling crowds on platform 7. My hands are clenched tightly together, as I search for any sign of Victoria.
“There she is!” I finally shout, pointing at the screen as a figure resembling her, walks swiftly down the platform, her shoulder bag swinging at her side. “That’s her! Zoom in!”
The manager tilts a dial, the colour footage homing in on her face. “She looks anxious,” he notes. “Wait - there’s someone with her.”
Jerked by a spike of adrenaline, I lean in even closer. I'm sure that I've seen him before, but I can’t quite place where.
The man leans in closely to her, talking animatedly to her, gesturing with his hands, which unnerves me. Their interaction is too hush-hush for mere acquaintance. She looks around, nervously, as if she is searching for someone or something. My gut twists with unease. Then, she suddenly steps away, glancing towards the concourse, as if contemplating an escape.
I feel a chill run down my spine. Why is she acting like this? Does she sense something is wrong?
Suddenly, a figure bumps first into Victoria, pushing her shoulder as they squeeze through the crowd, sending her stumbling slightly. It’s brief but unmistakably unsettling. She regains her footing but drops her phone. He then barges past the man, sending him crashing to the floor.
The video continues, but everything feels frantic as she momentarily turns, contemplating something, before she sprints towards the concourse, tailgating a passenger exiting the security barrier, then disappears into the crowd on the concourse.
I feel a sense of dread building within me – the remnants of a hidden tension are palpable. “She didn’t board the train, did she?” I whisper, trapping my breath in my throat.
“No, she’s left the station, but with that crowd around her, I don’t know where to? And look - the man who was next to her; he's following her, but where ..." The manager’s voice trails off, concern replacing the protocol.
“I don't know, but we have to do something,” I reply. I feel my resolve surge, my pulse quickens. “She could still be in the area, and if she’s in trouble, we need to find her before it’s too late."

Next Chapter to be published 23/07/2024 - Set the date.