The Marriage Betrayal

by Shalini Boland

  ‘Uh, yes, that’s me. I’m Faye. What is it?’

  ‘Would you mind coming down to the station with us?’

  ‘What, now? What’s this about? Is it to do with the break-in, or is it about my family? You know my family has gone missi—’

  ‘Yes, we’ve all been working hard trying to find them for you. That’s why we’d like to speak to you. We actually have some news in connection with their disappearance.’

  Needles of dread stab my back. ‘Can’t you tell me the news now? Have you found them? Are they okay?’

  ‘Please tell us you’ve found them,’ Tom says.

  ‘I’m not privy to the new information, I’m afraid. DS Nash just messaged me to ask you to come in. Sorry not to be more helpful, but I can give you a lift to the station if you like – not in the same car as matey boy over there, obviously.’ He nods his head in the direction of the burglar, whoever he is.

  ‘We’ll come with you, Faye,’ Tom says. ‘I’ll drive.’

  ‘Tom,’ Lainy says, with a sudden panicked look on her face, ‘I don’t want to bring the girls to the police station. But I don’t want them inside the house, either. Not if it’s in as bad a state as you say it is…’

  ‘And you shouldn’t be driving with that head injury, Tom,’ I add.

  ‘Why don’t we take you there, Mrs Townsend?’ the officer says.

  I nod. ‘Okay, thanks.’

  ‘Lainy,’ Tom says. ‘You go with Faye. I’ll stay here with the girls. Just wait here in the car with them for ten minutes or so while I try to tidy up at least one of the rooms. Is it okay to go inside the house, officer?’

  ‘Yes, it’s fine. Go on in. It’s not pretty, but at least he didn’t have the opportunity to run off with anything.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Tom says. ‘And we appreciate you getting down here so quickly.’

  ‘All part of the service.’

  ‘Actually, thanks for the offer of a lift, officer, but I think I will drive.’ I reach into my bag for my car keys, wanting a tiny piece of normality. Hoping the action of driving will shake away the quivering fear in my guts. Dreading what news they’re about to give me.

  Thirty

  His farmhouse is a little run-down these days, but it’s still comfortable. The property is situated several miles down a private road. Consequently, when he’s here, he feels like he’s the only person alive in the world. Apart from today, that is.

  Today is different.

  He sits on the faded tapestry armchair absent-mindedly stroking Scout’s head. He’s not usually prone to dwelling on things, but today he just can’t seem to help thinking about the past. About the present. And… well… yes, about the future too. He has always prided himself on his relaxed attitude to life. It helps that his work is mainly physical. Creative too, but there’s a lot of manual labour. He likes it that way because it doesn’t leave a lot of time for self-reflection. But, being here, waiting – it’s just not good for him. His mind is skipping all over the place.

  He stands suddenly and looks around the familiar room, trying to ignore the soft, sad sounds from upstairs. Perhaps he should set himself a task. There’s plenty to do around the place – DIY jobs around the house, orchard maintenance, servicing his car or a hundred and one other things. Only, he doesn’t feel like doing any of it. If he was alone it would be different. He could concentrate properly on whatever errand or job he set himself. But since he got back he just can’t seem to settle to anything.

  Well, it shouldn’t be long now. A day or two at the most and he can get back to his life. Don’t mix personal with professional. He’s told himself that a million times. It never ends well. And the few times he’s ignored his rule, it’s always left him unsettled and questioning everything. Like now.

  But he did make a promise. And he’s never broken a promise yet.

  Thirty-One

  After waiting with the girls in the car while Tom tidies the kitchen, Lainy and I cross the road and slide into Jake’s Nissan. The drive to the police station goes by in a blur. Lainy directs me using the satnav on her phone, and I’m too busy concentrating on not crashing to have any kind of meaningful conversation. Anyway, what is there to say, other than us voicing all our fears? And there are too many fears to cover in one short car journey.

  At the station, frustratingly, we’re told by the desk officer that we’ll have to wait ten minutes until DS Nash is free. Ten minutes may not sound like a long time, but when you’re waiting for life-changing news it seems like forever. We sit next to one another on the hard seats in reception, but I can’t keep still so I get up and wander over to the notice board, skim-read the information leaflets and then wander over to the vending machine and look at all the snacks, wondering if I’ll ever regain my appetite. Anything to keep my mind occupied. To stop myself from breaking down.

  I snap my head up as a figure comes into view. Catch my breath as I realise it’s Nash, smart as ever in another of her light-grey suits. Or maybe it’s the exact same one.

  ‘Hello, Faye.’

  ‘Hi.’

  She turns to Lainy and gives a questioning smile.

  ‘This is Lainy Ellis, my sister-in-law, Jake’s sister,’ I explain. ‘Is it okay if she stays too?’

  ‘Yes, that’s fine. In fact, it’s actually a good thing you’re both here.’

  ‘Oh, why’s that?’ Lainy asks as we follow Nash along the corridor.

  ‘I’ll tell you in a moment,’ Nash replies.

  We reach the small interview room I sat in previously, when I was here with Tom. It feels like days ago, but I realise with a shock that it was only yesterday. Lainy gives my arm an encouraging squeeze and we stare at one another briefly – an intense gaze that manages to convey all our unspoken thoughts.

  ‘So, what’s this about?’ Lainy asks in her school-teacher voice. ‘The officer said you had some news.’

  ‘Please sit down,’ Nash says, gesturing to the seats next to us. We do as she asks and then she sits opposite us, placing her bag on the floor and leaning her forearms on the wooden desk. ‘Firstly, we’ll be recording this interview, if that’s okay with you?’

  Lainy and I both agree.

  ‘Just to explain,’ Nash says, looking directly at both of us, ‘this is a witness interview. And with these types of investigations where there’s a missing child, we like to visually record as well as audio record. Is that okay?’

  ‘Uh, yes, okay.’ The thought of being videoed makes me a little uncomfortable, but of course I’ll do it.

  ‘Why do you need to visually record us?’ Lainy asks.

  ‘Mainly because we don’t want to miss anything. Nodding, gestures, facial expressions. That type of thing. It’s quite standard procedure. Nothing to worry about. Also a few simple words can be missed on a written statement or mumbled on audio. Later, these missing words could prove to be vital to help with the case. Does that make sense?’

  Lainy nods.

  ‘Okay then.’ Nash reaches over to a side table and presses a button on a small black box. I glance around the room and notice a video camera fixed high up on the wall behind her, angled down towards me and Lainy.

  ‘To put your mind at rest,’ Nash says, ‘as far as we’re aware, no physical harm has befallen either your husband or your son.’

  I exhale. ‘What? Really? How do you know? So… you’ve found them and they’re okay?’ I suddenly feel short of breath.

  ‘Are they here?’ Lainy’s cheeks flush. ‘Can we see them?’

  ‘Unfortunately, it’s not that simple,’ Nash replies, pulling at the cuffs of her suit jacket. ‘As you know, we’ve been out searching the area for your family…’

  ‘Yes,’ Lainy replies.

  ‘But we’ve also been pursuing other lines of enquiry.’

  ‘Other lines… I don’t understand.’ I wish she’d hurry up and just tell us what she knows. This waiting and second-guessing is torture. I’m literally biting my nails. And I never do that.

  ‘
Well –’ Nash steeples her fingers – ‘we circulated photos of your missing family to other police stations nationwide, but we’ve also been in contact with the French police and border authorities.’

  I swallow and my heart begins to race. Sweat breaks out on my top lip. ‘What are you saying?’ I croak.

  ‘This may come as a bit of a shock to you,’ Nash says carefully, ‘but the French authorities confirmed to us that both Jake and Dylan have been through the Port of Cherbourg.’

  ‘What?!’ I say. ‘When?’

  ‘Yesterday.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ Lainy says, her mouth hanging open. ‘There’s obviously been some kind of mistake or mix-up. Jake wouldn’t have taken Dylan to France. Not without telling Faye. No way. I’m his sister. I know him.’

  ‘I’m afraid it’s true. They used their passports in Poole and also at Cherbourg. I also have some security-tape footage that I’d like to show you. See if you can confirm whether or not it’s them.’ She reaches down to her bag and pulls out a slim black laptop, which she places on the table.

  ‘This is crazy!’ I reply. ‘I’m sure when I see the footage I’ll be able to tell you that it absolutely isn’t them. What if… I don’t know… what if someone faked their passports and they’re pretending to be them? Maybe that’s why the French authorities think they’re in France.’

  ‘That’s a perfectly reasonable conclusion,’ Nash replies. ‘But it wouldn’t explain why your husband and son are missing.’

  ‘What about the intruder who broke into our holiday home?’ Lainy asks suddenly, sitting up straighter in her chair. ‘Maybe he’s something to do with it? Maybe he’s… I don’t know… running some kind of passport scam.’

  ‘You mean Mark Tamworth?’ I add.

  ‘It wasn’t Mark,’ Lainy replies.

  ‘Can you bear with me a moment?’ Nash says, getting to her feet and gathering up both the laptop and her bag. ‘I’ll be back shortly.’

  ‘Where are you going? What about the footage you were going to show us?’ I stand and run a hand through my hair, a thousand and one thoughts flying through my mind.

  ‘Don’t worry, I’ll only be a few minutes.’ She leaves the room abruptly, closing the door behind her.

  I sit back down. My left leg is shaking and my hands feel numb.

  ‘Where do you think she’s going?’ Lainy asks.

  ‘I don’t know.’ I stare ahead at the cream wall, focusing on a thin crack in the plaster. There’s so much more I want to discuss with Lainy, but I don’t know where to start, and anyway, DS Nash will be back any moment and our conversation wouldn’t exactly be private in here.

  ‘So… they’ve got footage of them in Cherbourg,’ Lainy says. ‘That’s…’ But she tails off.

  ‘That’s what?’ I prompt.

  ‘Nothing. Never mind. Let’s wait until we see it.’

  I’m glad she’s fallen silent. I need to think. To process what’s happening. If this was a movie, I’d be hysterical about now, demanding answers, wailing, crying, yelling at people to find my family right now. But in real life, it’s not like that at all. Instead, I feel closed down. Numb. I wonder if this is what it feels like to be on drugs. Detached from everything. Floating outside your body.

  ‘Faye, whatever we—’

  But I cut her off. ‘You were right before – let’s wait and see what shows up on the tape.’

  ‘I was just going to say, whatever we find out today, whatever happens, I’m here for you. I’ll always be your support, okay?’

  My throat tightens. ‘Oh, Lainy, please stop, you’re going to make me cry. And I can’t cry. Not in here.’ I take her hand and hold it tightly. We sit like that for a few minutes more, deep in our own anxieties, until the door bursts open and Nash re-enters, bringing her vitality back into the sombre room. Lainy and I glance at one another with a look of support. I let go of her hand and focus on the detective.

  ‘Okay,’ Nash says, ‘I’ve just spoken to the arresting officer. He’s interviewing the man who broke into your house, and I’m able to clear something up for you. He’s not Mark Tamworth.’

  ‘I told you it wasn’t him,’ Lainy says to me.

  ‘But it looked just like him! I swear to you, it’s the same man I saw at the Grey Dolphin. He was standing outside his caravan. Tom agrees with me.’

  ‘What I mean is…’ Nash sits back down. ‘The man you saw at the Dolphin is the same man who broke into your holiday house. But he’s not Mr Tamworth. Mark Tamworth is currently in Cornwall at a music festival. He went there with his girlfriend a couple of days ago. He’s still there now.’

  ‘Oh.’ I’m surprised by the news.

  ‘That’s why the thief ran off when you called out to him last night,’ Nash explains. ‘We think you must have startled him just as he was about to break into Mr Tamworth’s caravan.’

  It takes me a moment to digest this information. ‘So who is he? This thief.’

  ‘He’s a local man wanted in connection with a string of recent house burglaries. He’s predominantly been targeting holiday homes.’

  ‘So, he’s nothing to do with Jake and Dylan going missing?’ Lainy asks.

  ‘No. You probably saved Mark Tamworth from having his home burgled. We think the felon must have known Mr Tamworth was away.’

  ‘Isn’t it a bit of a coincidence that he burgled our house too?’ Lainy asks.

  ‘Yes and no,’ Nash replies. ‘He admitted he’s been online looking at local holiday letting websites, working out which houses have holidaymakers staying in them, knowing that they’ll generally bring a lot of cash with them for the week. That and the fact they’ll also be out sightseeing or on the beach for most of the day, and eating out in the evenings, giving him long windows of opportunity.’

  ‘So, he confessed?’ Lainy asks.

  ‘His backpack is stuffed with electronic devices, cash and alcohol, much of which is incriminating, so if anything of yours is missing, make a note of it and we should be able to get everything back to you eventually.’

  I nod, but the last thing on my mind is stolen goods. I honestly couldn’t care less if he’s taken any of my stuff and I doubt I’ll be checking through and reporting it. Not with everything else that’s going on. I can’t deny that I’m relieved the burglar is nothing to do with Jake and Dylan though. The man looked so shady, it made me shudder to think that he might have somehow had contact with my beautiful son.

  ‘So if he’s nothing to do with my missing family, can you show us this footage you were talking about?’ I ask, impatient to steer the detective back to the subject of Dylan and Jake.

  ‘Of course. I’m sorry to have left you hanging, but I just wanted to go and confirm that this guy was nothing to do with your husband and son.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Lainy says.

  Nash slides her laptop out of her bag once again, opens it up and turns it towards us. She presses a few buttons on the keyboard and clicks a link on the screen. Lainy and I lean forward in our seats.

  ‘This footage was caught on CCTV outside the ferry terminal in Cherbourg at 2.20 p.m. yesterday afternoon.’

  The video is dark and grainy, but I instantly see the two figures as they walk out through the terminal’s sliding doors. My heart jolts when I see Dylan. I hold my breath, remaining utterly still until the two of them move out of camera shot.

  ‘Is that Jake and Dylan?’ Nash asks as the video ends.

  ‘Yes,’ Lainy replies, glancing at me. ‘Definitely.’

  My throat seems to have closed up, so I nod my agreement.

  ‘Dylan’s face is clear enough, but Jake’s face is angled downwards, because he’s speaking on his mobile,’ Nash says. ‘I’ll play it again and slow it down so you can really study the image. Make sure it’s definitely him. Don’t assume that, just because he’s with Dylan, it’s him.’

  ‘Okay, but it is definitely him,’ Lainy repeats. ‘I’d know my brother anywhere.’

  Nash taps the play i
con and we watch them leaving the ferry building once more. Dylan looks happy. He gives a little skip as he exits the building. Probably thinks he’s on some fantastic adventure. My heart twists. I wonder if he’s asked about me. About where I am. I bite my lip to stop myself from crying.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Nash asks. ‘Do you need a break? Tea? A glass of water?’

  I shake my head and manage to force out a quiet, ‘No, I’m fine.’

  ‘It’s Jake,’ Lainy says again.

  ‘And can you also confirm it’s your husband, Faye?’ She gives me a hard stare that makes me feel under pressure.

  I nod. ‘I think it’s him. But can you run it one more time, just to be sure?’ The main reason I want her to play it over is so that I can see my son again. It’s hard to watch him there without me. But I’d watch it ten more times if I could.

  Nash presses play again. I drink in the footage, feeling slightly less anxious now I see my son isn’t upset – well, not at that point in time anyway. Lainy and I reconfirm that the two people are Jake and Dylan.

  Nash seems satisfied with our answers this time. ‘There’s one further piece of footage that I’d like you to watch.’ She double clicks another link. ‘This clip was taken several minutes later in the ferry car park. But it might come as a bit of a shock to you, Faye. So please prepare yourself, if you can.’

  I glance at Lainy, who gives me a worried stare in return.

  Nash clears her throat and we turn our attention back to the laptop. Lainy and I watch as the man and boy walk across a busy car park to where a slim, fair-haired, attractive woman stands, talking into her mobile phone with one hand, and waving at them with the other. Her hair is pulled back off her face into a stylish chignon. She’s wearing pale capri pants and a fitted short-sleeved top. The woman ends the call and smiles. Dylan’s walk is less confident now. He slows right down and comes to a halt a few yards before they reach the woman.

  ‘See here,’ Nash says, ‘Dylan seems hesitant to approach the woman. It looks like Jake is cajoling him to keep walking. Do you recognise her?’