Watching them both there with my son, I’m starting to feel physically sick. While Dylan stands, refusing to budge, the woman approaches and ignores my son while the man and woman kiss on the lips. Not just a peck, but a deep, passionate kiss. Both Lainy and I inhale. Hers is more of a gasp.
‘I’m sorry, I know this must be hard to watch –’ Nash gives me a sympathetic glance – ‘but do you know her?’
‘No,’ I reply, my fingernails digging into my palms.
‘So, I’m just trying to get this straight in my mind,’ Lainy says, her voice now trembling. ‘My brother hasn’t had an accident on the cliffs, he has in fact run off to France with his fancy woman and taken my nephew with him?’
‘It would appear so,’ Nash replies.
‘I’ll kill him,’ Lainy says through clenched teeth. ‘I’ll bloody well kill him.’
I know I should be yelling and screaming about my husband betraying me with another woman, but I can barely breathe. Seeing Dylan so unsure and hesitant on the CCTV cameras has brought home to me how much I miss my beautiful son. It’s a physical ache in my gut. I need to go to him. I need my boy with me. Now.
Thirty-Two
Then
Lainy and Owen step apart. Turn to see her brother striding furiously up the path. She recognises that look on his face. And with a sinking heart, she knows it’s not a look that can be reasoned with.
Jake’s eyes glitter, and his mouth settles into a hard line. ‘Get away from my sister, you dick.’
‘Jake, it’s fine,’ Lainy says. ‘He was just—’
‘Don’t try to cover up for the sleazy wanker. I heard you scream, Lainy. He was trying to hurt you, wasn’t he?’ Jake takes a step forward and glares at Owen. ‘I always knew there was something off about you, Pearson. Didn’t I just tell you to get away from my sister? Are you deaf or what?’
‘Jake!’ Lainy pleads.
‘Look, I wasn’t doing anything wrong.’ Owen holds his hands up in a gesture of surrender.
‘Says you.’
‘I just wanted to make sure Lainy got home safe, that’s all.’
‘Yeah, sure you were. You’re just a Good Samaritan looking after poor little Lainy. You didn’t run up here to try to get into her pants, did you?’ Jake sneers.
Owen bristles at Jake’s accusation. He drops his hands by his side and balls them into fists.
Lainy knows she should say something to defuse the situation, but the anger is pulsing off her brother in waves and she’s scared that if she speaks, she’ll only make things worse. The best way to deal with Jake when he’s like this is to nod and agree with him until he’s calm again. But it doesn’t look like Owen is going to do that.
Owen scowls. ‘You’ve got a screw loose, Townsend. Your sister told you she’s fine. I’ve told you there’s nothing wrong here, so what’s your problem? Isn’t your sister allowed to lead her own life?’
‘She’s only fourteen, did you know that?’ Jake hisses.
‘So? What’s that got to do with anything?’
‘She’s fourteen and you’re sixteen – that’s wrong.’
‘No, it’s not. But anyway, I told you already, nothing’s going on. And even if it was, why’s that so bad?’
‘Because she’s my sister.’
‘So, because she’s your sister she can’t do anything? That sounds fair.’ Owen rolls his eyes.
Even though Lainy herself is trembling, she puts a calming hand on Owen’s arm. He takes it in his and stands defiantly facing her brother. Despite the hostility of the situation, all Lainy can think about is the feel of her hand in Owen’s. The fact that Owen Pearson is holding her hand. It’s like a dream. But it’s a false dream that’s quickly falling out of her grasp.
‘Get off her,’ Jake warns, glaring at them both.
‘Or what?’
‘Jake, please…’ Lainy says. ‘Let’s just go home, okay? Look, I’ll come with you now. Owen’s telling the truth. He was just going to walk me the rest of the way, but now you’re here I’ll go with you instead.’
Owen smirks at Jake. ‘What are you doing up here anyway? I thought you were with Rose? Unless… Oh, I get it. I think I know why you’re being so arsey – did Rose give you the brush-off? She did, didn’t she?’
Lainy takes in a deep breath as Jake’s expression darkens. Why did Owen have to stir things up? Doesn’t he realise she’s trying to calm the situation down? And why is he talking about Rose again? Everybody’s always so interested in Rose.
‘Ha! I’m right, aren’t I?’ Owen shakes his head. ‘So, because Rose isn’t up for it, you’re taking it out on me.’
Lainy tugs on Owen’s hand. If he’s right and Rose really did reject Jake, it’s no wonder her brother’s in such a foul mood. ‘Please, Owen, just leave it. Let’s all just call it a night and go home, okay?’
‘Fine,’ Owen says, turning to Lainy. ‘But I meant what I said before. And your brother isn’t going to scare me off.’
Lainy’s heart beats fast at his words. Blood rushes to her head. Her eyes flit from Jake to Owen.
Suddenly, Lainy is pushed sideways as Jake charges at Owen, shoving him onto the ground. She screams. ‘Jake! Stop it! What are you doing?’
Owen’s eyes are wide with shock, but he quickly springs back onto his feet. Now he’s upright again, his eyes instantly narrow. ‘What the hell?’
‘I told you to keep away from my sister,’ Jake pants. ‘You weren’t listening!’
‘So, your solution is to shove me? Very mature, Jake.’
‘Fuck off, Pearson.’
‘Why are you such a weirdo?’ Owen scowls.
‘Stop it, both of you!’ Lainy cries.
‘What did you call me?’ Jake snarls.
‘I called you a weirdo.’
‘Guys, if you don’t stop this, I’m going to walk home on my own, okay? I’m not staying here to watch the two of you fight over nothing.’
‘I’ll just be a couple of seconds, Lainy,’ Owen says. ‘Your brother needs to hear a few home truths.’
‘Oh yeah?’ Jake replies. ‘This should be interesting…’
‘Look, Jake, no one likes you. They all think you’re a freak. For some reason I’ve always stuck up for you. Always told them not to be so judgemental. But now I know they were right. You are a weirdo freak. And I feel sorry for Lainy having a brother as screwed-up as you.’
Jake roars and charges at Owen once more, getting him in a headlock. Lainy wants to intervene, but she’s frozen in place, her limbs tingling. She stares wildly around, but the road and cliff path are deserted. She needs to decide what to do. And fast.
Thirty-Three
Now
‘Jake’s having an affair,’ I say quietly. ‘He must have planned all this. He must have been planning it for ages.’ I’m aware of DS Nash’s eyes on me, scrutinising me. I think I must be in shock, because I’m saying things, but I feel barely any emotion. It’s as though my mind and body have decided to go on strike.
‘How could he do this?’ Lainy cries, her outrage far noisier than mine. After a pause she adds, ‘And how could Jake take Dylan? He knows the boy worships you, Faye. He’ll be beside himself without his mum.’
‘I know this must be incredibly upsetting for you both,’ Nash says, ‘but are you sure neither of you recognise the woman? I’ll play it again, so you can have a really good look.’
‘What about the woman’s car?’ Lainy snaps. ‘Surely you must have got her number plate?’
‘We’ve got footage of the car exiting the car park, but unfortunately the plates were covered in dirt. We think they might have been obscured deliberately. And it’s doubly tricky to track them because the car she drove was a white Peugeot 208, which is one of the most popular cars in France. We only became aware of the footage a short while ago, which means they’ve already had at least a twenty-four-hour head start.’
Lainy and I watch the video again. I stare at the screen so hard that the image blurs, but I
can honestly say I’ve never seen that woman before. Not to my knowledge.
‘Well?’ Nash asks, hopefully.
‘Sorry,’ I reply, ‘I don’t know her. But you must be able to find them. Now that you know where they are and now you have them on camera. I can’t believe it. Jake must have wanted us to come to Swanage so he could do this. But how can that be, because I’m the one who organised the trip. Well, me and Tom.’
‘At least we know they’re okay,’ Lainy says. ‘Before we saw this video, we were worried they’d had an accident on the cliffs. Fallen into the sea. Drowned.’
‘But that’s what makes it so awful,’ I reply. ‘Jake must have known we’d think the worst. He must have known how terrified we’d be, thinking they’d both been in this tragic accident. That they’d been killed!’ I get to my feet, wishing I could run out of here and never return. Every cell in my body is screaming at me to jump on the first ferry to France to be with my little boy. But I know I have to stay. I have to deal with this properly.
‘If it’s at all reassuring, we’re working closely with the French authorities to find them. They’ve put out an alert and we’ve issued a warrant for Jake’s arrest for child abduction.’
‘Child abduction? It sounds so… I don’t know… so terrible.’
Nash nods her agreement. ‘The thing is, he booked a one-way ticket and there’s no evidence to suggest he’s returning. This, along with his clandestine behaviour, leaves us no other option.’
‘I’m not disagreeing with you,’ I say. ‘I’m just trying to get my head around everything. Trying not to freak out.’
‘I understand this is an awful lot to take in.’
‘How could he do this?’ I cry again, banging a fist on the table so it judders and vibrates.
DS Nash puts a hand out to steady the laptop. To stop it falling off the table. But she doesn’t say anything to make me feel bad for my outburst.
‘Sorry,’ I whisper, shaking my head. ‘It’s just, I still can’t believe it. It doesn’t feel real. My husband is having an affair and he’s abducted my son. My baby. He can’t do that. He can’t get away with it. You will find them, won’t you? You have to!’
‘We’ll do our very best,’ she says evenly. ‘But as I’m sure you’re aware, there are no border controls between France and its neighbours, so Interpol have also been informed.’
‘Even if they stay in France, it’s huge. They could hide out there for years,’ I say.
‘Not if they want to have a normal life.’ Nash’s eyes are filled with sympathy. ‘Dylan will have to go to school, interact with people. It’s difficult to stay hidden.’
‘But not impossible?’ I counter.
Nash gives a brief nod. ‘No. Not impossible.’
‘What about the blood on the cliffs? And you found Dylan’s baseball cap up there too?’
‘We believe Jake planted those, to make it look as though they’d had an accident.’
‘But why? Why do that? Why not simply go off with her?’ I ask. ‘Why put us through such trauma?’
‘To stop people looking for them,’ Nash replies. ‘If we all believed they’d had a fatal accident, we wouldn’t be searching elsewhere for them. Maybe if he’d gone off with this woman on his own it would be different. But because he’s taken your son without your permission, he’s broken the law. He knew we’d come looking for him if we thought he’d abducted Dylan. It seems he attempted to fake their deaths to try to throw everyone off the scent.’
‘But what about me?’ I cry. ‘To let me believe my own son had died… it’s so cruel. How could he do it? I thought he loved me.’
‘I know this is hard, but it’s not all bad news.’
‘How do you figure that?’ Lainy asks bitterly.
‘Well,’ Nash replies, ‘for a start, he didn’t bank on us checking with the port authorities. So now we know he’s alive, but he doesn’t know we know. That gives us a slight advantage.’
‘Although they could be anywhere by now.’ I lean back in my chair, inhaling deeply.
‘The warrant we’ve issued is a European arrest warrant. Child abduction is covered under the Hague Convention and the European Convention, so we get a lot of help from our EU allies. Without this it would be a lot harder, believe me.’
‘That’s something, I suppose,’ Lainy says.
‘Can you tell me about the organisation of the holiday?’ Nash asks. ‘You said earlier that it was you who arranged the holiday, not your husband. So when did he first find out about the trip?’
‘Not until the day we arrived – last Wednesday. It was supposed to be a birthday surprise. Ha, some surprise.’
‘Any chance he could have discovered your plans earlier and not made you aware?’
I pause for a moment. ‘I suppose it’s possible. But he seemed miserable to be here. He was so moody. Made me feel guilty for organising it. It was his suggestion to go back home.’
‘Maybe he was edgy because he knew what he was about to do,’ Lainy says. ‘Guilty conscience.’
‘What if…’ I tail off.
‘What?’ Nash prompts.
‘Well, it’s probably nothing, but before I booked the holiday, Jake told me how much he missed the sea. That’s what prompted me to book it in the first place. What if he was nudging me into doing what he wanted? He knows I love arranging surprises.’ I shake my head in disbelief. ‘I still can’t believe it! What the hell was he thinking, taking Dylan away? Did he think my own son wouldn’t miss me? That he’d forget me?’
No one replies. I hear the sound of a clock ticking. It seems to grow louder until it fills my ears and I can hear nothing else. Tick, tick, TICK, TICK.
‘Faye. Faye…’ I realise Lainy is shaking my shoulder gently. ‘Are you okay? Do you need to lie down?’
I stare at her, confused for a moment, until I remember why we’re here. ‘Sorry. Sorry, I’m just trying to get my head around this. Is the woman French?’ I ask DS Nash.
‘We don’t know who she is, or what nationality. Has your husband visited France before?’
‘We’ve been on a couple of camping trips over there.’ I cast my mind back. ‘One just after Dylan was born, and another a couple of years later.’
‘Does Jake speak French?’
‘A bit. He’s not fluent or anything.’
‘We’ll need to search your holiday home, and also your actual home. He may have left some accidental clue about where he’s headed. You’re from London, right?’
‘Yes.’
‘And in your previous statement, you said that your husband grew up here in Swanage.’ She turns to Lainy. ‘So does that mean you also grew up here?’
‘Yes. We moved to London with our family when I was fifteen.’
‘Could the woman in the video be someone from your childhood? Someone you grew up with? Did Jake have a childhood sweetheart from around here?’
Blood rushes to Lainy’s cheeks.
‘Can I take it from your expression that a name springs to mind?’ Nash asks.
‘Well,’ Lainy says, shifting in her seat, ‘there was this one girl he liked. But it was years ago and I’m almost certain they never kept in touch. I think she broke his heart back then.’
‘Do you recall her name?’
‘Rose.’
‘And do you have a last name?’
‘I think it began with an S. Or maybe… Cassidy. Yes, that’s it. Rose Cassidy.’
‘He never mentioned anyone called Rose to me,’ I say.
‘Everyone was in love with Rose back then. Well, almost everybody,’ Lainy mutters.
‘Lainy, do you think the woman in the video could be this Rose Cassidy?’ Nash asks.
‘Let me watch it again?’
Nash presses play and we both watch.
‘I don’t know… she does have fair hair, but it’s probably dyed. Rose had this long, reddish-blonde hair back then. But it was almost twenty years ago, and it’s hard to tell from such a poor-quality imag
e.’
‘Of course,’ Nash says with a tinge of disappointment. ‘We’ll try to get in touch with Rose anyway. Rule her in or out. In the meantime, if you could both have a think. See if there’s anyone who you think this woman could be. Even if it’s a long shot, I’d like to know, okay?’
‘Okay,’ Lainy says. Her face has returned to looking pale and tired. Her eyes dark smudges.
‘I think that’s it for now,’ Nash says. ‘We’ll assign a family liaison officer to your case to keep you informed of what’s going on. Likewise, if anything else occurs to you, no matter how seemingly trivial, please do let them know as soon as possible.’
‘So that’s it?’ I ask. ‘We have to leave now, and just… what? Wait?’
‘I know it seems difficult. But we’ll be working hard to find them.’ She gets to her feet to signal the interview is over.
I stand too and stare into Nash’s eyes. ‘You will get Dylan back for me, won’t you, because… because I couldn’t bear a life without him.’ I grit my teeth to stop myself crying.
‘I’ll do everything in my power,’ she promises, gently propelling me and Lainy out the door.
Thirty-Four
Lainy and I arrive back at the house. It’s dark, but there are still a few people walking into town, enjoying a Saturday night out, dressed up, chatting and laughing, oblivious to our personal nightmare. This evening at the police station has taken it out of me. I feel wrung out. Hollow. But I can’t afford to collapse. I need to refuel and keep going. Stay strong. We walk up the front steps to the silent, looming house. It seems as though it’s stooping, leering, watching us. I fumble to unlock the door, but the key doesn’t want to fit in the lock.
‘What’s wrong?’ Lainy asks.
‘Tom must have called the owner to arrange a locksmith – because of the break-in. I can’t get the key to work.’ I turn the door knob, not expecting it to move. But, strangely, the door is on the catch and it swings open.
‘How did you—’
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