Heartlands

by Kerry Watts

  Sophie whimpered until Jack rolled her onto her back and started to undo his trousers. Sophie screamed in horror that her ordeal wasn’t yet over. He had his hands around her throat as the memory faded.

  ‘Daniel, did you hear what I said?’

  He nodded. ‘I suppose we encouraged each other.’

  ‘Was Jack your best friend?’

  Daniel shrugged. ‘I guess he was.’

  ‘Do you miss him?’

  ‘Yes, I probably do a bit. He was a laugh.’

  Julia smiled. ‘You did lots of things together, then?’

  Daniel grinned and held her gaze once more. ‘When his parents let us.’

  ‘How did you get on with Mr and Mrs MacKay?’

  ‘They were actually really nice. Jack was always bitching about them. Like they were really strict and stuff. He even said once that he was jealous of me, can you believe that? Because Mum let…’ He stopped to correct himself. ‘Let me stay out as late as I wanted.’

  ‘Do you think he did what he did with you that day because he knew his parents would disapprove?’

  Daniel’s mood darkened, and he withdrew slightly from the conversation. Julia allowed him some space and wondered if it was a good time to end their session, which she felt had gone incredibly well.

  ‘OK, I think that’s enough for today.’

  Daniel interrupted her by unexpectedly reaching out for her arm, which startled Julia a little.

  ‘How did Jack die?’

  His question took her by surprise and she sighed.

  ‘Jack hanged himself, Daniel. I’m sorry.’

  She allowed the information to sink in.

  ‘Thank you for being honest with me, Dr Hudson.’

  Again, his eyes held hers the whole time as he stood up from his chair.

  ‘You’re welcome,’ she answered with a smile.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Rob and Cassie walked up the path hand in hand, knocked once, then walked into the house. The look on Cassie’s face when he told her about Shannon was horrible. He hated telling her something so awful. Of course she had wanted to go straight over there, but Rob managed to persuade her that there was nothing she could do at that time of night. Jason greeted them when he reached the bottom of the stairs, his expression dazed and confused with a large dose of exhaustion. It was clear that Jason had slept very little and hadn’t shaved that morning. Rob had seen Jason in some states, most of which involved copious amounts of lager, but he’d never seen anything like this. He looked broken; defeated. Jason shook his head in response to Rob’s question about an update. Cassie moved forward and hugged Jason tightly. She saw Louise emerge from her bedroom at the top of the stairs and immediately released her grip on him to go to her friend.

  ‘Louise,’ Cassie whispered, and rubbed her hand up and down Louise’s arm. ‘Shall I make us all some coffee?’

  ‘I need a cigarette.’ Jason moved past Rob and out the front door. Cassie urged Rob to follow him with a nod of her head, which he did without question.

  ‘Do you want one?’ Jason held out the cigarette packet.

  ‘No thanks.’ Rob leaned back against the wall, unsure what was the right thing to say.

  Jason inhaled and blew the smoke out close to Rob’s face.

  ‘They found her phone at Andrew Foster’s house.’

  ‘Shit, mate, I’m sorry.’

  Jason stubbed out one cigarette with his foot as he lit another. Rob gently covered Jason’s hand with his.

  ‘Come on, let’s get some coffee.’

  DC Dylan Logan opened the garden gate before they could get back inside.

  ‘Have you found her?’ Jason rubbed his eyes with his fingers to wake himself up a bit.

  Dylan’s answer was a slight shake of his head. ‘Let’s go inside. Come on.’

  Louise leapt from her chair at the sound of Dylan’s voice and spilled her coffee all over the pine kitchen table. It dribbled down onto the vinyl floor.

  ‘Shit.’ She grabbed a cloth.

  ‘Leave it.’ Cassie tugged the cloth out of her hand. ‘I’ll get that.’

  ‘What’s happening?’ Louise asked, her eyes searching for good news.

  Jason reached for his cigarettes as Dylan explained: ‘We’re sending a team up Ben Lochty and another to search Inver Wood, just to be sure she’s not got lost and fallen somewhere. The dogs are going to need something of Shannon’s so that they can focus on her scent. Something from her laundry basket would be best.’

  Louise didn’t speak. She left the room.

  ‘What are you not telling us?’ Jason asked. ‘Why would Shannon be in either of those places? Shannon wouldn’t wander like that. She certainly wouldn’t head into Inver Wood by herself.’

  ‘Jason, sit down and let him do his job.’ Cassie’s voice was firm and unwavering as she stared up at him.

  ‘Thank you. I’ll be in touch as soon as I have any news.’

  Jason grabbed his cigarettes and charged past Dylan to get out the back door.

  Being in Shannon’s room was torture. Louise could smell her as if she’d just stepped outside for a minute. On top of Shannon’s pillow Louise found the pyjamas she had taken off that morning. She held them close to her face and inhaled every molecule of her scent. She rubbed the cotton top over her cheek while tears ran down her face.

  By the time Rob got outside, Jason was stubbing out one cigarette and starting on the next. Rob wasn’t ready for what happened next. Jason dropped to his knees and cried. He wailed like an animal and his words were completely inaudible. Rob’s first instinct was to run, but he couldn’t. He crouched down and put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. Jason clung to Rob. ‘Where is she? Where is she?’

  Jessie stared at Andrew Foster as he lay curled up in the foetal position on the bed, his shock of brown curls pointing in several different directions. She noticed the length of his nails and wondered when they were last trimmed, or cleaned for that matter. Having the door locked loudly behind her unnerved her. The nurse who let Jessie in had warned her that Andrew probably couldn’t be very helpful just yet. As soon as his wounds were stitched, Andrew had been transferred to the secure psychiatric ward for his own safety, and it was clear that his schizophrenia was acutely out of control. The nurse told Jessie that Andrew might have stopped taking his meds; something he did regularly after the loss of his mother. Some doses were missed down to genuine forgetfulness.

  ‘Hello, Andrew, my name is Jessie Blake.’ She pulled her ID badge out and held it close to him but he didn’t even look at it. ‘Can I have a quick word, if you don’t mind?’

  Andrew moved only to cover his ears with his hands and muttered something under his breath that Jessie couldn’t make out. She knew she was out of her depth here, and she was aware of the nurse watching her. The nurse moved forward and knelt next to Andrew’s face.

  ‘The detective needs to talk to you, Andrew.’

  Her words were firm but kind and created a frown of acknowledgement from Andrew. It was as if he’d just realised Jessie was there. She mouthed the words thank you as the nurse moved back from them. Andrew Foster looked up at Jessie for the first time.

  ‘Hello, Andrew.’ Jessie smiled.

  ‘Hello,’ Andrew’s words were slurred, and he wiped a drop of saliva from his lips.

  ‘I need to ask you a couple of questions, OK?’

  Andrew nodded, and it was then that Jessie noticed the emptiness in his eyes. They were devoid of emotion.

  ‘Did you see Shannon Ross yesterday?’

  Her question got no response. Jessie undid her hair and retied it into a messy bun. She scratched her cheek and waited.

  ‘Andrew,’ she tried again. ‘Did you see Shannon yesterday? Her mum and dad are looking for her. She didn’t come home last night.’

  Andrew sat bolt upright, startling Jessie.

  ‘She’s a good girl, Shannon. She helps me, especially when they try to get me. They try to steal my thoughts, you know. T
hey didn’t know that I knew until I told them. They thought they were so smart, but the signs were all there, you see,’ Foster said, his finger extended close to Jessie’s chest.

  ‘When who tries to get you?’

  Andrew started laughing, then pressed his finger to his lips.

  ‘Why was Shannon’s phone in your house?’

  Jessie now knew this was futile. The buzz from her phone scared Andrew, who retreated back into a tight ball with his hands over his ears.

  ‘DI Blake,’ she answered, then listened before a sickening thump landed in the pit of her stomach. This was not the news she wanted to hear.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Eric Baldwin put down his Xbox controller and grabbed his phone when it vibrated in his jeans pocket. Shannon had been on his mind all night. It wasn’t like her not to answer his texts, and he hoped this one was finally from her. When the sender ID was C, he was torn between disappointment and excitement.

  Any news yet? I’ve seen all the police activity.

  I still haven’t heard from her.

  Want to talk?

  Can I come over?

  Of course. I’ll see you in ten.

  Eric smiled and switched off his game. He slipped his feet into Nike trainers and grabbed a warm sweater. Agatha Baldwin intercepted him in the hallway.

  ‘Don’t be late home, mein Liebling.’

  Eric kissed her cheek. ‘I won’t. I’ve got my phone with me.’ He slammed the door shut behind him.

  Eric had never seen so many police officers in Inverlochty. As he passed Shannon’s door he saw a sharply dressed man waiting for the door to be answered. Eric’s eyes met with Rob Taylor’s before Rob closed the door behind him.

  Andrew Foster emerged from his room in the mental health assessment unit. He pinched his fingers together in sequence, counting to ten then down from ten in a continuous pattern, his stained red T-shirt on inside out, before repeating Shannon’s name over and over.

  ‘Shannon’s gone, Shannon’s gone. We’ve got to find Shannon.’ He crouched quickly and peeped his head round the dining room door. ‘She’s hurt. I’ve got to get to her. Her face. The blood.’ He clasped his hand over his mouth and listened with narrowed eyes. ‘No I didn’t, I couldn’t have done that.’ He slammed his hands over his ears. ‘Lies. That’s all lies, isn’t it?’

  ‘Andrew, what’s happening, buddy?’ asked a nurse as he crouched low beside him. ‘Can I help at all?’

  Andrew eyed him suspiciously, then lifted his finger to his lips.

  ‘Shh, they’ll hear you. They say they saw me do it, but I didn’t. I didn’t do it, did I?’ Andrew shook his head and gripped his ears, tugging them hard before slapping his own head. ‘No, I wouldn’t. Shut up. You’re lying.’

  ‘Hey, come on, let’s get you something to make you feel a bit better.’ The nurse laid a gentle hand on Andrew’s arm to encourage him off the floor.

  ‘No,’ Andrew screamed in his face. ‘I know what you’re all trying to do. I would never do that. Never. Shannon is my friend.’

  Jessie felt deflated after her attempt to interview Andrew Foster. She had no idea how long it was going to take before he was lucid enough to help her but, until then, that was all she had. She looked around the basic room at the rear of the small, rural station she had been given as an incident room, and tried to get used to the smell. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but if she had to guess, it was burning dust.

  She was lucky Inverlochty still had a station. Police Scotland cuts meant these places were an endangered species. This room was usually empty, so there had been no point having the radiators on until now. She laid Shannon’s photo in front of her and tried to imagine herself in the shoes of a fifteen-year-old girl. Shannon had just helped Andrew Foster but hadn’t turned up to meet Eric as she’d planned. The distance between the two places was no more than two hundred yards. She had asked the few uniformed officers based in Inverlochty to do a door-to-door interview with every house between the two and nobody had seen her. It was as if she went into Andrew Foster’s home, then vanished.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Thursday

  Jessie had been on the road for an hour before the first signpost for Inverlochty appeared. Highland Perthshire was stunning at this time of year. The metamorphosis in the leaves was spectacular. She understood exactly why thousands of tourists flocked here every autumn. The seasonal colours glowed despite the darkness that had descended on the small town. When the super suggested Jessie should stay at the heart of the investigation, she didn’t realise that he meant she should literally move in while the investigation took place, but it made sense. Travelling to the rural station every morning wasn’t practical.

  ‘Hi, I’m Jessie Blake. You have a room for me,’ she said as she walked up to the desk in the only hotel in town.

  Maggie Malcolm, who was a whisker shy of five foot two, slung the tea towel over her shoulder, skimming her greying black hair, and gave Jessie a sombre smile as she handed her the key. ‘Aye, there you go. Horrid business, all the same.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  Ten minutes later, DI Jessie Blake was booked into her room above The Black Witch pub. The room was basic but clean, and she pulled back the duvet to inspect the sheet. She did this out of habit – a reminder of her time living with Dan, where any kind of dirt or mess would have put him in a terrible mood and she would have paid for it. She was relieved to see that the crisp, tightly fitted white sheet was immaculate. The mini-kettle next to a wicker basket of individually wrapped tea bags and tiny tubs of UHT milk produced a wry smile. The twin pack of shortbread was the finishing touch to the traditional rural bed and breakfast. Jessie grabbed her keys and headed straight for the police station.

  Louise woke suddenly from sleep. She had gone into Shannon’s room to feel close to her. She had only laid her head on Shannon’s One Direction pillow for a moment, but exhaustion consumed her and, two hours later, she was still there. For one brief, wonderful heartbeat Shannon wasn’t gone, her daughter wasn’t missing and she would be there any minute, angrily wondering why her mother was sleeping on her bed. Louise felt her shoulders rise with the pain of uncertainty tightening her gut. Two short taps on the bedroom door broke the silence.

  ‘Jason’s wondering if you want some tea,’ Rob whispered.

  Louise ignored his question and closed her eyes.

  ‘Lou.’ He closed the bedroom door and moved closer. He crouched low beside the bed and ran his fingers through her hair. ‘Lou,’ he said again.

  His touch felt the way it always had, and Louise missed it. They hadn’t planned on what had happened between them; it just happened. She turned to face him, then sat up on the edge of Shannon’s bed, tears streaming. Neither of them said a word until Rob leaned forward and pressed his lips firmly on hers. Louise wanted him so badly she ached. She craved the comfort she knew Rob could give, but she pushed him away.

  ‘No,’ her voice quivered. ‘It’s over between us, and this isn’t the time anyway.’

  She stood up and walked to the door. Rob sighed. She was right.

  ‘There you are.’ Cassie almost banged right into Louise in the hallway.

  ‘Here I am.’ Louise’s words oozed defeat.

  Cassie was surprised to find Rob walking out of Shannon’s room. They both watched Louise move slowly downstairs as Rob draped an arm round Cassie’s shoulder before planting a soft kiss on her cheek.

  ‘Do you think we should go?’ she asked.

  Rob sighed. ‘I don’t think we’re much help here, are we?’

  Ben startled them as he crept from his room. He scowled silently at the couple, then passed them on his way downstairs.

  ‘Poor Ben, everyone is so wrapped up in their own worries I think we’ve all forgotten he’s just a kid. He was the last one to see her, too. He must be missing her.’

  ‘Come on, we should go. Jason will call if he needs us,’ Rob added.

  ‘You’re right, but I wish
there was something we could do.’

  Tears moistened Cassie’s eyes, but the doorbell rang before Rob could respond. Jason jogged in from the kitchen to answer it.

  ‘Come in, detective, come in.’

  Rob and Cassie slipped away, unnoticed by either Jason or Louise.

  ‘Thank you.’ Jessie wiped her feet before stepping inside.

  ‘Have you found her yet?’

  ‘No. We are doing everything we can to find your daughter, I can assure you.’

  ‘“Everything” clearly isn’t very much, is it? Why haven’t you found her yet?’ Louise’s eyes misted over.

  ‘I’m doing everything in my power to get Shannon back to you.’

  Her words hung in the air and Louise nodded.

  ‘Have you spoken to Andrew Foster yet?’ asked Jason.

  ‘He’s not fit to be officially interviewed, but as soon as he is, I intend to speak to him, don’t worry.’

  Jessie turned to face Louise. ‘Can you think of anyone that Shannon could have gone to see that you haven’t considered before? Does she have any friends in Dundee or Glasgow or Edinburgh? Are you positive she’s not been chatting to someone online? Could she have a boyfriend that you don’t know about?’

  ‘No, of course not. I told you, Shannon isn’t stupid. My daughter wouldn’t go and meet a stranger she met on the internet.’

  ‘I’m sorry if I’ve upset you, but under the circumstances, I do have to ask difficult questions.’ Jessie glanced at Shannon’s school photo on the sideboard and smiled. ‘She looks like you, Jason, a blonde version of you, obviously, I mean.’ Jessie hoped her words would defuse the increasing tension.

  Jason grinned. ‘Aye, she has the Ross eyes.’

  ‘Look, I’m not going to lie to you—’ Jessie’s phone halted her mid-sentence. ‘Excuse me a minute.’