by V Clifford
‘How does she know it’s not from Tess?’
‘Well, she can’t be sure, but she claims that Tess would never say the kind of things that are in it . . . ’
Viv sighed impatiently into the silence. ‘And you’re going to tell me what those things are sometime soon? And was there a post mark?’
‘I’m just getting to it. It’s all religious stuff as if she’s found God . . . or has had a lobotomy, and I sure know which I’d put money on. She can’t make out the post mark.’
‘I need to see it. Could you scan both, the envelope and the letter, and email it to me?’
‘Yes, if I can get it from Beccs. She’s so distraught she might have destroyed it . . .’
‘For God’s sake! Make sure she doesn’t do that. She can’t be that stupid. It’s the only evidence we’ve got.’
‘Calm down, Viv. I’ve already told her all of that but it sounded as if there was some threatening stuff in it. You know the kind of crap . . . that Tess was possessed otherwise she’d never have let Beccs near her and that it was Beccs who forced Tess.’
‘It doesn’t say anything about outing her though?’
‘No. Not that I’m aware of. She just read bits of it out and as I said she’s hysterical. Look, Viv, I’ll ring you back once I’ve got the letter. The sooner I get my hands on it the less chance there is of Beccs putting a match to it.’
‘That would be such a big mistake. If someone is holding Tess, and they’ve written this letter, our having it will be the best chance of finding her. By the way handle it with gloves or tweezers. Ring me as soon as you’ve got it.’
‘I’m not daft, Viv. I’ll get it.’
Viv stared at the phone and wondered about letting Mac know there had been a development. Instead she threw on her jacket, grabbed her rucksack, and headed out.
Fifteen minutes later Viv sat drumming her fingers on the steering wheel as she waited for a man wearing a flat cap to vacate a parking space in a resident’s bay in Broughton Place. On the first ring of Rebecca’s buzzer there was no answer. Viv stepped back onto the pavement and looked up at the building. The voiles on the window of Rebecca’s flat were trembling. She rang again and Beccs’s shaky voice said, ‘Come up.’ As Viv reached the landing she heard furniture being scraped over a wooden floor. After the sound of keys unlocking two double locks and a mortice, Beccs’s ashen face appeared round the door. Viv smiled and squeezed through the gap. ‘I see you’re expecting trouble.’
Rebecca didn’t smile. ‘I’m not taking any chances. In fact I think I’ll go home to my mum’s.’
Viv followed the girl to the kitchen where Rebecca clicked the kettle on. Then hearing the element crackle, she took it to the sink and filled it. ‘Tea?’
‘Sure. Peppermint if you have it.’
Beccs looked at her with a slight smile. ‘It’s almost the only thing that I can guarantee.’ She nodded at an envelope at the end of the kitchen table. ‘That’s what you’ve probably come to see.’
Viv raked around in her rucksack for a pair of latex gloves. She held them up. ‘Just in case,’ then inspected both paper and envelope. The envelope could have come from any stationer from Wick to Wiltshire but the sheet of paper inside was thick and heavily embossed. Viv recognised it from letters Tess had received from her parents, and gently ran her fingers over the raised symbol to double check. She held it up to the light but that didn’t improve it. It could be a crest.
She settled her concentration on the content of the letter and concluded that the grammar was too poor to have been written by a university student. Then she remembered some of her own students wrote like this. Even students aiming for articulacy said ‘like’ at the end of every sentence, although they tended not to write it. This writer had, only once but still it was a sign . . . of what, though? Rebecca dotted around the kitchen like a pied wagtail until eventually Viv said, ‘Why don’t you take a few deep breaths, and a seat? You’re making me nervous.’
‘You’re nervous? How the hell do you think I feel? Have you read what it says? It’s a pack of lies. Tess would never say things like that . . . unless someone was forcing her.’ She shook her head. ‘Shit. If they made her write it there’s at least a chance she’s still alive.’ Her eyes darted round the kitchen. What was she expecting?
Viv couldn’t concentrate. ‘Whoa! Relax. We can’t say when it was written. The postmark is the day before yesterday, but that only tells us when it was posted. It may have been in their care for longer. But okay, it is possible that they forced her to write it and sent it straightaway.’ Viv suddenly dropped the paper onto the table and headed for Tess’s bedroom. Beccs followed her. ‘What are you doing?’
‘I‘d like to find her brother’s number. It’s got to be in here somewhere.’
‘I don’t think it will be. She’ll have had it on her mobile. Why would she need to write it down?’
This made sense but Viv still wanted to take a look at Tess’s family’s correspondence. Beccs huffed and puffed in the background until Viv threw her a scathing look. ‘Do you mind?’
The girl skulked off to the kitchen leaving Viv searching. Without finding anything, other than a few spare sheets of the embossed paper, she returned to the kitchen where she startled Beccs, who was tucking a slip of paper into her trouser pocket.
‘What’s that you’ve got there?’
There was no denying that she’d put something in her pocket so she said, ‘Oh it’s just a bank receipt.’
‘Well in that case you won’t mind letting me take a look at it.’
Rebecca hesitated then pulled out the paper and quick as a flash ripped it to shreds, staring defiantly at Viv as the pieces fell onto the table.
Viv ran her hands through her hair then dropped them onto her hips. ‘What the fuck’s going on, Rebecca?’
The girl stood her ground. ‘No one gets to see my bank details.’
Viv agreed with this in principle but the point was that Beccs had something to hide, and whatever it was it wasn’t to do with her overdraft.
‘You want to fill me in on what’s really going on here?’
‘Not really.’ Her voice was suddenly strong and defensive. Viv watched as Beccs braced herself. ‘I’d like you to leave now.’
Viv’s confusion must have been evident.
Rebecca grinned and pointed two fingers like a gun. ‘Gotcha! Now move along, I’ve got things to do and people to see.’
This change was remarkable. Viv shook her head. ‘I don’t get it. You’ll have to fill me in . . . I really just don’t get it. Did you write that letter?’
Beccs’s body swelled up before Viv’s eyes. ‘Did I fuck!’ So with added sarcasm Viv said, ‘Then who the fuck did?’
Beccs’s face crumpled as if she might cry and she took a step towards Viv, who managed not to flinch, but whispered, ‘Where is she, Rebecca? Where . . . is . . . Tess?’ Nothing.
Viv tried again. ‘Where is she?’ As Viv looked at Beccs’s thin but muscular form, it crossed her mind that it could easily have been her who whacked Viv in the barn. Viv adjusted her own posture. Feet shoulder width apart she shook her hands out at her sides, then rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. A little bit of theatre goes a long way, and as Viv intended Beccs stepped back.
A deodorised sweaty mix filled the space between them but still Beccs refused to answer. Viv made a quick move towards a kitchen chair and Beccs leaped back and crashed against the sink. Viv grabbed the chair from under the table and sat astride. She gestured to the chair on the opposite side of the table and looked at her nails while Beccs decided what her next move would be.
Slowly, staring at Viv, she pulled the chair out and crossed her arms on the unwelcoming surface.
Viv, smiling. ‘Nervous? . . . There’s a lot you need to tell me.’ Viv continued to stare. ‘There is a way of making this easier, Rebecca.’
Rebecca looked at her fingernails but quickly curled the fingers into a fist. Viv noticed the chippe
d aubergine varnish and wondered at the many contradictions of this young woman.
Viv tried again. ‘If you know where she is we can go there right now.’
Rebecca looked up. ‘You’ve no idea what it’s like.’
Confused, Viv said, ‘No. But you could tell me. Look. The sooner we find Tess the better things will be for you.’
This was a leap, but proved worth taking because Rebecca jumped to her feet. ‘Okay, let’s go.’
Viv hadn’t expected action quite so quickly but recovered her composure and headed for the front door behind Beccs who grabbed an oversized leather biker’s jacket on the way out.
Once they were settled in the car, Viv said, ‘If you’re thinking about taking me on a wild goose chase, I wouldn’t.’
Rebecca responded by asking, ‘How long will it take to get to Aberdeen?’
‘Three hours if the going is good.’
Chapter Twenty
Viv pulled out from the kerb and drove north towards the Ferry Road, the easiest way to get to the Forth Road Bridge without getting snarled up in the west end. She was tempted to put the radio on but decided that silence was more likely to encourage Beccs to speak, and sure enough by the time they had woven their way through Davidson’s Mains and Cramond, Rebecca had thawed and begun her story.
‘I went to visit Tess’s family at the Christmas break. Just as a “friend” but her brother seemed to know that we were more than that. He started to make jokey asides to me and Tess went ballistic, which of course just confirmed his suspicions and gave him more reason for blackmail. You’ve got to understand, the whole family are religious freaks, even Tess was getting drawn back in over Christmas. Simon’s a good looking . . . ’ She looked into the darkness of the fields on the left. ‘He’s a really handsome bloke. It all started as a bit of a tease and a laugh but as I said, Tess began to freak out. She hates him with a passion and when I didn’t show signs of hating him as well she went off in a strop accusing me of disloyalty and everything.’
Viv turned to look at her. ‘And were you?’
‘Was I what?’ This angry retort caused Viv to curse to herself silently. She said, ‘Sorry I didn’t mean . . . ’
Still scowling, Beccs continued. ‘We were only mucking about but Tess couldn’t handle it and asked me to leave. Simon didn’t want me to leave. He was having more fun than he’d had in ages. He’d been expelled from uni. Well, not a proper university, one of those agricultural colleges. He’d got into bother for not turning up at practicals and eventually they sent him home. Their dad got him a job on the farm, shovelling shit. I’m talking literally. Anyway that doesn’t matter.’ She waved her hand dismissively.
Viv guessed it might very well matter, but didn’t risk another interjection. She checked the fuel gauge and decided they’d make it to Perth before she had to top up.
Rebecca stared out of the window and gave a moan. ‘What a mess.’
This was good. When someone owned their psychological turmoil, there was a strong chance of recovery.
Beccs continued. ‘It was just meant to be a laugh. But I suppose it got out of hand. Si started taking me seriously. Talking about us being together. I felt sick at the thought of it in the end. But I’d played him like a fiddle . . . He won’t have hurt her?’ She glanced at Viv for reassurance but none came.
Viv pulled down her collar and exposed the healing bruise. ‘I suppose he didn’t mean to hurt me either. That’s the good version. You should have seen it when it was newly done.’
With her mouth gaping Beccs shook her head. ‘Oh God. Did he do that? Surely he won’t hurt his own sister?’
Viv considered. The connection must be the church. Or was Harvey the same person as Si? She replied. ‘Depends how mad he is with her, or with you. He might use you as an excuse to get at her . . . You didn’t notice if he had any tattoos?’
Beccs shook her head then turned her gaze to the outside world.
They pulled in at the first petrol station on the Dundee road after Perth. On her way back to the car Viv pressed the fast dial number for Mac on her mobile but got his machine and didn’t leave a message. Back on the road she pointed to a sign. ‘Right, we’re almost at Rait. Should take another hour and a half, two hours max.’ She tossed a packet of Minstrels at Beccs. ‘Here, these should keep you going.’ As soon as Rebecca started chomping Viv regretted giving her sweets that made so much noise. When she chewed, the jewellery on her face moved about with consummate ease. Her eyebrows, her lips, her nose, and her ears were all home to some sort of stud or ring. Viv understood why such a lovely looking girl might wish to destroy what nature had given her, but how could she be intimate with anyone given such defences? When Viv refused the offer of a sweet Rebecca shrugged and resumed eating.
By the time they were on the outskirts of Aberdeen, Viv’s brain had shifted into overdrive. ‘I’ll head straight to the farm and we’ll see what’s happening there. That’s if there aren’t cops all over the place.’ She sensed Rebecca nodding but there was no comment.
Before they reached the turn-off to the farm, Viv pulled onto the verge and took a pair of binoculars from the glove compartment. She pressed a button and Rebecca’s window slid down, allowing a blast of cold fresh air into the Rav. The trees on either side of the farm track cast long shadows, but Viv spotted tail-lights sticking out from the barn and decided it was unwise to simply swing into the yard.
‘Okay, Rebecca, are we a team or not?’
The young girl’s eyebrows furrowed. ‘What d’you mean?’
‘I mean are you going to melt at the sight of Simon and leave me in the shit? Or worse. If you leave me in the shit you’ll be abandoning Tess.’ The next few seconds were silent. The fact that Beccs had to think about it had Viv worried, but she waited. When the answer came she was unconvinced.
Rebecca stared across at the farm complex and then turned to Viv. ‘Is there a plan? Or are we winging it?’
Viv, defensive, said, ‘No we are not winging it. You take a walk up the drive and if Simon appears make like you are desperate to see him. Remember you’ve travelled all this way because you wanted to see him and you’re worried about the police. With any luck he’ll be a long way away.’ As she spoke she spotted the tail-lights reversing out of the courtyard. It was too late for her to move so she stuck the reading lamp on and said to Beccs, ‘Heads together. We’re map reading.’ Beccs did as she was asked and put her head down together with Viv’s until the car drove by. Viv checked over her shoulder and managed to get the registration number. She pulled out her pad, jotted it down and returned the pad to her inside pocket. If she hadn’t been there ‘illegally’, she’d have asked Mac to run it through the system, but she was and he’d have a fit. It would have to wait.
Once the car was well on its way Rebecca opened the door and jumped out. ‘We are winging it, aren’t we?’.
The question didn’t require an answer but Viv nodded. ‘Yup, we sure are. We’ll be fine so long as we know which side we’re on.’ She didn’t take her eyes of Rebecca until she nodded. ‘Good. I’ll not be far away. By the time you’re up the track I’ll be on my way across that field.’ Viv pointed to the field beyond the drive. Rebecca hesitated and Viv said, ‘You okay? We can go up there together if you’d rather.’
Rebecca looked toward the farm and then back at Viv. ‘Okay. How about we both skirt the field and snoop around the other side?’ Viv’s suggestion changed Rebecca’s manner and she nodded enthusiastically and jumped back into the Rav. Viv pulled out and they drove about half a mile before reaching a place to park off the road. In the cold air their breaths could have given them away but Viv nipped round to the boot and grabbed a scarf and a large handkerchief. She held them up. ‘Which would you prefer?’ Rebecca looked confused. ‘We’ll be safer if we tie them round our mouths.’
Rebecca released a nervous giggle, took hold of the handkerchief and tied it round her mouth like an outlaw. Viv did the same, then patted her pockets, making sure s
he had everything she needed before locking then unlocking the Rav. If they had to make a quick escape it wouldn’t do if the car was locked.
Together they walked through the dark in the direction of the farm. The field was rough going with pits from cattle hooves now beginning to freeze, but cowpats looked recent and hazardous. Viv scanned the perimeter just in case she had missed a sleeping bull but there was nothing to see. The light in the farmhouse was still on but it could easily have been left on by a negligent police officer. The noises of the countryside going to bed or waking for a night’s work broke into the quiet. Cars were infrequent but there was a rookery nearby and hundreds of birds took off from the branches of a huge sycamore tree. The racket of this covered any noise that Viv and Rebecca could have made.
Half way across the field Rebecca slowed her pace. ‘There is somewhere else.’
Viv stopped and tried to keep her voice steady. ‘What? Am I getting this right? It’s taken you until now to mention that you know of somewhere else that Tess could be? Or do you mean is?’ She tightened her lips to prevent her anger from spilling over. Rebecca kicked at a lump of earth, her silence an eloquent sign.
Viv stepped closer to her and quietly asked, ‘Has he threatened you? I mean beyond telling your family that you’re gay.’
Beccs swung round and through gritted teeth spat, ‘I’m not!’ Then more gently, ‘I just fell in love with Tess.’
Even without light, when Beccs rubbed her face with the back of her hand, it was obvious that she was wiping away tears. This was all Viv needed, a blubbing adolescent on a stake-out. She took the girl by the arm and led her back to the car.
Once inside she quizzed her. ‘Okay, from the beginning. There’s no point in us risking trouble with Grampian cops or your friend Simon unless we really need to.’
When Rebecca got herself together she blew into the tissue Viv offered her and began, ‘Simon has a weird friendship with their pastor. So Tess could be in the hall.’
