by Linda Coles
Eddie pulled up outside the house. Cedar Road was becoming a regular destination for Jack. The front door opened as they were getting out. Penny stood in the doorway. Did she know something was up? Unless Jack was imagining it, she looked worried about something.
“Morning, Mrs Meadows. Is Mr Meadows in, please?” Jack took the lead since he was almost a regular on their doorstep.
“Dave? What do you want Dave for, Detective?” She didn’t look happy, and Jack wondered if she’d been crying recently, or not sleeping.
“Is he in?” he pushed again.
She opened the door wider and the two men took the invitation to enter.
“I’ll get him. Go through to the lounge,” she directed, and they obliged. A moment or two later, Dave Meadows walked in wearing a brave face of sorts, closely followed by Penny. Eddie and Jack looked at each other grimly.
“It might be best if we talk to Mr Meadows alone,” said Jack as Penny prepared to sit on the edge of the sofa opposite the two detectives. They were both still standing. If Dave was happy for her to stay for the questions, he didn’t let on, and Penny promptly left the room. Would she be listening in from the hallway?
“I’ll get to the point,” Eddie began. “We are here to take you back to the station for questioning in relation to sexual offences against a minor, for starters. I suggest you get your solicitor to meet you there, and tell them it could be a long day.”
Eddie stood and Dave backed away slightly.
“What?” he exclaimed. “How dare you, and after all we’ve been through!”
Jack stood next to Eddie. “Let’s talk about this at the station, Mr Meadows.”
“Do I have a choice?” he asked, his voice rising in pitch.
“No sir, you don’t. And I’d rather not cuff you, so, if you’ll agree to calm down and walk to the car . . .”
“Cuff me? Are you mad, man? Am I under arrest?”
“You may well be soon. That depends on your answers,” retorted Eddie.
Jack glared across at Meadows, knowing full well that his dental records matched the gum at the scene. Dental records didn’t lie. And neither does fathering a child with your own daughter, but that kind of questioning wasn’t for the front lounge of his home.
Mrs Meadows chose that moment to walk back in. She must have been eavesdropping.
“Penny, call our solicitor, would you?” Dave Meadows said to her. “Seems I need one.”
Penny was about to protest to Jack, but he pre-empted it. “You’d be wise to do so, Mrs Meadows,” he said. She turned pale and scurried out of the room.
The three men then made their way out to the waiting car. As Eddie pulled away from the curb, Jack glanced up at the front bedroom window in time to see the curtain move slightly, as though someone had been peering round it. Penny, he wondered? Or Leanne? It didn’t matter, in reality, because whatever either woman thought could be happening, it was going to get a good deal worse when the full extent of the story came out.
Though maybe not for baby Mary. The thought lifted his spirits.
Chapter Seventy-Five
It turned out to be a long day. Dave Meadows was now licking his wounds in cell number three. Dental records had indeed confirmed that he’d left his gum in the house where his daughter Leanne had been imprisoned, and where he’d gone on and indulged himself with a twelve-year-old girl, Kate Byers, who was still recovering in hospital.
Kate was still too traumatized to say much, so Jack thanked his lucky stars Meadows had been dumb enough to leave evidence. His solicitor had argued that the gum could have been left when Meadows had been at the property for a different reason some months back, but Rob Styles had identified Meadows as a customer after he had been shown a photo of him.
Right now, Eddie and Jack were contemplating how far to go with their line of questioning before they tackled the more sensitive blow Dave Meadows was about to receive.
“Let’s get it over with tonight,” Eddie suggested. “His solicitor is getting fidgety and adding this additional charge in will bring the walls down on Meadows right now. Over and done with, I say. We’ll put him on suicide watch and leave him to stew until the morning.”
Jack found himself agreeing. After all, they had no reason to tread softly with him. It was the rest of the family they had to think about from now on. Dave Meadows wouldn’t be the man to tell them.
“Right, let’s tell him now and put it to bed.”
“Agreed.”
As both men went back into the interview room, the solicitor stood and started to say something but Eddie waved him quiet, speaking over the top of him as he asked his question.
“Mr Meadows, you used to visit an address in Manchester regularly, didn’t you? For sex, I mean?”
Jack sat quietly, watching Meadows’ body language as Eddie spoke.
“Did I?”
“You did. But then you stopped going”
“Again, did I?”
“Yes, you did. Because the girl fell pregnant. And her parents moved away so she was no longer ‘available,’” he said, making quote marks in the air.
Nothing from Meadows for a moment, and then Jack noticed a change in the man’s face as realization dawned.
“That girl had a baby,” Eddie said. “A little girl, in fact. But here’s the thing – due to her circumstances, she couldn’t keep the child. Instead, she abandoned it at the local church, where, thankfully, an elderly lady found her and took her to the hospital, where she has been cared for.”
“That’s all very sad, Detective, but what’s that got to do with me?” Meadows said, clearly trying to be brave.
“Well, we took some DNA from the baby, and guess what? It’s a match to you as the father. Your DNA was already in the system from that bar fight you got into some time back, and ping! There you were, flashing away at us like a beacon.”
“There must be some mistake! That can’t be me. I’ve never visited a woman in Manchester.”
“Oh, it wasn’t a woman, Mr Meadows. No, it was a girl. Of fourteen. A girl called Chloe. Pretty name, don’t you think?”
“You’ve got it wrong!” Meadows shouted. He leapt up from his chair in anger, tipping it backwards.
“DNA doesn’t lie, Mr Meadows. Now, this is where it gets really interesting, so sit back down.” The air was thick with tension as everyone waited for him to resume his seat. “You had another child when Leanne was born, didn’t you?”
“What’s that got to do with anything? She died at birth!” Spittle flew from his mouth.
Meadows’ solicitor tried to intervene and speak, but Eddie cut him off.
“You named her Charlotte, I believe. We’ve yet to get to the bottom of exactly what happened there, but the child you and Mrs Meadows buried was not Charlotte.”
Eddie let his bombshell sink in a moment. Both detectives knew there was more to come.
“I don’t believe you!” Meadows shouted. “Why are you making this up? How low will you people go!?”
Eddie ploughed on with the rest of the unfortunate tale. “It’s a shock, I realise. But Charlotte survived. She was adopted by a couple in Manchester.” Eddie leaned across the flimsy table and spoke into Meadows’ face. “And you used to visit her. And it was you, Mr Meadows, who got her pregnant. You, sir, are the baby’s father.”
Silence.
Then Eddie carried on. “So you have another daughter, one you believed to be deceased, as well as a third daughter, and that makes Leanne the baby’s half-sister. Are you following me, Mr Meadows?”
All was quiet from the accused’s side of the table.
“So, I am charging you with a lot more than sex with a minor. You’re going down for some time, Mr Meadows, so you’d better get used to living with four small walls.”
Both Dave Meadows and his solicitor sat open-mouthed, not sure what to say to such an abominable mess. It was almost too hard to comprehend. It was the solicitor who finally found his voice.
“I’d l
ike a word with my client, in private please.”
“Oh, I bet you would,” said Eddie. “And I’d like to see how you’ll wriggle out of this one. Meanwhile, my colleague and I will go and refresh our coffees and leave you two to chat.”
Jack informed the recording machine that the interview was suspended, and both he and Eddie left the room. Once in the corridor, Jack took a deep, cleansing breath.
“Shit. Holy bloody shit.”
“I wonder what he’ll do next?” asked Eddie. “And someone has still got to break the news to Mrs Meadows, because it won’t be him doing the dirty.”
“No. I daresay it’ll be me.”
Eddie slapped Jack’s shoulder and said, “Best that it comes from you, Jack, since you know them better than any of us.”
Didn’t seem Jack had much choice.
“Let’s get a beer after we’ve done, eh?” said Eddie. “Celebrate.”
Jack watched Eddie walk ahead of him towards the squad room and coffee. While he needed a fresh cup of coffee, he didn’t feel much like celebrating.
Chapter Seventy-Six
There wasn’t much point in telling the rest of the family that night, Jack thought glumly. It wasn’t his role to inform them why Mr Meadows had been arrested and what he had been charged with, but he did need to speak to Penny and Leanne about the rest of the situation. No matter how and when he did it, the two women were going to have their worlds blown apart. But Jack knew that if he didn’t tell them tonight, he wouldn’t be getting much sleep; he’d be lying awake, worrying and thinking about the best way to handle it the following day.
He looked at his watch. It was almost 8 pm.
And then there was Chloe – how and when to tell her? How would she react, and what support would she need? There was too much to think about, and that was why he was still sat in his car in the station yard, having avoided Eddie’s celebratory drinking session. He found himself calling Janine. She’d know what to do.
Her bright voice as she picked up the phone sent a tingle through his body. Even after their years of marriage, she still made him hum.
“Hello, my love,” he said softly.
“Are you alright, Jack?” He detected the concern in her words.
“I am. But I need your advice again if I can. I suppose I need to know a woman’s point of view. It’s a delicate matter I’m about to deal with, and I know you’ll keep it confidential. Would you mind?”
“Of course I don’t mind. But why don’t you come home so we can talk properly?”
“I might. That’s half of the problem. Shall I do what I need to do tonight, right now or tomorrow, and whom do I speak with first?”
There was a silence between them as Janine waited for him to carry on, and Jack wondered where to start. Then Janine spoke again and gave him the direction he needed.
“Start from the beginning, then I can tell you what I’d do. But the ultimate decision is yours, Jack. You’ll know what’s best. You always do.”
And so, he took a deep breath in and began to tell her about a family that were about to find out about what the father had been involved in and its consequences, finishing off with a little baby and the pink rabbit he’d bought for her and tucked in beside her.
When he’d finished, Janine asked simply, “And what do you think, Jack? What’s your gut telling you to do amongst the mayhem?”
“Talk to Mrs Meadows first, and tell her that Charlotte never died and is alive and well, and is now called Chloe. Then tell her that Chloe’s had a baby. Then I think I need to tell Chloe straight afterwards. Then let them both come to terms with things. Am I about right?”
“On the button, Jack. That’s what I would want. And you can’t do that tonight, not really.”
“No. I can’t.”
“So come on home. I’ll run you a soapy bath, and tomorrow you can put the world right, at least for one family.”
She always knew what to do.
“I’ll be home shortly, then. Love you, Mrs Rutherford.”
“Love you too.”
He sat for a moment longer, fiddling with the car keys in the ignition, wondering how he was going to find Chloe in the morning, and Billy. She was going to need his shoulder for support.
“I’ll drive down Pitt Street now, see which garage is theirs. I’ll only be a minute or two out of my way. That’s what I’ll do,” he said to himself as he started the engine and prepared to pull away.
Ten minutes later, he was slowly cruising down Pitt Street. There was only the one garage. But how was he going to notify Chloe and Billy that he needed to talk? Knocking on the garage door would raise questions he hadn’t the time or energy to answer tonight. He looked around the inside of his car for a piece of paper, found a discarded chocolate bar wrapper and wrote a brief note on the inside of it:
Meet me tomorrow at Roy’s. I’m buying lunch. Bring Chloe. I have news. 12 pm. Jack.
That should do the trick and leave him plenty of time. Curiosity and a hot meal should entice them enough to show up, he hoped. He folded the note in half and slipped it under the garage door, saying a prayer the two of them saw it in time. As soon as he’d slipped it inside, he felt better, as though the worst part was over, yet he knew it was still to come, for him anyway. For Chloe? Well, he really didn’t know how she was going to react. It could go either way. And Billy? How would he feel? Though he wasn’t part of the family, he’d grown to like Chloe; that much was obvious. But this news might mean a change in their own status quo. Would he be resentful, perhaps? Move on without her, even?
“There’s no point second-guessing,” he told himself. “Que será, será. Whatever will be, will be.”
Jack headed home to his waiting soapy bath, feeling better now that the proverbial plate of spaghetti was beginning to untangle itself.
Chapter Seventy-Seven
As he’d feared, Jack slept fitfully and woke with bags under his eyes. When this case was over, he wanted to sleep for a week; perhaps he’d do just that. Janine kissed him on the cheek and wished him luck as he left for Cedar Road. He was sure he could still feel it where she’d left it. It comforted him, like she was with him in the task ahead.
Steeling himself, he knocked on the front door of the Meadows’ home and waited. When he heard the chain being taken off, he sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Penny put her head around the door, her red-rimmed eyes meeting his.
“Can I come in, please?”
She pulled the door open wider, though she did not speak. Did she blame him for her husband’s arrest? Probably. Without being asked to, he made his way to the lounge and she followed in behind.
When they were both in the room, he said, “I have some news for you. Perhaps we should sit down?” He followed her lead, sitting only when she had. They were in opposite chairs, a low coffee table between them. She still hadn’t said anything. She kept her head lowered, looking at the swirly pattern of the carpet.
“Mrs Meadows,” he began. “I said I have some news, though it doesn’t concern your husband’s case directly.” Still nothing. “It concerns your daughter, not Leanne, but her twin, the baby you lost many years ago.”
Penny finally looked at Jack properly.
“What’s that got to do with any of this? And how did you know she was Leanne’s twin? I never told you.”
“No, you didn’t. And I realize how sensitive this is, but during an investigation into another, seemingly unrelated crime, it came to light that Leanne’s twin is actually still alive. She never died, Mrs Meadows. She’s still with us.”
The silence seemed to go on forever, and then a half-strangled sound erupted from her mouth. Her hand flew to cover it as she wailed. Jack leaned forward to place his hand on her arm in comfort, and she let him keep it there until she’d calmed a little. Tears continued to roll freely down her cheeks. This wasn’t what Jack had imagined. Denial maybe, before it had sunk in, but not this. Penny Meadows was acting as if she’d known the child hadn’t died
at all. But how could that be?
“But you buried her,” said another voice behind Jack. It was Leanne; her mother’s distress had brought her into the room.
“I never believed them, never. I told them they’d made a mistake, that my baby had been mixed up somewhere. A mother knows . . . a mother knows when a child isn’t hers. The baby they gave me, the dead one – I never believed it was mine. I never believed them, never…” Penny trailed off. Leanne went to her mother, wrapping her arms around her shoulders awkwardly as she sobbed gently.
“You say she’s alive, Detective? How did you find her?”
Oh lord. Here I go …
“Charlotte, as you christened her, is now called Chloe, and was adopted by a couple in Manchester. For reasons I can’t go in to right now, she found herself pregnant and frightened and decided to leave home before her child was born. She came to London.” He paused to give them both a little time to digest what he’d said so far. “She had a baby girl and left it on the doorstep of a church, where a stranger found her, and she was taken to hospital. You may have seen something in the paper. It was just before Christmas, so the hospital named her Mary.”
“I remember that,” said Leanne. “So my sister is alive and well, and I have a niece?”
“Yes, your sister is safe and well,” said Jack.
Penny Meadows wiped her eyes and tried to smile. “I can’t believe it. I can’t. Even though I knew she wasn’t dead, I still can’t actually believe she is alive. It’s a miracle! When can we meet her, Detective?”
“There’s a little more to it, I’m afraid.”
“Oh?”
Jack turned to Leanne as he spoke. “Baby Mary is not your niece, Leanne. She’s your half-sister.”
There was a long silence.
“I don’t understand,” said Penny Meadows at last. “How can that be? You’re saying …Oh god, no! You said Manchester … Oh god, oh no!”
