And then I did something very childish but immensely satisfying. I threw the glass of wine he’d just bought me in his face.
CHAPTER 37
THE PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR
‘You don’t seriously think I’m buying this good cop, bad cop bollocks, do you?’ Alex doesn’t turn his head as he says this but there is a distinct change, not only in his tone, but in his posture. He just takes a sip of the coffee, sits up straighter on his little patch of car-park wall and pulls the blanket tighter around his shoulders.
Matthew’s thrown. A moment ago, he genuinely thought he was getting through. Alex appeared to be listening. So was that just an act? Was Mel right about Alex?
Matthew opts for silence, needing a beat to regroup. Alex waits too but then swings his legs to and fro as if to taunt Matthew, turning to stare right at him. Like a dare.
‘So – I’m right? They sent you over to pretend to be nice to me?’
‘I’m not pretending. I am actually quite nice.’ This makes Alex laugh for the first time and Matthew feels another shift inside; the guy in the blanket no longer sounding like or looking like a man who has any intention whatsoever of ending his life.
It’s risky but Matthew decides to push forward. Bull. Horns. ‘Look. You watch the telly. You’re a bright guy. You clearly know the score here. The tactics. But I really do want to help. So we need to work out an exit strategy.’
‘And what precisely do you suggest, Mr Nice Guy?’
‘It’s time to move to the next phase, Alex. To deal with the police. And yeah – that’s going to be a pain in the arse but that’s just how it is after a protest like this. But the media are also going to want to do more on this. And that’s what you want, isn’t it?’
‘So we’re still pretending you’re not the police?’
‘I’m not.’
Alex appears to be thinking about this just as Matthew’s phone rings.
‘I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to take this. You stay calm now. Are you OK to wait, just for a moment?’
Alex shrugs as if he doesn’t care.
It’s Mel. ‘We have some more background info on Alex. Family issues. He’s estranged from his adoptive parents. They say he has been trying to find his birth mother and has cut them out of his life. Behaviour issues going right back to primary school. Sounds like controlling behaviour to me. Possibly abandonment issues. We need to look into this more and tread very carefully, Matt.’
‘Understood.’
‘Who’s that? What are they saying?’ Alex narrows his eyes.
Matthew puts the mobile to his chest. ‘They want to know if we need anything else. I’m going to tell them we’re moving down. Is that OK?’
Alex shrugs again.
Matthew puts the phone back to his ear. ‘No more coffee, thanks. We’re coming down now.’ He hangs up. ‘That right, Alex, isn’t it? You ready?’
Alex shifts his position. He looks at the office block opposite – no faces at the window any more. Moved out by the police. Then he turns his head back to look again at Matthew intently, again narrowing his eyes.
‘OK. Yeah. I’m ready now.’ Alex suddenly swings both his legs back over the ledge and turns his whole body to face the inside of the car park. He’s still sitting on the wall but with his back now to the drop. He’s glaring at Matthew and rocks to and fro.
‘I could still do it, you know.’ A pause. ‘And you’d be in a lot of trouble, wouldn’t you?’
Matthew takes in the new and sinister expression on Alex’s face. They lock eyes – unblinking – and both keep very still. Silent.
And then Alex suddenly laughs.
CHAPTER 38
THE MOTHER
‘What’s happening?’ I’m frowning as we both stare at the television. The TV reporter has turned his head to the side again and is pressing his earpiece in place.
‘No idea.’ Ed’s eyes are wide. He sits down while we wait, crossing his legs and jiggling his right foot up and down.
I glance at Gemma, her face as still as ever, the headphones in place. A sweep of dread as I think of all the horrible things we have to tell her when she wakes up.
Suddenly the reporter is looking at the camera with the update. ‘I’m being told the situation has been resolved safely.’
I feel my shoulders slump. We wait in silence as words scroll across the screen, confirming that Alex is now in police custody. The news feed immediately updates to live pictures and we watch as uniformed officers remove the banner Alex hung from the top ledge of the car park.
I can feel my heart still beating too fast as my phone goes. I pick it up from the side table to see an unknown number.
‘It’s probably the media. Don’t answer.’ Ed sounds nervous.
‘How would they get my mobile number? I’ll just listen. See what it is.’
I don’t know what to expect but the voice is measured and calm. ‘Hello. It’s Amanda here. Helen’s sister. Helen got your text and asked me to ring you, but please say if it’s a bad time to talk.’
‘Oh, no. It’s fine. I’m grateful Helen passed on the message.’
‘I was just wondering if you knew the latest? That Alex is in custody? Literally this minute. I’m watching it on television.’
‘Yes. We’re watching it too.’
‘Look, I’m not really sure what you were hoping. Helen said you were worried about the media? That you needed help?’
‘Yes, we are. We’re beside ourselves to be honest. We can’t understand how this was allowed. All over the television?’
Ed’s staring at me, frowning, and so I hold the phone away from my face for a moment to mouth that it’s Helen’s sister.
‘Be very careful what you say.’ He’s whispering, eyes wide. ‘I’m not comfortable with this.’
‘We were just after some advice about how to handle this. The media, I mean. We’re taking legal advice too but it’s all a bit overwhelming. The coverage of the shooting was bad enough. But this . . .’
‘I’m just about to go into another meeting at the university.’ Amanda’s tone is guarded and I feel a wave of disappointment. ‘We’ll be liaising with the police. They have a good press office. Have their people not been advising you? They’re normally very helpful in situations like this.’
‘Sort of. But through DI Sanders.’ I don’t add that I don’t much like the police comms guy. ‘We feel a bit exposed, to be honest. A bit helpless. We just wondered if you could give us some advice? You know – independently?’
There’s a pause. ‘Please know that I feel for you and I want to help. Of course I do. But it’s just a little bit tricky, given my role here, I mean.’
There’s another pause and I realise Ed was right. She’s not going to help us.
‘Listen, Mrs Hartley—’
‘Rachel, please.’
‘Rachel. We’re all so devastated about what’s happened. We think of Gemma all the time. How is she today, by the way?’
‘The same.’ I glance again at Gemma. ‘I’m with her now. She’s just the same.’
‘As I say, we’re all thinking of you. And I will get back to you, once I’ve got a stronger picture of what’s going on. Does that sound OK?’
‘Yes. Thank you. I appreciate it.’
‘You’re welcome.’
I hang up. ‘Helen’s sister. She works in PR for the university.’
‘Yes, I know. But they will be more worried about the university and its reputation than Gemma. You do realise that?’
‘I think that’s a bit harsh. She sounded nice. And she didn’t have to ring.’
‘She’s paid by the university, Rachel.’
‘Yes. I did get the feeling it’s tricky for her.’
‘Told you.’
My heart sinks. I feel that I need someone on our side. My side. I don’t know what we should be doing next. Or not doing. To speak up for our daughter while she can’t.
There’s a knock on the door to the cubicle and
the police guard then leans in to check that we’re up to date. We nod. He says that the team have been in touch and DI Sanders will talk to us as soon as she can but she’ll be tied up with interviewing Alex first.
‘Thank you. Good.’ I try to find a half smile. He meets my eye, closes the door again and retreats.
And then Ed and I just sit in silence for a bit as the television screen moves to a shot of DI Sanders, who is making a short statement. We watch the words scroll below her, summarising. Ed reaches for the remote control and puts up the volume, just a little. DI Sanders is saying only what we know already. The situation has been resolved safely. No one was hurt and a man’s now in custody. She thanks everyone for their cooperation at the scene but says it’s too early to comment further.
I can see a number of reporters moving forward with microphones, all talking over each other, trying to pose questions, but DI Sanders just smiles and steps aside, ushered swiftly into a waiting car.
And it is the sight of her, DI Sanders, that suddenly pulls me back to reality.
Laura. Ed’s first wife . . .
‘I’m pretty sure she followed me. Stalked me,’ I say suddenly, turning to Ed. And even as the words leave my mouth, my mind is shooting through time. To the moment the photograph pinged into my phone from Ed’s at the house. Before the horror of all this nonsense with Alex. And I can no longer make any sense of any of this. I don’t know whether to still suspect Laura. Or whether this has all been Alex all along.
‘Who?’
‘Laura. Your first wife. That’s why I needed to see the photograph.’ I put my hand up to my head, realising that I should have said something to the guard. I shouldn’t have let this business with Alex distract me so completely.
‘But she could look entirely different now.’ Ed’s face is flushed and I feel a coldness inside. Anger at him again. The fury at Alex switching back into this room. The confusion returning that my own husband kept so much from me. Lied to me.
‘What do you mean? Stalked you?’ Ed glances back at the TV screen as if, like me, he can’t compute these two very different strands to this horrible nightmare.
‘I have to speak to DI Sanders. It can’t wait,’ I say, standing. ‘Turn the television off and get the guard back in here.’
‘No. Tell me first. What on earth do you mean? Laura’s been stalking you?’
CHAPTER 39
THE DAUGHTER – BEFORE
Discuss how Mary Shelley’s troubled family life is evident in her writing.
There’s so much going on, I’m exhausted. I’ve worked out the dates after seeing the counsellor at the clinic and I can technically bump the decision about the pregnancy until after graduation, so that’s what I’ve decided to do.
I’ll get the ceremony done and then I’ll tell Mum and Dad. Try to get them on board, whatever I decide to do. It will be horrible and I’m dreading it. I keep imagining Mum’s face. But the counsellor reminded me I’m lucky to have a family who could support me. She says I shouldn’t assume I know how they’ll react, so I’m doing what she recommended. One step at a time.
Results come in three weeks today. I’ve got everything crossed for a first but am worrying now whether ‘S’ will do anything stupid to interfere with my result. Surely he can’t do that? I’ve checked all the grades online. It’s looking good and the last exam went well. I worked really, really hard for it. Whatever. If ‘S’ tries to interfere, I’ll demand an investigation.
The counsellor’s right: I need to stop worrying about things that haven’t happened yet and concentrate on the things I can control. So – I need to wait for the result. And I need to get through the ceremony. At least I’ll have my degree. I’ll be going home.
I’ve spoken to my landlord and I can stay on in the flat until the end of the summer if I want. The other two girls are going home a bit early and travelling to graduation with their parents. I don’t want to do that. Mum will fuss, fuss, fuss and I’ll struggle to look her in the eye. I’ll have to make up some excuse to stay on; something to do with sorting the flat out.
The only thing on my mind now is getting a job. Earning a living. If I do decide to keep the baby (I really can’t picture that, to be honest, but I’m keeping it on the list of options), I don’t want Mum and Dad to think I expect them to bail me out financially. I have no idea about stuff like childcare, but I’d need to get a job after the baby arrived and work all that out.
It sounds impossible, right?
I’ve only got retail on my CV. Working in chemists and book shops. That’s not going to earn enough to pay for childcare, is it? A while back I sent an email to the university comms department, asking for some work experience. Just a week. Something to put on the CV. So that it looks better when I apply for proper jobs later on.
But get this. The head of comms said her office was way too busy. Sorry. I wish you well. I can’t believe it. You’d think university staff would want to help their own . . .
And on top of everything – the problem with ‘A’ is back.
I thought he’d finally accepted it was over and would leave me alone. But I think people starting to talk about the graduation has stirred him up. Months ago we’d talked about getting the two families together for a joint celebration. Dinner out. Feels like a different life to remember that now.
Today and yesterday, I’ve had two more weird direct messages via Facebook. He’s not who he says he is. I’ve checked the profile – I must have accepted the friend request without checking. I do that sometimes. I’ve got hundreds of friends. That’s just how it is at uni. But I’m worried now that it’s ‘A’. The profile has no friends. Just me. It had a picture up of a bar in town which is why I probably accepted without thinking. That picture’s still there but it’s nothing to do with the bar.
My first thought was to unfriend the profile or report it, but I’m holding off because I want to investigate. See whether the messages stop if I ignore them.
Most of all, I’m worrying that if this is ‘A’, he’s somehow found out about ‘S’.
He’s not who he says he is.
The truth? This may sound paranoid, but my biggest fear now is that maybe ‘A’ has been following me.
CHAPTER 40
THE PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR
Mel has put Alex in the interview room early so they can watch him on computer screen via the live camera feeds.
He looks cocky. Almost bored.
‘What do you make of him, Matt?’ Mel leans in closer to the screen.
‘Hard to read. He’s arrogant. Manipulative. Likes to have the upper hand.’
‘Capable of shooting Gemma?’
Matthew lets out a long breath. It’s so hard to call what people are capable of. So many with dark minds live perfectly ordinary lives, holding down demanding jobs. Matthew’s learned to keep an open mind. Always.
‘He’s controlling. So possibly. Who knows what went on between them over the break up? Do we have any more from his family?’
‘Yes. Very interesting. They’re here but he’s refusing to see them. Adoptive parents. They’re in bits. Seem genuine. Their story is that the relationship’s been especially bad since Alex went to uni. He’s become obsessed with finding his birth mother but hasn’t been able to trace her yet.’
‘Could be why he’s so fixated on the baby.’
‘What I was thinking.’
‘Wish you’d let me interview him, Mel.’
‘He’s our prime suspect for sending the dolls, including the one to your house. Best not.’ Mel pauses. ‘But I’m going to lead myself.’
‘Won’t that put more noses out of joint?’ Mel’s sergeant will be expecting to take the interview.
‘I think that boat’s sailed.’
Matthew laughs. Mel has a reputation for doing what works rather than what’s popular, especially when she’s under pressure from the suits upstairs. She leaves the room and a few minutes later appears on the screen as she enters the interview room, with th
e sergeant alongside her.
As Matthew puts on the headphones, Mel starts the recording of the interview and dives straight in. ‘Recognise these, Alex?’ She slides pictures of the dolls across the desk.
Alex glances at them, then shrugs. ‘Never seen them before.’
It’s hard to read his eyes, but Matthew remembers the car park. Alex’s ability to play games.
‘Someone sent these dolls to Gemma Hartley’s parents, among others. Someone with a very nasty mind. Was that you, Alex?’
‘Um, no. Why would I do that?’
‘For the same reason you caused a nasty scene at the hospital. And in the centre of town. Because you can’t accept that Gemma ended your relationship.’
Alex looks up to the ceiling. He doesn’t reply. Mel waits.
‘I understand you’ve had some family issues lately. This past year. Is that what this is all about?’
‘My family is none of your business.’
‘Well, I beg to differ. Is that why you’re so wound up over Gemma’s pregnancy? The baby? Because of your own background, Alex?’
‘I want a lawyer.’
‘I thought you said you didn’t want a lawyer. That you’d done nothing wrong and you didn’t need one.’
‘Well, I’ve changed my mind.’
Matthew narrows his eyes and leans in to take in Alex’s expression. So the uber-confident Alex is feeling the pressure after all.
CHAPTER 41
THE FATHER – NOW
They’ve had a message that DI Sanders will be with them in half an hour. Rachel’s refusing to leave Gemma so it’s not an option to go to the police station together.
They’ve been sitting in silence, each pretending to read again. Gemma has the bloody headphones on still. Ed wonders if he’s wrong – if she really can hear the running water and the wind through the leaves. All that meditation stuff Rachel loves.
His own mind is all over the place, darting between theories. He glances up to the blank TV screen – switched off since Alex’s arrest. He’s still struggling to understand why on earth Laura would be in the country. He simply can’t make the leap to see her being capable of violence, but none of this is making sense. Why would she follow Rachel?
Her Perfect Family Page 17
