by Jane Isaac
‘Were you sad?’
‘Yes. Very sad. Then you came along and made me happy again.’ She kissed the side of his forehead.
Zac was quiet a moment. She could almost see the cogs in his young mind working.
‘Where is she?’ he said.
‘We don’t know, darling.’ She battled to find the right words. ‘Someone did a bad thing. They took Alicia from us and buried her somewhere secret.’
‘Who?’
‘We don’t know.’
‘A bad man?’
‘Yes. That’s why we don’t speak to strangers.’
He swallowed. ‘Where?’
‘What?’
‘Where did they bury her?’
‘We don’t know that either, darling. We were never told. The police have been helping us and now they think they might have found her. That’s why people have been coming to the house. They’re detectives, checking to see if the baby they’ve found is our Alicia.’
Zac was quiet a moment. ‘If it’s her, will they give her back to us?’
‘They will. And we’ll be able to bury her with her brother.’ The drone of a car engine passing outside filled the room. ‘I think that’s what Ben was talking about at school today,’ she continued gently. Her son’s face tightened, recognition darkening his eyes. Once again, she cursed her naivety at not telling him earlier, at thinking his age afforded him some safety, some innocence. ‘Daddy and I were going to tell you about it when the police had finished their enquiries and could tell us whether or not the baby was your sister. We didn’t want to frighten you otherwise.’
‘What if it isn’t her?’
‘Then we’ll keep looking and hoping that she’ll be found and returned to us.’
Zac’s face scrunched. A tear welled in his eye. He lifted a fist, swiped it away. ‘You didn’t kill her, did you?’ The words were barely a whimper.
‘No, darling. I didn’t.’
Another tear dripped down his face. He nuzzled his head into her chest.
Marie’s heart cratered as she held him close and kissed the wispy hair around his crown. She should have protected him from this. ‘I’m sorry. I should have told you earlier.’
Time ticked by. The programme finished; the credits rolling up the screen to a jaunty tune.
Eventually Zac’s breaths evened and he pulled back, wiping his face with his sleeve. ‘Is Ben going to be okay?’ he asked.
‘I think so. I’m about to ring his mum and check on him. Would you like to talk to him if he’s there?’
Zac stared at her. He seemed unsure.
‘Well, see how you feel.’
The plates clattered together as she gathered them up and placed them on the tray. She made to stand when she felt his hand tug at her sleeve.
‘Mum?’
‘Yes?’
‘Will I ever get a brother or a sister? I mean one that’s here, not in heaven.’
Marie felt a griping pain in her stomach, as if she’d been winded. She met his gaze. ‘Maybe one day, darling. Maybe one day.’
30
Beth checked the clock on the dashboard as she pulled up outside Cara Owen’s semi-detached house on Chalcombe Avenue. It was almost 4.30 p.m. An hour until Lily’s party was due to begin. Time pressed on her as she climbed out of the car.
Christmas tree lights winked on and off the tree in the window of the house next door. There were no decorations in the window of number 843. Instead the dull hue of lamplight emitted from the front room, enough to show the silhouette of a woman sitting in an armchair, watching television.
Nick and Beth walked in single file down the driveway, past a white Toyota van emblazoned with ‘Garden Pretty’ in green letters, a large sunflower symbol beside – Cara’s work van, Beth assumed. Surprisingly, for a landscape gardener, Cara’s own front garden was plain with a square lawn, a narrow border to the side, a short privet hedge at the front.
A short bark sounded when they rang the doorbell. Cara answered the door seconds later. She was dressed in a white towelling robe; wet hair clumping on her shoulders. Obviously, early evening showers were popular in the Owen family. She was cradling a sleepy Bailey in her arms.
‘What is it?’ Cara asked, looking from one detective to another.
Beth introduced Nick and didn’t miss Cara raise a brow at Nick’s title. ‘Can we come in, Cara?’ she asked. ‘We’re here on behalf of our detective chief inspector, to follow up on your phone call to the chief constable this afternoon. We want to make sure you’re comfortable with the new arrangements,’ she added, taking care to keep her voice light. With the proposed changes, she was aware this could be her one chance to probe Cara more about her family and in particular her younger brother, and she needed to keep her engaged.
‘How are you doing?’ Beth asked when Cara had led them through into the front room.
‘I’m okay. It’s my brother I’m concerned about.’ Cara flicked the light switch as she spoke, illuminating the room in a blinding light that forced Beth to blink several times.
‘How was he when you last saw him?’
‘He dropped Bailey off this morning, before he left for Poland. He was okay, a bit withdrawn. I know he’s trying to keep an open mind, but the investigation… It’s chewing him up inside.’
‘I understand.’ Beth glanced at the window. The road outside was quiet. ‘Has anybody from the media been in touch with either of you?’
‘Dan’s turned off his phone. I haven’t taken any calls yet. I’m guessing it’s only a matter of time though. I saw the news footage earlier; they’re practically camped outside Marie’s house.’ She closed her eyes. ‘God only knows what that will do to Dan.’
Dan. The shortened version of her twin’s name struck a chord and Beth was reminded of Marie’s account: only his mother and his sister got to call him Dan.
‘As I said earlier, I want them kept away from my brother,’ Cara added. She lowered herself into the armchair, placing the dog beside her.
‘Legally, we can’t prevent reporters from contacting him unless they are on his property or causing harassment,’ Beth said. ‘But I can assure you, if any announcement is made, we’ll do our best to update Daniel, then speak with the editors and reiterate the appeal to respect the family’s privacy.’
‘Like that’ll do any good.’ She gave a derisory snort.
‘I’m sorry. I know this is difficult for you all.’
‘You seem pretty sure it’s Alicia,’ Cara said.
‘The DNA sample will provide confirmation though, from what we’ve found, we do believe it’s her. I’m so sorry.’
Cara clamped her hand over her mouth.
A beat passed. ‘Can I get you a glass of water?’ Beth said eventually. She didn’t answer. Beth gave Nick a nod anyway and he disappeared out of the room in search of the kitchen. One of the things she liked most about working with Nick was that he respected the liaison role and was happy for her to take the lead with families. An attribute she’d miss if he left the team.
‘We are aware of your concerns for your brother’s health,’ Beth said, ‘and I can assure you we will do everything in our power to ensure he’s safeguarded.’
Nick wandered in with the water and passed the glass across.
‘May we sit down?’ Beth asked. She’d been standing, hovering in the front room until that point and was now towering over Cara. If they were to extract any information, she needed to calm things down, put them all on an even keel.
Cara gave a brief nod.
Beth waited until they were settled before she spoke again. ‘We will be reaching out to everyone who was in contact with Alicia before she disappeared to request a DNA sample,’ she said casually.
‘Why?’
‘There may be fibres or particles on her. If we can take DNA from people who visited her it will help us to eliminate them from our enquiries. Would you be willing to give a sample?’
‘I didn’t see her on the day she went missing.
I was on a job on the other side of town.’
Landscaping a garden, Beth thought. She’d scrutinised the old file, was familiar with the family’s movements. ‘I realise that. When did you last see her?’
‘I called around to see them all the evening before.’
‘It’s still possible there may be threads or particles.’ Beth angled her head to get Cara’s attention.
Slowly, Cara looked up, her eyes wide. ‘Okay, if you think it’ll help. I can’t believe you’ve actually found her after all this time.’
Beth thanked her and removed the kit from her bag, talking Cara through the process as she took the sample. When she finished, she screwed the lid on the tube and thanked her again. ‘Would you be willing to talk us through your last meeting with Alicia?’ she asked gently.
‘I gave a statement to the police at the time.’
‘I know, and we appreciate that. But in the light of the recent discovery, we’re reviewing the case. It would be really helpful if you could run through it again in as much detail as you can remember.’ Beth could feel Nick’s quizzical gaze on her. Once again, she was going out on a limb. She’d read the statements in the case and they were factual, perfunctory. Dates and times. She needed to gain a better understanding of the family dynamics from those who were there. And often things slipped into personal accounts – attitudes, body language – that gave a greater indication of who got along with who, and how relationships played out. But she needed to be careful.
‘It was so long ago.’
Beth smiled kindly, letting the silence linger.
Eventually a woebegone expression spread across Cara’s face. ‘I went to see them after work on the Monday.’ She screwed up her eyes, thinking hard. ‘It must have been around seven or so. Dan was in the kitchen trying to cook dinner with Alicia in his arms. She was crying. She cried a lot, especially in the evenings. They blamed it on colic. He passed her over to me. I stayed until he finished cooking, then put Alicia down.’
‘Where was Marie?’
‘I didn’t see her that night.’
‘Oh?’
‘That wasn’t unusual. She was probably upstairs, lying down. As soon as Dan came home from work, Marie handed over the baby and went to her bedroom.’
‘How was Daniel?’
‘He was okay, under the circumstances. It was all a bit hectic.’
‘How do you mean?’
‘Well, he was struggling with losing Liam. We all were. And he had Marie to deal with too. The depression. The tantrums. It wasn’t easy.’
‘A difficult time for everybody.’
‘Yes. We could all see Marie wasn’t coping. She wouldn’t accept help unless it was from Dan. We tried to pull her out of it, to encourage her to concentrate on the healthy baby she had, but… oh, I don’t know. There was no warmth, no bond between them.’
Beth edged forward. ‘I’m not sure I understand you.’
‘It’s like all the beautiful clothes we bought. That baby wanted for nothing. Yet every time we saw her, she was in a vest and nappy and asleep in that bloody car seat. My mother spent a fortune on a Moses basket for their front room. I’d be surprised if Marie ever used it.’
‘I’m told it was a hot summer.’
‘Yeah. Marie would say that.’
Beth didn’t respond. The health visitor’s reports at the time didn’t consider the child at risk, yet Cara’s attitude towards Marie intrigued her. Marie had been neutral in her descriptions of their relationship, hinting that Cara was hot-headed, possessive of her twin. Was Cara’s bitterness down to jealousy, the separation, or was there another reason? Cara scratched her forehead. Stubbly nails coursed back and forth across the pallid skin of a face that showed signs of former prettiness and now sagged with stress. ‘Look, I might not have had children myself,’ she said, ‘but I know babies aren’t easy to raise, especially during the early months. Alicia was no exception. They couldn’t find a routine that suited her. Took her back and forth to the doctors.’ She drew an audible breath, spoke through her exhalation. ‘Part of me thinks if they’d all settled down, then she would have too. Marie was so consumed with her own grief, she couldn’t see what was under her nose: a good man, a healthy baby, a nice home. I hardly ever saw her hug that child. She spent more time in my arms than her mother’s. I’m not saying I blame Marie, I know she was struggling, but it was like someone had switched off the light behind her eyes. We tried to persuade her to go back to the doctor, to get help. She wouldn’t listen. If she had, then maybe she wouldn’t have left the child outside a shop, alone. I mean, what kind of mother does that?’
Beth searched Cara’s face. Her depiction of Marie as detached in the hours leading up to Alicia’s disappearance didn’t correlate with Marie’s account of things improving. If Cara was to be believed, she was sinking deeper into a well of depression. Marie had described her former sister-in-law and the rest of the family as overbearing. Perhaps her behaviour was a reaction to their dysfunctional relationship.
‘It would be helpful to trace other members of the family,’ Beth said gingerly. ‘I know we’ve touched on this before… do you have any idea at all where we might reach your brother, Scott?’
Cara looked up abruptly. ‘No.’
‘When did you last see him?’
‘I can’t remember. As I said, he moved away years ago. We didn’t keep in touch.’
‘Can you tell me why you and your brother don’t have a forwarding address? Did you argue with him?’ Beth was careful not to share any details she’d already been told. Keeping other accounts confidential would enable them to highlight any potential inconsistencies.
‘I don’t want to talk about it, and I don’t see how this is relevant to Alicia. Scott left after she disappeared.’
‘On the contrary, it may be very relevant. If Scott was involved in something, or with somebody untoward, it may have an impact on the case.’
Cara huffed. ‘I doubt it. Christ, this is a family issue. Is there nothing sacred?’
‘Not in a murder investigation, no.’
She was quiet a moment. ‘Scott stole money off our mother, okay?’
‘How much money?’
‘About a grand. All she had in savings at the time.’
‘What did he use the money for?’
‘No idea. Scott was secretive. Always out and about. It was only a week or so after Alicia disappeared. We were all in shock. Scott pinched Mum’s cash card and withdrew the money in small amounts every day for almost a week. None of us had a clue until the bank grew suspicious over the number of withdrawals and contacted her.’
Beth recalled Edwards mentioning Scott had stolen from his mother. ‘What happened?’ she asked.
‘Mum confronted him.’ Cara shook her head, sadly. ‘He was all charm and apologies, as usual. Said he was having trouble with his car and needed some parts. Didn’t want to bother her with everything else that was going on. Promised to pay it back. That night he left.’
‘How do you mean?’
‘I mean, he was there in the evening and gone by the morning. No warning, no forwarding address, nothing. He’d taken a rucksack and some clothes. His toothbrush. But it wasn’t the first time. He often came and went. My mother thought he’d gone to lick his wounds and he’d be back when he was ready.’
‘Did you hear from him afterwards?’
‘No. After about a week, Dan spoke to one of Scott’s work colleagues who said Scott had phoned and told them he’d been offered a job in London. That was the last we heard. My mother deteriorated afterwards. Wouldn’t go out, refused to see people. Kept watching the door, expecting him to walk through any minute. Apologise. Say it was all a big mistake. And we were looking after Marie, waiting on news about Alicia. It was a difficult time.’ She paused, staring into space. ‘Mum was less than seven stone when she died, a year later.’ Tears welled in Cara’s eyes. ‘I think, after losing Liam, and then Alicia, then Dan and Marie separating, Scott was the last
straw. There was too much sadness for her to cope with.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ Beth said. ‘Did anyone come to the house asking for Scott, perhaps someone he owed money to?’
‘Not that I know of.’
A tear slipped down Cara’s cheek. She wiped it away with the back of her hand. ‘That’s why Dan and I stick together,’ she said. ‘We’ve only got each other now.’
31
The light was on in her sister’s front room when Beth pulled up outside later that evening, the curtains undrawn. She smiled as she watched children marching around a line of chairs in the middle. A tune she didn’t recognise played faintly in the background. They’d played musical chairs in her mother’s front room as kids, hurtling around until the last chair was occupied, the smell of freshly baked cake thick in the air. And now Eden was doing it with her daughter. She felt a pang. It was such a shame her mother wasn’t there to see it.
Beth made her way around the back. The sound of children’s chatter and laughter slapped her in the face as soon as she opened the kitchen door. Eden’s table was set with pink and grey serviettes, paper plates and trays of sausage rolls, sandwiches and cakes.
She was about to pinch a sandwich when a tall woman in tailored jeans and a loose denim shirt wandered in.
‘Oh, hi Beth. When did you get here?’
It was Alex, Chloe’s mum. Chloe was in Lily’s class at school and lived up the road. Beth had dropped Lily off there for play dates a few times.
‘Just now. How’s it going?’ Beth said, jutting her chin towards the hallway.
A roaring cheer emitted from the front room.
Alex laughed. ‘I think everyone’s enjoying themselves.’
No sooner had she spoken than Lily came rushing in.
‘Auntie Beth!’ The child flung her arms around her.
Beth rocked on her heels. ‘Happy birthday, pumpkin,’ she said, patting her niece’s blonde curls with her free hand. ‘Do you want your presents now or after tea?’
‘Now!’
Beth laughed and handed them over. Within seconds the paper was ripped off the two packages and cast aside.
