One Mistake: A totally unputdownable gripping psychological thriller

by Rona Halsall

  Although she was desperate to discuss everything with Hailey, it would have to wait. Once Ezra was in bed this evening and Hailey was back from the football match, they could look at all the information they’d gathered and plan a way forward that wouldn’t involve the police. They both knew that the truth didn’t always lead to justice; that victims could be made to look like perpetrators. They’d seen it happen as children, when their mother was used as a scapegoat.

  After their father’s death, their childhood had been punctuated by police visits. Often in the small hours of the morning, uniformed men bursting into whichever house they’d lived in with their mum at the time. The adults usually got dragged away, while Hailey and Sara were processed by friendly policewomen and social workers before being sent off to foster homes, often separated. Their mother had spent several short stints in prison for possession of drugs and shoplifting. When she was released, she’d get settled in a house and the children were allowed home. Until it happened again.

  Sara was determined that her own children would never experience that sort of horror. But that meant she had to make sure nobody ever knew about her theft. And that in turn meant she had to pay James back, or their deal still stood. It was all such a risk. The more she thought about it, the greater the risk seemed to become.

  James is playing a game with me. Cat and mouse. He has all the power and he’s loving it.

  Her hands balled into fists. Rage at what he’d allowed to be done to her burned in her belly, firing up her resolve. He’s not going to win. I won’t let him.

  The only way to get out of the deal was to find evidence of the game he was playing with her. But how on earth was she going to do that?

  Chapter Thirty

  Ezra was worn out after all the upset and his afternoon playing on the moors. They’d been out for hours after Hailey had left them to go back to work. Sara realised how much she’d missed time with her son while she’d been working – time she’d never get back – and the thought of going to prison, being separated from her children for goodness knew how long, weighed heavy on her mind as she bathed him and put him to bed.

  Matt had called several times; she hadn’t answered, and he’d left increasingly angry messages asking when Ezra was coming home. Eventually she’d sent him a long message explaining why it was better that Ezra stayed with her. So far, she’d had no reply, but she didn’t expect him to come charging over to Skipton to demand his son’s return, because realistically, he wouldn’t get any work done over the next week with Ezra at home. The girls would entertain themselves, but Ezra definitely wouldn’t. Sara thought he’d leave things as they were now until after half-term, but she couldn’t help listening for the sound of a car pulling up, the door banging shut, angry footsteps slapping up the path.

  She went downstairs and poured herself a glass of wine, and as she sipped at her drink, she started to separate the threads of her problems, trying to work out how to untangle everything and move forward. She pictured James, the expression on his face when she’d told him about the video; his confusion, which had seemed completely genuine. She remembered the gentleness of her previous interactions with him, his generosity. He’d lent her the money to help her out of a sticky situation. He’d given her a meaningless way of paying it back, making her believe that her company had some currency for him. Then the job offer, which made no sense at all because he’d be paying her. It really didn’t add up.

  She’d always prided herself on being a good judge of character, her natural instinct being to mistrust after the tribulations of her childhood, with its empty promises and deceptions. She could see now, though, that she’d been kidding herself. Look at Matt. Had he changed, or had he always had that short-tempered side to him and she’d chosen to ignore it? Or maybe she’d always done what he wanted up to now, and it was the fact that she was pushing against his will that had brought out his anger?

  Was James just a lonely man with a crush on her, using the debt to buy her company? Was it manipulation, or was he genuinely trying to help? He’d seemed to enjoy giving her lovely things, wanting to treat her and make her feel like a princess. She gave a derisive laugh. A princess! Whichever way she turned things over in her mind, she couldn’t help thinking he must be involved in her abuse in some way; it was too much of a coincidence for him not to be.

  She drained her glass, poured herself another, teeth grinding with frustration. Everything had been going round in her head all day and she wasn’t getting any further forward. What she needed was facts, not assumptions. She got out her notebook and jotted down other snippets that she remembered from the hotel that might be useful. Other guests she’d noticed staring at her, the staff members she’d been in contact with. Any of them could be involved.

  She thought back to the previous occasion she’d been at the hotel – the networking event – and recalled how the atmosphere had changed over the course of the night. She’d definitely felt uncomfortable and had been glad to leave. Was there a connection? In her mind, her eyes travelled round the table she’d shared with four men and three other women. The guy next to her, Alan. He was definitely a slimeball, his arm creeping round the back of her chair as he leant in to talk to her, his leg brushing against hers. She’d remembered thinking that middle-aged men really shouldn’t dye their hair because it made their faces look older—

  Her glass clattered onto the table, the remnants of her wine dripping to the floor.

  Oh my God! The man messing with my feet in the video. It was Alan!

  Her hand went to her chest, heart racing as she reran her memory of the event in her mind, like watching a replay. As the evening had worn on and the room had become warmer, he’d taken off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and she distinctly remembered the mole on his arm, like a splodge of ink had been spilled. She closed her eyes and tried to visualise every little detail about the evening, because there was something else, a blurred memory that she couldn’t quite catch hold of before it slipped away from her into darkness.

  The sound of the door banging shut startled her awake, her cheek pressed against the kitchen table where she’d slumped forward, her hand wet with spilt wine, her glass tumbled on its side. Hailey walked into the kitchen, and flicked on the light, making Sara blink in the brightness. She wiped her hand on her joggers, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, while Hailey reached for the wine bottle and poured herself a glass. She picked up Sara’s fallen glass and filled that too before sinking into a chair.

  ‘Oh my God, what a day.’ Her face looked drawn, eyes bloodshot and tired.

  ‘Are the girls all right?’ Sara leant across the table, put a hand on her sister’s arm. ‘Tell me they’re okay.’

  Hailey took her hand. ‘Now I don’t want you to worry, but I think I’ve found out what’s been bothering them. I managed to nab them when they arrived at football. Matt dropped them off, but he didn’t stay. The girls said he had a meeting. Anyway, I left as soon as he turned up later, and I don’t think he saw me.’ She took a big glug of her drink.

  Dread pooled in Sara’s belly. ‘What’s going on?’

  ‘Milly broke down and told me everything. Poor kid’s been keeping it all bottled up.’ Hailey puffed out her cheeks, gave Sara’s hand a squeeze and downed the rest of her drink. ‘There was a video posted online. Milly in the showers at the football club. She was singing and doing a little dance while she washed her hair, and a whole stream of trolls made fun of her.’ She grimaced. ‘Everyone at school has seen it. Poor kid is mortified.’

  Sara knew immediately when it had happened.

  ‘That was about three weeks ago, wasn’t it? I caught them looking at something on the laptop, and Milly was crying, but they denied anything was wrong.’ Her heart ached for her child, tears springing to her eyes. ‘Oh Hailey.’ Her chin wobbled, no words to describe how she felt.

  ‘I know, poor kid. And the thing is… Well, the only way to stop it happening again is to report it.’ Hailey’s lips pressed together, h
er face grim. ‘I had to notify the unit because we’ve got kids we’re responsible for in and out of that football club all the time. Who knows how long the cameras have been there or how many kids have been affected? Anyway, it’s all going through the proper channels now. Police are involved and there’s going to be an official investigation.’

  ‘Of course it has to be investigated.’ Sara was clasping the stem of her wine glass so hard it was in danger of snapping. How dare someone do this to innocent kids? It was evil. Pure evil.

  ‘Yeah, well it might not be quite so good for Milly. She’ll be asked to give evidence, and to be honest, it’s going to be a bit of an ordeal.’

  Sara leant her elbows on the table, head in her hands, finding it hard to take it in. Amelia going through all this anguish without her mum there to support her. The timing couldn’t have been worse.

  ‘Who would do such a thing?’

  Hailey shook her head sadly, her voice despondent when she spoke. ‘So many people use the club, from kids right up to seniors. And cameras can be so tiny these days, you wouldn’t see them. Honestly, it’s going to be tough tracking down whoever did this.’

  They sat in silence, a heavy stillness in the air, both of them lost in their thoughts, until something shifted in Sara’s mind. Two things clicking together.

  She sat up, turned to Hailey. ‘Seems quite a coincidence that both Milly and I have been through similar experiences, don’t you think? Covert filming for someone else’s pleasure.’ Her eyes widened. ‘What if there’s a connection?’

  Hailey considered for a moment, puffed out her cheeks. ‘I think they’re different things. This could just be kids with a vendetta. They’re pretty tech-savvy these days, aren’t they? And these cameras are cheap and easy to buy online. Wireless transmitters.’ She shrugged, poured the last of the wine into her glass. Sara’s remained untouched.

  The silence spread between them, neither looking at the other, Sara’s anger burning in her chest. She thought back to her own teenage years, and knew exactly what Milly was going through. Knew exactly why she’d kept her problems to herself. It wasn’t easy talking about incidents that made you feel ashamed, because somehow you carried a guilt with you; a feeling that in some way you were to blame.

  The ringing of her phone broke into her thoughts. It was Fiona, the last person she wanted to speak to. She debated whether to answer or not, wondering if she was going to get a telling-off for leaving work at lunchtime and not going back.

  ‘Hello,’ she said, deciding it was better to get it over with. At least it gave her the opportunity to tell Fiona that she’d taken her advice and was going to focus on her family. Fiona would like that, and Sara needed to keep her onside.

  ‘Sara, I’m glad I’ve caught you. I did wonder if you’d be at the match tonight, but I was late picking up the girls and missed everyone.’

  ‘No, Matt took them. I’ve got Ezra with me, so I couldn’t go.’

  ‘You’re still with your sister, then?’

  ‘Yes, for the time being.’ Sara took a deep breath. ‘I’m sorry I left work early today. I don’t know if anyone mentioned it. But I’ve had a think about what you said and I’m going to take your advice and focus on the children until Matt and I have got everything sorted out.’

  ‘Oh, thank goodness. You’ve no idea how hard it was for me to give you the news about your contract being terminated. I really am sorry about that.’ Fiona’s relief seeped down the line. ‘Anyway, I hope a bit of time out will help smooth things over. I’m sure James and the volunteers can cover for now, so it’s not a problem… But that’s not actually what I was ringing about.’

  ‘Oh, okay.’ Sara’s hand tightened round her phone, hardly daring to think why else she’d call. ‘So… is there a problem?’

  ‘No, no, well, not for you. The thing is, we’ve booked a lodge at Center Parcs in the Lake District for a few days, and Chelsea is making a terrible fuss about it because she says it’ll be boring on her own. I was wondering if the girls would like to come? What do you think? I thought it might give you and Matt a bit of space to talk things through. Win-win for everyone. What do you say?’

  Sara didn’t have to think twice about her answer. It was a perfect end to the holidays for the twins and would give them a treat, away from all the family troubles. ‘I’m sure they’d love to. And you’re right. It might help resolve things one way or the other.’

  ‘Thing is, we’re going tomorrow afternoon. Last-minute booking, you see. I thought it would be a nice surprise for Chelsea, and then she had a complete meltdown about it. Is that too soon?’

  ‘No, that’s fine. I’ll just give them a call, then ring you back, okay?’

  They said their goodbyes and Sara looked at Hailey. ‘Fiona wants to take the girls to Center Parcs for a few days to keep Chelsea company. I think that’ll be good for them, don’t you? Give us a chance to corner Matt.’

  Hailey stared into space, thoughtful. ‘Perfect. And if we can organise a play date for Ezra with Holly next door…’

  Sara understood exactly where her sister’s thinking was heading, and their eyes met across the table. ‘Surely we can work out how to get into that office and see what Matt’s up to? I think he’s the key to this. Because someone sent him that video of me and he must know where it came from.’ She sat bolt upright, her brain rebooted now there was something constructive she could do. ‘What if this site he’s been setting up is for people who do that sort of thing – you know, covert filming? People with that sort of fetish.’ She frowned, an idea starting to form in her mind, but not yet clear enough to see. ‘There’s something weird behind all this. And I think Matt has the answer.’

  Hailey pursed her lips, pensive for a moment. ‘There’s another thing I have to tell you about tonight.’ She hesitated. ‘I saw Matt with a woman.’

  Sara’s heart leapt into her throat. ‘I bloody knew it! He tried to make me think I was imagining things.’

  ‘I didn’t see her face. I nipped off to get a coffee at half-time and saw her getting out of his car. She had a baseball hat on, and running gear, and she jogged off before I could follow her.’

  ‘Bloody hypocrite!’ Sara seethed.

  Hailey reached across the table and grabbed her hand. ‘Look, we’re going to get this sorted. You and me. We’ve been through worse and come out the other side.’

  Sara’s jaw hardened, and she knew she was up for whatever trouble lay ahead. One way or another, they would get to the truth.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The girls wouldn’t talk to Sara, so Hailey spoke to them and explained about the holiday, while Sara listened on speakerphone.

  ‘Four days at Center Parcs, who doesn’t want to do that?’ Hailey asked, incredulous when they didn’t seem keen. She glanced at Sara and pulled a face, obviously puzzled.

  ‘It’s short notice,’ Sophia said.

  ‘Fiona and your mum thought it would be a nice surprise. You deserve a treat and it’ll give you some time away while we sort out what’s been going on at the football club.’

  ‘Milly doesn’t want to go.’ It seemed that Sophia was spokeswoman as usual, dressing her own feelings up as her sister’s.

  Hailey sighed. ‘Look, guys. It’s not always about what you two want. You’d be doing your dad a favour. He’s got an important bit of work to get on with. Think about it – Fiona won’t be skimping on the treats. You’ll have a brilliant time. You always do when you stay with her, don’t you?’

  ‘Not always,’ Amelia mumbled in the background, making Sara wonder if there had been a falling-out since the weekend. Then she remembered what her daughter was going through and thought she understood her reticence: she felt humiliated, just as Sara did. Perhaps Chelsea had teased her about the video.

  Hailey gave Sara an exasperated look, obviously struggling to know what else to say to persuade them.

  ‘Hey, girls,’ Sara said.

  ‘We’re not talking to you,’ Sophia snapped, and Sa
ra’s breath caught in her throat before she forced herself to speak.

  ‘No, no, please listen. I don’t know what your dad’s told you, but it’s not true. The problem is… well, it’s a misunderstanding, and we need to sort it out. If you go on holiday for a few days, it’ll give us a chance to talk things through.’ She tried to insert a note of reassurance, put a smile in her voice. ‘Hopefully everything will be back to normal when you come home.’

  There was silence, then a whispered conversation. Hailey and Sara looked at each other, waited.

  ‘Okay,’ Sophia said. ‘I hope you’re telling the truth, Mum.’

  Sara bit her lip. What were the chances of normality, of her and Matt staying together, after all this? Slim, was the answer. But she needed to buy this time, needed the girls out of the house, then Matt would think he was on his own and might not be quite so security-conscious. There was a chance he might leave his office door unlocked when he went into the house for a break.

  ‘I’m doing my best for our family,’ she said with conviction, because whatever happened, that was the truth. ‘I love you girls. You kids are my world and I’ve hated not being there with you, and I hate it even more that you’re angry and upset with me.’

  ‘Love you, Mum,’ Amelia said, voice thick with tears.

  ‘Me too,’ Sophia echoed, before they said their goodbyes.

  The words worked their way into Sara’s heart, soothing the wounds of the last few days. I’m going to make this right for them. I’ve got to.

  Later, with arrangements made, Sara and Hailey settled down to lay out everything they knew and make plans for the following day.