The Child's Secret

by Amanda Brooke

  ‘Mrs Peterson has told me about her injuries and how she got them.’

  ‘Good,’ Sam said. ‘Although I don’t suppose you’re at all interested in charging Finn with assault.’

  ‘I’ll be honest with you, Mr McIntyre. I couldn’t care less right now. My only priority is finding Jasmine.’

  ‘And you don’t think the two events are related? Did she tell you how Finn didn’t take to fatherhood naturally?’

  ‘I should imagine that’s something you would find difficult to reconcile.’

  Ignoring the attempt to bring the focus back onto him, Sam said, ‘Selina and I managed to convince Laura that, if not for her own well-being, it would certainly be better for Jasmine in the long run if she left Finn.’ Sam gave a bitter laugh and added, ‘We were scared that Jasmine might face a troubled future if Laura didn’t do something; I just didn’t realize how soon that future would catch up with them.’

  ‘So you invited them to stay with you?’

  ‘Not with me, as such,’ Sam corrected. ‘The idea was that Laura could move into my flat and I would sleep on Selina’s sofa for a while. Laura took some convincing. She was scared of Finn, scared of what he would do to her and to Jasmine,’ Sam said pointedly. ‘But Selina wasn’t taking no for an answer by that point.’

  ‘Mrs Raymond is an interesting character by all accounts.’

  ‘Have you spoken to her yet?’

  ‘No, she hasn’t been seen by us or any of her friends.’

  ‘Really? What time is it?’

  Harper looked at his watch. ‘Five thirty.’

  ‘I should go home. Jasper’s been on his own all this time,’ Sam said, more determined than ever to leave, although it had little to do with the pup.

  ‘Are you sure you don’t know where Mrs Raymond might be? Is it usual for her to stay out all day?’

  Coming to the conclusion that the more he shared the quicker he would be released, Sam said, ‘We had an argument last night. I’m guessing she’s gone off somewhere to let off steam and she’ll be in no hurry to come home to what she expects to be an empty house.’

  ‘An argument?’

  ‘In case you hadn’t noticed, Laura didn’t follow through with her plans to leave Finn. And as you’ve already worked out, I had become heavily involved in the Petersons’ lives, far more than I ever intended. I came to Liverpool to escape emotional ties. I wasn’t looking for a new family and I didn’t want to hang around to see the people I cared about follow a path to self-destruction. I tried to help and I failed. That’s why my bags were packed. That’s why I was going to leave.’

  ‘And Mrs Raymond wasn’t happy being left to pick up the pieces?’

  ‘Selina was determined to help Laura, come what may. She’s had her fair share of heartache in her time, but I don’t think she appreciated how badly this whole mess was affecting me.’

  When Harper opened the manila folder in front of him, Sam glimpsed a photocopy of what looked like a very old, handwritten police report, the scrawl indecipherable from where he was sitting.

  ‘Mrs Raymond had to deal with a lot more than heartache by the looks of it.’ Harper lifted up one page, then another, and another.

  ‘She has a police record?’

  ‘Of sorts,’ Harper said, closing the file abruptly.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Right, Mr McIntyre,’ Harper said, dismissing the question. ‘I think you’ve helped as much as you can for now so I’m happy for you to go. But,’ he said, emphasizing the word, ‘if you do hear from Mrs Raymond or think of anything that will help us locate her, then I suggest you contact me as a matter of urgency.’

  Sam had been desperate to leave but now he didn’t want to go. ‘You think Selina took her?’

  ‘The duty officer will return your wallet and mobile phone, but you might have to wait a bit longer for the rest of your personal effects. There are some formalities to go through, the usual paperwork, but other than that, I’d like to thank you for your co-operation and we’ll be in touch if we need anything else.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘Go home, Mr McIntyre.’

  38

  Saturday 26 September 2015

  The leaves were tinder dry and crunched under foot when Jasmine veered off the path. Her pace slowed as she approached the old tree which had managed to cling onto most of its foliage for now, although the yellow and brown leaves made her old friend look a little more weary and weatherworn. She silently apologized as she clambered onto the overhanging branch that rested on the railings, too weak to hold itself up but still reaching out, inviting her to come a little closer.

  Keira was waiting for her by the swings so she couldn’t stay long. Leah was there too, but she had been too busy with her boyfriend to notice Jasmine sneaking off. Not that Leah would be able to make much of a fuss because none of them were meant to be there. Everyone knew Jasmine wasn’t allowed in the park any more and so Leah had told her mum she was taking them to her friend’s house to pick up some homework. Jasmine was surprised that Natalie believed her because Leah was only interested in one thing and that was the boy her face was currently glued to. It was disgusting the way they snogged and Jasmine couldn’t help wondering if her mum and dad had ever done that. She didn’t imagine they did it now because they struggled to even talk to each other and that worried her. It worried her a lot.

  That morning, Jasmine had been sent over to Natalie’s for the day. She was used to being shipped off to her friend’s house whenever her dad was in one of his moods, only this time it was different. There had been no sign of the brooding monster that often took over her dad’s body; in fact there hadn’t been much sign of it or her dad for the past week or so. He was spending a lot less time at home than he had when he had lost his job before. He generally disappeared before Jasmine came home from school and either turned up later smelling of beer or he didn’t bother coming home until the next day, just as Jasmine was heading off to school again.

  Her mum had been acting strange too. She didn’t smile and some days her eyes looked red and sore. That was why a knot of worry had begun to twist Jasmine’s insides and she found herself more scared of the silence than she had ever been of the loud, angry rows. Something bad was going to happen. It was probably happening now, which meant she had to act fast. Taking the note she had already written out of her pocket, Jasmine read it again. Was she sure this was what she wanted? Once she had made her wish there would be no going back.

  The breeze above her head rattled the leaves and one landed on her head. The tree was telling her to get a move on so she quickly dropped the note inside the trunk and then scrambled back over the railings before she had a chance to change her mind.

  She was a little out of breath as she turned to face the tree. ‘Right, let’s do this,’ she said and then lifted her head back, opened up her arms and closed her eyes. The tree shivered and then there was a strange scrambling sound that didn’t sound like her Wishing Tree at all. She prised an eye open and searched the sprawling branches for signs of a squirrel but the noise wasn’t coming from above. It was a much bigger animal and when she turned around, Jasper’s chocolate coat shimmered in the autumn sunshine. He was on a leash but Sam had let it extend fully to allow the puppy to race towards her. Jasmine’s heart leapt with joy, but then she pulled herself up short before she could give into her excitement.

  ‘Get away, Jasper!’

  As Sam tried to retract the leash, Jasper twisted his body in an effort to reach Jasmine’s side.

  ‘Sorry, did he frighten you?’ Sam asked.

  Jasmine began sidling along the railings to put as much distance between them as she could. Her blue eyes sparkled with a mixture of fire and ice as she stared at the dog. She wanted so much to wrap her arms around her puppy and let him lick her face. Her fingers tingled with the need to stroke his fur and her heart broke when he began to whimper. He didn’t understand how it hurt too much to even look at him and how she couldn’
t risk getting close. ‘I’m not allowed to go near him,’ she explained. ‘And I don’t want to get dog hairs on my dress in case my dad finds one.’ What she didn’t add was that she had already said goodbye to him and couldn’t face it a second time.

  Sam nodded. ‘Fair enough, I understand. So, are you here on your own?’ he asked, trying too hard to sound casual.

  Jasmine’s eyes narrowed as she worked out just how much information to share. She trusted Sam, and since he wasn’t likely to talk to her dad or her mum, she thought it would be safe to tell. ‘I’m with my friend Keira and her sister. We’re not supposed to be in the park but we won’t be staying long. I was just on my way back to them.’

  Jasmine watched as he rubbed his face nervously. ‘All right, as long as you’re OK.’

  ‘Yes, I am,’ she said confidently as she listened to the tree swaying in the breeze, as it considered her wish.

  ‘Good.’

  Neither moved and in the pause, Jasmine couldn’t help staring at Sam. ‘You’ve shaved your beard off again,’ she said at last when she realized what was different about him.

  The park ranger smiled. ‘I keep changing my mind whether I should keep it or not.’

  ‘I’d go with the not,’ she told him. ‘You look kind of scary with all that hair over your face and you might frighten people off.’

  Sam gave a soft chuckle. ‘I think that was why I kept it.’

  Jasper had stopped trying to reach her and was momentarily distracted by a smell he had picked up. He pushed his nose into the ground and scratched at the earth, raking up dry leaves to reveal a damp layer of mulch. Jasmine took advantage and started inching her way along the railings away from him. Sam was watching her.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he said.

  She stopped moving. ‘What for?’

  Sam had to think for a while and then he simply shrugged. ‘Just for being here with Jasper when I can tell how desperately you want to give him a hug.’

  At that moment, Jasper lifted his grubby nose and wagged his tail so energetically that his whole body swayed. Jasmine did her best to ignore him and kept her gaze on Sam.

  ‘OK. Bye then,’ she said, and turned on her heels. Heading through the trees towards the playground, she kept her legs moving. If only she could put enough distance between herself and Jasper, it might stop the ache in her heart that was making her chest heave and her breath come out in sobs.

  Jasmine sprinted between the trees with a trail of blonde hair and then she was gone. Jasper pulled on his leash and whined, but try as he might, he couldn’t persuade his master to follow the little girl. Sam had wanted to visit the park to take his mind off Laura but now he was more anxious than ever. A week had passed since she had sat in Selina’s kitchen building up the nerve to leave her husband. He had wanted her to go back home and tell Finn there and then that their marriage was over, but Laura had needed time to prepare. No one was under any illusions that Finn would make it easy for her – he was unlikely to give up his home and she expected to be the one who would have to leave.

  Where Laura would go was still under debate. If Finn made threats then she might have to leave Liverpool and one option was to hide away in Pat’s caravan. If her husband were more magnanimous, if, for instance he was minded to trade in Laura for the newer model he was seeing, then Laura felt more able to accept Sam’s generous offer of moving into his flat while he stayed with Selina. There were other things she would need as well as lodgings, like clothes and other personal belongings, and of course, money. She had given herself a week to get her life in order so she could pick it up and move out. A week wasn’t very long, not compared to a marriage of ten years, but for Sam it was an agonizing delay.

  Stretching his back, he looked up into the spider web of gnarled branches. Through the brittle canopy of leaves, holes had begun to appear and sunlight flickered across his face. He ought to feel good about himself. Up until now he had been forced to watch helplessly as Finn destroyed his family. The man had wrung every last drop of hope and joy from their lives and if Sam could help Laura and Jasmine to make a fresh start then that was something to be proud of – wasn’t it? But with so much uncertainty ahead of them, he found no joy in breaking up a family, even a dysfunctional one. He looked at the hollow of the tree that had swallowed up Jasmine’s latest wish and knew he couldn’t ignore it.

  Tying the dog to the railings, Sam jumped over and created a small cloud of dry, crisp leaves when he landed with a thump. Jasper yapped then pushed his head between the iron bars where he promptly became stuck. Sam sighed as the puppy began to whine. ‘You’ll have to wait,’ he said. ‘Now, sit.’

  To his surprise, the dog somehow managed to sit down despite being trapped. His head was bowed and his brown eyes looked up at Sam with a mixture of embarrassment and desperation. Sam ignored him while he retrieved the note from the rotting splinters of wood that had gathered in the hollow of the trunk. He felt a twinge of guilt as he always did taking the letters that Jasmine only intended to share with the tree, and jumped when he heard scraping leaves close by. He jerked his head just in time to see a squirrel scampering up a nearby fir. Jasper whined again.

  ‘Just a minute,’ Sam said while carefully unfolding the piece of paper. His heart sank as soon as he read the first line.

  Dear Wishing Tree

  I can’t remember what happy felt like. I’m glad mum didn’t die (thank you for saving her) but I still think something bad is going to happen.

  I don’t want my mum and dad to get divorced—

  ‘What are you doing?’

  The sound of dry leaves was thunderous as Jasper became delirious with excitement. He pulled his head free from the bars with an almighty twist of his body and began straining at his leash again. Sam paid him no attention, like the dog, he saw only the figure of an eight-year-old girl with flowing blonde hair and eyes that sparkled with angry tears.

  ‘Jasmine, I thought you’d gone.’

  ‘You’ve read my note?’

  Sam folded up the paper and was tempted to hide it in his pocket but it was clearly too late. ‘I was just—’

  ‘Did you read all of them?’

  Judging from what he had read, her worst fears were about to be realized and the only hope Jasmine had left was in the power of the Wishing Tree. He couldn’t take that from her, not today. ‘It’s my job to look after the tree and clean up around it,’ he explained. ‘I see scrunched-up bits of paper in the Wishing Tree. I didn’t read all of it,’ he said.

  Jasmine eyed him with suspicion.

  ‘Can I have it back?’

  ‘But what about your wish?’ Sam said. He didn’t want to read it, not any more but he wanted Jasmine to still believe in the magic of the story he had sold her.

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she told him. ‘It was hopeless, anyway.’

  Sam climbed back over the railings and, ignoring Jasper, walked with slow and deliberate steps, the pink piece of paper held tightly in his grasp. The willowy child held out her hand and Sam placed the wish into her upturned palm.

  ‘It still matters, Jasmine,’ he said.

  ‘I came back because I felt guilty about ignoring Jasper, but I think I should just go,’ she said, stuffing the note in her pocket.

  ‘Whatever happens, Jasmine, you’ll be OK. I know I’m not the Wishing Tree—’

  ‘There is no Wishing Tree, not any more. I won’t ever make another wish.’

  ‘Maybe not, but there are still plenty of people who care about you. I know I don’t have the power to give you what you want,’ he said honestly, ‘but I’ll do what I can to help. I promise.’

  They stood staring at each other for the longest moment and then Jasmine turned away. He heard her whisper, ‘I wish,’ but the rest was drowned out by the sound of the wind as it became tangled in branches above their heads, making the wise old tree tremble.

  Jasmine rubbed her arms as if she felt the shiver too. She seemed to panic and took a few stumbling steps but
then Jasper let out a pitiful whine and she couldn’t ignore him a second time. When she rushed over, the pup launched himself at her and knocked her to the ground. He licked her face furiously and tempted a smile that Sam had all but given up hope of seeing.

  When Jasmine pulled herself away, she didn’t pause to say goodbye or look back and Sam was left reeling. He had spent years perfecting the art of feeling nothing and yet this child, who was so insubstantial he ought never to have noticed her amongst her classmates, had managed to slip through his defences. He had known Jasmine needed saving even then and she had haunted his thoughts ever since.

  But was he saving her? Jasmine didn’t want her family torn apart, her note had made that clear, and yet Sam was complicit in the break-up of Laura and Finn’s marriage. He was convinced it was the right thing to do, but his motives weren’t as noble as they should be. Despite spending so little time with Laura, he felt a strong attraction that he wasn’t yet ready to fully admit or accept. How could he, while Laura was still sifting through the wreckage of her marriage? And even if she would be willing to take a chance on life again one day, would he?

  The tree shivered in the breeze again, making Sam wonder what Jasmine’s whispered wish had been. Was it for Sam to leave them alone? If that was the case then it was a wish he couldn’t fulfil. He couldn’t let Laura down. It was late morning and she would be at home in the midst of a heated discussion with Finn. She had phoned earlier after dropping Jasmine off at Natalie’s to confirm that she was going ahead with the plan. She would tell Finn she was leaving and the moment he stormed off to the pub she would pack her things and let Sam know she and Jasmine were on their way. The pubs were about to open so Sam expected the call at any moment.

  Nine hundred and twenty-eight.

  Nine hundred and twenty-nine.

  The latest additions to Sam’s collection of paper cranes were strewn across the dining table. The afternoon had faded into evening and with the day all but exhausted of light, Sam’s fingers turned and folded the paper by touch alone. He felt the sharp point of a neck and pressed firmly to create a valley fold for the head before opening out the bird’s wings and releasing it into the cold, lightless world, only to hear it drop onto the table a fraction of a second later.