by Linda Coles
The Silent Ones
Could you leave a child behind?
Linda Coles
Contents
Prologue
Saturday
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Sunday
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Monday
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Tuesday
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Wednesday
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Thursday
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Friday
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Saturday
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Sunday
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Also by Linda Coles
Also by Linda Coles
About the Author
Prologue
Matthew loaded groceries into the back of the small Fiesta as Blue watched on, chattering and pointing at other shoppers as they walked past with their own trolleys laden with bags. A cold breeze had him pulling his collar up against it, summer pretty much over now, the skinny fingers of autumn caressing his neck as he loaded the final bag. A fat raindrop hit the car roof, closely followed by another. He looked up at the gathering clouds with disapproval.
“Right, let’s get you strapped in,” he said to the child, who had no qualms about leaving his plastic trolley seat. In fact, he was glad to be out of the wind. Not that he could share his feelings at twelve months old. When Matthew was satisfied the boy was secure, he strapped himself in the driver’s side and set off towards home as the rain began in earnest.
The roads were busy. Saturday morning shopping was the worst time in his opinion, but like many families, it was their best chance of getting provisions. There was always too much going on during the week and shopping on a Sunday was even worse. Plus, by the time he got back, she’d be at the gym, and that meant he and Blue could have the place to themselves. It was Matthew’s favourite time of the week, when she was out, and he didn’t to have to talk to her. He could sit with a mug of hot coffee and the paper, while a jam sandwich and Hey Duggee entertained Blue for a while. The house would be calmer, more relaxed, at least for a couple of hours – the occasional outburst of a child’s delight a welcome sound. He hadn’t realised just how much he’d love the boy until he’d arrived. They weren’t far from home as Matthew turned into Low Lea Road, the nearest to a quiet country lane you could find in the town of Marple, just outside Manchester. As he flipped his wipers from intermittent to constant, he sensed the car behind them before he saw it in his rear-view mirror. They were driving far too close for his liking, had come out of nowhere, and they didn’t appear to want to pass even though there was opportunity to do so. He flicked several looks at the mirror, watching, but the silvery wet brightness cast an awkward glare on the windscreen behind so he couldn’t see who was at the wheel, a man or a woman. Not that it mattered, he couldn’t do anything about it except hope they passed him soon. He knew there was another open stretch around the next corner, the road coming out from the trees, perhaps they’d take the opportunity and pass then. As he drove into the bend, he resisted accelerating out of it and kept his speed deliberately low to give them more of a chance.
The vehicle stayed close behind.
Matthew wound his window down and waved them through with his hand, but still they ignored his request. The light faded a couple of notches as they drove under trees that would be bare in a matter of weeks. He kept an eye on the vehicle that had no intention of hanging back or overtaking him.
It didn’t feel right.
There was a lay-by not far; he’d stop there, and they’d have no choice but to go on, leaving him to the rest of his peaceful morning. He thought about his coffee and Hey Duggee, his quiet time, without Tess. The last thing he needed was an idiot tailgating him for their own enjoyment. It was likely a couple of teenagers having a laugh at his expense.
A shiver hit his stomach and he wondered what might happen next. Visibility was worsening by the second and he increased the speed on his wipers as rain poured down. He spotted the gravelly lay-by up ahead and indicated left to inform his follower he was stopping, but as he slowed and his tyres hit the loose stones, the car pulled off the road along with him.
“What the—”
It was then that he noticed a van had joined the convoy; it accelerated out in front before slamming its brakes on, cutting him off at an angle, and Matthew had no option but to do the same to avoid a collision. Blue groaned in alarm as he was pressed hard against the restraints of his seat, bags of groceries shot forward in the boot, and Matthew was yanked painfully against his own seat belt.
Then he knew.
They’d said they’d take him by surprise – it would be better all round. Was this it? He watched as the van door opened and two men got out and approached the car. Someone else from the other vehicle undid the rear passenger door and leaned in, unstrapping Blue from his confines. He repaid them with a fierce wail.
“Get out,” a male voice instructed him.
He had no choice now. It was all happening so fast. He pulled his hood up against the rain which was falling in skinny rods all around them.
“Hand me your wallet and phone,” the man said.
Matthew reluctantly handed them over and watched as they were slipped inside a jacket pocket. He wasn’t sure if that had been part of the agreement or not, he couldn’t remember. There had been little communication from them – less chance of error that way.
“Hurry up. Get in the van.”
“Can I say goodbye to Blue?” Matthew asked.
/> The little boy was being carried away, back to the car that had driven so close to them only moments ago. A woman was securing him into another booster seat, and Matthew could hear his cries, the little boy clearly upset. He hadn’t realised how hard this was going to be, on both of them, and he gulped down tears that threatened to fall from his eyes.
“There’s little time. We have to leave – now,” the man said as he ushered Matthew quickly towards the van. The others stood in the rain, watching and monitoring the road as the switch-over took place. Once seated, Matthew heard the other car drive off, heading back in the direction he’d just come from. As the engine revved and loose stones flew into the air, he was taken the opposite way.
It had started.
Saturday
Chapter 1
Chrissy was more like an excited child bobbing up and down in her seat than an adult arriving in Doolin for an autumn break. As Adam turned the hire car into the driveway of their Airbnb accommodation for the next week, she couldn’t have felt any happier. As soon as they stopped, she stepped out, gripping her hair with both hands to stop it whipping into her eyes as a brisk wind fought to strip it all from her head. Grey clouds overhead moved at full throttle without dropping any of the moisture contained within, and she watched them hurtle along, new ones replacing them and slotting into place just as quickly as their predecessors. Chrissy felt Adam at her side before he slid an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.
“I’m ready for a break,” he said, watching the clouds overhead with her.
“Me too. Long walks in the day and good food and company in the evening. What more could a girl wish for?”
Adam bent in closer to whisper in her ear: “How about just the two of us?”
Chrissy smiled her delight but was prevented from responding right at that moment. Julie’s excited voice broke through the wind.
“Chrissy, it’s divine!” her sister gushed as she bent to reach the handle of her trolley bag and make her way to the front door. Richard followed her dutifully, looking more like a butler than her husband. The wind caught the man’s thinning wisps and every strand appeared to stand on its end, showing quite how balding he was underneath his normally carefully arranged hair. Chrissy smiled as he paused to try and flatten it, releasing one of the two bags he was pulling so it fell flat to the ground with a clatter. Julie instinctively turned and rolled her eyes but stayed quiet. Adam glanced at Chrissy knowingly and opted for silence as they both moved towards the boot and their own luggage. With their two large holdalls out, they were set. The two families were the polar opposites of each other but somehow it worked.
Chrissy had planned their autumn break not long after she’d returned from a case that had taken her and, unexpectedly, Julie to France and back. Mission accomplished, the two women had returned home safely and ready for a rest, and since Chrissy had always fancied the west coast of Ireland, she’d picked the holiday destination. There would be something for everyone. Julie had a couple of pubs and restaurants to choose from, Richard had his newspaper and Kindle, Adam had the cliffs to wander along and Chrissy? She had all the above and planned on doing it all with a few runs added in.
As long as the wind blew itself away.
She followed Adam inside and idly wondered which bedroom Julie had allocated for them since she’d have taken the largest for herself without a moment’s hesitation.
“In here,” Adam offered, turning right into a wide-open space.
“Hell’s bells, look at that view!” she said, dropping her bag on the floor and heading closer to the large bay window that looked out over green fields and an ancient castle.
“Doonagore Castle, sixteenth century, now a private holiday home,” Adam said matter-of-factly, as if he were a Chaser on The Chase.
Chrissy glanced his way enquiringly. “I’m impressed. Did you already know that snippet or did you just look it up without me noticing?”
“Two can plot and scheme, not just your good self. I was waiting for the opportunity to spread my hard-earned knowledge, though it came much sooner than I expected.” He slipped his arm around her shoulder again as they both looked out at the rolling greenery and the old, single-tower castle. Cattle grazed nearby, their woolly brown bodies making them look like giant four-legged teddy bears. Other than that, there was nothing else in sight. Apart from the Atlantic Ocean that is.
“Oh, what a lovely room, and what a view,” Julie exclaimed.
“Don’t tell me you want it now?” Chrissy asked.
“No, we have a lovely suite at the back of the house with bags of room, so we’re all set. I thought with Richard’s snoring, we should be as far away from you two as possible. Don’t want to keep you awake,” she said, beaming.
“Thoughtful of you, thanks,” Chrissy managed, trying not to roll her eyes yet again.
“Plus, there’s an extra room equally nice next door, so there’s choice if you want it?”
“Thanks, but I’m happy enough with this one.”
“Well I’m going to unpack the food and get that bottle of bubbly into the fridge before I do anything else,” Adam said as he left the two girls to do their thing. Since Chrissy was not a domestic goddess, Adam invariably took the lead and had shopped for a few bits to tide them over in the last town they’d driven through. At least until they decided on a dinner destination somewhere. Julie stepped closer to admire the old castle.
“Could you imagine living in that old thing years ago? It must have been cold and draughty. I bet it blows terribly on a foul wet winter’s day. Not for me. No thank you.” She shuddered for effect.
“Good job I didn’t book it for our stay then.”
“Goodness no, this is far nicer. You should see our room, it’s better than what we have at home.”
Chrissy doubted that very much. There wasn’t anything Richard had not provided over the years to his sometimes-dramatic wife.
“Though we haven’t quite got the view, I must admit.”
“You’ll have your eye mask on anyway, so you’ll not be missing anything,” Chrissy said as she humped one of her bags into the corner to unpack later. “Ready to go exploring?” Instinctively, she glanced at Julie’s feet. “Perhaps not quite. Where are your boots?”
Julie looked down at her painted toes and pretty strappy sandals. “You think I’ll need them now?”
“I would. It would be a shame to break those or scuff a toenail,” she said, pointing.
Julie turned to leave the room and as an afterthought Chrissy shouted to her sister, “Grab your jacket too, it’s cooling down.”
A moment later, Julie was back, wearing the smallest and slimmest pair of walking boots Chrissy had ever seen. She’d always been the daintier of the two and continued to be so now as a grown woman. How they’d come from the same parents Chrissy had often wondered, but after a stay in hospital, blood tests had confirmed they had both been cut from the exact same cloth. Chrissy pulled her own jacket on and called out to Adam that they’d be back shortly as they left through the back door.
“Decide where we’re eating tonight if you can,” he called.
“Will do!”
Turning the corner, and facing straight into the wind, the two women headed out to explore the village of Doolin and report back.
“Let’s take a closer look at the castle,” urged Julie, almost tugging at Chrissy’s jacket to steer her in the opposite direction.
“Somebody could be home; you can’t just go wandering over.”
“I’m not going to peer in through the windows, just get a better view of it.”
“It’s not like you to be interested in old relics,” she said as they approached the building slowly.
“I live with Richard, don’t I?” Julie added with a laugh. At that Chrissy had to join her.
About ten minutes later, they were about as close to the castle as they dared go when a door opened, and a flash of long deep-auburn hair could be seen briefly before it vanished back inside
.
“Told you there would be someone home,” said Chrissy. “We’d better not go any closer. Come on, let’s find where we’re going for dinner later,” she said, turning to leave. Julie caught her up and the two wandered off back towards the village.
“Who was that, I wonder?” Julie asked.
“I don’t know. Holidaymaker, I expect. Great hair though.”
Chapter 2
The two women walked towards the small village centre in relaxed silence, each enjoying the fresh air and scenery, their holiday cottage behind them. Not that it was a cottage really, far from it, but the name felt apt for their break away.
Fisher Street was where most of the eateries and small shops were situated, some of which were painted in bright pastel shades that made them look like liquorice-allsort buildings stuck on a picture postcard. The sweater shop was the most visual of the first few, painted in a deep bright pink, and Julie immediately wanted to slip inside. It was right next door to an equally bright orange crafts shop.
