Unfortunately, they had been unable to find Alison Morgan. Her mobile phone was dead, and her house was empty.
‘So how did Lewis, or whatever his name is, get involved in all this?’
‘His real name’s Paul Todd, aka Jed, but let’s stick to calling him Lewis, can we? My brain won’t compute anything else right now. Alison Morgan was the instigator, it seems. She was brought up in a children’s home. Lewis’s brother was a friend of hers there, but Lewis himself is a lot younger. The brother died of a drugs overdose, and Alison took the kid under her wing. That’s as much as we’ve managed to discover, but it’s enough.’
‘She’s a real piece of work, isn’t she?’
‘And then some. According to Ed Cooper, she phoned him this morning. She must have known we were getting close, and she was about to do a runner. Anyway, she asked him to give Natalie a message. She said Bernie had fallen out of love with her years ago and had only stayed because of Scarlett. That and a load of other nonsense which he was supposed to pass on.’
‘Why didn’t she tell Natalie herself?’
‘Too clever,’ Tom said, shaking his head. ‘If Ed tells her, he’ll be the cause of her pain. He’ll be the one who destroyed whatever is left of her belief in Bernie.’
‘And if he doesn’t tell her?’
‘Natalie will believe Megan’s version – that Bernie was trapped and was trying to protect his marriage. Bernie remains the number-one good guy – albeit slightly flawed.’
‘Where does that leave this Ed chap then?’ Louisa asked.
‘Living in the shadow of a dead man, at a guess.’
‘My God, the human psyche never fails to confound me. But with all this renewed interest in Bernie’s death, wasn’t Alison worried that the investigation would lead you to her crimes?’
‘I don’t think she had a clue that Bernie was on to her, which is what we have to assume given his knowledge of the website and the apartments, and the fact that he seemed to think Amber Blackwood – another girl they abused – had something to do with Alison. Whether he would have turned her in, or used what he knew to free himself from her clutches, I don’t know, and I guess we never will.’
‘And what about Bernie, then? Has all this helped you to discover who killed him?’
‘Oh, I know who killed him,’ Tom said. ‘The trouble is, this is one clever murderer – there’s not a scrap of evidence. But I’m not going to stop looking.’
88
Two Months Later
Ed heaved the last of the suitcases out of Natalie’s car and carried them into the house.
‘I think that’s the lot, love,’ he said, giving her a beaming smile.
Natalie smiled back as she locked the car. Ed had been so patient when she told him that although she understood everything now and was confident that Scarlett would be perfectly safe with him, she still had a lot to come to terms with in her own mind. As each detail of Bernie’s other life was revealed she’d had to decide which version of him to believe in and what memories to hold on to. Until she had rationalised it all, she couldn’t move back in with Ed.
But now that time had come. She needed to love and be loved again.
Becky Robinson had been a star and had talked Natalie through everything to do with the website. She knew now that neither Ed nor Bernie was involved in child pornography and accepted that she wouldn’t have thought Ed’s behaviour with Scarlett was at all suspect if it hadn’t been for the images she had discovered on his computer.
Scarlett felt safe when Ed was around, and she needed stability more than ever. She was still having nightmares about Lewis, and had been horrified by how readily she had believed everything he had told her about Bernie. Lewis had known all along that she was Bernie’s daughter, and Scarlett was struggling to forgive herself for being so gullible, especially as she was continually claiming not to be a kid any more.
The worst thing for both mother and daughter had been dealing with the knowledge that Bernie had had a secret relationship with Alison and had genuinely believed she was expecting his child. Natalie had talked to Megan about it endlessly but still had difficulty understanding why he had allowed himself to be dragged into something that could have shattered his family into tiny pieces.
Megan had tried to be patient, but Natalie had sensed the irritation in her voice.
‘Natalie, he got drunk. He made himself vulnerable to a snake like Alison and because he didn’t want you to get hurt – or worse, to walk out on him – he tried to juggle everything and keep everybody happy. Let’s face it, if he’d told you Alison was having his baby, you would have gone, wouldn’t you? I keep telling you that people are fallible. We all do stupid things from time to time, and Bernie was no exception.’
Natalie had frowned at that, and Megan jumped right in.
‘You’re bloody fallible, for one! You thought Alison was perfect – that she was totally on your side. You gave her so much credit, and for over fifteen years she’s had one aim in life – to find a way to make you miserable. You trusted her with your most private thoughts and no doubt shared a few secrets about Bernie that he would have preferred you not to.’
Megan. Always the sensible one. Always the one to hold things together. Natalie could understand Megan not telling her what she knew about Alison. Her loyalty had been one hundred per cent to Bernie. But it had been a little more difficult to accept Ed’s silence on the subject. Natalie had struggled with the fact that he had known about Bernie’s relationship with Alison and hadn’t told her, even after they got together.
‘I only found out a couple of days before he died, darling,’ Ed had said, holding her hand across the table and pleading with his eyes for her understanding. ‘I was going to persuade him to tell you himself. I didn’t want to be the one to rip your life apart. And I didn’t tell you after he died because I didn’t want to hurt you.’
They had talked endlessly: Scarlett and Natalie, Natalie and Ed, Megan and Scarlett – each and every combination. But still Natalie had needed space to think and to lick the last of her wounds, and it was only when the police confirmed that they had tracked Alison down and arrested her that she was able to begin the healing process.
It took Natalie two months to piece together what was left of her memories into a picture of her life with Bernie that she was happy with, and finally Ed and Scarlett had convinced her that they could be happy together, as a family. Ed was already helping Scarlett with her schoolwork and had offered to pay for the much-longed-for skiing trip. Natalie couldn’t continue to prevaricate, and so here she was – back in Ed’s beautiful house.
Scarlett was due home any minute, and Natalie knew how much her daughter had been looking forward to this day. Natalie couldn’t stand still, hoping and praying that this time she had made the right decision for both of them. She had to make this work, and she had to stop seeing spectres around every corner. She needed to get back to being positive and learn to trust again.
She walked into the kitchen with Ed and he pulled her into his arms. ‘At last,’ he said. ‘This is where you were always meant to be.’
Natalie said nothing. She was glad to be here, but however things had ended, she had loved Bernie and she wasn’t going to forget that.
‘I’ve got a surprise for you both when Scarlett gets home,’ Ed said, not letting go of her but leaning back slightly so that he could see her face. His eyes were shining.
‘What is it?’
‘You’re going to have to wait. It’s more for Scarlett than you, but I hope you’ll be happy about it. She’ll be home soon.’
He pulled her close again. Natalie felt her muscles tense and willed herself to relax. She was lucky to have a man like Ed and she couldn’t let him sense how unresponsive she still felt. It would pass, she was sure. She just had to try harder.
The front door slammed. Scarlett was home.
‘Welcome home, sweetheart,’ Ed said, stepping forward to give her a hug. Natalie found herself watchi
ng him. She knew her previous suspicions were unfounded, but she also knew it would be a while before she was completely easy in her mind. She could see that Ed kept the hug a little formal, as if conscious of her concerns. Only his arms touched Scarlett, the rest of his body held slightly away.
With one arm around Scarlett’s shoulders, he turned to face Natalie. ‘Stay here, both of you. Your surprise is in the garage. Close your eyes – no peeping.’
In the end it didn’t matter whether their eyes were open or closed, because they heard a noise that Natalie recognised immediately. The yapping of a puppy.
Scarlett’s eyes flew open, her face a picture of joy, and when Ed pushed open the door from the garage to the kitchen she jumped up and down as she saw the squirming puppy in his arms.
‘Oh Ed, thank you so much. She’s amazing. Look, Mum. She’s just like Zena – same colour and everything. I don’t know what to say.’
She rushed over and gently took the puppy from Ed, kissing the soft dark fur on her head. The puppy must have felt at home, because she lifted her face and licked Scarlett’s chin. Scarlett giggled with delight.
Ed looked at Natalie and smiled. ‘I think the puppy’s a hit, don’t you?’ He handed Scarlett a pretty gift bag. ‘And there’s one more thing.’
‘You open it, Mum. I want to keep hold of this little cutie.’
It was difficult to see who was more delighted, Scarlett or the puppy, so Natalie did as her daughter asked and reached inside the bag to pull out the gift.
‘See? Just like Zena’s,’ Ed said, beaming at them both.
Natalie held up the collar and lead, studded with LED lights so that the puppy could be seen in the dark. It was indeed exactly like Zena’s.
Scarlett squealed and wrapped one arm around Ed’s waist to give him a squeeze while still keeping hold of the puppy. ‘Thank you so much, Ed. You’re the best stepfather in the world.’
They both turned to look at Natalie, who felt as if the grin she had been wearing as she witnessed Scarlett’s happiness had frozen like a mask, gluing her top lip to her teeth, her jawbone aching with the effort of keeping the smile going.
She wanted to ask. But if she did, her doubt, her lack of trust in this man would tear them apart all over again.
Her mind flashed back to the night before Bernie died. The collar was something she had never told anyone about because Bernie’s death had made a mockery of the gift. Her husband had come in late, just before she went to bed, but she hadn’t wanted to wait.
‘I’ve bought something for you and Zena – to keep you both safe when you’re out walking in the dark,’ she’d said.
She had handed the package to Bernie, and he had been as excited as he always was when he was given a present, feeling the package with both hands to see if he could guess what was inside.
‘I give in,’ he said. ‘What is it?’
‘Open it and find out,’ she’d said, laughing at his childlike behaviour.
He put his hand into the opened package and slowly drew out a special collar that Natalie had bought for Zena – one that lit up; one designed to ensure they would be seen on the dark lanes.
Bernie’s eyes had sparkled with delight. ‘A brilliant present,’ he said, leaning across to kiss her. ‘I love you, beautiful wife of mine. Do you know that?’
Zena had only worn that collar once, and it hadn’t kept either of them safe. But apart from Scarlett and Bernie, nobody else knew about it. Or maybe she was being stupid. If this had been Bernie, she would have simply believed there was a logical explanation. Perhaps she had told Ed about it and forgotten, but to ask the question would once again demonstrate her lack of trust in this man.
‘Mum?’ Scarlett said, her eyes clouding with concern as she hugged her new puppy even tighter.
Natalie was ruining the moment. If she took Scarlett away from here again, she wasn’t sure what it would do to her. She was so fragile right now.
‘Sorry, sweetheart. Just a quick flashback. I couldn’t be more pleased for you.’
She turned to smile at Ed, ready to accept that she was seeing shadows within shadows. She looked into his eyes and saw the horror there, the dawning realisation of his mistake. He seemed to be holding himself together, his body taut.
But maybe she was wrong.
She had trusted Alison. She had trusted Bernie. She had been wrong on both counts. She had doubted Ed once before, and he had forgiven her. And maybe his eyes told a different story – not one of guilt, but of concern that the puppy had awoken unhappy memories of the day Bernie died.
Which was it?
Two pairs of eyes were watching her, both waiting to see if their world was going to come crashing down around them, and Natalie could feel the tension in the room tightening its grip. She took a deep breath to control the emotion in her voice.
‘Ed—’
‘Mum.’ Scarlett spoke at the same moment and moved across the room to put one arm around Natalie’s waist while the other clung on to the puppy. ‘I’m so happy we’ve come home. Aren’t you?’
She knew she had to speak, but she couldn’t find the right words.
Ed broke the brief silence before it became unbearable. ‘There’s a bottle of champagne in the fridge,’ he said, his voice uncertain. ‘I think we have something to celebrate. Shall I open it?’
Natalie felt her daughter’s arm squeeze her a little tighter and turned to look down at her worried face.
Yes,’ she answered, forcing herself to smile. ‘We’d like that, wouldn’t we, Scarlett?’
***
Keep in touch
I love hearing from my readers, and as an author it means so much to me to know what you think of my books. I genuinely appreciate each and every review, tweet or Facebook post, and like to keep in touch via a regular newsletter with features, book reviews and reader competitions. Join the conversation by clicking here to sign up to the newsletter, or by following me on Twitter or Facebook.
Other Tom Douglas thrillers
Have you read them all? Click here to see the full list of Rachel Abbott’s novels.
About the author
Rachel Abbott was born and raised in Manchester. She trained as a systems analyst before launching her own interactive media company in the early 1980s. After selling her company in 2000, she moved to the Le Marche region of Italy.
When six-foot snowdrifts prevented her from leaving the house for a couple of weeks, she started writing and found she couldn’t stop. Since then her debut thriller, Only the Innocent, has become an international bestseller, reaching number one in the Amazon charts both in the UK and US. This was followed by the number-one bestselling novels The Back Road, Sleep Tight, Stranger Child, Kill Me Again, The Sixth Window, Come a Little Closer and The Shape of Lies plus a novella, Nowhere Child, which was top of the Kindle Singles chart in the UK for over two years.
In 2015 Amazon celebrated the first five years of the Kindle in the UK and announced that Rachel was its number-one bestselling independent author over this period. She was also placed fourteenth in the chart of all authors. Rachel has now sold over three million books and her novels are translated into over twenty languages.
In 2018, And So It Begins – the first title in a new series featuring Sergeant Stephanie King – was published in hardback by Wildfire Books (a Headline company). It was named by The Times as one of the best crime novels of 2018.
Rachel Abbott now lives in Alderney and writes full time.
Connect with Rachel Abbott online
If you would like to be notified of any new books by Rachel Abbott in the future, please visit http://www.rachel-abbott.com/contact/ and leave your email address.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelAbbott
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RachelAbbott1Writer
Website: http://www.rachel-abbott.com
Acknowledgements
Many people have helped in so many ways with these three novels, and I thank you all.
In p
articular I would like to mention Mark Gray for his guidance on the workings of the British police. I may not have always listened to his excellent advice, but only in the interests of the story.
A host of other advisors have given their input – too many to mention for all three of these books – but you know who you are, and how much I appreciate you. It would have been impossible to make many scenes realistic without your input.
A special thanks to Alan Carpenter who has produced the eye-catching designs for each book cover. There is no doubt at all how much a good cover helps!
My particular thanks – as always - go to my brilliant agent, Lizzy Kremer, for her support and guidance, and to the team at David Higham Associates for all they do for me, including selling my books into so many overseas territories.
And of course, to my lovely readers who are so supportive. Thank you for reading and for writing such wonderful reviews. You have no idea how much that means.
Stranger Child
Copyright © Rachel Abbott 2015.
Kill Me Again
Copyright © Rachel Abbott 2016.
The Sixth Window
Copyright © Rachel Abbott 2017.
Rachel Abbott has asserted her right to be identified as the author of these works in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions or locales is completely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author.
Find out more about the author and her other books at
Tom Douglas Box Set 2 Page 101
