The Lost Ones

by Ben Cheetham

  ‘Is it that inspector again?’ asked Eddie.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘That’s the fifth or sixth time he’s rung in the last hour.’

  The phone rang off and Tom returned to staring out of the window. Eddie heaved a sigh. ‘Look, mate, I’ll sit here as long as you want, but . . . well, don’t you think you should speak to him?’

  ‘Why? So he can tell me what I already know. That Greenie’s dead.’

  ‘We don’t know that for sure. I could have been wrong.’

  ‘He’s dead.’ Tom’s voice was as heavy as a coffin. His phone rang again. Uncertainty creased his face. ‘It’s Amanda’s mother.’

  ‘Answer it!’ urged Eddie. ‘It might be about Erin.’

  Tom put the phone to his ear and waited for Cathy to speak. If she was ringing to give him more grief about Amanda, he would hang up without a word. Amanda’s voice vibrated down the line, anxious and excited. ‘I think they’ve found her, Tom! I think they’ve found Erin!’

  The words were like a jolt of electricity restarting his heart. ‘Where?’ he gasped. ‘Is she all right?’

  ‘I don’t know. They’re not telling us anything. I’m on my way to the hospital.’

  A sick feeling seized Tom. Why weren’t the police saying anything? Surely that was a bad sign. ‘I’ll meet you there.’

  They were only twenty minutes from the hospital, but to Tom the journey seemed to take hours. Reporters were clustered at the main entrance. They scattered as Eddie sped towards them, hammering the horn. Tom sprang out before the BMW had fully stopped. A constable approached him, hand outstretched in a stop right there gesture. Tom dodged around the constable and ran into the hospital. He spotted Amanda and Cathy standing arm in arm by the reception desk.

  Amanda shrugged off her mum and hurried towards Tom. ‘The doctors are examining her.’

  ‘So she’s . . .’ Tom could barely bring himself to ask, ‘alive?’

  ‘Yes.’

  His next words came in a rush of relief. ‘Have you seen her?’

  As Amanda shook her head, Eddie’s voice rang out in warning. ‘Tom, watch out!’

  He spun and saw Eddie scuffling with a constable. Inspector Shields stalked into reception backed up by three more constables. ‘Tom Jackson, I’m placing you under arrest for the attempted murder of Carl Wright.’

  Constable Hutton made to grab Tom’s wrist. He shoved her hand away, retreating several steps.

  ‘Do you want to add resisting arrest to the charges?’ threatened the inspector.

  ‘I have to see my daughter.’

  ‘You gave up that right when you attacked Carl Wright.’

  ‘Please, Inspector. Erin might be seriously injured. For all I know this could be the last chance I have to see her. I’m begging you to just let me see her, then you can do what you want with me.’

  Inspector Shields considered the plea and said, ‘You’ll have to be handcuffed.’

  Tom eyed him warily. ‘Do I have your word that you’ll let me see Erin?’

  ‘I’ll speak to the doctors. It’s up to them not me. That’s the best I can do. And it’s a lot more than you deserve.’

  Tom held out his hands. Constable Hutton clicked on the cuffs. She held Tom’s arm as they made their way to Intensive Care.

  ‘You said attempted murder. Does that mean Greenie’s not dead?’ asked Tom.

  ‘Not yet, but it’s touch and go,’ replied Inspector Shields.

  Tom heaved a breath. Touch and go. It was still bad, but it was a hell of a lot better than dead. ‘I tried to save him.’

  ‘That’s not what I hear.’

  Tom was guided to a chair in a waiting area. Amanda and Cathy seated themselves opposite. ‘I’ll find out what the situation is,’ said Inspector Shields, heading into Intensive Care.

  Tom stared at the floor, light-headed with anticipation. He felt an almost frantic need to hold onto someone and be held. He wanted to look at Amanda, but wouldn’t allow himself to.

  ‘What’s taking so long?’ she said.

  The fear in her voice drew his gaze like a magnet. He saw that she was looking at him with the same need. And suddenly, for that moment, all the anger was forgotten. He held her with his eyes, thinking only of his love for Erin. Inspector Shields returned with a woman in blue overalls.

  ‘I’m Doctor Nesbitt,’ she introduced herself.

  ‘We’re Erin’s parents.’ Amanda indicated herself and Tom. ‘How’s our daughter, Doctor?’

  ‘Erin’s suffering from exposure and dehydration. She has multiple minor cuts and abrasions, along with a more serious head injury.’

  ‘But she’s going to be all right?’ Tom put in anxiously.

  ‘She’s stable and out of imminent danger.’

  Tom and Amanda exchanged a look of pure relief. ‘Thank God,’ breathed Cathy.

  Doctor Nesbitt continued in a cautioning tone, ‘However, we are very concerned about the head injury. There’s no skull fracture, but Erin is delirious and seems to be suffering from memory loss. This could be as a result of dehydration. Or it could be a symptom of a brain injury we haven’t detected yet.’

  Her lips wobbling with the effort of holding back tears, Amanda asked, ‘Are you saying she’s brain damaged?’

  ‘No, I’m simply saying we need to run more tests to determine the cause of Erin’s symptoms. As I said, there’s no skull fracture. So we’re hopeful that no permanent damage has been done.’

  ‘Is she awake?’ asked Tom.

  ‘She’s drifting in and out of sleep.’

  ‘Can we see her?’

  ‘I think that would be a good idea. It might jog her memory.’

  ‘I’m afraid I can only allow Mr Jackson to see Erin at this time,’ said Inspector Shields.

  Amanda stared at him in dismay. ‘You can’t think I did this to my own daughter!’

  ‘I’m sorry, Mrs Jackson, but until Erin has recovered sufficiently to tell us what happened this is how it has to be.’

  ‘This is absolutely ludicrous,’ Cathy said indignantly. ‘That little girl needs her mother.’

  ‘It’s OK,’ sighed Amanda. ‘The inspector’s only doing his job.’ She looked at Tom. ‘Make sure you tell her how much I love her.’

  With Constable Hutton at his elbow, Tom followed the doctor and inspector into the ward. He stared at Erin through an observation window. Her head was bandaged. An IV drip was attached to one of her wrists. Her eyes were closed. She looked so calm, so peaceful, so perfect. Tears sprang into Tom’s eyes. He said to Inspector Shields, ‘Will you take the handcuffs off?’

  ‘I can’t do that.’

  ‘It’ll upset Erin seeing me with them on.’

  The inspector removed his jacket and draped it over Tom’s wrists. ‘That’ll have to do.’

  ‘Thank you.’ As if afraid of waking Erin, Tom padded to her bedside. With infinite gentleness, he took her hand and bent to kiss her cheek. ‘Hi, beautiful,’ he said, smiling as her eyes fluttered open.

  She looked up at him for a long silent moment, then murmured, ‘Daddy.’

  ‘That’s right, darling. It’s Daddy.’

  ‘Where’s Mummy?’

  ‘She’ll be here soon. She told me to tell you how much she loves you.’ Tears spilled from Tom’s eyes. ‘We all love you so, so much.’ His lips trembled as he fought not to break down completely.

  Doctor Nesbitt shone a light into Erin’s eyes. ‘How are you feeling, Erin?’

  ‘My head hurts.’

  ‘May I speak to Erin?’ Inspector Shields asked when the doctor had finished examining her.

  Doctor Nesbitt gestured for him to go ahead.

  ‘Hello, Erin. My name’s Glenn Shields. I’m a policeman. We spoke earlier. I asked how you hurt your head, but you couldn’t remember. Can you remember now?’

  ‘I . . .’ Erin’s face scrunched as if the question made her headache worse.

  ‘It’s OK, sweetie,’ soothed Tom. ‘Don’t worry if you
can’t remember.’

  The inspector showed Erin a photo of the forest clearing where she went missing. ‘Do you know this place, Erin?’

  ‘I think so.’ Her eyes suddenly lit up as if someone had flipped a switch. ‘I fell over and banged my head really hard.’

  ‘How did you fall?’

  ‘I tripped.’

  ‘Then what happened?’

  The light went back out. Erin looked at Tom as if hoping he would answer for her. ‘I can’t remember. I’m sorry.’

  ‘Thank you, Erin,’ said Inspector Shields. ‘You’ve been a big help.’

  Tom drew the inspector aside and said quietly, ‘I think my wife can come in now.’

  Inspector Shields instructed Constable Hutton to fetch Mrs Jackson. A moment later, Amanda dashed into the room. ‘Oh, my baby. My poor darling,’ she exclaimed, grasping Erin’s hand. ‘I’m so sorry. I should have been watching you. I promise I’ll never take my eyes off you again.’

  ‘I’ve lost my bracelet,’ said Erin.

  Amanda laughed tearfully, feathering her thumb over Erin’s wrist. ‘I’ll buy you a new one. We’ll go shopping and you can choose any bracelet you want.’

  Watching his wife and daughter, the achingly hopeful thought came to Tom, It’s all going to be OK. Erin’s going to be fine. Greenie’s going to survive. Maybe even Amanda and I can somehow find a way past our troubles. We can still be a real family. The four of us together, happy . . .

  The thought dissolved as Inspector Shields said, ‘Mr Jackson, it’s time.’

  Tom’s heart squeezed, but he kept his feelings from his face. ‘I’ve got to go now, sweetheart.’

  Erin’s hand tightened on his. ‘Don’t go, Daddy.’

  He gave Inspector Shields a look of appeal. The inspector sighed. ‘You’ve got five more minutes. I’ll be waiting in the corridor.’

  ‘Please try to keep talking to a minimum,’ said Doctor Nesbitt. ‘Erin needs rest.’

  The inspector and doctor left the room. The doctor’s cautioning was needless. Erin was dropping back into sleep even before the door was closed. ‘Will you be here when I wake up, Daddy?’ she managed to murmur.

  Tom fought back a wince. ‘I don’t know.’ As her eyelids fluttered down, he said, ‘I love you.’

  ‘And I . . .’ Erin faded off before she could say the words. Tom didn’t mind. It was enough to look at her face, to hear her breathing.

  He murmured to Amanda, ‘She’s asleep.’

  Tears glistened in Amanda’s eyes. ‘What’s going to happen to you?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘And what about us?’

  Tom shook his head. Tentatively, his hands moved across the bed. Amanda took them in hers and said, ‘I’ve been such an idiot.’

  ‘We both have.’

  Inspector Shields poked his head into the room. Tom and Amanda drew apart as if they’d been doing something they shouldn’t. ‘I need to talk to you both,’ said the inspector, urgently motioning them into the corridor.

  Exchanging an uneasy glance, Tom and Amanda left the bedside. ‘There’s been a report of an incident involving your son and Henry Brooks,’ the inspector informed them. ‘An ambulance is on its way here.’

  Amanda automatically clutched Tom’s arm. ‘Have they been hurt?’

  ‘That’s all the information I’ve got. We can meet the ambulance at A&E.’

  Constable Hutton took hold of Tom again. He threw a final glance at Erin as if trying to fix her face in his memory, before allowing himself to be pulled after Amanda and Inspector Shields.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Cathy asked when they reached the waiting room.

  ‘It’s Dad and Jake,’ Amanda said without breaking her stride. ‘We have to go to A&E.’

  Cathy anxiously scurried after her. ‘Why are they in A&E?’

  ‘That’s what we’re going to find out.’

  Their footfalls echoing through the corridors, they raced to the ambulance drop-off area. A pair of doors flapped open as a paramedic guided a stretcher trolley through them, closely followed by a constable. The figure on the stretcher had butterfly stiches on his forehead and nose. He appeared to be unconscious.

  ‘Henry!’ cried Cathy, rushing to her husband’s side.

  ‘Cathy, is that you?’ Henry weakly lifted his head. His eyes rolled glassily from Cathy to Amanda. ‘I did everything I could to get Erin back, but the kidnapper . . .’ He squeezed his eyes shut. ‘Oh, Jesus. Oh, God.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ asked Tom. ‘What kidnapper?’

  ‘Please move out of the way,’ said the paramedic. ‘This man needs urgent medical attention.’

  Tom stood his ground, repeating, ‘What kidnapper?’

  The paramedic turned to the police. ‘Are you going to do something about this?’

  ‘Are Mr Brooks’s injuries life threatening?’ enquired Inspector Shields.

  ‘They don’t appear to be, but—’

  The inspector cut off the paramedic. ‘Then let’s hear what he has to say.’

  Tears streamed from beneath Henry’s eyelids. ‘I went to pay the kidnapper. Jake . . . he must have followed me. The kidnapper stabbed him.’

  Cathy let out a shriek and clasped her hands to her mouth.

  Her eyes horrified saucers, Amanda exclaimed, ‘Jake’s been stabbed. Where is he?’

  ‘I tried to stop the kidnapper from getting away, but I was knocked unconscious and . . . and when I came round Jake was . . . Oh, God, he was gone.’ Henry choked off into body-racking sobs.

  Amanda swayed as if she might faint. Tom caught hold of her, although the floor seemed to be wobbling beneath his own feet.

  ‘My colleagues were working on the stab victim when we left,’ put in the paramedic.

  Henry’s eyes snapped open. The fogginess had been replaced by a sudden sharp focus. ‘Are you saying Jake’s alive?’

  ‘He was fifteen minutes ago.’

  ‘Can you please find out how he is?’ asked Amanda, her voice as thin as a violin string.

  The paramedic put in an earpiece and got on his radio. ‘They’re bringing him in,’ he informed her. ‘They’ll arrive here in about five minutes. He’ll be going straight into surgery.’

  Amanda and Cathy gave simultaneous sobs of relief. Henry was silent. Tom stared at his father-in-law as if trying to bore a hole into him with his eyes.

  Inspector Shields was looking hard at Henry too. ‘At what time did the meeting with the kidnapper take place?’

  ‘I’m not sure,’ said Henry.

  ‘Surely you arranged a time?’

  ‘Yes, but I was kept waiting.’

  ‘OK, then how long ago did the meeting take place?’

  ‘Maybe an hour. It’s so hard to think.’

  ‘Did you see Erin?’

  ‘How could he have when she’s here?’ said Cathy.

  Henry’s eyes grew even wider. ‘Erin’s here?’

  ‘She was found on the moors about two hours ago,’ said Inspector Shields.

  Henry’s face clouded with bewilderment ‘But . . . But that means . . .’

  ‘It means she was never kidnapped. It would seem someone’s taken advantage of her disappearance to make some money.’

  ‘And I fell for it. God forgive me, what a fool I’ve—’

  ‘Liar!’ The word burst from Tom like a bullet. His face disfigured with rage, he dove at Henry. His hands clamped on the injured man’s throat and shook him. ‘What have you done? What the fuck have you done?’

  Henry’s eyes bugged out of his head. His pulse pounded against Tom’s hands.

  ‘Get him off my husband!’ screeched Cathy.

  Constable Hutton sprang forward and attempted to prise Tom’s fingers away, but he held on like someone clinging to the edge of a bottomless pit. Inspector Shields grabbed him in a choke hold and wrestled him to the floor.

  ‘He’s lying!’ Tom roared. ‘You saw the look in his eyes when he heard that Jake’s alive.�
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  ‘Calm down!’ commanded the inspector. ‘And I’ll try to find out if you’re right.’

  Tom subsided into breathless, trembling submission.

  ‘I’m going to stand up,’ continued Inspector Shields. ‘If you move or speak, I’ll have you dragged out of here. Is that clear?’

  Tom nodded. The inspector got to his feet, motioning for the constables to keep an eye on Tom. Cathy draped herself protectively over her husband. ‘Please stand aside, Mrs Brooks,’ said Inspector Shields.

  His face an ugly shade of purple, Henry wheezed, ‘Do as he says, Cathy.’

  She reluctantly moved away, glaring with undisguised hatred at Tom.

  ‘Now, Mr Brooks, what can you tell me about the supposed kidnapper?’ asked the inspector.

  ‘It was a man.’

  ‘Did you see his face?’

  ‘He had a mask on.’

  ‘What about his height and build?’

  ‘I’m not sure. It all happened so fast.’

  ‘Is there anything else you can tell me? Did this man say anything that might help us track him down?’

  ‘I can’t think of anything right now. Maybe something will come back to me when my head’s clearer.’

  ‘Fucking liar,’ hissed Tom.

  ‘Right, get him out of here,’ commanded Inspector Shields. The constables grabbed Tom and hauled him along the floor.

  ‘He’s lying! Can’t you see that?’ Tom appealed desperately to Amanda.

  Her gaze wavered between him and Henry as if she was struggling with an impossible choice. The double doors swung shut, muffling Tom’s shouts.

  DAY 2

  3.15 P.M.

  Henry’s eyes rolled and flickered again. ‘I feel dizzy.’

  ‘I insist that you allow this man to be attended to,’ said the paramedic.

  Inspector Shields stepped aside and the paramedic resumed pushing the stretcher. ‘Cathy . . . Amanda,’ slurred Henry.

  ‘We’re both here, darling,’ replied Cathy. She looked across the stretcher at Amanda. ‘Aren’t we?’

  Amanda made no reply. The doors flapped open and another trolley bed was rushed into the corridor. A blood bag dangled above the limp form strapped to the stretcher. Jake’s face was like a sheet of white paper. The sight of it made Amanda’s legs go weak again. She fought back the sensation. When this nightmare was over – one way or another – then she could collapse. She rushed to Jake’s side.