She daren’t mention her thoughts to Tom as he’d be angry with her for digging up areas that may have been looked into already, but Lucy had to investigate it further, even if it was only by herself at first. Maybe today’s events weren’t a total disaster after all. Maybe they were meant to lead her to this revelation. Her faith and determination to find Rosie had been restored, and she wasn’t going to give up on finding her, not ever.
2015
Chapter 10
Chloe had spent three days at Headquarters checking Lucy’s e-mails, in the hope that The Eden Project offer would entice Lucy to book a holiday in Cornwall. To her initial disappointment, Lucy hadn’t acted upon it immediately, but just when she was desperately trying to come up with a new idea, the sight she had longed to see had popped up in Lucy’s inbox… Booking Confirmation. It read:
‘Seashell Cottage, Denning, Cornwall. Monday 15th July - Monday 22nd July’
Chloe was ecstatic that her first task had been successful, and subsequently spent the following two weeks reading up on the case again, and doing some of her own research as to who could have taken Rosie.
If she had been taken abroad….why, and by what kind of people? The more she read, the more horrified she became. There were various trafficking groups that kidnapped children for either marriage, child sex rings, or for begging.
Chloe could not believe these horrific people existed and how their conscious let them do these things to anyone, let alone young innocent children, but as Tatiana had explained to her, these people had been taken over by the worst destructive energies along their lifetime that didn’t make them think like ‘normal’ people.
She shuddered at the thought of Rosie being taken by any of these groups. It appeared that girls as young as ten years old could be married in some of these countries. The younger they were, the more money the parent or abductor received, especially if they were of fair colour, as this was a rarity in their own countries and seen as more desirable. Some girls were taken young so they could help beg until they were old enough to marry. ‘What is wrong with these people?’ she muttered to herself, feeling more depressed the further she read.
Chloe started looking at routes as to where she could have been taken from the Isle of Wight. She knew Tatiana would put her on the right path but she needed to discover it for herself first. From the Isle of Wight, the first main port abroad would have been France, but they could have gone onto Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Hungary or Romania, or even down to Spain or Morocco or the surrounding areas. She could be anywhere. No wonder the police hadn’t been able to have found her.
Since being with Josh, Chloe could see the stress the police came under when cases didn’t get solved immediately. At least with her involvement now, she would indirectly be helping them in some way to ease this pressure. She may even one day help Josh with an unsolved case….now that would be ironic. She had already given him early warning of the ‘course’ she was going to have to attend in Cornwall. He was just happy she was getting some training within her new job, so it had been easy to get a pass…..on this occasion anyway.
*****
After a successful, but long, drive to Denning, Chloe sat patiently waiting in Polly’s tea shop. It was opposite the cobble path leading up to The Parker’s cottage, which she had already managed to wander up to earlier, without anyone seeing her. On peeking through the window, she had spotted a blonde lady in the kitchen, so she knew they had arrived safely. She was just now hoping to get a glimpse of them as they walked into town that afternoon.
Chloe’s anxiety started to rise, as she waited to see them in real life. So far she had only ever seen them through a tv screen or in photos. It was very strange as she already felt very close to them somehow through working on their case, yet she didn’t really know them at all.
‘Here you go’ the waitress said, bringing her over a large cream scone and pot of tea.
‘Thank you …it looks lovely.’ Chloe replied. After her long journey, it looked like heaven on a plate. She rejoiced in taking her first bite, but as she did, an unfortunate large of blob of cream spurted out on to her skirt. ‘Oh no!’ she groaned, frantically trying to wipe it off. As she stood rubbing the excesses away, the bell of the tea shop door rang, as it opened.
She momentarily glanced up, and froze as she saw Lucy walk in with Sam. Chloe was the only other customer in there, so Lucy nodded a good morning to her politely as she entered, taking Chloe totally unawares.
‘Oh morning!’ she managed to blurt out. She felt like she had seen a celebrity. Lucy Parker had been in the media a lot since Rosie went missing, but sadly for her it was an undesirable and tragic notoriety. Chloe looked at the waitress and she didn’t seem to recognise them, so maybe the case was fading into the background for most people now.
Lucy and Sam sat diagonally opposite Chloe, which allowed her to watch them clearly. She observed Lucy swirling around the tea bags in her floral tea pot whilst looking lovingly at Sam tucking into his iced bun.
Chloe didn’t know what her next move should be, until she caught sight of the leaflet rack in the corner. There at the top was information on The Eden Project. Chloe wanted to find out what day Lucy was planning to go there, so she decided to pick a leaflet up as a talking point. Just as she was walking over to the rack, Lucy looked over and jovially remarked. ‘The cream teas are lovely in here aren’t they….a bit naughty but worth it.’
Chloe was taken aback by Lucy’s first move. ‘Oh err yes they are lovely…and sooo big.’ she replied, retrieving the leaflet. As she walked back to her table, she waved it at Lucy. ‘Have you been to The Eden Project yet?’
‘No, not yet.’ Lucy replied. ‘We are planning to though.’
‘I’ve heard it is good…lots to do for the children as well.’ Chloe offered encouragingly.
‘We were thinking of going on Wednesday if the weather is sunny….weren’t we Sam?’ Lucy added, nodding at him for agreement.
‘I think it is supposed to be a fine day Wednesday. Is this your first time in Cornwall?’
‘Yes …..it’s lovely isn’t it…..we haven’t been on holiday for a while, so it is nice to get away.’ Lucy imparted, trying to mask the sadness of the reason.
‘Ah well, I hope you enjoy your holiday, it was nice to meet you.’ Chloe said, walking towards the door and placing ‘The Eden Project’ leaflet on Lucy’s table. ‘Here, I have one already.’
‘Oh thank you very much.’ Lucy looked up with surprise. ‘That is very kind of you.’
As Chloe left the tea shop, she let out a sigh of relief. Phew!… I have finally made contact, she thought. It had been strange sitting so close to Lucy. She was putting on such a happy persona, but Chloe could feel her pain. The pain of having to carry on with everyday life, knowing that your daughter was out there somewhere alone. But Chloe guessed you’d just have to try if you were in her position. Otherwise there would be no point in living anymore.
*****
After observing The Parkers mosey around Denning on the Tuesday, Wednesday morning finally arrived.
Chloe sat in her silver fiat, eagerly waiting for The Parker’s to leave for The Eden Project. She hoped Lucy still planned to go that day, but she seemed to confirm it in the tea shop.
As she was tuning in the radio, she noticed their cottage door open. Out walked Lucy, Tom and Sam, with a chestnut brown cocker spaniel in tow. Chloe wasn’t sure if they could take a dog into The Eden Project, but just as she was deliberating the matter, a lady greeted them and took the dog so she must have been a dog sitter of some sort.
As they got in the car and drove off, Chloe followed closely behind. When they arrived, Chloe hung back to let them go in first, being careful not lose sight of them. There were hundreds of people there, which had already led to a few panic moments where she had lost them for a few seconds.
They seemed to be having fun together, looking at all of the exhibits, and Chloe thought how nice it was to see them enjoying themselves ag
ain.
As they trailed around the path of exotic plants, Chloe could see Lucy suddenly looking very distressed, running up to various children in frenzied fear that they were not with their parents. Tom was trying to calm her down and as the parents of the children came to retrieve them, they looked visibly disturbed by Lucy.
It was heartbreaking to watch. Chloe could see the pain in her eyes, which then turned into a vacant look of loss, as if she didn’t know where to turn. Chloe knew why Tatiana wanted her to do this, but she couldn’t help feeling that Lucy’s upset was down to her ‘plan’, as she had instigated this day trip to bring back memories. She spent her whole life wanting to help people, but this was a case where she couldn’t rush over and help. She just had to stand back and watch Lucy’s reaction unfold in front of her. Watch and witness this poor woman’s torment, and pray that this devastation was all for a good cause.
As Chloe watched Tom usher both Lucy and Sam back to their car, she felt she had put Lucy and Tom through enough. They would need time to recover from this episode, so she decided to embark on her journey home to see Josh, and wait for the next set of instructions from Tatiana.
*****
‘In here!’ Josh called from the lounge, as Chloe struggled through the front door with her bags.
‘Hi darling… phew, I made it back, that drive takes forever!’ Chloe exclaimed, falling back onto the sofa beside him.
‘Well, you are home now, so you can relax and tell me all about your little escapade.’ he grinned, walking into the kitchen to get another glass.
Chloe waited for Josh to bring her back a large glass of Dutch courage, before continuing. She wanted to delay the story she was about to fabricate for as long as possible, as the thought of lying to Josh was making her feel nauseous. She had only ever told him the odd white lie before, but not one as momentous as this. It felt like the utter betrayal, but what was more disconcerting, was that this was just the beginning, and the deceit was going to get a lot worse. She really didn’t know if she could continue with this forever, but maybe it would become a way of life for her. She hoped it would get easier, as right now, in this precise moment, it was the hardest thing she had ever had to do.
‘So how was it then?’ Josh asked, passing her a glass.
‘Yes, it was really good. I learnt some new techniques, and we spent a lot of time meditating.’ she explained, trying to avoid eye contact.
‘Oh right….sounds very…..Zen like.’ Josh teased. ‘So what are you trying to achieve from meditating?’
‘I am trying to connect with my Higher Power, to discover my true self.’ Chloe reliably informed him, although she didn’t know why she was even trying to educate Josh, as he didn’t buy into any of her spiritual endeavours.
‘Ah I see.’ said a rather unconvinced Josh, squeezing her slightly trembling knee. ‘Well as long as you enjoyed it.’
‘Anyway, how about you?…how’s your last couple of days been at work?’ Chloe quickly asked, keen to put the focus back onto him.
‘Good actually. You know the woman’s body we found and the stalker was the main suspect?
‘Yes.’ Chloe replied, retrieving some fudge she had bought from Cornwall.
‘Well, we have now found significant evidence implicating somebody else, so although we have spent the last few weeks chasing the wrong man and not managing to get sufficient evidence, we got a pat on the back today for nailing this other suspect that was not even in the frame.’
‘That’s great sweetheart….they’re lucky to have you.’ said a proud Chloe, passing him a fudge.
‘Anyway, I did hear some sad news though about my friend Jim…you remember him don’t you?…he has worked on a few cases with me over the years.’
‘Yes.’ Chloe answered, half listening while she discarded her wrapper back in the box.
‘Well, he has been working on that Rosie Parker case over the last two years, but as the leads have all dried up, the force have been getting a lot of bad press. Jim was majorly involved in it, so feels responsible for it’s failure, which is ridiculous as the National Crime Agency were involved and Interpol as well. Anyhow, it has all got too much for him and he has been signed off with stress. The poor guy….he is a good detective, but this case had just proved too much for him.’
Chloe could feel the back of her throat dry up as the words ‘Rosie Parker’ resonated deeply within her. She just sat staring at Josh….a sweet half way in her mouth, unable to speak. It was as if she was waiting for the parachute to open up and save her from her freefall.
‘Chlo….hello…did you hear me?…you’re miles away, what are you thinking about?’
‘Oh..oh I’m sorry, I just remembered something I was supposed to do….sorry you mentioned your friend Jim?’ Chloe managed, feeling slightly light headed.
‘Yes …are you with me now?’ he smiled.
‘Yes, back in the room now…..he was on the Rosie Parker case wasn’t he?’ Chloe forgot that Josh might have known someone who had worked on this case.
‘That right. It really doesn’t look like she is alive, but we can’t be seen to be giving up.’ Josh sighed, pouring the last of the wine into both of their glasses.
‘It is a very sad case. I do believe an answer as to what happened will be found in the end though….the truth always comes out at some point.’ And Chloe now knew that she would be the one to find it.
‘I hope you are right Chlo…not only for the family but for Jim too…..anyway shall we go up now, you must be shattered from your journey.’
‘Yes let’s, I am, and can not wait to get under that duvet.’
Chloe lay cuddling Josh as he drifted off to sleep. She couldn’t switch her mind off, and the fact that Jim could have some useful information for her kept flagging up in her mind. If she played it cleverly, she may be able to pass messages to the force via Josh, without informing him directly.
They may be faced with dangerous territories ahead. Territories that Lucy and Tom may not be able to face alone. Having insider knowledge, could be a major benefit, and she might also have the added bonus of helping Jim to resurrect his faith and career.
As she dwelled on her task ahead, Chloe could finally feel her eyelids getting heavier and heavier as her restless mind was won over by her tiredness. Sleep was going to be very important to her over the coming weeks, especially as she had only just started to embark on this epic new journey. A journey in which she would no doubt encounter many miles, many storms and many discoveries.
Chapter 11
A week after returning from Cornwall, Lucy was standing in her old painting clothes pouring a generous amount of her new ‘Aqua Mist’ paint into her paint tray, ready to give her lounge a much needed revamp. Since returning from Cornwall, she couldn’t escape the upset of seeing the boats in Denning harbour. She spent the first few days searching for information on the internet, but as each avenue she explored seemed an ever growing daunting task to undertake alone, her detective work began to simmer. Tom had returned to work, and Sam had gone to stay with his grandparents for a week, which gave Lucy some alone time to get the house sorted. As she plunged the roller into the paint tray, Brandy ran to the front door and started barking.
‘Brandy, sshhh, stop that, it’s just the postman.’ Lucy called out, before walking towards the hallway wiping her hands.
As she retrieved the letter from the basket, her eyes were immediately drawn to the post mark. Even now, seeing the words made her shudder. An ‘Isle of Wight’ stamp in black and white, at the top of the envelope.
Just as she was trying to make a positive change to the house, this had to go and arrive and rain on her parade. The name had been handwritten on the letter ….‘Mr and Mrs Parker’.
She grabbed the stair banister to steady herself, and tried to think of who would be sending her post from The Isle of Wight. After a few dumbstruck moments, she slowly sank down onto the stairs and finally brought herself to open the letter. To her unimaginable disbelief,
it was a letter from Bernie’s Holiday Camp offering them a discounted holiday to return. Lucy and Tom’s name had been handwritten in blue biro onto a typed generic letter. She shook her head at the incredulity of it all, and after her initial feelings of shock and turmoil, her emotions turned to anger. She lunged forward to grab the phone from the hallway table and shakily dialled the number at the top of the letter.
‘Hello, Bernie’s holiday camp, can I help you?’ a bright and optimistic receptionist answered.
‘I can tell you how you can help me!…..by not sending me bloody insensitive letters to my address when my child went missing from there two years ago!’ Lucy shouted staring at the now creased up the letter that had been crushed in her fist.
‘I’m sorry…..Lucy is that you?…a rather bewildered lady inquired.
‘Yes, who’s that?’ Lucy demanded.
‘It’s Brenda.’
Lucy paused as she tried to return to her rational self. ‘…Oh…err…sorry Brenda …I didn’t recognise your voice. It’s just I’m so angry right now. I have just received one of the letters you have sent out to your guests offering us a discount if we return for a holiday there. I can’t believe that we would still be on your mailing list! It is something I really do not need to receive under the circumstances.’ she fumed, fighting back the tears.
‘A letter?…..we haven’t sent out any letters. It is not something we normally do, and we certainly do not currently have any offers on….are you sure it was from us?’
‘Yes very sure, it has your logo on top of the letter, and someone has handwritten in our names.’
‘That is very strange as I can assure you it hasn’t come from us as I manage all of the administration that goes through our office.’
The Truth Healer: A Riveting Spiritual Psychic Thriller Page 10
