Holly in December

by Clare Revell

  Nick looked at her. “You left her?”

  “I didn’t want her overhearing the call. That particular client had many issues. I thought maybe you had a key to the church.”

  He nodded. “I do, yes. When was this? Have you called the police?”

  “No, I had no change for the phone. And about half an hour, maybe more. I don’t know.”

  He almost rolled his eyes in despair, but didn’t. “Just so you know 9-9-9’s a free call.”

  “I know that. I panicked. Please, you have to help me find her.”

  “OK. Let me try the shelter again, first.” He pulled out his phone and dialed. “It’s Nick Slater. Is Angel there?” He listened for a moment. “OK. Please ring me on this number as soon as she turns up. Yes, it’s urgent. Thanks.” Do I call the police now or check the church first? She may be asleep in which case it’ll be a false alarm and I don’t want to bother them unnecessarily. Lord, let her be there in the church. If not, I will raise the alarm myself.

  “Let’s go back to the church. She might have fallen asleep and not heard you call, or been in the ladies. What exactly happened? It’s not like you to let her out of your sight.”

  Hope hugged herself tightly as they walked back to the church. “My mobile rang. The work one. I’d forgotten I still had it. It was a former client, but the battery died. I thought they needed help and I could give them the help line number, so I returned the call from the phone box. Angel waited in the church because there were people inside. But the caller blamed me for something that happened years ago and said I’d know how it felt to lose a child. And now Angel’s gone.”

  Nick pulled out his keys to open the door to the church. “He threatened you?” Nick deactivated the alarm, knowing the child wouldn’t be there as the alarm hadn’t gone off. Unless she was sleeping.

  “Yes.”

  Hope ran down the aisle as Nick put on the lights. “Angel? Angel, where are you? Don’t hide from me.”

  It took three minutes to check the chapel and other rooms. The church was empty.

  Angel was missing.

  ****

  Hope collapsed to her knees at the front of the church, bereft. Agony speared her. This was her fault. She was paying for all the mistakes she’d made in the past. She could hear Nick talking on his phone. Why hadn’t she called the police as soon as the bloke threatened Angel?

  “OK,” Nick said, putting his phone away. “You’re coming with me.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To get you somewhere safe. I’m taking you to see a friend. He’ll know what to do.”

  “I should go to the center. If she goes back there and I’m someplace else…”

  “Someone will call me if Angel goes back there. This bloke threatened you. You can’t go back there. Right now we need to get you somewhere safe and warmed up. You’re freezing.”

  Hope followed him outside and along the dark streets. Ten minutes walking led them to a house covered in Christmas lights.

  A tall man with auburn hair and grey-green eyes opened the door. His gaze ran over her before shifting to Nick. “Hello, Nick.”

  “Jack, this is Hope. I mentioned her on the phone. Hope, this is Pastor Jack and his wife, Cassie. They said you can stay here tonight.”

  “That’s kind, but I can’t stay.” Hope took a step backwards. She had to go and search for Angel. And she couldn’t stay here.

  Pastor Jack smiled. “Come on in out of the cold. Where’s your car, Nick?”

  Nick almost propelled Hope inside the hallway as he answered. “It broke down. I was walking to the elders meeting when I met Hope. Are they all still here?”

  “Yeah, we moved to the dining room. I’ll drive you home later.” Pastor Jack closed the door.

  Hope felt trapped. It was so much warmer in here than outside, but she couldn’t stay. She followed the men down a short hallway into a clean, warm lounge.

  A Christmas tree stood in the front window, lights twinkling and ornaments shining. A fire roared in the grate and tinsel hung from paintings and the ceiling. A well-played with nativity set stood next to the TV, the shepherds obviously left babysitting while Mary and Joseph were having some kind of picnic with the wise men.

  She could remember her parents having a set very similar and Grace getting the air ambulance to rescue Mary and Joseph after they went abseiling and the rope broke. Then there was the time Mary took the baby Jesus to visit the shepherds in the buggy because they refused to come visit her.

  “Hope,” Nick’s voice brought her back to the present. “Please, sit.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t stay. You know that. I have to go and…”

  “Five minutes,” Nick said. “Go with Cassie, get something to drink, warm up for a second while I talk to Jack. He’ll know what to do next.”

  Hope hesitated. If that man did have Angel then five minutes wouldn’t make any difference. She nodded slowly, following the woman from the room.

  ****

  As the door closed Nick waited for the hammer to fall. It didn’t take long.

  “The truth, Nick. I don’t mind putting her up for the night, but I need to know what’s really going on here.”

  He looked at Jack. “Her daughter is missing, and Hope’s been threatened. She left Angel in the church for a couple of minutes, but she isn’t there anymore. I couldn’t take her back to the crisis center where she’s been living. I didn’t know what else to do.”

  Jack’s face froze. “Her daughter is missing? Have you rung the police?”

  “I knew Nate would be here for the elder’s meeting. Hope used to be a social worker. One of her clients called her and her phone died. She needed privacy to return the call, so she used the call box opposite the church. Angel was in the church for a few minutes. Hope could hear the organ playing, so she knew someone else was there. She was trying to do the right thing for both client and Angel.”

  Jack frowned. “We need to tell Nate and get the police involved, now. It’s far too cold for a child to be out on the streets tonight. Never mind the fact she left the child alone.”

  “She didn’t abandon her. She’s not like that,” Nick said, leaping to Hope’s defense. Then he hesitated, torn, but knew in his heart Jack was right. He took a deep breath and walked slowly to the dining room.

  Eight of the thirteen elders looked up as he stuck his head around the door. Some hadn’t made it tonight. He caught Nate’s eye. “Nate, can I have a word?” he asked. “It’s a police matter.”

  DI Nate Holmes nodded and rose. As he followed Nick to the lounge, Nick heard Jack sending the rest of the elders home and rearranging the meeting for the following week.

  ****

  Hope stood in the kitchen, her emotions threatening to get the best of her again. She didn’t know which one to give into. Fear, despair, anger, or grief. She shouldn’t have come here. She needed to be out looking for Angel. Even if she didn’t know where to start.

  The kitchen door opened. “Hope?”

  She looked up at Nick’s voice, then her stomach churned. Three men stood in the doorway. Nick, Pastor Jack, and a dark haired man, who had cop written all over his plain clothes.

  Nick smiled. “Hope, this is Acting DI Holmes. He needs to talk to you about Angel.”

  She backed away, feeling sick as panic filled her. “She was only out of my sight for a few moments. If he’s got her, he’ll hurt her and it’ll be my fault.”

  Nick took a gentle hold of her arm and shook his head. “That’s why you need to do this. You’re safe here and we need to find Angel and make sure she is, as well. It’s far too cold for her to be out there tonight and if someone does have her, the police can get her back.”

  The doorbell rang.

  “That will be Dane,” the officer said. “I sent him a text asking him to come and assist.”

  Pastor Jack nodded. “I’ll go and let him in.”

  “I only left her for a few minutes,” she whispered. “I let her sit i
nside the church because it was God’s house and He’d keep her safe. I was stupid. When I went back, she’d gone. She left her coat and Mr. E-T behind. She never goes anywhere without him.” She glanced at the door as another man joined them.

  “How about we go in the other room and sit down? We can take some details and get someone out looking for her?”

  She nodded, knowing the whole story would come out. In a way, it was a relief, as then they could look for Angel and put an end to the torment of the past few days. The uncertainty of not knowing when they’d come for her as part of the investigation had taken its toll. Hope’s mind was numb. She let Nick lead her to the sofa and she sat, wringing her hands on her lap.

  One of the cops moved over to her and sat next to her. “Hope. I’m DS Philips. DI Holmes and I both have children and we know how hard it is, trying to keep them safe, and doing the right thing.”

  “I left her for a minute or two to use the phone and now she’s gone.”

  “Let’s start from the beginning. Hope what?”

  “Hargitay. Angel’s eight. I’m a social worker, or was before they sacked me. That’s how come we live in the crisis center. The flat went with the job. I have a photo of her.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the school photo. The battered photo of her parents fell out as well. She shoved that one back into her pocket, not wanting anyone to see it. “Here.”

  DI Holmes smiled. “She’s pretty.”

  “My phone rang, and I had to return the call from the public box as the battery died. It’s a work phone I’d forgotten about. I recognized the number as a client. I thought I could pass on the help line number, so I called her back. But it was a man. He threatened me. Said I’d know what it was like to lose a child. And when I went back to get Angel she wasn’t there. I could see the church the whole time. I didn’t see her leave.” Fresh tears fell. “What have I done?”

  “Do you have the phone?”

  Hope handed it over.

  “I have a charger,” Pastor Jack said. “That would give you access to the last call.” He took the phone and plugged it in.

  Nick looked up. “I found Hope on Richmond Avenue Bridge around six thirty, but she’d been searching for about twenty-five minutes before that. I was on my way to the elders meeting. The church was locked when we got back to it. We searched it, but Angel wasn’t there.”

  DI Holmes looked at his watch. “The last known sighting was over two hours ago. We need to get that Amber Alert out. Dane, can you do that?” He turned back to Hope. “Why did they sack you?”

  “Someone accused me of abuse, solicitation, and a whole load of other stuff.” Hope sighed and spoke quietly, reiterating the conversation with her boss and what the files contained. “They said they had proof and were starting an investigation. But I didn’t do any of it.”

  Nick sat beside Hope and took her hand. “You said you had an aunt who lived here in town. Could Angel have gone there?”

  “I doubt it. She wouldn’t know how to get there.”

  DI Holmes looked at her. “It’s worth checking. What is your aunt’s name?”

  “Tilja Chadwick,” she whispered. “She owns the florist on Carnation Street.” The look the men exchanged didn’t go unnoticed. “What?”

  “Chadwick?” DI Homes said. “Are you Hope Chadwick?”

  “I haven’t been for a long time, but yes. I changed my surname by deed poll when I was seventeen. My legal name is Hargitay now.”

  Nick looked at her. “You said you had a photo of your family. Is that the one that fell out of your pocket just now? Can I see it?”

  She looked at him and swallowed. “Why?”

  “Please.”

  She handed it over. “I ran away, haven’t seen them in nine years now.”

  Nick stared at the photo. “Nate, you need to see this.”

  DI Holmes sat beside her, her photo now in his hand. “I’m afraid I have some bad news. Your aunt died almost a year ago.”

  The bottom once more fell out of Hope’s world. The tiny shard of hope that Angel would have gone there and been safe vanished. It all became too much and she crumpled into sorrowful tears.

  ****

  Nick came back down just as the phone rang.

  They’d settled Hope on one of the beds upstairs and Cassie was staying with her.

  Jack answered it. “Hello? Yes, he’s here. One moment.” He held out the phone. “Nate, it’s for you.”

  “DI Holmes.” He listened for a moment. “Hang on, Grace, I’ll put you on speaker.” He glanced at the others. “You need to hear this.”

  “Like I was saying,” Grace continued. “Elliott and I were making the final plans for the Christmas and wedding flowers in the florist, when a child came in just before half past seven. We’d normally be closed then, but the lights were on, so she walked right in. She was looking for my aunt. She says her name is Angel Hargitay.”

  “Thank You, God. She’s safe,” Nick whispered. He closed his eyes.

  “You know her?”

  “We’ve issued an Amber Alert,” Nate said. “I’m with the child’s mother now.”

  “Angel says she’s eight and her mum had told her to wait in the church while she was on the phone. But she didn’t want her mum to be alone anymore so she’d run out another door to find Aunt Tilja. My aunt. She’s feverish, which I’m putting down to being out in the cold for so long without a coat. Elliott’s asked Jackson Parker to come take a look at her, just in case there is something else going on. He should be here any minute.”

  “Dane and I will be right over.”

  “Will you bring social services with you?”

  “Can you hang onto her for a few days?” Nick asked quickly. “It might be the best thing in the long run.”

  “One moment, Grace,” Nate muted the call. “That isn’t protocol. But given the circumstances and that she is this child’s aunt…well, if Grace is willing and has the time, what with the wedding coming up, I’ll make an exception.”

  Dane looked at him. “It would be better than a temporary care order.”

  Nate nodded and put the sound back on the call. “I had to confer with Dane. Would you be able to keep her for a while?”

  “I’ll talk to Faith. This is still her home, for a few days anyway. After the double wedding at the end of the month, she and Elliott are swapping houses.”

  Nate nodded. “While I have you on the phone, I need you to confirm the name of your other sister and how old she would be.”

  “Her name is Hope and she’d be twenty-five, if she’s still alive. No one’s heard from her in over nine years now.”

  “Do you have a photo?”

  “Not a current one, but yes. I can show you when you get here. I’d better go and get Angel out of the bath and Jackson’s here.”

  As the phone went dead, Nick looked up. “What are the chances of that? Even with the name and the photo, I still wasn’t sure.”

  Jack smiled. “God works in mysterious ways, and it’s not our remit to understand.”

  “The child is with her family,” Dane said. “That’s the best thing right now, but we won’t say anything until we know for sure Hope is who she seems to be. The last thing we want is for them to get their hopes up.”

  Nate nodded. “We’ll go check this out and be back to talk to Hope in the morning. I also want her checked out by a doctor so I’ll ask Jackson to stop by tomorrow.”

  Jack nodded. “I’ll drive Nick home.”

  “We’ll drop him on the way,” Nate said.

  Nick nodded. “Thanks. Jack, is it all right if I come over tomorrow? Check on Hope?”

  Jack nodded. “Just don’t get personally involved here.”

  Nick looked at him. It was way too late for that, but he wouldn’t admit as much.

  8

  Hope jerked awake as a phone rang. She lay there not knowing where she was. Then, she remembered. Angel was missing and the police were now investigating what she’d told them about
work. She’d be lucky—no, blessed—if she got Angel back. She looked across the room at the picture on the wall. Her grandmother had the same picture of Jesus standing at a door and knocking.

  She took a deep breath. Well, if God was trying to get her attention, He’d succeeded. She wanted Angel back. Nothing else mattered. Although, if she could have Nick as well, she wouldn’t mind. She’d grown quite fond of the young pastor. She knew enough to know she was in love with him, but also knew enough to know that once he learned her history, he wouldn’t want her.

  She threw back the covers. She couldn’t stay here in the warm when Angel was who knows where. Perhaps Nick would help her search the streets again. Hope dressed quickly and crept onto the landing. A light came from a room at the end of the hallway and something drew her towards it.

  Cassie stood by the cot, a baby in her arms. She turned and smiled. “Morning, Hope. I’m sorry if he woke you.”

  “He didn’t.” Hope crept closer. Something was drawing her in, despite her need to leave. “He looks like you.”

  “Jack thinks so, but he has Jack’s nose.”

  “Angel looks like my sister,” Hope whispered.

  Pastor Jack came in with a bottle. “Here you go, love.” He smiled at Hope. “I’m about to do breakfast if you’d like some. We start the day relatively early here.”

  “What time is it?” she asked.

  “Seven thirty. I’m about to get Lara up and dressed and out for school.”

  Hope looked at her hands. It was later than she’d thought, and she’d never be able to sneak out now. “I was going to look for Angel. She’s still out there.”

  “You can’t do that on an empty stomach,” Pastor Jack said. “And DI Holmes rang. He said he’d be over shortly with some news.”