Keep You Safe

by Rona Halsall

He nods, his thumb stroking the back of her hand. ‘Between you and me, they know that Sasha killed Tom. The sergeant, Dan Corlett, told me that the pathologist has given them an estimated time of death for Tom, which makes it impossible for you to have killed him. Because you were here. They’re waiting for the autopsy report, so it’s all official. And they need your statement. Then they can dot all the “i”s and cross all the “t”s.’

  Natalie gasps. ‘I just can’t… I didn’t think… But what about skipping parole?’

  ‘Oh, I’ve got the lawyer on to that as well. Extenuating circumstances.’ Jack waves her concerns away. ‘I wouldn’t worry about it. Honestly. He’s amazing, this guy. You’ll like him.’ Natalie nods, sure that she will. ‘Old school mate.’ Jack laughs. ‘He was the clever one.’

  Silence settles around them again, while Natalie takes it all in, but there’s only one question in her mind.

  ‘When can I see Harry? Please, Jack, I’ve got to see him.’

  ‘Oh well, there’s a lot of legal stuff to sort through, but the liaison officer thinks you’ll be able to see him in a few days. When you’re out of hospital. Start to get to know each other. You’re his next of kin, after all, now that Tom is dead.’

  He gets his phone out of his pocket, taps and swipes, then turns it to show her. ‘I thought you might like to see this.’

  Her hand goes to her mouth as she watches the video of a little boy, sitting on the floor, playing with a train set, clearly engrossed in what he’s doing. She recognises that expression on his face, remembers it from when he was a baby. And lying next to him is Mr Bunny, the first toy she ever bought for him, a little bit of her love that he has carried with him for all those years that she has been away.

  A tear trickles down her cheek. But she’s laughing, unable to stop now that she’s started. She reaches her arm up to Jack and he hesitates, then leans forward and she hugs him tight.

  ‘Thank you,’ she whispers, not wanting to let go.

  He hugs her back, pulling her close as she laughs and cries, unable to believe that it’s all over and she has a new beginning to look forward to. A new beginning with her son.

  Jack sits on the bed, his arm round her shoulders as they watch the video again and again. He kisses her hair and she tilts her head until she’s looking into his eyes. He hesitates for a moment, then his lips are on hers and she knows, with that first, lingering kiss, that Jack is going to be part of her new beginning too.

  Sixty-Two

  Two Years Later

  Natalie hangs out the washing, in the enclosed garden at the back of Mary’s house, enjoying the order of things; Jack’s work clothes at the far end, then her jeans and T-shirts, Harry’s school uniform and last, but definitely not least, Rosie’s little baby clothes. Her family, right there, hanging on the line. Her family. Her house, now that Mary has done a swap with Jack, finding the bungalow much easier to manage. Her wedding present to them, Mary said.

  After all that she’s been through, Natalie still finds it hard to believe. In the space of two years, she has a husband, a baby girl and Harry back living with her again.

  ‘Are you there, lovey?’

  Mary pokes her head out of the kitchen door, ignores Natalie and goes straight to the pushchair, gazing down at Rosie, her crinkled hand reaching out, stroking the cheek of the sleeping child.

  ‘You’re early,’ Natalie says, hanging the last of the clothes on the line.

  ‘Couldn’t wait to see this little mite,’ Mary says. ‘And I’ve brought chocolate brownies for Harry. They’re on the table. And my John says he’s got a BMX bike off a friend that he can mend. So that’ll do grand for Harry’s birthday. And I’ve knitted a couple of cardies for this little one. Lemon and white this time. You can have too much pink, can’t you?’

  Natalie laughs. ‘Mary, you’re terrible. These kids are so spoilt!’

  Mary beams and Natalie gives her a hug, enjoying the soft, cuddliness of this old lady who’s come to be such an important part of her life.

  ‘Okay, so milk’s on the side, just needs warming up when she’s ready,’ Natalie says, picking up the washing basket and taking it inside, Mary at her heels. ‘And she’s got some pureed veg there too. She’s not that keen, but give it a go and I’ll be back in a couple of hours.’

  ‘Righto.’ Mary puts the kettle on and gets her ‘World’s Greatest Nana’ mug down from the shelf, a present from Harry the previous Christmas. ‘You have a good class.’ She smiles. ‘No need to hurry back.’

  Natalie picks up her bag and sets off up the hill to the residential home where she’s doing armchair aerobics with the residents.

  ‘Morning, Norma,’ she calls to the receptionist as she walks towards the day room.

  ‘Oh, Natalie, just a minute,’ Norma says, bustling out of her office. ‘We were wondering… I mean, just say no if it’s not going to work. But we wondered if you could do another couple of sessions a week for us? Everyone so looks forward to you coming, it really brightens their day, you know. So…’ She looks hopeful. ‘We were hoping you might be able to do alternate days for us.’

  Natalie smiles, a rush of happiness warming her heart. ‘Well, thank you, Norma. I’ll have to check with Mary, see if she minds doing another couple of days. But…’ She laughs, picturing Mary’s delight at being able to spend more time with the children. ‘I don’t think there’ll be a problem.’

  ‘So, can we sort out a contract then?’

  ‘A contract?’ Yes! Finally, a steady source of income. The classes she does for pregnant ladies on Thursday mornings and postnatal classes in the afternoons are on a pay-as-you-go basis and are just taking off. But, a contract. How genuinely marvellous! Yes, her business is developing very nicely and it all fits perfectly round the children, with Mary as a willing babysitter.

  She thinks about Harry, how he loves school with a passion she can’t even begin to comprehend, replays the conversations they have about anything and everything in her mind. She pictures him wrestling with Jack, snuggling up between them on the sofa, trying to feed his sister, flying kites on the beach, searching rock pools for crabs, and she wraps herself in the joy that he’s brought into her life. She wonders if she’d feel like this if she’d never lost him. Would she experience everything about him in luminous, brilliant Technicolor like this? Or would she have taken him for granted? She’ll never know. But what she does know is that every day she’s grateful to have this little person in her life, along with the rest of her new family.

  It never ceases to amaze her how quickly children adapt. It only took a few months for Harry to accept her version of reality; that Sasha was just looking after him while Natalie had been away. She showed him in the mirror, how he and Natalie had the same eyes, the same shaped eyebrows, the same mouth. Showed him pictures of them together when he was a baby. It took a little longer for the legal machinations to grind their way through all the necessary processes and allow him to come and live with her. But he settled in quickly and fell in love with Jack as soon as he heard him sing. And now the past feels like a terrible nightmare that never really happened.

  Harry used to talk about Sasha. She came to be known as Auntie Sasha. Now he hardly mentions her at all. But he does miss his father and it’s clear that he had a strong bond with Tom, which is a surprise to Natalie, because he struggled to know what to do with Harry when he was a baby. But then some men, she knows, can’t cope well with the baby stage of a child’s life, finding they get closer to them when they can communicate. It must have been like that with Tom and Harry. They talk about Tom when Harry wants to and Natalie tells her son what he needs to know, lets him remember his father with love. Because he must have done a lot of things right for Harry to be such a loving and well-balanced child.

  Tom’s parents are still in touch and Natalie has met up with them a few times when they have visited the island; meetings that have been stilted and awkward from Natalie’s point of view, but Harry seems genuinely fond of them, having
shared their lives for several years. Now that Tom is dead, he will one day be heir to his grandparents’ fortune, so at least she knows his future is secure.

  Sasha has been charged with Tom’s murder. And Marco’s manslaughter. Plus the attempted murder of Natalie. All adding up to a life sentence. Sasha is also facing charges for fraud and embezzlement, the authorities having taken a while to untangle Tom’s affairs and realise that Sasha had a part to play in the disappearance of clients’ funds.

  The sentences for the crimes against Marco and Natalie were given to run concurrently, because life is life, isn’t it? Or it should be. Tom’s parents, along with Marco’s family are appealing to ensure that the full sentence is served, and no parole given, but the process is slow.

  Natalie satisfies herself with the knowledge that Harry will be an adult by the time Sasha gets out of prison. Hopefully, she’ll have to serve the full thirty years, but whenever she’s released, she’ll just be a shadowy figure from his past. Nobody important. Nobody he loved.

  In time, when Harry is old enough, he’ll know the full story and then he can keep himself safe if she ever tries to contact him.

  Jack persuaded her to sue for wrongful arrest and, although at first resistant, she accepts now that it had been the right thing to do. The compensation has given them a very useful nest egg. She’d thought they’d buy a new house, somewhere bigger, with a proper garden, but she can’t bring herself to move from Mary’s and it’s big enough for now, handy for the beach, which Harry loves. And it was a gift from Mary, so it’s special.

  She thinks they’ll stay because she has another idea for some of the money. Jack doesn’t know it yet, but she’s found a little building that would make a perfect recording studio. She’s just waiting for some quotes to come back for equipment, get it put together as a complete package and then that will be his first anniversary present. No less than he deserves because he’s saved her life in so many ways.

  Natalie finishes her class a little late, because the ladies do love to chat and she doesn’t like to hurry them. She checks her watch and half runs, half walks to the school, children already streaming out of the door as she draws close.

  ‘Mummy! Mummy!’

  She turns and there’s Harry, running towards her, a picture flapping in his hand. His hair is tousled, shoes are on the wrong feet, and his PE bag bounces on his shoulder.

  ‘Hey, little munchkin,’ she says, laughing as he jumps up and down on the spot. She crouches and his little arms clasp around her neck. He plants a wet kiss on her cheek.

  ‘Love you, Mummy,’ he says. ‘Look, I drew a dinosaur eating SpongeBob.’

  She pulls him to her, his words never losing their magic, their ability to make her heart swell until her chest is fit to burst. ‘Love you too, little munchkin,’ she says, kissing him back, holding him tight.

  Epilogue

  Thirteen years, two months and fifteen days to go.

  I’m being good. Ever so freakin’ good. But any actress will tell you that life is simpler when you’ve got a role to play.

  Thank God for the Internet, that’s all I can say. And friends who know how to hack into Facebook accounts. And have illegal phones, SIM cards, Wi-Fi passwords.

  I can look at him, my boy. Watch him grow up. At least I have that. And when he’s older, and has his own account, I’ll be able to talk to him. Not as myself, of course. But I can be a cyber pal. The best pal he’ll ever have.

  He’ll always be my son.

  Of course he will. He’s mine.

  Mine, mine, mine.

  It’s me he loves. Me. Not her. That drippy waste of space. Look at the goofy grin on her stupid face. And she’s holding him all wrong. He doesn’t like being held like that. And that’s not a proper smile on his face. That’s a smile for the camera. I can tell.

  Poor boy. I cry for him sometimes, when I imagine how much he must be missing me.

  But we’ll get through it. I know we will.

  The good news is that I know where he is.

  And, when the time is right, I’ll make him mine again.

  She’ll pay for what she’s done to me. Oh yes, she’ll pay, alright.

  * * *

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  A Letter from Rona

  I want to say a huge thank you for choosing to read Keep You Safe. If you did enjoy it, and want to keep up-to-date with all my latest releases, just sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time

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  The inspiration for this story came from my own experiences of being temporarily separated from my children during my divorce and, although I can reassure you that my story was nowhere near as extreme as Natalie’s (I promise I didn’t go to prison!), it still came as a tremendous shock and has made me value every moment with them ever since.

  In writing this novel I wanted to explore how shocking it might be to have a child taken away and really think about how far we would go to protect them, even if it meant putting ourselves in danger.

  I hope you loved Keep You Safe and if you did I would be very grateful if you could write a review. I’d love to hear what you think, and it makes such a difference helping new readers to discover one of my books for the first time.

  I love hearing from my readers – you can get in touch on my Facebook page, through Twitter, Goodreads or my website.

  Thanks,

  Rona Halsall

  Acknowledgements

  This book has been through several incarnations and there are many people to thank for different stages in its evolution.

  First and foremost I have to thank my husband, David, for being my first reader and telling me it was great, when I knew it wasn’t. His unfailing support has been a tremendous boost at every wobble. Thanks must also go to my daughter, Amy, along with her university housemates, who took the time to read and make suggestions for improvement. Thank you, girls, for your awesomeness! And while we’re talking reading buddies, I have to thank Kerry-Ann Mitchell for providing invaluable nudges as to where the clues were too obvious and for helping me find a better way.

  At a professional level, Manx Litfest put on a fabulous event every year, which spurred me on and provided the chance to pitch to agent Joanna Swainson, who gave me invaluable editorial support right at the beginning as well as giving me the confidence to believe that I could actually write a psychological thriller.

  Huge thanks have to go to everyone at my fabulous agents, Madeleine Milburn Literary, Film and TV Agency, especially Hayley Steed, who has been so enthusiastic and supportive from the start, Anna Hogarty for her excellent editorial work and Alice Sutherland-Hawes for selling overseas rights.

  Last but definitely not least, I have to thank everyone at Bookouture who has been instrumental in welcoming me to the family with such enthusiasm. What a lovely bunch of people you are. I feel so blessed to be with such a friendly and forward-thinking publisher and to have Isobel Akenhead as my editor, whose laser-minded attention to detail is nothing short of remarkable. You are a joy to work with, all of you!

  Published by Bookouture

  An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.

  Carmelite House

  50 Victoria Embankment

  London EC4Y 0DZ

  www.bookouture.com

  Copyright © Rona Halsall 2018

  Rona Halsall has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permiss
ion of the publishers.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN: 978-1-78681-482-1