by M A Comley
“I’m sorry to hear that, sweetheart. Want me to call in sick and look after Logan for the day, so you can have some rest?”
She sat up and threw her legs on the floor. “No. No, don’t do that. I’ll be fine once I have a shower to revitalise myself.”
“I have ten minutes, want to grab one now while I have my breakfast?”
“That would be brilliant. I won’t be long.” Debs shot upstairs, poked her head into the nursery to find Logan still sleeping, then dived in the shower. When she emerged from the en suite, she heard Logan beginning to stir next door. After throwing on a clean pair of jeans and a jumper, she fetched the little man and took him downstairs. “Thanks so much, Martin. I feel a thousand times better now.”
“Good. You look refreshed and as beautiful as ever. I need to go now.” He kissed the tip of her nose and then Logan. “Be good for Mummy, won’t you, pal?”
“He will. I’m planning on taking him to the park today.” She peered out of the kitchen window and caught a glimpse of the sun peeking through the thick clouds.
“They reckon it’s going to brighten up later. I envy you. One more crappy day like I had yesterday and… well, I’d rather not say, not with little ears around.”
“I wish we could go away somewhere, just the three of us. You need time off to recharge your batteries; you’re working longer and longer hours, you can’t keep up this pace, love. Not without it affecting your health.”
“I’ll figure something out. It would be nice if we got away before the summer was over.”
“Want me to pick up some brochures while I’m out and about?”
“No harm in looking, I suppose.” He kissed them both again and swooped to pick up his briefcase. “I’ll give you a ring at lunchtime to see how you’re doing. Try and get some rest, if Logan will let you.”
“I think sod’s law will come into play with that one. Have a good day.”
She walked him to the door and waved him off, then put her plan into action. After tucking Logan into his pram, she togged herself up in a thin jacket to ward off the morning chill, if there was one, and slipped on her trainers. It was only ten to eight, but by the time she arrived, the kids would be going into school; at least, she hoped they would. All she wanted, no, needed, was to catch a slight glimpse of the little girl to make her day.
It took almost thirty minutes to walk to the school; her prediction was correct. Dozens of children had arrived already. Her heart twitched a little. Oh no, what if I’ve missed her? No, think positively. I’ve got this, everything is coming good for me, for us, now; any negativity at this point will prove detrimental.
The uniformed children filtered through the gates, their parents kissing them and waving them off. Although, there were a few children who arrived unchaperoned. What if one of them was abducted, what would happen to the parents then? Would guilt play a part in their lives, like it has in mine over the years? Although I have nothing to feel guilty about as Adele went missing on Martin’s watch.
She stood just beyond the lollipop lady, tending to her flock, and studied every child as they passed, focusing on all the little girls. But the girl named Susie wasn’t there. Debs remained in the same position until the final child entered the gates and the school bell rang. Still, there was no sign of the little girl. She must have been dropped off earlier, before I got here.
Disheartened, and with Logan crying through boredom, she reluctantly turned and walked away from the school. Now and again, she glanced over her shoulder, just in case Susie was late. Before she reached the end of the road, she took one final look and saw a blue car open its door to let a child out. It was her.
What the fuck? That car was parked in the same spot all the time I was down that way. She stood there, staring at the vehicle which was heading her way. Inside the car was a blonde woman who stared ahead of her as she drove past.
Debs was livid. There’s something fishy going on here and I intend to find out what it is. Her mind wouldn’t stop thrashing about ideas all the way home, even with a brief diversion of taking Logan to the park. Who is the woman? Could Susie really be Adele?
The questions led to more uncertainty. There was no way she could run this past Martin, not yet, not without more proof. She was caught in limbo with no one to turn to. If she rang the police, they’d probably think she was crazy.
Hell on a stick! What do I do now? What if Susie is Adele? How do I go about proving it and getting her back? What if I’m wrong and my mind is playing tricks on me? What then? Am I losing the plot? I don’t know. I’m caught between a rock and a hard place with no way out!
She inhaled and exhaled a few deep breaths, made herself a cup of coffee and then settled down on the floor to play with Logan. He was in a much better mood since they returned home; maybe she should take him to the park a few times a day, if this was the effect it had on him.
Throughout the day, her thoughts remained with Susie and the woman who drove past her. Why did she keep Susie in the car until long after the bell had rung? Was it for her benefit? Did the woman know she was there, watching? What if she hadn’t known that? What if Susie was Adele and the woman who had abducted her was being extra cautious? What if…? What if…? Nothing but bloody what-ifs toyed with her mind. How the hell was she supposed to cope now, knowing that Susie might be Adele and she was within reach?
The next few days consisted of Debs conducting the same routine, showing up at the school gates to see the same woman drop Susie off after the bell had rung. In the afternoon, Susie was always left waiting at the gates for the woman to turn up.
She decided to pluck up the courage and take the plunge. On the Friday afternoon, after observing the comings and goings of Susie and the woman for a few days, Debs dug deep and put a plan into action. With all the children now gone and only Susie left hugging the gates, she decided it was now or never. “Hello, Susie, do you remember me?”
The girl frowned and her chin disappeared into her chest. “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.”
“Ah, but I’m not a stranger. Cilla introduced us last week, don’t you remember?”
Susie’s head lifted and their eyes met. Debs had to swallow down the gasp threatening to break out when she saw the scar on the girl’s right cheek. The same scar Adele had all those years ago.
“But Mummy said I shouldn’t speak to people I don’t know.”
Holding back the tears, Debs nodded. “Quite right, too. But we’ve already established that I’m not a stranger. Are you waiting for someone?”
“Mummy, she’s late.” Susie sighed. “She’s always late in the afternoon. I have to wait here for her until she arrives.”
“Every day?”
“Yes, Mummy works. Finishes the same time I do, but it takes her a while to collect the car and drive here. She shouldn’t be long now.”
Debs cast a nervous glance over her shoulder and then turned her attention back to Susie. “That’s a shame. What does your mother do, sweetie?” Somehow, she pushed past the word mother sticking in her throat.
“She works in a supermarket, ASDA in town.”
“On the checkouts?”
“Oh no, she works in the office doing paperwork all day. She tells me she hates it, but until another job comes along, she’s stuck.”
“That’s a shame. What about daddy, where does he work?”
Her head lowered again. “I don’t have one of those. He left us years ago. Mummy says I was very young when he went off, he didn’t want to know me when I was born.” She shrugged. “I don’t care, Mummy and I have a lot of fun together.”
“Sorry to hear that, sweetheart.”
Susie moved tentatively towards the pram and peered in. “He looks so sweet. I wish I had a baby brother or sister to play with, it would be soooo much fun.”
Debs fought hard to keep the words from tumbling out of her mouth as her emotions distorted her stomach. He is your brother. One day you’ll get to know him properly.
Before she had the chance to say anything else, a car screeched to a halt beside them and Susie whispered a brief goodbye and ran towards it. The woman driver glared at Debs, and she actually found herself withering slightly under the woman’s scrutiny. Without saying a word, once her daughter was safely belted into the back seat, the car drove off. Taking a piece of Debs’ heart with her. Shit, I have no doubts now. I’m one hundred percent sure Susie is Adele. What do I do now? Who should I tell? Should I tell anyone? Martin will only think I’ve lost the plot again. But I need to tell someone. Knowing what I do and keeping it a secret will only make the situation more stressful. Shit! Susie is Adele! I want my baby back, but how?
13
Susie is Adele! Susie is Adele! Susie is Adele!
Over the weekend, her thoughts were in turmoil, so much so that Martin kept on at her to go to the doctor’s if she wasn’t feeling well. She’d brushed off his concerns, stating that running around after Logan had finally taken its toll on her and she was exhausted.
Martin nipped into town on Saturday afternoon and came back with a handful of holiday brochures, the ones he chastised her about, albeit mildly, for forgetting to pick up during the week. They spent Sunday flicking through the brochures and searching the internet to compare the numerous deals each company had on offer.
“I reckon we should give one of the Greek Islands a go, what do you think?”
“Sounds good to me. You choose, I’m not fussed where we go.”
In the end, they plumped for a two-week holiday in a villa on the island of Naxos with its vivid blue sea and light sandy beaches. The evening photos in the brochure highlighted the white houses that rose in the hillside, directly behind the picturesque harbour. Her heart felt lighter than it had all week at the prospect of getting away from it all in September—only another couple of months to wait. Anything could happen until then. Our family could go from three to four, you never know.
Adele was never far from her thoughts; whether she was doing the washing-up or making the beds in the morning, her daughter’s face was there, at the forefront of her weary mind. She announced she was going to bed early on Sunday night, at around eight, not long after she put Logan in his cot.
“Are you sure you’re okay, love?” Martin had asked, his legs dangling over the side of the armchair.
“I’m sure. You watch your Star Wars film, it doesn’t appeal to me anyway. I’ll go to bed and have a quick read instead.”
“I’ll come up and check on you during the break.”
She kissed him on the top of the head. “There’s no need. Forget about me and relax, you’ve been running around after me and Logan all weekend and you’re back at work tomorrow.”
“You’re both worth it. I’ve enjoyed taking care of you for a change.”
“I’ll be back to my normal self in the morning, I promise.”
“I hope so. I’ve been worried about you the past few days.”
She waved from the doorway. “You’re so sweet. What did I ever do to deserve you?”
Debs settled into bed with her romance and flipped through the pages, not taking in anything that she was reading. Maybe Martin was right; perhaps she should ignore the doubts and scenarios flying around in her head and just concentrate on being a loving mum to Logan and a super wife to Martin instead. If only I could stop all the what-ifs going on in my head.
She lowered the book and allowed her tired eyes to flutter shut, but it didn’t help. There, forefront and centre of her mind’s eye, was Adele as a five-year-old, standing alongside Susie, the ten-year-old, both smiling the same smile, giving her the same distant, helpless look.
Feeling sleepy, she switched off the light and turned over. She could do little to prevent her mind running through the pictures of Adele’s formative years in vivid technicolour. After a while, Debs managed to drift off to sleep, knowing that her dream would consist of her searching for Adele.
It wasn’t long before Susie appeared. She was running along a sandy beach, an excited ten-year-old eager to take a dip in the sea, letting out squeals of delight as the cold water hit her shins. Susie glanced back at her and Martin, her parents, with a serene and happy smile set in place.
Martin came to bed a few hours later, waking her up as he wriggled in beside her, and he hooked an arm around her waist. She moaned and spooned into him. She always felt safe and secure in his arms, aware that he’d learnt from his mistake five years earlier when he’d taken his eye off the ball. By rights, she should have turned her back on him the second she’d heard he’d abandoned Adele in favour of spending time with that other woman’s child, but she couldn’t; he meant too much to her, always had done.
The following morning, after the best night’s sleep she’d had in a week, Debs got up at seven to prepare Martin a fried breakfast as a thank you for looking after her so well over the weekend and allowing her the space she needed to get her head right.
He ate his breakfast with gusto and set off early. She had no plans to go out that morning, but one furtive glance out of the kitchen window changed her mind. She’d have to be an idiot to stay indoors and ignore the beautiful day on show outside. She prepared the pram with everything she would need for Logan and then set off for the park. It was just past nine by the time she got there. They fed the ducks, spent half an hour playing on the swings and then returned home.
Logan was sound asleep when she checked on him, so she decided it would be for the best to leave him in the pram. She poured herself a coffee and sat on the sofa to watch This Morning. They had a few interesting articles on the show that helped distract her until the inevitable happened and she fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of Adele, or Susie as she was known now.
The smell woke her, and she began choking on the fumes as panic set in. She shot out of the chair, grabbed Logan out of the pram and ran to the back door. There was no key in the lock. “Where the hell is the damn key?” The smoke was becoming thicker, making it impossible to see. She glanced back through the house and saw the force of the flames ripping through the hallway had become far more intense.
Shit!
What do I do?
Don’t panic for starters.
Find the key. It has to be here somewhere. But where?
She ran her hand along the kitchen worktop and knocked something small that was cold to the touch. The key. It bounced onto the floor. “Shit! Where has it gone now?”
Logan’s crying was getting worse. She placed him gently on the floor beside her and crawled around, trying to locate the key. When she finally found it, she picked her son up again, inserted the key into the lock and wrenched open the back door. She ran out of the house, coughing as the clear air filled her lungs. “Please, help me!”
Her neighbour, Doreen, called over the fence, “Thank God, you’re all right. The fire brigade is on the way, love. How’s Logan? Is he okay?”
When she saw Doreen, relief pushed her panic aside. “Thank you so much. I don’t know how it happened. I was asleep on the couch and woke up to find the living room full of smoke. My house is on fire and I have no idea how it started.” She checked Logan and the panic rose again, affecting her voice.
“Can you make your way around the front, Debs? I’ll meet you around there.”
“Yes, I’ll come round.”
She attempted to go back into the house to retrieve Logan’s essential bag, but realised how foolish that would be when the heat hit her, forcing her to retreat. Instead, she undid the bolt on the back gate and ran up the alley to the side of the house and out to the front.
There, she saw the scale of the blaze.
“My God, it’s rapidly eating through your house. Come on fire brigade, where are you?” Doreen shouted.
The other neighbours came out of their houses to stand in their front gardens and see if she and Logan were all right. They watched the fire spread quickly to Doreen’s house next door. Tears blurred Debs’ vision. “I’m so sorry, Doreen. I didn’t do this, I promise.”
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Doreen threw an arm around her shoulder and almost choked on her own tears. “It’s all right, Debs, I’m not blaming you. What about Martin? I take it he’d already gone to work.”
“Yes, oh my goodness, I should call him, but my mobile is in the house. I didn’t get a chance to grab it.”
“It’s okay. I have mine here. Want me to ring him for you?”
“Would you? I can’t remember the number, it’s Matlock Imports.”
Doreen input the information into the search engine and then dialled the number. “Yes, Martin Jenkins please, it’s urgent. I’m Doreen Abbott, his neighbour.” There was a slight pause. “Martin, oh my, you need to come home. There’s a fire, and the house has gone up. No, they’re safe. Debs asked me to ring you… Okay, I’ll tell her…. Drive carefully.” She ended the call and smiled at Debs. “He’s on his way, dear.”
“Thank God.” Debs strained her ear and could just pick out the sound of the sirens in the distance.
The sobs came then.
She hugged Logan tightly, pushing away the thoughts of what might have happened to them both if she hadn’t woken up in time and the smoke had rendered her unconscious.
How did the fire start? It seemed to be in the hallway. I don’t recall anything flammable being out there.
Two fire engines pulled up. The man in charge shouted orders for his team to follow and then approached Debs and Doreen. “Ladies, I take it these two properties are yours, am I correct?”
“You are.” Doreen pointed to Debs’ house. “The fire started next door at Debs’ and spread to mine. Please, hurry, it’s all we’ve got. Don’t let the fires get any worse.”
“We’re on it, don’t worry. We’ll have the fire out in no time at all.” He turned away and shouted, “Hurry it up, guys, what are you waiting for?”
Within seconds, two men carrying large hoses whooshed past them and gave the signal to turn on the water. The process took less than an hour to complete from start to finish. Halfway through, Martin arrived and gathered her in his arms.
