She snapped her brows together. No point thinking like that. And anyway, who was she kidding? There was no alternative. If they locked her up in prison – or worse, an institution.
No, never. She wasn’t putting herself through all that again.
Huge snow-flakes were piling up on her windscreen. The car was already beginning to feel like a tomb. She peered out of her window to the side and clung to the beautiful, silent picture it presented; the large flakes falling thickly from the sky, coating the branches of the trees before settling in thick swirling layers on the ground.
How insignificant we are in the face of the elements.
She thought of a tiny baby, plucked prematurely from life; imagined herself holding her in her arms in just a little while.
For the first time in her adult life Natasha Campbell said a prayer. Then she reached for the key in the ignition and switched it on.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The insistent peal of the doorbell was enough to tell Hannah that Ben wasn’t in a good mood.
She moved cautiously to the door then looked in surprise at the sullen faced girl standing on the doorstep at his side.
‘This is my fiancée, Rebecca.’ Ben said without preamble. ‘She insisted on coming with me.’
He didn’t look pleased about it.
She stepped aside to let them enter. ‘I told you, there was no point you coming.’
‘I had to. Have you got a whisky?’
She suspected he’d already consumed some alcohol. She wasn’t going down that path.
‘I’ve got tea, coffee or orange juice, she said coolly.
‘I’ll have an orange juice please,’ Rebecca said quickly, looking at Ben. He shrugged. ‘I’ll have the same then.’
She led them into the lounge and headed for the kitchen to get the drinks.
‘There was absolutely no need for you to come all the way over here at this time of night, especially in this weather,’ she said a couple of minutes later, placing the tray down on the table. ‘I’ve got nothing to add to what I said on the phone.’
‘But she is alive? They’re sure about that?’
‘Apparently.’
‘How do they know?’
Briefly she filled him in on the lock of hair.’
‘Well at least it proves to those bloody bastards that you and I had nothing to do with her disappearance,’ he said bitterly. ‘I’ve a good mind to sue someone over all that. And I’d start with that bloody reporter that seemed to have it in for us.’
‘It wouldn’t serve any useful purpose, Ben.’
‘Says who? We could probably claim a tidy little sum out of it if we got a good lawyer.’
Hannah looked at him in disgust. ‘I can’t believe I’m hearing this. We’ve just found out that our daughter’s alive and all you can think about is making money out of it?’
His shrug was defensive. ‘Some good might as well come out of it. And if we ever found her – think of the interest there’d be in a case like that.’
She stood up, her lips tight. ‘Just go, Ben. I can’t bear to even look at you when you talk like that. If ever I needed reminding of why you and I split up…’
She turned the full impact of her gaze onto the girl at his side.
‘And if I were you, I’d think very carefully about spending the rest of my life with this man. It was the best thing I ever did when I ended our relationship, and I’m sure I don’t need to tell you why.’
‘You little…’ Ben’s face was ugly as he made a move towards her. ‘I came over here to offer you some support.’
‘Bullshit. You came over here to see what you could make out of the situation, and to see if I’d play ball. But if you think for one minute I’d try and capitalise on Sophie’s circumstances...’
For a long moment, they stared each other out. Ben’s face was twisted in anger. Then he raised a supercilious eyebrow, his expression switching in an instant. ‘If they find our daughter,’ he said calmly, ‘I’m warning you now, I’ll go for custody of her. It shouldn’t be too hard convincing people that you’re still barking, after your nervous breakdown.’
Hannah didn’t flinch. ‘I didn’t have a nervous breakdown, as you well know.’
‘It was as near as dammit - enough to plant seeds of doubt that you’re not a fit mother.’
‘Just get out, Ben. And I’m warning you. If you start causing trouble for me I won’t hold back this time.’
‘If you’re referring to your ridiculous accusations that I’m some sort of wife beater, I don’t think you’ll get very far. Rebecca here would back me all the way. All it would do is expose your accusations for what they are – the pathetic, desperate ramblings of a pathetic, desperate woman.’
Without another word, he turned and headed for the door. ‘Come on, Becky. There’s no point staying here. You need a man to give you a good stiff seeing to, Hannah. Only I doubt you’d find anyone prepared to take you on. Have a good life.’
When they’d gone, she closed the door and sank weakly back against it. What a repulsive man he was. How could she ever have thought herself in love with him? But at least she’d managed to salvage her conscience by suggesting to Rebecca that she dump him. And that was about as much responsibility as she was prepared to take for a complete stranger’s life.
She moved listlessly back into the kitchen and put the kettle on. She needed some coffee to settle her nerves. His threats had struck home. If they found Sophie, she knew he’d leave no stone unturned to try and discredit her.
She wouldn’t let that happen.
***
Adam was standing by the patio doors when the sound of the doorbell alerted him to the arrival of his mother. For a moment longer he stared out onto the garden, still visualising the crime scene behind the rhododendrons that had started all this. Then he went to open the door.
He embraced his mother tightly and she hugged him back.
‘Where will you go?’ she asked, as he pulled back from her and reached for his jacket.
‘I haven’t a clue. I’ll just drive around and see if I can spot them. I have to go and look for them, Mum. This weather’s a killer if they get stranded.’
‘What if the police want to talk to you?’
‘I’ve got my mobile. I can answer any questions they’ve got over the phone. Thanks for coming.’
He choked on the words and his mother gripped his arm. ‘It’ll be all right, you’ll find them.’
He covered her hand with his for a moment, drawing from her strength. Then he left. God knew where he was going to start looking, but anything had to be better than sitting around waiting to hear the worst.
It was as he was climbing into his car that he noticed the side door to the garage swinging slightly in the bitterly cold breeze. He stared at it puzzled. They never used that door in the winter.
Following some sixth sense, he got back out of the car. The snow had settled and everything was eerily quiet as he crunched his way to the garage. He didn’t know what he feared but his heart was hammering as he opened the door wider and peered in. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the garage was empty. What had he expected? To find Natasha’s body swinging from a rafter? He shuddered and was about to leave the garage again when his eyes came to rest on a small tartan quilt lying on the floor. His blood ran cold. It was Katie’s ‘quiltie’. The comforter she took to bed with her every night. What the hell was it doing in here?
His eyes darted around the garage again, this time more probingly. He could almost taste his fear as he looked around.
‘Katie? Kate ... are you in here?’
There was no answer. He found himself walking slowly towards the old wardrobe in the corner. The door was slightly ajar and he could see something protruding very slightly in the gap. Horrified, he realised it was a child’s shoe ... a foot. Blood thundered in his head as he covered the remaining ground in three swift strides.
‘Katie?’ He threw open the door.
/> She was lying crouched in a shivering bundle in the corner. Her hair was a mess, her green eyes huge with fear as she looked up at him, and on one side of her forehead a large lump was an angry red.
For a moment, he was frozen into immobility. Had Natasha done this?
Then recovering swiftly he bent down and scooped her gently into his arms. ‘It’s all right, sweetheart,’ he crooned softly, kissing her. ‘Daddy’s here. What are you doing out here in the cold all by yourself? I’ve been so worried about you.’
She was whimpering quietly and shivering, and he held onto her tightly as gradually the breath that had been squeezed in his chest began to release. She clung to him, not saying a word and he let her be. Time enough for explanations later.
‘It’s okay,’ he soothed again. ‘It’s okay... Nana’s in the house. Let’s get you into the warm, shall we? You’re frozen.’
Inside, sitting by the wood burner in the kitchen, he checked her over gently, breathing a sigh of relief as he realised there was no serious injury. He settled her onto his lap and rubbed some warmth into her frozen limbs as his mother rushed around making clucking noises.
‘Some nice hot chocolate I think, and maybe some pancakes. They used to be Grandpa’s favourite when he needed cheering up. You can sit there with daddy and watch me make them.’
Katie’s sombre eyes stared back at her from the safety of her father’s arms.
Adam didn’t press her to talk, just sat there in a daze holding her, waiting for her to speak in her own time, battling with the fact that Natasha could have had anything to do with this.
‘Where’s Mummy?’ she finally whimpered.
‘She’s not here. She’s ... gone out.’
She clutched him tightly. ‘She said I was a bad, wicked girl. She frightened me.’
Adam couldn’t swallow for the lump in his throat. ‘She didn’t mean it, sweetheart. Of course you’re not bad. Mummy’s not very well at the moment. You know sometimes she says things she doesn’t really mean. She would never have wanted you to stay locked in the garage like that.’
‘She told me we were going out in the car but then she took me in there and told me not to come out else she’d be really angry with me. I was scared, Daddy. And it was cold.’
Her voice broke on the last words and she started to cry quietly.
‘Ssh...’ He gathered her to him, passing his own body warmth on to her. ‘It’s all right now. Nana and I are here with you. There’s nothing to be frightened of anymore.’
He looked up as his mother brought a plate to the table. He shook his head helplessly.
‘Here you go,’ she said in a soft voice, putting it down in front of them. ‘Pancakes with sugar and lemon and ice cream. That’ll make you feel better. And daddy will probably let you eat them on his lap, if you’re very lucky.’
It was a long while before Katie would let them settle her down, and the police arrived just as Adam had finished doing it. Swallowing his guilt over exposing Natasha, he told them quietly what had happened.
‘Has you wife done anything like this before?’ the police sergeant asked.
‘Not the Katie thing, no …never. That’s why I’m so worried about her. She’s not been herself these last few weeks. I’m frightened that she really does mean to harm herself. She’s tried once before to commit suicide.’
‘Okay … well, we’ve got an alert out on the car. I’ll need to take a quick look at your daughter now, to make sure she’s okay, and after that we can leave her with you and your mother for tonight. But I’m afraid I’ll have to file a report for the Children’s Services. Someone will probably be in touch with you tomorrow about that. If your wife should return tonight you’ll need to let us know and we may have to reassess the situation.’
‘I understand.’
He couldn’t believe what was happening, but he knew there was no covering up what had gone on. Natasha had over stepped the mark this time and the consequences would be serious.
After he’d shown the sergeant out, he turned a determined face to his mother. ‘I’m going out to look for her. Will you be all right here on your own? If Katie wakes, call me.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Wife in Baby Skeleton Case Goes Missing!”
Hannah stared appalled at the headlines in the national newspaper and then flinched as her attention was caught by a photo of Ben smiling out at her from the adjoining column. “Our Daughter Is Alive. Confirmed.”
‘Oh no,’ she whispered, horrified.
Glancing at the clock, she moved swiftly over to the television and turned on the morning news. It wasn’t long before the cameras flashed to Ben being interviewed by a reporter outside his smart London home.
‘As you can imagine, Hannah and I are both delighted with the news,’ he was saying enthusiastically. ‘You can’t keep the grins off our faces. Of course, the police still have to find out who’s keeping her, but we feel confident that with the improved resources and technology that exist today, it won’t be long before we have Sophie back safe and sound where she belongs.’
“Which is where?” the interviewer asked. “I understand you and Miss Walker separated a number of years ago. During the first investigation in fact?’
Ben looked a bit uncomfortable at that. ‘Yes, that’s true ... but we’ve remained friendly. Unfortunately, Hannah suffered from severe depression after Sophie went missing and had a nervous breakdown – understandable of course, but all this new stuff hasn’t helped her condition. It may be that it would be better for Sophie to live with me and my fiancée – give her the stability of two parents rather than one. But obviously, we’d need to talk it all through with Hannah first.’
The bastard! She knew exactly what he was doing, but how could he put Sophie at risk like that? Didn’t he realise what could happen to her if her abductors panicked? The idiot.
She didn’t know what to do. Should she phone Inspector Murray? He hadn’t exactly told her not to tell anyone, but she was damned sure he wasn’t expecting to have it blabbed all over the media like that and she didn’t want him thinking she’d had anything to do with it.
On second thoughts, she decided to leave it. If he had a problem with her, he’d be in touch soon enough.
Another fear gripped her, even more terrifying as she stared at Ben’s flawlessly handsome features. He looked so much the epitome of the moral, upright citizen as he stood there, his handsome face beaming engagingly at the reporter, that she was convinced he’d have no difficulty whatsoever persuading people she was incapable of looking after Sophie. How could she ever hope to beat him?
She straightened her back, snapping the television off. She wouldn’t think about it. Not yet. Not until she had to.
Her gaze returned to the newspaper sitting on the table.
And then there was the thing about Adam’s wife.
Pouring herself some coffee she settled down to read the article. When she’d finished, she sipped quietly at her drink and pondered the situation. Adam must be going through hell. Should she go and see him – offer him support as he’d done for her? It was surely what anyone would do in the circumstances?
She pondered the situation a bit more. How to go about it? It was unlikely he’d have gone into work with his wife missing, but did she really feel she was justified visiting his home? And why did she feel such a compelling need to do just that?
Perhaps it was because she remembered that look of utter desolation on his face when he’d been talking about how everything seemed to have gone wrong in his life. She sensed he wasn’t the sort of man to share that sort of revelation lightly. Knew also what it felt like to feel like that.
She was still no nearer making up her mind that lunchtime in the shop, when she offered to go out and get sandwiches.
‘That would be good,’ Jess said, ‘but just put mine in the fridge when you get back, will you? I’ve got a one o’clock appointment in Welwyn, so I’ll be gone for a while.’
The next
thing Hannah knew, she was pulling up outside Adam’s house. There were two cars parked in the drive but the house looked deserted. Maybe he’d gone into work after all? As she crunched carefully up the path through the snow, she found herself half hoping that he had.
Adam looked drained when he answered the door. And surprised to see her. She thrust her freezing hands deep into the pockets of her jacket and smiled awkwardly at him ‘Hi. I know this isn’t a good time, but… I just wanted to say how sorry I was to hear about your wife.’
‘Thanks.’
‘No news yet?’
‘No.’
Coming from inside the house she could hear a childish treble, querulous and close to tears, and an older female voice, calm and soothing.
She hesitated. ‘It’s not a good time, I can see that, but I appreciated it the other day when you came to see me and I guess I just wanted to let you know I was thinking of you.’
She broke off awkwardly, feeling a bit of an idiot. She didn’t know what else to say.
‘That was thoughtful of you.’
It was obvious that he had no intention of inviting her in and Hannah’s discomfort grew. All she could think now was to make her escape as quickly as she could. Why had she come?
‘Well ... I won’t keep you then. I hope your wife turns up safe and sound soon.’
Just for a moment he dropped his guard and she saw the worry lines around his eyes, the dark circles that told her he hadn’t slept.
‘So do I.’ He ran a hand through his hair. ‘I’m worried as hell about her. She’s been very low recently. God knows where she is. I spent most of last night driving around looking for her.’
He looked over her shoulder, his expression distant, as if he expected Natasha’s car to swing into the drive at any moment. It was obvious his thoughts were a million miles away from her and the conversation they were having.
‘I know it’s unlikely, but if there’s anything I can do?’
‘Thanks, but there’s nothing. I’m sorry … I’m not good company at the moment.’
‘I understand.’
Cry From The Grave A Thrilling Psychological Crime Mystery (Harry Briscombe Book 1) Page 20
