THE SILENCE OF THE STONES: Will the secrets written in the stones destroy a young woman's world? The runes are cast. Who will die?

by Rebecca Bryn

  ‘Which direction did it go?’

  ‘That way.’ She pointed in the direction of Solva. ‘A black four-by-four came up the lane just after… A man, he must have passed it. He helped me look as far as the main road.’

  DC Flowers spoke into his radio. A fourth police car arrived from another direction. Officers fanned out across the green. Others knocked on house doors.

  DC Flowers turned back to her. ‘What makes you think your mother might have her?’

  ‘She’s looked after Saffy since she was born. I found Mum drunk at the weekend and brought Saffy home with me. Mum and Dad have parted. She’s taking it badly.’

  ‘Abducting a child is pretty extreme. Is she capable of taking Saffy without telling you?’

  She was more than capable. ‘She swore she’d get her back.’

  ‘I take it you’ve tried phoning her.’

  ‘She’s not answering.’

  ‘Do you know the registration number of her car?’

  ‘No, sorry, but if she’s heading home, she’ll be on her way to Leicester.’

  ‘Your mother’s name and address, then, and we can find out. If she’s not at home we’ll put out an APB. We’ll find her.’

  ‘DC Flowers, Mum’s…’ How much should she say?

  He sighed. ‘Look, Miss Harper.’ He indicated the police operation. ‘Domestics waste a lot of police time. If it wasn’t for… the media storm over the last inquiry, the recent deaths, the history of this place, and your relationship to it… your sister…’

  ‘You think it’s all connected?’

  ‘We’re following new lines of inquiry. Re-examining the evidence. I can’t state more at this stage. Tell me, is Tony Saffy’s father?’

  ‘No, Tony’s brother, Mike Maskell, is Saffy’s father.’

  He raised an eyebrow. ‘Tony’s aware of this?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And what sort of relationship does he have with your daughter?’

  ‘He only met her yesterday for the first time. He’s great with her.’

  ‘But his brother… doesn’t that make things awkward?’

  Her face burned. ‘If you’re asking if I slept with his brother behind his back, the answer’s no.’

  ‘Does Mike have access to Saffy?’

  ‘He doesn’t know she exists.’

  ‘We’ll have to speak to him.’

  ‘Oh, God.’ Mike would find out about Saffy. ‘I didn’t want Saffy. Mum persuaded me to have her. She promised to look after her.’

  ‘So, now you’ve been landed with a child you don’t want?’

  ‘I didn’t ask for sex with Mike.’

  ‘Are you alleging rape?’

  Tony had sorted Mike. ‘I’m alleging nothing. He’s abroad and he’s not coming back. I don’t want him in my life.’ She covered her face with her hands and moaned. Yes, I wanted an abortion, but that was two years ago. I love my daughter.’ Only now she realised how much. ‘More than anything in the world.’

  He put a hand on her arm. ‘We have to ask these questions. I’m afraid there’ll be more if we don’t find her soon. We’ll need to question Tony, too. And your parents. Is there anyone who might have something against you?’

  ‘Dad and his partner are here, helping the search. Someone damaged the sculptures Sunday night.’ She looked past the sculptures; a police dog-van had arrived.

  ‘Give it some thought. I’ll speak to you again in a while. Do you have anything with Saffy’s scent on it, for the dogs?’

  ‘A teddy, she’s hardly been parted from it. I’ll fetch it.’ She ran back to The Haggard. When she got back, DC Flowers had donned latex gloves. He let the dogs have a good sniff of the toy and then put it in an evidence bag. His face was expressionless. ‘It will have Saffy’s DNA on it. Who else has handled it?’

  ‘Me, Tony… Harriet, next door.’

  ‘We’ll get samples from them, just in case.’ He looked at her for a long moment.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘Now’s not the time. If your daughter’s here, we’ll find her.’

  ‘Please, don’t tell Mike about Saffy unless you have to.’

  ‘Your daughter’s safety comes first, but I’ll leave it as long as I dare.’

  ‘Thank you.’ DNA samples… In case Saffy was found murdered. If she wasn’t found in the next five minutes, she’d tell DC Flowers everything. Anything to help find Saffy. Mum and Dad would go to jail. Emma would be heartbroken. Greg would hate her. Families would be torn apart. She found she didn’t care. Saffy was all that mattered.

  ***

  Fists hammered at the front door. Nerys shrank back, grabbing the toddler by the hand.

  Rhiannon gathered her strength: she had to reason with her. Nerys… She tried harder. ‘Nerys, you have to give her back. She isn’t Bethan.’

  ‘No, she’s mine. I won’t.’

  ‘Police. Open the door.’ The hammering sounded again.

  She lowered her voice. ‘They can walk right in. The door isn’t locked. We need to do something, now, or…’

  Nerys clutched Bethan to her. ‘We have to hide.’

  Hide in the cupboard. Like when Dada was drunk.

  ‘Lowrie…’

  Lowrie’s small voice gained strength. ‘We lock ourselves in… no-one finds us. But I don’t like the dark.’

  There are candles in the cupboard. Bethan won’t be scared, will you, sweetheart? Nerys still refused to believe the child wasn’t Bethan. She’d totally lost her mind.

  She had to stop Nerys from gaining control again, or it would be the end of her. And if Nerys was caught, which she was sure to be eventually, she’d be back in the psych unit, back in therapy, and that would be the end of her, too, and Lowrie. Lowrie, was only a child, easy to control. She’d let Lowrie take possession: now, she supported her gently. And matches in the drawer. She calmed their little’s fears, as she always had. You won’t be alone. We’re all together now. And there’s this little girl to play with.

  Lowrie began to cry softly.

  Shush, Lowrie. Quickly, in the cupboard. It’s not for long. We’ll be safe there.

  The cupboard beneath the stairs had no handle: it had been designed so no-one would suspect it was there, in case they came looking. It was an ideal place for a small child, locked in as punishment. It had no lock on the outside, either, for, once shut in, the victim knew better than to come out until released. Nerys’ father had locked his daughters in there often enough for their wickedness. It had been their idea to fashion a lock on the inside, out of nails and string, so he couldn’t get at them until he was sober. Years had passed, and the cottage had been through other hands, but the cupboard and its nails had remained unchanged.

  Lowrie reverted to her usual whimpering self. She ignored her, pushed Nerys aside and lit the candle, fixing it with melted wax to an old wooden tray. ‘There, light. All we have to do is wait quietly until they go away.’

  Heavy footsteps sounded up and down the stairs. Doors opened and closed. ‘Anyone here?’

  Don’t like the smoke. Lowrie rocked backwards and forwards, sucking her thumb. The little girl began to cry. Lowrie put a hand over the child’s mouth and whispered. ‘Dada will hear you.’ The child struggled but Lowrie had her in a firm grip. ‘Dada hurts us, makes us do things… it hurts inside.’

  A small foot kicked the tray and the candle fell over. The flame caught at a stack of newspapers, kept there for lighting the wood-burner. Lowrie retreated further into the corner, dragging the toddler with her.

  The footsteps faded. The front door slammed shut.

  She took charge. Smoke was choking her in the confined quarters: she stamped at the fire with her foot. She had to get them out. She unwound the string from the nails and pushed open the door. Outside, the green was full of police. They were re-checking every house. Was it was too late to return the child?

  Nerys knew her thoughts. ‘I won’t let them take her.’

  In the middle of the green was
n’t the place to pick a fight Nerys might win. ‘We can get out the back way. Get right away from the village. No-one will see us.’

  She picked the little girl up, stopping to grab a rune and heedlessly scattering others. Sowilo. She paused, shoved the rune in her pocket, packed a small bag with things she might need, and slipped out of the back door and through the small gate into the paddock behind the house. She knew what she must do, now. Keeping out of sight of the houses and the road, she followed the hedge-line away from the village.

  One thing was clear: she hadn’t the energy she had when she was younger. She couldn’t continue to fight Nerys while she believed she had a chance of having Bethan in her life: her love for the child had made her more determined, stronger. When she realised her strength, she might even prove to be undefeatable.

  Sowilo, the sun rune, was sacred to Balder, the beautiful god. Sacred to the solar wheel. At first sight, it seemed a puzzling choice. Health, wealth and happiness, and a contact with one’s higher self. As far as she was concerned, she was her higher self.

  The thought made her smile, despite her predicament. According to the rune, it was a time to use the sun’s energy for regeneration and to reveal secrets that were hidden. Sowilo also indicated creativity, and the spiritual power to resist disintegration. It was part of Hagal’s aett.

  It would take her several hours to carry a child the distance she had to travel. She’d have to rest on the way. It didn’t matter; there was no hurry. Regeneration. Resist disintegration. It was going to be a clear, cold night, and dawn would be the perfect time to use the sun’s energy to secure her future, her ascendancy over Nerys, once and for all.

  ***

  Smoke blackened the windows of the house with too-small windows. It crept under the doors and poured out of the chimney. Hot glass shattered and flames gushed from the broken panes.

  ‘Rhiannon…’ Alana began to run towards the house. A policeman grabbed her arm. ‘Stay where you are.’ He radioed a request for the fire brigade. ‘Stay there.’ He kicked open the door and staggered back as flame and smoke belched forth. ‘Who lives here? Who might be inside?’

  Another officer called to him. ‘I checked there earlier. No-one was home.’

  ‘Fires don’t start themselves.’

  She caught the policeman’s sleeve. ‘I think it’s only Rhiannon. I thought she had another woman living with her, Harriet said she had, but when I asked her she said she lived alone.’

  The officer disappeared into the house, followed by another.

  Greg had been searching the outbuildings of the house next door. ‘Did you say her name was Rhiannon?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Annie, Nerys’ sister’s name, was Rhiannon. It took me ages to find any record of her, and then she disappeared. They were brought up in this house. Did you see this other woman?’

  ‘I’m not sure. I saw a woman staring out of the window, one night. I thought she was Rhiannon, but she didn’t seem to recognise me, and she was a bit different, somehow. Rhiannon said she sleepwalked sometimes, and that’s why she may not have seen me. You think I saw her sister? You think Rhiannon is hiding Nerys?’

  Maddy had overheard them. ‘It would explain why she’s been so hard to trace if she wants to keep a low profile.’

  ‘Do you think Nerys has Saffy?’ The thought brought her to her knees.

  Greg knelt at her side and put his arm around her. ‘I don’t know what to think.’

  ‘It was the way she was staring through the window… just staring… waiting…’

  ‘For Bethan to come running across the green?’ Greg sounded as if he had the same wish.

  Maddy’s voice trembled. ‘Saffy’s the same age Bethan was. Your brain can make you see what you want to see, if you want it enough.’

  One of the police officers helped the other back outside. ‘Smoke’s too thick.’

  Alana leapt to her feet at the sudden realisation. ‘Saffy… Saffy could be inside!’ She shook off the officer’s hand and dashed into the house. Thick smoke choked her, her eyes watered. She couldn’t see a thing. ‘Saffy, Saffy!’

  ‘Alana, come back.’ Tony was at her side, coughing. ‘The fire brigade’s here. Breathing… apparatus. No point… killing yourself. Saffy needs her… mum.’

  He gripped her arm and dragged her outside. Fire officers pushed past them. She grabbed one of them. ‘My little girl… she may be in here.’

  He nodded and disappeared into the smoke.

  Tony steered her towards the door and out into the sunlight. He held her as she doubled up, coughing. ‘If she’s in there, Alana, they’ll find her.’

  Her last hope faded but she had to ask anyway. ‘She wasn’t with Mum?’

  ‘The police told me your Mum’s at home. She doesn’t have Saffy with her.’

  Hoses played on the roof and through the shattered windows. The villagers gathered together, waiting silently for the firemen to come out. Her heart pounded in her ears; bile rose in her throat. If Saffy was inside, she stood no chance. She waited between Greg and Tony. Maddy’s lips moved in silent prayer. Her own words echoed Maddy’s plea. ‘Please, God. Please, God.’

  The firemen appeared, ghostlike through the smoke, their arms empty. They removed their masks. ‘We’ve searched everywhere. There’s no-one inside.’

  Her knees went weak. Tony caught her as she collapsed.

  ***

  DC Flowers put down his cup. Alana looked from Tony to Dad, to Greg and back. Tony nodded encouragement.

  She took a sip of hot sweet tea. ‘There’s a lot you don’t know. It may not be relevant, but I can’t risk Saffy’s life on less than the whole truth. I’m sorry, Greg. I should have told you this before, as soon as I found out. I should have gone to the police straight away.’

  Maddy reached out and held Greg’s hand. Dad and Emma glanced at one another.

  She was glad Greg had Maddy. Would Emma stand by Dad? ‘I’m not who you think I am. My name was changed by deed poll, when I was about five.’

  DC Flowers expression didn’t waver. ‘So what was your name?’

  ‘I found the deed poll certificate some weeks ago, along with my birth certificate. I tackled Mum about it. She lied through her teeth, at first.’ She glanced at Dad and Greg, and lowered her eyes. ‘I was born Cadi Alana Ap Dafydd.’

  She waited for the bombshell to sink in. She looked up when no-one broke the silence. Dad looked stunned: he shook his head slowly from side to side. Emma stared at her. ‘I’m sorry, Dad.’

  Greg frowned as if trying to complete a jigsaw of a seascape with the pieces from a railway station. ‘You’re Cadi? But why… what…’

  ‘Did your mother explain what happened?’ Maddy, practical as ever.

  ‘She told me my real father, Dafydd, was abusive, and Siân had given me to her to protect me, and then they blamed my disappearance on Nerys. She said they’d forged Dafydd’s signature on the deed poll application.’

  Greg’s face betrayed his shock. ‘Nerys didn’t abduct Cadi. She was innocent.’

  ‘I’m so sorry. I should have told you. Mum lied to me. I got the full truth out of her at the weekend. A bill from a private investigator, amongst Siân’s papers, alerted me. Siân was still looking for me long after Dafydd died, long after there was a need for her to keep up a pretence to him. Mum was drunk when I got to her house. The truth is Siân didn’t give me away. Mum took me. She was jealous, you see. She couldn’t have a baby of her own.’

  DC Flowers leaned forward. ‘She actually confessed to abducting you?’

  ‘Yes. She stole my birth certificate, forged the deed poll application, everything. Then she fabricated a reason for falling out with Siân. They never saw each other again, though they were e-mailing each other just before Siân died.’

  ‘What were the e-mails about?’ DC Flowers was making notes. Maddy’s brow furrowed in concentration.

  ‘Mainly talk of a kitten. I think it may have been how Mum referred to me, the daug
hter she must have told Siân she’d given birth to after their falling out. I’m not sure. I can’t remember exactly what they said. They may have been talking about a real cat in the early letters.’

  ‘What letters?’

  ‘Letters I think were from Mum, shortly after Cadi, after I, was taken. They don’t say much but I’ll fetch them.’ She fetched the box of Siân’s papers and lifted them out.

  DC Flowers read them. ‘Can I keep these?’

  ‘Yes, if it helps. Maybe you can make sense of them.’

  He read the letters again and frowned. ‘Did either of them have a cat?’

  ‘I couldn’t say for sure. I don’t think I remember one, but I was only three at the time. Dad?’

  Dad stood, frozen. ‘No… I don’t think there was a cat. Alana… Greg, what can I say? I knew your mother had been framed… I should have… I should have gone to the police years ago. I couldn’t do it. I loved Gweneth and it was my fault we couldn’t have a child. I didn’t want to lose her, her or Alana.’

  Emma looked as if she’d walked into someone else’s nightmare and couldn’t wait to wake up. Tears streamed down her face.

  ‘Maybe, they’d have made up if Siân hadn’t died. She wouldn’t have suspected I was her daughter. I didn’t even know she existed until she left me The Haggard in her will.’

  Greg stared at Dad. ‘You let my mother go to jail.’

  She spared Dad having to explain. He was in enough trouble. ‘Mum told him a lie too. He went along with the deception, thinking he was protecting me from Dafydd, with Siân’s knowledge. He wasn’t the only one. It seems half the village was involved. They framed Nerys, testified against her, using the cot deaths and Bethan’s disappearance to shift the blame.’

  DC Flowers looked deep in thought. ‘It doesn’t mean Nerys didn’t kill Bethan.’

  Her conversation with Elin still haunted her. ‘But if she didn’t, and she knew this was a conspiracy to frame her… Elin Davis was one of the conspirators. She knew I knew. I think that’s why she killed herself. She said she’d rather be dead than go to jail. Mair and Non were conspirators as well, and they’re both dead. Siân probably thought Nerys had taken Cadi… me… because Bethan had gone missing and the balance of her mind was disturbed.’ She rubbed a hand over her scalp. ‘I don’t know. Talking about it now, some of it doesn’t make much sense.’