Lost Child: A Gripping Psychological Thriller

by D. S. Butler

  “Hello, I hope you don’t mind me popping in like this. I bought the flowers to welcome Beth back to Woodstock,” she said brightly.

  Mum seemed stunned into silence.

  I stepped forward, smiling at Pippa. “That’s very kind of you.”

  Mum finally regained her voice. “I’ll put these in some water.” Her tone was cold, and she didn’t invite Pippa in, which was odd. Mum was usually polite to a fault.

  But Pippa wasn’t easily deterred. She hovered on the doorstep like a vampire who couldn’t come in until you invited her.

  “Do you have time for a cup of tea?” I asked.

  Her smile broadened. “I’d love one. It will give us a chance to catch up. I can’t wait to hear all your news.”

  She followed me into the kitchen, where Mum was shoving the flowers into a vase haphazardly. More odd behaviour. Mum loved flowers, and it wasn’t unheard of for her to take over half an hour just to arrange them, but today, she selected an old chipped vase from under the sink.

  Within thirty seconds, she had shoved all of the stems into the vase and placed the vase on the windowsill, brushing her hands together as though to say good riddance.

  Pippa’s eyes darted from Mum to me and back again. I could tell something was going on here, undercurrents of something that had happened in the past. I made a mental note to ask Mum about it later as I filled the kettle.

  Pippa hovered beside the kitchen counter, clasping her hands together and looking around nervously.

  I nodded at the table. “Why don’t you sit down? Is normal tea okay for you?”

  Pippa sank down into a chair at the table and nodded thankfully. “Normal tea will be great.”

  “Milk? Sugar?” I asked as I rummaged in the cupboard for another mug.

  “Just a splash of milk, thanks.”

  Mum hesitated by the doorway, and for a moment, I thought she was going to walk away and leave me alone to deal with Pippa. That certainly meant something serious had gone on between them, but in the end, Mum pulled out a chair at the end of the table —as far away from Pippa as she could get— and sat down.

  “So, tell me about Dubai,” Pippa said. “I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

  I poured the boiling water in the teapot and then turned around to face Pippa.

  “It’s been going well. I’ve got a nice job, and the sun shines most of the time.”

  “It must be nice not to pay tax!” Pippa said.

  “Yes, it certainly makes a difference to my take-home pay.”

  “Did you go to the church meeting this morning?” Pippa asked turning to Mum.

  Mum shook her head. “No, I had other things to do this morning.”

  “Oh, that is unusual for you. You never usually miss your church meetings.”

  Mum didn’t reply, and an awkward silence followed.

  “That was my fault,” I said bringing the teapot over to the table. “Mum had to stay in and wait for a SIM card to be delivered for me as I went to Oxford to pick up a new phone.”

  “Oh, what happened to your old one?”

  Mum and I exchanged a look. I didn’t want to tell Pippa anything about Jenna, and I was absolutely certain that Mum didn’t want to share the news by the way she was reacting.

  “My old phone stopped working, and I decided a UK based SIM card would be cheaper to use while I was back.”

  Pippa nodded. “That makes sense. There’s no point in paying more for your phone calls than you have to. So, do you have any idea how long you’ll be staying? The weather is not too bad today, but it’s been cold over the last few weeks. I bet you are already missing that Dubai sunshine.”

  “I’m not sure how long I’ll be staying yet,” I said and pushed a little jug of milk towards Pippa so she could add her own.

  Pippa reached for the milk. “How strange. Didn’t you have to book your holiday before you came home?”

  “My employer is very flexible,” I said, hoping that would shut Pippa down. It really wasn’t any of her business.

  I took a sip of my tea and tried to work out what was going on with Mum. She was staring stonily down at the table and looked about as furious as I had ever seen her.

  “It must be nice to have such an understanding boss,” Pippa said.

  “My boss can be a slave driver.” She grinned at her own joke. Pippa ran her own business making scented candles. She had done very well for herself after she launched the candles on the Internet. In fact, when Jenna was a year old, Kate had started to work for Pippa part-time.

  Pippa took a sip of her tea and then said, “I just wanted to say that if you need anything, you only have to ask.” She turned to look at Mum, who was avoiding eye contact. “Day or night, you know where to find me.”

  My hands tightened around my mug of tea. Did she know about Jenna’s photograph? Was that why she was offering support now? And if she did know about the photograph, who had told her? As far as I knew, only Mum, Daniel, the police and I knew about it.

  I glanced over at Mum, wanting to know what was going on, but Mum was staring at her tea as though it were the most fascinating thing in the world.

  I wasn’t about to make a scene in front of Pippa, so I said, “That’s very kind of you, thanks.”

  Pippa spent the next ten minutes telling us about the latest launch of her lavender candles. I tried to smile and ask questions in the right places and made encouraging noises as she chattered on.

  “Well, I’d better not keep you all afternoon.” She peered towards the kitchen window. “Those grey clouds are looking menacing. I hung my washing out earlier. I’d better get back before it gets drenched.”

  I walked with her to the front door.

  “Is your mother okay?” Pippa asked in a whisper as we got to the front door.

  I nodded stiffly. “Yes.”

  She reached out to touch my arm. “Don’t hesitate to ask if you need help.”

  Again, I nodded. Pippa had been a very close friend of Kate’s, and it was kind of her to look out for me.

  “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

  I closed the door behind Pippa and paused with my hand on the wood panelling. That had certainly been an interesting visit. I had no idea what was going on between Mum and Pippa, but I was certain something was causing the tension in the air during Pippa’s visit. I turned away from the door and headed back to the kitchen, my mind full of questions to ask my mother.

  Chapter Seventeen

  When I walked back into the kitchen, I asked, “So, are you going to tell me what that was all about?” I picked up our empty mugs and carried them over to the dishwasher.

  “What do you mean?” Mum looked the picture of innocence.

  “You know what I mean. I want to know what’s going on between you and Pippa. The tension between the two of you was so thick I could have cut it with a knife.”

  Mum shook her head and looked irritable. “Are you going to load the dishwasher or shall I do it?”

  I threw the remnants of the tea into the sink and pulled open the dishwasher.

  “I’m doing it, but you’re not going to get out of giving me an explanation by changing the subject. Tell me why you were so upset with her.”

  “I’m not upset,” Mum said. “I just don’t particularly like her.”

  She took the mugs out of my hand, pulled out the top drawer of the dishwasher and placed them at the back before shutting the door firmly.

  “But you like everyone! And even if you don’t, you’re still polite to them anyway. I mean, you’re always polite to Mrs Blythe who lives on the other end of Rectory Lane and nobody likes her. She is the most awful gossip.”

  Mum sighed. “I suppose it’s just because I’m stressed today, and I’m not very good at being polite under these circumstances.”

  Her words made me feel bad. I reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have pressed you. I just want you to know you can share things with me. I know I wasn’t much help
to you right after… it all happened, but you can rely on me now. I’m not going to fall apart.”

  “I know,” she said with a smile. “I’m very glad you’re home.”

  I avoided talking about Pippa after that. I was still certain something had gone on between them, but it was equally clear that Mum didn’t want to talk about it.

  I did suggest calling the police, though, to find out if they had any fresh information. But Mum said we should give them time to get on with the job. She did agree that if they didn’t telephone us by four thirty, we would call Detective Sergeant Leanne Parker for an update.

  After we’d eaten lunch, and cleaned the kitchen, I had nothing to do and was going stir crazy. There were plenty of books in the house, but my mind couldn’t focus on reading. Despite the forecast predicting rain, when I stepped outside and looked up, I could only see a few puffy white clouds in an otherwise bright blue sky.

  I headed along Rectory Lane, in the opposite direction to the Parsons’s house. I really didn’t want to run into Dawn again today. I was keen to avoid her mother, too, because I didn’t need a guilt trip right now. I wished I hadn’t said I’d try to speak to Dawn. It was the last thing I wanted to do.

  I didn’t see anyone I knew as I walked the familiar streets. The town was strangely quiet today, almost empty of tourists, which was very unusual for this time of year. I paused beside the Woodstock Gallery and gazed in the window. The shop was empty. I’d always loved the small, eclectic shops in Woodstock. It was thanks to the tourists and their custom that we had the shops at all.

  Heading away from the High Street, I walked towards the steps that led down to the main road when I noticed a group of people hanging around and blocking the pathway.

  The stone staircase, which was surrounded by greenery, was normally a picturesque and peaceful spot in the town, but today, it was anything but peaceful.

  People were jostling each other for position on the steps. Angry voices murmured in discontent, and I heard hoarsely whispered accusations. I had no idea who they were talking about.

  I found and took a few steps closer to the group. That was when I noticed they were standing outside the tall stone walls surrounding Robin Vaughan’s residence.

  “What’s going on?” I asked a short, round woman with curly hair.

  She turned around and faced me with a scowl. With a jerking movement, she pushed her hair back out of her eyes. “It’s that dirty bastard. It’s been in the papers.”

  “What has?”

  The woman either hadn’t heard my question or was ignoring me. She turned around to talk to the man beside her. I jumped in surprise when a tall man hammered against the large wooden gate nestled in the stone wall. “You can’t hide in there forever!”

  I tried again, asking somebody else this time. “What is it? What has Robin Vaughan done?”

  A man with grey hair turned around and looked at me. His upper lip curled in a sneer as he leant heavily on his walking stick. “He’s a pervert. He was arrested last week, but it’s only just come out in the newspaper this morning. He’s hiding in there now.” He pointed at the wooden gate with his walking stick.

  I felt a jolt of adrenaline as the man who had been banging on the gate now kicked it with his boot.

  “Don’t do any damage,” somebody called out. “He’ll call the police.”

  “Fat lot of good the police are,” the man said kicking the gate again to show his contempt. “The bastard has been living under our noses for God knows how long. He should never have been allowed to live here in the first place.”

  The woman with the curly hair I’d spoken to first said, “I thought it was suspicious when he wanted to put up this wall. Just think of all the things he could have been doing to children while hiding behind this wall all this time.”

  My throat constricted and I put a hand against my chest. “Children…” My voice sounded raspy. “What children… Who?”

  Somebody shoved a copy of the local paper into my hands, and I saw Robin Vaughan’s picture splashed on the front cover. Before I could read any more than the headline, the elderly man with the walking stick turned to look at me.

  “You look familiar… Don’t I know you?”

  Before he could ask me any more questions, I turned around and walked away, clutching the paper. I couldn’t stay there. Blood was roaring in my ears and my chest was so tight I couldn’t breathe properly. I had to get home and read the article. From skimming the first few lines, it was clear Robin Vaughan had been arrested for the possession of indecent images of children.

  He was there that day at the fête. I could picture him clearly, remembering him holding court, surrounded by teenagers and wearing that horrible lairy shirt.

  Had he taken Jenna? Had she been that close to us all this time? I tried to swallow away the urge to vomit. What had he done to her? And why had the police not told us about this?

  When I reached the corner of Rectory Lane, I leant against the wall and threw up in the gutter. Bitter bile burned the back of my throat.

  When I got my breath back, I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand and took off at a run. I needed to get home. I didn’t want anybody else to tell Mum about this. It was going to crucify her.

  I pushed open the front door and staggered into the house, Mum immediately knew something was wrong.

  Her hands flew up to her mouth and her eyes widened. “What is it? What has happened?”

  I showed her the newspaper. “Robin Vaughan has been arrested on child pornography charges.”

  I didn’t say any more. I didn’t have to. I knew Mum would think exactly the same as me. Had Robin Vaughan had something to do with Jenna’s disappearance?

  Mum pulled the newspaper from my hand and began to read. I walked into the kitchen and picked up the telephone.

  Mum looked over her shoulder. “Who are you calling?”

  “The police. I want to know why they didn’t tell us we had a child sex offender living down the road.”

  Mum covered her mouth with her hand and smothered a sob as she looked back down at the article.

  Infuriatingly, I couldn’t get through to Detective Sergeant Leanne Parker or Detective Inspector Sharp. I left a message demanding they call me back as soon as they were free and then hung up.

  I was so angry. How could they have not told us about this? How long had they known or suspected Robin Vaughan?

  I felt the urge to vomit again and pressed a hand to my stomach. I clutched the side of the kitchen counter as black spots danced in front of my eyes. After a few deep breaths, I managed to stagger over to a kitchen chair and sat down resting my head in my hands.

  “I’m going to phone Daniel,” Mum said in a shaky voice. “He’s going to need to know about this development. I don’t want him to hear about it from anyone else.”

  Despite the tremor in her voice, she sounded strangely calm. I had a lump in my throat the size of a golf ball and couldn’t respond, so I just nodded.

  Mum took the cordless telephone out into the sitting room while I stayed in the kitchen and pulled the newspaper towards me. I poured over the article, looking for any little details or clues that might tell me whether Jenna was one of his victims. I held the newspaper so tightly that my fingers scrunched the edges. The sick bastard. I wanted to tear him limb from limb.

  I could hear the murmur of Mum’s voice as she talked to Daniel, and I could only imagine his reaction. It would crucify him, and he’d be finding out about it while he was at work. It was unimaginable.

  Mum returned to the kitchen, clutching the telephone in front of her. I looked up and met her gaze.

  “It can’t have been easy to make that phone call. Did you tell him I tried to call the police? He might have better luck.”

  “He already knew,” Mum said.

  All her poise from just moments ago disappeared. She put the phone down on the table and then sank into the seat opposite me. She shook her head. “The police had already told him before t
he article was published.”

  I frowned. “Then why didn’t he tell you? Why did he let you find out this way?”

  Mum blinked away tears. “I don’t know.”

  I’d recovered from my dizzy spell and now I felt flooded with angry energy. I got to my feet, clutching my fists at my sides. “The thoughtless bastard.”

  “Don’t, Beth. It doesn’t help.”

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry but I’m done feeling sorry for him. He knew about this, and he didn’t even bother to tell you. He let you find out from a newspaper article. What sort of person could do something like that?”

  Mum closed her eyes and shook her head slightly.

  I continued, “I thought I was being unreasonable and holding a grudge against him just because I don’t like him, but I was right. He is horrible.”

  Mum didn’t contradict me.

  “After everything you did for him and Kate. Taking them in when he couldn’t support his own family!”

  “You know I was happy for them to live here, Beth. That doesn’t have anything to do with it.”

  “It has everything to do with it. He was more than happy to let you look after Jenna for hours each day when Kate went back to work. You spent much more time with Jenna than he ever did. He probably only saw her for a maximum of thirty minutes during the week. You were the one who spent all that time with her. He knew how much you loved her, and he didn’t even bother to let you know that Robin Vaughan had been arrested for possessing child pornography!”

  Mum’s shoulders shook in a silent sob, and I felt like the most evil person in the world. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you even more. It just makes me so furious that he could do that.”

  I walked forward and put my arms around Mum, crouching by her side. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have flown off the handle like that.”

  “It’s upsetting he didn’t tell us,” Mum said with a sniff. “But we can’t focus on that now. Maybe Daniel just forgot. He’s got a lot on his mind. Maybe he thought the police would have told us…”