Lost Child: A Gripping Psychological Thriller

by D. S. Butler

  He reached over to grip my hand. “I didn’t know what Pippa had done. You have to believe me.”

  I nodded slowly. I did believe him. At one point, I’d thought him capable of abducting his own daughter, but I didn’t mention that. As things had unravelled, it became clear to me that Daniel had no idea what Pippa had done. I still found it hard to believe she’d managed to get away with it, hiding Jenna beneath our noses for all that time. It was hard to comprehend.

  “When did she tell you?”

  Daniel rubbed his hands over his face. “I found out the same day as you. She told me she had a surprise for me… And I had no idea. She started talking about family and children, and I thought she was going to say she wanted us to get married and start a family, but I couldn’t, not after Jenna. I tried to let her down gently, but she flipped and screamed at me. She said Jenna was upstairs. I didn’t believe her at first. I’ve been inside that house so many times…and I never knew.”

  “The room was soundproofed,” I said. “But didn’t you think it was odd that room was locked.”

  He leant back against his pillows and shook his head. “No. Maybe I should have, but she said she used the room for storage. Could you pass me that glass of water.”

  He nodded to the glass on the nightstand. I passed him the water and waited for him to finish drinking and continue.

  “She must have put tablets in my drink. I didn’t realise she’d drugged me until it was too late. When she told me about Jenna, I tried to get upstairs, but I could barely move. I was sure she was going to kill me.” He shook his head. “I never suspected her for a moment. She was always so sympathetic.”

  The question I wanted to ask Daniel was a difficult one, but I had to know.

  “Pippa said Kate stole you from her.”

  Daniel looked incredulous. “Stole me?”

  I nodded. “Were you seeing Pippa when Kate was still alive?”

  I held my breath as I waited for him to reply, but I think deep down, I already knew the answer.

  Daniel paled and blinked rapidly as he turned away. After a pause, he answered, “Yes, we had a fling. It didn’t mean anything.”

  “It clearly meant something to Pippa,” I said cuttingly and felt resentment burning in my stomach. If he’d managed to keep it in his pants, maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe Kate would still be alive.

  I closed my eyes. Recriminations weren’t going to help now.

  “I know you’re right,” he said, his voice almost a whisper. “I’ll regret it for as long as I live.”

  “What did she mean by saying Kate stole you from her, though? Were you seeing Pippa first?”

  Daniel shook his head. “No, it was nothing like that. Pippa and I went on a few dates when we were in the sixth form at school, but it was nothing serious. I loved Kate. I was an idiot to have a fling with Pippa, but it only lasted a few weeks, and then I ended it because I thought Kate was getting suspicious. I told Pippa that day at the fête that she had to stopped calling me…”

  His voice trailed away as I stared at him. “I guess we know why Pippa chose that day to take Jenna, then.”

  I’d intended to come here and build bridges with Daniel, but it was hard. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at him.

  “I know what you did, Beth.”

  I turned back to him. “What do you mean?”

  “You could have left me there to rot. The doctor said if you hadn’t made me sick, more of the drugs would have passed into my bloodstream, and I probably wouldn’t be here now.” His intense gaze met mine. “I’m sorry.”

  The ward was starting to feel stuffy, and I glanced at the large sash window, wondering whether I’d get told off for pushing it open. “One thing, I couldn’t work out was why you transferred money to Dawn.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “The police said they saw money transferred from your account to Dawn’s. They checked your bank statements.”

  Daniel frowned and rubbed his forehead. “I have no idea how that is possible unless Pippa used my computer.”

  “But your online banking must be protected by a password.”

  Daniel looked sheepish. “The computer remembers my login ID, and the password is Jenna’s name and the year she was born.”

  “You should probably change that,” I said, shaking my head.

  A nurse came over to check Daniel’s vital signs. “One last check, Mr Creswell,” she said. “Then, you’ll be able to go home this afternoon.”

  “I’ll leave you to it,” I said, standing up. “When do you want to pick up Jenna?”

  “I think it might be better if she stays with you tonight, and I’ll pick her up tomorrow. I’ll come around to see her just as soon as they let me out of here, though.”

  I nodded. “I’ll let Mum know.”

  I was deep in thought as I left the ward, still angry and hurt by Daniel’s behaviour. Our wounds and past hurts weren’t healed, but we were both trying. No matter what Daniel or I had done in the past, we had to ignore our personal grievances and get along for Jenna’s sake.

  My throat was dry, and my head ached. I decided to grab a coffee before I got a taxi home. When I entered the cafe area near the main entrance, I saw Dawn.

  She was alone, with no police escorts. As far as I knew, she still had to be questioned in relation to Jenna’s abduction. As I waited in the queue to pay for my cup of coffee, I could feel the weight of Dawn’s gaze.

  When I’d been served, I carried my coffee across the room and stood beside Dawn’s table.

  She raised her head slowly until her dark eyes met mine.

  “I’ve just been visiting my mother,” she said. “She had a relapse, and they had to bring her back in.”

  I put my coffee cup on the table and sat down opposite Dawn. “I’m sorry. Is she going to be all right?”

  Dawn nodded. “They think so. They’ve put her on one of those IV drip things. She was dehydrated.” She looked at me nervously and licked her lips. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’ve just been to see Daniel.”

  “I heard what happened. Is he all right?”

  “Not really, Dawn. He’s just had his stomach pumped and looks like death warmed up, thanks to Pippa.” I wanted to add thanks to you as well, but I managed to bite my tongue.

  “She’s evil,” Dawn said. “Absolutely evil.”

  I took a deep breath and asked, “How did you find out Pippa had Jenna?” I had to know. The truth might be brutal, but I had to know if Pippa had been telling the truth and Dawn had known since the day Jenna went missing.

  Dawn’s face crumpled in distress. “I saw Jenna with Pippa at the fête. She was carrying her towards the car park, but I didn’t think anything of it until after everyone was searching for her.”

  “Why didn’t you tell the police what you’d seen?”

  “I wasn’t sure she’d actually taken her, and when I asked Pippa, she threatened me. She said horrible things to me. I was scared.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me? You sent me the photograph of Jenna. Why not just tell me that Pippa had her?”

  Dawn shook her head and played with the empty paper cup in front of her. “I didn’t want people to find out it was me telling you. She said she was going to do something awful if I told anyone.”

  My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out. It was just Mum asking me to pick up some groceries on the way home. I replied to her text message and put the phone back in my pocket.

  I lifted the coffee cup to my lips and took a sip, hoping the caffeine would go some way to easing my headache. “I wish you had told me earlier,” I said simply.

  Dawn bowed her head as fat tear drops rolled down her cheeks and hit the table top. “So do I.”

  Chapter Forty-Six

  A week passed. We struggled to get our lives back to normal, but I wasn’t sure what normal was anymore.

  Jenna was now living with Daniel, but they weren’t far away, and Mum and I saw
Jenna frequently. Daniel had organised some compassionate leave from work so he could help Jenna settle back into a routine. When he was due to go back to work, Mum had agreed to help out as she had before.

  Jenna would be going to school in September, and Mum would pick her up after school and look after her until Daniel finished work.

  Considering the fraught and emotional tension between us, I was getting along well with Daniel. I’d promised Mum I wouldn’t raise the money issue again, and I planned on staying in Woodstock. Now that we had Jenna back, I couldn’t imagine leaving.

  Understandably, Jenna was still very confused. She didn’t like groups of people and hated wide-open spaces. We were all worried about how she would react when she started school in September, but we would cross that bridge when we came to it.

  Jenna had pointed to a photograph of Kate a couple of days ago and asked who it was. We probably didn’t handle the situation well, telling Jenna it was her mother only confused her. Helping Jenna to adapt was a learning process, and we had a long way to go.

  All of us, our whole dysfunctional family, had enrolled in therapy sessions. Jenna would still see the child psychologist on her own, but we would work through any issues as a family.

  We had to judge carefully how much to tell Jenna. Was it better to get the whole truth out in the open now, or should we let her settle in and feel secure in our family unit before telling her what had happened? It was a balancing act, but we would muddle through together.

  I planned to pop around to deliver some bread and milk to Mrs Taverne before Sergeant Parker was due to visit and give us an update on the case against Pippa.

  When I left the house, I spotted Marjorie Parsons pottering about in her front garden.

  It was good to see her up and about again. After her relapse, we were all concerned that she might not make it.

  I waved at her as I passed and called out good morning, but I didn’t pause to chat because I wanted to get Mrs Taverne’s shopping and get back home before Sergeant Parker arrived.

  I bought the bread and milk in the Co-op, glancing at the newspapers, which all had the same headline. Robin Vaughan had been charged. He’d had nothing to do with Jenna’s abduction, but he’d been charged for his crimes. No doubt his trial would bring a media circus to our little town, but it would be worth it to see him punished.

  After paying for the shopping, I walked along the High Street towards Mrs Taverne’s house. I wondered if I would ever be able to look at Pippa’s house again without shivering and feeling revulsion. I was still some distance away when I spotted the police cars.

  My pace quickened. The police presence had already drawn a crowd.

  “What’s going on?” I asked to no one in particular when I reached a group of people waiting beside a police cordon.

  “They’re digging up the back garden,” a young girl, who was leaning on the handles of the pushchair, replied.

  “Why?”

  She shrugged as the young child in the pushchair began to cry. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re looking for bodies.”

  I shuddered.

  “She reached down to put a dummy in the toddler’s mouth and then looked back up at me, narrowing her eyes. “I recognise you. Aren’t you—?”

  “Sorry, I have to go.” I pushed my way through the crowd to get to Mrs Taverne’s front door.

  Thankfully it wasn’t long before she opened it. She must have seen me from her sitting room window.

  “Did the police tell you what this is about?” I gestured to the police cars parked on the road behind me and handed her the small bag of shopping.

  She shook her head. “I’ve no idea. They turned up an hour ago. I can see them working in the garden from the upstairs window. Do you want to take a look?”

  I hesitated, feeling sick. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to look. But after a moment, I nodded and followed Mrs Taverne inside.

  She put the bag of shopping in the kitchen and then led the way to the box room. I climbed the stairs behind her, feeling more nervous with each step. I had a horrible feeling I knew why they were digging up the garden.

  Mrs Taverne and I stood side-by-side in the small box room and looked out of the window. Neither of us spoke for a long time. The garden was swarming with forensics officers wearing white suits that covered every inch of their body. The patio slabs had been lifted, and the previously perfect lawn now looked like a muddy row of trenches.

  Mrs Taverne put a hand on my arm. “It’s hard to believe evil can be carried out so close to home.”

  I turned away from the window. “I’m sorry I can’t stay long today. I’m expecting a visit from the police. They are going to give us an update.”

  Mrs Taverne nodded. “Of course, I understand.”

  “Will you be all right here with all this going on outside?”

  Mrs Taverne gave me a smile. “If the noise bothers me, I can always turn down my hearing aids. It’s one of the benefits of getting old.”

  I left Mrs Taverne’s and walked home slowly. Pulling out my mobile phone, I opened the Facebook app and checked my messages. There were no new ones, but I clicked on the message from Mark’s sister and felt tears prick the corner of my eyes.

  We’d had a happy ending. Getting Jenna back was the best possible outcome for us, but for others, like Mark’s sister, this story would have a tragic ending.

  When I got back home, I told Mum what I’d seen, and so we were both prepared when Sergeant Parker came to talk to us an hour later.

  Sergeant Leanne Parker’s face was grave as she accepted Mum’s offer of a cup of tea and sat down at the kitchen table.

  “I know you’re going to have lots of questions for me. I’ll do my best to answer them all. But first, tell me, how is Jenna doing?”

  Mum switched the kettle on to boil and then turned around to face Sergeant Parker. “She’s doing very well under the circumstances. She’s a resilient little thing. We are the ones walking around on eggshells. But Daniel says she slept right through for the past two nights. No nightmares.”

  Sergeant Parker ran a hand through her hair and smiled. “That’s good news. We’ve had reports from the child psychologist about Jenna’s progress. She seems to be adapting well, but these sorts of things can have long-term consequences.”

  Mum nodded. “We’re prepared for that.”

  After Mum made the tea and set the teapot on the table, Sergeant Parker got down to business.

  “Pippa has made a partial confession, which is good news. That’s going to make it easier for us to charge her. It’s not going to be smooth sailing, though. I have to warn you that she is going to probably say all sorts of things about Kate being a bad mother during her defence.”

  Mum put the milk jug down on the table a little harder than was necessary. “That’s absolute rubbish.”

  Sergeant Parker nodded. “Absolutely. I doubt her trying to use that in her defence is going to sway anyone, but I think it’s best that you’re prepared.”

  As Mum began to pour the tea, I asked, “I visited Mrs Taverne earlier. She lives next door to Pippa.”

  “So you probably want to know why the police were there again earlier?”

  “I saw you had a team digging up the garden.”

  Sergeant Parker took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, I’m sorry to tell you we found a body buried beneath the patio.”

  Mum covered her mouth with her hands, and I looked down at the table.

  “It’s Mark, isn’t it?” I asked. “He didn’t move away. She killed him.”

  Sergeant Parker rested her forearms on the table and looked at Mum and me in turn. “We believe it is Mark’s body, but we don’t have the full story yet. At this stage, Pippa is refusing to talk about Mark.”

  “What made you dig up the garden then? I got a message from Mark’s sister last week. She said they’d been estranged for a while. Did she contact you?”

  Sergeant Parker shook her head. “We got the information from D
awn.”

  “Dawn?” Mum’s forehead wrinkled in confusion.

  “Yes, in fact, that’s how Pippa blackmailed Dawn into keeping quiet about Jenna. We don’t yet know the timeline, but we think Pippa poisoned Mark soon after Jenna was abducted. It’s possible he objected strongly, and that’s why Pippa took action. According to Dawn, she stored his body in a chest freezer.”

  I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. A chest freezer. “The one Pippa had in her garden lodge? That was why she didn’t want to work out there anymore.”

  Sergeant Parker nodded once. “We’re going to run some forensic tests on the freezer, which will give us more answers we hope. Dawn said Pippa showed her Mark’s frozen body and threatened that if she went to the police or uttered a word about Jenna’s abduction, Pippa would tell everybody that Dawn was involved and had helped to abduct Jenna and poison Mark.”

  Sergeant Parker paused for a moment to let her words sink in, and I leant back in my chair, reeling.

  Mum shook her head. “But that’s ridiculous. It was an empty threat. Why didn’t Dawn just come forward? No one would have believed she was involved.”

  “Pippa is a strong character. I have no doubt she manipulated Dawn and held some power over her. She gave Dawn gifts but also threatened her. She promised Dawn’s mother would end up like Mark unless Dawn cooperated.”

  “How awful,” Mum said and picked up her cup of tea to take a sip.

  Maybe I should have felt sorry for Dawn. She was easily led, and despite everything, she’d taken a risk to send me the photograph of Jenna. But I couldn’t help thinking, that if she had come clean sooner, all the tragic events that followed could have been avoided.

  I wanted to forgive her and was grateful she had sent the photograph, but if she had spoken up when it happened, Kate might still be alive.