by Sophie King
NEWS HEADLINES
Australian train crash – British parents’ agony.
Baby snatched from private nursery.
55
Caroline was staring at the latest headlines on her screen, ‘CARNAGE ON FAST TRAIN FROM DARWIN’, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Diana’s beautifully made-up face was soft as she’d never seen it before. ‘I’ve just heard about Annabel,’ she said. Caroline felt herself being steered towards Diana’s office. ‘Sit down.’ Her editor shut the door and went to the cupboard on the wall. ‘You should have told me before.’
Caroline didn’t normally drink whisky. ‘It’s personal stuff and, besides, you were away. I only came into the office because I had to get out of the house. I can’t achieve anything by sitting at home with my husband ringing every now and then, insisting that no news is good news.’
‘I might be able to do something,’ said Diana, picking up the phone. ‘I can call our sister magazine in Sydney. As you know, they’re part of a newspaper group. They might know something.’ She pushed across a notepad. ‘Write down her personal details. Name. Date of birth.’ She hesitated. ‘Identity marks might help too.’
Caroline raised her face. ‘She had a birthmark just behind her right ear. My mother had it too. When she was born, Mum was amazed.’ She wiped away a tear.
‘It’s all right to cry. Is there anyone you’d like me to call?’
Mark. He was the only person she wanted to talk to. Not Roger, the man with whom she had made Annabel. And not Jeff.
‘No.’ Her voice was scratchy with grief. And then she began to howl.
So much was going wrong with the world. Someone had taken a baby from a nursery in Northamptonshire and there had been another terrible explosion in Jerusalem, killing a busload of schoolchildren. At any other time, Caroline would have felt distraught for their parents – Jeff had always joked that she was too soft to be a journalist – but all she could think of was her daughter.
She and Roger hadn’t wanted Annabel to do a gap year and now the worst had happened.
‘It’s not the worst,’ argued Jeff, who came round that night in support. ‘We don’t know. And your sister’s right. There’s no point in flying out yet. She’ll be there by now. We’ve got to sit tight and wait for the phone to ring.’
‘She’d have called if she was OK,’ sniffed Georgie.
Jeff gave her a cuddle. ‘You teenagers don’t always have the sense of responsibility that we do.’
Ben was lighting a cigarette, which wasn’t normally allowed in the kitchen. ‘I’ve sent her a text and emailed. She’ll pick it up when she gets to a cybercafé. Look, I’ve got my shift now. See you later, OK?’
Caroline gathered up their mugs from the dining-table. She needed to do something or she’d get hysterical again, like she had in Diana’s office. Once, she’d interviewed a psychologist who had admitted that after her divorce she had spent hours scrubbing the kitchen floor because it made her feel in control of her life.
Carefully, Caroline put her mug on the left-hand side of the dishwasher and Roger’s opposite. As she did so, she felt his hand on her shoulder and moved away angrily. ‘I can’t believe you’re so calm.’
‘There’s no point in freaking out until you know for certain.’
He pressed his head against the kitchen counter and, for a second, Caroline detected fear in his eyes. ‘Maybe it’s the way I cope, Caro. A kind of self-protection, if you like.’
‘It’s not how I work,’ she said acidly, no longer caring that Georgie was in listening range.
He nodded. ‘Part of our problem, isn’t it?’
She put on the dishwasher; its calm, rhythmic sound belonged to another world. ‘Come on, Georgie, it’s bedtime.’
‘I’m not going, Mum. Not until we know something.’
‘Georgie.’ Jeff’s voice was calm. ‘Mum’s right. And Dad. It might take a while to find out where your sister is. And you’ve got school tomorrow. If you go up now, I’ll see if I can get those tickets you wanted for the Darkness.’
Georgie brightened. ‘Really?’
‘Really. Up you go now.’
She clattered up the stairs as Caroline’s mobile reverberated in her back pocket. Fumbling, she dropped it on to the floor, then retrieved it. ‘Hello?’
‘It’s Mark. Look, sorry to ring you at home but there’s something I need to tell you.’
Quickly, she switched it off.
‘Who was that?’
‘Work. I can’t take it now.’
Roger eyed her mobile. ‘Shouldn’t you keep it on in case Annabel rings?’
‘There’s the house phone and your mobile.’
He shrugged. ‘I never have it on.’
‘Why not?’ asked Jeff.
‘In case his girlfriend rings and I answer it,’ said Caroline, sharply.
‘There’s no need to be nasty, Caroline.’
‘Nasty!’ She almost laughed. ‘You’re the one who was nasty. You’re the one who—’
‘Stop it, both of you. It’s not helping and Georgie might hear you. Look, I know this is awful but you have to pull together. We’ve done what we can and—’
‘Phone!’ Georgie was charging downstairs but Caroline got there first.
‘Janie? . . . Really? . . . You’re sure? . . . But when? . . . No, I can’t wait . . . I’m sorry but I can’t. Roger said he’d try and book tickets, but I’m getting on the first available flight . . . Yes, speak in the morning.’
They were all looking at her. ‘She wasn’t there. Not in the – the morgue. Or the hospital. But they’re still bringing in bodies.
I want to be with her, Roger.’ Her eyes filled with tears again. ‘And if you don’t want to come with me, I’ll go on my own.’
Her husband stared at her. ‘You’re not the only one affected, you know.’
He went out of the room. Seconds later, she heard the front door slam.
‘He’s not leaving us again, is he?’ Georgie was white and pinched.
Again? How much had she been aware of the first time?
‘No, he’s getting some air. Jeff, I’ll see you out.’ She paused at the door. ‘Thanks for being here,’ she said quietly.
‘Roger’s doing his best, you know. He just finds it hard to show his feelings. Always has done.’
‘Well, he didn’t have any problems showing his feelings to that woman, did he?’
‘Caro, this isn’t the time to think about that.’
‘Isn’t it?’ Her eyes pricked with hot tears. ‘Actually, I think it is. It’s only when you go through this sort of thing that you can see everything else in a real light.’
Something flickered in his eyes and she knew she’d struck a chord. ‘I can see what you mean, but don’t do anything rash. Let’s get through this first.’
‘What are you doing here?’ asked Diana, when she went into the office the following day. Briefly, Caroline gave her an update. ‘Roger’s at home. He’ll tell me if something happens and I had to do something or I thought I’d go mad.’ She hesitated. ‘To be honest, I couldn’t bear being near him. He’s really getting on my nerves.’
Diana nodded. ‘I felt like that when my marriage ended.’
Caroline flushed. ‘I don’t mean that—’
‘Look, you don’t have to explain. Actually, I’m glad you’re here because something’s happened. That case history who’s threatening legal action?’
Caroline groaned.
‘I spoke to her.’
‘I thought you said we weren’t allowed to do that.’
‘We’re not.’ Diana tapped her elegant nails on the desk. ‘I chose to take the risk. And it paid off. She told me she’d definitely called you at the office and said she wanted to retract her comments.’
‘She didn’t speak to me.’
‘No. She spoke to Zelda.’
Caroline’s mind reeled. ‘I don’t understand.’
Diana sighed. ‘I called Zelda in yesterda
y and forced her to come clean. I think she was so shocked by what’s going on with your daughter that she confessed everything. When your case history, this Carmen, said she wanted to speak to you to make an urgent change, Zelda pretended to be you – it was one of your days off. She knew it would get you into trouble when she failed to put through the change.’
‘But why would she want to do that?’
Diana shook her head. ‘Caroline, this isn’t easy to say and I was hoping to hold off for a bit. You know the company’s having to make cutbacks? Well, Zelda saw an email on my desk about having to reassess your job-share arrangement. We can’t afford to keep both of you on, and it hasn’t been as smooth as we’d hoped, has it?’
‘That’s because Zelda’s made mistakes. She’s tired with the baby and I’ve tried to cover for her.’
‘She knows, and that’s why she tried to make her own position secure.’
Caroline covered her face with her hands. ‘By doing the dirty on me?’
‘Well, she’s failed. She’s handed in her notice and will be leaving by Christmas. We’ve agreed to print an apology and pay Carmen compensation. It’s not a lot because, as our lawyer told hers, she has to take some blame for having been open in the first place.’
Caroline felt numb. It all felt so irrelevant and unreal compared with the Annabel situation. That was all that mattered. Her family. Not her work, which for so many years, she had tried to keep going, with her ailing marriage.
‘Thanks.’
Diana nodded. ‘I’m sorry it’s come at such a bad time. Now, are you sure you’re up to working?’
‘I want to, but maybe I could leave early.’
‘Keep me posted.’
During the afternoon, Caroline forced herself to concentrate on the Tried and Tested page she was editing for the March issue, but every time the phone went or an email popped up, her chest pinged. By mid-afternoon, she was ready to go home when her mobile vibrated.
‘Why are you avoiding me?’
His voice was like a liferaft. ‘Mark, something’s happened.’ Briefly she explained. ‘That was why I couldn’t take your call.’ She lowered her voice. ‘Besides, you mustn’t ring me at home.’
‘I know, but I had to hear you.’
She rubbed her eyes. ‘I feel the same. But I can’t think of anything except Annabel. You must understand that?’
‘Of course. Can I do anything?’
‘Not really.’
‘I’m here. I want you to know that. And I don’t regret anything.’
She shivered, remembering the way his mouth had sought hers. ‘Neither do I.’
56
‘PRIVATE.’ Mark opened the envelope next to his computer, with Florrie’s writing on the front. Then, following his daughter’s instructions, he logged on to his son’s account, feeling slightly guilty at invading his privacy.
. . . Everyone else at school thinks you’re a waste of space. That’s why no one wants to sit next to you. My dad thinks people like you should go back to their own country.
Stunned, he read the message twice, then picked up the phone to the headmaster of Coneywood. Then he went downstairs to find his son and tell him exactly what he’d done.
‘You read my messages and texts?’ Freddy pushed him away fiercely. ‘You wanker! You had no right.’
‘Don’t call me that, Freddy.’ He tried drawing his son to him. ‘There are times when we all do things we shouldn’t because we’re trying to help. Why didn’t you tell me things had got so bad?’
Freddy was almost spitting with fury. ‘Because you’d have thought I was a wimp. Like you did at the pool.’
‘But I didn’t. And I don’t.’ Mark pulled his son into a bear-hug. ‘Bullies like this kid at school have got to be sorted. Otherwise they’ll go on picking on others. I’ve talked to your head – no, don’t look like that. I had to. And if he doesn’t put an end to it, we’ll go to the governors.’
‘I don’t want to go back to school.’ Freddy was pulling away from him. ‘They’ll get me, now you’ve told.’
Mark felt a prickle of alarm. ‘I won’t let them.’
‘Really? How are you going to stop them?’
57
If something had happened to Annabel, Caroline told herself, as she got off the tube, the family would break up. She couldn’t pretend any more. She would divorce Roger and make a new start with Georgie. Ben would be gone soon so it would be just the two of them.
Annabel. Oh, Lord, Annabel, where are you?
Roger was sitting by the phone. He looked up expectantly. ‘Any news?’
‘You’re the one who’s been at home.’
‘Have you rung your sister?’
‘Yes. Nothing. But Diana says the Morning Herald will run a piece tomorrow.’
‘Right.’
He might have been talking about the weather – she wanted to kick him into admitting his feelings.
‘Where’s Georgie?’
‘Upstairs, doing her homework. Ben’s online.’
Caroline went upstairs. As usual, Ben was on Facebook. ‘Have you checked our messages?’
‘Nothing. Chill out, Mum. She’s probably stopped off somewhere with friends.’
‘Please get off, Ben. Now. I want to look for myself.’
Stretching, he got off the seat languidly. He seemed thinner than usual, and spottier. ‘You’re seriously stressy, Mum. It’s not good for you. Is dinner ready? I’m starving.’
‘How can you think of dinner when—’
‘Caro!’ Roger was pounding up the stairs. ‘It’s Annabel.’ He held out his mobile.
She took it. ‘Where have you been? Are you all right?’
Her daughter’s voice faded in and out. A bad line or was she ill?
‘Oh, Mum, it’s so good to hear you. We were on a bus that broke down and my new mobile ran out of battery. We were going to get the train but missed it. That’s why we got the bus. I didn’t know about the crash until I rang Auntie Janie on her mobile. Mum, I’m so sorry.’
Caroline tried to talk but her throat was dry and nothing would come out.
‘Mum? You still there? Don’t be angry. The bus was stuck in a rainforest for nearly five days until someone drove past and gave us a lift.’
‘Did you have any food?’ she managed.
‘Not much. We were starving. Luckily, we had a few water bottles between us. But, Mum, it’s so awful. I knew some of those people on the train. We’d met them in the hostel in Darwin. I can’t believe they’re dead . . .’
Gulping sobs came down the line and it was all Caroline could do to hold back her own tears. ‘Darling, I know it’s terrible and I’m so sorry, but thank God you’re safe. Where are you now?’
‘Getting another bus with some friends I met on the first one. Auntie Janie’s flying back to Sydney from Queensland. I’m dying for a bath.’
Caroline was shaking with relief. ‘I love you, darling. Here’s your dad. And Georgie. Stop it, Georgie. You can talk in a minute. She’s been really worried about you, Bella. We all have . . .’
The tears were gushing out now and she sank down on to the computer chair, unable to stop. Roger was taking the phone downstairs, followed by Georgie. Annabel was safe. Her daughter was alive. They wouldn’t be going to Australia now but so what if they lost the money for the tickets? The relief was agonising. How would the parents of those poor gap-year kids cope when they didn’t come home?
It took her a while to compose herself. Lifting her head to turn off the computer, she froze. The message must have popped up during the phone call because it certainly hadn’t been there before.
From Beware to Part Time Mum: I know what you’ve been doing. I know about your affair. And if you don’t stop now, I’ll tell your family.
Caroline stared at the message, frozen, unable to move. How could anyone know? Jeff? He’d helped her with her computer the other month. He knew her password. But surely not. Ginny? She might have suspected something af
ter the ball. One of the children?
From: Caroline Crawford
To: Mark Summers
Have just got this. What shall we do?
58
From Lawyer Mum to What Mums Know: There’s only one way to treat bullies. Send their parents a letter, declaring you’re taking legal action.
‘I tried to ring you to say I’d got the same message,’ said Mark. They were sitting on a bench in the gardens outside the Savoy. It was cold and not as private as he had hoped but she’d suggested it as a place where, hopefully, they wouldn’t be spotted. He reached into his jacket pocket and handed her the message printout.
She scanned it, shivering. ‘Who could know about us? We’ve been so careful.’
‘Someone must have hacked into our computers.’
‘But why bother with us? And what do they want? They haven’t mentioned money.’
Mark put his arm round her and, to his relief, she leaned into him.
‘I emailed What Mums Know to see if anyone else has had problems,’ he said. ‘You’ll never guess who it’s run by?’
‘Who?’ she asked.
‘Earth Mother.’
He loved it when she smiled like that. ‘No wonder she dominates the message board. I suppose she’s a bored mother of three.’
‘Actually, she’s an ex-midwife with six kids and lots of grandchildren. Highly intelligent. She sent me her personal email address to “talk”; and she was as shocked as I was.’
She was worried now. ‘You didn’t tell her the exact content of the message?’
‘No. I just said we had both been threatened by someone who had clearly logged into some of our personal stuff. She also said something rather interesting.’
‘What?’ Caroline frowned.
He stroked her hair, nuzzling it at the same time and breathing in her scent.
‘She’s concerned about that strange woman who calls herself “Expectent” Mum. Did you read that message about her going into labour? No, of course you didn’t with everything that’s been happening. Earth Mother says she’s been concerned about the girl – presuming it is a girl – for some time. And she also pointed out that no one’s found that missing baby from Northampton yet.’
