Schoolgirl Missing

by Sue Fortin

  She went home and relieved to see Kit was still out, she went into the double garage and hid the plastic bag in a trunk at the back. She had to move a few things to get to it, like the surf board Kit had bought five years ago when he decided he wanted to take up a new hobby, but which only lasted one summer. She also had to move the punch bag. Another one of Kit’s new hobbies, this one lasted only a few weeks, if she remembered rightly. There was also a box of old books that for some reason hadn’t made it to the charity shop. Once the shirt was stowed away inside the trunk, along with spare life jackets and waterproofs, Neve replaced everything and returned to the house.

  She went into the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea. Leaning back against the breakfast bar, Neve looked out onto the garden and tried to rationalise her thoughts and actions some more.

  If she confronted Kit, she might not like the answer. If it was the answer she feared, then what was she to do with the information? Her automatic response would be to go to the police, but the knock-on ripple effects could be huge. Was she ready to deal with those? And if he told her and she didn’t like the answer, but did nothing, could she really live with herself and Kit for that matter? What sort of justice would that be for Jake?

  For now, she reasoned, she had done the right thing. This was a case of self-preservation. She wanted to continue to repair the cracks in her marriage, to continue to grow and to find what they had lost. If she confronted him about the shirt, then it would force her to act. She wasn’t ready to do that. Not yet.

  As she stood there contemplating her predicament, her mobile phone pinged. She took it from her bag and looked at the message thinking it might be Kit.

  She almost dropped the phone in surprise when she saw it was Lee.

  It is true about Jake?

  Neve tapped in a message.

  Yes. It is. Where are you? Police are looking for you.

  I need money. Meet me now at boathouse.

  Too dangerous.

  Just be there.

  One hour.

  Neve cursed Lee under her breath. He was the last person she wanted to hear from, let alone see but she knew she had unfinished business with him.

  Lost in thought, she jumped when she heard Kit and Poppy’s voices from behind her. She swung round, dropping her cup, which smashed against the tiled flooring.

  ‘Oh! You two scared the life out of me,’ she gasped, shoving the mobile into her bag and crouching down to pick up the broken pieces of china.

  ‘You’ve broken your favourite cup,’ said Poppy. ‘Dad gave you that.’

  ‘Don’t worry, it’s only a cup,’ said Kit, taking off his jacket and hanging it over the stool.

  ‘Keep Willow out of the kitchen,’ she said, gently pushing the dog away from the shattered china.

  ‘I’ll put her in the garden,’ said Kit, taking hold of Willow’s collar. ‘Come on, girl. Out you go. Don’t want you cutting your paw and getting blood everywhere.’

  Neve stopped at the mention of blood. Images of the shirt invaded her mind’s eye. ‘Ouch!’ She looked down and realised her thumb was bleeding.

  ‘Neve’s bleeding!’ cried Poppy. ‘Dad! Neve’s hand is cut.’

  ‘It’s just a small cut,’ said Neve, standing up, but wincing at the stinging sensation.

  ‘Let me look,’ said Kit, coming over. ‘Run it under the tap. Here, let me see. I want to make sure there’s nothing in it.’

  He examined her hand with care, smiling at her but Neve found it hard to stop her gaze from resting on his bruised knuckles. How could the same hands, so loving and tender towards her, possibly be so violent and brutal at the same time? It wasn’t possible, was it?

  ‘I think you’ll survive,’ he said. ‘Might need a plaster on it, though.’

  Neve slipped her hand away. She wasn’t sure she could cope with his touch. ‘I think there are some in the cupboard here,’ she said, turning and rummaging in the cupboard below the sink until she found the small first aid kit she was looking for.

  Kit cleared up the broken cup and wiped the floor clean of the remaining coffee dregs that Neve hadn’t finished. ‘Let me have a look at your thumb again,’ he said and once again took Neve’s hand in his and his finger gently stroked the back of her hand and he inspected the plaster.

  ‘It’s fine, honest,’ said Neve, aware of the intimacy in the gesture. He looked so bloody sexy this morning in his black T-shirt and jeans. The stress-lines from the past week were nowhere to be seen, making him look younger. He reminded Neve of when she’d first met him.

  He returned the look with the same longing in his own eyes. ‘Why don’t you have a lie down?’ he suggested, softly. ‘I’ll come up and make sure you’re comfortable.’ He gave Neve a small kiss on the mouth.

  ‘Err, gross,’ came Poppy’s voice. She held up her hands as a physical barrier between them. ‘I’m going on the PlayStation,’ she said, turning and heading down the hall to the living room.

  Neve couldn’t help letting out a small embarrassed giggle. ‘Awkward,’ she said.

  Kit pulled her towards him, their bodies touching. He slipped a hand down to her buttocks and pulled her a bit closer. Kissing her on the mouth, his tongue playing with the edges of her lips. He gave a small groan. ‘She’ll be busy for ages now. And I still think you need bed rest.’

  Neve pulled away and gave a rise of her eyebrows. ‘Bed rest?’

  ‘Well, not so much rest, but definitely bed.’

  Neve hesitated just for a second, but in that moment, a maelstrom of thoughts rampaged through her mind.

  Was this a good time to go upstairs to make love? Was she ready to be intimate with her husband again? But the thought that careered to the fore, pushing all others aside was that maybe this was the time that Kit would say yes to what she wanted more than anything.

  She took his hand and lead him upstairs, looking in through the open doorway of the living room to see Poppy sprawled out on the sofa, with her controller in her hand. Another glance to the front door. Kit took the initiative and slid the dead bolt, taking the key with him so Poppy couldn’t leave the house if the notion suddenly took her.

  They almost skipped up the stairs, the deep beige carpet deadening their tread. Inside the bedroom, Kit locked the door. Poppy had never mastered the art of respecting the privacy of a closed bedroom door, never mind knocking or waiting for an answer. She had caught Kit and Neve out the first time Neve had stayed over, when Poppy was just seven years old. Neve had pulled the sheet hastily over her, but later that morning when they were all sitting down for breakfast, Poppy had proceeded to ask Neve why she didn’t have a vest on in bed. That very day, Kit had gone out and bought a lock for the bedroom door.

  Kit drew Neve towards him, his mouth tentatively at first touching hers with feather-like kisses. She responded the same, but more urgently after a few moments, deepening their kiss. It sent a tingling sensation right through her body. She hadn’t remembered feeling like this about Kit in a long time. She actually wanted to make love to him. She paused in her mind to churn the expression over – to make love. Yes, that’s what they were going to do now. She had been foolish to think their love had died, it had just been buried under a mountain of stress and strain from everyday life. Guilt gave a brief appearance. She should never have doubted the strength of their marriage, she just needed to be patient and wait for the right time. She was sure that after everything that had happened, Kit would be ready to agree to what she wanted most of all. Hadn’t he said when Poppy was missing that he would give anything to have Poppy back, and now Neve had made that happen Kit wasn’t going to renege on his word, was he?

  She moved her hands to the back of his neck, running her fingers up his nape and through his blond hair, pulling him harder to her. He responded, his body firm against her. She could feel from his bulging crotch how much he wanted her. She wanted him to want her more than anything else, so that nothing would come between them, not even a thin layer of latex.

 
Neve pulled up Kit’s T-shirt, yanking it over his head. In seconds they were both naked.

  ‘Oh, Neve, I’ve missed you so much,’ said Kit, running his hands down her sides, dipping his head and trailing a path down her cleavage with his tongue. His hands stopped at her hips and his mouth moved on down.

  ‘I’ve missed you too,’ murmured Neve, her breathing deepening and growing faster. She pulled him to his feet and totally in tune with her need, Kit put his hands under her buttocks and lifted her up. Neve hooked her feet around his back and in two steps, Kit had carried her across the room and onto the bed.

  This was the moment Neve had been waiting for.

  Kit kissed her and manoeuvred himself so he was astride her. From the corner of her eye, Neve saw Kit reach out his hand to the bedside table where the condoms were. She gave a small moan, looked him straight in the eye and reached out her own hand, running her fingers down his arm and gently tugging his hand back to her.

  Kit paused.

  The acid test.

  Neve didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. The unspoken question lingered in her eyes.

  Kit moved his hand back and kissed her harder.

  ‘I love you,’ he said. ‘I came so close to losing you. I don’t ever want to get to that point again.’

  ‘I love you too,’ she said. ‘We mustn’t let anything get between us again.’

  ‘I won’t let it, I promise.’

  As Kit pushed into her, Neve put all thoughts of the blooded shirt away. She was good at pretending things had never happened. She’d spent many years compartmentalising her life. She could do it again. She knew that.

  She focused on what was happening now. To feel Kit inside her was all she wanted. She knew she was in control of the situation. He was lost to the rhythm of their love making, he was beyond the point of no return. She urged him on, the excitement of how their lives could change just as fierce as the excitement she was experiencing from sex. She forced Kit to slow down, she didn’t want it to be over too soon. Kit gasped for breath, and allowing Neve to be in charge, he slowed his thrusting. Neve liked the new-found power she had over Kit and how she could make him feel like this.

  Afterwards, Kit didn’t move for a long time. Lying on top of her, sweat dripped from his forehead, mingling with her own and trickling into her hair. And when he finally rolled onto the mattress next to her, he held her in his arms, dropping small kisses on her head, telling her how much he loved her and how things would be better now.

  Neve snuggled into him and smiled to herself. Things had changed. She was in control now, the power-balance of their marriage had shifted and Neve liked it. She would call the shots now, she would have her baby.

  Chapter 30

  Neve couldn’t remember a time when she had felt so happy after making love to Kit. Well, not for many years anyway. Not since the thorny subject of having a baby had become an issue. Although they hadn’t actually spoken about it before, the fact that Kit hadn’t protested about not wearing a condom was, in Neve’s eyes, as good as agreeing they should have a baby.

  She snuggled up to him and dropped a small kiss on his lips. ‘We’d better get up before Poppy comes pounding at the door.’

  Kit gave something between a groan and a sigh. ‘We need a weekend away,’ he said. ‘Once things have settled down, maybe my mum will look after Poppy.’

  ‘That would be lovely.’ She smiled at her husband as she began to get dressed. ‘I’ve got to pop out for half an hour,’ she said, glancing at her watch and ensuring her tone was casual.

  ‘Really? Why’s that?’

  ‘I told Lucie I’d drop in and see her,’ said Neve, not meeting Kit’s eye. ‘Just to let her know that everything’s all right. I’ll take Willow with me and give her a run too.’

  ‘Can’t you do that over a text?’

  ‘She has something she wants to give me apparently. And as far as I know, there isn’t an app to walk your dog; that’s something we still have to do manually.’

  ‘Right, OK. Don’t be long though,’ said Kit, pulling her back onto the bed. ‘I thought maybe we could all go out for some tea. Me, you and Poppy.’

  ‘That would be lovely,’ said Neve, wriggling free from his arms. ‘I’ll be as quick as I can.’

  Looking in on Poppy as she went, Neve hurried out to the car. It would be quicker to drive as she had to take a detour and go via the post office. As she pulled out onto the road, she saw Heather coming along with her daughter Libby. Neve slowed down and undid the window.

  ‘Hi, Heather,’ she called.

  ‘Oh, hi, Neve! We were just passing and thought we’d call in to see Poppy. Libby has made her a card.’

  ‘Oh, that’s sweet. She’ll be really pleased to see you. Kit’s at home. I’ve just got to run an errand, but I won’t be long.’

  ‘I don’t want to get in the way, but Libby was insistent.’ She gave a small grimace.

  ‘Honestly. It’s fine,’ said Neve. She liked Heather and Libby; it was easy being in their company. They didn’t query Poppy’s behaviour or social graces, they were in the same boat and appreciated social norms weren’t always observed.

  Neve headed off to meet Lee, stopping at the cash point outside the post office to withdraw her daily limit of five hundred pounds. Then she drove on towards the river, grateful that Willow was with her. It certainly acted as good cover for her regular trips down here or across the fields.

  Before that though, she pulled up outside the cafe and leaving the window down a fraction so Willow could poke his nose out, Neve nipped into the shop.

  ‘Hi, Lucie,’ she said, pleased to see the shop was relatively quiet.

  ‘Hiya! Wasn’t expecting to see you,’ said Lucie, the surprised expression giving way to one of concern.

  Neve approached the counter and lowered her voice. ‘I think Kit and I are going to be able to work things out.’

  ‘That’s great news. I’m really pleased for you.’ She reached over and squeezed Neve’s hand.

  Neve couldn’t prevent an excited little smile settling on her face. ‘It’s like all that’s happened over the past week or so has made us both realise what we could lose. It’s put everything into perspective.’

  ‘Any news of Jake?’

  ‘No. I went to see him yesterday,’ said Neve. ‘He looked bloody awful.’

  ‘He’s lucky he’s not dead,’ said Lucie matter of factly. ‘One of his students was in here yesterday saying how touch and go it had been.’

  ‘It doesn’t bear thinking about,’ said Neve, resisting the urge to put images of Jake’s blooded face and Kit’s shirt in her mind. ‘He doesn’t remember a thing about it, apparently.’

  ‘I hope they catch who did it. I hate the thought of someone running around capable of doing something like that,’ said Lucie.

  ‘It’s awful. He had his wallet stolen. They didn’t take the card or his phone, just the cash.’

  ‘Seems a bit odd, I mean, no one really keeps large amounts of cash on them these days.’

  Subconsciously, Neve found herself stroking the strap of her handbag. ‘Look, I just called in to let you know everything was OK,’ she said, refocussing. She scanned the glass counter. ‘Can I have that sponge cake at the back, please?’

  ‘One slice?’

  ‘No. The whole thing.’

  ‘Wow, someone isn’t calorie counting,’ said Lucie. She boxed up the cake and passed it over.

  Having paid Lucie for the cake, Neve went back to her car and drove down towards the river. She let Willow out and then hurried along the muddy path towards the bridge.

  ‘Willow! Come on, Willow!’ called Neve. Willow gave a small bark and was on the verge of running back along the path. ‘Oh, no you don’t.’ Neve caught hold of the collar and hooked on the lead. She stopped and gazed back to see what Willow was barking at. A sudden notion that someone might be watching her came to mind. She shook her head. She was overreacting. She looked back at Willow. ‘There’s noth
ing there, you silly old doggy,’ she said out loud, possibly to reassure herself more than anything else. She stood perfectly still, her eyes scanning the surrounding bushes. A squirrel scrambled up the tree and Neve let out a sigh of relief. ‘Ah, squirrels. Is that what you were after? No time for chasing them today. Come on, good girl.’

  Lee was leaning against the boathouse, just as he had been when she’d seen him before. Smoking what looked like a joint, he smiled as she approached.

  ‘Finally, thought you weren’t coming. Did you bring the money?’

  Neve pulled the wad of notes from her handbag and passed it over. ‘Oh, and just in case you’re interested, Poppy is fine.’

  Lee grabbed the money and fanned it out between his fingers. ‘I know. I saw her watching the television.’

  ‘You’ve been spying on us?’ Neve shivered at the thought.

  ‘Just checking up on my interests,’ said Lee. He looked up at her. ‘How much is here?’

  ‘Five hundred.’ She thought for a minute he was going to complain. ‘It’s all I can get out at one time. Besides, I hardly have any money left.’

  ‘Business is tough,’ said Lee. He separated some twenty-pound notes and folding them in half, slipped them into the front pocket of his jeans. The rest of the money he separated again, this time into four equal parts, putting them in various places of his rucksack. One pile into a side pocket. One pile into an inside pocket and the other two piles into a sock and the bottom of a pair of trainers. ‘Less chance of it all getting stolen at the same time.’ He stood up and hooked his bag onto his shoulder.

  ‘Where are you going?’ asked Neve.

  ‘Brighton, I think.’

  ‘I went to see Jake yesterday.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘He’s in a bad way.’

  ‘Serious, then. Shame, I liked the guy.’

  ‘We’re quits now,’ she said. ‘I’ve never told a soul you were there that day on the beach with me and Megan. That you were the one who supplied the drugs. I did you a favour then, you’ve done me a favour now. One that I’ve paid you for, I think it’s fair to call it quits.’