The Doctor

by Lisa Stone

  ‘Didn’t they try to contact you?’ Emily asked.

  ‘They did to begin with; my parents phoned, but Amit refused to speak to them and wouldn’t let me talk to them either. Then we moved and he didn’t give them our new address. I haven’t seen them in years.’

  Emily’s attention was suddenly drawn to the lab as the door opened and Amit came out again. He’d been in and out a few times during the day, head down and limping slightly, which Emily assumed was from their scuffle. Good. She was pleased he was hurt. She banged on the glass, but he didn’t look up and continued into the house. He reappeared almost immediately with a coil of wire and returned to the lab.

  ‘All those times I saw the light on in that outbuilding, and never in my wildest imagination did I have any idea what he was doing in there,’ Emily said. ‘But how did you not know – living with him?’ She turned again to Alisha.

  ‘I believed him when he said he was trying to find a cure for my condition. But you know, Emily, he’s not the only one who believes it’s possible to freeze people and bring them back to life when a cure is found. People pay to be preserved. He has.’ Even now she found herself occasionally trying to excuse or defend him, such was his hold over her.

  ‘But those people wanted to be preserved and gave their consent. You made it clear right at the start you didn’t want to. He should have accepted that. You must see that none of this is right.’

  ‘I do, although I feel responsible because I have given my children the disease. If it wasn’t for my genetic condition, none of this would have happened and Amit wouldn’t be like he is now.’

  Emily stared at her. ‘You can’t possibly know that. It’s not your fault. If Amit hadn’t carried the faulty gene too your children probably wouldn’t have developed the disease. It was a million to one chance you were both carriers.’

  Alisha looked at her confused. ‘No, it’s me. I’m the one with the faulty gene, not Amit.’

  Emily met her gaze. ‘Amit has it too, although he’s not obviously ill yet.’

  ‘Whatever makes you say that?’ she asked, astonished.

  ‘His different coloured eyes – heterochromia – it’s a sign of your condition. I looked it up on the internet when he told me what it was. Heterochromia is very rare by itself but often appears in people with your genetic condition. It would be too much of a coincidence that Amit had heterochromia without the faulty gene, given that both your children have the disease.’ Alisha continued to stare at her. ‘Were you both tested?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And the doctor showed you the test results?’

  ‘No. I didn’t go,’ Alisha said. ‘The tests were done at the hospital where Amit worked, so he went. It was difficult for me to leave the house by then, my son was ill, and I had Eva.’

  ‘Alisha, I think there’s a good chance Amit lied to you, and you are both carriers of the faulty gene.’

  ‘No!’ Alisha exclaimed shocked. ‘Why would he do that?’

  ‘Because it suited him to have you feeling guilty and responsible, and possibly because he couldn’t accept he’s anything but perfect.’

  Alisha looked away and it was a long time before she spoke. ‘If you’re right, then he must know he could become ill like me.’

  ‘And that’s what all this is about. It’s not about saving you and Eva, but about saving himself.’

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  DC Beth Mayes put the phone down and looked at Matt over the top of her computer screen. ‘That was Emily King’s doctor returning my call,’ she said. ‘Emily has no history of depression and has never been to the doctor about injuries that could have been a result of domestic violence. She attended all her antenatal appointments, Ben went with her to most of them, and the birth of their child was normal. She has taken Robbie to the clinic for his injections and a cough that didn’t need antibiotics.’

  Matt nodded. ‘So no mental health concerns and no reason to suspect Ben of being involved in her disappearance. That rather adds weight to her having run off with that guy she’d been chatting to on Facebook. The digital forensics report on her laptop and tablet is back. Are we going to apply for her phone records?’

  ‘I don’t think we have grounds to at present,’ Beth replied.

  ‘Her father, David King, phoned in earlier and wanted to know what we’re doing to find his daughter. Shall I tell him nothing?’

  Beth raised her eyebrows in mock censure. ‘I’ll phone Ben now and let him down gently.’

  ‘Yes, gently is definitely your department.’

  Beth smiled. ‘Did the report say if there was anything on her LinkedIn account?’

  ‘She just used it for work. No activity since she went on maternity leave.’

  ‘OK. We’ll leave it as low-priority missing persons for now then. There’s nothing to warrant upgrading it.’

  ‘I doubt her father’s going to be happy.’

  ‘I know, but we’re not marriage guidance counsellors. Ben and Emily are going to have to sort out their own problems when she gets in touch,’ Beth said and keyed in the number for Ben’s mobile. It went through to voicemail. ‘DC Beth Mayes speaking. Message for Ben Johnston. Can you give me a ring at Coleshaw police station when you pick up this message please?’

  ‘He’s not exactly waiting by the phone then?’ Matt said as she ended the call.

  ‘Apparently not.’

  Ben was at home by himself taking down, or rather pulling down, the Christmas decorations, any festive feelings having long since gone. He’d stood the decorations for as long as he could – two nights lying sleepless on the sofa watching the garlands stir overhead. Now, ripping them down and stripping the tree bare was an outlet for his frustration. His life was in turmoil, and he knew he wasn’t coping, not at all.

  Both sets of parents had gone out for a while, taking Robbie with them, which was a relief. Robbie was missing his mother dreadfully and kept crying and wanting to be held. His and Emily’s parents were short-tempered from worry and kept sniping at each other, which wasn’t helping. It was over forty-eight hours since Emily had vanished and not a single word from her. Even if she’d run off with Greg why hadn’t she phoned or texted to say she was safe and not to worry? The old Em would have done. They always let each other know where they were, especially if they were going to be late, so they wouldn’t worry. But, of course, the old Em had gone, possibly for good.

  Ben yanked another bauble from the Christmas tree and dry pine needles tinkled to the floor. He’d have to phone work before long and tell them. His father had phoned in and said he was ill but that excuse couldn’t continue indefinitely. And his mother had been right when she’d said they’d need to think about employing a nanny if Em wasn’t coming back. Shit! What a mess. How quickly life could change. One day he was a happy family man, then he’d come home to find Em gone.

  He took the note she’d left from his pocket. It was dog-eared now and he read it again with a mixture of anger and regret. The words jarred, as they had each time he read them. Not just their content – that she’d left him for another man – but the style of the sentences. They just didn’t seem to be something Em would write, and, of course, she’d signed it Emily rather than Em which was odd. But as the police officer had said, she’d probably felt that intimacy was no longer appropriate as she was leaving him for another man.

  Yet there was other stuff bugging him, Ben thought, as he returned the note to his pocket. He took the star from the top of the tree and threw it in the box. Things that didn’t add up, were out of place, and suggested Em could have been depressed and was acting irrationally, although his parents didn’t agree with him. They believed what the note said, while Em’s parents didn’t. However, one thing they all agreed on was that the police weren’t doing anywhere near enough to find her.

  Ben went into the kitchen where he’d left his phone charging and checked it. Shit. He’d missed a call and a voicemail message. He shouldn’t have left the phone on silent, but
he couldn’t face speaking to friends or work yet. He played the voicemail message. It was Beth Mayes asking him to phone her. Had they found Em? He immediately returned the call, his heart racing. Not her body? Please no, not that.

  ‘It’s Ben Johnston,’ he said, his voice quavering, as Beth answered. ‘I just got your message. Have you found Em?’

  ‘No. I take it you haven’t heard from her either?’

  ‘No. Nothing. I thought that’s why you were calling.’ He leant heavily against the kitchen cabinet.

  ‘I do have some positive news though.’

  ‘Oh yes?’

  ‘I’ve spoken to her doctor and Emily hasn’t been treated for depression, so that must be a relief for you.’

  ‘OK,’ Ben said. But was it a relief? No. Because if Em wasn’t depressed the only other reason for her leaving was that she’d gone off with another man as she’d said in the letter. ‘The note she left behind,’ Ben said, ‘I’ve been going through it. It really doesn’t sound like Em. It’s not how she would talk or write. Also, there’s other things here that suggest she wasn’t her normal self when she left. You know, not in her right mind.’

  ‘Like what?’ Beth asked.

  ‘She left her mug in the sink. She always puts her dirty mugs and plates straight into the dishwasher. I was the one who left them lying around. She used to tell me off about it.’

  ‘Perhaps the dishwasher was full?’ Beth offered patiently.

  ‘No, I checked. It was only half full. Also, she left the kettle switched on at the plug. She never does that. She always switches it off at night or if she is going out. It’s a habit of hers, because when she was little her mum left a kettle on and it caught fire. She can still remember it. After that all her family began switching kettles off at the plug. And the television remote control was on the coffee table.’

  ‘What’s wrong with that?’ Beth asked.

  ‘We always leave it on the TV cabinet when it’s not in use. I know these are little things, but they are so out of character for Em.’

  There was a pause before Beth replied. ‘Ben, I appreciate what a shock Emily leaving must be for you. Doubtless, Emily would have been very emotional when she left. It can’t have been easy for her making the decision to go. When people make these life-changing decisions, they are not themselves. They act out of character. But there is no evidence to suggest she was depressed or suicidal or that she didn’t leave of her own free will. Have you contacted your mutual friends?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘I would do so. You can have her laptop and tablet back. We’ve finished with them. And if you haven’t done so already, I would advise you to put a stop on your savings accounts. That’s the best advice I can give you at present. I know it must be difficult for you with a young child too. Take all the support on offer. We will be in touch if we have any more information, but that’s really all I can do for now. If Emily does contact you, please inform us so we can take her off our missing persons list.’

  ‘So you’re not going to put out an appeal for information?’

  ‘No, not at this point. There’s no grounds for doing so. Emily isn’t a minor or vulnerable adult, and as far as we know she left of her own free will.’

  Without saying goodbye, Ben cut the call, tears welling in his eyes. His father was right. He’d have to start accepting that Em had left him for someone else, as the police did, but his anger and resentment spilled out. Returning to the living room, he pulled down the last of the decorations and threw them into the bin. Taking the stairs two at a time, he went into their bedroom and began clearing out Em’s belongings from their wardrobe and drawers. Her clothes, shoes, and personal items fell where they landed on the floor. He kept going until the cupboards were clear, then sat on the floor surrounded by her belongings and wept.

  Why, Em? Why? I thought we were happy. Why leave us?

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Amit settled on New Year’s Eve. The noise of partying and fireworks would drown out any commotion the bitch might make when he dragged her from the house to his lab. It was 29 December now, so only two days to go. His excitement grew. There was something satisfying in choosing the milestone of New Year, he thought. A new year and a new life. He’d freeze the bitch on New Year’s Eve then bring her back on New Year’s Day. How neat and symmetrical that would be! He felt pleased with himself. Then, if everything went according to plan, which he was fully expecting it to, he’d be ready for Alisha. He doubted either of them would put up much resistance. By then they’d have been four days without food and heating.

  His spirits soared with the promise of what was to come. Two more days, and by then hopefully the other set of grandparents would have gone from next door. He’d heard the kerfuffle, raised voices, and now there was only one of the grandparents’ cars on the driveway. He’d caught glimpses of them moving around at the upstairs bedroom window while he’d been in his lab. One guy – he took to be Emily’s father – kept looking out of the window. But the police hadn’t been back. He guessed they wouldn’t be very interested when they saw the note. Good move that, he congratulated himself again.

  Satisfied all was ready in the lab, Amit came out, locked the door and began down the path towards the house. It was late afternoon and not quite dark yet. He’d make himself dinner and then write up his lab notes. This was ground-breaking stuff, and all good scientists kept meticulous notes. Glancing up as he walked, he saw the man he took to be Emily’s father at the bedroom, but then lost his footing and just managed to save himself before hitting the ground. Amit cursed. Nosy bugger watching him just like his daughter. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued into the house.

  ‘I’ve put Emily’s things away as best I could,’ David King said, turning from the window. Ben had come into the bedroom. ‘I wasn’t sure where they went, but the room looks better than it did.’

  ‘Thank you. I am sorry,’ Ben said, embarrassed. ‘I just lost it. I’m not thinking straight. I know this must be difficult for you too, and I’m sorry my parents went off like that.’

  ‘There’s no need to apologise, lad. We’re all under huge pressure. I don’t know what happened between you and Emily, but blaming either of you isn’t going to help.’

  ‘I blame me,’ Ben said dejectedly and sat on the edge of the bed. ‘Yet I really can’t see what I did wrong.’

  ‘Maybe there was no single thing, sometimes situations develop and escalate.’

  Ben nodded half-heartedly. ‘I guess so.’

  ‘Pat and I can stay for as long as we’re needed, but I’m not good at sitting around doing nothing. I’ve just seen your neighbour coming up from his shed. How would you feel if I knocked on his door and a few others to see if anyone knows anything or saw Emily leave? It’s not much, but it’s more than the police are doing.’

  ‘Yes, although Em didn’t really have much to do with our neighbours. One side are out at work all day and she didn’t like that guy, Amit, the one you’ve just seen. She tried to be friends with his wife, but she’s not well and wasn’t really interested.’

  ‘OK. But it’s worth a try, I’ll go up and down the street, and while I’m doing that I suggest you message that bloke on Facebook you suspected of having a thing with Emily. I don’t use Facebook, so I don’t know how it works, but presumably you can send him a message asking if he knows where she is?’

  ‘Yes, I can. I was going to message him just after the police were here, but I didn’t in the end. I was hoping Em would return.’

  ‘And she might yet. But message him. If she is with him, then at least we’ll know she’s safe.’

  They returned downstairs and while Pat fed Robbie in the kitchen-diner, David put on his coat and shoes, ready to go out, and Ben went into the living room. Sitting on the sofa, he opened his laptop. The room was bare now the decorations were gone, but at least it was more in keeping with his mood. He would message Greg using Em’s Facebook account.

  Logging in, he saw she ha
d unanswered messages and posts from friends, but nothing from Greg. Clearly she had better things to do now than chat on Facebook, he thought bitterly. The message he’d previously composed to Greg still sat in the drafts box – Hi, lets meet. He deleted it. No point in being subtle now. He needed to know.

  Hi, it’s Ben here, Em’s partner. Is Em with you? he typed.

  He read it back, but it seemed too casual and he tried again.

  It’s Ben, Emily’s partner, if she is with you please get in touch asap. We are worried sick.

  Then he felt vulnerable and exposed, admitting he was so worried. If she was with him, Ben doubted knowing how worried he was would make any difference. He tried again.

  It’s Ben, Emily’s partner. Emily is missing and the police are involved. Please get in touch asap if you know anything.

  Without analysing the message further, he pressed send. He looked through the messages and posts from Em’s friends, but there was nothing to be learned there. Photographs of children at Christmas and suggestions to meet for coffee or lunch but nothing confirmed.

  Pat came into the living room with Robbie, and Ben closed the laptop and put it to one side.

  ‘He knows quite a few words now,’ Pat said, with a small smile. ‘Who or what is eve? He keeps saying it.’

  Ben shrugged. ‘Perhaps a friend of Em’s or maybe he’s trying to say Christmas Eve.’

  ‘Yes, that would be it, Christmas Eve.’

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Outside, a frost was starting to settle and David pulled up the collar on his coat as he went from house to house. He had approached the task systematically, as he did most things, beginning with the house on the left of Emily and Ben’s and working his way up the street, then crossing over and continuing down the other side. Not everyone opened their doors now it was dark, but those who did were generally helpful. To begin with, he’d inwardly cringed and got choked up telling strangers that his daughter, Emily, was missing and asking if they knew anything, but he was hardening up to it now. It was taking time as those who answered their doors wanted to know the circumstances of her disappearance and then expressed shock and sympathy. Some didn’t know Emily at all, some knew her by sight, and a few remembered her from her calling round when her cat had gone missing. Now having to tell them the cat hadn’t been found and Emily was missing too made him feel strange – desperate, pitiful and irresponsible.