‘Of course he will.’ I feel suddenly depressed and dejected; do I want him to go to prison? I don’t know what I want. ‘He’s going to get away with it, isn’t he?’
‘Maybe,’ says Biro grimly. ‘But at the very least he’ll lose his job. Stop him grooming anyone else.’
‘Don’t say grooming, it sounds horrible.’
‘That’s what it is.’
‘I know now it was just a stupid crush, how could I possibly think I knew someone after so little time with them? I’m an idiot.’ I fight back tears.
‘No, you’re not.’ Dad comes into the lounge and puts the plates and cutlery on the coffee table. ‘You’re human, like the rest of us, and he took advantage of that. You’ve nothing to blame yourself for at all.’ He sits down on the sofa and puts his arm around me. I give him a shaky smile. ‘The main thing is that he’s been caught now and he’ll have to pay the price for what he’s done.’
‘He will,’ I say.
‘Too right,’ says Biro.
‘Hopefully he’ll get a prison sentence,’ I say, not knowing if I mean it.
‘Lose his job at the least,’ says Biro.
The doorbell interrupts us and Dad jumps up and goes out to the hallway and reappears with two huge, brown carrier bags, a delicious smell drifting out of them. He brings the bags in and pulls out assorted foil containers and arranges them all on the coffee table. We prise the lids off and heap spoonfuls onto our plates.
I take a mouthful of chicken and it tastes like sawdust in my mouth. I was starving but now my hunger has vanished and I know I’m not going to be able to eat a thing. I push the food around a bit to disguise it and make it look like I’m eating something; I don’t want to spoil Biro and Dad’s meal.
Biro catches my eye. ‘Not hungry?’
‘Thought I was, but, you know...’ I trail off.
‘I can’t eat it either.’ Dad puts his knife and fork across his full plate. ‘Can’t get it down.’
‘Nor me.’ Biro puts his plate on the table, he hasn’t eaten anything either.
Skipper is sitting to attention with his eyes fixed on our plates but I don’t think he’ll be getting any; he was sick all over the carpet last time.
‘Okay.’ Dad gets up from the sofa. ‘I’ll go and get the clingfilm.’
Chapter 27
Josie
T he weekend crawled by in centimetres. I think the three of us were expecting something to happen; for Adam to be arrested, or at least arrested and released. Biro texted me every five minutes asking if there was any news. We were waiting for something .
Instead we got nothing. We heard nothing at all from the police and by Sunday night Dad was itching to ring them and find out if anything had happened. I think because they came out so quickly, we expected them to have it all wrapped up in a day. I managed to persuade him not to ring them; said that they’d promised they’d keep us informed and that if there was anything to tell us they’d let us know and we didn’t want to look like pests.
But the real reason I didn’t want him to ring them is that I’m sure it’s going to be bad news. Adam will talk his way out of it and there’s no proof of anything so he’ll just get away with it. He might not even lose his job – although there is the recording so maybe he will because of his relationship with me. Grooming, as Biro keeps telling me.
We pottered around the house pretending we weren’t waiting for news and on Sunday morning I heard Dad on the phone in his bedroom. I’m sure he was telling Uncle Ralph everything; they’re pretty close even though they deny it and he’d be the first person he’d confide in. He kept his voice low and the door was closed so I couldn’t really make out what he was saying, even though I was listening outside, but I’m pretty sure he was crying. I probably shouldn’t have done that – listened outside – but I was worried about him.
When he came out I asked him if he was okay and he said of course he was. I grabbed his arm and stopped him from disappearing downstairs and told him that he wasn’t fooling me and that if we’re going to start living our lives properly, we need to be honest with each other and to stop pretending everything’s alright when it’s not. He tried to do the everything’s alright thing but could see I wasn’t having any of it so eventually admitted that since it all came out on Friday he’s been struggling. He’s been trying to hold it together for me but it’s bought everything back. He says he blames himself for not being able to stop the stalking when Mum was alive.
We went downstairs and had a good long talk about it and I said there’s only one person to blame and that’s Adam. And as I said it, I realised it was true. We need to stop thinking that we’re somehow to blame. I think we both felt better for talking things through and we’ve both agreed – no more secrets.
Dad said I should stay off college for a few days but I disagreed; I want to get back to normal, whatever that is. Only me and Biro know about it so it’s not as if I’ll have to talk about it or explain myself to anyone else.
I do feel so sad, sad for Mum, for Dad, and myself. But we have to remember – and I said this to Dad – that the stalking part was only a small amount of time in our lives and we mustn’t let it spoil all of the happy years that we had. Dad laughed and said I had an old head on young shoulders, whatever that means.
Also, a part of me is sad about Adam. Why does it have to be that the first time I actually feel as if I’m falling in love it has to be with a stalker? But I’ll get over it; if nothing else I’m in a much better place than I was a year ago.
I’ve deleted Adam’s phone number and all of his texts; although they were all very business-like. I can see now that he was very careful not to incriminate himself. I don’t think he would text me but I want to make sure I don’t text him .
I’m not intending to, but now I can’t .
So. On Monday morning I went to college and went to all of my classes and everything was as it’s always been and I felt surprising okay. In a way it almost seems as if the events of the last few days never happened because everything feels so unreal. I can’t believe that I had the guts to sneak into Adam’s house. Maybe that’s another side of me; the one that’s on YouTube singing Wonderwall.
Ellie, Biro and I were sitting at our usual table at lunchtime, eating and chatting, about nothing really, just a normal day. I watched Biro wolfing down a Panini and I suddenly thought; I have a good life. I have family and friends and I am going to pass my exams and no matter what, Dad and I will be okay.
And then a split second after I thought that, I saw them; the police.
Biro saw them first. Ellie started talking about some hench guy who’s in her social studies class; I think she’s trying to make Biro jealous but it’s lost on him. Anyway, Biro gave me a look across the table which Ellie never noticed but I saw Biro’s eyes flick to the windows behind me. My heart started pounding then because I thought for a moment that he meant Adam was outside.
When I came in to the cafeteria, I’d scanned the room, afraid that Adam was in there and I didn’t know what I was going to do if I saw him. Surely, he wouldn’t be at work if they’d arrested him?
I turned around, trying to look casual and saw there was a police car parked up in front of the entrance and the figures of WPC Roper and DI Peters were walking into Reception.
‘You alright, Josie?’ Ellie looked at me with concern. ‘You look very pale.’
‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ I pasted a big, fake smile on my face. ‘Stayed up too late watching telly is all.’
‘Tell me about it,’ she says. ‘Think I need to get my telly moved out of my room if I want to pass any exams.’
She laughs and I join in but inside I’m thinking; if the police are here maybe he’s been arrested, maybe we’ll hear something soon.
We finished lunch and left the cafeteria for our next class and the police car was still there and I couldn’t stop thinking about it for the next two hours, imagining what was happening. The time ticked by so slowly I thought I’d go me
ntal.
After what seemed like forever it was finally time to go home and I met Biro in front of the admin office where we usually meet. We walked straight around to Reception to see if the police car was still there but of course it was gone.
I didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed and nor did Biro. He waved me off as I got onto the bus and I know he feels the same as me: in limbo. What if they never arrest or charge him? Biro said that he’d seen the police outside Adam’s parent’s house at the weekend and I wondered why they were there because he doesn’t even live with them anymore.
I was in such a daze that I nearly missed my stop and just about managed to ring the bell in time. It was chucking it down with rain and I pulled the hood of my Parka up and sprinted the short distance from the bus stop to home. I turned the corner into my street and the first thing I saw was the police car parked outside our house.
Here we go: news at last.
Chapter 28
Josie
I put my key in the lock but before I can turn it the front door is yanked opened by Dad.
‘Josie, sweetheart, the police are here.’
He seems keyed up and out of breath. I study his face; he looks tired. And worried.
I take my Parka off and take it out into the kitchen and drape it over the chair to dry. Even while I’m doing it, I know that I’m putting it off; hearing what the police are going to say. What is it I don’t want to hear? That they’ve caught him or not caught him?
I have no idea.
I take my boots off and place them on the mat by the back door and then follow Dad into the lounge. DI Peters is standing by the window and WPC Roper is sitting in one of the armchairs balancing a teacup on her knee. The teacup looks toy-like against the size of her legs and I realise how big she is. Not fat, just large, super-sized, like a giant. She doesn’t look comfortable at all.
They both greet me with wary smiles and I sit down on the sofa and Dad sits next to me.
‘We’ve just been bringing your dad up to date about the developments.’ DI Peters sits down in the seat opposite us and leans forward with his arms resting on his knees.
There’s an uncomfortable silence and I guess what he’s going to say next: there’s no evidence and Adam’s talked his way out of it.
‘Mr Borden has not been to the college or returned to his house since Friday and as yet we’ve been unable to locate him.’
DI Peters looks at Dad then looks at me.
‘But we have, erm, discovered certain facts about him.’
‘What sort of facts?’ I have to say it twice because the first time it comes out in a whisper.
‘The fact is, Adam Borden is not a counsellor and never has been. From our enquiries it appears that he worked for a few months at the college as an office temp before he was sacked two weeks ago. From his time working there he had access to student files and was involved in making appointments for the counselling staff.’
I look at DI Peters dumbly and he continues.
‘It seems reasonable to assume that he saw your name had been put forward for counselling and removed it from the list so an appointment wasn’t made in the normal way. He then passed himself off as your counsellor.’
I’m stunned. Everything about Adam was a lie. ‘But how could he? Why? I don’t understand.’
‘The room where you had your counselling sessions was an unused office which was due for refurbishment. He simply took the key and we assume he had another one cut so that he could come and go at will. Whilst he was still employed by the college, he would slip away from the office for half-an-hour and meet you in the disused office. Once he’d been dismissed, he never returned his security pass and simply used it to enter the college whenever he liked. As to why he did it we can only speculate.’
I’m having trouble thinking straight. The room, the old calendar, the dusty boxes, it all makes a kind of sense. Why didn’t I suspect? It all seems so obvious now. I remember Adam often arrived out of breath as if he’d been running. He must have made excuses to slip out of the office to see me; that’s why he could never stay late. And the excuses of urgent meetings with other clients – all lies that he told so easily, and lies that I believed so easily. But why would I doubt him?
‘The college will, of course, be reviewing their security arrangements in light of what’s happened.’
‘Why was he sacked?’ I interrupt. ‘What did he do?’
DI Peters clears his throat.
‘A female tutor reported him for inappropriate behaviour. Apparently, they went out on a date but when she refused to see him again he wouldn’t leave her alone. She started to receive telephone calls from him, he sent flowers to her home and insisted that they were in a relationship. She also suspected he was following her but she couldn’t be sure. Classic stalking behaviour. Eventually the temping agency were informed and his contract was terminated. Although by then the stalking had stopped.’
DI Peters doesn’t say it but he doesn’t have to. It stopped because he was counselling me and I was going to take her place. The argument in the cafeteria, he told me she was hassling him , wouldn’t take no for an answer. More lies.
‘Did he temp at Straitleys?’ demands Dad. ‘Is that where he...’ his voice trails off but I know what he was going to say; is that where he targeted Mum? Did he see her at work and decide she was going to be next? Did Mum know him? Had she worked with him?
‘Yes, he did, Mr Sparkes. He worked there briefly in Reception for several weeks as holiday cover. As you know Straitleys is a huge building and we think that he probably saw your late wife as she passed through Reception. There is no indication that he had any contact with her or with the office where she worked.’
So they’ve checked. I don’t know why it matters but I’m glad that Mum never knew him.
‘What happens now?’ Dad asks.
‘We’ve applied for a warrant to search his house and we should have it by tomorrow lunchtime.’
‘Maybe he’s hiding in his house,’ I say. ‘He could be, if you haven’t been able to search it and you can’t find him.’
DI Peters shakes his head. ‘No. He’s not there, the landlord has a key and one of our officers accompanied him into the house. All of the signs were that Adam Borden had left in a hurry.’
‘His father and stepmother live in the next street,’ I say. ‘Don’t they know where he is?’ I know they’ve been there because Biro saw them.
‘We have spoken to them and they’ve had no contact with him recently. They’ve been estranged from Adam Borden for quite some time and very rarely see him even though he lives near to them.’
‘I know they stopped speaking when his father remarried.’ Why do I even care?
DI Peters looks confused. ‘No, his father hasn’t remarried, his parents are still together. Whatever gave you the idea he’d remarried?’
So that was a lie too.
‘Adam told me his mother died when he was seventeen,’ I say flatly.
‘Ah. I see.’ Di Peters nods thoughtfully.
‘Bastard.’ Dad mutters under his breath.
‘As soon as the search has been done, we’ll inform you of any developments but until then I would ask that if he makes any contact at all that you inform us immediately.’
‘Do you think he will? Is he dangerous? Because if he is, I want police protection for Josie,’ Dad demands.
‘Please, Mr Sparkes,’ soothes DI Peters. ‘There are no indications at all that he’s dangerous but we would advise against speaking or having any contact with him. No matter how persuasive or genuine he may appear.’
That’s directed at me; he thinks I’m a stupid, infatuated little girl who still might be sweet talked by him. What a complete idiot I must look.
DI Peters stands up and WPC Roper attempts to pull herself out of the chair that she’s wedged in. We all look away in embarrassment while she huffs and puffs. Skipper watches and backs into the corner. I think he’s afraid she’
s going to fall on him.
‘We’ll be in touch.’ DI Peters nods at Dad and I and goes out into the hallway. WPC Roper has managed to get to her feet and squeezes past the coffee table and follows DI Peters. Dad and I jump up and watch from the front door as they climb into the police car and drive off.
‘Well,’ says Dad as he closed the door, ‘Let’s hope by this time tomorrow they can find some evidence and track him down and arrest him.’
Fingers crossed.
Chapter 29
Josie
T he police didn’t come back the next day, but they did phone Dad to say that they would be visiting us on Wednesday. Dad went into super protective mode and insisted on driving me to college and picking me up afterwards. He’s insistent that until Adam is found he doesn’t want to take any chances and he doesn’t want me going anywhere on my own.
I’ve told him that he’s being ridiculous but he won’t listen. I think Adam needs help and what he’s done is wrong, obviously, but I’m sure he wouldn’t hurt me or anyone else. I think he’s mentally ill. Dad says it’s better to be safe than sorry and because he’s had enough to worry about, I’ve given in and gone along with it. It makes a change from waiting for the bus, I suppose.
Dad picks me up and we’ve just got home and taken our coats off when the doorbell rings and through the opaque window I can see the outlines of DI Peters and WPC Roper. I open the door and as they come in, I’m pretty sure that every curtain in the street is twitching at the sight of a police car parked outside our house, again.
We all troop into the lounge and sit down and Dad and I look at DI Peters expectantly. They must have made some progress otherwise they wouldn’t be here. WPC Roper hands DI Peters a cardboard file and he opens it, studies the contents for a few minutes and then takes out several sheets of paper.
‘We obtained a search warrant and a thorough search of Adam Borden’s house was conducted yesterday and certain items were found and removed as evidence.’
So Talk to Me Page 18
