Should Have Known Better

by A J McDine

  She spotted a gap in the hoardings and slipped through, her pulse quickening. The building was in darkness and, as she stood outside the double doors, she paused. What if she was wrong? What if this derelict building was as empty as it looked? What if Chloe and Adam were sitting in Professor Steel’s office right now, sipping tea from porcelain cups and discussing the law?

  Her hand tightened around her phone. She could call Ben, to see if he’d found them. It would save her having to go inside what, after all, was a condemned building that could be in danger of collapse.

  But what if she was right? What if Adam was in there somewhere, holding Chloe against her will? Kate was kidding herself that she had a choice. There was nothing else she could do.

  She tried the rusted door handle and pushed with her shoulder. With a sigh, the door swung open, and she stepped into a large entrance area with signs still on the walls pointing to different lecture rooms and offices. Kate hesitated again. Three storeys, each with a dozen different rooms. Where the hell should she start?

  Then she heard it. A faint scream that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Chloe. She’d know her daughter’s voice anywhere. It was coming from above her. Kate bounded up the stairs two at a time.

  At the top of the first flight, she stopped and listened. At first, all she could hear was the blood rushing in her ears. But then there was a crash, followed by a thud. She craned her neck, all her senses on high alert, as she tried to work out where the noise was coming from. There were three corridors leading left, right and straight on. Another muffled cry came from the right. Kate pressed a couple of buttons on her phone, slipped it into her back pocket and hurtled towards the noise.

  She would never be able to forget the sight that greeted her when she pitched into the room at the end of the corridor. It was etched in her memory, as impossible to erase as indelible ink. Chloe on her back on the floor, a red satin dress rucked up around her waist, her head turned towards the door and a look of pure terror on her face. Adam’s bulky form looming over her, one hand pinning her arms down, the other reaching for his flies…

  ‘NO!’ Kate roared.

  His head shot up, and he pulled back, his eyes wide.

  Kate charged towards him with her arms outstretched, ramming into him with as much force as she could muster. Taken by surprise, he toppled onto the floor, banging the side of his head on the corner of the table as he fell. She grabbed the nearest chair and held it above his motionless body like a shield.

  ‘Run!’ she yelled to Chloe, who tugged her dress down and scrambled to her feet. ‘Ben’s on his way with help.’

  Chloe’s eyes darted from Kate to Adam and back again. ‘What about you?’

  Kate smiled briefly at her daughter. ‘I’ll be fine, Chlo, I promise. Please go.’

  She nodded mutely, turned and fled from the room, her bare feet hardly making a sound as she scurried along the corridor to safety.

  Kate exhaled slowly, relief making her light-headed. At her feet, Adam hadn’t moved. She prodded his back with her toe. Nothing. That’s when she saw a trickle of blood dripping from a small gash behind his right ear.

  She looked around the room, taking in the tablecloth and linen napkins, the plates of half-eaten food and the crystal glasses. The empty champagne bottle and the La Perla bag. It was a scene set for seduction. But Chloe was still a child.

  Without thinking, Kate set the chair down and aimed a vicious kick at Adam’s kidneys. ‘You dirty, dirty bastard,’ she spat. ‘How dare you touch my daughter.’ He groaned but didn’t move. Her gaze fell on a roll of duct tape on the floor by Adam’s head. He must have used it on Chloe. How fitting she could now return the favour.

  As she tiptoed towards the tape, a hand shot out and grabbed her ankle. She shrieked and tried to kick him again, but his grip was so strong it was as though she was caught in a trap.

  ‘You think I wanted you, you silly bitch?’ he said thickly. ‘I used you to get to Chloe. She’s all I wanted, from the moment I saw her. Golden and innocent. Luminous. Women like you, you’re dried up and past it. Sullied goods. You disgust me.’

  Kate’s voice rang with incredulous laughter. ‘I disgust you? You’re unreal. You prey on young girls, and you think I’m disgusting? Face facts. You’re a paedophile, Adam Sullivan, and you’re about to get your comeuppance.’

  ‘A paedophile?’ Adam said, his voice crackling with indignation. ‘Of course I’m not a paedophile.’

  ‘I know what you did to Lucy. Don’t try to deny it. Ben told me. You’re lucky her family didn’t call the police. And what about Daisy?’

  Adam’s grip on Kate’s ankle loosened a fraction. ‘What about her?’

  ‘Where exactly did she go, Adam? Did she really fly to Israel with no passport, or is she buried in a shallow grave somewhere after she grew too old for you?’

  It had been a complete shot in the dark, but Adam’s reaction was unequivocal. He released her ankle, pulled himself to a sitting position and stole a glance behind him as if to check no-one was in earshot.

  ‘What did you say?’ he said in a low voice.

  Kate stepped backwards, so she was out of his reach. ‘Oh my God, I was right. You killed her, didn't you?’

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  KATE

  As Adam’s demeanour switched from alarm to outrage, Kate shrank back against the table, her heart crashing in her chest.

  ‘She was better off dead,’ he said.

  Kate couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘Are you mad?’

  ‘She’d lost her mind. Didn’t wash, didn’t cook, didn’t care if I was alive or dead. She had no time for me, just the baby. Ben this, Ben that, it’s all I heard. She used to worship the ground I walked on, but when the baby was born, it was as though I ceased to exist. And her body…’ His mouth curled in disgust. ‘Stretch marks, flabby thighs and saggy tits. She sickened me.’

  ‘So you killed her.’

  ‘She was going to leave me. I found a letter she’d written to her parents admitting she’d been wrong about me and begging for forgiveness. She was planning to go and live with them. Claiming I was selfish and irrational!’ His voice rose in indignation.

  ‘She was going to leave Ben with you?’

  Adam shook his head. ‘She wouldn’t have left him. He was all she cared about. But there was no fucking way that crazy bitch was taking him away from me.’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘You think you’ve got it all worked out, don’t you?’ he sneered. ‘You think I killed Daisy.’

  ‘Didn’t you?’

  ‘Sorry to disappoint you, Miss Marple, but no. She did that all herself. The GP had prescribed Rohypnol for her anxiety, even though she was breastfeeding. He was a useless fucker, too. The night before she was planning to leave, she overdosed. She was cold when I found her on the floor of the nursery.’

  ‘Did you call an ambulance? The police?’

  ‘Of course not. They ask too many questions, Katherine. And with my reputation to uphold, I couldn’t risk the scandal. People would have suspected I had something to do with her death. No smoke without fire, and all that.’

  ‘What did you do with her body?’

  ‘What does it matter? No-one cared.’

  Apart from Ben, Kate thought bleakly. He’d grown up wrongly believing his mum had abandoned him. No wonder he was so needy.

  ‘Where is she?’

  ‘It’s of no consequence. She could be on a kibbutz in Israel, living with her parents or - if your overactive imagination is to be believed - buried in a shallow grave. It doesn’t matter.’

  Kate leaned back against the table. Adam’s arrogance took her breath away. He was the most egotistical, vain man she had ever met. Her neck grew hot as she remembered how she’d once, not so long ago, harboured feelings for him. How blind she’d been. How naive. He was a monster masquerading as the perfect catch. And Kate had fallen for his charms.

  As she digested his words,
parts of another puzzle rearranged themselves in her head.

  ‘You gave Chloe Rohypnol the night of our party.’ It was a statement, not a question.

  He shrugged. ‘Sometimes, people don’t know what they want until you make it obvious. Your dear, sweet, innocent Chloe was gagging for it that night. I could have had her there and then, but the thrill of the chase can be more fun than the conquest itself.’

  ‘You’re sick.’

  ‘And you’re entitled to your own opinion.’

  Something else clicked into place. ‘You turned up at our house the day of the fire, even though you knew I was working. Why?’

  Adam smirked.

  ‘Did you -’

  ‘- start the fire?’ He held up his hands. ‘Guilty as charged, m’lud.’

  ‘But why?’ Kate cried.

  ‘So I could rescue Chloe. Come to her aid in her hour of need. Who could have imagined it would have been that easy to win her trust?’ He was animated now, gesturing wildly with his bloodied hand as he spoke. ‘She didn’t even notice the glass from the broken pane in the door was outside, not inside. But that’s teenagers for you. Completely self-absorbed.’

  Kate’s head was spinning so frantically that it took a while for his words to sink in.

  ‘You let yourself into the house? But Chloe said the back door was locked.’

  A manic laugh. ‘You made it all so easy. Didn’t you wonder what happened to your keys? Making sure your dear old papa didn’t come home in the middle of it was the trickiest part. Thank Christ for Rohypnol.’

  Kate remembered the flask next to her father’s chair, the coffee dregs she’d poured away. ‘You drugged him, too? And I blamed Ben for everything,’ she said, shame seeping through her like ink on blotting paper. ‘But he’s as much of a victim in all this as Chloe. Your own son. How could you?’

  Adam touched the back of his neck with his uninjured hand and inspected his fingers. They looked as though they’d been dipped in cochineal. ‘You’re wrong. He’s obsessed with her.’

  She shook her head. ‘It’s a schoolboy crush.’

  Adam gave a derisive snort. ‘He has a framed photo of her under his bed that he takes into the bathroom every morning while he has his shower. Whose face do you think he’s looking at while he’s tugging away, eh?’

  Kate recoiled as if Adam had slapped her. He laughed again. ‘Too much information?’

  She slowed her breathing and attempted to regain her composure. ‘And The Willows,’ she said finally. ‘That was you?’

  ‘You can’t go around preying on innocent girls. Your boss had it coming.’

  She stared at him in morbid fascination. His capacity for self-justification was mind-blowing. ‘Right now, Ben is telling security what’s happened. They’ll be here any moment. Aren’t you worried?’

  Adam smoothed down his hair. ‘God, no. Who are they going to believe - two hysterical women and a spotty teenager or me?’

  ‘And this?’ She half-turned and motioned to the table and its detritus of food and drink. ‘How are you going to explain all this?’

  He shrugged. ‘It’ll be Chloe’s word against mine. And it doesn’t look good for her. She skipped school to spend the afternoon with me, remember. She could have run away at the service station, but she didn’t. She could have called you. She didn’t. She’s not underage. Everyone will believe me. They always do.’

  Anger surged through Kate. She rushed at him, clawing at his face. ‘You bastard, you won’t get away with this!’

  He grasped her wrists and held her at arm’s length, watching with contempt as she wriggled and writhed like a trout on the end of her father’s fishing line. She kicked out at his shin, but he dodged out of her way.

  ‘That’s enough,’ he said coldly.

  Suddenly the rage evaporated as quickly as it had bubbled up, and Kate stopped struggling. As she did, the door flew open, and a brawny security guard strode in, followed closely by Ben and Chloe.

  ‘We’ve had a report of a disturbance,’ the security guard said, his gaze sweeping the room before resting on Adam. ‘I’ve called 999.’

  Adam stepped away from Kate and dusted down his shirt and trousers. ‘Just a silly misunderstanding, my friend,’ he said. ‘No need to involve the police.’

  ‘It’s too late, Dad,’ Ben said. ‘They’re on their way.’

  Adam waved an impatient hand and strode towards the door but the security guard blocked his path and placed a hand on his shoulder.

  ‘Get your hands off me,’ Adam snapped.

  ‘I’m sorry, sir, but I need you to stay where you are until the police arrive.’

  ‘And what exactly am I being accused of?’

  The guard’s eyes narrowed. ‘Breaking and entering, for a start. Now please step away from the door, or I’ll have to call for reinforcements.’

  ‘This is ridiculous,’ Adam blustered, tutting loudly as he pulled up a chair and sat with one leg crossed over the other, a picture of studied indifference. It was a shame a twitch in his jaw gave him away.

  ‘I’m sure the police will sort everything out, sir,’ the guard said.

  ‘They will when I’ve spoken to the ACC,’ Adam snapped.

  Kate had no doubt Adam was on first name terms with the Assistant Chief Constable. But it wasn’t going to be easy for him to talk himself out of trouble this time. She reached for her phone and stopped the recording she’d started in the moments before she’d burst into the room. Eighteen minutes and forty-three seconds of incriminating material. He had as good as admitted he’d drugged Chloe and her father, and disposed of Daisy’s body. Kate had been around lawyers long enough to know that there was enough evidence to open a missing persons case into Daisy’s disappearance and to charge Adam with sexually assaulting Chloe, maybe even attempted rape. He’d also confessed to breaking into their house and arson. He was banged to rights. Serve him bloody well right.

  ‘Mum?’ said a small voice by her side. Chloe’s face was wan, and she was shivering uncontrollably. Kate shrugged out of her coat, wrapped it around her daughter’s shoulders and led her to a corner of the room.

  ‘You OK, sweetheart?’

  ‘I’ve been so stupid,’ Chloe whispered. ‘It was Adam all along. Ben told me everything.’

  Kate let out a weary sigh. ‘If only Ben had told you everything before, none of this would have happened.’

  ‘Don’t blame him. It’s not his fault.’ Chloe pulled Kate’s coat more tightly around her slim body. She looked impossibly young. ‘I thought Adam wanted to help me like, you know… like a dad might want to help his daughter.’

  ‘Chlo, I’m so sorry.’ Kate stroked a tear from Chloe’s waxen cheek.

  ‘What for?’ Chloe sniffed. ‘It’s not your fault either.’

  ‘I’m sorry you don’t have a dad. I’m sorry it’s just me.’

  ‘Don’t be,’ Chloe said fiercely, squeezing her so tight Kate thought her ribs would crack. ‘You’re all I need.’

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  CHLOE

  Six months later

  The air hostess shimmied up the aisle of club class and stopped by Chloe’s seat. The upgrade was Uncle Rory’s early Christmas present to them both. Chloe had vowed never to travel economy again.

  ‘Can I offer you a drink, madam?’ the air hostess asked, all ruby-red lips and false lashes. Her name badge revealed she was called Taylor. So deliciously American. Chloe wiggled her toes with pleasure and glanced at her mum. She had tipped her seat back and pulled on an eye mask, but Chloe could tell by her breathing that she wasn’t asleep. They were as full of nervy excitement as each other.

  ‘Mum, do you want some wine?’ Chloe said, elbowing her gently in the ribs.

  Kate sat up and pulled off the eye mask. ‘Is the Pope Catholic?’

  Chloe giggled. ‘I think that’s a yes,’ she said to the air hostess.

  ‘We have a rather lovely 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon,’ Taylor said, taking a little plastic bottle f
rom her trolley and showing it to them in the palm of her hand. ‘It’s from the Napa Valley. It was a good year, I believe. My mom’s a bit of a connoisseur.’

  Chloe’s mum grimaced. ‘God no, nothing fancy. Just your bog-standard dry white for me, please.’

  ‘I’ll have the same,’ Chloe said. ‘Seeing as we’re celebrating.’

  ‘Oh, yes?’

  Chloe nodded, her cheeks turning pink. ‘We’re going to meet my dad.’

  ‘He lives in California?’

  ‘San José,’ Chloe confirmed. ‘He’s a software developer for Google.’

  It was a cliché, but who cared? Certainly not Chloe. It had been remarkably easy to track him down in the end. She wished with all her heart that they’d tried sooner. But it wasn’t until Adam came into their lives that she’d realised how much she missed having a dad. And why she’d been so desperate for Adam to step into the role.

  She’d been making toast one morning about a month after Adam’s arrest when her mum had bowled in, still in her dressing gown and her hair all mussed.

  ‘I’ve remembered something else about Noah,’ she’d announced breathlessly.

  ‘Our Noah?’

  ‘Our Noah. He told me he was tone-deaf.’

  Chloe pulled a face. ‘And that’s going to help us track him down how exactly?’

  ‘Stick with it, kiddo. I told you about the guy at the beach party playing the guitar? We were all singing along except Noah. When I teased him about it, he said he was tone-deaf, even though his dad was a professional violinist.’

  ‘And you’ve only just remembered this?’

  ‘It was a long time ago, Chloe. But there can’t have been too many professional violinists in San José in 2000, can there?’

  Chloe felt a rush of excitement as she’d started typing furiously into her phone. ‘He would have played with an orchestra, right?’ Her face fell. ‘San José Symphony Orchestra folded in 2001.’