by Kerry Watts
‘Oh my goodness,’ their foster mother cried out and clasped her fingers over her mouth. She stared at the puddle of water all over the carpet. ‘Ella, go and phone for an ambulance, sweetheart.’
‘What’s happening to her?’ Ella sobbed, fearing for her friend – the girl she’d come to think of as a sister.
‘Just do it,’ their foster mother snapped and grabbed hold of Rachel’s hand. She stared into the teenager’s frightened eyes and knew exactly what was happening.
‘Help me!’ Rachel screamed and grabbed her stomach as the pain returned.
‘I need you to listen very carefully to me.’
Rachel’s wide eyes hung on her every word as she battled against the agony.
‘Do you understand what’s happening, darling?’
Rachel burst into floods of tears and screamed. ‘Yes, yes I know. I’m sorry; I should have told you.’
Her foster mother squeezed her hand. ‘That doesn’t matter now. I want you to concentrate on your breathing. The ambulance is coming and you’re not alone.’
‘I’m so scared,’ Rachel murmured between pants. ‘David should be with me.’
More warm liquid trickled out; this time rather than being clear it had a light brown tinge to it. Her foster mother tried not to show her fear. The sound of the ambulance sirens was the best sound she’d ever heard. Ella’s heavy footsteps returned.
‘That’s the ambulance,’ Ella announced. ‘Don’t worry, Rachel – help’s arrived. You’re going to be fine.’
Rachel stared up at her friend. Apart from David the only other friend she had ever had. Then it happened.
‘Something’s happening!’ Rachel screamed. ‘Ow, make it stop.’ She reached down between her legs. ‘There’s something there.’
‘OK, OK, shh, calm down. It’s your baby’s head. This is what’s supposed to happen. Don’t worry.’
‘Don’t worry?’ Rachel grabbed hold of her foster mother’s arm and dug her short nails into her flesh. ‘Don’t worry! How can I not worry?’ she screamed, droplets of spit escaping at speed and hitting her foster mother’s cheek.
More footsteps thumped up the stairs and two paramedics burst into the small bedroom.
‘Come on, Ella – we need to give them some space.’ Their foster mother tried to pull Ella away, but Ella couldn’t move. She watched in awe at the little head enter the world, followed by the bloody shoulders then the whole perfect tiny human that lay on the floor between her best friend’s legs.
Rachel stared down, unable to comprehend what she saw. The paramedic wrapped her baby daughter in a towel and placed the tiny bundle into her arms.
‘She’s beautiful,’ Rachel whispered.
Ella wiped away the tears that streamed down her freckled cheeks.
‘What will you call her?’ she asked.
Their foster mother was horrified to think of the conversation she would soon be having with Rachel about this baby’s future.
38
Julia Dean tossed her bag onto the kitchen table as she lifted her feet out of her trainers. She ran her hand over the back of her neck. She needed to shower. Going for a run had helped a little. Running in bad weather made it feel like more of a workout – Julia’s thinking time. Let’s face it, there had been a lot to think about these past few months.
She tugged her earphones out and threw her phone onto the worktop. There was no message from Caroline. She didn’t want to text her again – that would look too desperate. She would have to wait.
Julia opened the fridge and lifted out the carton of orange juice, disappointed to find it was almost empty. She scribbled the letters ‘OJ’ on her whiteboard above the fridge.
The buzzing on the worktop made her grab the phone in anticipation. She sighed when it was her mum’s picture that came up on the caller ID.
‘Hi, Mum,’ she answered it. ‘How are you?’
Julia balanced her iPhone between her ear and shoulder as she retrieved the butter and cheese from the fridge then laid them on the surface in front of her. ‘Hang on, I’ll have to put you on speaker. I’m making dinner.’
Julia listened to her mum’s list of questions. The same list she asked every time she called. How was work? Are you eating enough fruit? Getting enough sleep? Have you met anyone?
The usual – fine, yes, yes and no seemed to be enough once again.
‘How are you feeling, Mum?’ Julia added.
‘Oh, you know me. I’m just getting on with things. Nothing else for it, is there?’ Her quiet voice filled the kitchen.
That always caught Julia off guard no matter how many times she heard it. Her mum’s cancer treatment wasn’t having the desired effect and her surgeon’s optimism was diminishing.
‘I thought I might come by this weekend. Let you feed me.’ Julia grinned as she rubbed away the tear that had dripped onto her cheek. She listened to her mum’s laughter followed by a long bout of coughing. ‘Mum, you still there? You go and get some water. I’ll call back later.’
Julia would go over for dinner this Sunday because there might not be many Sunday dinners left for them to enjoy. The fact that the two women were still mourning the loss of her dad made the cancer all the more cruel.
She poured water into her mug and stirred the teabag round briefly before tossing it into the bin. Julia was gasping for a good cup of tea. So much had happened in the past few hours.
She took her sandwich to the kitchen table and sat down to open her laptop. Her mouse hovered over the link to the newspaper article. She pulled her finger back and sipped from her mug, then rested her elbows on the edge of the table and dropped her chin onto her hands. Julia wanted to read it again. She really did. No matter how horrific it was.
She inhaled a huge breath and exhaled through her fingers before clicking the link. Julia struggled to comprehend the horror on the pages of the article. It didn’t seem real, not for such a dark thing to happen in such a beautiful place.
Julia slammed down the lid of her laptop and sat back in her chair, swallowing down the repulsion that rose every time. She’d kept her secret for so long she thought she would burst.
39
Kenny hung up the phone in disbelief. The look of shock on his face alarmed Caroline.
‘You’re scaring me now,’ she urged. ‘Who was that?’
A single hot, stinging tear filled Kenny’s eye. He rubbed it away with the back of his hand and pushed past her.
‘I have to go; I have so much to organise.’
‘Kenny.’ Caroline rushed after him and grabbed hold of his arm. ‘Tell me.’
Kenny stopped dead and turned to face her. ‘That was Rachel.’
‘What did she say?’ Caroline asked. ‘When is she coming home?’
Kenny frowned. ‘Why would you ask that?’
Caroline blushed. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t think – I don’t know how these things work.’
‘Forget it. I’ll call you. I have to go and pick her up.’
Caroline followed him, tugging his shirt sleeve. ‘Don’t be silly – you’re in no fit state to drive. I’ll take you,’ she suggested. ‘Then I’ll bring you both home.’
‘No, I can’t expect you to do that.’
Caroline ran her thumb over his wrist and smiled. ‘I’ll take you,’ she whispered.
Kenny took firm hold of both of her hands and kissed one of them, his voice shaking with emotion as he said, ‘Thank you.’
‘I’m happy to help. You’ve both been so good to me.’ She paused to wipe away her own tear. ‘You must be relieved she’s not being charged.’
Kenny shook his head. ‘Rachel has been charged. She’s been granted bail pending further investigations.’ Kenny exhaled sharply between his fingers. ‘Her mental health would suffer if she remained in custody, the doctor said. Thank God he spoke up for her! I could barely understand her on the phone she was sobbing so much.’
Caroline wrapped her arms around Kenny’s wide shoulders and held on to him tight.
‘It’s OK, don’t worry,’ she attempted to reassure him. ‘Let’s just go and get her and bring her home.’
Kenny held on to her. She meant well, he knew that, but this wasn’t looking good.
Caroline watched Kenny support Rachel’s body with his as they walked back towards his Land Rover. They would have all been comfortable in her Mini so he suggested she could drive his car. Caroline loved driving it. It wasn’t the first time he’d allowed her behind the wheel of one of his luxury vehicles but this Land Rover was by far Caroline’s favourite. The personal number plate added that extra touch of class to the experience.
She hadn’t been lying when she said they’d both been good to her. Caroline avoided talking about her life when she could but she had confided in Kenny once, mistakenly, that her childhood wasn’t something she ever wanted to remember, which was the reason she no longer spoke to her adopted parents – preferring instead to tell people they were dead like she wished they were. Caroline had told him that he and Rachel were more like family to her than her own apart from her brother. She missed him dreadfully.
Rachel spotted Caroline in the driver’s seat of Kenny’s Land Rover and knew she should hate it. But she just didn’t have the energy to hate Caroline Peters today. What she’d experienced in that interview was so much worse than the first time round. Back then she was a vulnerable teenager and they took pity on her, but that detective, Jessie Blake, had made it plain that she believed Rachel was guilty. She’d even looked disappointed when it was recommended that Rachel go home to be with Kenny rather than be held in custody. Rachel was so grateful to both her solicitor and that lovely doctor who’d spoken up for her.
She waved back at Caroline, who smiled in her direction. It was sweet of her to help them. She didn’t have to; this certainly wasn’t part of her job description. Maybe Rachel had underestimated the girl.
Caroline got out and opened the back-passenger door for Rachel.
‘Hey,’ she greeted her. ‘Are you OK?’ Caroline leaned forward and hugged her.
Rachel didn’t have the strength to object.
‘I’m fine, Caroline, thank you, and thank you for this. For driving Kenny to collect me.’
Caroline smiled and gave a slight shrug. ‘He wasn’t in a fit state to drive himself anywhere. The two of you need to get home and have a large nip of something. Come on – hop in.’
Rachel nodded and slid onto the back seat and tugged on the seatbelt. She was exhausted. All those questions. All the evidence they said they had against her, but she kept telling that detective she wasn’t there so it couldn’t be her hair or her footprints inside or outside the house. She didn’t know where Kenny’s gun was. She didn’t want the Anguses dead. It wasn’t worth killing them for a bit of land, was it? But that detective wasn’t having any of it.
Kenny turned round see Rachel dozing on the back seat with her head resting against the window. Caroline glanced in the rear-view mirror to see what he was staring at.
‘She must be exhausted,’ Caroline whispered. ‘A hot bath and an early night, I think.’
‘That sounds perfect,’ Rachel piped up and made Caroline blush.
‘I’m sorry, I thought you were asleep.’
Caroline indicated onto the short farm track towards the house and could see the smoke rise from a distance.
‘What the hell?’ Kenny yelled and grabbed for his phone. ‘Phone the fire brigade – hurry!’
Rachel listened to her husband’s frantic call for help, unable to take her eyes off the flames that now rose into the sky. All she could think about was the horses.
‘Hurry up!’ Rachel screamed at Caroline. ‘I have to get to the stables.’
Caroline accelerated until she came to a skidding halt close to the bungalow’s drive. Rachel raced from the vehicle with her sleeve over her face to stop the smoke entering her lungs. She could hear the dogs barking furiously from the kennel block and Kenny ran past her to retrieve them.
Rachel could hear the horses kicking at their stable doors from outside the main door. They would be able to smell the smoke and they’d be scared. She had to get inside.
A loud bang came from the burning bungalow and she heard Caroline scream. Rachel opened the bolt on the stable door and rushed inside. She was quickly able to lead both of her precious racehorses outside and locked them in their paddock, away from the smoking ruin of her home. They were more important to Rachel than any building.
She walked backwards and allowed her weight to fall onto an upturned feed bucket and watched the flames lick and dance through her house. The sound and smell was terrifying.
Kenny struggled to contain the three terrified Labradors who strained against their leads in a bid to escape the chaos. Sirens blared over the sound of the crackling flames. Kenny stood silently next to his wife and Rachel reached up for his hand. A horrible thought slammed into her mind. The photograph. The only one she had of her daughter was gone forever. Lost in the flames. The designer clothes could be replaced but that precious photograph could not. Hot tears bubbled behind her eyes. Kenny’s gaze met hers.
‘I have to ask the two of you to move back,’ the first firefighter called out to the dazed couple.
Rachel stood first and held tightly onto Kenny’s hand. ‘Come on. Let’s get out of their way.’
Rachel took one of the dog’s leads from him and began to move towards the paddock. Kenny followed behind in silence before the couple flopped down onto the grass and watched them tackle the blaze. Neither spoke. Instead they sat close together and held hands. First her arrest, now this. Surely her day couldn’t get any worse? Forty-eight hours ago all Rachel had to worry about was getting Dexter ready for his upcoming race.
Kenny’s eyes snapped wide open when he saw what the firefighter held in his hand as he walked out of the front door of the bungalow. The shock propelled him to his feet and he surged forward. It was scorched but unmistakable.
‘Where did you find that?’ he shouted.
‘It was under the bed in the master bedroom, sir.’
Kenny turned back to see Rachel avoid his expression, her head now dropped into her hands as she shook it.
40
Jessie poured a tall glass of Chardonnay for herself and one for Benito.
‘What did you get up to today then?’ she quizzed him. ‘While I was hard at work.’ She ended that teasing statement with a wide grin.
Benito laughed. ‘I’ll have you know I’ve been busy tidying up your kitchen. When did you last wash any dishes?’
Jessie laughed too. ‘Can’t remember to be honest but it’s usually just me and the cat so not really a top priority.’
Jessie loved that Benito felt so at home in her place. His flat in Edinburgh was lovely but she still felt a little awkward in someone else’s home. She always had. Jessie needed to be around her own things. Her stuff. On the rare occasions she visited her sister Freya, Jessie couldn’t wait to get home. Hearing Benito talk about his sisters made her wish she and Freya were closer, but they weren’t so she had to forget about it, didn’t she? Benito and his sisters hadn’t been raised like Jessie and Freya, though.
‘Well, you have a cupboard full of clean plates now.’
‘Thank you.’
For a split-second Jessie entertained the idea of reaching up and pulling him close to kiss him passionately on the lips – but only for a second. She lifted her wine glass to her lips instead and swallowed a large gulp before she did something she knew she would regret. Her mind was still trying to comprehend what Dan had done for her. She knew that he never acted without a reason – there always had to be something in it for him.
Jessie’s attention and her gratitude were much sought after by her ex-husband, she knew that. She had once been happy with Dan – before the control and manipulation, which evolved into violence. She should have seen it coming, really. What Jessie saw her mum live through – what they had all lived through – should have made her run a mile afte
r Dan first raised his voice, let alone his fist. Haley McKenzie’s smiling face kept popping into her head too. Jessie wondered how far into her journey Haley was. Perhaps he was still Mr Nice Guy with her.
Benito’s words snapped Jessie out of her thoughts.
‘Did you hear what I said?’ Ben sipped his wine and grinned. ‘You were miles away. Is everything OK?’
‘What? No, I mean, yes, I’m sorry, I’m just—’ she rambled and sipped from her glass. ‘What was it you said?’
‘How’s the case going? I know it’s a double murder,’ Ben said.
Jessie could tell Ben wanted details. She supposed, like David Lyndhurst, Ben was never off duty.
‘I’ve charged their neighbour with two counts of murder,’ Jessie informed him.
Benito’s eyes widened and he whistled through his teeth. ‘Wow, that was quick.’
‘Not you too.’
‘Me too what?’ Benito’s gentle laughed filled the air between them.
‘David Lyndhurst already suggested the evidence seems too convenient.’
‘What do you think?’ Ben asked. ‘You’re the detective.’
Jessie didn’t hesitate. ‘DNA, motive, opportunity and history of violence.’
‘Murder weapon?’
‘Still working on that one.’ Jessie lifted her glass and walked away but not before she grabbed the bottle.
Later, as the two of them sat close together on Jessie’s sofa, she realised it felt good. No, it was better than that – it felt right. The urge to kiss him rose again and if it wasn’t for the buzz from her phone she thought she would really have gone through with it that time.
41
1991
The pretty blonde midwife handed Rachel’s baby back to her and smiled.
‘She looks like you. She has her mum’s big green eyes.’
Rachel thought she might still be in shock. That’s what her foster mum had suggested earlier. Rachel suspected she was pregnant but hadn’t told a soul. Not even Ella and she trusted her more than anyone.