by John Marrs
Sam laughed. “I think we both know the answer to that, Muriel. And when you think about it, it’s incredibly discriminatory. Even if a woman carries a child for nine months and then gives birth to it, that doesn’t mean she’s necessarily the best-qualified parent. It doesn’t mean that, as a man, I can’t provide for a child equally as well. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying I could do a better job than Heidi; the kids couldn’t want for a better mum. I’m just pointing out that in an age where women have never been more equal to men, it’s much more likely that she is going to survive this ordeal than me.”
Sam noted Fiona typing into her tablet and sliding it over for an increasingly flustered Muriel to read. The clock on his screen reached the halfway point. He placed both hands on his thigh to stop his leg from bouncing.
“Would you like this opportunity to tell us a bit more about yourself?” Muriel asked hopefully.
“I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel uncomfortable,” Sam replied. “That wasn’t my intention.”
“No, no, you haven’t,” she lied, offering him a faint smile.
“I’m just frustrated because it’s unlikely I’ll see or hold my kids again,” he continued. “They’re my world. And I appreciate that it’s Heidi who spends the majority of time with them. But given half a chance, I’d swap places with her in a heartbeat. Like millions and millions of other dads out there watching and listening to me right now, I contribute towards my children in different ways to their mum—but they’re equally important ways. And now it looks like I’m going to die because of it. Why would your God put me in a position where I don’t have a fighting chance?”
“Um, perhaps even though you have created life together, it’s because a woman has the biological means to feed and nurture that child. That’s why she’s judged by some as more valuable—”
“Now I’m being penalised because my body can’t feed a baby? Really?”
“That’s not what—”
“So not only is society against me but so is my biology, the same one that God created? I’m truly shafted, aren’t I?”
Muriel attempted several more lines of questioning, from Sam’s occupation to his interests and what motivated him. But each time, he returned the subject to the bias against men. He had done all that he could. Now his only hope was that his argument had resonated with the rest of his sex. Suddenly he became aware of the time—he had just ninety seconds left to complete his defence.
“May I ask your social media person a question?” he asked, but didn’t await permission. “Up until my ten minutes began, how popular was I with the public?”
Surprised to be addressed, a ruffled Cadman recovered fast and reached for his tablet. “Just give me a minute to make a clean sweep of the data,” he muttered.
“Unfortunately, a minute is about all I have.”
“Well, in terms of popularity, in first place was Heidi, in second it was you, third place was Sofia—although she’s dropping like a kitten down a well, then Jude, followed by Claire.”
“And now?”
“While various incarnations of #killSofia are currently the most trending hashtag, you have the highest number of new votes and positive comments for a Passenger. Most of your support appears to be coming from the UK, US, Denmark, France, and Sweden, where there are higher densities of single-father households.”
Sam’s instinct was to punch the air in victory, but he held back. In less than ten minutes, he had completed what he had set out to achieve. However, it had come at Heidi’s expense. He didn’t want to look at her for her reaction, but he couldn’t stop himself. Her expression was no longer just frosty; it was ice-cold. Her eyebrows were drawn tightly together, her lips pursed. Her chest rose and fell quickly as if she was trying to suppress her rage. A part of him wanted to mouth “I’m sorry” to her, but he knew that he couldn’t, because he wasn’t sorry.
He had more to live for than she did.
“And that brings us to an end,” came the Hacker’s voice. Sam watched a wave of relief wash over Muriel’s face, her role now complete. He braced himself, because if the next few minutes followed the same pattern as Claire’s and Sofia’s, the Hacker was preparing his parting shot. And he hoped that when it was fired, he had been persuasive enough to retain some of that support.
“That’s quite the turnaround in public opinion, Sam,” the Hacker continued. “It was very cleverly played.”
“I’d like to add that it wasn’t ever my intention to try and take support away from my wife,” Sam added with as much sincerity as he could muster. “I’m willing to die for that woman.”
“A fine sentiment, I’m sure, if only it were true. But you’re not, are you? Because you had the opportunity to do just that, and you chose to survive. I wonder if there is anyone else you might choose to die for instead? Perhaps Josie, the woman you married a year after marrying Heidi? Or maybe the son and the daughter you and that wife have together? Does this previously undisclosed family mean more to you than your first?”
CHAPTER 39
HEIDI COLE
Heidi was aware that millions of pairs of eyes were now upon her, the public and jurors all on tenterhooks waiting to see how she would react.
She began slowly, with a shake of her head. “No, you’re a liar,” she told the Hacker. “I don’t believe you.”
“I have no reason to lie to you, Heidi,” he replied, his voice infused with phony sympathy. “Of the nine years you have spent married to your husband, for eight of them, he has also been married to another woman. And in that time, they have had two children together.”
“Am I just supposed to take your word for it?” she hit back. “You’ve made accusations about us all, but you never offer any proof. I don’t take anyone’s word for anything without seeing evidence first.”
“Spoken like a true officer of the law, DS Cole.”
A ten-minute countdown clock appeared in the corner of her screen along with a video clip. It was of Sam playing with two children, around the same age as her own, in a theme park. He was with a blond-haired boy and a red-haired girl travelling inside a log flume. Suddenly it dropped down a steep section, drenching them with water. They exited the carriage, giggling and wringing water from their clothes. “Daddy, you’re soaked,” the girl directed towards Sam as he rubbed her wet, matted hair. Whoever was holding the camera turned it on themselves. It was a woman with short, dark hair and pale skin. “Oh, Daddy is going to regret his soggy bottom on the journey home,” she said, laughing, before the screen faded to black.
The next clip had been recorded at a restaurant with the same children and a group of men and women Heidi didn’t recognise. The woman from the last clip approached Sam with a cake and two burning candles in the shape of 4 and 0 as everyone sang “Happy Birthday.” Heidi recalled offering to organise him a party, but he had turned her down. Now she knew why. Responding to requests for a speech, Sam rose to his feet. “I’d like to thank everyone for coming,” he began, “and for my beautiful wife and kids for keeping this from me as a surprise. I had no idea she could be so secretive.”
“Turn it off,” Heidi spat, and the Hacker obliged. Her face remained devoid of emotion as she looked to Sam’s screen. He may have held his head down, but the guilt was written across his face.
“Who are they?” she asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” the Hacker replied. “All that matters is that they exist.”
“If you are telling me that my marriage has been based on lies, then it matters to me. Who are they?”
“His son is called James and his daughter is called Beccy.”
“That’s what we called our children.”
“He used the same names.”
“And her?”
“His wife’s name is Josie.”
“Don’t call her his wife,” Heidi snapped. “If he married me first, then legal
ly I am his wife, not her.”
A camera picked out Matthew. He took it as his cue to begin talking to her.
“I’m sorry, Heidi,” he began. “This is not how I envisaged our conversation to begin.” When Heidi didn’t reply, Matthew filled the space of her silence. “I’m not sure what’s worse—a partner who has started another family behind their first family’s back, or one who has affairs throughout their marriage. And I speak about this from experience.”
Heidi thawed ever so slightly at his words. “You do?” she asked.
He nodded. “A careless text message she’d forgotten to delete. I’m not just paying you lip service when I tell you that you have my sympathy.”
Heidi offered Matthew an appreciative half-smile and directed her attention to her husband. “I don’t even have to ask you if it’s true, do I, Sam? Look at you.” She saw his leg bouncing up and down as he shuffled awkwardly in his seat. “How could you?” she continued, her voice becoming emboldened. “What kind of man marries someone else when they already have a wife? Did I slip your mind? Did you just forget? Does she know about me, about our family?”
Sam opened his mouth, but with his microphone switched off, he was unable to give her the answers she craved. “Turn his volume up!” Heidi ordered, but her demands were ignored. “You heard me! I have a right to know! If I’m going to die in this car, at least give me the truth first.”
“I don’t think you are going to get it, Heidi,” said Matthew calmly. “The Hacker isn’t interested in giving you answers; he gains more satisfaction from playing with you . . . playing with all of us. So why don’t you tell us about yourself instead? Let the people know who you are away from Sam. Don’t allow what he has done to define you in their eyes.”
“But I trusted him. How could he do this to me?”
“How would you describe yourself as a mum?” Matthew persevered.
“Unlike my husband, I’m there for my children,” she replied. “During his interview, Sam was keen to point out just how unfair it was that only women are thought of as nurturers. Well, Sam, that’s because I had no choice but to take on that role by myself. You failed to mention how you kept accepting contracts that took you away from us four days a week, and it’s only now I realise that it’s because it meant you got to spend time with this other family. I also work full-time, but it’s me who plays both mum and dad to our kids, who takes Beccy to singing lessons and ferries James around the county for rugby tournaments. And even when you are with us, it’s like you’re not there. You’re always too tired to engage. But I suppose you’ve been too busy giving your attention to your other children to care.”
“Why do you think you should survive this process?” Matthew continued.
Heidi shook her head. “You know what? I don’t mean to be rude but I’m done playing this game. I’ve given the last ten years to raising my children, to being a success in my career, and to my marriage. And this is my reward for trying to be a good person. So to hell with you all. I’m not answering any more questions.”
Heidi rubbed at her eyes with her fingertips and looked out from the window and to the opposite side of the road, where traffic had come to a complete standstill. A queue of drivers and Passengers lined up to watch her car pass them. Some pointed cameras at her, others waved, and many applauded. She took a sharp intake of breath, worried that she might share Shabana’s fate if anyone broke ranks and tried to bring her car to a halt. But they retained a respectful distance.
The Hacker was the next person to speak.
“Are you alright, Heidi?” he asked.
“If you cared, we wouldn’t be trapped inside these cars being stared at like animals in a zoo. I’d be home with my children and not publicly humiliated for your entertainment.”
“You still have three minutes left.”
“Keep them, give them to someone else, shove them up your arse, I don’t care. If I’m only able to teach my kids one more lesson, then it’s to face up to bullies, to stand their ground and not to allow anyone like you or their father to take advantage of them.”
The Hacker let the camera remain on a defiant Heidi for several moments before he spoke again.
“Cadman, would you care to keep us up to speed with how the public are reacting with their hashtags to Heidi and Sam’s situation?”
“Heidi has already overtaken Sam, and he’s actually dropped to below even Claire’s ranking. Apparently living a double life with two wives and two families is worse than driving around with your dead husband in the car.”
“While the public never fails to fascinate me, neither do our Passengers,” said the Hacker. “I find you particularly interesting, Heidi. Bringing your ten minutes to an early halt was a very risky move.”
“It wasn’t a move because I’m not playing a game.”
“That’s not true, is it?”
Heidi’s heart sank. For a moment, she thought she had got away with it. As long as she was winning sympathy as the wronged wife, she would take Sam’s support and show him how it felt to be thrown under the bus. But the Hacker had known exactly what she was doing. And now everyone else was about to as well.
“You’ve known about your husband’s second family for quite some time now, haven’t you?” the Hacker continued. “And to get your revenge, you’ve been blackmailing him ever since.”
CHAPTER 40
For the second time in minutes, Libby’s eyes were fixed on Heidi’s face to judge her reaction. But she gave nothing away.
Libby looked to Sam instead. His leg was motionless. Heidi had shut down her emotions, but Sam was the opposite. His face slowly became gnarled with anger, before frustration set in at not being able to communicate with her.
Sam’s shock appeared genuine, but Libby no longer trusted her judgement. She had taken the four Passengers’ stories on face value, and each of them had proven to be dishonest. And the thought of what Jude might be hiding from her made her sick with worry. Unlike the other jurors and their charges, Libby had an emotional investment in hers.
As much as she wanted to believe Jude was different, in truth, what did she know about him? They were barely acquainted. Her sole judgement on what kind of man he was was based on spending four hours together. The only common link among the remaining Passengers was that all were hiding something. It stood to reason that so was Jude, otherwise why would he be locked inside a car packed with explosives? Another thought struck her—what if the Hacker was saving the worst until last? The nauseating feeling was stronger than ever.
“None of the Passengers are coming out of this well,” said Muriel.
“Neither are you guys,” Cadman added.
“Why ever not?”
“For a jury charged with making important decisions, social media finds your judgement questionable. Each Passenger you’ve chosen to support has turned out to be either a husband killer, a paedophile protector, an adulterer, or a blackmailer.”
Libby didn’t have time to doubt Jude any longer. His face filled the main screen, and the countdown clock appeared. Libby moved into the centre of the room with a confidence she didn’t really possess. The life of the man before her was now in her hands.
“Libby, if you’d like to begin,” said the Hacker.
“Hi,” she said, feeling suddenly very exposed.
“Hi to you too,” Jude replied. He gave her the same smile he’d offered from across the bar that night. And just like then, the butterflies in her stomach began their ascent. She couldn’t stop herself from remembering how wonderful he tasted when they kissed. If only it hadn’t been cut short.
“How are you holding up?” she asked. Before he could answer, she corrected herself. “Sorry, I promised myself I wasn’t going to ask any silly questions.”
“That’s okay; I’m not too bad now I’ve got over the shock of it all. I can’t say it ever crossed my mind that when y
ou and I met again, it would be like this.”
When, Libby repeated to herself. He said “when.” It meant he hadn’t given up on her. He’d thought there was still a chance.
“I don’t think anyone could have imagined this,” she replied. “How are you remaining so calm? I’m not locked in a hijacked car but I’m terrified.”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t freaked out by it. But I’ve learned that in life sometimes you have to accept your fate.”
“When I first saw you this morning and realised who you were, I wasn’t sure if you’d remember me.”
“You’re a hard woman to forget.” Libby’s eyes twinkled. “I want you to know what I said earlier was true. I did trawl social media trying to find you. A friend of a friend works for the brewery that owns the pub, and he broke a few data privacy laws by grabbing some images of you from CCTV to help me.” Jude removed his phone from the dashboard and held it up to the camera to reveal the photographs he’d saved. “Now I’m showing you them, I appreciate how creepy it looks.”
“If it was anyone else, it might,” Libby said. “But not you.” She held back a smile that wanted to swallow her face.
“Can I ask you a question, Libby?”
“Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?”
“Yes, but if it’s a choice between spending ten minutes trying to fight my corner or getting to know you, then you win hands down.” This time Libby couldn’t hold back her grin any longer. “What do you think might have happened if you stayed at the bar?”
She took a moment to consider it before she answered. “I think my friends would have moved on to somewhere else, but you and I would’ve stayed outside in the garden until closing time. Then we’d have searched for some terrible takeaway to buy questionable meats served in a polystyrene box, we’d have eaten it on the way back to my hotel, then you’d have asked for my number, I’d have given it to you, and we would’ve kissed again. Then, maybe for the next few days, we’d have messaged each other, and the following weekend, we’d have met for dinner and taken it from there.”