by Rona Halsall
Frank whistled between his teeth. ‘That’s some theory you’ve got there.’
‘And it’s completely stupid,’ Kate said, stepping into the room.
Neither Becca nor Frank had heard her return, and they both jumped at the sound of her voice. She sat on the arm of the sofa.
‘I wish you’d stop doing that,’ Becca snapped, wondering how long she’d been listening, how much she’d heard. ‘I was talking to Dad.’
‘It doesn’t really matter who you were talking to. That is the most ridiculous conspiracy theory I’ve ever heard. You need help, sis.’ Her voice was soft, cajoling, sympathy in her eyes. ‘You’ve been under a lot of stress, going back to work and looking after Mia when Dean’s not there to help, and it’s manifested itself in harmful behaviour.’ She gave a slow shake of the head. ‘It’s understandable. It’s also a repeat of what happened before. Even if you did get away with it that time.’
Becca’s mouth gaped in horror. ‘What are you talking about? I didn’t get away with anything. I was innocent. That was just my boss causing trouble for me.’
Kate rubbed Becca’s shoulder. ‘Bit of a coincidence, don’t you think?’
Becca slapped her hand away and Kate stood, putting some distance between them.
‘Now, Kate. I think that’s unfair.’ Frank could have sounded more convincing, and Becca scowled at him, wondering if Kate had spoken her father’s thoughts.
‘Dad, you’ve got to stop encouraging her.’ Kate’s voice was firm, like she was ticking off a naughty child. ‘It’s all nonsense. What she needs to do is accept the help that’s being offered. Go and see the psychiatrist, use their professional support and treatment. Then she’ll start to feel better, and in time, things will go back to normal.’ She gave a shrug. ‘Somebody has to tell it how it is, and I’m just thinking about what’s best for you, Becca.’
‘No, you’re not. You’re thinking what’s best for you. And that’s for me to be here to keep an eye on Dad while you go and take up your fancy job in London.’
Kate folded her arms across her chest, glaring at her sister. ‘Okay, let’s be honest. I’m sure he’d much prefer to have you here anyway.’ She threw an angry glance at Frank then stood and left the room.
Frank sighed, waiting until they’d heard her footsteps pound up the stairs and her bedroom door slam shut. ‘I’m glad she’s going. It pains me to say it, but I think we need a break from each other.’ He looked at his fingers, knotted together in his lap. ‘I’ve always tried to be fair. And she’s got a short memory when it suits her. I remember when she found out that you and Dean were an item and I spent a lot of time giving her a shoulder to cry on.’
Becca frowned, confused. ‘Why would that bother her? I know you were both mad at me for leaving the funeral tea early, but what’s Dean got to do with it?’
Frank pursed his lips, hesitated. ‘They were together for a while before you came home from Australia.’
Becca’s eyes widened. ‘Dean and Kate?’ She couldn’t imagine it. In terms of personalities they would be niggling at each other the whole time. It would be like sleeping on a bed of nails.
Frank nodded. ‘It was an on–off kind of relationship. Volatile, I suppose you’d call it. They had a bust-up just before your mum died. Poor Kate didn’t take to being dumped very well.’ He gazed out of the window, remembering. ‘She was really cut up about it, wasn’t eating or sleeping properly. And she just lashed out at everyone. Next minute you turn up with him.’
‘I can’t believe I didn’t know that,’ Becca said, incredulous that it had been kept a secret. Anger flared in her chest. ‘Why the hell did nobody tell me?’
Frank turned his wedding ring round and round his finger. ‘I didn’t think it was my place to say anything. It was up to Kate and Dean to tell you. Anyway, they’d been broken up for a month or so when you came home. It was over between them and that was that as far as I knew.’
Kate and Dean? Shock rattled her brain, shaking up her memories, resetting all those assumptions which had obviously been wrong. She thought back to the times when they’d had family get-togethers, wondering if she should have noticed anything. But all she’d sensed was indifference. Two people sliding past each other, not engaging. Separate. It was all an act. She’d always thought it was a shame that Frank and Kate hadn’t seemed to like Dean, but this new revelation gave her a different perspective. Her stomach churned.
‘And Dean ended it?’
‘Apparently, he wanted to settle down and start a family, and Kate wasn’t sure if she even wanted children. She had career ambitions, you know what she’s like.’
A shiver of unease ran down Becca’s spine, her mind busy reinterpreting her past, spewing out a whole new stream of questions. ‘Do you think Kate hoped they’d get back together?’
Frank thought for a moment. ‘I think so. But then you were pregnant and Dean was out of her reach.’
‘You should have told me!’ Becca thumped the arm of the sofa. ‘Honestly, Dad. How could you keep that secret?’
‘Just a minute, you don’t need to go all shirty on me.’ Frank wagged a finger at her. ‘How am I supposed to know what Dean and Kate have told you, eh? Like I said, it wasn’t for me to say. Not after the way he reacted when your mum tried to reason with him about Kate. No, I was done with him. Hoped he’d left our lives forever and—’ He stopped what he was about to say, gave an impatient huff.
Becca glared at him, but his words took root in her mind and she knew it wasn’t his fault. Dean should have told her. So why didn’t he?
Perhaps Dean never really wanted her at all. Perhaps it was more about wanting a family. Becca thought about the timings for a moment. ‘Is that why Kate moved to Manchester?’
Frank sighed. ‘I think she found it easier to be further away. She’s always been the jealous type, hasn’t she? And competitive with you. I suppose she didn’t tell you because she felt bad about being rejected and Dean choosing you over her.’ He shrugged. ‘Who knows what goes on in that head of hers?’
They heard footsteps clumping down the stairs, the thump of something heavy on the floor. Becca jumped up, an idea taking shape in her mind. Kate was the common denominator in all her problems.
‘What if it’s her, Dad?’ she whispered, not wanting her sister to hear. ‘What if it’s Kate doing this to me?’
Before he had time to reply, Becca stormed out of the lounge, certain she was right.
Kate was in the hall, shrugging on her coat, a large suitcase and a couple of bags at her feet.
‘Going somewhere?’ Becca asked, furious now that she’d worked everything out.
‘I’m off to London. I thought I might as well go now, then I’ve got a few days to find a place. I’ll be back for the rest of my stuff when I’m settled.’
‘It’s you, isn’t it?’ She poked her sister in the chest.
Kate’s eyes narrowed and she took a step back. ‘What are you ranting about now?’
‘You’re the one who’s been causing all this trouble for me. You’ve been pretending to be Connor.’ The logic clicked into place. ‘It would have been easy enough to have a read of my journals when you cleared out my desk. That’s what gave you the idea, isn’t it?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ Kate had a wild look in her eyes and Becca knew it was the truth.
‘You’re just jealous Dean wanted to be with me, aren’t you? I’ve got the man you thought you should have.’ She knew she was on the right track when she saw the flicker of surprise in Kate’s eyes – surprise that she’d worked it out. ‘You’ve done all this to break up my marriage.’
Kate continued fastening up her coat. ‘You’re being ridiculous.’ She gave Becca a hard stare. ‘But let’s face it, you trapped him by getting pregnant. He’s a genuinely good guy – of course he stood by you, but that doesn’t mean he wanted to.’
The words hit Becca like a slap in the face. ‘We were happy enough until all this started. If our marriage is in t
rouble, then it’s your doing. This weird vendetta you’ve got going.’ Her hands bunched into fists by her sides as she struggled to resist the impulse to lash out.
‘Oh, I haven’t got the energy for this nonsense.’ Kate gave a dismissive flap of her hand. ‘More of your hysterics.’ She picked up a holdall and lifted it on to her shoulder, leaving her hands free for the suitcase and the other bag. ‘I am so glad to be out of here. You won’t listen to the voice of reason, either of you.’ She flicked a glance towards the lounge. ‘You’re welcome to each other.’
Becca stood in front of the door. ‘You’re not going anywhere.’
Kate walked right up to her, their noses almost touching, annoyance flashing in her eyes. ‘Stop being so childish. Get out of the way.’
Becca had no intention of moving. ‘I’m right, aren’t I? You’ve been giving Mia something to make her poorly, so the suspicion falls on me. You’re putting doubts in everyone’s mind about my sanity. All out of spite.’
Kate hissed through her teeth. ‘I’m not even going to respond to that.’ She stepped back, silent for a moment as if the force of her stare would remove Becca from her place in front of the door. ‘I’m off anyway. I doubt I’ll be back for a while. So if it’s me causing the problems, that’s the end of it, isn’t it?’
Becca stilled. Is that a confession?
Kate pulled at Becca’s shoulder, trying to get her to move from the door and let her through. ‘Come on, out of the way.’
Becca slapped her hand away and stayed where she was, her jaw clamped tight.
Kate flung her bags on the floor, grabbed Becca’s shoulders and shoved her with such force that she stumbled and had to grab at a coat hanging on the rack to stop herself from falling. ‘I really do not care what you think in that fuddled little brain of yours. It’s my turn,’ she snarled, her face looming over Becca’s. ‘I’m not going to wait until it’s too late for me to have the life I deserve. I’ve only ever done the right thing. It was me who came back and put my life on hold to look after Dad. Where were you?’ Rage flared in her eyes. ‘Now it’s your turn to look after him.’
She pushed Becca with both hands, sending her sprawling to the floor, leaving her too shocked by the sudden fall to move.
Kate picked up her bags and opened the door. ‘Good luck,’ she called over her shoulder.
The door banged shut behind her.
34
Becca clambered to her feet and staggered back into the lounge. ‘Thanks for the support, Dad,’ she said in a voice loaded with sarcasm.
Frank winced. ‘I’m sorry, love, but I can’t get involved in fights with Kate. I always lose. There’s no point. I thought she might listen if it was just you and her.’
‘Well, she didn’t.’ Becca went to the window and watched Kate’s car drive off down the road.
‘The good news is that she’s gone.’ Frank gave a relieved sigh. ‘We can relax now.’
‘But Dad, you’re missing the point. I need her to own up to what she’s been doing, otherwise I can’t be with Mia.’ Becca’s frustration was mounting, her voice getting shrill as she tried to make Frank understand the seriousness of her situation. ‘I’ll always have this hanging over me until I can prove that I’ve done nothing wrong. And if Dean’s going to file for divorce, there’s a strong chance I won’t get access to my own daughter.’
Frank blanched. ‘Yes, yes, I see what you mean. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking straight.’ His voice cracked. ‘She’s been horrible to me recently, Becs. It wasn’t so bad when she first moved in, but now she’s got me frightened to disagree with her. Everything has to be done her way. Honestly, she can be so harsh and critical and… just plain mean.’ He glanced at Becca, and guilt squeezed at her heart.
She went and sat on the arm of the chair, leaning her head on his shoulder. ‘Different regime now, I promise. But my priority has to be getting Mia back, and if Kate’s gone…’ She sighed, exhausted now. ‘I don’t know how I’m going to do it.’
They were silent for a while until Frank kissed her head and eased her off his shoulder. He opened the door of the cabinet next to his chair. ‘I need a bit of fortification after that,’ he said as he pulled out a bottle of whisky and a couple of glasses. ‘I think you could do with one too.’
Becca watched him pour a very generous measure into each glass but shook her head when he passed one to her. ‘I can’t do whisky. Honestly, it turns my stomach, but don’t let me stop you.’
Frank downed his drink in a couple of gulps, smacking his lips as he put the empty glass on the mantelpiece along with the one he’d poured for Becca. ‘I’ll save that for later, then.’
He turned to her, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. ‘Tell you what… let’s go and have a nosy. If your theory is right and it is Kate behind everything, she might have left something you can use as evidence.’
Becca snorted. ‘Yeah, like she’s going to be that careless.’ She sighed as she watched her father’s face fall and was sorry she’d been so dismissive. He was only trying to be positive and helpful. She flashed him a smile. ‘Sorry. There’s no harm in looking, I suppose.’
‘I’ll make us a cup of tea, shall I?’
Becca wondered why people of her dad’s generation seemed to think that tea was the answer to everything, but she nodded. ‘Lovely. I think I’ll start in the office. I know she will have taken her laptop, but I might be able to get into her desktop computer. If she was the fake Surferdude, then I should be able to find the account on there.’
Ten minutes later, Frank came upstairs with tea and put a mug on the desk next to her. He peered over her shoulder. ‘Any luck?’
‘I can’t get into the damned thing. Any idea what she might use as a password?’
Frank pursed his lips and thought for a moment before coming out with a stream of suggestions that Becca had already tried. She smacked the desk in annoyance, making Frank jump. ‘Sorry, Dad. It’s just so bloody frustrating.’
‘I know, love.’ He scanned the room. ‘Shall I leave you to have a look in here and I’ll check her bedroom?’
‘Okay, good idea.’
Becca left the computer, deciding that she was never going to guess the password and her time would be better spent searching through the drawers and filing cabinet. If Kate had been using Becca’s journal entries to shape Surferdude’s ‘memories’, perhaps she’d copied some of the pages. She pulled open the top drawer of the desk and had a rifle through. It was meticulously tidy, everything organised in a little tray with sections for pens and paperclips, staples and other bits of office equipment. The next drawer held stationery. The next had rails for hanging files that were organised by client name. Nothing remotely interesting.
The only thing left to check was the filing cabinet. She pulled at the top drawer but it wouldn’t budge. Neither would any of the others. Locked. She grunted and kicked at it, needing to lash out at something. With a clatter, a plastic box fell on to the floor, a Tupperware container, which had been stuffed in the gap between the cabinet and the wall.
She bent to pick it up, and put it on the desk, pulling off the lid. Inside were little packets of jelly Haribos – Mia’s favourite. Next to them a syringe and a bottle of clear liquid. Her eyes widened, hands covering her mouth.
‘Dad! Dad, you need to come here. I’ve found something.’
Frank dashed into the room, his hand on her shoulder as he peered into the box.
‘Oh my God! She’s been doctoring sweets.’ He pulled the chair out from the desk and sank into it, the strength seeming to have gone from his legs. His complexion was grey. In fact, he didn’t look well at all. ‘I can’t believe she’d do this. I sort of agreed with her when she said your conspiracy theory sounded outrageous. But… well, I’ve got to admit you were right.’
Becca put the lid on the desk. ‘Don’t touch this, Dad. I’ve got to tell the police. What she’s done is criminal, and she can’t be allowed to just waltz off to London. Anyway, the safeguar
ding team won’t listen to me unless I can prove what I’m saying is fact.’ She leant against the filing cabinet, their discovery so shocking it seemed to have stolen the words from their mouths.
Although it proved her theory, Becca was struggling to come to terms with the evidence. Would Kate really go to those lengths to break up her marriage?
Their relationship had been frosty for a while, after their mother’s funeral, but more recently she’d felt they’d reconnected. She was good with Mia and seemed to enjoy being an aunt, or at least Becca had thought that was the case. Now she recognised that friendship had been false, a means to an end, getting close to her so she could enact some horrible revenge for stealing a man she’d thought was hers.
Twisted. There was no other word for it. And although Kate had a bossy streak to her personality, always thinking she was right, underneath there had often been a kindness too. She was a contradiction. Unfathomable.
‘Do you know where she’s staying in London?’ Becca turned to see a tears trickling down Frank’s cheek. ‘Oh, Dad, come on, it’s not your fault this has happened.’
He sniffed and swiped at his face. ‘How could I have produced a daughter capable of this? It sickens me. It really does.’
Becca put an arm round his shoulders and kissed his head, pulling him to her. ‘No point getting yourself upset about it. What we need to do is find out where she is and tell the police. She’s not getting away with this. No way.’
She rubbed Frank’s back, staying silent as her mind searched for a way through the tangled mess of her life. How do I get Mia back? That was her priority, but it wasn’t going to be easy.
Dean was the answer. He was the one who had brought up her past with the health professionals. He was the one who had sown the seeds of doubt, made them suspect she had mental health problems, and she supposed, from his point of view, it had been made to appear that way. That was the goal of the whole exercise. Kate wanting to punish both of them for their betrayal, as she saw it. It made perfect sense now she had all the pieces of the puzzle and could see the full picture.