by Anna Jacobs
‘We’ll keep you safe,’ Eric promised.
She sighed. ‘We should tell the girls, I think. And Luke, do you think we ought to go to the lawyer’s this afternoon and leave them, or should we postpone that?’
‘I think we should still go. We want as much legal backup as we can.’
‘Caitlin and I will be here. We’ll keep them safe.’ It upset Eric to see a woman so traumatised by being stalked; he hated those who did that sort of thing with a passion.
Martin would have to knock him right out of the picture to get to those girls. Wasn’t going to happen.
He looked at Caitlin. ‘You can stay on too?’
‘Try sending me away, my lad, and I’ll camp outside. You’re not the only one to hate the way some men treat their wives and children.’
Chapter Seventeen
After Tom had put the phone down, Hilary set the one in their bedroom gently back into its cradle, tears in her eyes. Tom was going behind her back and it sounded as if he’d hired someone to look for Gabby.
Only he hadn’t discussed that with her or their son. It wasn’t right. For all his faults, their Martin was Gabby’s father and it was wrong of Claire to keep the child away from him. And wrong of Tom to act in such an underhand way towards herself as well.
It couldn’t have been their son who’d burnt the car. It must have been vandals or a fault in the electrics. Martin would never do anything so despicable.
She heard Tom call out to her.
‘Just going for a walk, Hilary love. Need to stretch my legs.’
Needed to think about what he was doing, more like. It was what he always did when he was worried about something – walked. Anger filled her and once Tom had vanished down the street, she picked up the phone again, shouting into it when the answerphone asked her to leave a message. ‘Martin Douglas, I know you’re there. Pick up this call at once. I’ve got something to tell you about Claire.’
The phone clicked into life. ‘Hi, Ma.’
‘Why haven’t you answered my calls?’
‘Been a bit busy looking for my daughter.’
‘What have you been doing to Claire? Did you really burn her car?’
‘Of course I did.’
She gasped. ‘You didn’t!’
‘I wanted to make sure she couldn’t run away again.’
She was shocked to the core. Of course! he’d said. As if there were nothing wrong with doing that. Her Martin. What had got into him?
‘Make no mistake about it, Ma. I intend to get my daughter back, whatever it takes. She has no right to keep Gabby from me. You know how I love that child. And … I didn’t tell you this before, but I can’t have any more children.’
‘Oh, no. What happened?’
‘One of those things. I don’t want to talk about it.’
‘I’m so sorry, love.’ She heard her own voice soften. She did know how much he cared for Gabby and now that she knew why it was even crueller to hide her from him. ‘Well, it was wrong to burn the car, Martin, very wrong, and it sounds to me as though the police are on the lookout for you now about it.’
He laughed gently and confidently, with a patronising tone in his voice. She hated it when he treated her like that. ‘They’ll never tie it to me unless you give me away, Ma. You’re the only one I’ve told about it and I know you’re always on my side.’
‘Well, of course I am. I’d never give you away, you know I wouldn’t. But I still can’t understand why you and Claire don’t both go for counselling, sort out your differences and get back together again? If only for the child’s sake.’
‘I don’t trust her and I don’t want to get together with her again. What I do want is to get my daughter back and gain custody. Have you seen Gabby at all, or heard from her?’
‘No.’
‘How did you find out about the car, then? And why are you calling so urgently? Not that it isn’t always nice to hear from you.’
‘I overheard a phone call to your father. He’s hired a private investigator to look for Claire.’
Silence, then Martin said slowly, ‘Ah. Has this guy found out where Claire and Gabby are? What’s he called?’
‘I don’t know his name. I was eavesdropping on a phone call, so I don’t have all the details of what he’s been doing. He sounds to be an ex-policeman and he said she was only about an hour away from here.’
‘Well, that fits with something else I know. My friend Darren saw her at a big shopping centre. She was with a guy and introduced him as her husband.’
‘She’s got married again? Claire has? I don’t believe it.’
‘I wouldn’t have either but Darren said they were holding hands and looking all lovey-dovey, so even if they’re not married, they’re definitely together. He got their car registration, so I’m onto it now. I’ll find them, I promise you, and it won’t take long. My daughter isn’t going to be brought up by some stranger Claire’s picked up. I’ll make sure of that.’
She heard Martin breathing deeply, in the rhythmic way he did when he was calming himself down. She frowned. She hadn’t heard him do that for years. Why would he need to calm himself down in that particular way again? His voice interrupted her thoughts.
‘Anyway, it’s nice to hear from you, Ma. How are you? No more health worries?’
‘No. Just worries about you.’
‘No need for that. I keep telling you I’ve got everything in hand, as that bitch will soon find out.’
Before she could urge him not to do anything rash, he said, ‘Got to go now. There’s a call waiting. Keep in touch. And let me know if you find anything else out.’
She clutched the phone to her chest for a good while before she put it down. He’d sounded so angry. Especially about his ex. Too angry. That worried her. They’d had a terrible time with him when he was younger, and had had to get professional help to teach him to control his temper.
Tears came into her eyes because he’d sounded vicious. She’d never heard quite that edge to his voice, or known him make such nasty threats. And he hadn’t cared about burning the car. She had a sudden hope that he wouldn’t find Claire. Or Gabby. At least, not until he’d calmed down again.
He used to take pills to help keep him on a level keel emotionally. It sounded as if he needed them again.
Did you ever stop worrying about your children?
She was left with the problem of whether to tell Tom about the conversation with Martin, but this would mean admitting that she’d listened in to his phone call, so no, she wouldn’t do it. Not yet anyway.
Her husband hadn’t told her about hiring a PI. She’d wait to tell him anything. But she would keep an eye on Tom from now on. It really upset her that her husband had gone behind her back like that.
Only, when she thought over what Martin had said, she couldn’t help feeling more than a bit worried about the way he was talking, what he might be planning to do. She had no way of keeping an eye on her son, unfortunately.
Perhaps she could persuade Martin to come round for a meal so that she could see for herself how he was. She’d phone him again tomorrow and if he didn’t pick up his phone, she’d leave a message inviting him to tea.
She tried to get on with her day but couldn’t settle to anything. She kept changing her mind about whether she should she say something to her husband, but always wound up deciding not to. Well, not yet anyway. Not until he said something to her.
When he came back from his walk, he started talking about Christmas. Hilary had trouble hiding how little she cared about that. This Christmas was going to be just as bad and lonely as the last one had been, the way things were shaping up.
The day passed but Tom didn’t say a single word about the PI. Not one word. That made her so angry.
As she often did when she couldn’t settle, she started turning out a big cupboard in the spare bedroom.
When Tom looked at her, as if he knew something was wrong, she glared at him.
He opened his mouth
to speak, then closed it again.
So she went into the bathroom and had a little cry. It was all such a mess.
Martin put down the phone and looked round his rented flat, scowling. It was a terrible place, far too small and looked messy with all his things crammed in. Claire was to blame for him having to live in such a hovel.
He smiled grimly. There was money waiting for her in the bank from the sale of the house, but she’d changed her bank account, hadn’t she, and he had no idea – yet! – where she was currently living, so how could anyone arrange for it to be paid to her? The settlement people were searching for her and good luck to them.
She didn’t deserve to get half the profits anyway, because he’d always earned more money than she had. And the house hadn’t made the money he’d expected it to either, so he’d not wanted to sell it while prices weren’t good. But that damned mediator had insisted because Claire needed the money.
If she did come out of hiding and get hold of that money, she’d only use it to run away from him. Ha! Well, see how she’d escape without a car.
Then he remembered the guy Darren had met – George, he was apparently called. Had she really married him or were they just shacked up together? He’d have to find out.
There would be plenty of time to do that now, but really he’d have been better to stick with his day job, which had given him a steady income stream without any risks. Only, he’d been sick to death of the idiots he’d had to work with and one day had lost his temper with one silly bitch – anyone with half a brain would have done, she was so stupid – and had given his notice when the HR people wouldn’t get rid of her.
No one had tried to persuade him to stay, either. After all the years he’d devoted to the company, that sucked big time. Well, they were on his list, too, now. He’d make them regret it.
Though actually, he was making more money from his new venture than he had earned in that boring job. And Internet scams were rather amusing to arrange. People were so gullible. Especially older women. Of course it wasn’t legal, so there was a small risk, but he didn’t feel guilty or worried about that. If you asked him, anyone stupid enough to fall for what was promised in his phishing posts deserved to lose their money.
Besides, he was extremely clever and careful about how he did it and who he scammed. No one would ever be able to trace him.
It was a good thing he was doing so well, because the stuff he’d started taking to give him a clearer brain was costing him a small fortune. But you had to keep your mind clear to stay under the radar of the authorities and he would need the money from his long-term savings to start a new life with Gabby.
It suddenly occurred to him that his parents had a lot of old family silver, all stashed away in that cupboard under the stairs doing nothing. His father didn’t even keep it in the bank.
They were stupid and gullible too. He must have had some earlier ancestors who had good brains and taken after them.
The silver would all come to Martin when his parents died, so it wouldn’t really be stealing to take it and put it to better use than sitting in a damned cupboard.
The lawyer’s rooms were in Swindon old town and parking wasn’t easy. Luke and Claire only just got there on time.
As the two of them had agreed, Luke did most of the speaking. He outlined their problems as succinctly as possible and they discussed the possible steps that could be taken.
‘If you can’t prove that Martin set fire to the car, it’s going to be a bit difficult to get stronger restraining orders on him, I’m afraid.’
‘I don’t know what else I can do,’ Claire said.
‘Well, it’s good that you’ve brought in professional help to protect Claire and Gabby, and Dee too, of course. And maybe this Bancroft guy will find some useful evidence for you. I’ve heard of him. He has a good reputation.’
‘I’m glad to hear that,’ Luke said.
‘Now about the other matter, the custody of your daughter, Mr Morgan,’ the lawyer added, ‘that’s likely to be more straightforward. She’s sixteen now, old enough to have a say in who she lives with and you’re a person of good repute. And you’re not short of money, either, which never hurts.’
‘No. It comes in useful.’
‘What’s more, since your ex dumped Dee on you without warning, before leaving for parts unknown, that adds to the strength of your case. Has she been in touch with either of you since?’
‘No. Not a word.’
‘All fairly straightforward then.’
The lawyer looked at the clock and turned back to Claire. ‘It must sound bad to you, Ms Porter, with so many ifs and buts. But at least I know the general situation now and you’ve authorised me to act for you, so we’ll go from there. I’ll look into a couple of things and you can let me know if there are any other new developments – if this PI finds anything out, for instance.’
‘Not as helpful as I’d hoped,’ Luke said as he and Claire walked out to reception. ‘But as Fillingham said – why do lawyers always have such exotic names? – we have good protection set up for Gabby. I think we can only wait now and see if your ex makes a move.’
‘I seem to have spent a lot of time doing that.’
‘Ah, Mr Morgan,’ the receptionist said brightly. ‘I have your bill here. Are you paying by credit card?’
Claire looked worried at that, too. Well, the money didn’t matter, but she and her daughter did.
When they got home, Gabby flew across the kitchen to give Claire a hug, holding onto her mother for a while, rocking to and fro.
Dee watched and, after a moment’s hesitation, sauntered across to give her father a quick hug.
She’d have pulled away again, but he held onto her. ‘I want proper hugs from now on, Dee.’
She smiled up at him uncertainly, so he demonstrated what he meant. Her eyes were nearly on a level with his now. She was going to be quite tall. And pretty, however much she tried to hide that with her weird way of dressing.
It was all going well between them lately. He couldn’t believe what a difference there had been since Claire and Gabby came to stay with them. That child was very lovable. Even his daughter had been bewitched by her. He’d noticed Dee watching how their two visitors interacted with one another and looking sad. It was such a loving mother and child relationship. It did your heart good to see it.
He hoped Angie would continue to get on well with her new partner and leave him and Dee alone to cement their closer relationship.
Of course she would! She hadn’t been with this person for long enough to have got to the quarrelling stage. It had always taken longer than this before. Why was he even thinking about that yet?
It was Claire’s ex who was the main problem.
Chapter Eighteen
That evening, Angus Denning was taking a breath of fresh air in the moonlit formal gardens to the side of his house when he saw a man dressed in dark clothes and wearing a hoodie sneaking along by the hedge, trying to stay hidden.
Angus’s first instinct was to call out and ask what the hell the fellow was doing in his grounds, but something made him move behind a nearby evergreen bush to watch him instead. It might be better to find out what was going on. Local people occasionally used the unpaved gravel road that led through his grounds and out past Saffron Lane as a shortcut. He didn’t mind that as long as it didn’t happen too often, but this man was behaving furtively and was tramping round the heritage garden.
The route the trespasser was taking led only towards the rears of the large older houses at the top end of Peppercorn Street. Was he planning to break in to one of them? He’d better not go near Winifred. At eighty-five she was something of a local treasure and they all watched out for her.
Angus patted his pocket, checking that he had his phone with him to call for help if necessary. Winifred might be wonderful for her age but she was too old to defend herself. And though Janey, who lived with her, was young and strong, she had a small daughter to look after as her
first priority.
Damn! He hadn’t brought his phone. Well, you didn’t think of grabbing that when you were going out to stroll round your own patio to stretch your legs after a long day’s work at the computer, did you?
He knew his grounds like the back of his hand, which paths led upwards and which places were likely to be littered with leaves that might crunch underfoot and give you away, so he moved silently. The other man was making quite a lot of noise, but at this hour of a chilly winter’s evening, with rain forecast and clouds sailing across the moon, he wouldn’t be expecting to meet anyone.
Feeling annoyed, Angus opened his mouth to shout to him to get off his land and not come back, but once again he shut it, because the intruder had stopped to take out of his pocket what looked like a pair of sunglasses and put them on. Sunglasses after dark? No, they must be night glasses. What else could they be? Why did he need those?
The man continued slowly forward till he was outside the rear of Number 4, or was it Number 5 he intended to break in to? Hard to tell from here.
No, it was definitely the new guy’s house, Number 4.
Angus stopped a short distance behind him, expecting the intruder to try Luke’s gate but he didn’t, just stood by the fence, watching the house.
What the hell was going on here?
The garden lights at that house came on suddenly and the back door opened. The man stepped back hastily, crouching behind an evergreen shrub. Definitely up to no good.
There was a happy woofing and the big dog he’d met before came bounding out into the garden. The girl who lived there stayed in the doorway, calling to the dog to be a good girl.
The dog stopped dead but instead of squatting, she stiffened and began to growl.
The intruder began to back away. Why had he been watching a house where a big dog lived? Or hadn’t he known about the animal?
Helly began to alternate barking hysterically with growling and the stranger moved more quickly, this time not going down the side of the big house but edging along the fence towards the top end of Angus’s drive. He broke into a run once he was out of sight of the girl at the back door, still not noticing Angus.