They’d just got what they needed. The DNA test was now a formality. Tiffany was able to spot her daughter in a crowd twenty years after losing her. Charlotte hadn’t even noticed the freckle, but she knew only too well a mother’s ability to pinpoint the blemishes and features of a child’s body with the accuracy of a Google street map.
‘We’ve got to go,’ Charlotte urged. ‘Are you up to a bit of running?’ she asked Tiffany.
‘These drugs keep me slow, but if Callie and Jane help me, I’ll be fine.’
The girls took an arm each and moved ahead with Tiffany. The receptionist caught up with Charlotte and grabbed her arm. For a moment, Charlotte froze, believing the game was finally up. Then she decided to play the outrage card. She hated herself for doing it, but there was no time for officialdom and red tape.
‘Ouch, you punched me!’ she shouted.
The receptionist backed away immediately, releasing her grip.
‘I didn’t, I just wanted to—’
‘Is that how you treat your residents? Manhandling them like this?’
She despised her response more with every word that came out of her mouth. The woman looked horrified.
‘No, I... er... look, I’m sorry, I just wanted to—’
‘I was just leaving!’ Charlotte exclaimed, as if she had every right in the world to be there. She rushed away, towards the gate, hoping the receptionist’s defensive response would last long enough for her to escape. She rushed through the gate, ignoring the staff member who was corralling the residents over to the assembly point. Keeping her head down, she followed Tiffany, Callie and Hollie towards the alleyway shortcut which would take them back to Will.
Tiffany was doing well, but it was obvious her senses were impaired, probably by whatever cocktail of drugs she’d been given. For a second, she had another flash of guilt. What if Tiffany needed her medication? What if they were placing her in danger by taking her away from the care home? She’d never forgive herself if Tiffany came to any harm, yet her gut told her they were doing more good than harm by breaking her out.
When they finally reached the van, Will was standing outside it, looking worried.
‘What’s up?’ she asked. ‘You look like you’ve had bad news.’
‘Get in the van. You can drive,’ was all he said, moving to the passenger side.
He had the engine running already. The van wasn’t built for five adult passengers, but Tiffany and her daughters managed to squeeze into the rear section which didn’t have any seats.
‘Drive, quickly,’ Will said, frowning. He looked into the wing mirror on his side of the car as Charlotte pulled out from the kerb.
‘What’s wrong?’ Charlotte asked again.
‘I thought I saw Vinnie’s car pass by earlier.’
‘How did you know it was Vinnie?’
‘I didn’t, but it slowed as it approached me, then carried on as if nothing had happened.’
‘It could have been anybody.’
‘Yes, but ten minutes later, it reappeared behind me and parked up, like the driver had double-backed—’
‘Are you sure you’re not being paranoid? How can he know where we are?’
Will paused for a moment, checking the mirrors again.
‘The car isn’t there now. I think we’re safe... Whoa, what the hell are you doing?’
‘Sorry everybody,’ Charlotte said as she pulled the car to the side of the road and braked sharply behind a bus. She got out of the van, opened the back doors and handed Callie all the money she could find in the recesses of her pockets.
‘Here, move fast before that bus pulls away. Take Tiffany to the infirmary, get her checked out to make sure we’re not putting her in danger.’
‘But they’ll be on the lookout for me—’ Callie began.
‘I know, and that’s good. I want you all safely in a public place where they can’t get to you. You won’t have long to wait; I’m going to ask a man called DI Comfort to come to you. I’m as certain as I can be that he’s safe. You can talk to him and tell him what we’ve done.’
‘What about you?’ Hollie asked. ‘What will you do?’
‘We need to go,’ Callie told her. ‘The bus driver looks like he’s getting ready to move off.’
Callie helped Tiffany out of the back of the van then the three women rushed out onto the pavement and stepped up to the bus just as the driver was signalling his intent to pull out. Will and Charlotte watched them move safely away.
‘So, what about us?’ Will asked. ‘What happens now?’
‘It’s time to finish this,’ Charlotte began. ‘Tiffany is safe now, and we have all the documents Kate asked us to gather. We’re going to pick up Kate. It’s time to deliver her back to her colleagues at the police station.’
Chapter Thirty-One
‘Where is DCI Summers?’ Will asked.
‘It suddenly made sense to me when I spoke to her from the Overton phone box. There was a distinctive noise in the background, and I just remembered the voice mail message from Sam Halford on her house phone. She’s in one of the wind turbines. It’s an ingenious place to hide out. She’s got as much electricity as she needs to keep her phone charged.’
‘It goes from the turbines to the National Grid doesn’t it?’ Will asked.
‘Something like that. But there are plugs for tools and equipment up there. There’s lighting, it’s sheltered, and you can see if anyone is coming. I wondered why Sam Halford had left a message on her answer phone. He may be a professional contact, or they might even be working together. Either way, whether Kate got in legitimately or not, I’ll put money on her being there.’
‘What now?’ Will asked.
‘We put her in this van and drive her directly to a safe place where DI Comfort can speak to her.’
‘What about this leak at the police station? Isn’t it dangerous?’
‘I don’t know what else we can do. We’ve got all our ducks in a row; Tiffany is safe and in a public place, and we have all the documents Kate needed. You and I have seen enough to land Vinnie in a lot of trouble. We must move now, and we have to do it fast.’
Will pondered it for a couple of minutes.
‘You’re right,’ he said at last. ‘We can’t risk Vinnie getting to us again. It’s now or never.’
Charlotte took out her mobile phone.
‘I’m calling the police. It’ll have to be the press number at this time of night, but I’ll insist on talking to DI Comfort.’
Charlotte dialled, looking into Will’s eyes as she waited for the call to connect. She was greeted with a voicemail message which basically meant don’t bother us on this out of hours number unless it’s really important. She pressed the hash button, and the call was re-routed to whichever poor soul had drawn the short straw of fielding the calls that night. She recognised the voice on the other end immediately.
‘Police Press Office, who am I speaking to please?’
‘Is that you, Toni?’
‘Charlotte? What on earth are you doing calling at this hour?’
‘What are you doing answering my call at this hour?’
Toni laughed.
‘How well do you think the police are funded, Charlotte? I take my turn on the overnight press enquiries just like everybody else on our fast diminishing press team. At least if it’s you, it means I’m spared a confused pensioner demanding I alert all patrols to a missing dog.’
Charlotte laughed. The voice mail message made it crystal clear the hashtag option should only be deployed if it was an urgent query, yet she could imagine how many members of the public ignored the instruction.
‘So, how can I help you, Charlotte? Is it newspaper related?’
‘I have to speak to DI Comfort,’ she replied.
‘You know he’s off shift, I take it?’
‘Yes, I assumed he went home at some point, even if he is in the middle of a big operation. Though as a taxpayer, I’m not really sure why police officers need to
sleep; it doesn’t feel like they’re giving us the best value for money.’
Both Will and Toni laughed. Charlotte was doing it for her nerves as much as anything, still feeling the crackle of fear sparking through her body.
‘Is it a press enquiry or is it related to the case? You’ll appreciate I don’t want to invade his home life if I can avoid it.’
‘It’s a bit of both.’
Charlotte recalled how unhelpful Toni had been on their previous call. Maybe she’d caught Toni at a bad time. She liked this woman; they’d clicked ever since they first met in the rest rooms at Morecambe Town Hall, and now she wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.
‘Where are you now?’ Toni asked.
‘I don’t really want to say.’
‘I mean, where can I reach you? I’ll get DI Comfort to call you back. What’s it in connection with?’
‘It’s a confidential matter,’ Charlotte answered, sensing she sounded like a broken record.
‘Come on, Charlotte. You know it’s the first thing DI Comfort is going to ask me. Give me a clue, at least. You’re more likely to get a call back tonight if you do.’
She took a deep breath and decided to give Toni Lawson the benefit of the doubt.
‘I’ve worked out where DCI Summers is located and I’m going to fetch her now.’
‘The police should do that, Charlotte, not you as a civilian.’
There it was, the change of tone again.
‘I’m aware of the rules, but it’s not going to happen that way,’ Charlotte snapped. ‘I’m only willing to reveal my information to DI Comfort and it has to be in a way of my choosing. Now please, Toni, put the call through to him and tell him to call me straight away. It will be well worth his while switching off Netflix or whatever.’
She could tell she’d raised Toni’s hackles; the silence said it all. At last the press officer sighed and acquiesced.
‘Okay, Charlotte, have it your way. But this is well out of order. If you hadn’t come to my rescue that day handing me the toilet roll underneath the cubicle, I wouldn’t be doing this for you right now. One good turn deserves another. But this is the first and last time, okay? I like you a lot, but I can’t bend the rules for you.’
‘Understood,’ Charlotte replied, hoping to give the impression that she’d been suitably chastened. She gave Toni her mobile phone number and Will’s too as a back-up. They ended the call, with a promise that Toni would do her best to get DI Comfort to respond to her the same night.
‘All sorted?’ Will asked.
‘Yes, we’re good to go. If you spot a phone box on the way, let me know. I want to warn Kate we’re coming for her.’
Charlotte started the car and turned it around to head back towards Heysham.
‘Text the kids, will you?’ Charlotte said as they entered Morecambe once again. ‘Tell them we’re fine and everything will be right again by tomorrow.’
‘You’re sure?’ Will asked, turning in his seat to look at her.
‘No, but one way or another, it will be in somebody else’s hands after tonight. For better or for worse, it ends for us here.’
‘Thank God,’ Will replied.
‘Describe the car you thought was following you earlier.’
‘You’re kidding me?’ Will said, looking back to check who was behind them.
‘Three cars behind us, there’s an SUV. I think it’s black, or navy blue; I can’t tell in this light. Can you see it?’
Charlotte’s phone rang.
‘This must be DI Comfort. Can you take my phone and put it on speaker?’
She passed her phone over to Will, who was turning in an attempt to get a better view of the car he suspected was tailing them.
‘DI Comfort, it’s Charlotte Grayson from the newspaper, you’re on speaker because I’m driving.’
‘What is it, Charlotte? Do you really have DCI Summers?’
‘Yes, and she’s completely innocent in all this. I have all the evidence you need to confirm it and to explain what’s going on with Callie Irwin.’
‘You need to let the police handle this now.’
‘No, that’s not happening. I want you to arrange for DCI Summers to be processed at Lancaster Police Station, not by her colleagues in Morecambe.’
‘You don’t get to say how this works, Charlotte.’
‘It’s how it works now. I don’t want anybody getting to her who knows her professionally, understood? And I want legal representation lined up for her the moment I drop her at the police station.’
‘You’re not in a position to make demands.’
‘DI Comfort, you need to stop talking and start listening. If you want to get a result in this case tonight, then you do it my way. That means Lancaster Police Station, immediate legal representation and you work to my time frame. Got it?’
Will looked at her and raised his eyebrows.
‘Okay, have it your way,’ DI Comfort replied at last. ‘When do you want all this?’
‘Within the hour. I can’t give you an exact time. I’m sure there’s a coffee machine at Lancaster Police Station; you can all keep yourselves occupied until I get there.’
‘Anything else?’ he asked with a hint of sarcasm.
‘That’s it. And thank you. If you do this, you’ll be helping out a colleague. She’ll owe you, big time. And you’ll tie up the biggest case Morecambe has seen in a lot of years. See you later, DI Comfort.’
She ended the call. Will touched her hand as it rested on the gear stick.
‘You’re right, it’s the same car I spotted earlier. We’ve got someone on our tail again.’
‘Dammit,’ Charlotte cursed. She floored the accelerator, pulled out into the wrong side of the road, and overtook the car in front. The driver she’d overtaken sounded their car horn at the reckless manoeuvre, but she didn’t care.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ Will asked. He looked shocked.
‘We’re out-running these bastards. I’m going to shake them off. Make sure your seatbelt is fastened.’
Chapter Thirty-Two
December 1999
‘Are we doing the right thing?’ Brett asked, balancing the cup from his flask of soup on top of a packing box. ‘My sister isn’t convinced we are. What if we’re making more trouble for ourselves in the long run?’
Tiffany shook her head. ‘You don’t know David and Fabian like I do. Would you commit your sister to a mental facility like they did?’
‘No, but—’
‘But nothing, Brett. I was going through a difficult time, but it never occurred to those two jackals that they might actually make things better by taking the kids off my hands occasionally, helping around the house and generally being a bit more supportive. Instead, they find a doctor who says I’m a potential danger to myself and the kids and they coerce me to co-sign a power of attorney which takes away any control I had. Would you do that to Kate?’
Brett took a sip of his soup and offered her the cup. She took it from him and blew on it to cool it a little before drinking.
‘No, I wouldn’t,’ he replied. ‘I would never do that to my sister. We went through everything together when my dad died. Kate was scrupulously fair about it, sitting me down and talking me through all the paperwork. She insisted I understood and agreed on everything she did. I’d do the same for her. We trust each other completely.’
‘And that’s how normal families behave,’ Tiffany replied. ‘My family is not normal. When my father died, Fabian acted like a hyena preparing to pick a carcass clean. Dad was barely cold in the ground before he started. He should have been like Kate, dividing it fairly and explaining everything. Instead, he tried to pull the wool over my eyes and secure planning permission on the land for something very different to what we’d agreed.’
‘Our lives are going to change drastically after this, Tiff. Who can tell if I’ll even get back up to Morecambe to pick up my stuff?’
He looked inside the pristine container
which he’d rented to store his belongings. The removal team had dropped off all his furniture, and he was just locking up the final items which he’d cleared from the house.
‘We’ll get back, Brett; it’ll die down eventually. This storage container is great. You can just come and go without some security guard clocking you in and out all the time. Do you mind if I leave a couple of small things here, just to keep them safe?’
Brett had opted to rent a container from a new storage company which had just set up on the industrial estate. At first he’d considered a more conventional storage unit in a warehouse, but he realised after an initial visit to check it out that he had to sign in and out every time he entered the premises. He wanted something more informal and less traceable.
He was one of the first customers at the new site, which was made up of twenty brand new containers arranged in a circle. With the pass code to the main gate and his own padlock for the container, he could come and go as he pleased, at any time of day. Protected by CCTV, it had night-lighting around the circumference. So long as he kept paying the low rental fee via direct debit, his container would be left alone.
It was perfect for what they were planning. The next time he came to this place, it would probably be under cover of night, with a hired van. He’d load his belongings, make his way back to wherever their new home was and disappear again into thin air. He’d end the payments on the unit, and nobody would ever know it had been there; even Kate wasn’t aware he’d secured the unit.
‘You can have this soup if you want, while I get the last boxes from the car. You can leave whatever you want here. It’s all paid for, so you may as well.’
She finished the soup and then walked over to help Brett with the last of the items.
When the final box had been loaded in, they sat on the edge of the container floor, taking a moment to relax.
‘How long does Joanne have the kids for?’ Brett asked.
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