by Sally Rigby
Let the words in here guide you.
We will be together forever
All my love,
Sean
Were those the sort of words a brother and sister would say to each other? No, they weren’t, and she should know. She had two younger brothers of her own. She closed the Bible and pulled open the middle drawer of the sideboard, keeping an eye on the stairs to make sure Tessa didn’t see what she was doing.
Much the same as the rest of the house, it was sparse and tidy, containing nothing other than a recent gas and electricity bill and a red wallet made of card. She opened it and found documents in their previous names. There were driving licences, passports and birth certificates. Underneath the documents were photos of a tiny baby, looking only a few days old and then some when the child was older. It was definitely Lacey.
Should she call her Emily now?
No. It seemed all wrong. And it would be confusing to everyone, Lacey in particular.
Tessa had told her there weren’t any photos because Patrick hadn’t allowed it. Had she been lying, or had he taken these secretly? She’d love to take them to show her aunt. Except she couldn’t. Obviously. She took one last look, replaced the folder, and returned to the kitchen table.
She glanced at her watch. What was keeping Tessa? She’d only gone upstairs to collect her bag and jacket. How long did that take? She headed over to the stairs and climbed halfway up.
‘Tessa, are you nearly ready? We’ve got to get going.’
Call it gut instinct or whatever, but they had to get out of the house, and the sooner the better. She didn’t want them bumping into Patrick before they could get away.
‘Sorry, I got changed because I had mud on my dress. I won’t be a sec,’ Tessa called out.
‘Okay, but be quick.’
Birdie turned and walked down the stairs. She’d almost reached the bottom when the front door opened, and Patrick marched in, kicking the door shut behind him.
She froze. What the …
He headed straight for her.
Where was Seb? Why hadn’t he warned her? Now, what was she going to do? The one thing she didn’t want was a confrontation, or Tessa would never come with her.
‘What are you doing here?’ Patrick stood in front of her, his arms folded.
‘I came to speak to Tessa.’ She deliberately kept her tone calm and matter of fact.
She had a can of pepper spray in her handbag, but it was hanging on the back of the chair by the kitchen table and way out of reach. If he went for her, it could get nasty, and she had nothing to defend herself with. But she was strong and trained in self-defence. It would be fine.
Bloody Seb, leaving her alone. She’d give him what for when he finally arrived.
‘What about? If you remember, I told you to go away and not come back.’ His eyes flashed with anger.
‘I’m here on a police matter. Tessa’s coming with me to the police station at Market Harborough.’ Being on the second stair meant she was at his eye level, and she stared at him, determined not to let him think she was in any way intimidated.
‘Oh no, you’re not. I forbid it.’ He looked past her, up the stairs. ‘Tessa, get down here at once.’ His voice wasn’t raised, but it was chilling.
The sound of dragging footsteps on the upstairs wooden floorboards echoed around the house, and Birdie turned to see Tessa standing at the top of the stairs, fear in her eyes.
‘I’m sorry, Patrick. It wasn’t my idea. I didn’t want to go, but she said I had to.’
He tried to push past her to go up the stairs, but Birdie stood her ground and stopped him. No way would he harm his sister while she was there.
‘Forget it, mate. I’m taking Tessa to the station, and you can come with us, too.’
He gave a hollow laugh. ‘You must be joking. I’m not going anywhere with you. No way am I going back to prison. Ever. Do you understand me?’
He made a grab for Birdie, and she pushed him hard with both hands. He tripped and fell backwards off the stair he’d been standing on. There was an almighty crack as his head hit the floor.
She turned to Tessa. ‘Lock yourself in the bathroom and stay there until I say it’s safe.’ The woman stared at her, mesmerised. ‘Now,’ Birdie shouted.
Tessa ran, and Birdie heard the door being locked. She walked down the remaining stairs and stood over Patrick. He wasn’t moving. He must have been knocked out. She was about to get her mobile from the table to call for backup when he stirred, rolled over and took hold of her leg, pulling her down beside him. He swung his leg and ended up sitting on her, pinning her body to the floor.
‘You’re going to regret ever coming here and interfering with my family. Do you understand?’
‘Let go of me,’ she said, twisting and trying to pull herself out from under him. But he was too strong.
‘Keep still. You’ll only end up getting hurt. If you don’t do as you’re told, you’ll never get out of here.’
‘You’re making a big mistake, if you think you can threaten me.’ Her breath caught in the back of her throat. ‘I’m only here to sort out what’s going to happen to Lacey. I don’t care about you, or Tessa. Lacey is my only concern,’ she lied, hoping it would persuade him to let her go.
‘Lacey? I don’t know who you’re talking about.’ His brow furrowed.
‘Your daughter. Emily.’
‘I don’t have any children.’
His eyes glazed over, and in that split second she clenched her fist and thumped him hard in the nuts.
‘You bitch,’ he yelled, doubling up in pain and leaning over to the side, releasing the pressure on her.
She rolled away and scrambled to her feet. She ran towards the door, hoping it wasn’t one that self-locked. But before she could get to the handle, he grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back.
‘Let me go.’ She spun around and thumped him hard on the chest.
‘Forget it. You’re not going anywhere.’
Chapter 32
Patrick held the policewoman’s arms tight so she couldn’t escape. He dragged her towards the table and pushed her down onto the chair.
‘Don’t move. Or you’ll regret it.’ He glanced around the room, looking for something to contain her. His eyes focused on the hook beside the front door, where there was a rope hanging. ‘Tessa, where are you?’
Footsteps sounded on the ceiling above him. ‘I’m here.’
‘Fetch me the rope.’ He nodded in the direction of the door.
His sister ran down the stairs and got it for him. He tied the officer’s arms behind her back and her ankles to the chair legs. He had no choice.
‘Don’t do this. Kidnapping a police officer will get you more time inside. Let me go and I won’t pursue it,’ she said.
Could he believe her?
What a ridiculous thought. Of course, he couldn’t. She was the police, and he’d experienced plenty in the past. None of whom helped. If anything, they’d gone out of their way to make his life as difficult as possible.
‘Do I look stupid? If I release you, there’ll be a dozen cop cars surrounding the place within minutes. You’re staying with us until I decide what to do with you.’
‘This is a big mistake.’
‘You’re the one who made the mistake of coming here in the first place and interfering. We weren’t harming anyone. You wrecked our lives.’
He gave a frustrated sigh. All this could have been avoided if Tessa hadn’t lost the child last year.
‘I did it for Lacey as I’ve already told you.’
He thumped the table. ‘Stop calling her that. Her name is Emily. Do you hear me? Emily. She’s nothing to do with us now, so why are you here? We’re not having her back.’
‘She was abandoned, that’s why I’m here.’
‘The last I heard, it’s not a criminal offence if the child is over two years old.’
The officer frowned. ‘You’ve researched into it?’
He shrugged. ‘When she
went missing, I checked all scenarios. I know my rights.’
‘Yet you tie me up and prevent me from leaving your house. You’re not as smart as you think. And let’s not forget that you changed your name without informing the police. That’s illegal for anyone on the sex offenders’ register.’
He bristled. How did she know that? Was it Tessa? Had she forced his sister into admitting everything?
He couldn’t think straight with her staring at him.
‘It was an oversight. I can soon put it right.’
‘That’s what you think. Not informing the police of your name change will be the least of your worries after this. Remember, my fellow officers know I’m here.’
He glanced at Tessa, who was standing close to the table, her hand on her hip. She gave a slight shake of her head.
‘I don’t believe you.’
‘The man who was with me last time knows. He’ll come looking for me.’
‘Where is he because I don’t see him anywhere? Do you, Tessa?’
‘No,’ his sister said.
‘He’ll be here soon.’
‘If you say so.’ He untied her ankles and took hold of her arm. ‘You’re coming with me.’
She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but she was no match for him. Her arms were tied, and he was bigger and stronger.
‘Where are you going?’ Tessa called out.
‘I’m putting her in the barn, out of the way. I need to think things through, and I can’t with her incessant chatter in my ear.’
‘Don’t kill her. Please don’t kill her,’ Tessa said, clutching the lapels of her jacket, fear etched across her face.
‘What?’
‘You’ll end up inside again if you do. I can’t be here on my own. Don’t do it.’
The officer’s fight went out of her. Her body was less rigid. Is that why Tessa had said it, to make sure the woman complied? It had worked.
‘Then tell her to behave.’
‘DC Bird, please do as he asks. Then you won’t get hurt,’ Tessa said.
‘You’re not gonna get away with this, Patrick. Abandonment might not be a crime, but abuse is. I know what you’ve been doing to Tessa. Were you the same towards Emily, too?’ the officer said.
‘Shut up.’ His body tensed, and he wrenched her by the shoulders until she faced him. He slapped her hard around the face, leaving a handprint on her cheek.
He’d never touched Emily like that. How dare she suggest he had?
He forced her outside and dragged her towards the barn, her feet hardly touching the ground. Once inside, he took hold of a rope from on top of a hay bale and tied her to the pole holding up the rafters.
‘You can stay here until I’ve decided what to do with you.’
‘You’re gonna regret this.’
‘If I hear another word from you, I’ll gag you with this cloth.’ He picked up a stinky, old, oil-stained cloth and wafted it under her nose. ‘Want this in your mouth, do you?’
She winced and shook her head. ‘No.’
‘Finally, you know what’s best for you.’
He made sure she was secure and then marched back to the house.
The kitchen was empty.
‘Where are you, Tessa?’ he shouted.
‘Upstairs.’
‘Get down here, we have things to discuss.’
He stood at the bottom of the stairs, tapping his foot impatiently. What had started out as a pleasant day had rapidly turned into one unmitigated disaster and it was down to one person. That bloody policewoman.
Tessa slowly headed down the stairs towards him. ‘What are we going to do now?’
‘Stick to the plan, only we’ll be leaving sooner than I’d originally planned.’
He’d bought enough supplies to keep them out of sight for months. They were going to head for the New Forest and camp for a while. It was illegal, but still possible to do discreetly if you knew where to go. Which he did, as he was very familiar with the area.
‘Did you sell the car?’
‘I’ve swapped it for an old Ford Focus, plus some cash.’ He tapped the top pocket in his jacket where he’d put the money he’d been given. ‘It’s not as smart as the Golf, but police won’t know the registration.’
‘But the old car’s still outside.’
‘I agreed with Greg to do a swap with him tomorrow when we leave. I didn’t want it to be seen by anyone around here. I’ll phone him in a minute and tell him we’ll be there soon. Go upstairs and pack. Only bring the essentials. Anything else we need, we’ll buy. I’ll stop at the bank on the way and take out some money. It will save using the debit card for a while.’
‘What about the policewoman in the barn? Are we going to leave her here?’
‘Do you have a better idea?’
‘We could let her go when we leave.’
‘That wouldn’t work because we wouldn’t have time to get away.’ He sighed. ‘I can’t believe you let her in the house, it’s not like you at all.’
‘I had no choice. She came to the door and practically forced herself inside. She told me I had to go to the police station with her to talk about Emily or she’d arrest me.’
‘On what charge? She …’ He paused, distracted by the mobile on the table. ‘Who does the phone belong to?’
‘It’s hers. She was showing me photos of Emily earlier and must have forgotten to pick it up.’
He hadn’t even thought to look for her phone when he’d taken her to the barn, but it looked like luck was on his side. She wouldn’t be able to contact anyone.
‘Good. It means she can’t call for help.’ He picked it up and pressed one of the keys, but it was locked, so he dropped it back on the table.
‘Thank goodness,’ his sister agreed. ‘I wish we didn’t have to leave. These last few years have been the best.’
‘You’re not the only one regretting that we have to go, but we have no choice. We’ll settle in somewhere as nice as this once the fuss dies down. As long as we’re together, that’s all that counts.’
Even if they couldn’t ever be with Emily again.
‘We’ll have to change our names, or they’ll find us.’
‘There’s no need for us to do that. As long as we stay off the grid for a few months, everything will be fine. They’ll have stopped looking for us by then. It’s not like we’re murderers on the run. There are far more important crimes to be solved.’
‘But we’ve kidnapped a police officer. Isn’t that considered serious?’
‘She hasn’t been harmed.’
‘You slapped her.’
He tensed as guilt flooded through him. That was the last thing he’d intended to do, but her accusations had made him see red.
‘I didn’t mean to.’
‘I’m going to take her some water, before I go upstairs to pack, in case she’s thirsty. Is that okay? Then it will look like we had no intention of hurting her.’
‘Okay, but don’t be long. I want to leave in fifteen minutes, tops.’
Chapter 33
Birdie wriggled her body and twisted her arms. But she couldn’t free herself from the rope, although the knots had loosened a little. Would she be able to reach into her jacket pocket for her phone and alert someone where she was being held?
Should she call Seb?
Or had Casey done something to him, too?
But surely, he would have told her when she’d mentioned Seb coming to the house. Then again, he wouldn’t want to alarm her. She’d have to call Twiggy, and he could bring backup. She twisted again, but it was no good. She still couldn’t reach.
Was Tessa going to be okay with her brother, or would he turn on her, too? He was a nasty man and clearly flew off the handle at the slightest provocation. Birdie had always been strong for her size, but that man had made mincemeat of her. And as for that slap. She’d thought her face was going to explode. He didn’t even look that strong.
She had to get out of there. In desperation, she g
ave one more determined twist of her hips and finally slid her hand into her pocket. She let out a sigh of relief as her fingers fumbled along the edges. But … there was nothing there. Her pocket was empty.
‘Fuck.’ She’d left her phone on the kitchen table when showing photos of Lacey to Tessa. Why hadn’t she remembered to pick it up? She’d been so busy talking with Tessa, persuading her to come with her to the station that it had totally slipped her mind.
No doubt Patrick Casey now had it and was revelling in his good fortune. Because he hadn’t even thought to ask her for it. They were as bad as each other.
Where the hell was Seb? If he’d lost Casey, then surely he’d be here soon. But what if Casey was waiting for him and things got nasty? Would Seb come rushing in looking for her, or would he get in touch with the station and ask for backup? That was the thing to do. He was level-headed enough to know that. He used to be a police officer, for goodness’ sake.
The not knowing was killing her. She didn’t want Seb walking into a trap. But he wouldn’t think to search for her in the barn. Her car was still there, so he’d know she hadn’t left.
If only she could release her arms, she could escape. Was there anything within reach that she could use? She also needed a weapon in case Casey came after her. There was a pitchfork close to the door. That would do.
She wriggled her arms for the hundredth time, wincing as the rope chafed against her wrists. It was no good. He’d tied her too tightly.
The barn door creaked and opened.
What did he want now?
Was he going to release her? Or worse?
But it wasn’t him. Tessa walked towards her, a tentative smile on her face and a mug in her hand.
‘I’ve brought you some water. I thought you might be thirsty.’ She squatted down beside Birdie.
‘It’s not looking good, Tessa, and you’re a part of it. Help me escape. It will go in your favour if you do, I promise. You realise Patrick won’t get away with kidnapping me. You could be charged as an accessory.’
‘But I didn’t do anything.’
‘Then untie me. Prove that you had nothing to do with it.’