Harry lay looking at Ellie’s ceiling, wondering how he could possibly have conceived a child without being aware of it.
Even though she seemed pretty certain about his identity, he hadn’t yet confessed to Ellie that he had indeed once been known by the name of Ben Rivers. Although, even that wasn’t his real name. The fateful night in Cornwall, when he suspected he had fathered Tom, was a complete blur. The night he’d been yanked out of Ben’s existence.
He’d somehow been drugged, beaten and left for dead. He’d been told that he’d been found with a surfboard on the beach, but he hadn’t been surfing. He’d been beaten so badly that he hadn’t regained consciousness for days, not until Ben Rivers was well and truly buried.
They’d shown him a picture of the grave marker, so he knew his existence in Cornwall was finished. He could never return to that identity. Never be Ben Rivers, surfer dude, ever again.
So he’d become Harry Dixon and he had to admit to being attached to the name. Harry Dixon, headmaster. It had been touch and go whether he would be able to remain in Borteen given the events of the last few weeks and he guessed, or rather, he knew, that this latest development would be the last straw. Harry Dixon would have to die too, or at least go away or disappear. The thought of letting down the people at the school and in the community weighed heavily on his shoulders.
What about Ellie? What about Tom? If he told his contact about the complication of a son, would they want him to disappear without explaining things even to Ellie? Without having that important conversation? He knew they would. There was no room for compassion. They would take him away without a moment’s thought for the mayhem and upset he left behind. Therefore, Harry decided, against his better judgement, he would keep quiet a little longer, even though it could be potentially dangerous to his personal safety.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ellie had imagined a lot of possible developments for the morning. The mobile phone call before dawn from an unknown number had, of course, been one of them.
She jerked out of the fitful sleep she had finally slipped into and scrabbled for the phone. It was an accident that she knocked the books off the bedside table. At least the noise alerted Harry and by the time the call had connected, he was rushing through her bedroom door. He stood next to her, white-faced and bleary-eyed, as he strained to hear the conversation on the phone too.
‘Tom, where are you? Are you okay?’
‘Morning, Mum. Yes, I’m … okay. I’m sorry I went off without telling you yesterday.’
Anger rose in her chest. Had Tom left her worrying for a whole night unnecessarily? But then, he wasn’t using his own mobile and even though the words were delivered in a bright voice, the tone was unlike Tom’s normal way of speaking.
‘Where are you?’
‘I’m … with … Rushton, Mum’
‘Right. I see. And what are you doing with him?’
‘He said I had to go with him or … you’d get hurt … badly. I was scared not to do as he …’
Ellie could hear a man clearing his throat and muttering in the background. Tom returned to what he was obviously meant to be saying.
‘Mum, we’re on loud speaker now, Rushton can hear you. He says if you want to see me again, he wants his money back. Mum, I’m getting really scared.’
Ellie closed her eyes. ‘It’s okay, Tom.’ She offered up a fervent silent prayer that it was. ‘I’ve already told you, Rushton, that I can’t pay you back. The money has long gone. How did you expect us to survive after you went to prison? You need to view the money as my divorce settlement. I want my son back.’ Ellie felt desperate. How could she hope to get Tom back safely?
There was silence at the other end of the line and then she could hear a commotion.
‘Take the lad away.’
‘Mum!’
Ellie could hardly breathe.
‘If you want to see Tom again, there’s something else I’d like. If you can deliver this, I’ll write off your debt and call it even.’
Her heart lurched with hope. ‘And what exactly would that something else be?’
‘Ben Rivers.’
Ellie paused as her heart rate increased beyond where it had speeded up to already. She looked up into Harry’s eyes. His face was white.
‘Rushton, you know as well as I do that Ben Rivers died in Cornwall. We were both at the funeral for goodness’ sake.’
Rushton laughed and then his voice barked so loudly from the phone that the sound made her cower. Pulling the phone away from her head to take deep calming breaths, she had to put it to her ear again to hear what he was saying. She would have put the call on loud speaker, but in her panic she couldn’t remember how.
‘Do you think I was born yesterday, Ellie? The man I fought in your shop was our old acquaintance Ben Rivers.’
Ellie hesitated. ‘The man you came to blows with is called Harry Dixon.’ Ellie met Harry’s eyes again. She couldn’t read his expression.
‘Whatever he’s calling himself these days, I know him. I have scores to settle with him, as do some of my friends. I’ll swap him for Tom and as much money as you can get together. Knowing you, Ellie, the man is probably standing next to you right now.’
She watched Harry rubbing his damaged ear.
‘Ha, ha, good joke.’ It took all of her resolve to keep a tremor out of her voice. ‘So, assuming I can get Harry Dixon to agree to this, how do we do the swap? Where and when?’
‘Car park, end of the beach. Nine-thirty. No funny business. No police. I hope you haven’t contacted them, Ellie, or you’ll never see Tom again.’
The line went dead, leaving Ellie staring at the handset in disbelief. She began pacing the bedroom. She felt drained and anxious. Rushton wouldn’t harm Tom, would he?
‘He must know I can’t pay him back. His money has long gone. How did he expect us to live after he was taken to prison?’
Harry pulled her into a big bear hug. The air disappeared from Ellie’s lungs. She lay against him, her mind a turmoil of emotions.
‘It’s going to be okay. Tom’s going to be fine.’
‘I wish I could believe that.’
She pushed her head closer into his body.
‘He said if I involve the police, I’ll never see Tom again. … What have we done? … He wants me to bring money and Ben to the car park at the far end of the beach at nine-thirty this morning.’ A sob escaped her and she battled to regain control. ‘Harry this is hopeless. You can’t go near Rushton and I haven’t got much money.’
‘I’ve some cash I keep for emergencies. We’ll get that from my flat.’
‘But is it enough? And how can I take your money?’
‘We need to get Tom out of Rushton’s clutches safely. We have a little while until the meet. Let’s go and get some breakfast and talk. I think it’s time for both of us to lay our ghosts to rest, don’t you?’
She nodded against his chest and then pulled away. ‘Oh, Harry …’
‘I’m going to give you a telephone number, just in case. As soon as you and Tom are safely away, you need to ring it and tell the person on the end of the line exactly what has happened. I should be making that call right now, but it’s safer for Tom if I don’t. They’ll sort out the local police too.’
‘I can’t believe you are considering going along with this.’
‘I don’t see we have much choice. Besides, I have a few tricks up my sleeve too.’
‘Do I phone the police again as well?’
‘This number is enough, trust me.’
‘Now you’re scaring me.’
‘If I’m honest, I’m scaring myself.’
They clung together again, united in uncertainty. The warmth of Harry’s body seeped into her as he held her closer.
She pulled away slightly so that she could look into his eyes.
‘I’m sorry. I’ve not always been nice to you.’
‘Now I know there was a reason for that and I can see it wasn’t simple
for you to tell me about Tom.’
‘I’ve never regretted having him. He’s the joy of my life.’
‘It can’t have been easy though. I need to know everything and we haven’t much time before the swap.’
She nodded. ‘I have lots of questions too.’
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Was this how the loved ones of condemned criminals felt before they were sent to the gallows or firing squad? Huge waves of guilt kept passing through her. She wanted her son back, but giving Harry to Rushton instead seemed dreadful.
Harry briefly returned to his flat, to shower, change and fetch his emergency stash of cash. Ellie got ready while he was away. She had to pretend this wasn’t happening to avoid breaking down in tears. It was important to stay as calm and clear-headed as possible for what was to come.
They were the first customers at the local greasy-spoon café. They sat at the most isolated table in an alcove and Harry ordered a huge full English breakfast. Ellie settled for toast, but wasn’t sure she’d be able to eat even that.
‘My last supper,’ joked Harry, as the plateful of eggs, sausage, bacon, beans, fried bread and mushrooms was placed in front of him.
‘Don’t say that, please.’
Ellie gripped her toast so tightly, she made a hole in it.
‘I’ve managed to escape some pretty hairy situations in my time. All will be well. You’ll have to trust me.’
A tear ran down her cheek. She gave up on the toast and threw the piece onto her plate.
‘It still feels too dangerous to consider, even if I did think you were dead for fourteen years. I gather you’re not pretending any more. You are Ben Rivers.’
‘There’s no point denying it now. I was Ben Rivers once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away.’
A huge belt of tension departed from her body. She hadn’t realised she was carrying it. He was right, ghosts needed to be laid to rest, as long as it didn’t mean Harry would become one.
‘Police?’
He nodded. ‘Ex-police. Undercover.’
‘You’d better give me that telephone number.’
‘I don’t want to write it down, you’ll have to put it straight into your mobile and delete it and the record of the call as soon as you’ve used it.’
He recited a number from memory and Ellie copied it carefully into her phone.
‘What will happen when I make that call? Will helicopters fill the skies and commandos parachute down to save us?’
Harry’s expression was very strange as he replied. ‘Something like that. I don’t want you to be around whatever happens. If Rushton has found you once, he can find you again. You must go, Ellie. Take Tom and get completely away.’
‘You mean leave Borteen?’ A coldness settled between her shoulder blades.
‘Will you ever feel completely safe here again?’
Ellie toyed with a piece of toast again, folding it over and over, trying to take in the enormity of what he was suggesting.
‘I wouldn’t have a clue where to go. We’ve only just begun to settle here. I have the gallery and friends.’
Ellie remembered Rushton’s words in the gallery. I could have had you dealt with, but decided I wanted to do it myself.
Harry handed her a fat, brown envelope.
‘I know, but you have to go. This is for you.’
She looked quizzically at him. ‘What’s this?’
‘It’s a packet of money I always keep around in case I have to make a quick getaway. I want you to have it. Don’t ask any questions. Just accept it. There’s money for a fresh start in the envelope. You can give Rushton a small part of it … if you have to.’
Ellie’s mind was reeling. ‘But how?’
‘Don’t ask, Ellie. Go to Australia, America, New Zealand. I don’t want to know exactly where you’re going, so I can’t tell anyone. I want you as far away as possible, where they can never find you both again.’
‘But is he really that dangerous? He’ll hopefully be caught and put in prison again.’
‘Don’t be naïve. Do you really think he’ll ever leave you alone? He’ll sit in his cell and plan revenge. You have to take this seriously and go, for Tom’s sake if not your own.’
Her eyes were as wide as saucers. She was vulnerable and upset. He worried she wouldn’t be able to carry out her role in what was to come without falling apart. She needed to be strong, at least until this was over. He was taking a big gamble handling things his own way.
‘Stay calm. You can fall apart later if you need to, but not until Tom is safe.’
He gulped his tea to swallow the big lump that had developed in his throat. Would he even be considering this if he wasn’t convinced that Tom was his own flesh and blood? ‘Time’s marching on. You’ll need time to go home and pack some bags, but before that, I need to understand your part in Cornwall and, of course, about Tom.’
‘I’ll never see you again?’
‘Never is a long time.’ He stretched his hand across the table to clasp her fingers. ‘I can’t predict what will happen later, but I hope we can all get away safely and then leave the police to find Rushton.’
‘Harry, you’ll hate me when I tell you the story of Cornwall.’
‘I doubt that, but it doesn’t matter in any case now, just tell me. You’ll feel better if it’s all in the open.’
She gulped coffee and batted tears from her cheeks. He watched the emotions playing over her face.
‘Okay, here goes. My confession. A potted version of what happened in Cornwall. I was eighteen and besotted with you, but you never noticed or even spoke to me. How old were you then?’
Harry thought about it, ‘I was twenty-seven.’
‘One evening, Rushton’s friend Norrie spoke to me about being lovesick. He gave me a bottle of beer and said if I gave it to you and stayed close, you’d find me irresistible and you did. I’ve thought about it so many times over the years, but when you said about your career being ruined by a drug-laced drink, suddenly everything became clear. I guess the beer I gave to you was drugged.’
Up until now, Ellie had been talking to the table top, now she turned those beautiful blue eyes on him. He kept his face calm and impassive, so as not to distract her.
‘I was involved in some pretty deep shit in Cornwall. I was walking a tightrope, trying to keep people such as Norrie and Rushton on side. I was an undercover cop, working to expose a huge drugs ring.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘All I remember about that night is packing the camper van, but not being able to face leaving my surf board behind. I can see myself walking down to the beach to get it …’
‘Norrie told me to give you a message. He said to say that “He was sorry you were leaving, but he knew your job was done.” I said that to you and you just grabbed the beer and drank it in one. I thought you were going to leave, but then you turned back and kissed me. I linked my arm in yours and led you down the beach into the shadows by the sand dunes and you made passionate love to me on the sand. At the time I thought I was in heaven, it was the perfect first time, the best any girl could wish for, but of course, now I can see you weren’t aware it was me, probably weren’t conscious of what you were doing. It was the drug driving you to have sex with me.’
She was talking to the table top again and Harry pulled her hand slightly to encourage her to look up.
‘I was your first time? Really?’
She nodded. ‘I took advantage of you.’
‘Oh, Ellie, Norrie used you. You have nothing to be guilty about. If you hadn’t given me that beer, they’d have found another way to get me, they’d have been waiting for me when I got back to my campervan. They’d more than likely been called about the raids at the drug warehouse, realised I was the link and what I’d been doing. I was living on borrowed time.’
‘Even before I put two and two together about the drugged beer, I have … have felt guilty all these years. It was as if I took the life force out of you, because I left you on the beach and by
the next morning you were dead, as far as I knew anyway.’
Harry realised as Ellie spoke, he could remember more. He could recall walking into the sea and feeling strange and woozy, then being surrounded, but not being able to defend himself.
‘The tests I had in hospital showed I’d taken a drug, probably in the bottle you gave to me. They used you to get me drugged up. They were on to me and wanted to know who I’d told about the drug chain and if there were any more undercover cops in their midst. They beat me up and when I didn’t tell them anything, they beat me some more. I was told I’d been left for dead with a surfboard so it would look like a surfing accident.’
‘But whose body was buried in your grave?’
‘I was told later that it was an unidentified tramp found in a river.’
‘You mean I used to visit and cry over a stranger’s grave?’
‘You used to visit my grave?’ He was touched anyone would do such a thing for him, whatever the circumstances.
‘Yes. I put flowers on the memorial stone too, right up until we left Cornwall.’
‘Thank you, Ellie.’ He captured her other hand and squeezed them both. Her fingers were surprisingly cool.
‘Another thing that felt strange was that you died on the same night as Tom’s life began, as if you’d passed the spark of your life force to him. I still can’t quite believe you’re alive after all.’
Harry held his breath before he spoke. ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but are you one hundred per cent sure Tom is mine?’
She looked at him sideways. ‘Come on. You only have to look in the mirror. I’m surprised no one has ever commented on the similarities between the new headmaster of Borteen High and Thomas Golden. There’s hardly a need for DNA tests.’
‘I must admit, he does look like me, or rather, he looks like I did when I was surfer dude, Ben Rivers.’ Harry’s smile lit up his face.
The Girl on the Beach Page 17