by Anita Waller
Liz stared at Dan, trying to control the shock she felt must be showing on her face. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I’ve seen him up there a couple of times. I’ve seen the car, anyway.’
‘But he sometimes collects Jake…’
‘At three in the afternoon? And that was the time I spotted the car; I don’t know how long it had been there. I asked you the other day if everything was okay…’
‘You did, but I thought you meant we didn’t seem to talk as much as usual. I didn’t know… why didn’t you tell me?’
‘Mum, are you kidding me? How could I tell you I thought Dad was playing away?’ Dan scrunched up his hands and rubbed at his face.
‘He’s not now,’ she said quietly. ‘I saw his body, and I fainted. Luckily the ambulance was already on its way. Tanya is our family liaison officer, our go-between for information. Jake wasn’t there. There’s a massive hunt going on right now, they’re checking CCTV all over the place. We have to get our little one back safely, because the alternative isn’t to be considered, not ever.’ Liz could feel herself getting angry, and the tears began to roll down her face once more. She looked up as Tanya entered the room.
‘Thank you,’ Liz said. ‘Is there any news?’
Tanya shook her head. ‘Not yet. I’ll let you know if anything happens during the night. Dan, it’s good to meet you, even if it’s in such awful circumstances. Your mum has explained everything?’
He looked at Tanya for a moment. ‘Nothing makes sense. Why would he want her? Sadie? She was nothing compared with Mum. And maybe if I’d told her that I’d seen him up there, it could have stopped all of this.’
‘Whoa!’ Liz tried to speak calmly. ‘Stop that. None of this is your fault, Dan. It’s all down to your dad and Sadie, and whoever has Jake. I have no idea why anyone would want to hurt me so much…’ Her voice trailed away.
One person wanted to hurt her. Rosie Latimer. And Liz knew that everything would have to come out in the open, because she would have to tell DI Brent of her affair with Phil. And that meant even further heartbreak for Dan; what sort of role models were they for a fifteen-year-old boy?
Would a direct appeal to Rosie help? If she rang her… but not on her usual phone. She didn’t want the police checking for phone calls made since the discovery of the bodies. For the first time, she would use the love phone to ring someone other than Phil. If she blocked the number first… Liz felt her head expanding as she tried to work out the best course of action. She would have made a lousy criminal, it was all too complicated, working out a campaign.
Tanya poured out the drinks and handed them to Dan and Liz. There was silence between them, each lost in their own thoughts. Liz felt she couldn’t grieve for Gareth, not yet. She had to come to terms with what she was discovering about him. Had she driven him into Sadie’s arms? She thought back to the beginning of her affair with Phil – that had been instant attraction, but had matured into so much more. Was that how Gareth had felt about Sadie? Would she have lost him anyway? So many questions. She reached into her handbag and took out a packet of paracetamol. Popping two out of the blister strip, Liz swallowed them, washing them down with the dregs of the tea.
She stood and walked to the bay window, opening the curtains slightly and staring out into the blackness of the night; it mirrored how she was feeling. Where was her baby? Was he crying for her? Was he cold, hungry? She watched as two police cars drove by, before turning up the road where Sadie lived. She wondered if Christian was already on his way back to Sheffield, having been made aware of his mother’s death. He was only twenty, studying at Solent University; so young to have to handle something like this. Liz leaned her head against the window pane and sighed.
Dan came up quietly behind her. His voice sounded thick, heavy with raw emotion. ‘It was probably a fling, you know. I’m sure Dad loved you…’
‘He’s certainly paid the price.’ She sobbed, and wrapped her arms around her body, seeking any form of comfort.
Tanya stood and led her gently back to the sofa. ‘I’m not going to suggest you go to bed, I know you won’t sleep, but why not get comfortable on here,’ she indicated the sofa, ‘and close your eyes. If there’s any news, I’ll wake you. Oh, and there’ll be a technician here any time now. He’s going to set up a recording box on your landline, in case whoever has taken Jake decides to ring you. When you go out you need to press a button on it and all calls will be routed to your mobile number. It will record everything, that way.’
‘Dan, can you take Tanya up and show her where the spare room is, please? When this chap arrives, I’ll let him in.’
Dan nodded. ‘And I’ll bring a blanket and a pillow down for you. If you insist on sleeping here, you need to be comfortable.’
‘Have you eaten, Liz?’ Tanya looked concerned by Liz’s pallor.
‘Mum? I can soon make us something?’
‘Dan, take off the chef hat. I don’t want anything, I feel sick. You two have whatever you fancy, leave me out of it.’
Dan held the door open and escorted Tanya upstairs and along the corridor to the room in the new extension. Jake’s arrival had meant all bedrooms were in use, and they had added a much-needed extension to the property.
Liz realised she wouldn’t get a better opportunity to be on her own, and unzipped the pocket in her handbag that held the Nokia. She quickly removed the instruction to show her number, and dialled Rosie’s landline.
The call went through to voicemail, and Liz spoke quietly. ‘Rosie, if you’re there, it’s Liz. Please pick up, I need to talk to you. It’s urgent. If you get this later, please call me on my landline. It’s still the same number. Thank you.’
Within a minute her call was returned.
‘Liz?’
‘Rosie, thank God. Where’s Jake?’ As she asked the question, she knew she was being incredibly stupid. If Rosie had her baby, she was hardly likely to admit it.
‘What?’
‘Jake. He’s been taken from my childminder’s. Please, Rosie, I’m desperate. If you know anything… imagine if it were Melissa, think how you would feel.’
Rosie spoke slowly. ‘Liz, I won’t deny I hate the very thought of you, wish we’d never used Banton and Hardwick, but for God’s sake, woman! I would hurt you, not your baby. Of course I don’t know where he is.’
Liz couldn’t hold back the sob. ‘Oh, God,’ she whispered.
‘Is this the police incident that’s been on Radio Sheffield? It mentioned Gleadless. I don’t like you, Liz, don’t want anything to do with the homewrecker who destroyed my own life, but I wouldn’t wish this on you.’
‘Rosie,’ again the sob caught in her throat, ‘the police incident is a double murder, and a kidnapping. My childminder and my husband are dead, and Jake’s been taken.’
There was silence from the other end of the phone for a few seconds; Liz heard a huge sigh and then Rosie spoke. ‘Liz… I don’t know what to say. I had no idea. I’m so sorry, but I promise you, this isn’t the way I would hurt you. I tried to do it through your job…’
‘I know. Deep down I knew you wouldn’t have done this. I’m clutching at straws because I don’t know where to turn. I have to go.’ She lowered her voice. ‘The police are here. I have to go.’
Liz put down the receiver, then slipped the Nokia back into her handbag pocket. She opened the front door and the police technician walked through carrying a couple of boxes. He worked immediately, and Liz left him to it.
Seconds later, Dan and Tanya walked into the lounge. Dan was carrying a pillow and a couple of blankets. ‘You sure about this?’ he asked.
‘I am. I can’t see me sleeping much, and I can get up and make a cup of tea whenever I want. Tanya, is the room okay for you?’
Tanya smiled. ‘I spend half my time sleeping in armchairs when I’m working as FLO. Having a room is a real luxury, and yours is beautiful. My phone’s set to loud, so if there are developments during the night, I will come and wake you.’
‘Thank you. I feel so empty. I honestly had no idea about Gareth and Sadie…’
‘And you still don’t know for definite, Liz. Whoever murdered Gareth could have removed his clothes. Sadie could have been taking advantage of Jake sleeping to grab a quick shower – nothing is certain yet, so don’t jump to conclusions. Now, I know you’re going to say no, but I think Dan should make you a couple of slices of toast, whether you want them or not. You’re going to need lots of strength over the next few days, don’t neglect your health.’ She turned to Dan. He nodded and headed towards the kitchen.
Tanya sat down beside Liz. ‘Did he take it okay?’
‘So so. He’d already seen our car up at Sadie’s in the past, and he knows I never take it to work, it’s too much hassle getting parked. Oh my God, work!’
‘Sssh,’ Tanya said. ‘Don’t worry. We can sort that tomorrow morning.’
Liz’s brain went into overdrive. She tried to remember what was urgent, and wondered if she should ring Tom or Oliver immediately, rather than waiting for the morning.
Finally, she took the decision to leave it; one or other of them would shoot across the city to come and support her, and she didn’t want that. She needed to be able to sit and wait for news of her baby.
Dan arrived with the toast, and she ate a slice without tasting it. She pushed the other slice to one side, and once more moved across to the window. There was a lot of police activity, but she guessed that would taper off in a couple of hours. She prayed they would have garnered some clues from the door-to-door checks, and she leaned her head against the pane to cancel the reflection that was stopping her seeing outside. Nothing helped.
The technician called her into the hall and showed her what to do if she had a call from a number she didn’t recognise, and how to switch the landline number through to her mobile. He explained carefully, and he explained it twice. ‘If it is the kidnapper,’ he said gently, ‘you press this switch, and someone will be listening in. If it is simply a friend, then we don’t intrude. Good luck with getting your little one home safe, Mrs Chambers.’ He squeezed her hand as he left.
Her eyes filled with tears, and she offered up a small prayer for her baby. He was so little, so cute, such a good little boy – ‘please God, keep him safe for me,’ she whispered, almost to herself.
Dan came and stood by her side and put his arm around her shoulders. ‘Amen,’ he said, ‘amen.’
---
She didn’t sleep. The sofa was comfortable, she was warm, but she couldn’t switch off her mind. She went to the kitchen three times during that long night, making drinks that she hoped would make her eyes close. Nothing worked.
Tanya was downstairs before six. ‘No news.’ The regretful tone in her voice was obvious. ‘Is there anything I can do for you?’
Liz sighed. ‘Thanks, but I don’t think so. I’ll ring work after nine and explain what’s happened, and I’ll ring Dan’s school. I’m reluctant to keep him off, because he’s in his GCSE year, but he’ll want to be with me.’
‘DI Brent will probably want to speak with both of you, anyway, so really Dan has to stay home today. And I can’t imagine for one minute he’s going to go back to school in the short term; I’ve seen how close you two are, and he’ll consider he has to support you at home. Don’t knock it, Liz. He’s a bright young man, he’ll be fine in his exams. And he needs to grieve for his father. These are horrendous circumstances surrounding your husband’s death, and eventually that reality is going to hit Daniel really hard. And you. At the moment, you need to be together.’
Half an hour later, Will Brent arrived. Liz gave her statement, confirming everything she had already told him. He spoke platitudes; they were re-doubling their efforts with the advance of daylight, and he would prefer it if she stayed in the house and had her phone with her at all times.
Dan also confirmed his whereabouts for the afternoon of the previous day; he looked dreadful, dark circles under his eyes and a set to his lips that Liz had never seen before. He had clearly had a bad night, and she ached for him.
Just after nine, Liz rang Karen and asked if either Mr Banton or Mr Hardwick had arrived. Karen confirmed she had seen Mr Hardwick, and she connected Liz with Oliver.
‘Good morning, Liz,’ he said.
‘Morning, Oliver. I’m sorry, I won’t be in today.’
‘Are you ill?’ There was concern in his voice.
‘No. I have a problem.’ She could feel her voice wobbling. ‘Something happened yesterday. Gareth and my childminder, Sadie, were murdered. And Jake was taken.’
There was silence for a moment.
‘What?’
She repeated what she’d said, and he let out a long breath. ‘I’ll be with you in half an hour. I’ll give Tom a ring, although he may turn up there as well.’
‘Thank you,’ she said softly, and disconnected the call.
Chapter 23
Jake was standing in his cot, staring at his father, when Phil stirred; his head felt strange, fuzzy, and he blinked, then remembered the events of the previous day. Or was it the previous hour?
He smiled at the little boy. ‘Good morning, son. Is it morning?’
Jake simply stared at him.
Phil sat up and pulled a blanket around his shoulders. It was cold, so cold. He lifted the little boy out of his cot, sat him on his knee and enfolded him in the blanket.
‘You hungry?’ he asked, and kissed the top of his head. Jake laid his head against Phil’s shoulder, and didn’t move.
‘Okay, what shall we have? Full English? I might have to rummage through all that baby food for yours though. In fact, Jake, today we’re going to go through all these boxes, find out what we’ve got.’
His heart ached for his son. He must be missing his mummy, and wondering what had happened. Phil cuddled him for a few more minutes, then sat him back in the travel cot.
‘Breakfast,’ he said. ‘Give me two minutes.’
He found a pouch that said it was ready-to-eat porridge, so he handed it to Jake and watched to make sure he ate it. Phil then looked much more carefully through the boxes and discovered cartons of long life milk. He hoped it was okay for Jake – he couldn’t for the life of him remember the whole baby milk / cow’s milk cut off with Melissa – and he poured some into a bottle, then out of the bottle and into his little pan. He quickly warmed it, and as Jake finished his porridge, Phil handed him a bottle of milk.
‘Cracked it,’ Phil said, as he watched Jake drain the bottle, before struggling and pulling himself into an upright position. He launched the bottle across the floor.
Phil chuckled at his son, then picked it up and placed it in the small sink. As with the milk issue, he really couldn’t remember much about sterilising either, and hoped that washing thoroughly would be enough.
He changed Jake’s nappy – still only a wet one – then re-dressed him in the clothes from the previous day.
His search through the boxes had thrown up a few toys and some baby books, so Phil and Jake sat on the camp bed, and Phil read to him. Jake kept trying to put his fingers in his daddy’s mouth as he spoke the words, and Phil felt such a pang of longing for Liz, it almost overwhelmed him. This was their child. This wonderful human being had been created by them, and was being held captive presumably because of them.
He prayed Liz was safe; Phil had no way of knowing, and he made a silent vow to her that he would keep their son safe for as long as he could.
The dumb waiter rattled, and he quickly put Jake back into his cot. Phil opened the door and removed his rations for the day, glancing into the carrier bag and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, except for three tea bags. It seemed the flasks were off the menu, he was expected to make his own drinks.
‘I like coffee as well, moron,’ he growled. He decided to have his drinks without milk – he wasn’t sure if they would ever get any more of the long-life stuff, and Jake would need it.
Jake finally dropped off to sleep, so Phil
tucked him up in the cot, then moved across to sort out the boxes. Everything in them related to Jake: baby food, clothing, nappies, toys – all there for him, so Phil organised it all, re-stacking the boxes to try and get them off the floor. He placed a layer of carrier bags beneath the bottom ones, and hoped it was enough to protect the contents from the damp.
He then moved up the stairs. His head was finally feeling clearer, and it was slowly dawning on him that the flasks hadn’t contained only tea, there had been some additive that had made him sleep. It seemed that wasn’t necessary, hence the cooking stove and the tea bags.
He reached the top of the stairs, but the door was in shadow. He felt around it but there was nothing. No handle, no lock, no screws, a metal door that he couldn’t exit from his side.
He sat down on the stairs, and his head dropped. He didn’t know what the hell to do, couldn’t see any way out of the situation. And it had become so much more complicated, with the addition of Jake.
‘I’ll keep him safe for you, Liz, I promise,’ he whispered softly. ‘I promise.’
Captor watched the activity in the basement and smiled. Phil Latimer really knew what he was up against – a door that couldn’t be opened, with no other exit from the room, and he had the added problem of the boy to care for, a child he had never met before.
Just how much was Liz Chambers suffering? Her lover had disappeared from the face of the earth, her adulterous husband was dead, and her son had been taken.
Karma.
Chapter 24
Oliver arrived, followed a minute later by a dishevelled-looking Tom, dressed in joggers and hoodie. Liz couldn’t take her eyes off him; she had never seen him in anything but a suit.
‘Sorry,’ he said as he bent to kiss her cheek. ‘I came out as soon as Chloe told me what had happened. I was running…’ he finished lamely, indicating the state of his attire.
‘I’ll make drinks,’ Tanya said. ‘Coffee, tea?’