by Anita Waller
It was a relief to have reached this stage. The screen showed baby Jake lift his hands to touch his father’s face, and Phil gently stroke his son’s face in response.
The whisper echoed clearly through the receiver. ‘Love you, Jake.’ Phil bent his head to kiss his son. Captor winced.
So much love. Phil for Liz, Liz for Phil, Phil and Liz for Jake, Jake for his daddy, love everywhere but in Captor’s own life.
The anger surfaced yet again. Angry all the time, hiding it behind a gentle smile, kind words, actions that nobody would query; actions ending in death.
Sadie’s death had been half-planned; if she had come upon any part of the abduction of Jake, she would have died. But Gareth – he was an unexpected bonus. Liz must surely be on her knees now. No husband, no lover, no kid. Just Daniel.
Just Daniel. In that moment, Captor made the decision to leave Liz with her first-born. He would be the constant reminder to her for the rest of her life of everything she had lost.
The meddling, interfering bitch would never know peace again, Daniel would always be there, the taunt to tell her life had changed irrevocably.
The cameras were switched off, the dumb waiter lowered for the last time. Slightly more rations than usual, enough for two days, but would Phil realise that? Or would he assume Captor was being generous?
Captor smiled. Did it really matter either way?
Before anybody realised where they were, they would be dead.
The voices and angst inside Captor’s head would soon be stilled; the longer Phil and Jake were kept hidden, the closer discovery was, and to Captor, a prison life was out of the question. There had always been the knowledge that death would be Captor’s own endgame; the time was close.
Phil heard the rattle of the dumb waiter and placed Jake quickly in his cot. He opened the small door and took out his rations. Carrying the bag back to the bed, it occurred to him it felt heavier.
He had two of everything. At first his heart lifted; maybe hunger wouldn’t be the thing that stopped him sleeping that night; but a warning light came on in his brain. Maybe Captor was unable to visit the following day. Phil stashed away the secondary items, and decided to stick with his normal offerings. If his rations arrived as usual, the next day, he could still eat his small stash.
He felt uneasy. Something wasn’t right; he prayed it would have no impact on the tiny child in his care. His son.
Chapter 35
Oliver popped his head around Tom’s door.
‘Busy?’
‘So so. Missing Liz’s input.’
‘That’s what I want to talk to you about. Obviously, we give her whatever time she needs to get through all of this, but I think we need somebody to help out, even if it’s with general typing and filing duties. What do you think about Karen?’
‘I think she’d jump at the chance. She’s wasted on reception. We’ll get one of the youngsters out of conveyancing swapped to reception duties, and bring Karen in here, perhaps with a view to training her up for when we open the new offices, and Liz moves there. Karen can use Liz’s office until she comes back, then we’ll sort something. I think it has to be something permanent, a step up for her. Do you agree?’
‘Fully agree. Can I leave it with you?’
Tom nodded. ‘I’ll sort it today. They can both start their new positions from tomorrow. I’ll give Liz a ring and explain what we’re doing, so that she doesn’t get ideas about coming back because we need her.’
‘Does Liz know we want to put her in overall charge at Mosborough?’
Tom shook his head. ‘No, I gave a tiny hint we needed to discuss things, but that was all. I wanted to give her time to settle in after her mat leave, before I zapped her with a change and a promotion. We’ll put the conversation on hold until she’s ready. How are the plans going?’
‘I’m meeting with the architect next week, so if you want to be there…?’
‘No, thanks. Bring me in at the end when I need to sign the cheque. You’re the imagination man, you’ll know what we want. How long before it’s up and running?’
‘Oh… I should think early November. Don’t quote me on that, though,’ he said with a laugh. ‘We’ll certainly be in by Christmas.’
He closed the door and returned to his own office. Picking up the photograph of Julia, he stared at it, tracing her face with his finger. Her lovely face. A face he missed being on the pillow at the side of him when he woke in the morning.
He knew she wouldn’t come back. His middle of the night text to her, where he spoke of his deep love and wanting her to return to their home, had been replied to with vitriol in every word. Words like manipulative, bully, control freak, ownership, Liz, divorce, point of no return, Liz, all used with a depth of animosity he had never before seen in Julia. And yet he loved her. Longed for her. Craved her.
He opened a drawer and dropped the photograph face down in it. He had to work, not spend all day wishing her back with him.
Tom rang through to the conveyancing department and asked for Bella to be sent to him.
When she arrived, a timid knock on his door heralding her appearance, she looked scared.
‘Bella, you take over on reception when it’s Karen’s lunch break, I believe?’
‘Yes, sir.’
Tom hid his smile. Was he really so scary? Or was it only to his sixteen-year-old employees?
‘How would you feel about taking the job on full time, for a year? We’ll then give you the option of moving on to whatever department you would like to be in, or staying where you are.’
Her smile appeared from behind the cloud that had been there.
‘Really? I’d love that.’
‘Then don’t say anything yet, I’ll confirm it with you as soon as I’ve spoken to Karen. She will be moving in here, pending Mrs Chambers’ return to work, which could be some time away. I have to get Karen to agree, and if she does, you’ll be on reception from tomorrow. I’ll leave Karen with you for a day, to give you the basic training, and to show you the other jobs that she does which you won’t have come across in your hour a day, and then from the day after you’ll be on your own. How does that sound?’
‘It sounds brilliant. Thank you so much.’
Karen was shocked. The proposition was a step up she had never envisaged, and she could feel herself tremble as she said yes to everything Tom Banton asked of her. He requested that she not contact Liz until he had spoken to her, but then he was sure Liz would be at the other end of a phone or email if Karen needed clarification on anything.
She did a little dance of delight when she reached her workstation in the reception area, and smiled all afternoon.
Tom made himself a coffee before ringing Liz. He didn’t want to rush the conversation, he wanted her to know how much support she had, from both him and Oliver.
She answered almost immediately. The stress was obvious in her voice.
They talked for fifteen minutes, and he explained the new arrangements made to accommodate her enforced absence.
When they finally said goodbye, she put down the receiver with a feeling of relief. Tom was right – she had been worrying about work, on top of all her problems.
She sat, letting everything wash over her. Not only was there a calmness engendered by Tom’s phone call, she also welcomed the sense of liberation since Tanya, who had done an excellent job of supporting her through the initial first few days, had departed for pastures new. Now Liz could give in to the grief; Gareth’s death was finally implanting itself in her mind, and even Jake, who she firmly believed was still alive, created a similar feeling within her.
She missed them. Having met Gareth at such an early age, at school, it seemed as if there had never been a time when she hadn’t been with him, and despite his adulterous fling with Sadie, he had been a fantastic husband. And now he was gone.
Liz brushed away a tear that had trickled down her cheek. Dan was her priority. She had to somehow tell him about Jake, about Phil,
even about Rosie. Dan had always been grown up; he had been pretty perfect as a child, and teenager, but she doubted he was mature enough to cope with what was coming next.
She put off the inevitable for a further hour, then went upstairs with a heavy heart; she felt sick.
Chapter 36
Dan’s chin dropped down until he was staring at his legs. For some time, he didn’t speak. Couldn’t speak.
Finally, he raised his eyes and looked at his mother. ‘I think I knew.’
‘What?’
‘You and him, I think I knew. You changed, laughed a lot, and then suddenly you told us you were pregnant. In the end, I put the change down to you and Dad getting closer, resulting in Jake being born. I didn’t think anything of it after that. It all makes sense now. Did Dad suspect?’
She shook her head. ‘No, I’m sure he didn’t. Phil and I were careful.’
‘Not careful enough if Jake was the result,’ Dan said, more than a touch of bitterness in his voice.
‘I meant we were careful not to let other people know. We couldn’t – Phil was my client. I would have lost my job; Phil’s marriage would have fallen apart… it was all too much to contemplate.’
‘And you loved him? No wonder you haven’t cried for Dad.’
She knew Dan was deliberately hurting her. ‘Dan, if you think I haven’t cried for your dad, then you couldn’t be more wrong. I miss him so much, yet he was the one who strayed in the end.’
‘Of course he did. Dad wasn’t stupid. He can do maths. He goes away for six weeks, comes home and then you announce you’re pregnant. The baby arrives early with a healthy weight on him – no, Dad wasn’t daft. I bet anything this was payback time for him.’
She stared at him, this son who had become a stranger in such a short space of time.
‘And what about his wife? Rosie did you say? And his little girl?’
‘He thought his marriage was over.’
‘I bet his wife didn’t.’ Dan paused and stared at Liz. ‘Mum, leave me alone. I need to digest this. I’m assuming you’ve only told me because this is going to come out if it ever goes to court?’
She nodded, misery etched across her features. ‘Please, Dan…’
‘Go, Mum. I’ve things to do. I need to think this through. On my own.’
She stood and looked at him, his arms wrapped around his knees as he sat on his bed. ‘I’ll be downstairs. If you want to talk…’
The look he gave her wasn’t a good look.
She closed the door quietly behind her, and headed downstairs. She picked up the receiver and rang Brent.
‘Liz?’ DI Brent answered at the first ring.
‘I’ve told him.’ She knew her voice sounded dead.
‘And?’
‘And he’s thinking things through, on his own, in his bedroom. We’ll get through it… I hope. I rang to see if there’s any news.’
‘Only that we can release your husband’s body. I haven’t told Christian Fremantle he can sort out his mum’s funeral yet, so don’t make it public knowledge.’
‘I won’t. I contact a funeral director?’
‘Yes, it becomes a more normal death. You simply do anything you would have done if Gareth had died of, say, a heart attack. The only difference with the funeral is that there will be an undercover police presence, unless we track Jake and Philip Latimer before that.’
‘You definitely think they’re together?’
‘I do, but I’m pretty sure they’ve both been taken. I don’t think Latimer took Jake. He hasn’t used any banking facilities for months, hasn’t used his phone… no, somebody else has them both. Whoever has them is no dumbo. The couple of calls made to your phone, and the texts we believe have been sent by the kidnapper, have all triangulated on the city centre. A smart move. It tells us nothing.’
She sighed. ‘Thank you for updating me. Every day I wake up and think this is the day Jake will come home, and I’m slowly losing heart.’
‘We’re doing everything we can. I believe this one will be solved by technology – he or she will slip up one day, and we’ll track the error. We have some smart cookies on our computers, so don’t give up on your little one, Liz.’
‘Thank you,’ she responded quietly. ‘I’ll be in touch when I’ve sorted out the funeral date.’
She stared out into the darkening sky, and slowly sobs engulfed her. She leaned her brow against the window pane, her hands on the window sill. And then she felt arms go around her and hold her.
‘Come on,’ Dan said. ‘We’ll get through this. Together.’
She turned around and held on to him.
One of the surveillance officers turned to the other and nodded towards the bay window of the house they were watching. ‘Wouldn’t want to be in their shoes for a million pounds.’
‘Me neither,’ the other one agreed. ‘Fancy some pizza?’
Christian Fremantle felt sick. He had been told he could return home, and from the outside it all looked normal. Once inside, he realised life would never be normal again. His childhood home felt strangely bereft.
The stair carpet had been lifted and taken away. He had been warned to expect that, but even so, it came as a shock. He had dismissed his family liaison officer within a day of her arrival, but he wished he hadn’t been quite so hasty. He was truly on his own, and maybe a little company would have eased his return.
He walked around the house, feeling as if he didn’t know it at all, despite living in this same place all his life. His bed was rumpled, and he assumed somebody had sat on it during the investigation. His mother’s bed had been stripped of all bedding, as had the cot she had used for Jake. He had decisions to make. Sell or keep?
He doubted it would sell – not at the moment anyway. Who would want to buy a house where there had been a double murder? Maybe in a few years, but certainly not now. And maybe in a few years it would form part of any decisions he would need to make, after finishing at Solent.
He gathered up his duvet and pillow and took them down to the lounge. He would text the friends who had given him sleeping space over the last few days, thank them, and say he was back at home. That night, he would be on a different sofa – his own.
After checking the contents of the fridge, he walked down to the shops. Two people spoke to him as he headed down the road, expressing their condolences; he responded with a nod, a smile and a thank you. His brain wasn’t engaged enough for any more than that. It was only as he passed by Liz Chambers’ house that he faltered. He looked over towards it, hesitated, then crossed the road. The shop could wait a few minutes.
Liz saw him speak to her bodyguards, then walk down the drive. Her door was open before he reached it.
‘Come in, Christian,’ she said quietly. ‘How are you?’
‘That’s what I came to ask you,’ he said equally quietly. ‘I’m going to the shop…’
‘Have you time for a drink?’
He nodded. ‘Just water, thanks. How’s Dan?’
‘He’s doing okay. We both had a bit of a meltdown last night, but it seemed like a turning point. We’ll get past this, somehow. How are you?’
He sat down on the sofa, and shrugged. ‘I’ve stopped feeling so bloody angry.’
‘Good. You’ve been back home?’
He nodded again. ‘It’s awful. And I do realise your memories of how it looked must be really bad, but that was my home. Now it’s empty. Who would have thought a missing stair carpet would make all that difference?’
Liz sat down by his side. ‘It’s not the missing stair carpet, Christian. It’s the missing mum. The stair carpet can be replaced.’
‘I know it can. It seems to symbolise everything.’ He looked so miserable; Liz placed her arm around his shoulder and pulled him close.
‘If I can do anything to help…’
He gave a short bark of laughter. ‘You’ve lost even more than me. Is there any news…?’
‘On Jake?’ She shook her head. ‘Nothing. He�
�s alive, though. I know he’s alive.’ She stood. ‘I’ll get you that water. Have you had breakfast?’
‘Not for about four days, no,’ he smiled.
‘Bacon sandwich?’
‘Thank you.’
The smell of the bacon grilling brought a sleepy-eyed Dan downstairs, shocked at cooking being done by someone else.
‘Mum…?’
‘Don’t panic, Dan,’ she smiled. ‘Bacon sandwich? I’m already doing one for Christian. He’s in the lounge.’
Dan rubbed his eyes, stared at his mum and headed for the lounge.
Liz could hear the two of them talking. Two young men who had shared massive trauma in their lives; they were uniting over bacon sandwiches.
She carried their breakfasts through, and then excused herself. ‘I need to do something normal. I’m going up to strip the beds, now Tanya has left us.’
‘Don’t do mine, Mum. It’s got notes all over it. I’ll sort it today, I promise.’
She smiled as she walked upstairs. She could hear the two young men speaking and knew they would have things in common. Probably gaming.
Fifteen minutes later, post bacon sandwiches, she heard them continuing the conversation while climbing the stairs before going to Dan’s room.
Dan’s voice was then most noticeable as he explained things to Christian, and then there was silence, interspersed by cries of success or failure as they worked their way through various levels.
Liz couldn’t for the life of her understand the attraction of gaming, but right at that moment she felt grateful for anything that took their minds off the tragedy of the situation they found themselves living in, through no fault of their own.
She finished making up Jake’s cot, then carried all the bundles of laundry downstairs.
She fed Christian at lunchtime as well, and when he went home mid-afternoon, he apologised.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I blamed you and your family for all my troubles, but I was wrong. You’re as much innocent of anything as I am. The man who killed your husband and my mum is to blame.’