by JA Andrews
‘So, thinking about it, I bet she pressured you into letting them have Daniel for the night and then ran off with him to Cornwall while you were meant to be at the funeral service.’ I continue, ‘Maybe they did want him from you after all. They don’t own any other properties do they? Nothing abroad?’
‘No,’ Jenny says, breathing heavily in panic. ‘Just the one in Looe, that lodge down in Cornwall. It’s their pride and joy and where they spend most of their free time.’
‘I can take you there,’ I reply, ‘but I will need to take the Mercedes back to the car hire shop, it’s en route, and get my van. We can drive down in that. It doesn’t matter about getting any scratches then down those country lanes and we wouldn’t be pushed for time.’
‘I’ll call my mother again and let her know what’s happened. I don’t care about going in the van, I just want to find my son. I need to know he is safe. Donna has obviously taken him somewhere.’
Jenny walks into the living room and picks up Donna’s phone which had been left on the table next to a laptop. She proceeds to call her mother from her own phone and I still stay, leaning against a wall in the hallway. There are no keys on the hook.
‘Give me five minutes to check their computer if that’s all right?’ Jenny asks after she hangs up on her mother. ‘There might be some clues on here if I look at their browsing history or emails.’
‘I’m not in any rush,’ I reply, ‘What’s happening at the service? Is it delayed?’
‘Apparently everyone is talking about us because we aren’t there, but I don’t care about that. Daniel is all that matters,’ Jenny responds. She appears calmer, more focused. ‘I will do something special when I get Michael’s ashes back. He will understand that I need to find Daniel over anything else. This is so frustrating. Donna knows full well that I could have done without this today. Putting me through this worry and stress.’
Jenny sits down on the sofa with the laptop; after browsing around for a few minutes, she discovers something useful.
‘They’ve sent an email to the park,’ Jenny says enthusiastically. ‘They’ve asked for it to be cleaned for their arrival. That’s something at least. I wish they would have phoned me or contacted me.’
‘Let’s go then,’ I reply. ‘It all makes sense, the sooner we leave now the better.’
Jenny needs me.
Thirty-Two
Jenny
I hang up the phone again from my mother who has told me Michael’s service has come to an end. Now, on my drive down to Looe in Gary’s van, an intermittent signal constantly drops my connection, only adding to my frustrations. I was told the curtains closed around his coffin and I sob my eyes out, not only because of how anxious I feel, but for not being there. The grief, and intense worry for my son Daniel, is all I have on my mind. I should have been at Michael’s service but Donna has deliberately sabotaged this day because of not getting her own way. I never wanted a burial for Michael because I hate the thought of him being trapped in the ground. She must have made sure that her, Peter and Daniel were no part of it because this wasn’t what she wanted.
My parents are in a frenzy. I told them all the suitcases are missing from the house. Gary is trying to make me see sense that the only place they can be is in the lodge. I hope that he’s right. It has always been their go-to place.
I keep thinking about the last few moments when Donna and Peter left the house last night. Was there a conversation I missed, was there anything that I might have forgotten, but no – I just remember waving at Daniel. Nothing in their behaviour seemed out of the ordinary.
What have they done, and where have they taken Daniel?
We’re only about five minutes away from the holiday park site. I notice that my battery is low and I’m anxious about finding Daniel. The phone signal isn’t great in these rural areas and I’m stressing out because if they aren’t there, I’m going to have to find a phone and call Sharon to update her and report them all missing.
‘Donna knows I wouldn’t go to the service without Daniel,’ I say, while Gary is driving. ‘She’s done this deliberately because of the cremation, I bet. She doesn’t want any part of it. There’s no other reason I can think of for not going to your own son’s funeral.’
‘I think you’re right,’ Gary replies. ‘She didn’t get her own way and is now making you suffer for it. I wouldn’t want her as my mother-in-law.’
‘My mother said that it was only them, some of Michael’s cousins, and a small handful of Michael’s work colleagues who turned up at the funeral,’ I say. ‘Not that she recognises anyone. She got chatting to a few people on the way out. They were all asking about me.’
I’m disappointed that not many people bothered to turn up. That such a small handful was all there was to show for all his years of life. Was Donna behind that too, is that why only some of his cousins made it?
I’m angry with myself for giving them Daniel. I wonder if she has been overcome with grief and can’t part with him. I have gone through so many different scenarios in my head but how do I explain Peter? He does as he is told. If Donna says he should drive to Cornwall, then he’s unlikely to argue with her.
Why isn’t Peter answering his phone?
‘You take the next left and then the next left again after that,’ I say to Gary. ‘We’re almost there now.’
We arrive at the entrance of the park and I try to remember where Donna and Peter’s lodge is located. It’s been a while since I have stayed here but I’ve barely had a chance to catch up with my own emotions.
‘It’s towards the back of the site,’ I tell Gary while pointing to another turning, ‘I know it’s number forty, I remember that much.’
I’m flustered and anxious to see my son. They have to be here. I need to know that he is safe.
Gary parks the van beside lodge forty and I immediately unbutton my seat belt with such a force that it flies backwards instantly. I opened the van door and step down onto the soggy grass. It had been raining in Cornwall but the site is eerily quiet. I am glad to take in the fresh air as the strong, pungent smells from Gary’s van were giving me a headache. Every now and then I’d get a whiff of rotten eggs but it was soon replaced by a chemical scent like mild bleach. I asked Gary but he said he had been clearing his house out and it was boxed contents from an old fridge in his garage. His van was unclean and nothing as luxurious as the Mercedes we were in earlier.
‘I still don’t see their car,’ I say, masking the panic in my voice. ‘If they were here at the lodge, it would literally be just here.’
Gary closes his side of the van door, walks up towards the lodge but from what I can tell externally, there is no one here.
‘I’ll knock on the door anyway,’ I say, while Gary watches me, ‘and I’ll look through the window to see if anyone has been here.’
‘Didn’t you say Donna and Peter emailed the site earlier?’ Gary asks. ‘You could check at reception if they’ve been in and got the keys?’
I respond with a shrug of the shoulders and go on ahead to knock on the door. There is no answer. I see through the windows that it appears no one is inside. I try the door handle a few times, just in case, but the lodge is locked. I have an idea.
‘They would have their own key on them,’ I explain to Gary. ‘I could go and ask though. I can tell them to call me if they see anything.’
‘Do you want me to drive you back down?’ Gary asks. ‘I don’t mind?’
I shake my head to acknowledge that I don’t need him. I look out in the distance over the small hill. There’s a short footbridge and it should only take me a couple of minutes at most.
‘I can manage it,’ I reply. ‘I shouldn’t be too long. It’s only over the hill, over the road.’
I watch as Gary returns to his van. I think if it wasn’t for the convenience of their gift shop close by in the area, Donna and Peter wouldn’t have bought anything on this site. Maybe they’re in the gift shop?
As soon as I mention
my name in reception they recognise it because it’s the same as Donna and Peter’s. It doesn’t take much persuasion for a key either and I am informed it has been thoroughly cleaned for our arrival. Another short walk back to the lodge. Gary is now sitting on the step by the entrance door.
‘They let me have a key,’ I say out loud from a short distance. I keep walking closer and closer, almost to the lodge. ‘I had a thought that maybe they’re at the shop too, but if they were, I know they’d drop all their stuff in here first.’
I go to the door, place the key in the lock, and for a split-second a nervous rush of anticipation comes over me. I’m not expecting to see anyone inside because I looked through the windows earlier, but I have a feeling of uncertainty. It makes me nervous. Gary follows me inside.
‘Donna, Peter, Daniel?’
No answer, but I shout anyway.
‘If there’s no sign that they’ve been here, I might have to call the police, or at least give Sharon a call.’ I say, filled with anger. ‘My child is missing. I have to do something.’
Gary closes the door behind me. I leave the key on the lounge table and head out into the kitchen. I open the fridge and notice that it’s empty. Not a sign of any milk, or that they’ve even been here. It’s eerily quiet.
‘I’ll look in the bedrooms to see if they’ve dropped off any of their cases but it doesn’t look like anyone has been in here either,’ I say. ‘I’m getting a really bad feeling about this. It’s not like them. Something is wrong.’
Gary doesn’t reply. I turn around and head into the bedrooms. I hear him open the door again. I can see grass marks on the carpet, even the odd piece of mud. It seems like someone has been in here. Maybe the cleaners had dirty boots on?
I walk into the master bedroom. I see the double bed has been made up with a fluffy grey throw over the bottom half of the bed for extra warmth. I open the wardrobes and nothing inside. I don’t see any suitcases but I turn around and notice that one of the pillows is lying flat compared to the others. I see a ring in the centre. I place a hand over my chest and I can hear my heart thudding. The closer I walk towards it, the more it seems real. It can’t be. Again my mind is in overdrive. I need to sit down.
I pick up the small gold wedding band and look for the engraving. It looks worn and scratched but it is definitely Michael’s. I’m confused, panicky and full of scared emotions. I can feel the tears starting to flood my eyes and I sit on the bed in shock. None of this is making any sense. Surely Donna didn’t have it here all this time? She’s been keeping it from me and hiding it in this lodge the whole time.
How, what, why?
I stand up, straighten my coat, compose myself for a few seconds and cling on to the ring so tightly. I hold it to my chest because I know Michael would never have taken it off. This still doesn’t explain why Donna, Peter and Daniel are all missing but it does confirm that Donna must have been playing games with me. Did she find it at the hotel when I wasn’t looking? That day when I had to collect Michael’s car?
‘Gary, look what I have just found on the bed,’ I say as I walk out into the hallway. ‘Michael’s wedding ring. It doesn’t make any sense.’
I hold out the ring – then drop it on the floor. If I wasn’t shocked enough by finding the wedding ring on the pillow I now want to scream – but the sheer disbelief of the image I am seeing has me silenced. I can’t even speak. I’m frozen on the spot. I can feel my body shaking head to toe. The fear in my mind has overtaken all my thoughts.
What is happening to us?
Daniel is on the sofa with his hands and feet bound by cable ties. He wasn’t there when I walked in so Gary must have placed Daniel there when I was in the bedroom. His mouth is taped and his eyes barely look open. He is alive – but my eyes are fixed on him. My first instinct is to run to protect my son but I stop in my tracks because a knife is pointing in my direction. A million different questions flood my thoughts. I have no idea why this has happened, no idea what he is doing with my son.
Where are Donna and Peter?
My son is a mere few metres in front of me and we are both in immediate danger. Gary is trembling but he seems malicious – with an intent to harm. All I can focus my eyes on is the knife that he is pointing in my direction. It already has blood on it but Daniel doesn’t appear to be injured in that way. Daniel appears unharmed. I have to make Gary focus on me. I need to think to survive. I have to keep my son safe.
‘Please don’t hurt my son,’ I say. I still don’t move any closer. I remember my mobile phone is in my pocket but in this rural area the signal is hit and miss. ‘Please don’t harm him. He’s all I have left. Daniel hasn’t done anything wrong.’
I have a sudden urge to run towards Daniel, but there’s no escape. Gary is blocking the door and I can’t think of a way to grab my son without getting hurt. I would have to run, pick him up and then somehow make it to the site reception for help. It’s not possible. By the time I get to Daniel, Gary would be able to stab me, or worse, Daniel. Reception is too far away, he has a van. It’s not going to work.
‘What’s going on, why are you doing this to me?’ I ask. I know he can hear the nervousness in my voice. ‘How did Daniel get here, where did you find my son?’
‘Give me your mobile phone,’ Gary demands, pointing the knife in the direction of Daniel. ‘Hand me your phone now, and Donna’s too. I know that you have it on you. Otherwise, I will hurt him. I promise you. I will hurt him. Just as I have hurt Donna and Peter.’
I take out my mobile phone and Donna’s, then throw them onto the floor in Gary’s direction. I feel helpless, but my mind is in overdrive. I struggle to take everything in all at once. He’s done something terrible to Donna and Peter, the knife is stained with blood. I fear that moving forward will cause him to harm Daniel, so instead, I have no choice but to talk to him. Try and make him see sense. I don’t know how I will survive this.
‘Please let him come to me,’ I say. ‘Daniel is a small boy who’s already lost his father. Let him come to his mother.’
Gary holds the knife higher and points it in my direction.
‘His father was a liar and a cheat,’ Gary replies, watching me cry, while drool spills from his mouth. ‘Don’t even get me started on his fucking father. Do you want to know more about his father?’
Gary storms closer to the kitchen. I slowly lean backwards as he waves the knife in my direction. I am threatened, angry too, but helpless. There’s nothing in these few split-seconds that I can do. The look on Gary’s face is of rage and anger. I place my hands up closer to my face to protect myself should he lunge at me. I know there’s a knife in the drawer – but by the time I reach for it, it would be too late.
‘His father was having an affair with my wife. Michael was sleeping with MY god damn fucking wife. There, so now you know the truth about your dirty husband.’
I gasp with a breath so hard I fall to my knees. I shake my head in disbelief. I don’t understand why this is happening to me – or even if he is telling the truth or not. My husband, his wife, the knife. I struggle to take this all in. My tears burst and I still struggle to scream. I fear for our lives.
‘Let’s talk about this together,’ I sob. ‘Just you and me, let Daniel go free. He’s a toddler. He’s my baby. He doesn’t need to be involved in all this. Where are Donna and Peter?’
Gary wipes his mouth, coughs and splutters a bit, before turning to look at me again.
‘They’re both dead.’ Gary replies. ‘They’re outside in the van. DEAD.’
Gary states this truth in an emotionless manner. I don’t recognise him anymore. I can tell from the look in his eyes, with that pent-up rage, that he’s not right in the head. He could now be capable of anything. My whole concern is getting Daniel free, even if it means harming myself in the process. I keep looking at the door and wondering where he has put the keys. The door behind me at the back of the kitchen will unlock with the turn of a catch. I just need to get Daniel. I’m not leaving
this lodge without my son.
I tremble and stumble a little. I can feel my feet move beneath me. I almost faint, so I put my hand out to hold onto the nearest thing beside me which is the kitchen worktop. I am filled with turmoil and confusion, combined with fear and anxiety. Every minute counts.
He’s going to kill us both if I don’t act fast.
Thirty-Three
Gary
I glance in the direction of Daniel who is motionless on the sofa. I’ve tied his arms and legs with cable ties, covered his mouth in tape, but left enough space for him to breathe through his nose. He still appears drowsy from the sleeping tablets I gave him in his juice. His clothes are dirty. Blood stains from Donna are splashed on his denim jeans, yet I don’t think he realises the reality of his danger.
This innocent three-year-old boy is a victim of his father’s behaviour and need not have suffered this trauma if Michael had kept his dick in his pants. We wouldn’t all be here now if it wasn’t for Michael. He should have left my wife alone. He should have known better. He owed me.
I blame Michael for everything: the stress of my demons, my mood swings, and that my life is crashing down in this domino effect. I have nobody left because of the destruction that man caused in my life.
I’ve got no family, no kids, no wife, and a car business I’m in the process of selling. I have a house on the market and a will and testament still detailing that all my assets are to go to my ex-wife, should anyone find her. She deserved better than me. I still love her. If Michael hadn’t got his claws into her, we might have worked things out. Michael was a good manipulator but in the end, never saw me coming.
I’m convinced the stress that he caused me is the reason for my illness.
Jenny is on her hands and knees, sobbing on the kitchen floor. I’ve locked the door and she’s handed me the mobile phones as I asked. She has no escape. She needs to know the truth.
The only setback I encountered was the boy. I thought I could kill him – but I couldn’t do it. He watched me from the top of the stairs at Donna and Peter’s house. I stood outside holding a bunch of flowers, so as not to look suspicious. I didn’t notice Daniel until I watched Donna slide down the wall holding on to her chest: one quick stab to the heart after she let me inside and she was gone. I shut the door behind me and had a brief struggle with Peter who was so shocked to see his wife dead on the floor it gave me a few seconds’ leeway to grab hold of his throat. I squeezed with all the strength I had left. The job was done in less than two minutes. He went to a dead weight and both of Michael’s dead parents were sprawled across the hallway. I was more concerned about the blood than Daniel watching me. I knew that little boy couldn’t call the police.