by Penny Kline
‘I know it’s early,’ Vi was saying, ‘but do let me make you something to eat. You look exhausted.’
Kristen glanced at the clock. It was ten past five. What would Theo be doing now? Still at the zoo or had Ros arranged a party, invited some of the boys from his new school, or the children of her actor friends? ‘If you don’t mind I think I’d better get back to the flat. I want to give Theo a ring, wish him a happy birthday.’
Neville leapt up, insisting he drive her to Bishopston.
She said goodbye to Vi, who gave her another hug, and followed Neville into the front garden. His car was in the garage and since there was very little space he suggested she wait on the pavement.
‘Won’t be a tick.’
Vi was standing at the door, shading her eyes. ‘Come round again soon,’ she called. ‘Tomorrow, if you like.’
‘Thanks.’ Kristen turned her face towards the sun and closed her eyes, letting the heat soak into her skin. She felt light-headed, unreal. She thought about Brigid at home with Rebecca, a child with no father, like Theo. Exactly like Theo. In Brigid’s situation might she have done the same, been so desperate for a baby that nothing else mattered? Had she and Alex sworn William to secrecy or had he decided not to tell her, partly because he thought she might take it badly, but mainly because it would have brought up the subject of the baby she wanted them to have?
When she opened her eyes, Neville had still not appeared but a white car, one she recognised immediately, was drawing up at the kerb and a moment later Cameron jumped out, pulling off his dark glasses and sticking them in the pocket of his shirt. He looked hot and tired. His hair was damp with sweat and he ran his fingers through it, trying to make himself look more presentable.
‘I called round at your flat.’ His eyes met hers then moved away. ‘I thought you might be here.’
‘I’m just leaving,’ she said, ‘Neville’s giving me a lift.’
‘What happened to your car?’
‘Nothing. I walked, needed some fresh air.’
Neville was easing the Rover through the narrow gap between the wall and a wooden post. He saw Cameron and pulled up, leaning out of his window.
‘Come to see us?’
‘Yes, but it’ll keep. Don’t bother with the car, I’ll run Kristen home.’
‘You’re sure?’
He nodded. ‘Tell Vi I’ll be round later and the news is good.’
Kristen was staring into the distance at the thick woodland on the Blaise Castle Estate. It had rained early on and everything looked fresher, greener. When he was little, Theo had enjoyed playing in the woods, running on ahead and jumping out at them although they had guessed which tree he was hiding behind.
Cameron held open the passenger door and she climbed in like a sleepwalker. ‘I wanted to explain,’ he said, ‘but in the light of what’s happened you’re probably not interested. I phoned Vi from London and she told me all about it. I’m really sorry, it must have come as a terrible shock.’
‘Pity your friend Steve wasn’t better informed, or perhaps he knew all along – about William and Brigid. Perhaps you did too.’
‘As a matter of fact, I didn’t.’ The lights had changed to red but he only noticed just in time to pull up before the traffic began crossing from the other direction. ‘And I thought you realised there was no Steve. I knew William, knew him pretty well, but it was easier…’
‘It doesn’t matter.’
‘Yes it does. All of it matters. When I phoned Vi she said she’d told you about Eve. It’s all right, I don’t mind, I should have told you myself.’
She was silent for a few moments. ‘Was it William’s idea that she give up her medication?’
‘It wasn’t like that. Eve never took any notice of me or William. I was just as much at fault, made her feel the illness was all in her mind, that she ought to be able to pull herself together. When she died … I suppose I wanted to blame William…’
‘I thought you might have killed him.’
‘What! When? Oh you mean when Vi told you about the overdose.’ He looked at her then back at the road. ‘Well, I can’t blame you for that. How’s Howell’s wife? No, silly question. Vi said you found out about Neville. And the man who gave you the address in Fishponds, was he the one who sent the anonymous letter?’
‘It’s a long story.’
‘Tell me about it later. So what will you do now?’
‘Do?’ She was thinking about Shannon. ‘Probably go back to London. There’s nothing to keep me here.’
‘It would be better for seeing Theo, but where will you live? I stay with an old schoolfriend in Richmond, have to sleep on the floor but it’s convenient for getting to the West End. Incidentally, the gallery accepted six of Vi’s paintings then rang asking for another four.’
‘You’ve passed the turning.’
‘Have I? So I have.’ He glanced in the driving mirror, reversed a few yards then swung the car round with the tyres screeching.
Kristen thought she could see Mrs Letts standing on the pavement and, when they came closer, a man who she thought at first must be Tisdall until she saw the fair hair and lightweight suit. It was John. Ros’s John. Something had happened and he had been sent to tell her. Where was Ros? She hadn’t come. She was too much of a coward.
Cameron was trying to park in a space that wasn’t big enough. Kristen jumped out of the car and started running.
‘John? What’s happened? Where is he, where’s Theo?’
John smiled, jerking his head back to the house where Theo was coming up the basement steps, carrying Mr Parsons’ cat. He was wearing his old jeans and the Bristol City shirt she had sent on to him.
‘Lucky he turned up.’ He stroked the cat’s head. ‘Mrs Letts told me.’
‘I thought you’d gone to London Zoo.’
He grinned at her and John gave a good-natured sigh. ‘We were on our way. Ros told you about the documentary?’
‘Yes. Where is she?’
‘Audition. Pilot for a TV series. If she gets the part she’ll be playing a woman who has a facelift and it all goes horribly wrong! Anyway, as I was saying, we were on our way to the zoo and this little sod suddenly announced he didn’t want to see a lot of stupid cameramen taking pictures of animals locked up in cages. He wanted to come down here.’
‘Oh, Theo, how could you? Can he stay the night – or two would be better. I’ll bring him back.’
‘Fine by me.’ John nodded to Cameron. ‘Let us know when you’re coming and I’ll make sure Ros is in, or I am.’
So he had moved into the flat. How did Theo feel about that? Perhaps he was relieved, glad it was not just him and Ros. From John’s manner, it was clear neither he nor Ros knew anything about the events of the last few days. A man found dead in the floating dock in Bristol was unlikely to have made the nationals. Later she would tell Ros everything she needed to know and they would talk about William, exchange notes about how impossible he had been to live with, leaving out the good part because that would be too painful.
Mrs Letts was still hovering in the background. ‘Got a card for you, Theo,’ she called. ‘Got footballers on it only they didn’t have one with the right colour shirts.’
‘Thank John for driving all the way from London,’ Kristen called, hurrying after Cameron who had started walking back to his car.
‘I’m glad about Theo,’ he said, ‘he’s sure to cheer you up.’
‘No, don’t go.’
‘I think I’d better. You and Theo…’
‘I don’t mind.’ Theo had caught up with them, still holding the cat. ‘Are you Kristen’s boyfriend?’
‘Cameron was a friend of Dad’s’ she said.
‘Oh.’ He was trying to remember if he had met him before. ‘Anyway, I’m starving.’
‘In that case we’ll tidy you up a bit then go and get something to eat.’
‘Is Cameron coming too? Yes, let him, Kristen, it’d be more like a party. John said we shou
ld have phoned first but I knew you wouldn’t mind.’
She smiled at him and he smiled back, supremely confident that he could turn up at the flat without any prior warning whenever he liked, and she would be overjoyed to see him.
He was right.
Nobody’s Baby
Penny Kline
Nobody’s Baby is an engaging and eerie thriller about loss, control, and the desperate edge of human emotions.
In the middle of the night Izzy Lomas finds an abandoned baby on her doorstep. It could have been left by any desperate person … except that the baby’s name, pinned in a note to its carrycot, brings back a striking memory from her childhood. If you had a baby what would you call it…
If Izzy’s suspicions are correct and she tells the police, it could end in tragedy. Allowing herself some time to investigate, she frantically tries to trace the baby’s mother, but every twist and turn in her search seems to lead to a dead end. And the longer she stays silent, how many people is she putting in terrible danger?
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Published by Accent Press Ltd 2016
ISBN 9781783758456
Copyright © Penny Kline 2016
The right of Penny Kline to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The story contained within this book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers: Accent Press Ltd, Ty Cynon House, Navigation Park, Abercynon, CF45 4SN