by Anita Waller
Grace slipped off the stage and headed towards the changing room.
She knew it was her mother, even though she could only see her back.
‘Mummy?’ she whispered.
‘Yes, sweetheart,’ Jenny said, and held out her arms. ‘Can we talk?’
Grace nodded, and Jenny walked quickly towards the door, leading to the outside.
‘Let’s sit in my car for two minutes,’ she said. ‘And then, I’ll take you back to your daddy.’
Grace followed Jenny to the little black Fiesta.
20
Wednesday evening, 13 July 2016
Mark felt the vibration on his silenced phone, indicating a text was waiting. He took it out of his pocket, and Tim saw the colour drain from his brother’s face.
‘Mark? Everything okay?’
‘She’s got Grace. Sally, wait for Adam.’ He leapt over the chairs and ran out of the hall, closely followed by Michael, Tim, Steve, and Tommy. They burst through the front doors, scattering a small number of parents who couldn’t wait any longer for a cigarette.
Jenny held the passenger door open for Grace to get in the front, and went around to the driver door, knowing with the child safety lock on, Grace couldn’t get out.
‘It’s so good to see you, sweetheart. I’ve missed you.’ She leaned across and kissed her daughter, but felt Grace stiffen.
‘Daddy says you’ve got drugs. Have you?’
‘No, I haven’t. Is that what Daddy’s told you?’ She put the key into the ignition. The text had gone to Mark as soon as they exited the school, and she knew she had only a very short time to leave this area. The cars had parked nose to tail, and she realised she had some careful manoeuvring to do to get out of the space she was in.
She turned her body to watch the car behind her, and saw five men racing across the playground towards the school gates, one of them her father.
‘Shit.’
She reversed without care, slamming the little car into first gear. It shot forward, but she still couldn’t clear the car in front, and once more, she engaged reverse. Mark and Tim were now sprinting through the gates, followed closely by Michael. She reversed, slammed the locking mechanism down to stop anybody opening Grace’s door, and jammed the gear lever roughly once more into first gear. She spun the wheels, and suddenly, in front of the bonnet was a man, his arms outstretched, as if he could physically prevent her moving. She heard Grace scream, as she hit the accelerator hard. Michael flew into the air, landing some six feet in front of her. She put her foot hard down and drove over him.
Grace continued to scream, and the rear mirror showed Jenny what was happening behind her.
Mark and Tim were on the floor, with Mark cradling Michael’s head. Steve was using his phone, and she knew the police would be here very shortly.
She felt herself tense, and swung her hand to smack Grace across the face.
‘Stop screaming, Grace,’ she commanded.
The little girl, shocked to the core, subsided to hiccups and sobs. ‘You hit Granddad Michael,’ she said, trying to mop up her tears by using her beautiful grey dress.
‘He’ll be fine,’ Jenny said, trying to make her voice calm. ‘Daddy was seeing to him, and Uncle Tim is there as well. Stop worrying.’
There was silence for a few seconds, and Grace spoke again. ‘You hit me.’
‘You were screaming.’ Jenny was aware how cold her voice sounded, but was also conscious how spectacularly wrong everything had turned. It had been a risk sending the text as soon as she had Grace, but she wanted no possibility of Mark calling the police to report the abduction. She had needed him to know his choices from the start.
She kept to speed limits, and fifteen minutes later, arrived at her flat. Grace was still mopping up tears, and Jenny went around to the passenger door to release her.
‘Come on, sweetheart, come and see my flat.’
‘Then, can I go home?’
‘We’ll see. I’ve got you some milkshake. Banana flavour.’
Jenny held tightly to Grace’s hand, and they climbed the stairs side by side. She unlocked the door and stepped aside for Grace to go in first.
‘This is our new home, Grace. Do you like it?’
Michael’s legs were crushed. The paramedics were administering pain relief, and an oxygen mask was strapped to his face as soon as they reached him. The police had arrived almost as soon as the first responder, and were trying to piece together the strange story.
It seemed the car had been driven by Jenny Carbrook, the mother of the little girl her family were claiming had been abducted. It was only when Gainsborough arrived on the scene things began to make sense.
He took Mark’s phone from him and read the text.
I have taken Grace. I will exchange her for my possessions. If I don’t get them, I will take her to Europe, and you’ll never see her again. She will be back with you by tomorrow, provided you get my possessions to me. You know which ones I mean. She is safe, no harm will come to her, ever. J x
‘What possessions?’
Mark shrugged. ‘I have no idea. There must be something at home, but I’ve no idea what it is she wants. I threw her out, because she was having an affair with some low-life, and she left with nothing but the damn car.’
‘So, you’ve had no contact with her since she left?’
‘None, other than a sighting of her car on this road a few weeks ago. May I?’ He took his phone back from Gainsborough and flicked through his picture file. He handed it back with the picture of Jenny’s car on the screen.
‘That’s the car. Find that, and you’ll find the bitch that tried to kill my father.’
‘Your father?’ Gainsborough lifted his head from looking at the phone. ‘This man is your father?’ He indicated the almost lifeless figure lying in the road, and being worked on by two paramedics.
‘Things have changed within our family, DI Gainsborough. Ray Carbrook brought me up, but this man is my genetic father. We didn’t know when Ray was murdered. Obviously, he’s also Tim’s father, but Ray was Caroline’s father.’
‘I see.’ He didn’t, but felt a frisson of elation maybe this accident could be connected to the fifteen-month-old murder case.
‘I need you to come down to the station tomorrow and bring me up to date with everything that’s going on. Do you believe Grace to be in danger from her mother?’
Mark shook his head. ‘No, not physical danger. And this will have been well-planned. Jenny is a strategist, believe me. I need my daughter home with me, DI Gainsborough.’
‘And you’ve no idea where Jenny is living?’
‘None at all.’
The paramedic interrupted them. ‘We’re about to put Mr. Groves into the ambulance, sir. Are you going with him?’
Mark nodded. ‘I am.’
He turned to Tim, who said, ‘Just go. We’ll follow on when we’ve taken Tommy and Sally back to yours. They’ll take care of Adam, leaving us to sort Dad out.’
Mark nodded, handed his car keys to Tim, and climbed into the back of the ambulance. He heard Gainsborough call, ‘Tomorrow, Mark,’ and he lifted a hand in acknowledgement.
Michael was grey. Despite the pain relief, he moaned every time the ambulance hit a pothole, or went over a bump. They reached the hospital, and Michael was immediately despatched to someone who would try to mend him.
Mark sat in the waiting room, his head in his hands. He felt drained. He had asked the paramedics for something hopeful to cling to, and they had simply said, ‘He’s in the best place.’
Erin! He had to tell Erin. He took out his phone and pressed her name.
‘Mark? You okay? Was the concert good?’
‘Where are you?’
‘Bournemouth. Why?’
‘You need to come home. Dad’s had an accident. A hit and run.’
‘Oh, God. No. Is he okay? Tell me he’s okay.’
‘They’ve said nothing yet. He was knocked into the air, and the car ran over h
is legs. It’s bad, Erin. Come home tonight.’
‘I’m on my way. If you get into see him, tell him I love him.’
‘Erin, there’s something else. It was Jenny driving the car. She’s taken Grace.’
There was a short silence. ‘I’m on my way.’
Erin arrived to find Mark, Tim, and Steve sitting in the waiting room, clutching on to coffees as if they were lifelines. Mark walked across to her and held her tightly.
‘He’s holding on. I need you to be strong, Erin. They’ve had to remove his left leg above the knee. His right leg wasn’t as bad, and they’re hopeful he will keep that. We haven’t seen him yet, they’re still working on him.’
She was rigid with shock. ‘But, why? Why did she do it? What had Dad ever done to her to merit this? Have they caught her?’
Mark shook his head. ‘Not as far as we know. And she didn’t target Dad. He put himself in front of the car, assuming she would have to stop. She didn’t. She accelerated and knocked him up into the air. He landed six or seven feet away, and she just kept her foot on the gas. She went straight over him.’
‘They’re looking for her, presumably?’
‘I sent DI Gainsborough the picture of her car Dad took.’
‘DI? For a road traffic accident?’
‘It wasn’t an accident. It was attempted murder, and Dad’s not out of the woods yet. Of course, Gainsborough recognised me as soon as he arrived. He was the lead detective for Ray’s murder.’
A surgeon dressed completely in green came into the room, and as one, they all moved towards him.
‘Please …’ Erin said.
‘Well, he’s survived so far. You can go in and see him, but then, I suggest you all go home, because we’re going to keep him asleep. We’ve mended the broken parts of his right leg, but his left leg was too badly crushed. We’ve had to remove that from just above the knee joint. He’s stable for now, but he’ll be in ICU for a while. You have five minutes. Then, you have to go. He needs nursing now, not family. Time enough for you next week.’
They followed him out and down a seemingly endless corridor. Michael was connected to several tubes and monitors, and he looked frail. Both legs had a cage over them.
Erin moved towards him and kissed his head. ‘Love you, Dad. All of us. See you soon.’
They went home, feeling as though they were abandoning him.
Erin tried to sleep, but then, gave in and rang Sebastian. They had an agreement not to ring, because of the uncertainty of their routineless jobs, but she figured six o’clock in a morning, he wouldn’t be at work.
Sebastian wasn’t. He was pacing the bedroom wondering what to do. The text from Jenny the previous night had simply said, I’m away tonight. Just need my own space to think everything through. Will see you tomorrow.
He grabbed at his phone, but it wasn’t Jenny. It was Erin.
‘Hi!’
‘Hi, sweetheart, sorry to ring so early,’ she said.
‘No worries. I’m just surprised you’ve rung. Is something wrong?’
‘Yes. Dad’s been in a road accident. A hit and run. And the bloody driver was Jenny, Mark’s ex. I tell you, when I get my hands on her …’
He went cold. ‘Is Michael badly hurt?’
’Yes, he’s lost one leg, and it’s by no means certain he’ll keep the other one. She knocked him down, and drove over him.’
‘God, no. Do you want me to come over?’
‘No, I’ll be fine. I need to sleep. I’ve driven up from Bournemouth, and I’m knackered. I just needed to tell you.’
‘Okay, get off to bed. Best not ring later, just text. I’ve got some meetings …’
‘I understand. Love you.’
‘Sleep well.’
They disconnected.
He stared at his phone. Jenny had run over Michael? What the fuck was going on? Why hadn’t she come to him, if she was in trouble? And where the hell was she now?
He gave up on any thoughts of returning to bed and showered quickly. He needed to think, and he needed to find Jenny.
21
Thursday, 14 July 2016
Jenny’s night had been almost sleepless. She had watched Grace finally succumb to tiredness, and, at last, her sobs drifted away. She had sat by the bed, just looking at her daughter, peaceful in sleep, but with horrors to face once more when she woke up. Her thoughts were with Granddad Michael; Jenny would have to invent some story about ringing the hospital during the night, and them confirming he was fine and out of danger.
Jenny’s eyes closed just before daybreak, and just after six o’clock, she was woken by the ping of an incoming text.
Where are you? Are you in trouble? Call me xxx
She hesitated, before replying with, I’m fine. Will call later xxx
She stared at the screen, and her mind went into overdrive. How stupid had she just been? The police had her number; Mark would have given it to them. She had just activated her phone by replying to Sebastian’s text, and it wouldn’t take them long to find her now.
She woke Grace, and was greeted with a mutinous frown.
‘I want my Daddy.’
‘Just get dressed, sweetheart.’ She passed her the grey dress and her flimsy sandals. ‘You’ll have to wear these for now. We’ll get you some new clothes later. We’re going out for breakfast. Hurry, Grace, please.’
‘I want to go home for breakfast. Granddad Michael always makes my breakfast.’
‘Granddad Michael’s in hospital. Remember?’
Jenny helped Grace to dress, and picked up her car keys.
‘Come on, we have to go.’
She closed the door behind her, straightening her bag strap across her body. ‘Let’s go find a McDonalds,’ she said. Grace frowned back sleepily.
They walked down the stairs, with Jenny in front. She held Grace back at the bottom, and looked outside. Brake lights on a police car flashed briefly, as it went alongside her car. Then, she saw the reverse lights go on, and the officer began to manoeuvre his car into place behind hers.
She grabbed Grace’s hand. ‘Come on, we need to go quickly.’
She ran, dragging Grace along by her side, down the small alleyway by the side of the shop.
Mark shook Gainsborough’s hand and said a quiet thank you. He had given his statement, filled the detective in on changes within the family, and had received the information they still didn’t know where his ex-wife was.
‘Try not to worry too much about Grace, Mark. Jenny may have got in with the wrong crowd of people, but she wouldn’t allow any harm to come to Grace. And you have no idea why she snatched her? She obviously wanted to use her to barter for whatever these possessions are, but I should imagine she’s now licking her wounds, and trying to work out her next move.’
There was a knock at the door, and a constable came in, handed a piece of paper to Gainsborough, closing the door quietly behind him.
Gainsborough read the note. ‘Well …’
Mark waited.
‘It seems we’ve found your wife’s car. It’s about to be picked up by a transporter and brought back to the pound, where forensics will take it apart.’
‘Was …?’
Gainsborough shook his head. ‘No sign of her. Or Grace.’
Mark’s head dropped, then, he stood. ‘You’ve finished with me? I need to get home. I have a son who’s feeling a bit scared, and I’d like to be with him.’
Gainsborough nodded. ‘Of course, and we’ll be in touch, as soon as we have something to report. I don’t think she’ll be missing for long. We’re going to get her photo on the news, and we have every beat copper out looking for her.’
Mark ran down the steps of the police station and across to his car. He drove home at speed, almost daring any passing police cars to pull him over.
He found Tim, Steve, Adam, and Tommy in the lounge, watching some random television programme.
Sally was in the kitchen, and he went up to her and kissed the top of her he
ad. ‘They’ve found Jenny’s car,’ he whispered. ‘No sign of Jenny, and no sign of Grace. Sally, if she gets in touch …’
‘Don’t worry,’ she said, tears glistening in her eyes. ‘You’ll be the first to know, and the police will be the second.’
He held her for a moment longer. ‘She’ll go to prison for this.’
Sally nodded. ‘I know.’
‘Are you staying?’
‘If that’s okay.’
‘It’s fine. I’ll move into Adam’s bottom bunk, and you and Tommy can take my room. There’s clean bedding in the ottoman, if you wouldn’t mind changing the bed. Tim and Steve are in the guest bedroom, so while we may not sleep tonight, at least we’ll have somewhere to pretend we’re sleeping.’
She heard the despair in his voice, but could find no words of comfort to give him.
‘I’m going to see if Tim wants to go to the hospital with me. You okay with Adam?’
‘Of course. You get off. Will you ring and let us know what’s happening?’
‘As soon as I know anything,’ he promised.
He walked through to check who was going to the hospital, and within ten minutes, Mark and Tim were pulling off the driveway. During the drive, they spoke very little, each lost in their own thoughts. Mark had filled Tim in on the developments with Jenny and Grace, but neither felt like talking. Having Michael in the hospital almost felt like a bereavement, and both had seen too many deaths in the past year to be facing a potential further loss.
The walk to the ICU seemed endless, and they were stopped at the door and directed to the waiting room. Erin was already there, and with visiting limited to two visitors only, they had to wait until she was ready to swap. She came out ten minutes later and kissed both her half-brothers.
‘No difference,’ she said. ‘They’re keeping him sedated. He took a nasty crack to the head, as well as all the damage to his legs. You two go in now. I’ll go and get something to eat.’