by Anita Waller
She stayed for a few minutes, before moving back to where she had seen the officers. They were travelling from one picnic table to another, showing a photograph.
She was shaking, as she began to move back through the woods. She had to go; she had to leave Grace. She emerged at the toilet block some time later and glanced across towards the far side of the lake. The officers, and their pushbikes, had disappeared, and she felt a moment of panic. They could be anywhere now.
She slipped inside the toilet block and locked herself into a cubicle. She needed to think. Five minutes later, she left the security of the brick building and headed for the park gates. She leaned against the wall just outside, taking a moment to compose herself.
Removing the new mobile phone from her bag, she stared at it. She needed to contact one of the two numbers. Going into settings, she stopped the phone from showing her own number, then into contacts, pressing the call button.
23
Mark hid the letters in the drawer of his desk, the only locking one. He sat for a moment, thinking over the events of the morning, and stood to head out to his car once again. He needed to get back to Michael. His phone rang, and he checked the screen with some degree of dread. It said No Caller ID, so he aborted the incoming call. He didn’t want to claim PPI, or have new windows.
Seconds later, it rang again with the same message showing. Even PPI companies weren’t that persistent. He answered the call with a brief hello.
‘Mark?’
His brain froze. ‘Jenny? Where the fuck are you? And, more importantly, where’s Grace?’
‘She’s gone. That’s why I’m ringing you. She ran off when we went to the toilet, and now, I can’t find her. She won’t know how to get home to you …’
The anger inside him threatened to explode. ‘What? You’ve lost our daughter?’
‘She ran off. I’ve been looking for her all around the lake—’
‘Lake? What lake? Where are you, Jenny?’ His anger was now more controlled. He just wanted to kill her.
‘Hartsholme Park. I’m sure she’ll be safe …’
He disconnected and rang Gainsborough.
The park was swarming with police within ten minutes. Mark and Steve had dropped by the hospital to pick up Tim, and all three men joined Gainsborough by the ice cream van. The swarthy ice cream seller, Jack Jones by name despite his very Italianate appearance, confirmed a woman had asked earlier if he had seen a little girl dressed in a grey dress, but that was all the information he had.
Visitors on foot were all being questioned as they exited the park gates, and it was only when Donna McCarthy and her two little girls arrived at the gate did they have any luck.
She said they had been standing at the tail end of a very long ice cream queue, when she had seen a little girl, older than her two girls, run around the back of the van. She had a very floaty grey dress on, and she was running like the wind. It had briefly occurred to Donna that she was dressed unsuitably for the weather, but, she said, she headed over to the bunch of trees off to her right, as she stood facing the van. She had watched her running, limping slightly at one point, as she had stubbed her toe, and she had lost sight of her as the queue moved. She didn’t think any more about it, just assumed she was playing hide and seek.
‘No,’ she said. ‘I haven’t seen her since.’
The information was relayed to Gainsborough immediately, and he called everyone to the toilet block location.
‘She’ll have headed for the trees,’ he said. ‘She could still be hiding in there, very frightened, too scared to come out. No stone unturned, please. Keep calling her name, let her know we’re police. I want four of you to take two boats, one rowing, one looking, in each boat. She may have reached the shoreline and not be able to get anywhere. It’s quite steep further round, and she’s only a little girl.’
‘And what can we do?’ Mark asked.
‘Nothing, Mark. Leave it to the experts, they know what they’re doing, and when they find her, you’ll be the first to know. Keep your phone on loud, so if your bloody wife does ring again, you’ll not miss it.’
‘She’s my daughter …’
‘I know. Don’t make me spell things out, Mark.’
Mark felt Tim touch his arm. ‘Come on, bro. Let’s get a bottle of water and go sit on that bench over there.’
They walked up to the ice cream van and asked for three waters. ‘You the little ‘un’s dad?’
Mark nodded.
‘No charge, pal. I can’t do much to help, and if you need more, come back and get some. I’ve plenty of stock.’
‘You saw my wife?’
Jack nodded and held out his hand. ‘Jack Jones. Yes, I saw her. Actually, I thought I knew her from somewhere, but … she was bloody pissed off, I can tell you. But, I thought nothin’ of it, cos I’d have been pissed off if my kid had legged it, and I didn’t know where they were. I was busy as hell serving folks, and didn’t really think anything else about it. I didn’t see your daughter, though, and I’m glad I didn’t, because if I had, I’d have told that woman where she’d run off to, and it seems your Grace shouldn’t have been with her at all.’
Mark nodded. ‘Thanks for these.’ He held up his bottle of water. ‘Much appreciated.’
The three men began to walk over to the bench when they heard Jack call them back.
‘That’s where I knew her from! That bench. She was sat there with your kid for quite a while, before they went to the toilets. I’ll tell that policeman chap, when he comes back, you never know …’
Mark thanked him again, and turned around to walk back to the bench.
They sat quietly for some time, each lost in their own thoughts. ‘So, this is what Grace would have been looking at,’ Mark said thoughtfully. ‘What did she see that sent her haring off to that group of trees? Did she see somebody she knew?’
He paused, allowing his thoughts to roam. ‘She saw safety, didn’t she? I’ll bet my bottom dollar she saw a policeman, or at least somebody in uniform. My God, she must have been so scared of being with Jenny.’
There was a silence for a brief time, broken eventually by Tim. ‘What changed her? What changed Jenny? She was a brilliant wife and mother, wasn’t she?’
Mark couldn’t look at him. ‘Yes,’ he said shortly, unable to qualify anything. He was helped by his phone ringing. Erin. ‘Hi. Everything okay?’
Yes,’ she said. ‘I’m ringing to see what’s going on. Have you got Grace?’
He explained the situation, and asked how Michael was.
‘No improvement at all. He’s still asleep. I’m going home for an hour, just to have a quick shower, ring work to tell them what’s happening, and bring something back with me to do. I hate just sitting here, it’s like waiting for …’
He caught the sob in the back of her throat. ‘He’s not going to die, Erin. It’s Michael. He’s the toughest of us all. Just hang on in there. As soon as we have Grace back with us, we’ll come and take over from you, give you a break.’
They said bye, and once more, there was silence on the park bench, each one of them visually scouring the surroundings, hoping to see a small child in a grey dress dash out across the grassed area.
Hartsholme Park. Mark found it unbelievable she could have brought Grace here, the scene of her first murder. Had she no shame, no regret at all?
Mark stood. ‘I’m going to have a walk down to the lake. I can’t just sit here knowing Grace is out there, scared, wanting us. I’ll not be long.’
He was halfway down the incline, when he heard the first shout. He looked back, thinking it was either Tim or Steve, but they had stood, directing their attention over towards the trees. He ran back up the hill.
‘Did you hear …?’
‘A shout?’ Tim nodded in confirmation. ‘Can’t see any movement, though.’
‘I’m going in there,’ Mark said, and began to run towards the wooded area, closely followed by Tim and Steve.
They crash
ed into the undergrowth and stopped, listening for the direction of the voices which were getting louder.
‘Down here,’ Mark said, and veered off to the left slightly. They saw several hi-vis jackets, as they burst through the trees, and the officers turned around. One moved towards them.
‘Sorry, you can’t go any further.’
‘What? She’s my daughter. Is she okay?’ Mark felt anger building inside him, and Tim touched his arm.
‘Wait, Mark. Don’t go blundering in.’
He felt helpless. He needed to hold her close and promise her she would always be safe with him; he needed to tell her how much he loved her.
When Mark saw Gainsborough, the dejection in his stance said more than words could.
Mark dropped to his knees. ‘N-o-o-o,’ he wailed, and Tim knelt by his side, holding him, unable to speak, or offer any true comfort.
Gainsborough heard the cry, and saw Mark and Tim. He made his way towards them, and held out a hand to help Mark to his feet.
‘Mark, I’m so sorry …’
‘She’s dead? My Grace is dead?’
Gainsborough nodded. ‘Officers in one of the boats spotted a body in the water, at the edge of the lake. It is Grace, Mark. And, no, you can’t go down there. The scene of crime officers need to process the scene, but I’m sure they’ll conclude she’s slipped down a very steep muddy incline, hit her head, and gone straight into the water. It’s a bloody accident, Mark, just a bloody accident. I’m so sorry.’
Sebastian picked Jenny up a couple of streets away from the park. She could hear the sirens of the police cars, as she climbed into the passenger seat, tears streaming down her face.
He drove away from Hartsholme without speaking, without touching her, and with some degree of anger bubbling away inside him. The news reports had shocked him; she had clearly abducted Grace, and just as clearly had handed her back, because Grace was no longer with her.
When the call had come through from her asking if he could pick her up, he had simply said, ‘Of course,’ and drove to her location.
She was obviously hurting, if she had taken the extraordinary step of stealing her own daughter; he just wanted her to know it was unconditional love he felt for her, not the sort of love which disappeared when things became troublesome. He was keeping the questions for later; she needed to start talking to him.
When they got home, she sat on the sofa, turning her tear-streaked face to him. ‘You’ve seen the news?’
He nodded. ‘I have.’
‘We need to talk.’
‘No, Jenny, you need to talk. You said you had no children …’
‘I know,’ she interrupted. ‘He wouldn’t let me have access to them.’
‘He?’
‘Mark, my ex-husband. I have two, Adam and Grace. Grace is the young girl in the newspaper who is a flautist. When I read she was going to be in a concert, I just wanted to have her for one night, and I knew this would be my one opportunity. One night, that’s all I wanted.’
‘But, it’s not just about you taking Grace, is it? You ran over her grandfather, and did some major damage to him. And, just to make matters worse, you left the scene. Am I getting this right? And where is she now?’
The misery settled over her like a cloud. ‘I don’t know. She ran away from me when we went to the toilet. I rang Mark straight away, when I realised I couldn’t find her, and told him. He clearly rang the police, because that’s what all the sirens were about when you picked me up. I’ve made such a mess of things.’
‘Come here. Let me hold you. We can sort this. Why aren’t you allowed to see your children? Does Mark have a residency order?’
‘Does it matter,’ she said quietly, her voice muffled by his shoulder. ‘I’ll be in prison anyway, for what I did to Michael. I’ll lose everything, then.’
‘You won’t lose me,’ he said, ‘and don’t give up hope. Nobody knows you’re with me, do they?’
She shook her head. ‘No, I even told Susan I wasn’t seeing you when I left the tearooms.’
‘Then, all isn’t lost. You haven’t changed anything to this address? No bank accounts, nothing?’
Again, she shook her head.
‘So, it’s not beyond the bounds of possibility we can create a new identity for you. It will cost you dearly; you will have to give up your children, but if you go to prison that will be the penalty, anyway.’
The first fluttering of hope began to stir in her.
‘Jenny … do you love me? Do you trust me?’
‘Yes, to both,’ she said, and tears trickled down her face.
‘We can sort this.’ He kissed her. The kiss deepened, lengthened, and his hands began to roam over her body. She gave a shuddering sigh, allowed the passion to flow freely, and he was aware this time it was different. This time, she was his.
The text came from Erin. After making love, they had stayed in bed for a while. Sebastian went down to put the coffee on, while Jenny had a shower. He heard the ping and picked up his phone, opening the message quickly.
I need to see you. Dad still unconscious, and Grace is dead. Family is distraught. Please come as soon as you can.
He stared in horror at the words. His mind closed, unable to comprehend what he needed to do next. He couldn’t soften the blow by telling Jenny; there was no way he should know.
He picked up the remote control and switched on the television. He scrolled until a news programme appeared in the guide, and clicked it on. There was nothing showing on that, either, so he switched it off. It would have to wait until later. He would put on the ten o’clock news and see if it was on that.
Jenny came downstairs looking much refreshed, and curled up on the sofa, clutching a cushion to her. She was lost in thought, and Sebastian wondered what was on her mind, until she took out her new phone from her bag.
‘What are you doing?’
‘I need to contact Mark. I need to know he’s found Grace.’
‘Jenny, if this is to work, if you’re going to become someone else, you need to leave it.’
‘How can I leave it? I couldn’t find her, I need to know somebody has.’
‘I don’t really understand why you allowed Mark to dictate to you anyway. Why did he stop you seeing your children?’
‘He thought I was having an affair, and he threw me out. I wasn’t, but the relationship could possibly have developed into an affair. I did like him; there was no convincing Mark there was nothing going on. He had seen the two of us in a car together. I lost everything.’
Sebastian brought their coffees over, and sat by her side. ‘Listen to me,’ he said. ‘Tomorrow, we go and buy you a wig. What colour have you never had?’
She smiled. ‘I was blonde, long hair, before I had it cut this short and went dark brown. I’ve never been a redhead.’
‘Then, redhead it is. You’ll need to wear it until your own hair grows, so be prepared for the long haul with that. I’ll see about getting you a new identity. That may take some time, but we need to change your appearance as soon as possible. Is there anything else I should know about, Jenny? Anything at all?’
She shook her head. ‘No, and I would, one day, have told you about the children. I just wanted to get to know you, to grow our relationship first. I was scared you would tell me to go, if you knew I came with baggage.’
He felt sick. What would happen when she found out about Grace? It seemed a long time until the late evening news, but he couldn’t shortcut it. She had no idea he had any connection at all with her family.
His phone pinged again, and this time, the message said, Where are you? Please ring, if you can. Exxx
He glanced at it and pressed delete.
‘It’s work,’ he said.
‘You’re needed?’
‘Yes, but they’ll have to wait.’
‘Go,’ she said. ‘I’m tired, so I’ll have an early night. If you’re late in, it doesn’t matter.’
‘You’re sure?’
&nbs
p; ‘I’m sure.’ She smiled. ‘It’s your business, isn’t it?’
He bent down to kiss her. ‘I’ll hopefully not be too long.’
She came to the window and waved, as he climbed into his car. He drove along a couple of streets before pulling over. Erin answered at the first ring.
‘Sorry,’ he said immediately. ‘I’ve been in meetings all day. Grace?’
She sobbed. ‘I’m at Mark’s now. Grace died this afternoon, in Hartsholme Park. It seems she ran away from her mother, who then rang Mark to say she had lost her. Mark immediately rang the police, and the officers in the boats found her. She’d apparently slipped, banged her head, and gone in the water. It’s awful, Seb. I don’t know what to do. Please come over.’
‘Text me the address,’ he said. ‘I’ll be there as soon as I can.’ Was it so very wrong of him to feel relief the death was accidental?
Sebastian walked across the kitchen and touched Mark on the shoulder. Mark looked up with red-rimmed eyes, and stood.
‘Seb …’
He hugged the broken man. It seemed the right thing to do. A handshake wouldn’t cut it, not today.
‘I’ve no words, Mark. No words at all.’
Erin handed Sebastian a cup of tea, pleased to see him, and yet, he knew she would feel something was out of the ordinary. He hadn’t kissed her, or even spoken to her, beyond a hello.
There was much toing and froing of people; police, friends, family members. It transpired that Sally and Tommy had taken Adam to a hotel; they wanted to keep him away from the unfolding horrors.
Erin was kept busy making cups of tea and coffee, but Sebastian noticed she kept glancing at her phone. He assumed it was in case she got a call from the hospital. He moved out on to the patio, looking across the garden, deep in thought.
Mark was still sitting at the kitchen table, the hubbub of many quiet voices surrounding him. His phone rang, and he snatched it up, shouting Jenny into the speaker.
Sebastian turned around, just as Erin called from the kitchen.
‘Seb, can you help me with these cups, please? I need to wash some.’