by Helen Phifer
Joss nodded at the men who had buried her. ‘I have no desire to talk about this to anyone and neither should any of you. Let us all hope that no one cares enough to wonder what happened today or to ask the whereabouts of Betsy Baker. If anyone should ask, you should tell them that you don’t know and the last you heard was she was leaving and going to the next village.’
Seth, who was the youngest of them all, looked across at Joss. ‘Do you think she meant what she said? Was she a witch, Joss? I don’t want to spend the rest of my life terrified she’s coming to get me.’
‘No, Seth, I do not believe that she was a witch and I do not believe that she can come and haunt us or scare us to death. I believe she was trying to scare us into letting her go and maybe we should have.’
The men all turned and looked at Joss and shook their heads.
‘How can you say that? Are your family not lying dead because of her and, judging by the gash on your head, you would have been too. We did the right thing, Joss.’
Joss nodded then walked out of his gate and up the road towards the village and Dr Johnson’s house. He was numb inside, his heart felt as if it was made of stone but he forced himself to move one leg after the other and keep on walking away from his home and the bodies of his children. He prayed to God the whole time for his forgiveness and for the souls of his family. He hoped that his wife, Elizabeth, who had died so suddenly, had been waiting for their boys when they passed over and had been able to comfort them in their hour of need. Joss didn’t really care what happened to him now; in fact he did not know if he wanted to live or die. He would bury his family and then decide whether or not to join them.
He finally reached the large house which was Dr Johnson’s home and surgery. The doctor’s housekeeper, who was a cousin of his, stepped out of the front door to greet Joss, running down the steps to hug him.
‘I’m so sorry Joss, I really am. Come inside and get your head looked at…it needs cleaning up.’
He followed her inside, weary and far too afraid to go home.
Chapter Thirteen
It took Annie five minutes to get dressed, clean her teeth and put her hair in a ponytail. It took her ten minutes to stop herself from crying as she lay on Will’s side of the bed, holding his pillow close to her face. She knew she was being overly dramatic but there was no way she could live without him; he was her life. She also knew that Will was just as competent at fighting as she was; they all learnt the hard way as new recruits fighting with the drunks on a Saturday night. They all did intense self-defence refreshers every single year so technically Will should be able to hold his own against a woman. It bothered Annie that Amelia must have an accomplice; she wouldn’t be strong enough to do this on her own. What if she had a gun…what if?
‘Annie, are you okay? Still breathing up there?’ Jake’s voice snapped her out of the vision she had been about to see.
‘I’m fine, thanks; coming now.’
She got off the bed and kissed Will’s pillow, pulled a tissue from the box and blew her nose and then went downstairs and out of the front door, slamming it shut behind her. Jake and Kav were sitting in the front of the panda and she opened the door and climbed in the back. She opened a multi pack of chocolate bars and offered one to each of them. Kav shook his head but Jake took one. Neither of them spoke to her; she looked like shit and for once Jake didn’t blurt it out and embarrass her. In fact she felt like shit; her head was pounding and she felt sick and her chest was so sore it hurt every time she took a deep breath.
With hands that were trembling, she ripped open a chocolate bar and bit it in half. There was something so soothing about it and as she slowly chewed on it she felt a little bit better. Finishing the first and starting on the second, she knew she needed the energy and the comfort that it brought. Kav was busy on the radio, speaking to someone from Kendal CID, and Jake was driving. Annie tried to blank everything out and just concentrate on staring at the road through the gap in the seats, otherwise she would end up being sick all over the car and then Kav would go mental. Jake had the blues on but no sirens and they got through the standing traffic at Ulverston and Greenodd in no time. Pretty soon, they were turning off on the road to Bowness.
‘Just keep going; it’s one of the houses just past the big hotel on the left hand side. I think it’s Storrs Hall. I’ll tell you when to slow down.’
Jake drove fast but cautiously, which made her feel a little better as she hated his driving with a passion. The road was quiet, no traffic jams or coaches, and for once luck seemed to be on her side.
‘Slow down now and it’s the next one along,; once you pull in there’s a narrow drive which opens up.’
Jake followed her orders and indicated he was turning left; as the drive opened up so did Jake and Kav’s mouths.
‘Bloody hell! I never knew his parents were this rich. All these years we’ve known him and he’s never said a word—no wonder you can’t wait to marry him.’
‘You can be such an idiot, Jake. I had no idea either until we split up. I got an invite to a barbecue from his parents and I had no idea they were his parents until he turned up. So, for once in your life, shut up.’
Jake shrugged. ‘Well, if you don’t marry him I’m going to. I can just see myself living in a house like this.’
It was Kav who elbowed him in the side this time. ‘Shut the fuck up, Jake; you’re not helping.’
‘Sorry, just saying.’
He parked the car at the bottom of the steps and, before he could get out, Lily came running down the steps and flung open Annie’s door. Annie stepped out of the car and felt Lily launch herself at her.
‘Oh, thank God you’re okay and you’re here. I don’t know what to do. Tom looks as if he’s about to have a heart attack… I’ve phoned for the doctor—I’m just waiting for him to come and check him out. Poor Will… I can’t believe it.’
‘I know, poor Tom—it must have been such a shock for him. Don’t worry, we’ll get it sorted out, I’ll find him and God help me when I get hold of her.’
‘I kept telling Tom there was something about her that I didn’t like but he thought I was being paranoid. Come inside, all of you, and we can talk about it and see what to do.’
Annie introduced her to Kav and Jake, who both looked a little bit out of their depth; even in a state, Lily looked gorgeous. Annie couldn’t help but smile when she saw the redness creep up Kav’s cheeks when Lily shook his hand and thanked him for coming.
They followed Lily into the kitchen, where Tom was sitting at the table with a glass of whisky.
Annie ran over to him and hugged him; he put the glass down on the table and hugged her back, squeezing her tight with his good arm.
‘I’m so glad to see you, Annie; we’ve been so worried about you. Should you even be out of hospital yet?’
‘That’s what I keep telling her but she doesn’t listen to anyone, do you, Annie?’
Annie pulled away from Tom and Kav introduced himself, shaking Tom’s hand, as did Jake.
‘I’m fine, Tom, really. Look at us, both a couple of invalids and now this. I can’t bear it; we need to find him, Tom, and the sooner the better.’
Tom nodded and pointed at the chairs. ‘Please sit down. Would you like a drink?’
They all declined and Lily stood behind Tom, her hands on his shoulders, and they listened as Tom told them about the cards.
‘I should have told Lily when I got the first one, and Will, but I was too embarrassed, I didn’t want to upset him. He doted on his mum and so did I; it was a stupid, reckless affair that was doomed before it even started. She meant nothing to me and I regretted it every day of my married life. I always meant to tell my wife but she died so suddenly that I never got the chance…and now look at the situation we’re in. I’ve thought about it and if she wants money then so be it; I can get it together in twenty-four hours. I don’t want Will harmed in any way. My son means more to me than any amount of money.’
It
was Kav who spoke. ‘Let’s wait until the detective from CID gets here; we all want to see Will safe but we need to think very carefully about this. We need as much information as you can give us. Jake, why don’t you take Tom into another room and take a statement from him about anything and everything that could be relevant? I’ll speak to Lily in here.’
Jake nodded and waited for Tom to push himself up from the chair. He shuffled along, leading the way to the library with Jake following. Tom nodded at Kav, grateful not to have to share every little detail in front of his wife and future daughter-in-law.
Annie began to fill the kettle and take cups and saucers from the cupboard. She didn’t know what else to do except make some tea. She felt like a spare part but she couldn’t go home and wait; she wanted to be here with Tom and Lily in case they needed her. Her stomach was churning and she hoped to God that Will was safe somewhere and they hadn’t hurt him. As far as she was aware, kidnapping was rare in this part of the country; she just hoped that whoever got sent to deal with it actually knew what they were doing.
There was a loud knock at the door and Lily jumped up to go and answer it. Annie waited to see who it was. Two men in suits walked in behind Lily. They nodded at Annie and she nodded back.
‘Detective Sergeant Nick Tyler, Kendal CID.’ He held out his hand and shook Annie’s.
‘And this is Detective Constable John Baker. We’ve heard a lot about you, Officer Graham. I’m sorry that we’re having to meet under these circumstances but I know Will, I did my CID course with him and I’m sure he’s holding up as well as can be expected under the circumstances. We’ll get him back, I promise.’
Annie nodded; if he knew Will then he would take it personally, which was good. It would mean more to him than someone off the street.
‘Have you had any contact with them; has anyone tried Will’s mobile?’
Lily pointed to the cards on the kitchen worktop, which were lying side by side.
‘These cards and that’s it. I think we’ve all tried to phone Will but with no answer; it goes straight to voicemail.’
Nick wandered over, pulling a pair of latex gloves out of his pocket. He slipped them on and picked the first card up, opening it up to read inside. He then pulled an evidence bag from his pocket and sealed the card inside, passing it to John to write the time, date and other details on. Whilst he did this he took the gloves off and Lily lifted the lid of the bin for him to throw them in. He did exactly the same with the next card, putting on a fresh pair of gloves to pick it up and read it, then sealing it up so as not to break the chain of evidence. He didn’t want to risk any cross-contamination, although there was a good chance it was already too late. Then he sat down and began to gently question Lily, who couldn’t tell him much that she hadn’t already told Kav.
‘I need Amelia’s full name and address. I think Sergeant Kavannagh will cover everything in your statement but I want to start the address checks immediately. Where did you find her? Was it through an agency?’
‘We have a friend who runs a holiday cottage rental business; she asked some of her employees if any of them wanted some extra work a couple of days a week and there was only Amelia who said yes.’
‘Then I need to speak to your friend as well; they should have Amelia’s address on file. I’m pretty sure we’ll get this sorted and have your son back pretty soon.’
Annie nodded. It didn’t sound as if Amelia was a master criminal so, fingers crossed, they would have Will back within a few hours.
Nick stood up. ‘I think that’s all we need for now. I want to get to the station and begin our enquiries as soon as we can. Would you like a family liaison officer appointing, to come and be here with you all?’
Lily looked at Annie, who shook her head. ‘No, thank you. If you need to know anything, you can speak to me. I will stay here with Tom and Lily and be your point of contact. Thank you, Nick, and please hurry up and bring him home.’
Nick nodded. ‘I’ll do my best Annie, I promise.’
Kav walked both officers to the front door and let them out. ‘If you need anything—resources, information, extra officers to search, let me know. I’ll have them up here in the blink of an eye.’
Nick nodded; he didn’t smile because he wasn’t sure if this was going to be as simple as they were all hoping. There was a good chance the kidnappers would be complete amateurs and panic, kill Will and do a runner if they thought things were going wrong. If he’d thought that he had a headache this morning after that bottle of red wine last night it was nothing compared to the sledgehammer that was pounding his brain at this exact moment in time. He’d never dealt with anything like this; he’d never dreamt he’d ever have to deal with anything like this and he couldn’t admit it to Annie and Will’s parents that he was completely winging it and didn’t have a clue.
‘Thanks. I’ll be in touch as soon as we know anything.’
Chapter Fourteen
Henry shivered, tugging his coat around him to shield his body from the driving rain. It had rained for two days solid; the courtyard that he exercised in had big puddles of water that he had to keep walking around. Tomorrow was the day of the important visitor; he still had no idea who it was and Megan didn’t seem to know or care, to be honest, when he’d quizzed her several times about it. She’d come to see him fifteen minutes before she’d finished last night and taken her usual position, sitting on the corner of the bed.
‘So, Henry, what do you think about my idea? I need to know before I go home so I can pack up what I need because I won’t be going back to that flat again if we make a break for it. The police will be all over it in no time, not that there’s any evidence there.’
He stretched his arms out in front of him, clasping his fingers. ‘I think that it’s very kind of you to offer to help me out, but do you honestly have any idea of the consequences?’
‘I’ve been thinking about this for weeks now. I know that I’ll never get a job nursing again; I’ll go to prison if we get caught, and it’s okay. My life is so boring at the moment, I’d give anything for some excitement and I think that running away with you might just be what I need to do.’
Henry stared at her; she seemed sincere. He noted that her fingernails were fluorescent pink today to match the streak of colour in her hair; she had a rebellious personality. She probably thought it would be very romantic, helping a serial killer to escape and going on the run with him. The one thing she hadn’t taken into account, though, was the fact that he was a cold-blooded killer and, should the need arise, then he would think no more about killing pretty little Megan than he would about crushing an ant underneath his shoe. Maybe that was the attraction—the excitement of it all.
‘Well, in that case, I don’t mind if you don’t. How are you going to get me out of here, though, Megan? Have you thought about it? I don’t even want to attempt to leave if we’re going to get stopped at the gatehouse on the way out.’
‘I’m going to disable the disturbance alarms in the communal area; I’ll pull a wire out of the main console. Then, when everyone is on lockdown, you will put on the clothes I give you in the morning and we’re going to walk out of here as if you’re supposed to. No one is going to give you a second glance as long as you don’t freak out. If anyone asks you, tell them you’re on day release and we’re off to the post office, but they won’t; they’ll be far too busy monitoring the ward the visitor is going to. Trust me, Henry, it will work.’
Henry nodded. What option did he have? This was much simpler than trying to escape on his own; Megan had all the security passes to open the locked gates. He thought it was so brazen, simple and obvious that it would probably work.
‘What time are you planning on doing it?’
‘I’ll play it by ear and come and see you first thing.’
She walked over to him, bent down to kiss him on the side of the cheek then turned and left, locking the door behind her. He shivered. What a turn up for the books this was. It might end up t
hat Nurse Megan was nothing at all as he’d expected and she could be even sicker than he was but it was a chance he was willing to take. Anything to get out of here and see his dream woman again. He wasn’t sure how Megan would react when she found out that she had some serious competition; it could go either way. Henry realised that the less he talked to Megan about Annie Graham, the safer it would be for all of them.
He would find somewhere that he could be all alone with Annie. If he had to knock her out or drug her that was fine, but when she woke up gagged and bound she would get the shock of her life. He had waited a long time to spend some quality time with her and he wouldn’t be taking any chances this time around. She would be easy enough to track down; all he had to do was to phone the police and ask to speak to her. They would be able to tell him there and then if she was available or if she had moved department and then the fun would really begin. It was the stalking and watching that made it all the more exciting.
Henry turned his radio on and began pacing up and down his room, far too agitated to sit and relax. He needed to keep busy; the excitement of escaping and seeing her once more was too much for him. He continued to pace for twenty minutes, the whole time getting more and more worked up about what he would say and do when he finally had Annie to himself, and he had to go and take a cold shower to cool himself down. He couldn’t act like this; the staff would notice and know something was wrong and then they would either increase his tablets or send in reinforcements to make him talk.
He took himself off into the small but compact bathroom attached to his bedroom, stripped naked and then stepped under the cold shower spray. The water bit against his skin, making it prickle with goose bumps, so cold that it actually hurt, but he forced himself to stand there until he began to shiver so violently all he could think about was getting under the duvet on his bed and sleeping.