Somehow, Sophie’s and Erin’s stories were linked, she knew it, was afraid of it. And there was something there, some clue, a connection staring her in the face, she was sure. Being too close, invested emotionally, might be why she couldn’t see it. If she took a step back, it could reveal itself.
She pushed back in the chair, raised her arms and put them behind her head. Bailey watched her, his brown, doe eyes filled with unconditional love. A rare thing indeed. Dogs were so trusting. She reached down, gave his head a rub. ‘I know, boy, I’m losing it, aren’t I?’ His tail gave a wag, which she took to be a sign of his agreement.
Erin’s Facebook page. She hadn’t even looked at it. She sprung forward, searched Erin Malone. Her page filled the screen like a memorial. Why hadn’t she thought about it before? Killers loved to be part of the aftermath of their deeds; the thrill of reliving the crime was such a draw. Seeing the outpouring of grief as the direct result of their actions made them feel good. Powerful.
He may have even left his own message of sympathy.
Karen started at the bottom. There were hundreds of comments to trail through. It was going to take some time. She had plenty.
The small print began to blur. Hours of reading each and every post strained her eyes. A pain pulsated in her forehead. She’d have to give it up for the day, start making the tea; Mike and Sophie would be home soon.
The laptop clock changed to 17.52. As she reached to pull down the laptop screen, one message came into sharper focus.
With each word, her stomach tightened, a nervous ball pressing against her ribs. She struggled to swallow, her mouth drying. The name attached to the comment was unfamiliar. But the wording was not. The style, the use of elaborate language, all had a certain feel about it. No. She was tired, reading between lines again in the desperate attempt to discover something, anything which would keep the trail alive. She wanted to find something solid, evidence of foul play, and her search had tipped her over the edge. She’d gone way past normal behaviour now. If she thought there was something untoward, she should call the police. But she hadn’t found anything untoward, had she? Not really. A condolence message on Facebook using long words was hardly a significant clue.
She had to stop this nonsense. Karen, stop this and do something constructive. The tea. Must start tea. She took some onions from the vegetable rack and dropped them on to the chopping board. She slid a knife from the wooden block. Whatever she was going to cook, onion was going to have to be an ingredient. Karen stared at the knife in her hand; it shook with the intensity of her grip. All her muscles rigid. The door slammed reassuringly and Karen relaxed a little.
‘Hi guys, sorry, tea’s going to be late.’ She turned to greet Mike and Sophie.
Only, Sophie wasn’t there.
CHAPTER FIFTY
‘Where’s Sophie?’ Karen dropped the knife back on to the chopping board.
‘What do you mean?’ Mike shoved his rucksack on the worktop. ‘Not back from work yet?’
A coldness spread through her. ‘Didn’t you get the message?’
‘Er … no. Guess not.’ Mike pulled his phone from the inside of his pocket.
‘No good checking it now, is there? Sophie wanted you to meet her from work.’ Her tone raised an octave.
‘Why?’
‘I don’t know, she texted me and asked, so I called you to tell you.’
‘Well, I’m sorry. It was really busy today, I was out on the moor for most of it—’
‘You check your stupid phone every thirty seconds when you’re home.’
‘No point checking my phone when I know I never get a signal. Don’t stress, I’ll call her now.’ He pressed a button on his mobile, put it to his ear. The pause stretched, his brow furrowed. ‘Gone straight to voicemail.’
Karen put her arm out and found the surface of the worktop to steady herself. Her heart wouldn’t steady though; it was hammering so hard she could hear it. A fear grasped hold of her throat, squeezing, tightening, suffocating her. Mike’s voice came and went – close, far away, close, far away. What was he saying?
‘Karen. She’s probably driving. Why are you getting yourself in a panic over this?’
All she knew was that her body was reacting to this in the only way it knew how.
‘We have to call the police, Mike.’ Her breathing ragged. ‘She should’ve been home by now.’
‘She’s what – half an hour late? I really don’t think they’ll be quick in sending out the search party.’
‘Don’t joke around. It’s not something to take lightly … not after Erin. The killer is still out there, you know!’
‘Okay, okay. Look, take it easy. I’ll jump in the car, drive her route, you keep trying her mobile.’ Mike snatched up his keys. ‘She may have broken down.’
‘I don’t like the timing, she asked for you to meet her, she’s never done that before. And now she’s not come home. Something’s definitely up.’
‘Try and relax, let me know if you hear from her in the meantime, will you?’
‘Yeah, okay. Please find her.’
After the noise of the door slamming, the house fell silent. Karen could only hear the whooshing of her blood, like an unborn baby’s heartbeat on a Doppler ultrasound. A pull in her stomach, the memory of being pregnant with Sophie, that bond only a mother can know. The umbilical cord may have been cut, but the love, the instinct to protect, never severed. Karen clenched her arms around her middle.
What if Mike couldn’t see her anywhere?
Carry on with the tea, take your mind off the time.
Not that she felt hungry now. She finished chopping an onion, then got the mince out the fridge and grabbed the other ingredients. Sophie would be hungry when she got home; she’d enjoy her favourite meal, cottage pie.
A scratching at the back door. Damn. Bailey. She’d let him out ages ago. She slid the patio door open; he ambled past her, paying her no attention. Payback. She stood and, for once, allowed the evening air to blow against her face. Usually it would set her anxiety off, but now it felt cool, refreshing. She looked out over the moor in the distance. The sun was setting, dipping behind the church, the splash of oranges and yellows streaked across the sky, transforming into a pinky haze as it reached Haytor, the rocks now appearing black and foreboding against the beautiful backdrop. At least it wasn’t dark yet. Mike should be able to spot Sophie’s bright red Yaris if it was along the route. There were still a few hours before complete darkness. If she wasn’t home, or hadn’t been in contact by then, well, then she’d really panic.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
Thurs 11.53 p.m.
Why haven’t you been in contact? I’ve sent loads of texts and emails. Are you OK?
You aren’t avoiding me are you?
Please can you message, because, you know – if you can’t come to me, I’ll have to come to you.
I miss you.
xxxx
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Sophie
Where the hell is he?
Five thirty. She’d specifically asked for her dad to be here to meet her. Having sensed her jumpiness and shooting her concerned looks all day from the beauty counter, Amy had offered to walk her to her car. She’d declined, because as far as she knew her dad was coming. He felt a safer bet than another female, given the circumstances. Clearly the bastard had already managed to take both her and Erin, so there was no comfort in Amy’s offer. Now, though, as she stood in the cold internal corridor of the staff entrance with hopes of her dad turning up, fading, it seemed preferable to having no one escort her.
Stupid, piece-of-shit phone. No signal. She hit it against the wall, lifted it high above her head, moved it around. Not a single bar. She stared through the glass door again. No sign of him. On the plus side, there was no sign of her stalker either. Perhaps she could make it to the car easily, without trouble.
Five forty.
She might have to chance it; her dad obviously wasn’t coming. Give him a bi
t longer. Sophie rubbed her hands together, jiggled her legs, tried to get the blood flowing around her body to provide her with some warmth.
The security guard. He’d still be in the store. Find Dave. He’d gladly walk her to her car. She turned to walk back up the stairs. A knock on the door, a gentle tapping. She froze. Whose face was going to be there when she turned around? Please be Dad.
She took a few more stairs up, so she was closer to the top, before craning her head around.
Her jaw shook, knocking her bottom teeth against her upper ones; the chattering echoing in her ears. She slumped down on the middle stair, composing herself before descending the rest. She released the door.
‘What are you doing here?’ She poked her head outside, checked up and down the street, then pulled Dan inside.
‘What’s the matter?’ He frowned, but allowed Sophie to drag him in.
‘Some weirdo bloke hanging about, that’s all.’ Did that sound nonchalant enough?
‘Really? Where?’ Dan went to move back outside.
‘No, not now. Earlier. I’m not sure where he went, didn’t want to chance walking to the car on my own.’ She stared at him. ‘So?’
‘So, what?’
‘What are you doing here, Dan?’
‘I’ve come to take you out.’
‘I’m about to go home, have tea, go to bed.’
‘I thought we could have fish and chips along the seafront—’
‘It’s freezing, why on earth would I want to go by the sea?’ She folded her arms.
‘You’ve got a coat, haven’t you? Anyway we can keep each other warm …’ He winked.
‘Good try.’
‘Come on, it’ll be good to blow away the cobwebs after a long day. My treat.’
‘Ha! Some treat. Cheap fish and chips, and I get to do the driving.’
‘Yeah, well, can’t have it all, my dynamic company’s worth it, isn’t it?’
Sophie shrugged. Was this the best idea? After this morning’s event, she figured the day couldn’t get worse.
‘Okay, Dynamic Dan. Deal. Remind me to text my dad when I finally get a signal though, he was meant to be meeting me.’ She looked up and down the road one last time before leaving the safety of the store. Still no sign of her dad. ‘Clearly he couldn’t be bothered. Come on.’
Still wary of being followed, Sophie kept alert, checking behind her every few steps as they made their way to the car park. He was here somewhere, hiding, watching, waiting. She hoped having Dan with her would be deterrent enough; that he wouldn’t merely see it as a challenge. Dan might put up a fight to protect her, but he wasn’t exactly big or tough, and something told her he wouldn’t win.
Teignbay was only a five-minute drive down the dual carriageway; it was always the group’s beach of choice because of its proximity. They parked up on the road nearest the pier, the keen wind buffeting Sophie as she got out of the car.
‘I could be safe and warm at home right now.’
‘Yeah, but look at that, Soph.’ Dan pointed to the side of the pier where the dark, choppy water met with the orange tones of the sky. It was stunning.
‘I see fab sunsets outside my back door, over Haytor is just as beautiful.’
Dan shook his head. ‘You are so hard to please.’
A smile pulled at her lips. Then the thought: You don’t deserve to be smiling stopped her. Alive and smiling. Two things Erin wasn’t. No more sunsets for her.
‘Penny for them.’ Dan stood watching her.
‘Sorry.’ She tore her eyes away from the glowing sky.
‘You can smile, you know. Your life isn’t over, and Erin wouldn’t want you to be miserable.’
Her face burned. Had he completely read her mind? She opened her mouth, though no words came.
‘Let’s walk, shall we?’ He put out his hand and went to take hers.
‘It’s okay. I’m fine.’ Awkward. She put her hands in her coat pockets, not wanting to give him any ideas.
‘Sorry. Thought it’d keep you warm.’ He pulled his coat zip up, tucked his chin inside it and walked a few paces ahead of her. As she hurried to catch up with him, he quickened his pace, the space between them lengthening. He was headed for the pier.
‘Hey, wait up.’ The wind caught her voice, carrying it off. Dan strode on regardless. ‘Oi!’ She broke into a jog, manoeuvred past some kids on skateboards, brushed past a couple walking hand-in-hand, and was out of breath when she finally reached him. He was laughing.
‘Did that warm you up?’
‘Oh, very funny.’ She knocked her shoulder against his. For a moment, life was back to normal: the usual banter with Dan, friends out together having a laugh. They wandered past the motionless, empty rides and she shivered. There was still the tinge of sadness, loss, and guilt. They slowed as they reached the end of the pier. Keeping her eyes forward, locked on the darkness of the sea, Sophie thrust her hand into Dan’s. Neither of them spoke. What seemed like leading him on minutes before, now felt the right thing.
For the moment, she felt safe.
After walking along the pier, they headed for the fish and chip shop. The food in the paper balancing on their thighs, they sat on the edge of the concrete fountain in the centre of the walkway.
‘Pretty good … for cheap fish and chips.’ Sophie rolled the empty paper, got up and threw it in the bin.
‘I know how to show a girl a good time.’ He winked. Again.
‘Jeez, Dan, what’s with all the winking tonight? You trying it on with me?’
His eyes lowered. ‘Ah, gotta give it a go, eh?’
‘No. No, Dan, you don’t. We’re friends. That’s all we’re going to be. You know that, right?’
‘What’s with holding my hand then?’
‘Oh, come on. Holding hands doesn’t mean anything.’ She walked off, back towards the car park. Taking his hand had clearly been a misjudgement. What had been a comforting gesture on her part had obviously been taken to mean more on his. Dammit. She turned around. He was following. This was going to make for an awkward journey.
Sophie got to the car, waited inside, the engine running, heater turned up full. Where was he? He hadn’t been that far behind her, but now there was no sign. Hurry up. I want to get home. She smacked her palm on the horn, the beeping gaining the attention of the skater boys. Still no Dan. If she had to get out of this car …
A dark figure emerged from the alleyway between the buildings. Her muscles stiffened. She held her breath. The figure weaved through the parked cars, making its way to hers. It’s not Dan. It’s him. He’d followed them here. She reached across to lock the passenger door. Too late. The door swung open. She screamed.
‘What the hell, Sophie?’ Dan stood back from the door, fingers in ears.
‘You scared the shit out of me.’
‘Are you for real?’ He climbed in, staring at her, ‘Um … you knew I was coming …’
‘I couldn’t see you, you disappeared. Then all I could see was a dark figure. Didn’t look like you.’ Her breathing was rapid, her words staccato.
‘You’re so twitchy. That bloke got you rattled, huh?’
She didn’t want to get into a conversation about him. ‘You made me jump, that’s all.’ She started driving. ‘Now, put your seatbelt on. I guess I have to drive you back to Torquay.’
‘Unless you want me to come back to yours?’
‘I would still have to drive you home at some point tonight, so no, it’s fine. I want an early night, thanks.’
‘Sure. Whatever you like.’ He clunked the seatbelt into place. ‘But, Sophie?’
‘Yes?’
‘I am always here for you, if you need me. As a friend.’
Sophie’s stomach contracted. He knew there was something else. Why didn’t she tell him? She needed to confide in someone, this whole situation was becoming seriously scary. Tell him.
‘Thanks, that means a lot.’ She turned her head to the road in front and pushed the car into first ge
ar.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Karen
She could see him hesitating at the front door of the porch. He was alone, afraid to come in, knowing she would freak out because Sophie wasn’t with him. He hadn’t found her. Karen opened the door for him, every muscle in her body trembling.
‘No sign?’
‘Nope, sorry.’ Mike walked into the hallway and began to untie his boots. ‘Look, don’t get in a state, she may have gone out with Amy after work, she does that sometimes, doesn’t she?’ The waver in his voice gave away his own uncertainty.
‘Yes, but she asked for you to meet her, why would she then go off with Amy?’
‘Because I didn’t show up?’
‘Why didn’t she ring then, in that case?’
‘I don’t know, Karen. No signal? Did you try Amy though, just in case?’ He ushered her into the lounge.
‘No.’ Karen lowered her eyes. ‘Didn’t think she’d answer me.’
‘Why not?’
‘Oh, no matter now, it’s fine. I’ll try her.’ She looked around the room. ‘Or I would, if I knew where my phone was.’
‘I’ve no idea how you manage to lose it time and time again, you’re only in the house all day.’
‘I know, I know. I walk around, put it down, and forget where. Ring it for me, please.’
A muffled ring. Kitchen? ‘Thanks.’
‘That’s not me.’
Karen flew from the room, ear tilted to the direction of the noise. Under the tea towel. She snatched it up, accepted the call.
‘Where are you?’ she screamed into the phone. The anger, not meant, was the form her relief took.
Mike came by her side, his hands splayed and eyebrows raised, mouthing, ‘Where is she?’
Karen took the phone away from her ear, ‘With Dan. It’s him, she’s driving.’ She shook her head before returning the phone to her ear. Mike tutted and went back towards the lounge.
‘Tell her she gave me a heart attack. How much more does she think I can take?’
Karen heard apologies, she was on speaker. ‘Just get yourself home.’ She ended the call and went back to Mike.
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