Saving Sophie

by Sam Carrington

  Amy. All of them.

  With no time to read any, Sophie placed the phone on the passenger seat. She’d park up in the centre of town and check then. What was so urgent? She tapped her nails on the steering wheel, cursing the slow traffic ahead. Come on. Amy rarely texted. And shouldn’t she be at work? Sophie checked the car clock. Only 11.46 a.m. Amy didn’t get lunch until after twelve. She must have taken a sickie.

  Finally, she reached the central car park and found a space.

  Apprehension filled her as she scrolled to the beginning of Amy’s messages. The first was a simple Text me back. Then, Where are you? Next, I need to talk to you. Each one more desperate. The last, Where the hell are you? I’ve tried your mum, she said you’re at college. But I’ve rung them, and they said you were off sick. WTF is going on?

  Before she had chance to text back, Amy sent another.

  Dan’s not answering any messages, his phone straight to voicemail. Worried.

  What was going on? Sophie replied:

  I’m fine. Left college early as got headache. Haven’t heard from Dan either. In town now, do you want to meet?

  Sophie walked with her head lowered, looking at the screen, awaiting Amy’s reply. She should phone her mum as well, let her know she was now in town. She ought to make sure that she always knew her whereabouts. Just in case.

  Her bag, slung over one shoulder, bounced off people as she walked past them, her eyes not on the way ahead. A jolt, a collision with another pedestrian, sent her phone crashing to the ground. Sophie, her breath knocked from her, whispered an apology. The man chastised her for being inconsiderate. She muttered ‘Sorry’ again, then bent to pick up the phone.

  Then she saw him. Dan, along the road, standing outside Costa Coffee.

  Oh, good. She could tell Amy not to worry. Sophie raised her arm, opening her mouth to shout out to him. Her voice died in her throat.

  Dan stood beside Jay.

  Sophie backed into a shop doorway. Why were they together? She edged out, peeking around the corner. They were chatting. Dan looked up at Jay. They were smiling.

  Sophie stared in disbelief.

  They knew each other.

  CHAPTER EIGHTY

  A coincidence? It had to be. They went out all the time around town, Dan probably knew him in passing. What if it was more than that? Could they be in this together, somehow? Dan, involved in a murder, Erin’s murder? It was unthinkable. Yet her mother had always felt uneasy about him.

  Sophie darted out from the doorway and followed in step behind some people as they moved in the direction of Dan and Jay. Please don’t spot me. A gathering of charity workers gave her enough cover so she could discreetly walk into the store. She headed straight for Irina.

  Irina dropped the bundle of clothes she’d been carrying as soon as she spotted Sophie, and strode over, arms outstretched.

  ‘Glad to see you, Sophie. I been so worried. You never reply to text.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’ She allowed herself to be wrapped in Irina’s arms, thankful for the comfort of someone not directly involved in the situation. ‘It’s been a mad week.’

  ‘But you okay?’ Concern-filled eyes penetrated hers. It wasn’t possible to lie to Irina.

  Sophie pulled away, screwed her face up, and shook her head.

  ‘Come,’ Irina gripped Sophie’s arm, ‘I have break now. Let us talk in the staffroom.’

  ‘Oh, it’s fine, really. You’ll get in trouble, you haven’t got a break now, have you?’

  ‘You more important than job, Sophie.’

  Irina had a way of looking hard, scary. Rarely smiled. A ‘don’t mess with me’ attitude.

  Sophie had never been more grateful for it.

  Even though an hour had passed, Sophie’s curiosity got the better of her, and instead of leaving the store by the rear entrance, she peered out the front door, and cast her eyes up and down the street. They’d gone. She had a bit of a walk now to get back to her car. She shuddered, gooseflesh appearing on her arms.

  They might both follow her.

  Don’t be stupid. She pushed the thought away.

  She felt glad she’d gone to see Irina. Outpouring some of the week’s events had helped. Irina remained quiet, still, while Sophie talked, her expression neutral. There was no sign of fear or shock – no outward judgement. Just a calm, reassuring demeanour. Mind you, if she’d told Irina everything, it might have been different. Irina would’ve told Sophie to go to the police. Anyway, for now, seeing Irina had lowered her level of anxiety which, given her new shock discovery, surprised her. If only Irina could be with her all the time.

  Dammit. Amy.

  She’d not checked her phone again. The vision of Dan with Jay had taken priority in her thoughts. When she reached her car safely, she looked to see if Amy had replied.

  No, don’t worry. I was spinning out a bit, but as long as you’re okay, tomorrow will be fine. Was thinking of coming over to yours, if that’s all right? When do you finish college?

  Thankfully Amy didn’t mention Dan again. She needed to digest the latest information before sharing it with her, or anyone else involved.

  If she shared it at all.

  Because with every day that passed, it seemed there was one less person to trust.

  The conversation picked up almost where it’d left off the day before. Her mum sat at the breakfast bar, her hands around a mug of coffee, probably her twentieth of the day. Sophie faced her.

  ‘We can’t keep this to ourselves, Sophie. It’s too big, now.’

  This, coming after Sophie mentioned seeing Dan with Jay in town.

  ‘But, it’ll all come out. You and Jay, your infidelity. It’ll kill Dad.’

  Her mum shook her head. ‘Doesn’t matter about me, or your dad. I have to do something, stop him from hurting you.’

  ‘You can’t tell the police. Jay will tell them I’m involved, that I watched him, didn’t stop him. I may have even helped him. He said I enjoyed it. There was a photo, of me … I was smiling, Mum. Smiling while watching him murder my friend. Your goddaughter. What else does he have on me? Other photos? Perhaps even video footage, I don’t know, but shit. What’ll happen to me?’

  ‘What do you think is going to happen if you don’t tell the police? That it’s all going to go away? That Jay will disappear and leave us alone? Forget what he started? No chance, Soph.’

  ‘The police will catch him,’ she slammed her hands flat down on the breakfast bar, ‘without us having to tell them a thing.’ The tingling sensation, painful, shot up through her arms.

  ‘They might.’ Her mum shrugged. ‘But he’ll implicate you then anyway. Either way, he’ll drag you into his messed-up world, shift some blame on to you. Me. Tell lies. It’s clearly what he does. He does it really well. It’ll look better for you if you go to the police first. If things come to light later, evidence you took a part in his sick actions, they’ll be more lenient with you.’

  ‘I can’t. Not yet.’

  ‘Why?’ Her mum’s breathing was erratic now. ‘For heaven’s sake, he’s in this for revenge. He wants even. And I have a nasty suspicion you are the pawn in whatever deluded game he’s playing … Eye for an eye.’ She got up, snatching her paper bag from the drawer. ‘We can’t risk it. We know a murderer, Sophie. He killed your friend!’

  Sophie threw her head down on the breakfast bar and banged it up and down a few times, the pain briefly dulling her senses. ‘I don’t know. It’s all too much, all happening too fast. I need to think this through, get it straight in my head first.’

  ‘What more is there to get straight? It’s simple. You said Jay is a murderer. You could be his next victim.’

  ‘There is more to consider, like, what has Maria got to do with this? How is she involved? DI Mack said they’d already been given her name by someone. Who? Then, there’s Dan – now I’ve seen him talking to Jay I know he’s involved in some way. It’s a great big web of deceit, it’s bigger than you and me, more complicated.
And why should we be the ones to come out of this badly? If we wait it out, others may take the fall. Wouldn’t you prefer it if Dad never had to find out about your sordid affair?’

  ‘I’ve told you, it wasn’t an affair.’

  ‘Okay, so you’re happy for this to all come out, are you? For it to be spread in the news, all across social media, that you’re a cheat and your daughter helped a man kill her friend. Your best friend’s daughter. How will Rachel ever forgive us?’

  Sophie watched as the colour left her mum’s face, the true horror of the situation dawning.

  ‘No. Of course I don’t want that. It’ll destroy our family. Rachel. But—’

  ‘There is no “but”, Mum. Let’s give it a few more days. See what pans out. Please. Before we ruin other people’s lives. Let’s try not to be selfish … for once.’

  ‘Selfish? I think ensuring the man who murdered Erin is caught and preventing further deaths is the opposite.’ The colour returned to her face in a flash of anger. ‘It’s selfish to keep quiet.’

  ‘For me,’ Sophie pleaded. ‘I’m scared. Wait it out for a bit longer, see if the police get him and the others without us wading in. Please.’ She watched for a change in her mum’s expression. The hard line of her jaw softened, her face slackened.

  ‘I’ll give it another couple of days, that’s it.’ Her mum’s eyes narrowed. ‘And you’d better hope nothing bad happens in that time, because you do not want someone else’s blood on your hands, Sophie.’

  ‘Like I’ve already got Erin’s, you mean.’ Sophie’s shoulders slumped.

  They stared at each other. For now, there was nothing more to say.

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE

  Karen

  ‘Eh-up, this looks serious. What’s going on?’

  They hadn’t heard the front door, they were so busy arguing over the best thing to do.

  Karen jumped up. ‘Is that the time? Sorry, haven’t even started tea.’

  ‘You crying, Sophie? What’ve you two been arguing about now?’ Mike raised an eyebrow towards Karen.

  ‘Nothing. We were talking … about Erin.’ Karen began her routine rummage through the fridge. Sophie shot her a look she assumed was a warning not to say a word.

  ‘Oh, I see.’ He walked to Sophie; put a hand on her shoulder. ‘You okay, love?’

  ‘Yeah, I’m fine. Well … I will be.’

  ‘It’ll take time, these things always do. Life will get back to normal, eventually.’ He looked to Karen, then added, ‘Won’t it, Karen?’

  Really? Was he trying to be funny? It hadn’t returned to anywhere near normal after her attack, how was it going to after this? She refrained from commenting. Sophie made her excuses and left to go to her room. She knew she was wrong, not going to the police with the information she had. Despite not wanting her lies to be unearthed, ever, Karen knew it had to be done. There was no other way of stopping Jay.

  ‘Had another emergency on the moor today.’ Mike stood, leaning against the worktop, watching as Karen prepared the meal.

  ‘Oh? What this time?’ She tried to inject some enthusiasm, some interest into her voice, but wasn’t sure that she had managed it.

  ‘Burning car. Came across it early, thought someone was in it.’

  ‘Was there?’ Now she was interested.

  ‘It really looked like it, but by the time the fire crew arrived it was so badly burned, I couldn’t tell. They had a special unit there, forensics and all. I had to leave them to it. I’ll check tomorrow, see what it was all about, probably just a stolen car. Hopefully.’

  ‘That’s terrible.’

  ‘It happens more than people think. The moors are so vast, people tend to believe they can dump things there and it won’t be found for ages. It certainly means they’re more likely to get away with it. As for poor sods who want to end their lives, the remoteness almost guarantees no one will find them before they’ve done the deed. There have been a few over the past couple of years. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are dead bodies up there that’ll never be found.’

  ‘Hmm … like the Moors Murders, they never found one of those poor kids. It’s awful.’ Karen looked out of the window, at the expanse of wilderness stretching across the entire view out the back. The scenery was beautiful, untamed, a reason they had bought the house.

  Now, as she thought about Mike’s words, she saw it differently.

  ‘There are some horrible people out there. Can’t imagine losing Sophie like that.’ Mike’s face took on a faraway expression. Karen looked away, daren’t look him in the eye. What would he say if he knew what was going on now? More to the point, what would he do? He’d never forgive Karen if anything happened to Sophie. She was certain of that much.

  She carried on chopping vegetables, trying to think of another topic of conversation, a safer one. It was unusual for Mike to talk about his job these days, even more so for him to hang around her in the kitchen; usually he’d have disappeared into the lounge and immersed himself in his iPad by now. He’d acted weird yesterday, had seemed distant, not in the way they’d both been generally in their relationship, but in a preoccupied way. And now he appeared dejected, lost – he seemed almost like he wanted to open up to her.

  A pang of guilt shot through her. Who did he have to share the events of the last week with? Who was supporting him? His colleagues at work? Doubtful. For one, he worked independently a lot of the time, and two, she couldn’t remember the last time he’d even mentioned a name. The last colleague she’d known of was from about three years ago, when she’d met ‘Colin’ at a rangers’ activity weekend. He wouldn’t want to lean on her either, afraid of her collapse if he did, and he couldn’t disclose his true feelings, his worries, to Sophie. And he wasn’t one to openly discuss his problems with his mates, he always had the ‘hard man’ image to keep up.

  Karen laid the knife down, wiped her hands on a tea towel, and went to Mike.

  ‘Sorry.’ She opened her hands, tentatively moving closer. ‘I’ve been so wrapped up in this, been worried about Sophie, you know?’ She put her arms around his middle, placed her cheek against his chest.

  ‘It’s fine. That’s how it should be. I can take care of myself.’ His tone was flat, his arms felt limp around her, the indifference evident.

  It’s what she deserved.

  The evening dragged. Mike had taken Bailey for a walk, he’d been gone two hours already. Perhaps it was his way of coping, taking time out from her, alone with his thoughts, rather than sharing them. She’d tried at least. Sophie stayed in her room, not taking the opportunity to talk to her while Mike was out of the house. She clearly didn’t want to discuss the current situation further. Karen watched TV without actually seeing it, her body occupying the space in the room but detached from the reality of it.

  Ten o’clock. Still no sign of Mike. Should she be worried? She peeped through the curtains. The street lamp illuminated the bushes opposite and the stretch of pavement that ran alongside the houses until the darkness converged with the corners at both ends of their street. No movement. She shivered and let the curtain drop back, aware that her breathing had quickened. She was safe inside, but the mere act of looking out into the darkness was enough to set off her anxiety. Pathetic.

  The mattress creaked, then depressed, gently rocking her body. The duvet pulled tight over her shoulders. She loosened it from where it was tucked underneath one arm, as she felt it being dragged over to the other side. A warmth touched her skin. What time was it? It seemed as though she’d been in bed for hours – had Mike only just got back? She tried to lift her head from the pillow. Too heavy. Her tablets had kicked in.

  Her mind closed down again, sinking into another dark dream.

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO

  Sophie

  Wednesday

  Sophie sat on the edge of her bed, shaking. The remnants of another disturbing dream touched every nerve ending, causing an uncomfortable tingling; a stabbing sensation.

  Stabbing. S
creaming. Begging.

  She squeezed her eyes shut.

  Erin’s stomach punctured. Blood. Laughing.

  She clasped her arms around herself and gently rocked.

  Blinking red light. Camera.

  He’d recorded it all. She felt sure she remembered him pointing a camera in her face. Remembered his voice, telling her do it, do it.

  What had she done?

  Despite not wanting to leave her mother today, for fear of her contacting the police if she wasn’t around to keep an eye on her, she was going to college. Having missed most of yesterday, she figured it’d be best to go for the morning session at least, to get her portfolio signed off by the assessor. She had to take her mind off this mess.

  Creeping from her room, Sophie popped her head around her parents’ bedroom door. Only her mum in bed, on her back, a throaty rasping noise arising from her wide-open mouth. She wouldn’t disturb her to say goodbye. The longer she slept, the better.

  She pulled her coat-hood up – the drizzle would do nothing for her hair – and flung her bag on the passenger seat of the car. Then she sat and checked her messages. None from Dan. She’d ignored Amy’s last text too, unsure of how to respond. Did she want Amy to come over? Her surprise recollection about Maria giving Erin the taxi’s number still smarted. After all her attempts at getting Amy to help her remember, the sudden ‘by the way’ revelation angered her. An audience of one didn’t do it for Amy; she’d probably waited until she had a room full to ensure a greater shock factor.

  Sophie sent her a text saying she was welcome over at four-ish. Perhaps she’d be able to do some digging, find out precisely what Dan was up to. If anyone knew something of interest, Amy would.

  Crawling behind a tractor almost all the way into town, plus leaving later than she’d planned, meant there was no parking space next to the building for her today. Typical. But although she’d seen Jay yesterday, in town with Dan, there’d been no sightings of him at the college this week, so hopefully there was no need to worry. Even the dark car that’d been parked up opposite the college was absent.