by Sue Fortin
‘I don’t know what to think anymore,’ said Kit. ‘I know I said the same thing before, but now, I’m sure if they thought we were involved, we’d already know. All that talk, it’s paranoia.’
‘I’m not being paranoid, I’m just being careful.’
‘Look, Neve,’ Kit’s voice was even, but firm at the same time. ‘I’m going to put this down to you being as stressed about Poppy going missing as I am but you’re not thinking straight. We have nothing to do with it. We shouldn’t have to try to protect ourselves. The police don’t suspect us. This could be vital in finding Poppy and if we don’t tell the police, then who knows what they will think when eventually it comes out that we’ve received a note?’ He waved the piece of paper in his hand. ‘Poppy being found is far more important than us not being suspected.’
Neve allowed her arm to drop. ‘I’m sorry. You’re right – I’m not thinking straight at all. Of course, we must tell the police.’
She followed Kit out of the bedroom and down the stairs.
‘You should look at this,’ said Kit, going into the kitchen where Sally was now pouring herself a drink. He put the piece of paper down on the worktop. ‘It came through the door just now.’
Neve stood in the doorway as Sally read the note and reread it. ‘It came just now?’ she asked.
‘Yes. Neve picked it up.’
‘Have you got the envelope?’
‘It came with the other post,’ explained Neve.
Kit passed the envelope over to the FLO, who checked the postmark.
‘Newport?’
‘Do either of you have any idea what it means or who could have sent it?’ asked Sally.
‘None,’ said Kit.
Sally looked at Neve. ‘You’re from Wales. Could it be from someone you know?’
Neve shrugged. ‘It’s possible but I’ve no idea who. Or even if it would be someone I used to know. It could be anyone, a complete stranger, who just happens to live in Newport.’ It was more than possible, in fact, it was highly likely but Neve wasn’t going to give Sally any hint of fears.
‘Bit of a coincidence,’ said Sally, looking at the letter again. ‘OK, I’ll let the DCI know. We’ll take this down to the station and have a closer look at it.’ Sally took the note and went outside.
Neve turned to Kit. ‘See what I mean? She’s made the call away from us. She doesn’t want us to hear what she’s saying. Why would she do that if she was being completely open and honest with us?’
‘You’re letting your imagination run away with you,’ said Kit, resuming what was becoming his usual post by the living room window. He tipped the blinds with his fingers. ‘Poppy … where are you?’ he whispered. He looked haggard. In the light of the window, his eyes looked blacker underneath the puffy bags which had appeared in the last few days. His face looked thinner, as if someone had taken an ice cream scoop to his cheeks.
Neve stood beside her husband and slipped her arm into his. She didn’t know what to say. Words seemed inadequate. She thought of the note. To Kit and the police, the meaning was unclear. To Neve, it was perfectly clear. As to the sender, well, it could be one of several. If it hadn’t been postmarked Newport, she might have blamed Lee for it.
She sifted through the possibilities. Scott, her ex-husband, Lisa, her sister-in-law and an outside bet, her brother, Gareth. It hurt her to think that one of them would stoop that low, would want to upset her by implying she was involved with Poppy’s disappearance. If they wanted to exact some sort of revenge for what had happened, why wait until now? Why hadn’t they told Kit before? It had to be an opportunistic moment, surely.
Whatever the reasons, Neve knew that if Kit was to find out, he wouldn’t understand. It would be the end of her marriage, and no marriage meant no baby.
The morning limped by and Kit became increasingly agitated having to wait around while the police carried out yet another search of the area. When Sean called by soon after ten o’clock, Neve was relieved to see him. The tension in the house was becoming unbearable. Every room felt claustrophobic. Neve hadn’t been able to settle and she roamed around the house, desperate for some relief.
‘Hello, Sean,’ said Kit.
‘Kit. Neve.’ Sean shook hands with Kit and gave Neve a fleeting peck on the cheek. ‘Neve said it was driving you nuts sitting around the house.’ He thrust a wad of A5 flyers towards Kit. ‘I got these printed out. I thought you might be able to put some up in the town and other villages. Thought it might give you something to do.’
‘Ah, cheers, mate,’ said Kit. ‘I appreciate that.’
Sean gave one of the flyers to Neve to look at. It tugged at her heart. Poppy’s smiling face, taken at a garden party the firm had thrown last month. She looked happy, just the way Neve thought of her.
‘These are better than the police ones,’ she said. ‘Poppy looks more natural.’
‘Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,’ said Kit. He stifled the sob in his throat that followed.
‘Thanks, Sean,’ said Neve.
‘It’s the least I can do,’ said Sean.
‘I wanted to join in the search, but they won’t let me,’ said Kit.
‘It’s for the best, mate,’ said Sean. ‘Look, I’ve got the morning free, I can drive you around, if you like? We could get some of these flyers pinned up.’
‘That would be great,’ said Kit. ‘I can’t tell you how sitting around the house all day is getting to me. I think I’m going to go fucking crazy. I need to be doing something.’
‘I could hand some out in the town,’ said Neve.
‘On your own? Perhaps Mum could go with you,’ said Kit. ‘I’ll give her a call. At least that way she’ll feel like she’s helping.’
Neve managed to stop herself from protesting. An afternoon with Cheryl wasn’t something she would look forward to but if it kept the peace … Some things weren’t worth arguing about, not at a time like this anyway.
‘I’ll give Lucie a ring,’ replied Neve, opting for reinforcements. ‘She texted me yesterday and offered to help in any way she could.’
Kit gave a shrug. ‘Up to you.’
‘No Family Liaison Officer today, then?’ asked Sean.
‘She’s gone back to the station to follow up on a few things and got the afternoon off apparently,’ said Kit. ‘I don’t think overtime can stretch to sending someone else in her place.’
When Neve picked Lucie up later that morning, she was thankful she didn’t have Sally tagging along.
‘Hi, hun,’ said Lucie, getting in the car. ‘How is everything?’
‘Hiya. Pretty grim,’ said Neve, resting her head back in the seat. ‘I didn’t think we’d be at this point. I genuinely thought she’d be home by now.’
‘It must be awful for you,’ said Lucie. ‘Everyone in the village is hoping she’s found soon. Everyone’s thinking of you and Kit.’
‘It’s the waiting and doing nothing that’s the worst thing,’ admitted Neve. ‘Thank goodness Sean showed up today with these flyers.’
‘At least it’s something positive and I know it probably won’t make you feel any better, but no news is good news.’
‘Let’s hope so,’ said Neve. She put the car into gear and headed out of the village. As they passed the memorial where the St Joseph’s bus stopped, Neve was reminded of last week’s incident with Ben Hewitt. If only last week’s troubles were all they had to worry about this week.
Cheryl was waiting in the car park in town as arranged. Neve spotted her mother-in-law’s distinctive soft-top sports car immediately.
‘There she is,’ said Neve. She held up her hand so Cheryl knew she’d seen her.
‘Hello, Neve,’ she said, as her daughter-in-law neared her. She offered her cheek which Neve duly air-kissed.
‘Thanks for coming, Cheryl,’ she said, although not entirely feeling it. She handed Cheryl a wodge of flyers. ‘Sean made these. I thought maybe we could stand at the pedestrian crossroad and take a street each. This is L
ucie, by the way, she’s a friend from the village. She’s going to help too.’
Cheryl inspected the flyers and gave a small sob.
Neve took a tissue from her bag and passed it to her. ‘You don’t have to do this,’ she said, gently.
Cheryl accepted the tissue and dabbed at her eyes. ‘Oh, I do. I most definitely do,’ she said, resolutely. She stood straighter and adjusted her white blazer. ‘It’s just these posters, they add another dose of reality to what is such a surreal thing. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and this is a horrid nightmare.’
‘I know exactly how you feel,’ sympathised Neve, giving her mother-in-law a hug. ‘It’s hard to believe we’re even doing this.’
They made their way to the centre of the pedestrian streets. ‘I’ll catch the people coming up South Street,’ said Lucie. ‘Neve, why don’t you take East Street and, Cheryl, you take North Street.’
It was a busy day; the market was in town and this always increased the footfall. Neve had only just started handing out the flyers when her phone rang.
From the ring tone, she knew it was Kit and snatched the mobile from her pocket.
‘Hello. Any news?’
‘No,’ said Kit, his voice held the now usual flat and dejected tone. ‘Just letting you know that we’ve blitzed Lower Bury. It felt awful being there, knowing we were so close to where Poppy last was and yet so far from knowing where she actually is now.’
‘I can imagine,’ said Neve.
‘How’s it going there? Is Mum with you?’
‘We’ve only just got here,’ said Neve. She looked across the square where Cheryl was launching herself in the pathway of everyone and anyone coming within a few feet of her. ‘Your mum’s not letting anyone get past her without taking a leaflet.’
‘Let’s hope we can jog someone’s memory,’ said Kit.
‘Don’t give up hope, Kit. You’ve got to keep believing she’s coming home.’
It took a moment for Kit to reply and when he did, his voice had a steely determination to it. ‘I’m not giving up. All the time she’s not found, it gives me hope that she’s still alive somewhere.’
‘That’s right,’ said Neve, through tears that had taken her by surprise. ‘We don’t ever give up.’
‘See you at home later,’ said Kit.
Neve felt overwhelmed with emotion and compassion for Kit, as she slid the phone back into her pocket. Taking a deep breath, she focused on handing out the flyers.
‘My daughter is missing,’ she said, as people hurried along. ‘Please if you’ve seen her, contact this number.’
Mostly out of kindness or too embarrassed to say no, Neve found people taking a leaflet from her hand. Some stopped and spoke to her, offering words of support, saying they had seen the press conference and all wishing her well. Neve was quite overwhelmed by the support of shoppers.
As she stopped to take a sip of water from a bottle she’d brought with her, Neve saw the unmistakable sight of Linda Hewitt with her bright pink hair, long on one side and shaved on the other, walking towards her with her son, Ben. She spotted Neve a few seconds later and almost stopped in her tracks. Neve hoped she was going to divert away, but Linda clearly had other ideas. She strode up to Neve and snatched a leaflet from her hand.
‘Still missing, then?’ she said needlessly, with an air of disdain.
‘If you see her, could you call that number, please,’ said Neve, amazed at how controlled she sounded even to herself.
‘Maybe she doesn’t want to be found,’ said Linda. ‘Can’t say I’d blame her for wanting to run away.’
Neve was taken aback but fought to recover quickly. ‘I don’t want any trouble, Linda,’ she said. ‘I’m just trying to find my daughter.’
‘Your daughter? That’s a joke,’ said Linda. ‘Stepdaughter. You don’t have any kids, do you?’
Neve sucked in the verbal body-blow and remained composed. ‘Daughter. I adopted her. That makes her my daughter.’ She wasn’t letting this cow of a woman rile her. ‘Look, I’m busy. If you can just help spread the word, I’d be grateful.’
‘I’ve had the police round my house, thanks to you,’ snapped Linda. ‘Asking me all sorts of questions about Ben and that little madam. First about the alleged bullying and second about her being missing. I don’t need crap like that.’
‘The police are only doing their job,’ said Neve, her own anger spilling over. ‘If your son wasn’t a little thug, the first visit could have been avoided.’
‘That’s rich coming from you,’ snarled Linda. ‘I’ve told the police about you. Threatening my son with a hockey stick.’
‘What are you talking about?’ demanded Neve. ‘I did no such thing. That’s a downright lie.’
‘Oh, is it? Well, Ben has witnesses.’
‘Mum, leave the snooty cow alone,’ said Ben, tugging at his mum’s sleeve.
Neve ignored the remark, she was rapidly replaying the confrontation with Ben in her mind. Did she threaten him with the hockey stick? To be honest, she couldn’t say for certain whether she did or not. Everything was a little bit hazy, she wasn’t entirely sure what exactly happened. It was almost like she had been watching someone else. She looked back up at Linda, whose face was twisted with hate.
‘I don’t care whether she’s missing or not. She’s a trouble-maker and whilst I don’t wish the kid any harm, you and your snob of a husband deserve what’s coming to you.’
‘You are one evil woman,’ retorted Neve. ‘Now piss off and leave me alone.’ She stood almost toe-to-toe with Linda Hewitt, her anger held back by the merest of threads.
Linda Hewitt gave a laugh and stepped back. ‘Don’t worry, love, I’m going,’ she said.
Neve stood motionless for several seconds, until Linda was lost from sight in the throng of shoppers. How could another person, another woman, another mother, be so cruel? It was beyond belief. Neve could barely believe the exchange of words that had just occurred.
‘You all right?’ It was Lucie. ‘I saw you and Linda Hewitt at loggerheads. What was going on there?’
‘She’s screwed in the head,’ said Neve. ‘I’m fine. Don’t worry. Look, I’m just nipping to the loo. I’ll be back in a minute.’
‘Sure,’ said Lucie, appraising Neve with a concerned look.
‘I’m fine. Honest,’ said Neve. She gave her friend a smile. ‘Won’t be long.’
Neve hurried off towards the Marks & Spencer store where there was a coffee shop and toilets.
In the safety of one of the cubicles, Neve closed the toilet lid and sat down, resting her head in her hands. Linda Hewitt’s outburst had disturbed her, not just because the woman was clearly heartless, but she’d accused Neve of threatening Ben with the hockey stick. Neve tried to remember exactly what happened at the bus stop, but her mind’s filing system seemed not only to be muddled, but also guilty of totally misfiling events.
Neve knew from past experience, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d made a mistake. She thought all that was behind her now.
Neve sat up straight and took several deep breaths, breathing slowly in and out. ‘Keep it together, Neve,’ she whispered to herself. ‘Everything is going to be OK.’
Opening her bag, she took out a small black mobile phone from the zip compartment. It was an old phone Poppy used to have until Cheryl had bought her a new smartphone last Christmas. The old one had been shoved in the back of her drawer and forgotten about, until now. Neve checked her text messages. A number one was displayed by an icon of an envelope. Neve opened the message.
Need to see you.
‘Shit.’ Neve shoved the phone back into the zip compartment. What did he want? It must be important otherwise he wouldn’t have texted.
Neve hurried back to the town centre where Cheryl and Lucie were still handing out leaflets. Neve beckoned the two women over.
‘I’m sorry, but I’m really not feeling well,’ she said. ‘I need to go home.’
‘Oh, but we’ve
still got leaflets to hand out,’ protested Cheryl.
‘You stay and carry on, if you want,’ said Neve. ‘But I need to go.’
Lucie put a comforting hand on Neve’s arm. ‘It’s OK,’ she said. ‘It probably hasn’t helped that bloody Linda Hewitt starting on you. I’ll come back with you.’
Cheryl made a huffing sound, which Neve chose to ignore. Everyone was under pressure at the moment, Neve may never have been able to completely fill the shoes of Cheryl’s first daughter-in-law, but she liked to think they had got past that point these days and that Cheryl knew how much Neve loved Kit and Poppy. However, every now and again, Neve couldn’t help feeling she was being compared to her predecessor. Now, being one of those times. The huff from Cheryl was heavily laden with unspoken words that Kit’s first wife would not have abandoned her position so readily.
‘I’ll phone you later,’ said Neve before Cheryl decided to pass a comment which Neve knew she wouldn’t be able to ignore.
‘Now, are you sure you’re going to be OK?’ said Lucie, as Neve pulled up at the rear of the coffee shop. ‘I can stay with you if you like.’
‘I’ll be fine,’ said Neve. ‘I just need to get some rest.’
‘Let me know if you need me, then,’ said Lucie. ‘I’ll call you later.’
Neve watched as Lucie trotted up the steps to her flat above the coffee shop. She waved and then pulled away back onto the main road. But instead of turning left at the junction for Long Acre Lane, Neve turned right and took the back road out of the village, accelerating hard. She didn’t have much time.
Chapter 21
Having dealt with Linda already that afternoon, Neve now had another problem to sort out. She turned her car into Cornflower Close and drove steadily along the tree-lined road. Number 32 her destination. She had been here once before. When she had dropped Scott home. It was the last time she had seen him. Almost eight years ago now. After all this time, she wasn’t quite sure how she was going to react to seeing him again. But she had the upper hand and she had rehearsed in her mind several times what she was going to say. He wasn’t expecting her and even if the thought had crossed his mind, he would have dismissed it, thinking she wasn’t brave enough to do anything like this.