The Strangler's Daughter

by Amy Cross

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ten years ago

  “There we go,” Dad says as he leads me back into the cottage. “It's okay, Lisa. You're home now. Everything's going to be okay.”

  As I stop in the hallway, I immediately notice the smell of Mum's perfume in the air. I look around and quickly spot one of her scarves hanging from the hook, so I lean closer and take a deep breath. That's her perfume for sure, and I feel a little sad as I realize that soon the smell will fade away forever. It's so weird being in the house and knowing that she's never going to come through the door again.

  “It's late,” Dad says as he shuts the front door. “Are you hungry or thirsty?”

  I turn to him, and then I shake my head.

  “Me neither,” he mutters, and then he stops as if he too isn't sure what to do next.

  The house is so silent.

  Our routine is broken. I don't know what to do, and I don't think Dad knows either. It's not that Mum used to tell us; it's that her presence made it easier to know what should happen next. She kept things running properly at home, and now she's gone. I think Dad's like me in some ways, I think he struggles from time to time with knowing what's normal. Even now, as I watch him, he looks like a robot that's temporarily forgotten its programming.

  He looks past me, and I realize that he's looking at the scarf. I guess he can smell the perfume as well, but I don't say anything. It's not as if I can make things better.

  “There's going to be a lot to do tomorrow,” he mutters. “You're going to have to be a big, brave girl, Lisa. Don't worry, though, because I'll be right there with you. We'll help each other get through it, okay?”

  “Okay,” I murmur.

  “I just need the bathroom,” he says, stepping past me, “and then I'll make a cup of tea.”

  He opens the bathroom door, and then he stops and turns to me.

  “Lisa,” he continues, “I know I've asked you this already, but I just want to be absolutely certain. After you and your mother left the cottage tonight, did she really not tell you anything at all about why you were going?”

  “No.”

  “She didn't talk about the argument or about me?”

  “No.”

  “Not even...”

  His voice fades away, and it seems as if he can't quite believe what I'm telling him.

  “She didn't talk to you about it,” he adds, “and she didn't phone anyone. She didn't say anything to anyone. She just took you to the hotel and then she...”

  “She didn't say anything,” I reply. “I swear.”

  “And she definitely didn't call your grandmother?”

  “No. I told you.” I pause. “Why does that matter so much?”

  “It doesn't. Forget it, Lisa. I'm just trying to get things straight in my mind.”

  He stares at me, before going through to the bathroom.

  Figuring that I should try to be useful, I go into the kitchen and put some water in the kettle. As I'm doing that, however, I see that there's a newspaper on the table. Once I've set the kettle on to boil, I go over and take a look at the newspaper, and I find that it's been left open on a page about a murder in London. The headline is pretty lurid:

  Final moments of strangled Kerry revealed!

  Picking the newspaper up as the kettle starts to boil, I see a photo of a smiling, happy-looking woman. The caption says that her name was Kerry Watson, and that she was eighteen years old. I take a look at the news story, and it turns out that Kerry Watson was found dead in a London park. She'd been strangled, and the police think that she was killed some time at the weekend.

  That's when Dad was in London for a conference.

  As I continue to read the story, I find that Kerry Watson was working at a hotel. I recognize the hotel's name, and I realize that I think it's where Dad stayed during his trip. Apparently the dead girl was found dead behind some bins at the rear of the hotel, and the police still haven't caught her murderer. They're appealing for witnesses, but so far it doesn't seem as if they've got much to go on.

  At the bottom of the page, in red letters, someone has written a phone number. I immediately recognize Mum's handwriting.

  “Lisa?”

  Startled, I turn and see that Dad is watching me from the doorway.

  “What are you doing with that?” he asks.

  “Nothing.” I set the newspaper down. The kettle's getting close to being ready. “Just looking.”

  “That paper's from a few days ago,” he says, taking it from the table and throwing it into the recycling box. “It's old news, there's no point reading it.”

  “I'm sorry.”

  “There's no need to be sorry,” he replies, forcing a smile as he turns to me, “it's just old news, that's all. And I think we have enough to deal with right now, without worrying about what's going on in the rest of the world. Don't you?”

  I pause, before nodding. I think that's the response he wanted.

  He takes a few seconds to really bury the newspaper near the bottom of the recycling, and then he heads over and takes two mugs from the cupboard. He seems a little tense now, but I guess that's understandable. I don't really know how either of us should react tonight, but I've noticed that Dad hasn't cried yet. I suppose maybe he's just being brave. Maybe he's planning to cry later, when he goes to bed.

  What would a normal person do in this situation?

  Chapter Fifteen

  Today

  10:30pm.

  Just like last night, here I am standing in the living room and waiting for Dad to come back. I finished my film a couple of hours ago, and I watched two episodes of my show, but now I'm getting tired and I'm starting to wonder when Dad's going to come home. The lights at the front of the pub were switched off a short while ago, but the inside lights are still on. It'd be unusual for Dad to stay so late, but it's not completely impossible.

  I just wish I knew for sure. I could text him, of course, but then he might interpret that as a sign that I don't trust him. I do trust him, truly I do, it's just that...

  I swallow hard.

  I head to the window and look out again, but once again there's no sign of Dad coming back across the village green. I've lost count of how many times I've come to this window tonight, but I have to admit that I'm starting to feel really antsy. I know Dad wouldn't have lied to me, but now I'm starting to wonder whether his plans might have changed. What if he went to the pub and then felt the need to go somewhere else? Why didn't I watch him go all the way through the door, so I could be sure?

  I hesitate, before realizing what I have to do next.

  ***

  The gravel crunches under my feet as I hurry toward the street. It's cold out here, so I start buttoning my coat as I make my way across the road and out across the grass of the village green. I keep looking around, in case I spot Dad coming home, but there's honestly no sign of anyone else out here.

  There are no lights on the green, of course, so I have to walk through darkness. There's a faint glow coming from a few of the pub's windows, but otherwise the entire village is pitch black. Looking up, I can see a vast and beautiful field of stars, which is another reminder of why I'm so glad to live here instead of in some big city. At least in a place like Forkworth, life goes at a nice slow pace. I think I'd go mad if I had to live in a city.

  Reaching the far side of the green, I hurry to the pub and then stop at one of the windows. I carefully peer inside, and I feel an instant flash of relief as I see that Dad's sitting on a stool at the bar. Michael, the landlord, is putting some glasses away, and everything looks pretty normal in there. Dad simply decided to spend longer out tonight, that's all, and I suppose I really shouldn't have been worried.

  I turn to go back to the house, and then I freeze as I see another figure sitting at the bar.

  Dad's talking to a woman. I recognize her immediately; she works in the cafe down the road. She's about my age, but she's very pretty. She has short, slightly messy hair, and she's laughing
as she talks to Dad. I know I've run into her a few times, and I think her name's Kate or Karen or something like that. She used to hang out with Sean Alton and Samantha Hain and all those people when we were kids. It's funny, I never really paid much attention to her before, and I never imagined her talking to Dad. Yet here they are, chatting away, and they seem to be getting on very well.

  Already, I can feel a sense of real unease in the pit of my stomach.

  I watch for a few more minutes, until I notice that both Dad and Kate (I'm sure it's Kate) have finished their drinks. Dad gets up from his stool, and Kate goes through to the bathroom, and I realize that Dad seems to be waiting for her to come back. He's talking to Michael, who in turn seems to be simply waiting for them to leave, and then Kate returns from the bathroom. Actually, no, I think her name is Karen. Yes, it's definitely Karen. Karen comes back from the bathroom, and she and Dad head to the door.

  I pull back around the corner, and I listen as Karen and Dad emerge from the pub.

  “I never thought I'd meet anyone else who liked that song,” Dad is saying. He sounds relaxed and happy. “Most people dismiss it as some kind of novelty piece of crap, but I swear it's one of the best things I've heard in years.”

  “I'm right with you on that, Dave,” Karen replies. “Best song of the year, for sure.”

  There's a pause. I desperately want to know what they're doing, but of course I don't dare peer around the corner and take a look. If Dad knew that I was here, he'd be furious. No, he'd be more than furious; he'd consider this to be a terrible betrayal and a sign that I don't trust him.

  “Well, goodnight, Dave,” Karen says. “It was cool talking to you. Remember to drop by the cafe some time and try one of those cakes. I promise you, you won't be disappointed.”

  “I will absolutely do that,” Dad replies, as I hear the sound of Karen walking away. “Sleep well, Caitlin. See you around some time.”

  Caitlin. That's her name. I knew it was something like that.

  I hear Dad's footsteps, and finally I summon the courage to look around the corner. I immediately see Caitlin walking away along the dark lane that winds past the pub's far end, and then I spot Dad heading toward the village green. I'm instantly filled with the realization that he's going to get home before me, and I can't work out how I'm going to explain the fact that I'm out at such a late hour. I could claim that I went for a walk, but I really don't think that Dad would buy that.

  And then, just as I'm trying to think of some other excuse, Dad stops and turns.

  He's watching Caitlin as she walks away.

  I hold my breath, wondering what he's going to do next, and then I watch as he slowly starts walking after her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Ten years ago

  “Things are going to be different now,” Dad says as the two of us sit opposite one another at the kitchen table. “You realize that, don't you?”

  I nod.

  “Your mother...” He pauses. “Your mother was a very good influence on me. On both of us. It was your mother who smoothed all the edges from everything. Now that she's gone, we're going to have to get used to doing that for ourselves. It's not going to be easy.”

  “I know.”

  “We're going to have to think for ourselves a lot more. Wait, that's not the right way to put it. What I mean is that we're going to have to... work everything out. Without her help.”

  “I know.”

  “But we can do it.”

  “I know.”

  “I need you to forget the bad times, Lisa,” he continues. “The arguments, things like that. Did you hear what your mother and I were arguing about earlier, just before you left?”

  I shake my head.

  “Good. Now put the whole thing out of your mind.”

  “Okay.”

  “Focus on the positives.”

  “Okay.”

  “It's very sad that we've lost your mother, but she wouldn't want us to fall apart and become helpless. You realize that, don't you?”

  I nod.

  “She'd want us to carry on. Do you remember how she told you that you mustn't let your difficulties become an excuse for anything?”

  I nod again.

  “You have to stick to that,” he continues. “I'm going to need you to be a big girl, Lisa. I'm also going to need you to maybe do a few things around the house. I'm still going to have to work, and that means occasionally going off to conferences. I know it might seem bad to already start talking about this sort of thing when your mother's only been dead for a few hours, but we have to get on with our lives. That's what she'd want, so it's what we're going to do.”

  “I know.”

  “I need you to just act normal, Lisa.”

  I stare at him. Why does he feel like he has to say that to me?

  “I will,” I tell him.

  “And now I think you should go to bed,” he replies. “Me too, actually. We're both going to have an awful lot of things to get done in the morning.”

  “Will Mum's funeral be tomorrow?” I ask.

  “No, that'll be a little while off. But people liked your mother a great deal, she was very popular in the village. A lot of people will be upset when they learn that she's died.” He pauses. “I need you to not question my decisions. Just let me get on with things, okay? Even if you don't fully understand why I'm doing what I'm doing, I need you to give me an easy time. Is that clear?”

  I nod.

  “Now go to bed, Lisa. You're tired.”

  Getting to my feet, I step around the table and head to the door. I feel wide awake, but I have to make Dad's life easier and clearly that means making sure that I'm not disruptive.

  “And Lisa?”

  Stopping, I turn to him.

  “We're in this together,” he says calmly. “From now on. It's just you and me, but we'll make it work. You can deal with that, can't you?”

  I pause, before nodding.

  “That's my girl,” he adds with a smile. “We'll be just fine. All you have to do, no matter how bad things might ever seem, is trust me. I will never lie to you, Lisa. About anything. And I would never, ever hurt you.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Today

  I make my way along the pitch black lane and keep my eyes fixed on Dad. He's about thirty feet ahead of me, and Caitlin's another thirty-or-so feet ahead of him. I don't know where she lives, but so far Caitlin seems completely oblivious to the fact that she's being followed.

  I want to believe that I'm overreacting, but in truth I know that there's absolutely no reason for Dad to be all the way out at this side of the village. He's so clearly tailing Caitlin, although he specifically told me that he wouldn't need to hurt anyone else for a while yet. My mind is racing, and I can't work out what's happening, but then Caitlin stops outside a cottage and starts hunting for something in her pockets.

  Dad stops too, in the shadows.

  I stop, next to some bins outside the Post Office.

  I watch as Caitlin continues to look for whatever she's lost. A key to the front door, perhaps? I have a system, I always have my key in the exact same pocket, but I know some people are a little more chaotic. And then, as I wait for her to go inside, I see to my horror that Dad has started walking slowly up behind her. She doesn't seem to have noticed that anyone else is around, and Dad's getting closer and closer.

  Filled with panic, I turn and push one of the bins over. It makes a loud thudding sound as it lands, and Caitlin immediately turns and looks this way.

  I duck down, and I see that Dad has stopped. Caitlin doesn't say anything, so I guess she hasn't seen Dad approaching through the shadows. She hesitates, before taking something from her pocket and then opening the cottage's front door. As she steps inside and pushes the door shut, I can just about make out the sound of her talking to someone. She must live with her parents, or maybe with a boyfriend. Whoever, I'm just glad that she's not alone in there.

  I breathe a sigh of relief. I want to beli
eve that Dad wasn't going to do anything bad, but at the same time I don't know why else he would have been following Caitlin. And then, just as I'm starting to feel as if everything's alright, I realize that I can't see Dad at all.

  I wait, watching the shadows in the hope that he'll emerge, but he's simply not there. I look around, and now my mind is racing as I try to work out which way he could have gone. He certainly didn't come back the way he walked, and I'm not sure that the lane goes much further before reaching the edge of the village, so which way could Dad possibly have gone? As I wait for some sign of him, I start to realize that maybe he realized that someone pushed the bin over deliberately. Maybe he knows that I'm here.

  Keeping low, I scurry back the way I came a little, before ducking right down and hiding behind another set of bins.

  I wait.

  Sure enough, after about a minute, Dad's silhouette comes into view and I see him stop next to the overturned bin. He hesitates for a few seconds, and I see him turn and look around, and then slowly he reaches down and picks the bin up. He takes a moment to put it back in its proper place, then he stops again as if he's listening for any sign that he's not alone. He seems lost in thought, and I can't help worrying that he knows someone's out here with him.

  Still ducked down behind another bin, I realize that I'm holding my breath.

  Dad starts walking again. He's coming this way, so I pull a little further back behind the bin and watch as he comes straight past me. He's so close, I could reach out and touch him, but I'm well into the shadows and he doesn't look down this way. I stay frozen, not daring to move, before eventually peering out and seeing him making his way along the lane. He's wandering fairly slowly, with his hands in his pockets, as if nothing whatsoever is wrong. Allowing myself to take a deep breath, I realize that he can't have seen me.

  He's definitely going to get home before me, though. And when I arrive, he's going to want to know where I've been.