Single Mother

by Samantha Hayes

  ‘I’ve just not had a great run of luck, that’s all,’ he says with a resigned laugh. ‘There’s no way I’m going to trouble you with it now, and especially not the reasons behind it. You’ve got enough on your plate. But suffice to say that my little inheritance was short-lived. Debts, through no fault of my own, swallowed up the cash. But I’ve still got my job, which I’m grateful for, though it doesn’t pay well.’

  ‘I’m really sorry to hear that,’ Mel says, feeling bad for him. ‘What is it you do?’

  ‘I’m a carer,’ Angus says with a fond smile. ‘I know, I know… not exactly a glamorous career, but I love it. I used to be based in the community, but now I only have one client. He was my favourite out of all the people I looked after, and he needed someone for full-time care, so that’s what I do. He’s only my age but relies on me completely. We’re almost like brothers. It makes me nervous being away from him now, but a trusted colleague has taken over his care for a few days.’

  ‘You’re kidding me?’ Mel says, shaking her head. ‘A carer?’

  Angus looks up.

  ‘Before I moved here, I worked in a care home.’

  ‘Get out of here,’ Angus replies. ‘Really?’

  Mel nods, straining her ears for the police.

  Angus reaches out for her hands. ‘More than a coincidence, I’d say,’ he says. ‘Caring is obviously in our DNA.’

  Mel manages a smile, wondering if he’s right. ‘And I understand about favourite clients,’ she says. ‘I miss Bob terribly. He was ninety-six and always had such a positive outlook. I loved him to bits. But then I got fired and…’ She trails off, not wanting to go into it now.

  Mel glances at her watch. If the police don’t arrive soon, she’s going to call again.

  ‘Anyway, like I said,’ Angus continues, ‘my windfall money is gone now. Not that it was much in the first place. Looks like you did OK out of your share, though,’ he adds with a laugh.

  Mel frowns. ‘You don’t think our inheritances were equal?’

  Angus blows breath between his teeth. ‘Honestly? No way,’ he says without a shred of bitterness, still smiling. ‘But that’s OK. Even if there were other beneficiaries aside from us, my couple of thousand pounds quickly got used up. Someone wrote off my car, so I had to use it to buy another in order to get to work.’

  ‘That’s…’ Mel says, not knowing what to say, ‘terrible,’ she adds. She knows it’s no time to feel guilty, but she can’t help it. ‘It doesn’t sound right at all to me. And really not fair.’ She wishes the police would hurry.

  Angus closes his eyes for a moment. ‘Thanks, Mel. And I’m sorry for even mentioning it. I shouldn’t have while you’re worrying about Kate.’

  Mel nods in agreement, her heart suddenly thumping at the sound of the hotel front door opening. ‘Look, Angus,’ Mel says, one ear cocked, ‘we’ll sort something out, OK? I… I wouldn’t be able to live with the inequality of all this. You’re… you’re my brother, after all.’ She touches her forehead, unable to think straight. ‘I’ll make sure you’re—’

  But Mel stops as her office door opens wider and she sees two police officers standing there, Nikki nervously bobbing about behind them – the same two officers who were here just a few days ago. Suddenly, everything seems very real.

  Forty-Three

  ‘I’ll leave you in private,’ Angus says, rising and giving Mel a gentle pat. Something shifts inside her as she feels his warm hand on her shoulder. She doesn’t feel quite so alone in the world any more.

  ‘Thanks, Angus,’ Mel says, their eyes meeting. She gives him a brief smile, all she can manage, as he leaves.

  ‘It’s just not like Kate,’ Mel tells the two PCs, feeling even more anxious after she’s explained how she found Kate’s bed stuffed with pillows. ‘I’m just so worried that her father has snatched her. He’s… well, he’s not long out of prison and has a vendetta against me. He absolutely adores Kate and knows it would kill me if he took her.’

  ‘If this is correct, do you think she’s at risk with him?’

  ‘He wouldn’t lay a finger on her,’ Mel says confidently. ‘He’d kill anyone else who did, though,’ she adds. If there was one thing she’d always respected Billy for, it was his protectiveness and love for his daughter. ‘But Billy is…’ Mel hesitates, ‘well, he’s not exactly a good role model. I was a key witness that led to his conviction. I have sole residency and there’s no arrangements order in place for contact. If he’s got her, he’ll never bring her back, I’m certain of that.’

  ‘Two motives to take Kate, then. He adores her and he wants to get back at you.’

  Mel nods. ‘Yes, and he also wants to punish me for daring to leave him.’

  ‘It seems premeditated with the pillows in the bed,’ PC Gordon says as they follow Mel up to Kate’s room. ‘Almost as if Kate was part of the plan herself, or was willing to go.’

  ‘That’s what worries me,’ Mel says, watching as the police snap on gloves and carefully pick through her things – opening her bedside table, inspecting her phone, looking in a couple of drawers. ‘Because I know she wouldn’t have been willing to go. She just wouldn’t, not without telling me first.’

  ‘Has she been upset about anything recently? Did you two have any kind of falling-out?’ PC Gordon asks kindly.

  ‘She was very upset about what she unearthed outside – the bones. You know the situation there. But we hadn’t fallen out over it. I was doing everything I could to get her to open up, to talk to me.’

  Like leaving her alone last night when she was clearly still so troubled… Mel thinks, inwardly chastising herself.

  ‘Billy was in touch with her before we left Birmingham a few weeks ago,’ Mel continues. ‘He gave her a mobile phone with his number on. I’m not proud of this, but I ended up taking it so he couldn’t use it to contact her but… but when I checked earlier, it had gone from my room. Kate must have taken it with her. The stupid thing is, I don’t have its number. I didn’t think I’d need it. I’ve tried calling Billy from my phone, but it goes straight to voicemail. Christ, I’m so worried about her. Can’t you get officers out there looking for her right away?’

  ‘Absolutely, Miss Douglas, don’t you worry about that. We’re already on it. Now, it’s best you calm down and let us get on with our job.’

  Mel doesn’t know what else to do. After the officers left, taking a few of Kate’s things, including her regular phone, she went out searching again, spotting Tom several times as she drove around the area. She pulled over, winding down her window as he came up off the beach, shaking his head.

  ‘No sign so far,’ he said. ‘But if she’s still in the area, someone will find her. I’ve spread the word far and wide.’

  ‘Thank you,’ was all Mel could bring herself to say, shaking as she gripped the steering wheel. Tom promised he’d come back up to the hotel soon.

  Torn between wanting to be out searching and waiting at home in case Kate returned, Mel eventually went back to Moreton Inn and sat in her study, the door wide open so she could see out into reception.

  ‘Here,’ Rose says, placing a cup of tea on her desk, ‘drink this.’

  Mel glances up and nods gratefully.

  ‘She was fine when I checked in on her last night,’ Rose adds, a worried look on her face. ‘All tucked up in bed. Then I spotted you coming back early, so figured I didn’t need to look in on her any more.’

  ‘It’s OK, Rose,’ Mel says, ‘it’s not your fault. I don’t think she was in bed when you looked. She’d faked it. Or someone had.’

  After Rose leaves, Mel reaches into her desk drawer and pulls out her tarot cards. Simply holding them brings some kind of comfort. She closes her eyes as she shuffles, remembering her favourite foster mother doing the same if Mel had ever had a problem as a teenager.

  Let’s see what the cards have to say, shall we? Sue would say, with tea and Battenberg cake all part of the ritual, before spreading them out on the small dining table. Wh
ether what the cards told them was true or not didn’t matter to Mel – it wasn’t about that.

  What will be will be, Sue always said at the start of the reading. Consulting the cards was more about taking back some kind of control or, Mel thinks now as she deals out a spread, a way of searching deep inside herself.

  She stares at the colourful and detailed pictures, her mouth slowly opening, her heart sinking. The cards couldn’t be more indicative of her situation – loss, grief, desperation, anxiety, worry and devastation are all shown clearly.

  ‘Five of Cups, Nine of Swords, Three of Swords, Ten of Swords…’ Mel hangs her head, her hair falling over her face. Then she deals several more cards to elaborate on the previous ones, to see if there is any comfort at all to be had in the outcome.

  She stops, hearing a noise – the front door of the hotel opening. And then voices.

  It’s just as she sees she’s dealt the Six of Cups – the card of childhood, innocence and friendship – alongside The Lovers, that Michael and Tom are suddenly standing in her office doorway.

  ‘Oh my God,’ Mel says, leaping up. ‘Micky!’ She launches herself at him, burying her face in his shoulder and hugging him tightly. ‘I can’t believe you’re here. You must have driven like a loon after we spoke.’

  ‘I did indeed,’ Michael says as best he can with Mel hanging round his neck. ‘Has Katie come back yet?’ he asks, holding her at arm’s length.

  ‘No… no sign still. I’m going out of my mind with worry.’

  Michael glances at her desk. ‘I can see,’ he says, knowing she always turned to the tarot in times of stress.

  ‘I’ve virtually ransacked the village looking for her,’ Tom says, shaking his head.

  Mel nods, a frown set between her eyes. ‘Thank you,’ she says, introducing the two men as they shake hands. She’s just about to suggest they sit in the bar, to form a new search plan between them, when her phone vibrates in her pocket. She whips it out, answering with shaking hands when she sees PC Gordon’s number on her screen.

  ‘Yes, yes, OK,’ she says, listening. ‘When was that?’ she asks, glancing at Michael and Tom in turn. ‘Last night?’ Mel puts a hand to her forehead, a frown crumpling her face. ‘Oh God,’ she says, almost in tears. ‘But no description of the man? I understand, yes. OK, thank you, please do.’ And she hangs up, steadying herself by sitting down on the edge of her desk.

  ‘News?’ Tom says, gently touching her arm.

  ‘Someone thinks they saw her in the village last night,’ Mel says, her voice wavering. ‘They… they thought she may have been with someone but couldn’t be certain if they were together or not. They described Kate quite clearly, but whoever she was possibly with was wearing a hat and had his back to them as they passed.’

  ‘Anything else?’ Tom asks.

  ‘Apparently, there was another sighting of her a bit later. Somewhere sounding like Camborough Lane, I think?’ Mel says, wishing she’d paid more attention to the name. ‘It…’ She takes a deep breath. ‘It sounds like Billy definitely took her, Micky.’

  ‘A small comfort, but at least she’s not out there alone,’ Michael replies.

  Mel nods, but she also knows that, if it’s true, Billy won’t give her up easily. She might never see her daughter again. ‘The police are going to do a thorough search and house-to-house enquiries. They’re also getting details of his van and are out looking for it.’

  ‘Was it Combrook Lane?’ Tom says, thinking.

  ‘Yes, that’s it,’ Mel replies.

  ‘It’s up the other side of the village,’ Tom says. ‘It doesn’t lead anywhere except to a couple of farms and an old, half-ruined cottage. Walter wouldn’t let me go up that way as a lad, because…’ Tom trails off, clearing his throat.

  ‘Wait, your dad is called Walter?’ Mel says, putting two and two together. ‘Does he live in the little terrace of cottages just down from here on the hill?’

  ‘That’s him,’ Tom says. ‘Have you met him?’

  ‘He was lost,’ Mel says. ‘Kate and I took him home.’

  Tom looks at her for a moment, hesitating. ‘That’s kind, thank you. His memory certainly isn’t what it used to be. Everyone looks out for him, but I’m going to need more care for him soon.’

  ‘But that doesn’t answer why Kate was walking down that lane last night,’ Mel says, shuddering and choking back a sob. ‘Even if it was with Billy. You’d think he’d want to get her out of the area immediately.’

  ‘Come on,’ Michael says, taking Mel by the arm, ‘let’s get you a fresh cup of tea while we wait for news.’

  Mel nods reluctantly and, as she’s sliding off the desk, she knocks one of the tarot cards onto the floor from the pack. She bends down to pick it up and, turning it over, sees the face of the Devil staring back at her.

  Forty-Four

  Nikki brings the hot drinks over to the table in the corner where Mel sits with Michael and Tom.

  ‘I don’t feel real,’ Mel says weakly to Michael, who’s sitting on the banquette beside her. ‘Tell me this isn’t happening, Micky. If only I hadn’t gone out last night, Kate would still be here.’

  ‘Katie’s not daft,’ Michael says. ‘I can’t see her getting on a train on her own, or trusting a stranger. She’s probably just spending time with her dad. Not ideal, but she knows you wouldn’t approve and has gone about it the wrong way. But at least you know Billy won’t lay a finger on her.’

  ‘But he also won’t bring her back either. What if he takes her overseas? He has contacts in Spain, you know.’

  ‘Look, this is where Combrook Lane is,’ Tom says, showing Mel a map on his phone. He switches it to satellite mode and zooms in. Mel winces at the patches of woodland and open fields around the area with just one or two farm buildings dotted around.

  ‘It looks so remote,’ she says, turning away. She checks her own phone, making sure the volume is switched up. Then she dials Billy’s number again, but it goes directly to his message service as before. ‘I don’t see why Billy would be taking her somewhere like that.’

  ‘Any news?’ comes a voice nearby. When Mel looks up, Angus is standing there, concern written on his face. His eyes flick to Tom, then linger on Michael for a moment.

  ‘Not much,’ Mel says, updating him briefly about the sighting.

  ‘If there’s anything I can do, please let me know. We’re family, after all.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Mel says and watches Angus walk off, heading towards the toilets.

  ‘Is that the guy who says he’s your brother?’ Michael asks quietly, scowling at the man’s back.

  Mel nods, barely registering what he’s saying.

  ‘Your brother?’ Tom says. ‘Him?’ He glances at the space where Angus has been.

  ‘Yes,’ Mel says vaguely. ‘He turned up as a guest a few days ago and then dropped it on me that we’re siblings. Apparently.’ She shrugs.

  ‘I saw him in the village,’ Tom continues, sipping slowly on his tea.

  Mel nods, barely listening as she tries Billy’s number again. Nothing.

  ‘He was talking to someone. I swear it was that same guy in the van who’d come looking for a room the other day, remember? I came to tell you about it a couple of days ago but… but you seemed pretty upset about something at the time, so I left.’

  Mel looks up, tensing. ‘What? Can you describe him? And I’m sorry. I’d just read a pretty damning piece by that journalist in the local paper and was upset.’

  ‘He was rough-looking, though not a big bloke. Guess he had a mean face, but not unattractive either. He had a scar on his cheek, I remember that much.’

  ‘A scar?’ Mel says, closing her eyes briefly before reaching for her phone. ‘Is this him?’ she says, pulling up a photograph.

  ‘That’s him,’ Tom says, leaning across to look.

  ‘It’s Billy,’ she tells him. ‘My ex.’ She’d already sent the picture to PC Gordon when they were here earlier.

  ‘He was sitting in
his van with the window down, parked near the seafront. Angus was standing beside the van. The pair of them seemed deep in conversation. It’s not hard to spot who’s local and who’s not around here, and they both stood out a mile, especially as I’d seen the guy in the van up here before. He must have hung around the area.’

  ‘Christ…’ Mel says, dropping her shaking head into her hands. ‘I’ve been so stupid. Angus is obviously on Billy’s payroll,’ she whispers, conscious of him being within earshot. ‘Billy must have sent him here. It’s his style, especially as you’d already turned him away in the car park. He figured he’d call on someone less dodgy-looking to get inside. To get to Kate.’

  ‘But I don’t understand why Billy would show his face here in the first place and risk you seeing him,’ Tom says. ‘And why would Angus claim to be your brother?’

  Mel stares out of the window for a moment. ‘You don’t know Billy,’ she says. ‘It’s how he works. He had no intention of staying here. He picked his moment to speak to you, hoping I’d find out he’d been here. It was his way of rattling me, of unnerving me, letting me know he’s still on my tail. Classic Billy.’

  Mel sips her tea, her hand shaking as she brings the mug to her mouth.

  ‘And as for getting Angus to pretend to be my brother…’ Mel blows out, shakes her head as she thinks. ‘I don’t know. Guess he knows my weak spots and he’s playing on them. This is bloody war as far as I’m concerned,’ she says, standing up then sitting down again, not knowing what to do with herself. ‘I swear to God, I won’t rest until I’ve got my Katie back.’ She slaps a hand down on the table. ‘He’s pushed me too bloody far this time.’

  ‘Hey, hey, steady there,’ Michael says. ‘Getting worked up isn’t going to find Kate, and that’s our main priority now. Let the police deal with Billy once they’ve got him.’

  But Mel’s attention is turned to the restaurant door again as Angus comes back in from the toilets.