by A J Waines
‘That woman…?’
‘He’s been with me until an hour ago, when I knew you were coming,’ she said, dropping her head. ‘I took time off work to look after him.’
‘You just took him? For six days?’
‘I thought Rick might hurt him, so I took him out of harm’s way. Rick had mentioned where you lived so I followed you to the nursery. Then I turned up at the gates at closing time. Ben’s name was on his rucksack.’
‘Why the hell didn’t you tell me? Why hide him from me? Don’t you realise what torture you’ve put me through?’
‘It wasn’t just that I thought Rick might take it out on Ben. Rick said you’d done something terrible to our family, something unforgiveable that I wouldn’t believe.’ She bit her lip. ‘I didn’t altogether trust you after that. I thought I’d wait until I knew exactly what you’d done before giving Ben back.’
Giving Ben back?! She made it sound like a playground tiff.
‘He isn’t hurt or anything,’ she insisted. ‘We’ve had a great time. Everyone says I’m brilliant with kids.’
Daniel had no words left. He hugged his boy, taking in his smell, nuzzling his face until Ben was struggling to get down.
‘Don’t fuss, Daddy,’ he said, sounding just like Franciska. Ben wiped his runny nose on the cuff of his sleeve and reached out for the orange monkey on the arm of the sofa. ‘Hungry, Daddy,’ he said. ‘Need sweets.’
Daniel laughed and was momentarily distracted. The resilience of kids… In that split second, Rick stumbled forward and grabbed the boy, the sword still in one hand. Ben giggled, thinking it was a game.
‘What better way for Daddy to suffer than to watch his beloved son get caught up in a very tragic accident,’ he hissed. He turned to Louise. ‘Thanks, sis – superb timing. Didn’t know you had it in you.’
‘You’re mad,’ spluttered Louise.
‘Don’t…’ implored Daniel, edging towards him.
Rick plonked Ben down on the edge of the table. ‘Look what we have here,’ he said enticingly.
‘Big sword,’ said Ben, reaching out for it.
‘Yes, very big sword,’ he said. ‘The kind of sword you could do a lot of damage with.’
‘Let him go!’ cried Daniel. ‘Ben, come here!’
Ben’s bottom lip started to quiver, but he stayed where he was, confused.
Rick’s face was tight; his eyes bright with a combination of rage and jubilation as he brandished the sword above Ben’s head.
Rick would never do this to his own son. He can’t possibly know.
Daniel drew a breath to tell him the truth – to save Ben – but there wasn’t time. Instead, he threw his full weight into Rick’s thighs. Knocked off balance, Rick took two unsteady steps backwards and careered into a tropical fish tank standing on a narrow table. The force sent it toppling over and a colossal crash followed as the glass shattered on the bare floor, accompanied by gushes of escaping water.
Ben pointed at the mess, uncertain whether to laugh or cry.
Rick swiftly began clawing his way to his feet amidst shards of broken glass, but didn’t have enough time before Jody rushed out of the kitchen clutching a damp duvet cover from the washing machine. She flung it over Rick’s crumpled body, pinning him down.
Before anyone could speak, the door swung open to the cries of ‘Police!’
Two officers stormed in to find the three of them crouching over a soggy mound in a pool of water – and a small boy sitting on the table, looking bemused, swinging his legs.
Chapter 86
Daniel took the day off work to bring Sophie home. It was windy and wet, just as the weatherman had predicted. The morning sun had got lost behind a haze of overlapping clouds, and in spite of the breeze there was an odd kind of stillness, like liquid gradually seeping into fabric, making it heavy and damp.
As he sat in the reception area waiting for forms to be signed and her belongings to be handed over, the acrid smell of bleach made him nauseous. He shuddered as distant heavy iron gates slammed shut. A guard came through, a radio crackling at his hip, and Daniel wondered what impact being incarcerated here would have had on his once graceful and radiant wife.
A clock on the wall laboured with every second and rain spattered against the window, leaving trails like forlorn tears. Beside it, a green poster hung with the words, ‘What are you going to do when you leave prison?’ He wondered if Sophie had seen it and what her response would have been. Go home and give their marriage another go? Go home and pack her things?
He hadn’t prepared himself for Sophie’s release at all. Every ounce of energy had been directed towards Ben; checking to see if he was emotionally scarred by his recent ordeal, spending every minute watching him, attending to him, giving him everything he wanted.
Daniel had given little thought to what could happen next. Not in any detail, anyway. He just wanted peace and an end to all the hostility and hurt. And no more surprises.
Sophie appeared, looking pale and thin, and a surge of despondency caught him off guard. He dropped his eyes, let them fix on the tiled floor. As they drifted together towards the door, he was forced to slow down to her pace. He was unsure whether to link arms with her or not, if only to keep her upright. Although fragile, Sophie looked self-contained and determined, like a new-born fawn standing on spindly legs for the first time.
He got out of her way. She needed to do this part on her own.
Once in the privacy of the car, they said little. He listened to the windscreen wipers beating a steady pulse like the rhythm of a life-support machine. Best to wait for her to speak. He didn’t want to overwhelm her with questions or glib reassurances and she’d never been one for small talk.
Taking his eyes momentarily off the road, he followed her gaze as she silently watched life unfold and reacquainted herself, no doubt, with a world that had been out of bounds for months.
The dreamy familiarity of dripping umbrellas, pushchairs and green and white striped shop awnings slid past. People seemed to know where they were going; crossing the road, huddling at bus stops, rushing against the rain.
As the car pulled into their street, she turned and stared at the mini-supermarket that was now evolving into a wine bar. He remembered that since she’d last been there, speed ramps had been introduced and the laundrette had been boarded up, too.
Sophie hesitated on the doorstep; dread and excitement tugging her in both directions as she re-entered her former life. Once inside, Ben flattened himself against her legs, giving her no chance to reflect further. Edith muttered hello and goodbye in one garbled sentence, grabbed her bag, then slipped out to give them some privacy.
All of Sophie’s trepidation was squeezed out by Ben’s tiny arms when he wrapped them around her. Sophie lifted him to eye-level and wept silent tears as she tenderly rocked him, telling him how sweet and wonderful he was, guiding his face into her neck so she wouldn’t upset him.
Daniel left her bags on the landing; it was up to her as to whether she chose the spare room or not. Then he let her be, so she could find her bearings.
She took a long time to take those first steps into the kitchen, and when she was finally ready, she did so holding Ben’s hand. Daniel had moved the table and shifted the fridge-freezer, added a wine rack and a shiny new wall clock. It was a different room. A different life.
She was unable to imagine taking up the same physical space as the figure who had once stood there, holding a carving knife. That day was a scene from a film, with an actress who didn’t even resemble her.
Nevertheless, her eyes were drawn to the spot on the floor where the horrifying pool of blood had expanded, but she could find no trace of it. Seeing it erased in the physical world allowed her to imagine for a split second that she might be able to wipe it clean from her memory. Perhaps they all could.
But in her next breath she knew it would be impossible. The damage had been done, even though everyone had finally agreed it wasn’t her fault.
/> Rick had been arrested for contaminating her medication. With his degree in biochemistry and connections with the underworld, it hadn’t been difficult. He was charged with administering noxious substances with intent to endanger life and cause bodily harm. He was looking at six years for that alone; there were the other offences to take into account too. The possibility of attempted murder hadn’t been ruled out.
Rick was also the one who’d left the vanishing trail of so-called ‘evidence’ of Daniel’s affair designed to cause so much pain. None of that was in her own head!
At last, it was so good to be believed.
Daniel sliced vegetables for a simple pasta dish for supper while Sophie took a bath. She spent a long time putting Ben to bed and afterwards joined Daniel in the kitchen as he dished up.
They ate in silence, barely making eye contact. Daniel glanced up at her now and again, wondering what she was thinking, wondering if she had questions she was desperate to ask or details she wanted to explain – but like him, didn’t know where to start. Or perhaps she was reliving those moments in this unremarkable room when their world turned inside out.
Instead of reflecting on the past, Daniel was thinking about the future. About Ben. About burying secrets. About what was the right thing to do and whether that was also the best thing to do. Daniel knew he’d always live in fear of the day when Ben showed similar traits to Rick. Condemned to watch and wait; he would carry that dread with him forever. Or perhaps nurture would outweigh nature. Only time would tell.
Sophie pushed a pile of unwanted penne to the edge of her plate and sat back. He’d spent hours rehearsing this moment. There was so much he needed to tell Sophie, but now the time had come his mind was numb. He couldn’t imagine finding any of the right words.
His phone vibrated. A text message. He turned it over, so the screen faced him. It was Jody.
I’m thinking of you. Thinking of you all.
Daniel sighed, and when Sophie looked up, he struggled to smile.
‘We need to talk, don’t we?’ she said.
Daniel swallowed hard, then opened his mouth.
THE END
About the Author
AJ Waines is a number one bestselling author, topping the UK and Australian Amazon Charts in two consecutive years, with Girl on a Train. The author was a psychotherapist for fifteen years, during which time she worked with ex-offenders from high-security institutions, gaining a rare insight into abnormal psychology. She is now a full-time novelist with publishing deals in UK, France, Germany, Norway, Hungary and USA (audiobooks).
Her fourth novel, No Longer Safe sold over 30,000 copies in the first month, in twelve countries worldwide. In 2016 and 2017, the author was ranked in the Top 10 UK Authors on Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing).
AJ Waines lives in Hampshire, UK, with her husband.
Find out more at www.ajwaines.co.uk or follow her Blog. She’s also on Twitter (@AJWaines), Facebook and you can sign up for her Newsletter.