Chosen Child (9 page)

Ella made an effort to put the scene in the shed behind her.
This was an important day for them as prospective parents. ‘Don’t forget you’re
taking the Smart car today. And if you can get away a little earlier we could
take Soraya to look at bedroom furniture.’

‘Can’t promise, so don’t say anything to her. There’s plenty
of time for that, anyway.’

He left the house without kissing her goodbye, and Ella
heaved a sigh of – yes, of relief. It had come to that. Her husband was so
grumpy she was glad to see the back of him in the mornings.

With the weight of Rick’s bad temper gone, Ella went to make
sure everything was ready in Soraya’s room, the grin back on her face. She was
going to have a lovely time today no matter what.

Soraya was at the window when Ella drove up, still rather red
of nose but much livelier than she’d been on Tuesday.

‘Auntie Mel says you’ve got a surprise for me at your
house,’ she said, the moment Ella walked in the door.

Ella glanced at Mel, who mouthed ‘Photo’.

‘I certainly have,’ said Ella. She had spent most of Sunday
making a family album for Soraya, and it was waiting on the little girl’s bed.
‘Anything you want to do here before we head for home?’

Soraya shook her head, and Ella took her hand. Soraya knew
they were to be a ‘forever family’, but Tuesday, when the child was so poorly,
hadn’t been the time for an in-depth talk about it. Ella had opened a bottle of
Prosecco on Tuesday evening, but Rick was moody and the celebration of
parenthood turned into a bit of an anti-climax.

Today would be different. Soraya had chosen the dinner menu
– spaghetti bolognese followed by chocolate ice cream – and Ella bought a
bottle of fizzy grape and elderflower which she had every intention of serving
in her best crystal glasses. Soraya should know how special she was.

Back in St Ives, Ella made toasted cheese for lunch and then
sat with Soraya to look through the photo album. The little girl was drooping now,
and Ella abandoned her plan to go to the furniture store even if Rick was home
in time. Fortunately, Soraya was fascinated by the photos.

‘We might visit your gran and grandad in the summer
holidays,’ said Ella, after telling Soraya about her parents’ Yorkshire home.
‘They’re on holiday just now but as soon as they’re home we’ll Skype – they’re
dying to meet you.’

‘What about Rick’s parents?’ said Soraya.

Ella hesitated. Should she encourage her almost-daughter to
say ‘Mummy’ and ‘Daddy’? But maybe that could wait till Soraya moved in. ‘I’m
afraid they both died when he was small,’ she said. ‘Look, here they are on
their wedding day.’

‘Why did they die?’

Soraya’s eyes were huge, and Ella thought fast. She didn’t
want to encourage gloomy thoughts, but it was important to tell the truth.

‘His mum had a very rare illness, and his dad had an
accident with a tractor,’ she replied. ‘They were farmers, you see. He has a
sister, your Aunt Marianne, but she lives far away in Shetland. Rick’ll tell
you more about them later.’

At four o’clock Rick breezed in ready to go furniture
shopping, and wasn’t pleased to hear the outing had been postponed. ‘I wish
you’d told me. I could have done with another hour at work.’

His tone was nothing but petulant, and Ella shut the kitchen
door so that Soraya, watching children’s television in the living room, didn’t
hear them.

‘For heaven’s sake pull yourself together,’ she said
bluntly. ‘This is a special day for Soraya and she’s not feeling a hundred per
cent. You know the fuss you make when you have a cold. Why don’t you go through
and tell her about your side of the family? She’s thrilled with her photo
book.’

Rick poured a glass of whisky. ‘Give me five minutes.’

In spite of Ella’s apprehension Rick did pull himself
together and dinner passed off very successfully. They toasted each other and
the future, and then sat at the kitchen table playing Snakes and Ladders. When
Soraya eventually managed to win a game Ella gathered the counters together.

‘Let’s walk along to the end of the road. The fresh air will
help clear your nose, and we’ll show you the park we can play in tomorrow. You
can have a lovely smelly bubble bath when we get back.’

They were strolling along Cedar Road when Rick grabbed
Ella’s arm.

‘That’s Alan and Caro coming – don’t mention the India
thing, will you? Alan doesn’t know all the ramifications. It’s a bit
complicated so just keep schtum about it.’

Ella could hardly believe her ears. Alan was Rick’s boss and
not knowing the ramifications didn’t sound like him.

The other couple had been visiting Caro’s sister, and they
stood for a moment chatting about the area and about Soraya coming to stay. The
little girl’s face was one big beam and Ella hugged her. This was how she had
always wanted to live. Out for a walk with her grumpy husband and beautiful
daughter. Happiness spread through her like warm jam, sweet and comforting.

Alan clapped Rick on the back as they said goodbye. ‘Good
job business is booming, isn’t it, with your new arrival,’ he said, winking at
Ella and Soraya. ‘Don’t worry, ladies, Rick’ll be able to keep you in the
manner you’d like to become accustomed to.’

Ella smiled automatically. How very odd, she thought,
glancing up at Rick as they all walked on. Alan seemed completely unaware of
the India problem and Rick’s fears about his job. Home again, she turned to
Soraya. ‘Bedtime – I’ll read you a story, shall I? You go and choose a book,
and I’ll be up to run your bath in a minute.’

Soraya sped upstairs, and Ella opened the hall cupboard for
a box of tissues to go beside the girl’s bed. Rick, of course, had vanished
into the shed. He’d barely spoken since they’d said goodbye to his boss. It was
so strange, that remark of Alan’s…

A sudden, shocking thought made Ella’s stomach contract with
fear. Maybe there was no complication with an India contract. It was the first
time Rick had ever mentioned anything to do with an Asian side of the business;
his designated area included factories in Memphis and Chicago. Could the India
problem be a fabrication – something for Rick to hide behind because he wasn’t
happy about adopting Soraya? The more she thought about it, the more likely it
sounded.

Sick at heart, Ella went upstairs.

Thursday 22nd – Saturday 24th May

Amanda waited until late afternoon on Thursday before
reporting Gareth missing. They were the longest three days of her life, but
she’d supposedly seen him on Monday, and a grown man on a walking tour wouldn’t
necessarily report back home every night. People on mountains were supposed to
leave details of where they were going and when they expected to arrive, but
the same couldn’t be said for hikers on the South West Coast Path, surely. And
even if it could, well – Gareth hadn’t done that and she hadn’t expected him
to.

She lifted her mobile, hesitating as she went through the
details in her mind. What if they didn’t believe her? But then – why on earth
shouldn’t they? Stomach churning, she punched out the number of the local
police station.

‘I – can you help me? I’m a bit worried about my husband.
He’s on a walking tour and he’s not answering his phone.’

The policeman on the other end of the line was sympathetic.
‘When did you last hear from him, love?’

Amanda gave the details, suddenly grateful to James for
organising that Monday trip. She was able to sound completely convincing,
because it was all true. Except, of course, for the minor detail that it hadn’t
been Gareth she’d driven to Lamorna Cove.

‘Where was he going to stay on Monday night?’

They had planned this too. ‘He was aiming for Marazion, but
he hadn’t booked anywhere in case he stayed longer in Penzance. He had a bivvy
bag with him – he often sleeps outside if the weather’s reasonable.’

‘Right. Chances are he’s just lost his phone, but you could
come by the station, love, and report him missing. It would be good if you
bring a photo of him too, in case we need it.’

Amanda had anticipated the request for a photo and even
managed to find one of Gareth in his walking gear, complete with the red hat.
She bundled Jaden into the car feeling completely unreal. Here she was, an
ordinary, law-abiding person; she’d never had as much as a parking ticket, yet
she had just lied to the police. She jabbed the key into the ignition, pain
tightening across her forehead. This was going to be the real point of no
return. Staring some police officer in the eye and lying her head off. For a
moment Amanda leaned her head on the steering wheel. She’d never felt so bad
about herself, not even when she and James started the affair. She wasn’t a criminal;
she was a mum, and pregnant at that – and now she was behaving like a character
in a crime novel. It was as if she was two people – the woman telling all the
lies, and the real Amanda, the one who was suffering.

Sergeant Jacobs, the uniformed policeman who took the
details at the station, was grave without being pessimistic. He listened to
Amanda’s story, asking more questions about Gareth’s planned tour and what
exactly had happened on Monday morning. Amanda could hear the convincing
tremble in her voice as she told her story again, omitting only the detail that
she’d swung by Mousehole and Penzance before driving home again. Jaden sat in
his buggy staring at the man and sucking his thumb.

‘We’ll make enquiries along the route,’ said Sergeant Jacobs.
‘The photo of him in his hiking gear’ll help.’

‘His hair’s very dark,’ said Amanda. ‘And his eyes are grey.
Like my little boy’s. You can’t see on the photo but they’re unusual – someone
might remember them. And oh, he’s allergic to penicillin. Just in case he’s
hurt when you find him.’ Her voice tailed off. That was good; she’d sounded
authentic there.

‘But he’s a good hiker?’

‘Yes, he’s very keen. He’s done most of the trails, you
know, the West Highland Way and the Pennine Way and the like.’

Sergeant Jacobs looked impressed. ‘Right. Try not to worry.
We’ll be in touch.’

Amanda drove home in a dream. All she wanted to do was curl
up and cry, but there was Jaden to look after; she should organise him a clean
nappy and some food. What he really needed, of course, was his mummy and daddy
happy together and looking after him, but she couldn’t supply that; would never
be able to supply that. Amanda changed him, putting him straight into pyjamas
for an easy bedtime later, then made macaroni cheese for dinner. Jaden loved it
and his little face was bright as he finger-picked his way through his portion.
Amanda couldn’t swallow a thing. Gareth and Jaden had shared so much love and
the poor baby would never see his Da-dada again. Telling the police what had
happened – no, what hadn’t happened – made it seem abruptly and horrifyingly
real. Gareth was gone.

Thinking of Gareth reminded her she would have to phone
Susie and tell her about her son going missing. She should have done that
before calling the police, actually. Amanda lifted her mobile, remembering that
another thing she should have done was get a new mobile and destroy this one.

She shivered. The worst thing now was the isolation. Apart
from these policemen and the neighbour she’d been careful to joke with on
Monday evening, she hadn’t spoken to another adult since she dropped James at
Penzance. He’d made no effort to contact her – he’d said he wouldn’t, but she
hadn’t realised how hard the solitude would be. Hesitantly, Amanda tried his
number, but there was no reply. He could have already destroyed his mobile, in
fact he probably had. Maybe the postman would bring a letter from him tomorrow.
And now for Suze.

Not unnaturally, Susie was distraught to hear that Gareth
was missing and Amanda cursed silently. She should have waited until Jaden was
asleep to make this call.

‘The police think he might have lost his mobile. They’re
making enquiries along the route, Suze, all we can hope is they’ll find him sa
– sa – safe and sound.’

Her voice was trembling; she could hardly speak for tears.
She was lying to her mother-in-law, and it would go on, and on, until – what?
Until the world accepted that Gareth had been washed out to sea, or until she
was arrested for her crimes. Amanda closed her eyes, wishing with all her heart
that Gareth could phone and tell her about the spectacular views he’d seen
today and where he was going to sleep. But the voice in her ear was Susie’s.

‘Call me the minute you hear anything. If there’s no news
tomorrow I’ll come down and wait with you.’

Susie rang off abruptly and Amanda hefted her phone. If she
chucked it into a bowl of water today she’d be isolated from the world until
she got another. It might be best to wait until tomorrow. Meanwhile, she would
prepare for the inconvenience by listing her contacts. Sometimes it was better
just to concentrate on the job in hand.

It was eleven o’clock the next morning before she heard from
the police. Sergeant Jacobs arrived with a female officer, and for a macabre
moment Amanda wondered if this was because they had bad news. But they couldn’t
possibly have found Gareth so there couldn’t be much news.

They sat down in the living room and Sergeant Jacobs came
straight to the point. ‘We haven’t found your husband yet, Mrs Waters, but
there are several people who saw him on Monday morning. The owners of the café
where you had coffee remember you all, and so does the chap at the kiosk next
door. And that’s down to you, young man,’ he said to Jaden, who was on Amanda’s
knee. ‘We sent WPC Campbell here along the first segment of the path and she
came across this.’

The WPC opened a bag and produced Gareth’s red hat, wrapped
in plastic and looking soggy and grubby. Amanda clasped her hands to her mouth
and gaped at the hat. What should she say, what would the correct response be?