For the Sake of the Children: The first Chloe Webster thriller (Chloe Webster Thrillers Book 1) (19 page)

‘Miss Webster, allow me to conduct some introductions. My name is Nigel Lightbody and I work here at the local authority. I think we spoke on the telephone yesterday.’ Chloe didn’t like him already. He was too self-assured; too confident for her liking. He had perfectly groomed hair which looked oily, and a suit which seemed far too expensive for someone in his job. Chloe felt like she was struggling for clean air over the smell of someone’s aftershave.

‘Yes, we did, but…’

‘Please, let me finish. This is my colleague Colin Higginbottom. Colin, this is Chloe Webster from Anderson, Gormley and Drake solicitors.’

Colin looked friendly enough, and he reached a hand across the table which Chloe decided would be churlish to ignore. He had a good, firm handshake and she decided he was probably a decent bloke.

I must stop going on first impressions.

‘Right, thank you. Now, why on earth do you think it’s necessary to move George away from his grandmother? In my experience that would be really unusual. Surely he’s better off with his family?’ Chloe was determined to get a full explanation for what was happening here. She thought again of Chelsie lying in that hospital bed and knew that she was Chelsie’s voice at a time when she could not speak for herself. She couldn’t fight for her only child and so someone had to do it on her behalf, and that someone was Chloe.

‘As I said on the telephone, the decision has been made. There’s nothing we can do about it now and therefore no reason to go over it all again. It’s better all round if we just…’

‘Hang on, what do you mean, go over it all again. I’m still waiting to hear it the first time. Telling me that a decision has been made doesn’t really do it for me to be honest. Who made the decision? You?’ Chloe could feel the anger building up inside her but knew that she had to remain professional, not least for the sake of George, who was happily playing in the corner, seemingly oblivious to what was going on.

‘I really can’t go into the details of the decision Miss Webster, suffice to say the decision has been made and that’s that. Now, we need to move things on. The foster parents are here and so we just need to get a few things signed.’

Higginbottom leaned over in his chair towards the other man. Lightbody moved closer and a brief whispered conversation took place which Chloe found even more irritating. Lightbody nodded and then continued talking to Chloe.

‘Yes, in fact just the foster father is here to collect the child. Now, shall we get on with it Miss Webster?’

‘George will of course be removed from foster care once his mother wakes up.’

‘
If
she wakes up, Miss Webster…’

‘For goodness sake George is sitting just over there. Listen to what you’re saying will you.’ Chloe was exasperated with the man. ‘Have some thought for the boy.’

‘Well the news we have from the hospital is not good, that’s all I’m saying. I suspect that in reality this will be the first step to a permanent adoption of the child.’

For just a moment Chloe found it hard to disagree with the words she was hearing. Chelsie was certainly in a bad way and from what she had seen it would be some kind of miracle if she made a full enough recovery to look after herself, never mind a young child.

‘Right, I’ll go and see if the father is ready. Please bear with me.’ Lightbody stood up and disappeared through an opaque glass door in the back of the office which closed behind him. Chloe looked across at Higginbottom, who shuffled the papers on the table in front of him uncomfortably and refused to make eye contact with her.

‘Can you tell me anything more about what’s going on here? Do you agree that it’s unusual?’ Chloe leaned on the desk and spoke in a soft voice, hoping to reason with the man who she thought was the good guy. ‘Please, I need to make sure this is the best thing for George.’

‘I don’t know the answer to your questions Miss Webster. I’m sorry but I really don’t. This isn’t exactly normal but as Mr Lightbody says, the decision has been made.’ He continued to look down at the desk and pretended to read something.

Chloe knew she wasn’t going to make any progress and pressing the point certainly wouldn’t change that. It was obvious that Lightbody was in charge around here and Higginbottom was just there to fill a chair and tick some boxes. She sat back and sighed as the door to the office opened and Lightbody marched back in. As it slowly closed on itself, she took the chance to peer past the door into the next room, hoping to catch sight of the foster carer.

And that’s when she saw something that terrified the life out of her.

‘Jack, what are you doing here?’ Ben sat down and looked at Chloe’s father expectantly.

‘Hi Ben, how are you?’ Jack was surprised at what he took for an aggressive display from Ben. He assumed he’d misinterpreted the younger man’s behaviour so he kept it polite.

‘I’m fine. What is it you want, Jack? I’m a bit busy right now, and Chloe’s out at a meeting.’ No smile, no polite conversation, no respect.

Jack looked across the desk. He was an amicable guy; he didn’t like to cause a fuss and he knew what he was doing here was a little out of the ordinary, but he didn’t like the attitude coming the other way. Not one little bit.

‘Okay Ben, I appreciate that, but Chloe seems to be having a tough time here at the moment and I don’t know, I just feel that something’s not quite right about it all.’

Ben checked his watch and sighed.

‘Look Jack, it’s a stressful job. Sometimes we have to do things that we don’t like. Deal with clients we’d rather not deal with. Chloe just needs time to get used to the way things are here. She’s used to a small firm out in the sticks. It’s not like that here. Our clients have different expectations.  Different rules apply.’

Jack was no fool. He was here for reassurance and he wasn’t getting any. Had he misjudged Ben? He thought he was a nice bloke, suitable for his daughter. Maybe he wasn’t the man he’d thought he was.

‘Ben, I know this place is different to where she was before. I know there are things that she’ll need to get used to. But I’m worried about her. There’s something important bothering her and I need to know what it is. It’s not just stress, it’s more than that. I know my own daughter and she’s not herself at the moment.’

Ben leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head.

‘Jack, it’s fine. There’s nothing to worry about.’

He could see he was getting nowhere here. Ben wasn’t going to give up any information easily. He made a decision which, unbeknown to him, he would live to regret; he decided to lie.

‘Listen Ben, the truth is, I know all about it. She told me everything, she always does. I know all about the dodgy deals she’s been involved with and what’s been happening here. I just want to be sure that she’s safe.’ Words, just words, but he expected a reaction.

For the first time Ben looked less than sure of himself. His hands came down from behind his head and he sat forward in his chair. He looked at Jack as if he was sizing him up for a fight.

‘What has she told you exactly Jack?’

He took a punt, not able to be too specific because of course, he actually knew nothing. ‘About the money. It worries me Ben.’ He hoped it was enough to elicit a response, and he was right.

‘Okay Jack, in that case I think there’s someone you need to meet.’

Not exactly what he’d expected but Jack was satisfied that he was making progress.

‘All right. Go and fetch them.’

‘No, they’re not here. I’ll need you to come with me. It’s just a short car journey from here, then everything will be explained and I’m sure you’ll feel better for it.’

Jack was puzzled. ‘I don’t understand. What do you mean? Who is it?’

‘It’s too complicated to explain. Come on Jack, just a quick drive and it’ll put your mind at rest I promise. What do you say?’

‘Okay then, why not? After you.’

Ben smiled for the first time.

Gotcha,
he thought.

It was Mr Peters that she’d seen. Probably not his real name, but she knew him as the client who’d threatened to kill her and her father. There was no doubting it. She remembered his well-groomed moustache and how it ran too far down his face on each side; if he was going for the
bad guy
look it had worked. The office door finished its journey and closed snugly into the frame with a gentle click. But she’d seen all she needed to see. What on earth was he doing here? How was he involved in all this?

‘Is everything all right, Miss Webster?’ Lightbody had apparently noticed her staring at the door. ‘You seem a little pale.’

‘Pardon? Oh yes. Actually I could do with popping to the loo if that’s okay?’ She needed time to think, and it was the first thing that came to mind.

‘Yes, of course. It’s back out in the main hallway there, just past the stairs.’ He didn’t seem at all suspicious and so Chloe made her way out into the lobby, the cooler air instantly helping to clarify her thoughts.

Staring into the mirror in the ladies’ toilet, she began thinking quickly. What was it that Peters had spoken to her about? Wasn’t it something to do with buying houses and overseas transactions? Creating offshore trusts maybe?

Shit, he’s the one who paid the money into my account too.

She’d somehow pushed the issue of the ten thousand pounds to the back of her mind. She still had no idea what to do about it. She couldn’t return it, and she didn’t want to draw it out in cash. She was still thinking about going to the police, but the threats from Peters, and Crawford before him, and her chat with Ben, who had tried to reassure her, had all left her feeling very unsure of what to do.

A woman entered the toilets, heels clicking on the tiled floor, and locked herself in a cubicle.

Chloe knew she had to think quickly. There was no way she could hand George over to these people, not having dealt with them close up and knowing what they were like. She ran the cold tap and splashed water on her face, but it did little to ease her confusion. She felt that she owed it to Chelsie to do the best she could for George.

The woman came out of the cubicle and stood at the sink next to her. She squirted soap onto her hands and washed them briskly under the tap.

‘Are you okay love?’ She was well-presented and had an air of seniority about her, a confidence that instantly impressed and reassured. Chloe was very tempted to confide in her and ask for help.

‘Yes, thank you, I just had something in my eye. I think it’s gone now.’

Don’t trust anyone.

‘Oh you poor thing. Do you want me to have a look?’

‘No, really, I think it’s okay now. Thanks anyway.’
Please go away.

The woman smiled and made her way back out into the hallway. Chloe eyed her reflection in the mirror again. The extra time had at least helped her to reach a decision. There was nothing else she could do, and she’d known it since the moment she saw Peters.

She had to get George out of the building.

Chloe walked confidently back into the office. The conversation between the two men sat at the desk once again ended the moment she entered the room and Lightbody looked at her a little strangely. She assumed it was something to do with how long she’d been in the toilet thinking about her next move. Not caring what they thought, she knew she had to put her plan into action.

She addressed Lightbody. ‘Can I meet the father? Is he in there?’ She gestured to the door at the back of the room through which she’d seen Peters.

‘I don’t really think that’s necessary. He isn’t under scrutiny here. The decisions have all been made and we just need to get this done. I suggest we take George through now and send him on his way.’ Lightbody fired a sideways glance across to Higginbottom who returned the look. Chloe’s stomach was churning as the adrenaline started to take effect. Events were spiralling out of control but she knew there was only one way out of this. At least, for George there was.

‘Erm, yes, okay. Listen, George has had a tough time recently, I’m sure you understand that?’ She needed to get George alone.

‘Yes, Miss Webster, we are sorry for him that his mother is in such a bad way.’

Chloe frowned and glanced over to George, glad to see that he either wasn’t listening, or didn’t understand what was just said. There was no gain to be had in making her point to Lightbody about how insensitive his choice of words was; she had to keep him as amenable as possible for the next part of her plan.

‘I’m sure you
are
sorry, Mr Lightbody. My point is this, I think it would be really good for him if he and I could just spend a few minutes alone so that I can explain carefully what is about to happen. He’s likely to be scared and confused by all this.’

‘Oh that won’t be necessary, Miss Webster, we have a very experienced social worker in there to deal with all that. There really is no need for you to stay here any longer. I think we’re ready to take George now.’ He stood up as if to encourage her to leave. His words resonated in her head.

We’re ready to take George now.

It just didn’t sound right. Nothing about this was right. Panic started to take a grip as she desperately tried to find a way to get George away.

‘I need a wee-wee.’ George stood up and looked over to the desk where the adults were gathered. This was it; this was her chance.

‘I’ll take him to the ladies out in the hallway,’ said Chloe as calmly as she could, trying not to sound too eager. Higginbottom tried to hide the nudge he gave Lightbody but she saw it.

‘It’s okay Miss Webster, we’ll handle it from here.’

She stood up and looked at George with a huge smile. ‘Would you like me to take you George? Remember I told you that your mummy asked me to look after you?’

‘Miss Webster…’ Lightbody wasn’t happy, but she persevered.

‘Would you like that George? Shall we go and find the loo?’

‘Miss Webster,
please
…’

‘Yes,’ said George at last.’ I want Chloe to take me.’

Chloe was surprised that he’d remembered her name. She took a step towards him and clasped his hand in hers and, oblivious to the frustration of the two men, she whisked him out of the office into the hallway. As she approached the door to the toilets, she glanced back to see that Lightbody had disappeared into the back office again. Higginbottom was staring at the papers on the desk, head in hands. She pulled George away from the entrance to the toilets and instead yanked him through the door to the stairway.

‘It’s down here, George,’ she said, as reassuringly as possible while dragging him as fast as she thought he could safely go.

‘Okay Chloe.’

They piled into the main reception area, such as there was one, and then out into the street. The heavy rain instantly soaked them and George suddenly started to look puzzled. Chloe knew they only had a few minutes before they would be missed. She looked up and down the busy city centre street. A taxi approached from her left and she stepped out into the road to hail it.

‘Taxi!’

Please stop. Please stop.

The black car pulled up in front of her and she bundled George into the back and climbed in next to him, fastening both their seatbelts as she did.

‘Where to love?’

‘Bradmill please, quick as you can.’