The Girls in the Woods (24 page)

She didn’t trust herself to speak. It had been so long since she’d been able to speak freely that she was afraid once she did she wouldn’t be able to stop. Paul took her by the arm, leading her away from the crowd of kids who were all arguing and shouting outside the shop, and walked her towards the surgery and his home.

Will had come out for some fresh air and witnessed the whole thing. He had been about to run to help Jo up when the doctor – who he only knew because of Annie’s many appointments – beat him to it and had picked her up. For a minute he wanted to applaud them; they looked much better suited than she did with the man she was married to, and he would bet that the doctor didn’t believe in beating women any more than Will did. He found himself rooting for Jo, hoping that she would open her eyes and make the move away from her husband like Annie finally had before it got too bad.

The surgery wasn’t far from the shop and before long Paul had his key out, had the front door open and was ushering her inside. Instead of taking her into his consulting room, he led her through the small, deserted waiting room and into the lounge at the back of the house where he gently sat her down. He went out of the room and came back in with a small glass of amber liquid. Jo shook her head.

‘Drink it – doctor’s orders.’

‘I don’t drink. Heath doesn’t like it.’

‘I don’t care what he doesn’t like. I’m asking you as a friend to drink it, not him.’

With hands that were shaking she took the glass from him, lifting it to her lips. She pulled a face and he nodded his head; then she tilted her head and downed it, sticking her tongue out and coughing. Passing the glass back to him she shuddered.

‘Urgh, that was foul.’

‘All the best medicine is. You should remember that from when you were a kid.’

He began to laugh and felt his heart fill with joy at the smile that spread across her face; suddenly she looked more like the Jo he used to know. Sitting down next to her he took hold of her hand; he expected her to pull away from him but she didn’t.

‘Look, I know this is none of my business. God knows I’ve kept my nose out for more years than I wanted to – but I can’t do it any more. I can’t bear to see you like this. I know that he hits you, bullies you and makes your life a misery. What I don’t know is why you let him… but that’s easy for me to say. You need to get out of there before he kills you – because he will. It’s just a matter of time. Each time I see you the injuries are worse. He never used to hit you where it could be seen, but now he doesn’t seem so fussy. He’s worn you down to a shadow of your former self. Have you looked in the mirror lately? You always had a lovely figure but now you’re just skin and bone. No wonder you bruise so easily.’

She didn’t want to speak because she knew once she did it would all come out, but the brandy had warmed her up, soothed her a little.

‘Don’t you think I know that? I’ve thought about it more times than I care to remember over the years, I really have – but I have nowhere to go if I left. I know for a fact that he’d come looking for me and kill me. He wouldn’t think twice about it. As much as I have a crap life I still love being alive, I enjoy living in this beautiful place, the warmth of the sun on my face and singing out of tune to the radio… I don’t want to die just yet.’

‘Then please let me help you. Why don’t we phone the police and tell them everything? Hell, if we walk fifty yards down the road there’s a village hall full of them. If you give a statement and he’s arrested he won’t be allowed to come near you.’

Jo began to laugh.

‘You always were such an optimist; that’s what I loved about you when we were dating. That might work for a day or two, but then do you really think he’s going to let me walk away from him? He will find a way and come after me, then he’ll kill me – and you, if he finds out you talked me into it.’

‘How do you know? They might just be empty threats. Most men are shameless wimps when faced with the harsh reality of prison.’

‘If he thought he was going to prison for giving me a good few slaps now and again then he would want to make it worth his while. Thank you for caring, Paul, I truly appreciate it, but there’s nothing I can do – it’s hopeless.’

She stood up because her stupid eyes were filling with tears again and she didn’t want him to think she was a complete loser.

‘What if I help you? You can come and live here with me. I have three spare bedrooms so you can take your pick. I don’t mean as anything other than a friend. I also have a state-of-the-art security system because of the drugs kept on the premises, so he wouldn’t be able to get near you because I would be here to stop him and the police would be here in minutes.’

‘Why would you want to do that for me? Why would you want to put yourself in so much danger? I’m not worth any of the hassle or heartache that I’d bring with me, Paul.’

‘Isn’t it obvious why?’

She shook her head. She had no idea. She didn’t know if he was married, divorced… hell, he could even be gay for all she knew. It had been a very long time ago that they’d been lovers and it had only been a brief relationship that hadn’t lasted more than six months.

‘I love you, Jo, I’ve always loved you – but you would never let me close enough to make it clear, and back then we were both so young. Then you got together with Heath and at first I thought it was okay, that I could cope because I was so busy being newly qualified and a junior partner in the practice. I didn’t have time to be lovesick so I let you get on with it, even though deep down I was broken-hearted. I did marry eventually, years later, but she was never you and she left me three years ago for a lawyer, would you believe it? Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I can’t stand watching you shrink into yourself any more – you were always so loud and funny. So kind and caring, not to mention passionate. I’ll help you to get away from him. I promise you I won’t let you down.’

She didn’t know what to say. She had never in a million years expected this when she left the house an hour ago to buy some eggs.

‘What about the scandal? Won’t it hurt your practice?’

‘This lot in the village get excited about a missing dog, so yes there might be a bit of gossip, but nothing that either of us can’t handle and with the discovery of those remains I’m pretty sure we won’t be in the limelight for very long. Come on, Jo, what do you say – I’d love to see the woman I fell in love with all those years ago find herself again.’

He had hold of her hand and was now kneeling in front of her. She forced herself to look into his dark brown eyes and nodded.

‘I can’t just up and leave right this minute. I need to go back and get some things together. He’s been so preoccupied lately that he might not even notice what I’m doing. As soon as he locks himself into his studio I’ll ring you to come and get me. I’m not telling him anything. I’ll just pack an overnight bag.’

For the first time in over ten years she felt a spark of hope, that her life might just be about to change for the better. Paul grinned, then bent down to kiss her cheek.

‘I think you’ve just made a very wise decision. I have some holidays booked for the end of next week so we can get away. I was just going to stay here and sort the garden out but we could go anywhere you like – and for now I’m more than happy to be friends. I don’t expect you to jump into bed with me; I just want to help you get your life back.’

This time the tears did fall but they were tears of hope and joy – the thought of being her own person and free was almost too much to believe. She couldn’t wait to tell Annie; she’d known from the moment they’d met that Annie knew a kindred soul when she met one. Jo had also known that they would become great friends, and to think that she would be able to visit her whenever she wanted without the shadow of Heath looming over her made her smile even more. She stood up and hugged Paul.

‘Thank you so much. I’m just checking – you do realise that he won’t let me go without a fight, don’t you?’

‘Yes, I do, but nothing would give me greater pleasure than to dish out everything that he deserves. Of course I would only resort to violence if I had to. I was never the fighting kind, but I do have a good left hook.’

He winked and Jo pulled away.

‘I’d better get back now because I’ve already been far too long. I don’t want him to suspect anything.’

He crossed to the desk in the corner of the room and picked up a mobile phone, handing it to her.

‘I bought this after the last time I spoke with you because I was so worried. It’s only a cheap, unregistered pay-as-you-go but I’ve topped it up and programmed my number and the police’s into it. Keep it hidden from him and if you need me then ring me. I’ll be here. Oh, and leave it on silent so he doesn’t know about it.’

‘Thank you so much – I will.’

She tucked it into her pocket – that small bundle of black plastic was the lifeline to her new life and she would never let it go, or let Heath find it. She made her way to the front door and picked up the bag with what was left of her groceries inside. Too excited at the prospect of finally being able to get away from him, she never thought to bin that bag then go back and replace the damaged contents.

Chapter 26

Jake had taken it upon himself to check the CCTV cameras at the main bus stop in Bowness to see if Annie’s niece had got off the bus at any point yesterday from when she left her house until the time Ben had reported her missing. He was sitting with a bottle of diet Coke and a huge tuna salad, because his normally kind and caring husband, Alex, had hinted that his sleek, toned six-pack was turning into a slightly flabby eight-pack. Jake had spent twenty minutes this morning looking at his reflection in the mirror after his shower. He’d always been slightly vain; he couldn’t help it that he’d been blessed with thick, black hair and good looks. Since Alice had come into their lives the gym had become far less appealing; instead he’d rush home from work to spend time with her and Alex, who was lucky enough to work from home so they didn’t need full-time childcare. It wasn’t his fault he had a huge appetite; he liked food. He wondered how Annie was – she was always on a diet; she’d be able to lend him some of her slimming books. In fact he would drive through to see her as soon as he’d watched this last bit of film. He was up to almost seven p.m. and hadn’t seen anyone that even resembled Tilly getting off the bus – with her long, black hair, she was quite easy to identify. There was no way she had come to Bowness on the bus. The phone on his desk began to ring and he answered it to a breathless Smithy.

‘Got a location for her phone. Can you go and do an initial search? If you can’t find it I’ll get a task force to come in and do a fingertip search of the area.’

‘Where?’

‘In the area of St Mary’s church. Do you know it?’

Jake inhaled. He did indeed know it – and far too well. It was where he’d had his first encounter with the supernatural and watched Annie do battle with the scariest thing he’d ever seen in his life. It was also the place they’d buried Betsy Baker’s remains when they’d dug her up from Annie’s front garden. Something wasn’t right; for a place of worship that church sure attracted a lot of trouble. He sighed, relieved they might have a tangible clue but also wary of going to the churchyard on his own.

‘Yes, I do. I’ll go and have a look around the grounds now but they’re some size. I’ll get back to you.’

He put the phone down, snapped the plastic lid back on his salad then went and put it back in the fridge. He was starving but not that hungry for rabbit food. He wondered if Father John would be in – he always had the most amazing cakes. He might just have to give his door a knock for a catch-up, and of course a slice of homemade cake. His stomach let out a loud growl at the thought of some sugary, covered-in-butter-cream delight. He didn’t bother getting the van keys off the board; he would walk the short distance to the church – at least that would count as exercise. Annie would wet herself laughing if she could see him now. He would go and see her as soon as he’d finished up with this; he hoped they found Tilly soon because the worry was giving him heartburn. He missed Annie like crazy and she would tell him the truth about how bad he looked if he asked her, because apart from Alex she was the one who spent the most time lusting after his body. He left by the side door of the police station, avoiding the busy front desk area which was full of tourists wanting to report their lost cameras and phones. As he walked up the street, the spire of St Mary’s came into view; he walked through the gates and looked around. How had her phone got here when she hadn’t been here? He wasn’t actually sure that she hadn’t been here but it was all a bit too strange. If Tilly hadn’t stepped foot in Bowness then someone had put her phone here, and if someone had dumped her phone there was a reason for that. It hit him like a brick – someone had taken her and was trying to cover their tracks. He typed Smithy’s collar number into his radio and waited for him to answer.

‘None of this makes sense. I’m telling you now – someone has her, she hasn’t run away at all. She’s been abducted.’

‘Have you found her phone?’

‘Not yet but I’ve checked the train and bus CCTV – there is no sign of her coming into Bowness, and she doesn’t drive or have access to a vehicle. We need to upgrade this because someone is holding her against her will and we need to find out, like, yesterday.’

‘Fuck, I’ll go see Kav. This needs CID, not some plod with a shitload of shoplifters and angry neighbours to sort out.’

‘Tell Kav to phone me.’

Smithy ended the call.

‘Good afternoon, Jake. What brings you here to visit on your own. Where’s my lovely Annie?’

Jake jumped at Father John’s voice.

‘It’s a mess, a right bloody mess. Sorry, Father.’

‘Don’t worry, son, I’ve heard much worse. What’s a mess? Is Annie okay?’

‘Yes, for a change she’s fine, but her niece is missing and now we’ve traced her phone – which is showing up as being in the church grounds or somewhere nearby.’

Father John’s tanned face turned white as he pulled a pink iPhone from his trouser pocket. ‘Mrs Phelps found this behind her husband’s grave this morning. I was about to wander down to the station to hand it in; I meant to do it this morning but I’ve been busy. I’m sorry, Jake, I hope I haven’t messed everything up?’