The Paradise Trees (25 page)

But it didn’t matter now, what did anything matter except Jenny? Had Jenny been this scared? Had Jenny begged for her life like she had that day?

Bile rose in Alicia’s throat and she leapt up, both hands clamped over her mouth. She ran to the toilets opposite the relatives’ room and vomited, crouching on the floor and
retching, spitting hot, disgusting liquid into the bowl.

Derek was just behind her. ‘Okay, Alicia, get it all out. Good girl. Here you are.’

He crouched behind her, rubbing her back, then helped her to her feet and gave her a wet paper towel. Dumbly, she wiped her face and ran water over her hands.

‘That’s good. Rinse your mouth. Feel better?’

‘No,’ she said, realising that she was shivering. ‘I want my little girl.’

‘I know. Come on, let’s go back to Margaret.’

Alicia slumped down into the same uncomfortable chair and silently accepted a peppermint from Margaret.

Frank arrived a few minutes later, the strain apparent in his face. He was pale and the lines on his forehead looked so much deeper than usual. He sat down beside her, squeezed her arm then
clasped his hands together, staring down at them before lifting his eyes back to hers. When he spoke his voice didn’t sound like Frank at all.

‘The police are out searching, Alicia, I waited at Bob’s until they came and I told them where we’d already looked and gave them Jenny’s trainers for the dogs.
They’re organising helicopters and they’ll phone right away if, when, they find anything.’

Alicia pressed her lips together, not trusting herself to speak. If she spoke she would scream herself, like the child inside her head, and if she started she might not be able to stop.

Derek stood up. ‘I’ll get back to the ward now Frank’s here,’ he said, going to the door.

Margaret rose too. ‘I’ll stay with Bob,’ she said. ‘Alicia, you go and see to the police.’

Alicia nodded. Her poor aunt seemed to have aged ten years in one short day. What must she look like? She turned to Frank. ‘Where is she, Frank? She can’t have just
disappeared.’

‘I know,’ he said heavily. ‘If she’s still in the woods they’ll find her any time now. And if she’s not, well, I don’t... ’

‘She knows it’s wrong to go away with a stranger,’ said Alicia. ‘And Conker was there too.’

Frank looked at her thoughtfully. ‘Who would she go away with?’ he said suddenly. Alicia sat down again.

‘Well, neighbours, I suppose, though she’s been told often enough to ask about people like that too. That’s about it, though. The only other people she knows in the village are
you and Kenneth Taylor and Mrs... ’ She heard her voice rise at least an octave as realisation hit her. ‘Oh my
God
Frank, how could I have forgotten, she’s talked about
a... a playmate. A man. I don’t know who it is, I don’t even know for sure if it’s a real person or an imaginary friend, but she’s talked about playing in the woods with him
a couple of times at least. She said I knew him and it was alright, I thought it was John Watson but he wouldn’t... take her... oh
God
.’

Panic filled her, churning her stomach into yet more punishing cramps. Who was he, this Oberon? An adult, Jenny had definitely said that much. What else had she said? Alicia hadn’t been
listening, she hadn’t taken the time to listen because she’d been too busy worrying about her father and Paul and anyway, bad things didn’t happen in Lower Banford. But they did,
look at what her father had done to her... How could she have been so short-sighted? Jenny had talked about this person and she hadn’t bothered to find out more. She hadn’t seen the
danger.

‘We should tell all that to the police,’ said Frank, reaching for his mobile. Suddenly he looked at her, ‘Alicia, it wouldn’t be your ex, would it?

‘Paul? No, surely not. He’s busy with meetings in York. At least that’s what he told us... ’

A shimmer of hope came into Alicia’s head. Could Paul have persuaded Jenny to go off on a little outing somewhere? Just to frighten them? It would be cruel and senseless, but it
wasn’t quite impossible. He might even have told Jen that he had squared it all up with Mummy first.

‘If she’s with Paul, then she’ll be alright,’ she said, and Frank nodded, waiting for the police to answer his call. He relayed the story about the playmate in the woods,
and Alicia sat listening. She would go and talk to the police herself, show them Jenny’s favourite place up there. The fairy circle of tall trees.

‘Does he have a name, this playmate of Jenny’s?’ asked Frank, still on the phone.

‘Oberon,’ she said, and he repeated this for the police sergeant.

‘You should phone Paul too, no matter what you think,’ said Frank, breaking the connection.

‘Yes, I should have thought of that,’ said Alicia, staring down at her mobile. Thank heavens the number was still in her phone. She made the connection and listened as Paul’s
mobile rang. His voice was loud in her ear.

‘What is it, Alicia? I’m about to go into a meeting.’

‘Is Jenny with you? Have you got her, Paul?’

‘What the hell are you talking about? I can’t go to important business meetings with an eight-year-old under my arm, can I? Alicia, what’s going on? Where
is
Jenny?’

‘She’s lost in the woods,’ said Alicia, and heard his voice shouting at her, angry and accusing. And God knows she deserved it, she had left her child alone and now funny,
lovable Jenny was gone, perhaps forever. It was the kind of thing you saw on the news and you wondered why the adults involved hadn’t watched their children better. She had let her daughter
down in the worst possible way.

Paul was speaking again, his voice low and furious. ‘Well for fuck’s sake what’s she doing lost in the woods? Have you called the police? You wait until my lawyers hear about
this, Alicia. And get out there and look for her too. I’ll call you back.’

The phone went dead, and Alicia stared across at Frank. ‘He hasn’t got her,’ she whispered. ‘And if he hasn’t, Frank, who has?’

She stumbled across the room towards him and felt his arms go around her.

The Stranger

Not much longer now. Sweet little Helen was waiting on the sofa, and in just an hour or so he would be enjoying a beautiful game with his darling. The whole day had gone
exactly as he’d planned. The only thing he hadn’t realised was how tiring it would all be, not to mention how hard it was to keep the correct expression on his face. No-one had any idea
what he had done.

Things wouldn’t be so difficult next time. When the time came to send big Helen to Paradise he would be able to do it quite differently. Hers would be a much more peaceful journey. He
would invite her home and they could have a couple of drinks and he would comfort her, right there on the sofa where little Helen was now, then he would give her the same sedative in a drink.

But first he still had the pleasure of little Helen’s last journey before him. And giving little Helen a beautiful send-off would make good what had happened with his own darling. He
hadn’t wanted that at all...

They had met in York. Helen hadn’t been able to get her car manoeuvred out of a narrow parking space and she’d been in tears of frustration when he arrived, her helper and guide. She
had looked up to him from the very start. No-one had ever felt like that about him, not even Mummy. Especially not Mummy. It had been so amazing to gaze into Helen’s dark brown eyes and see
her love for him shining out like a lighthouse in a storm.

They had married very quickly. With feelings like that there was no reason to wait, and for several months his life had been perfect. She had made him feel special, and it was like a drug, the
more he had, the more he needed.

And then the black day, the day when he’d started to rub her back while they were sitting at home cosily watching a quiz on TV, he could even remember the contestant’s name,
Alexander Fowler, answering questions on London Parks. He had started to rub Helen’s back and she’d wriggled away from him, smiled her beautiful smile and said, ‘Later,
darling.’

He hadn’t let her see how shocked he’d been. And that had just been the first time. After that, she’d rejected him regularly, always kindly, but still rejection. And there had
been a new look in her eyes, a look that told him she had changed. She wasn’t his darling angel any more, no, somehow the very devil himself was worming his way into her soul. The hurt was
starting to grow again and he knew how dangerous that could be, he knew that one day it might overwhelm him, like with Mummy and Snugglepuss. He would have to be careful because he loved Helen and
she loved him. She just didn’t want as much love as he needed to give her, that was all. It was nothing really. But then it happened. A few weeks later in the garden.

She’d wriggled away from him yet again, laughing up into his face, ‘Goodness, darling, not out here,’ and something brittle inside him had snapped. Exactly like with Mummy.
He’d grabbed her arm and she’d pushed him away and then he’d pushed
her
, and though it wasn’t a hard push she stumbled and hit her head on the old pear tree.

‘Hey! What are you doing?’ she cried, and the look on her face was exactly the same as Mummy’s when she was falling down the stairs. He grabbed Helen’s hair with both
hands and slammed her head back against the tree. Her knees gave way, her body sagged downwards, but he held onto her head and felt bones crack. He could hear his own voice screaming.

The neighbour two gardens away heard too, but by the time she arrived to do her nosy-parkering he was lying beneath the tree, cradling Helen in his arms, shaking and distraught.

‘I don’t know what happened, she must have slipped, she hit her head, look, oh, help her, please help her!’

But Helen’s neck was broken. The paving stones were wet and slippery after rain in the night. Everybody knew how devoted they were. It had never entered anyone’s head that he had
sent Helen to Paradise himself.

Alicia

She stood there in Frank’s arms, counting breaths, one, two, in, out. Tanking up strength for whatever was coming, but she couldn’t stay here, she had to go back
and help find her daughter, oh God please let them find Jenny soon. She pulled away and looked for her bag, but it was still on the kitchen table at home. She was here with nothing except her phone
and the clothes she stood in. And Frank’s bike.

‘I have to get back, I... ’

‘I’ll drive you.’

Alicia moved towards the door but before she had gone two steps it burst open and Doug stood there, looking past her to Frank.

‘Frank, can you... Alicia, are you alright?’

Frank answered for her, his voice steady. ‘I’m just about to drive Alicia to Lower Banford, Doug. Jenny’s lost in the woods, the police are out there searching.’

Doug stared at her, then reached out and rubbed her shoulder. It was all Alicia could do not to flinch.

‘Alicia, I’m so sorry. How terrible for you. But I’m sure Jenny’s simply lost her way and you’ll soon have her back. If I can do anything at all to help, just let
me know. Frank.’ He jerked his head at the corridor, and Frank followed him out. Alone in the room now, Alicia stood listening as the two men spoke on the other side of the door.

‘You have to go up to Rose Buchanen, Frank. She’s in agony, she needs morphine and there isn’t another doctor in the house.’

Alicia closed her eyes. Frank would go, of course he had to help an old lady in pain. She would get herself back to Lower Banford, she was Jenny’s Mum, it was up to her.

Frank’s voice was angry. ‘That’s a bit of an imposition under the circumstances, Doug. I’ll go up, but if this is going to take more than five minutes you’ll have
to phone for someone else. I’m not on call this weekend.’

‘I know,’ said Doug. ‘On you go, Frank. I’ll explain to Alicia and... ’

‘No, I will,’ said Frank, and put his head round the door. ‘Alicia, I have to go upstairs to see a patient, I won’t be more than a few minutes. What do you want to
do?’

She joined them in the corridor, looking for a minicab number in her phone. ‘I’ll take a taxi back and speak to the police. I’ll be fine by myself,’ she said, seeing the
protest in his face. ‘It’s my little girl and I want to go now. Thank you, for everything you’ve done.’

‘Christ, you don’t have to thank me. Look, do you feel okay to drive? Take my car, that’ll be quicker. I’ll catch up with you in half an hour, max,’ he said,
pressing the car key into her hand and charging up the corridor.

Alicia was left holding the key. Should she drive in this condition? Probably not, but she was going to. She frowned at Doug. ‘I’m going, and that’s that,’ she said
defiantly.

He patted her shoulder again. ‘I won’t stop you.’

‘I’ll just tell Margaret.’

For the second time that day Alicia stood for a moment at her father’s bedside, looking down at the still figure under the hospital blanket. There was nothing at all to feel now. He might
have raped her, he might not, but he had certainly beaten her senseless for nothing at all. He was a wicked old man and she wasn’t even going to exert the energy to hate him. She turned away
without speaking, and Margaret rose to accompany her down to the car park.

Doug opened the door for them. ‘Alicia, if you need me, just call. Let me know what’s going on, anyway. I could help you look for Jenny when I get off here.’

She stared at him. He didn’t care about Jenny, it was all just for show. ‘Thank you, Doug. I don’t know how the police will want to continue. Either she’ll be in the
woods or somewhere in Lower Banford or they’ll have to start a much bigger search. Oh, God.’

Margaret was there, comforting her as they walked down the ward, arms round each other’s waists. ‘Stay calm, lovey.’

Alicia nodded. At the front door she stood for a moment, holding onto Margaret in much the same way as she’d held on to Frank, gathering strength. She knew she was almost at the end of
what she could take.

The road was deserted as she drove along. She should have called the police before she left St. Joe’s, now she didn’t know where she should go. Home to the silence? To the pet shop?
Just in case? No, no. If Jenny’d turned up there Kenneth Taylor would have called the police right away. Unless...