Home, chants Kate. Home, home, home.
Ruth raises her hand in farewell and they are free. She watches Shona shrinking in her mirror, a tiny flowery figure. If Ruth were a better friend, would she have stayed and walked in the rain too? But theres only so much of Louis that Kate can take and, if shes honest, only so much of Shona that Ruth can take. Take Shonas admiration for Corinna, for example. Ruth can see that Corinna is glamorous and successful but how could Shona actually seem to enjoy her company? Maybe beautiful people are drawn to each other. Certainly Corinna has never shown the least interest in Ruth, even when they are filming together she wrinkles her nose at Ruths untidy hair and her laborious scientific explanations. Ruth knows that Corinna would be happier appearing with someone like Shona, they could discuss the evil of Mother Hook while the camera rested lovingly on their glossy hair and razor-sharp cheekbones. Well, bad luck. Its Ruth who is the expert and Corinna is stuck with her – cagoule and all.
And Ruth had resented Corinnas comments about working mothers. Its all right for her, with unlimited funds and probably a supportive husband (Ruth is sure theres a husband in the background somewhere). She can afford to take a career break and spend quality time with her supremely gifted offspring. Ruth doesnt have a husband and she has to work. Of course, she also wants to work, which complicates things. Shes ashamed to find herself thinking that Kate is probably brighter than Corinnas children anyway.
Its raining heavily by the time they reach home. An afternoon for cuddling down on the sofa and watching TV. And thats just what they do. Ruth puts on a DVD of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and soon they are lost in snowy Narnia. Mr Tumnus reminds Ruth strongly of Cathbad. She should give him a ring. She knows that hes missing Judy. He never asks about her but theres a longing in his voice when he mentions Norfolk or the police or anything from his old life. And Ruth misses Cathbad. Its unfair, she knows, but she secretly blames Judy for Cathbads self-imposed exile. Why did she have to have an affair with him anyway? Why does everything have to be so complicated?
The phone rings and Ruth is convinced that it will be Mr Tumnus himself. Instead it is someone far more surprising.
Hi Ruth. Its Simon.
Simon!
Simon. Her brother. The top hat from the Monopoly games. Why on earth is he ringing her?
She tries to keep this question out of her voice. Good to hear from you.
Yeah, well … She can hear Simon shuffling, as he always does when hes embarrassed. Its been a long time. Did you get my birthday card?
Yes, thank you. Simon always remembers Ruths birthday although she often forgets his.
Did you have a good day? he asks now.
Yes. I went out for a meal with some friends.
Good, says Simon heartily. Then, after a slight pause, I was wondering, were you planning to come down to see Mum and Dad this summer?
I suppose so, says Ruth, her heart sinking. Her parents spend part of every summer at a Christian camp but theyre sure to have plenty of time free to nag Ruth about her sinful (i.e. unmarried) lifestyle. I havent fixed a date yet though.
The thing is, Ruth … Shuffle, shuffle. I wondered if I could come and see you.
Come and see me?
You know, for a bit of a holiday. Me and the boys.
Simons children – Jack and George – must be about ten and twelve. Ruth sees them at Christmas and the family gatherings that she cant avoid and, by and large, she gets on well with them. Better than she does with her sister-in-law at any rate.
Is Cathy coming too? she asks.
No, just me and the boys. We could bring a tent, camp out in the garden. Itll be fun.
Fun, echoes Ruth rather doubtfully. She cant really remember ever having fun with Simon. Two years older, Simon seemed to exist on a different planet. He liked football and other sports and, unlike Ruth, he was also willing to attend church youth club and summer camps. They did go on a family caravanning holiday every year and thats where Ruth remembers playing Monopoly and sometimes card games, sitting at the pull-out table while the rain thundered against the roof. Apart from that Ruth seems to have spent most of her childhood reading, devouring H. Rider Haggard while Simon played outside in the street with his friends. She doesnt dislike her brother but she cant recall having a single serious conversation with him. Simon left school to work in a building society and married Cathy when he was twenty-three. Ruth, lost in the world of university and archaeology, barely gave him a second thought. When she had Kate, Simon was supportive in a passive way. He didnt argue her case with their parents, but he did at least seem to acknowledge that childbirth was generally considered a positive life event. Ruth remembers being touched when he sent a present before Kate was born – it seemed to imply that he, unlike their parents, was actually looking forward to the new arrival. For that alone, she supposes that she owes him something.
Of course, she says. Ive got a spare room as well. Im sure therell be space.
And itll be nice for the boys to see something of Katie.
Yes, says Ruth, thinking that Kate will love having the boys in the house. She adores older children. It makes Ruth sad sometimes.
Great. Can I come on Tuesday?
Now Ruth really is taken aback. She had assumed that Simon was talking about some vague date later in the summer. But today is Saturday, hes proposing to arrive in three days time. It makes her wonder how long Simon has been thinking about this holiday. But, then again, shes got nothing special planned.
Yes, she says. Tuesdays fine.
See you then, Ruth.
Bye Simon.
Judy drives home through the rain. Shes at the wheel because Darren had a drink in the pub with his dad. She doesnt mind. She prefers to drive; it gives her an excuse for not talking. There is something soothing too about the rain, the windscreen wipers moving to and fro, Michael asleep in the back seat. After a while, Darrens head drops and Judy feels as if she really is alone in the world, the captain at the helm of the Titanic, steering ahead through the ice floes. Back and forth go the wipers, the water washing against the windows, car headlights glowing in the half-dark. Judy wishes that she could drive on forever, that her husband and son would remain in an enchanted sleep, that she could keep going until the landscape grew wilder and the Pendle hills surrounded them and she was outside Cathbads cottage, the sinister witchs dwelling that she has never seen.
But, all too soon, she sees the signs for Kings Lynn and Castle Rising. By the time they get home its ten oclock and the rain is heavier than ever. Judy carries Michael straight up to bed while Darren gets the bags out of the car. How can they have so much stuff just for a day out? Darrens mother has given her some clothes for Michael and Darrens dad insisted on presenting them with six bottles of his home-made wine. Judy likes Darrens parents – she has known them since she was a teenager – but sometimes their anxious solicitude is just too much. Why does her mother-in-law always have to say that shes looking tired? Why does her father-in-law always have to make the same jokes about the police force? Shes got you bang to rights, son.
Cup of tea, love? asks Darren as she comes downstairs.
Thanks.
Her phone rings just as shes sitting down in front of the television. The boss. Work.
Leave it, says Darren.
I cant. It might be important.
Johnson. Nelsons voice has an edge that she has only heard on one other occasion. Come quickly. Weve got a child abduction.
Where?
Here. At Lynn. Its Poppy Granger. The family where Justine Thomas is a nanny.
CHAPTER 20
By the time Judy arrives at The Rectory there are already three police cars in the drive. She sees sniffer dogs disappearing into the shrubbery, and the SOCO team is hard at work erecting an awning over the front door so that there is only one way in and one way out. These preparations confirm what Judy already knows: the odds are that Poppy is somewhere in the house. When a child disappears two things are always in the minds of the investigating officers – the child is usually still nearby and the perpetrators are probably members of the family.
The rain batters against the temporary plastic sheeting. The uniformed policeman at the door greets Judy with a nod. The boss is through there. Nelson is in the sitting room with two people who must be Poppys parents. Tim is also there, a fact that fills Judy with fleeting, though quite violent, resentment. She left the house the moment she got Nelsons call. She knows that she lives nearer to Chapel Road than Tim does. His presence can only mean one thing. Nelson called him first.
Johnson, says Nelson with obvious relief. This is Donna and Patrick, Poppys parents. Donna, do you feel up to telling Judy what happened?
Judy notes the use of her first name. Nelson is trying to be sensitive with the family, no easy matter when the house is swarming with policemen who obviously believe that your child is secreted somewhere on the premises. Donna, a tall thin woman in an incongruously short night dress, is clutching a child of about three. Another, older, child sits solemnly on the sofa between his parents. Of course, the uproar must have woken the whole family. The father, Patrick, is fully dressed, holding his iphone as if its a security blanket.
I went to check on Poppy before I went to bed, says Donna. Her cot was empty. I thought at first that Patrick must have got her up, but when I went down to the study he was still at the computer, working. I ran back upstairs and then I saw that the window was open. It was raining and the wind was blowing the curtains in.