She never faltered once while giving her statement, and remained composed the whole time. Despite her horrendous childhood, she never gave up. I can’t even begin to comprehend how it would feel to be all alone in this world, with not a soul to turn to. Nobody you could trust. Her strength and will to survive despite all the odds blows me away.
I knew M was a cold hearted bitch, but what shocked me more than anything was the phone call Jade told us she made to Rocco: ‘Rocco, it’s M … I need you to come over … I don’t care that it’s the middle of the night … Shut up and listen to me, you fool … I need you to take a trip to the quarry … Yes … Sasha … Bring something heavy to weigh down the body.’
It surprised us all that Jade could remember so much detail after all this time. I suppose those poignant moments in our lives seem to stick with us. Just like I know my father’s last minutes on this earth will stay with me forever.
I didn’t doubt anything Jade had said. Both hers and Rupert’s stories gelled together perfectly. There’s no way they were making it up. Still, the detectives said since the incident happened twelve years ago, and Jade was a minor at the time, they’d need to do some investigating before they could take the case any further. They said they were going to question M and Rocco though.
Now Jade is exhausted. All she wants is to go to bed, but I’m able to talk her into having a bath first. She needs time to wind down, otherwise she’s never going to get a restful sleep.
When I leave the bathroom after filling the bath, I find her sitting at the foot of her bed, her head buried in her hands. Seeing her like that hurts my heart. All I want is for life to give her a damn break.
‘Hey sweetheart,’ I say softly, kneeling in front of her.
Raising her head, her watery eyes meet mine. ‘My heart is breaking for Rupert.’
‘Come here.’ I pull her into my arms. I love how caring she is towards others. With the way she’s been treated over the years, I find it very admirable. When I let her go, I stand, holding my hand out to her. ‘Your bath is ready.’
‘Will you join me?’
‘Of course.’ She didn’t need to ask me—I need her comfort just as much as she needs mine.
I help her into the bath before climbing in behind her. ‘I hope they find Sasha,’ she says as she relaxes back onto my chest. ‘Rupert deserves to know what happened to his daughter.’
‘I’ll make it happen.’ I don’t know how, but I will. I’ll place a few calls in the morning and see if I can pull some strings.
‘For years I wondered who that girl was. I presumed, like me, she had no family—that’s why nobody ever came looking for her. Now I know differently, and that breaks my heart. Poor Rupert.’
I tighten my grip around her waist when she swipes a hand across her face. ‘I hope M rots in hell for what she’s done.’
‘That so easily could’ve been me,’ Jade says.
‘I’d never let that happen.’ Guilt floods me. I almost let it happen. I’ll never forgive myself for leaving her alone that day.
‘When I got back from New York I told her I wanted to quit, and the first thing she did was grab me around the throat.’
Jesus Christ. I didn’t think it was possible to hate that woman any more than I already do. Rage surges through me. I place a kiss on top of Jade’s head. Words elude me. I can’t even begin to imagine the horrors she’s faced over the years. She’ll never have to worry again. She’s safe with me, and I’ll make sure nobody ever hurts her.
‘At least now she won’t be able to harm anyone else,’ Jade whispers.
Two days later I’m standing beside a large dam at the bottom of a quarry. It took numerous calls and a lot of pulled strings to make this happen so quickly. Now we wait while the police divers scour the murky waters below. Both Jade and Rupert wanted to be here today, but I managed to talk them out of coming by offering to be present on their behalf. I can understand them wanting to come, but this is no place for either of them. A father watching as his daughter’s remains are removed from her watery grave is just unfathomable. As for Jade, she’s already been through way too much. There was no way I was letting her come here. She’s my responsibility now and I aim to protect her from here on in. I left her at the hospital with Rupert, promising to let them know as soon as I had any word.
Thirty minutes later the divers find the first human remains. A mix of relief and sadness floods through me when I think they’ve found Sasha. Within the hour though, more remains are discovered, and that’s when we realise this is a lot more sinister than we first thought. The authorities eventually decide to call in the divers and have the dam drained. It looks like Sasha isn’t the only victim to fall prey to M.