No Longer Safe(108)

Shortly after, a weird kind of lethargic stupor came over me. I kept thinking about Stuart and how I’d never see him again. All my hopes had been crushed. Of course, I told the police that Karen had killed him, but it was only once I’d said it out loud that I really started to cry.

They asked if they could go through my belongings and I agreed without hesitation. I knew there was nothing there, but I did warn them that Karen could have messed with my things and planted something to make me look guilty.

After the initial chat with the police, there was an odd hiatus and I was left in a room and told to wait. I told them I wanted to go home or failing that I was at least supposed to go back for more tests at the hospital, but they asked me to stay.

I was left for ages with only a lukewarm cup of tea for company. There was a lot of coming and going in the corridor and I gathered from snippets here and there that they must have been searching the cottage. I bit my nails. Would they find a link to Charlie? What if they found something belonging to Brody and realised what Karen had done? They’d think I was in on it.

Time passed and still they kept me there. I was starting to think they’d forgotten me. I tried to leave the room but as soon as I opened the door an officer came from nowhere, took my arm and led me back to the chair. There was a mirror on the wall and they must have had someone in there, watching me the whole time.

I heard shouting and then it went quiet. Where was Karen? Hadn’t they arrested her by now? Had she put the blame on me?

Finally, another officer came back. They allowed me to make a call and not wishing to worry my parents, I rang Nina. I gave her a quick résumé to let her know where I was. She was appalled by what had happened. After batting questions and answers back and forth about my horrendous experience, she asked how I was coping.

‘Not great, obviously…I’m heartbroken about Stuart. I know I barely knew him, but…’

She said all the right things in an attempt to comfort me.

‘Why do you have to go back to the hospital?’ she asked.

‘I’m very headachy. The doctor thought the bump was quite bad,’ I said. ‘He told me off for not getting proper medical attention.’

‘You’ve been through the most unimaginable horror. You need to be out of there. How long are they going to keep you?’

‘I don’t know. It’s all a terrible mess.’

‘Hang on in there, girl. Just tell them everything you know and it’ll be alright.’

My eyes welled up and I couldn’t answer her straight away. ‘I’d love to see you again before you head back to London,’ she added.

‘Absolutely,’ I croaked. ‘As soon as I’m out, I’ll ring you.’

‘Take care.’

I never got the chance to call her again.





Chapter 52




Alice was found in the cellar before any more harm was done. I didn’t want her to suffer down there – I just needed her out of the way.

On the way to offer my information at the police station, I stopped off at The Holland’s farm and left Brody asleep inside the porch. I heard voices inside so, wearing gloves, I rang the doorbell and fled, knowing he’d be found quickly and his parents would be over the moon.

I’d rinsed the wash-in, wash-out dye from his hair and dressed him in the clothes Charlie took him in – so he barely looked any different from the day he disappeared. I knew by then that my scheme was untenable. I’d told too many people about my baby girl – a boy wouldn’t work. The plan was doomed.

The police have been searching our cottage, of course, since they discovered Stuart’s body in the cellar. I’d done a thorough job earlier of wiping away any possible prints left by Charlie in the kitchen, the bannister and Alice’s room. Of course, there will be the odd stray hair and bits of skin with his DNA, but they will be mixed up with hundreds from other people who’ve stayed there over the years. I found out he doesn’t have a police record, so his details won’t be on file, anyway.

We’ve been lucky too. We’d kept Charlie’s head well wrapped in the sheet when we dragged him down the stairs, and the rug where he fell was thick enough to soak up all his blood. Because I’d burnt everything, there were no incriminating traces inside the cottage.

I’ll need to wait until they get all the test results back, but I’m banking on the police not knowing there was an earlier crime.





Chapter 53




They kept me waiting for hours before they took my fingerprints and a DNA swab. They asked if I wanted a lawyer. I didn’t like the sound of that. Karen must have told them a pack of lies about me. She must have been prepared for this and set up a trail of false clues I knew nothing about.