Eleven
‘Morning, Ryan. You still have a key?’
He placed his keys in his pocket. ‘Of course I do. It’s still my house too at the moment.’
‘Have you heard anything?’ Mary asked as she passed him, shrugging his comment about the house off.
‘Not as yet. The girls needed their books and PE kits so we had to pop back. I’ll go and get them.’
‘The detectives looking into Susan’s disappearance have just left.’
‘They’ve been to mine this morning, just routine stuff, that’s all.’ Ryan bounded up the stairs and stomped across the landing where he began rummaging. ‘Woah – it stinks up here.’
‘I’ll carry on in the kitchen, shall I?’ Clare was holding a couple of magazines. The boys ran around in circles, singing and shouting in the living room.
‘Yes. Found anything?’
Clare shook her head and headed back to the kitchen.
Phoebe and Jasmine looked almost identical even though there was a year between them. They had both inherited their mother’s dark eyes, curly hair and slight frames, making them look younger. Mary couldn’t believe they were heading to the preteen stage. She wanted them to stay little girls forever but given how Susan had changed in her teens, she doubted she’d recognise either of them in a couple of years. Even more of a reason to spend as much time with them now before they were lost to teenage years then adulthood.
‘Nan, where’s Mum? She’s not answering her phone.’ Phoebe pulled a curl from her mouth. She had a habit of sucking the end of her hair, something Susan always told her she should stop doing. ‘She was meant to pick us up Tuesday night but she didn’t turn up. I just want to come home.’
Mary sat on the stairs, coming down to their level. Jasmine sat next to her and lay her head on Mary’s shoulder, like she always did. ‘Mummy will be home soon, I promise. She’s got some things to do and we’re just here helping her.’ She kissed Jasmine on the head and ruffled her hair.
‘You’ll mess my hair up, Nanny.’
‘What things? She didn’t tell us she had anything to do Tuesday morning when she took us to school.’ The wet strand of hair that Phoebe had been sucking was now stuck to her cheek. Mary pulled it away and forced a smile. The last thing she wanted to do was make the children anxious.
Jasmine furrowed her brow as she thought about what she was going to say. ‘Dad said she went out and didn’t pick us up because she was at the pub. He said she didn’t pick Rory up either and that she left him at nursery. He said that we were better off with him because Mummy wanted to go out all the time and she wasn’t looking after us.’ Her granddaughter was only ten but she knew something was wrong, both of them did.
Mary now hated the man even more. His wife had vanished. Something terrible could have happened and he was using this to point-score with their children. Unreasonable behaviour, that was true. Susan’s solicitor had cited this on the letter that she had in her bag, and that wasn’t all. ‘Your mother is doing her best, you know that, don’t you? And she does want you. She loves you very much. Now, poppets, you need to both go to school and work really hard today. That’s what Mummy wants you to do. I know it’s difficult but it’s all going to be fine. I promise.’
‘But where is she?’ Jasmine asked. ‘I want to call her. Daddy said I couldn’t call and he took my phone off me for going on about it.’
‘Mummy just needs a little space. She’s a bit stressed at the moment.’
‘Is that why she was crying before she took us to school on Tuesday?’ Jasmine waited for her to answer.
‘Was she crying?’ Something had happened. Mary thought back to when the detective asked if Susan had been unhappy. Maybe she’d got it all wrong. It looked and sounded like her daughter was depressed.
‘She said she wasn’t, but we heard her, didn’t we?’
Phoebe nodded as she played with her phone.
‘Do you know why she was upset?’
Jasmine shook her head.
‘Oh look, it’s gone eight thirty and you young ladies need to get to school. Can you both wait in the car?’ Mary kissed them both on the cheek and smiled.
Phoebe nodded and held her hand out for Jasmine as they reluctantly left. ‘Come on, squirt.’ At age ten and eleven, they knew something was wrong. Mary didn’t appreciate Ryan telling the girls that their mother had abandoned them to go to the pub.
Ryan hurried down the stairs, loaded up with bags and clothes. ‘I thought I’d take a few things for later, just in case she still hasn’t come home.’
‘You’d like that, wouldn’t you?’
He moved to her side and placed one hand on the door. ‘What?’
