Mr Norton scooped his phone up. Jacob stood and led him out.
Gina stared at the magnolia walls with all their scuff marks and tea splats. O’Connor knocked and entered. ‘Sunny Side Caravan and Camping Park in Evesham confirmed that the Collinses checked in earlier today but then left after they’d paid. We don’t know where they are now.’
‘Can you head over there and speak to them? Get any CCTV footage and keep me posted. They’re looking more suspicious by the second. Firstly, why would you go off camping when you both have busy jobs teaching and your children should be at school? Why would they turn up at a site then pay and leave? They’re on the run.’
O’Connor folded his arms and shivered. ‘I’ll see if Jacob wants to come with me. Wyre’s going with you, isn’t she?’
‘Yes and nice work. Keep me posted.’
‘Will do. The car park has been gritted by the way. Should make driving out easier, I don’t know about the roads though, the snow is coming down thicker now. Mrs O loves it but me, I hate the stuff. Roll on summer.’ He paused. ‘Drive safely, guv.’
‘You too, especially down those winding roads. They’re less likely to have been gritted. Wait, it’s odd that the caravan site is open now, don’t you think? Who goes caravanning in the snow?’
‘Mrs O and I used to go caravanning all year round early on in our marriage. It’s true that a lot close and some of the ones that we’ve called have been shut for the winter but a few are still open. People don’t always stay in their caravan for a holiday, it’s cheap accommodation when visiting relatives in different areas and the new ones are so cosy, they’re like home from home.’
‘Thanks for the insight into the world of the caravanner.’ She glanced out of the tiny slit window high up in the wall and shivered as she watched the snow fall. ‘We don’t know where Kapoor is being kept. She could be being transported from place to place in a caravan. That’s a possibility but they have children.’ She tried to picture the Collins family and Kapoor tied up at the back of the caravan and it wasn’t sitting right as a theory.
‘The children are with the grandparents. It’s just Mr and Mrs Collins that have left.’
‘Why didn’t I know this?’
‘It’s in the file.’
‘Dammit!’ She’d missed this vital piece of information and she could’ve kicked herself. ‘I bet they left the caravan site, knowing they’d left a record of their whereabouts. We need to get uniform driving around woodland areas and tiny country lanes in the area. Something tells me that they might not even be at a formal site. They’ve probably parked up down some tight road, gone off grid.’ Her heart began to pound as she thought of them taking Kapoor, here there and everywhere. For what reason? They didn’t even have a motive as far as she could see but their behaviour was increasingly becoming more suspicious.
O’Connor frowned. ‘I’ll get Smith onto the case, then I’ll head straight to the caravan park, see if the person who booked them in can help in any way.’
After he’d left, her mind toiled over everything and led her into a jumbled mess. She stood and hurried out trying to force away an image of Kapoor tied to a chair in a condensation-filled caravan that was parked up on a verge with the Collinses torturing her. Gina took a sip of her water to alleviate her dry mouth as she imagined the terror in Kapoor’s eyes as her lips were being superglued.
48
As I drift in and out of this strange dream world, I try to fight my way to consciousness. He must have put something in the sandwich that made me sleep.I’m not Jhanvi Kapoor, he called me Hailey. I am Hailey and I mustn’t forget. Who are you? Hailey. You want to live, don’t you? Yes I do. So, who are you? I am Hailey.
Something smells fresh. I think it’s my hair. Shaking my head as far as the binds will let me, I feel the two braids hit my cheeks and I shiver. I can’t cry. It won’t help. My skin feels soft and the grime of the food I’d dropped in the crease of my chin has gone. He’s bathed me or given me a wash. The thought of his hands touching my skin makes me cringe. I prise an eye open but the room is as dark as when my eyes are closed.
There’s a coolness around my legs. My legs are bare, that’s why they’re colder than the rest of me. When I last saw daylight it was either frosty, slushy or snowing. Where are my trousers? Then, I remember the nightdress. He’d already changed me into it earlier. My heart begins to race and my mouth is dryer than ever. I don’t know if he’s touched me or not. I can’t feel anything I shouldn’t feel but would I know? I feel panic rising and in my mind I’m bursting from the binds. Every twitch in my body is vying for me to attempt to break free but I know I can’t. Did Amber try to break free and scream and shout? Is that why she died?
I take a deep breath through the cloth in my mouth. It’s suffocating me. I can’t breathe. I bite down and my gums itch as they clench the cold damp material that tastes weirdly of toothpaste.
‘You’re not suffocating. Just calm down, Hailey.’ Again, he is there in the darkness. He can see me but I can’t see him. That dreaded tune plays again. It’s driving me crazy but he tells me that I love it. I have to embrace it, allow it to possess me so that I can be what he wants me to be. It’s either that or die.
I’m trying to be brave. I’m a police officer, a pillar of the community, a much-loved daughter and sister, a respected colleague. I miss my family and my heart aches for my mother. I wonder if her news was good or bad. Me not calling her to hear her results will be seen as a let-down. She’ll think I’m putting my job first or that I’ve forgotten.
Deep in the pit of my stomach, I know I’m never going to see them again and I want to shriek like a wild animal and lie on the floor, grieving for everything I’ve lost, including myself. I just wished that I’d called my mother last night and told her how much I loved her.
‘Hailey. I’m going to tell you a story. The story of you.’ His hand slams onto the chair and my heartbeat skips a beat. ‘I don’t have long so don’t you dare interrupt.’ I hear a click as he swallows. ‘There was once a boy and a girl…’
And so he continues for a couple of minutes, describing them and all the shocking details.
‘That girl was you, Hailey. I’ll carry on next time but for now, you are going to rest.’
I hold back a tear. I’m trying to remember everything he said but my head is fuzzy. I was half listening while trying to think of how I can get out of here. He removes the cloth from my mouth and places a bottle to my lips, then moments after gulping the liquid down, I begin to drift to the warped sounds of that record. That’s when the nightmares start. I can’t fight the drug. A tear spills out of the corner of my eye. What will he do to me while I’m not present? I can’t think about it.
49
I feel a spring in my step and a lightness in my heart. This time, I know she’s the right one. She said she is Hailey and she hasn’t attacked me with loads of questions. She’s not fighting. She’s not calling me names. That’s how I know she’s really my Hailey. I knew I’d found her and I was right.
I remove my boots and grab a beer. It’s too early to celebrate but while I’m here on my own for the shortest of time, I am going to allow myself the luxury of feeling triumphant. Soon Hailey and I can leave and start afresh, away from our past. When she fell asleep, I watched her for a few moments and stroked her hair before leaving the bungalow for the evening. The heating is on so she’ll stay warm and I know she won’t wake for hours.
