THIRTY-EIGHT
KATE
What little sunshine there has been today has been replaced by a collection of storm clouds. The weather is as changeable as I am at the moment. One minute I feel I know nothing and that I should stay safe with my family, the next I’m like a rabid dog, chasing the tiniest of leads like I’m on a mission. Jess is worth every risk I’ve taken. If something happened to Millie or Rosie, I’d do everything I could.
I stand in the doorway of a vacant shop, my grey hood covering my brow line. Before leaving the cottage, I stared out of the bedroom window, checking everywhere for the navy-blue car or any sign of a person loitering. Even though I couldn’t see anyone, I still went out of the back door with the feeling that my heart was in my throat.
As I wait for Laura to close the shop and leave, I bite my thumbnail to the skin and flinch as I draw blood. I grimace at the metallic taste in my mouth, wishing that I had a bottle of water. When I arrived about fifteen minutes ago, I’d casually walked amongst a crowd and peered in. Laura had been tidying up and she was alone. There was no sign of her daughter.
Rain begins to trickle so I keep my back against the door to avoid the heavily plopping raindrops. Right now, I wish I’d worn my waterproof coat but it is what it is. I listen as a door creaks open, then I peer around the recess to see that Laura is leaving. My phone is on silent and I’m ready to follow her. My fingers tingle until they shake and my head begins to throb
She steps off the path and crosses the road. As she passes a couple of takeaways, she heads inwards through a narrow street. I follow at a safe distance. She turns again up a steep hill. I let her go ahead until she takes a bend. On my right is a cutesy little bookshop. I carry on and take the bend that leads to some steep steps. By now, my calves burn like hell and I just want this upward trek to be over. I spot her ahead, through a cut in the foliage but she’s fast disappearing. Panting, I realise that I’m almost striding vertically as I manage the last bit of the hill. I’m losing her. She’s heading to her right alongside a row of houses.
Church bells ring, telling me it’s now five in the evening. I don’t know why but right now, I feel vulnerable. There doesn’t seem to be anyone around and darkness has come over the skies with the rain, making it feel like night has fallen. Something snaps behind me, like a branch. I turn and stand there feeling almost light-headed as I glance at how high up I am. A boy appears from the steps I came up, holding a skateboard. I exhale and hurry towards the houses that Laura went into.
A light flashes on and I see her walking around her white-painted house, then she closes the curtains. I glance up and down the road, searching for her car but I can’t see it. I run down a little but it’s not there either. Maybe it’s further up the hill. While darting back and forth, I spot a large building buried behind trees and then I see her car. Bingo.
I swallow, hesitant to walk into the darkness, alone. However much I try to control my short sharp breaths, the more I feel out of control. The boy with the skateboard is long gone. If I was meant to go missing anywhere, it would be here. Taking a deep breath, I force my shaking legs to proceed forward. The road below narrows and potholes and piles of grit below tell me that I need to step carefully. One wrong move and I could twist an ankle.
As I near her car, I peer in. The seats are devoid of any clutter, not like our car. There are no used parking tickets in the centre console, no toys or bags of snack food. It’s creepy back here so I need to hurry up and get this over with.
Lying on the gravelly tarmac, I shine my phone under the car but I can’t quite see where I need to. I shuffle under a little, that’s when I hear clacking heels getting nearer. Rolling from under the car, I keep low and head to the rear of the car.
My heart bangs so loud I’m convinced that if she gets any closer she’ll hear it. How do I explain that I’m lying in the road behind her car? She will know that I followed her. My heart is telling me to get up now and run. I’m fit, far fitter than Laura probably is. She can’t see me. Light bounces off the floor and her phone rings. I stay still, waiting for her to answer.
‘Hi, I’m on my way.’ She pauses for a moment. ‘No, whatever you do, don’t do that and don’t say anything.’ She walks around to the driver’s door. ‘Sit tight.’ She ends the call. As the car beeps, I flinch, kicking a bit of gravel as I do. Instead of getting into the car, Laura stands there, listening as if she’s waiting for another noise. Hand on heart, I watch as a cat darts into a bush. She gets into her car and starts the ignition. I only hope that as she pulls away, she doesn’t check her rear-view mirror and see me lying in the road. Within seconds, she’s pulling away. Lights fade as she turns out of the road. I lie back and the rain soaks me through.
I get to my feet and examine the ground for any evidence of oil but I can’t see anything. Reaching for an overhanging branch, I snap it and begin whipping the floor with it. Frustration boiling over, I want to scream. I’m no closer to knowing anything. I can’t even follow Laura and I get a feeling that wherever she was heading would have told me all I need to know.Don’t do that. Don’t say anything. Sit tight.What was that about?
‘Kate?’
I didn’t hear her creeping up on me. My mouth opens and closes like a goldfish out of water as I toil with what to say.
THIRTY-NINE
KATE
Daisy holds an umbrella, her brows furrowed like she’s trying to work out what I’m doing. I’m soaking wet and gripping a branch with so much strength, I must look deranged.
‘Hi.’ I drop the branch and brush the grit and bits of twig from my leggings.
She steps closer to me and smiles. ‘Here, get under the umbrella. You’re soaking.’
‘Thank you.’ I shuffle up close to her to stay dry from the pelting rain.
‘It’s set to pass in a minute. What are you doing all the way up here?’
‘Oh, I just came for a run and fell over. I must have tripped in a pothole in the road. How about you? Do you live up in this part?’ I have no idea where she and Cody live, maybe they live close to Laura.
‘No. We live over the other side of the bridge, up another big hill. It’s all hills around here. I’d normally come on my bike but I fancied a walk. You get solid legs living in these parts.’ She lets out a little laugh. ‘I’m just heading to my friend’s house for a couple of beers and a bit of TV.’
As we stride towards Laura’s house, Daisy stops. ‘Right, this is me. Good thing you only have to run downhill to get back to your beach cottage. Just follow this slope and it will take you back into the village.’
‘Thanks again for keeping me dry.’
‘You’re welcome.’
As she walks up the steps towards the house, I call her. ‘Daisy, how did you know we were staying in a cottage down that way?’ I hadn’t told her where we were staying and as far as I knew, only my stalker would know.
