‘Can we make an octopus when we get back, Mummy? Grandad said he’d help us.’ Millie wipes her red eyes with her sleeve.
‘Of course. I’ll get the craft box out of the car when we head back.’
As I tuck into the chips, the saltiness and grease are most welcome. I feel as though I haven’t eaten for a week as I shove them in. My phone vibrates in my pocket. I forgot to check it when I headed towards the café. As adrenaline pulses through me, I snatch it up, hoping that Damien is ready to talk.
You know what happens when you take your eye off them for a second?
A chip almost lodges in my throat as I scan the pier and the beach. There is no one around but someone has been watching me. We need to get back to the cottage, where my children are safe.
‘Right, we need to make that octopus out of all the empty cartons we can find in the cottage?’
Before I can say another word, the girls are already up on their feet ready to go, even Dad looks like he’d rather be back inside now the wind has picked up. With a thrumming heart, I shepherd them off the beach and back towards the cottage. ‘I’ll be there in a minute. I’ll just grab the craft box out of the boot.’
‘Okay.’ Dad holds their hands and walks ahead.
As I open the boot and grab the box, I gaze around one more time but I can’t see anything out of place. I think of what PC Bickerford said, that it looked like the person behind all this is some pathetic person trying to scare me and hurt me. They’ve developed an obsession with me online and in real life and I allowed that to happen by coming here in the first place. I try Natalie’s number but my call is immediately cut off. She and Laura were meant to be helping me and I don’t have much time left. As I hurry back to the cottage with the box, my stomach drops as I spot another oil patch on the road, right outside the cottage. The person watching me must have been parked here when they messaged me a few minutes ago.
My stalker is getting ever closer to me and I’m nowhere nearer to getting closer to who they are.
FORTY-FIVE
KATE
As I place the craft box on the kitchen table, I push through its contents. There’s glue, paint, sticky tape and a huge collection of stickers and random things, like pom-poms. The array of bright colours almost gives me a headache. Rosie slams against the chair in her haste to start. She drops an empty cereal box on the table.
Millie runs downstairs with the cap from Damien’s deodorant bottle and two empty toilet rolls, shrieking with delight at what she has found.
Now we are safely back in the cottage I try calling Natalie again. Blood pumps through my body and the boom sound running through my head is unnerving. Her phone rings several times and then she answers. ‘I can’t talk right now.’
‘Why, what’s happened?’ My heart is bursting to hear what she has to say. I can’t wait until later. I’m running out of time.
‘I said I can’t talk. We’ll speak later.’ Her voice sounds hoarse, like she’s been crying. She hangs up. Something’s happened and the urge to know what that is has lit up all my senses. I need to get out of here so that I can find her.
‘Mummy, we need a water glass for the paintbrushes.’ Millie is pulling on the hem of my jumper.
‘Can we use some sugar, for the sand? The octopus will sit on sand,’ Rosie shouts.
‘Where’s Grandad?’ I should talk to Dad, fill him in.
‘In the toilet.’ Rosie helps herself to the pom-poms, shifting me out of the way.
‘Millie, spread this paper over the table first.’ I hand her an old newspaper. She knows the drill as we do this all the time at home. She takes it and the girls begin to do as they’re told, carefully placing the paper down.
I hurry upstairs. The bathroom door is closed so I wait, hoping to hear the chain flush soon but it doesn’t. In fact, I can hear him walking up and down. ‘Dad?’ I tap on the door. He’s not answering and I’m anxious to go out and track Natalie or Laura down.
With a whoosh, the door opens and the air itself almost sucks me into the bathroom. In his hand is the stick that tells him that I’m pregnant. ‘I found this.’
‘I…’ I can’t answer him. Damien should have been the first to know, not my dad. I’ve been hoping all day that he’d pick up the phone so I can speak to him rather than text.
‘Katie, love. You got attacked this week and you’re pregnant. You need to get checked out. I’m really worried about you.’
A tear slips from the corner of my eye and weaves its way down my face.
‘I know. I didn’t know I was pregnant until yesterday.’ Tears fill my eyes and I can’t contain my sadness any longer. ‘All I want to do is tell Damien and he won’t answer my calls. I lied to him. I told him we were coming here to honour Jess’s memory, to say goodbye. He has to forgive me, I love him. Everything I’ve done, it’s been for Jess. I can’t abandon her even though she’s dead. I can’t rest until everything comes out.’
‘Oh, Katie, I’ve accepted everything. It was my fault and I have to live with my mistake.’
‘No, Dad. There’s more to it and I’m not leaving until I know everything.’
