‘Liestill, Mother!’ Laura growled, shoving her down hard. ‘Stay very,verystill. You’re not going anywhere until you tell Joe here what you did. Because, you see, if you don’t, I won’t hesitate to buryyoualive, do you understand?’
‘Laura, please stop this,’ Sherry begged, her voice tremulous and terrified. ‘You’re upset, darling, confused. You know how muddled you sometimes get when you’re stress—’
‘That’s what she did, you know? She took him away. Buried him in some dark, lonely place all on his own.’ Laura glanced at Joe and then back to her mother. ‘You told Grant he was dead when you fished him out of the pool, didn’t you?’
‘Laura, you’re being ridiculous, darling. Please don’t say any—’
‘Mybaby!’ Laura glared down at her. ‘My p-p-precious Jacob. You told Grant he wasdead, but you didn’t make sure, did you? You didn’t fucking well make sure!’
‘Laura, stop!’ her mother cried. ‘You don’t know what you’re—’
‘Hewasn’t!’ Laura screeched. ‘He wasn’t dead! I know he wasn’t. He was floundering, trying to swim, but he couldn’t! Andyoudidn’t even try to save him!’
Jesus Christ.Joe’s throat was suddenly dry.
‘She buried him anyway.’ Her tone was flat, cold, unforgiving. ‘Do you know why? To have something to hold against thatbastardshe got to marry her. As if his fucking wellabusing mewasn’t enough.’
‘She’s lying,’ Sherry cried. ‘She’s doing it out of spite. Some sort of vengeance for how she imagines I’ve blighted her life.’
‘You never believed me!’ Laura screamed. ‘I tried to tell you what he did. You never—’
‘Because it was a lie!’ Sherry screamed back.
‘No, Mother,’ Laura seethed. ‘You’rethe liar. Everything youareis a lie. You’ll stop at nothing to maintain your pathetic fake image; to keep a man who hates you. He despises you almost as much as I do! You killed mybaby! You killed me!’
Christ almighty. Joe hadn’t noticed the kitchen knife lying on the floor until she picked it up. ‘Laura …’ He yanked hard against the cuffs. ‘I hear you. I heard everything. You don’t need to do this. Please …’ Seeing a movement beyond her, his gaze shot to the door.God, no.His insides turned over as he realised who it was. ‘Put the knife down, Laura. Let me help you.’ Praying hard, he heaved his shoulder up against the tabletop.
‘She destroys things! She breaks things! She ruined my marriage!’ Laura wasn’t listening. ‘It washerwho led that little boy to the swimming pool. She wantedmeto get blamed. She wants me to be scared. To keep quiet. She wants to get rid of me. She always fucking well has!Bitch.’
Seeing her press the sharp tip of the knife to Sherry’s throat, Joe felt his gut clench with terror. ‘Laura, don’t,’ he pleaded. ‘This won’t bring Jacob back.’
‘You shouldn’t have tried to make me believe it was me who killed my baby, Mother. I remember, you see. I was the one trying to s-s-save him, and you … Iknowwhat you did!’ Laura’s chest heaved.
Fuck!Joe couldn’t see any way she wouldn’t push that knife home. In her mind, she had nothing left to lose that her mother hadn’t already taken away.
‘Do you know what the irony of all this is, darling Mother?’ she went on with caustic amusement. ‘Doyou? He reallywasGrant’s child. And hekilledhim.’ She paused, watching her mother carefully. ‘Oh dear, are you shocked, Sherry? Finally, are youhearingme? Jacob wasn’t fathered by some boy in the village. I never went out with any boys from the village. Never had sex with anyone else. Jacob wasGrant’schild. He slapped him to stop him crying, and then left him to drown in the pool while he sat pouring brandy down his neck and not giving a shit. Andyoucleaned up his mess, just to hold onto him. You had no respect for me. No respect for yourself either. Whereishe? Where did youburyhim?’
‘Laura, don’t!’ Joe’s heart slammed against his chest as she raised the knife, and then almost gave out as Sarah stepped into the room.
‘Laura,’ she said shakily, tears rolling down her face, ‘I’ve lost my little boy. Can you help me find him?’
Fifty-Seven
Sarah
‘Ollie?’ Laura blinked up at her, stupefied.
Sarah nodded, her gaze swivelling to Joe. She caught his warning glance as he attempted to wrestle the handcuffs that were securing his wrists from under the leg of the table. Understanding that he didn’t want her drawing attention to him, she fixed her eyes back on Laura. ‘He went missing,’ she whispered, her throat thick with tears.
‘When?’ As she rose unsteadily to her feet, Laura’s expression was a mixture of disbelief and confusion. ‘Where?’
‘This morning. From my house. My garden,’ Sarah told her, her heart wrenching with unbearable guilt. Her sweet, innocent boy …please, dear God, let me find him.She prayed that Laura might empathise with her in some small way and give him back to her.
‘But …’ Laura glanced down, her forehead creasing into a frown. ‘She couldn’t have. She was here.’
‘Who couldn’t have? Couldn’t havewhat?’Sarah asked desperately. ‘Laura,please, tell me where he is.’
Laura’s gaze was fixed dazedly on her mother, who was now on her knees, a hand pressed to her chest and apparently gasping for breath. ‘She’s been here all morning,’ she said. ‘I’ve been here with her. Shecouldn’thave.’
