Deadly.
“What have you done to try to find her?”
“Disappeared. Changed my identity. Hired a PI. Tried to get more information about the church at Felley Manor. Spent some time in Manchester. I even tried to get involved with someone from Alfie’s gang to see if I could find anything out, but I was too scared. I had a note pushed through my door, threatening me with awful things. It had information on it that showed me how much they knew about me, where I was and what I was doing – planning to do. So I couldn’t be Amelia anymore. I went to the police and they dismissed it. Then I came here. Dyed my hair. Became Abby.” She looked up at him, biting her lips together.
The tiredness she was feeling was palpable. Alex wondered what it would be like just to hold her, let her take some of his energy.
Only problem was, he wasn’t sure that he just wanted to hold her.
“Who was the police officer you showed the note to?”
She shook her head. “I’ve written it down. And the name of the person who called me back.”
He had a feeling he knew who had called her back; an inspector who was in Manchester at the time.
“What was your goal with coming here? Where was this going to end?”
She shrugged. “I’d find Tilly. Or at least find out what happened to her. It’s the not knowing – is she alive or dead? If she’s alive, how is she? I couldn’t even say that to myself a few months ago, thinking about what she might be going through or have gone through, but it’s like now I’ve become hardened to it.”
“That’s what happens. You learn that some things are out of your control. Is there anything you’ve done in the last few months that means either of those gangs know about you?” This was key now. If there had been something different to bring attention her way, he had to get her out of Severton.
“No. But I haven’t heard anything from the man I hired as a PI. I’ve still been paying him, but for the last two months, there’s been nothing. I’ve called and emailed…”
“What number did you call from?” He interrupted her, the whisky he’d drank evaporating into nothing.
“A pay-as-you-go mobile registered in a false name. My emails were from a generic account. I used library computers to check them from. He was paid via PayPal and the card was a pre-pay. He also had no idea I was trying to find my sister – he thought I was a man and she was my ex-girlfriend.”
“Trust no one.”
Abby nodded. “It feels like a relief to tell someone.”
There was another blanket of silence.
“Last year, when there were the fires on the moor, you found a body in one of the buildings. Was it ever identified?”
He could tell it was the question she’d been desperate to ask for the last half an hour.
“No. There was no match to anything on record. But we know she’d given birth and it was likely the body had been there for at least a couple of years. I don’t think it would be your sister.”
Abby looked at the floor.
“That’s probably worse, isn’t it?” Than her being alive. Because Alex knew what these gangs would do, and he was pretty sure Abby had done her research.
“Yes. Kind of. Tilly was a good student. She didn’t do drugs or even drink that much. She was probably going to come out top of her class for her degree.”
“So why was she with him?”
“Because everyone loves to love a bad boy. And she was young. There was the glamourous side of it too – the night clubs, mixing with celebrities. I tried to shelter her a lot and I think with me away travelling so much she was easy prey and interested.”
“It isn’t your fault.”
“I know. But I need closure.” Her eyes were huge and blue as they finally looked at him.
“Truth or dare: will you hand over to me what you’ve found out so far?” He should be stepping away from her. As far away as possible. Take her information, make sure she was safe and carry on with the job he had without Garrison getting interested.
“Truth. Yes.”
She moved to sit next to him, her hand going onto his shoulder.
