“We need a new vehicle and we need supplies.” Claire lets out a long breath. “Are you up for driving to Scotland?”
“If that’s where they are then yes.”
The next couple of hours are spent packing and preparing. Claire heads back to her house in Little Ingleby to get cash and clothes and I make sure I have everything I need. My body is sore from being pushed out of Magnus’s car and my face is bruised and still bandaged from where I landed on the road, but I channel the pain into a determination to hunt them down and find my daughter. I can’t bear the thought of them laying a finger on her. Every minute that passes increases her risk of harm, but I refuse to let myself dwell too much on what might be happening to her. We just need to find them and get her home.
I make sure I have enough medication for a week, grab cardigans and a raincoat, a pair of gum boots, a tent and sleeping bag. Underwear. Socks. Teabags. It all goes into a suitcase that I lug outside just as Claire returns.
I’m trying to haul it up into the boot when she rushes over to me.
“Here, let me do that.” She takes the suitcase from me with a concerned expression on her face.
She’s wondering if I’m up to this, I can tell. But there’s no question about me going, it’s what I must do.
“There’s a garage Jack used to use. Cash in hand and no questions. I called ahead. They’ve got a campervan.”
I stare at my sister. “I have absolutely no idea how to drive one of those things.”
“Me neither, but I guess we’ll learn on the way,” she says, smiling.
CHAPTER 65
THE GRAVEDIGGER
There are no needles left so he crushes pills to dissolve in Penny’s drink and keep her obedient.
He used to take a lot of pills with Dina before all this happened. She was always his dirty little secret. The girl you take drugs and have sex with in exciting places. The girl you stalk people and share your darkest fantasies with. Not the kind of girl you introduce to colleagues or take home to meet Jack Blackburn. Not the kind of girl you marry.
They drove as far north as they could, until there was barely any island left, picking up food and essential items from a petrol station on the way. They found an isolated farm, run by a man in need of cash with an old bothy to offer. With an extra grand the farmer didn’t care who Magnus or Dina were or why they were there and he certainly didn’t inspect the boot of the car when he handed over the key for the small stone building perched on the side of the loch about half a mile down a track. The bothy is made up of two rooms, one with a couple of bunk beds and the other with a log-burning stove, a cooking area and some chairs around a table. It’s basic but it will do nicely for his needs.
“Come on now, drink your milk like a good girl.” He holds a glass in front of Penny’s lips. She seems more alert than before and he needs her nice and placid.
The drugs should keep her malleable. That and fear.
“Fuck you,” she mutters.
“That’s no way to speak to your fiancé,” he says.
He sits in a chair and pulls Penny onto his lap, then he takes his thumb and brushes away crusty balls of sleep in the corners of her eyes. She jerks her head away from him but he’s persistent. In the struggle, he notices the stench of body odour emanating from her, like a scared animal.
Dina saunters over from the cupboards, a hand on her hip. “How long are we staying? We don’t have enough food and we’re in the middle of nowhere.”
Her voice grates on him. “Drive to a shop,” he says slowly.
“What about cameras? We already took a risk stopping at that petrol station.”
He grabs hold of Penny’s nose, squeezing it hard until she gasps, and he can pour the drink down her open mouth. She coughs and splutters but he continues until at least half is gone.
He sighs. “Find some rinky-dink local shop. Wear a hat. Figure it out,” he says. “Or buy bacon and eggs from the farmer.” He pushes Penny from his lap onto the sofa. She’s still in the silky nightdress she was wearing when he snatched her from Malton. He remembers the expression on her face. At first he’d made it seem as though he’d struggled to be away from her while she was on her girls’ trip. That he had to see her the same night she got back, despite the late hour. Then he’d drugged her.
He smiles to himself, barely listening as Dina complains about them being low on money already.
“Thensteal,” he mutters, taking the phone from his pocket.
He’d grabbed it from Penny’s flat. Penny’s phone. He shouldn’t have it really. If Faye does tell the police then they’ll be able to track it. But he couldn’t resist the temptation and he’s sure that Faye is too scared to tell the police about Penny.
“Smile for the camera, darling,” he says, shoving the phone in her face and taking a snap.
Penny was never particularly guarded about her passcodes. Especially after he proposed.
