But I can’t speak. There’s not air in my body, just pressure from where the sobs are climbing up my throat. I show the screen to Claire and she hits the steering wheel.
“That bastard!” she yells, and the van wobbles right then left.
“Pull over,” I gasp. “Pull over now.”
Claire jerks the van into a lay-by and I lean forward to rest my head on the dashboard, tears spilling from my eyes.
“We’re going to get her back,” Claire says. “Everything is going to be all right. I promise.”
She can’t make that promise. I know that. But I need to believe she’s right.
Claire’s arm wraps around me as I let all the built-up stress out of my body. It’s one thing to imagine Penny alone with that monster. It’s another thing to see the fear in her eyes.
“I’m sorry to say this, Faye, but we need to find somewhere to sleep.” She shakes her head. “It’s dark. We’re exhausted and emotional. Our best chance of getting Penny back is to rest soon.”
I wipe tears from my eyes. “There was a campsite?—”
She shakes her head. “No trace, remember? They might have cameras. They might take down our number plate.”
“You mean drive out to the countryside and sleep there?”
She nods.
Claire is beginning to scare me. She seems to know a lot about ways to evade the police and she brought with her a surprising amount of cash from her house.
“How do you know to do all this?” I ask.
She pauses. “Jack wasn’t a good man. He was controlling and manipulative in business and at home.” She bites her lip. “I watched and I listened. So, I guess you could say that I learned.”
A shiver runs down my spine. I can’t imagine being married to a man like that. Scott had a wandering eye and he could be selfish at times, but I could never call him controlling. Immature, maybe, and that always led to a small amount of emotional manipulation, but I was never scared of him. I rolled my eyes at his antics more than anything.
We reach Edinburgh, and I do my best to navigate city roads, before crossing the Forth Bridge. We drive for another twenty minutes or so before finding a quiet spot near a stretch of fields.
“I hope the police don’t notice us up here,” I say.
“We’ll just have to take that risk.” She sighs. “But if anyone asks, we’re just two sisters having a holiday to catch up.”
I smile. “I guess it’s not entirely a lie.”
We pull out the bed and start to settle down, although I’m not sure I’m going to be able to sleep. I know I have to try at least, so that I can have the energy for what’s required tomorrow.
“How are you feeling?” Claire asks.
“Oh, you know, just worried sick.”
“Yes, I know. But in yourself?”
I have been so focused on Penny, so fired with adrenaline that I haven’t noticed any signals from my own body. “I’m all right, I think. I just want this over with and Penny home. It’s all that matters.”
But that reminds me it’s time for my medication. I look through my bag, but it’s not there. I try to remember where I put it and Claire joins in the search. While she looks through my washbag, I go round to the passenger seat to see if I left it up front. I open the glove box. The only thing in there is a tea towel wrapped around something long and thin. I reach for it and unravel the cloth.
As I lift the corner, something shiny glints in the overhead cab light.
I gasp. A metal blade.
Claire has brought a knife with us.
“It’s for protection.” Her voice is right next to my shoulder and makes me jump. Before I can say anything, she continues, “You know as well as I do, that as long as Magnus lives, he’ll come for us.” Her eyes grow dark. “He has to die.”
