Page 101 of The Stolen Child

A second blatant lie. She was getting good at them.

Nicola stood up and put the CLOSED sign on the salon’s front door, then turned the key in the lock.

‘Nobody is going to bother us here. Think of the salon as a confessional. Come on, love, get it off your chest. Whatever it is, it’s weighing you down.’

Sally looked at the two women, whose faces were drawn tight with worry. She wished she could find the words to reassure them that they need not fret, but she’d gone beyond that.

‘I thought I could handle him. Handle his moods,’ Sally said quietly. Her eyes moved to Zach, who was playing with one of Elsie’s long curls. ‘But I’m scared for Zach.’

A sharp breath from Elsie made Zach start. She leaned down and kissed his soft downy head, murmuring soothing endearments.

‘I think he’s jealous of him,’ Sally admitted. ‘Ian doesn’t like me holding Zach when he’s home. He gets irritated if Zach cries, and I want to pick him up. At first, it was sighing and muttering under his breath about me spoiling Zach. But last night . . .’ She paused, unsure if she could say the words out loud.

‘What did he do?’ Elsie asked, her tone venomous.

‘Zach wouldn’t settle. And Ian wanted . . . he wanted me in bed with him.’ Sally blushed, unsure how to finish that statement.

‘Oh my days.’ Nicola said, understanding Sally’s embarrassment.

‘I could hear Zach’s cries getting louder, and his breathing sounded ragged like he couldn’t catch his breath between the sobs. I pushed Ian off me and ran to him, afraid that he was choking.’ Her eyes filled with tears, and she began to shake. ‘He wrenched Zach from my arms. Too hard. Too damn hard . . .’ Sally went on. ‘He threw Zach back into his crib. And he landed with such a thud. I thought . . . I thought . . .’ Sally couldn’t continue, the horror of the night before too much to articulate out loud.

Nicola pulled Sally into her arms as Elsie declared that she would kill Ian.

‘That’s not going to solve anything,’ Nicola said, glancing at Elsie, irritated. ‘What happened next?’

‘I screamed at Ian to get out, and I frantically checked Zach. He hadn’t a mark on him. I’ve looked dozens of times. I didn’t sleep for one second last night. I brought him down to the sitting room, and he slept in my arms on the couch. My eyes never left his, not for one second,’ Sally said, her eyes searching Nicola’s for absolution.

‘You did the right thing,’ Nicola said.

‘This cannot continue,’ Elsie said firmly. ‘He’ll not stop till he kills you. Or the baby. I told you, there’s a cruelty in that man.’

Sally took a breath, steadying herself. ‘I know. I thought about this all night, as I watched Zach. Ian will never leave, so that means that we’ll have to. I need to work out where and when.’

‘I’ve given notice on my flat. I’m supposed to leave in two weeks for Spain,’ Elsie said, frowning.

‘You can come to me,’ Nicola said. ‘I know the flat is small, but we’ll make it work. You and the little ’un can have my bedroom, and I’ll sleep on the couch. Until you get sorted.’

‘Thank you,’ Sally said, her lip trembling. ‘I hoped you might offer. I’ll go home and pack while Ian is at Dan’s, then I’ll tell him when he gets home that it’s over. I’ll get a taxi back here this evening.’

Elsie butted in. ‘Don’t wait to tell him it’s over. Pack up and come here straight away. Don’t give him a chance to try to worm his way out of this.’

Sally thought about this for a moment, but in the end decided against it. ‘There’s nothing he can say that will make me stay, but if I don’t tell him I’m going he’ll only come here to look for me.’ Sally stood up, pushing her shoulders back resolutely. ‘I’ve got to face him. Make sure he understands that we are over.’

BEFORE

July 1981

Sally

Hereford Gardens, Harrow, London

Two large suitcases and Zach’s pram and crib sat by the front door. Sally had booked a taxi, and it was due in thirty minutes shortly after Ian was due home.

Every noise outside made her jump, the sounds amplified, along with Sally’s nerves. Zach slept silently on the couch beside her, propped up by several cushions. Finally, she heard the roar of the car pull into their driveway, then the bang of a door and the turn of the key.

‘What the . . .’ Ian called out as he entered the hall and spotted the luggage.

Sally stood up, clenching her fists tightly by her side until her nails pierced the soft round of her palm. Her husband appeared at the door of the sitting room, his face masked and unreadable.