‘He hasn’t got a car. I’d know if he had a car, wouldn’t I?’
‘I was just checking. I saw him early this morning—’
‘Early? It doesn’t sound like Craig, then. He hasn’t been getting up before ten since…’
Since I can’t remember when. When did he last sleep here – was it Saturday? It can’t have been that long ago.
‘Erica!’ shouts Luke. Why is he shouting at me? ‘Listen, I saw him outside my children’s school – he was looking at me… it was as if he knew where to find us. Has he mentioned me at all?’
‘I can’t remember now. I’m so tired… too tired. I felt OK when I got up this morning, but all this is getting to me. Is there any news on that missing girl?’
He sighs down the phone; it almost hurts my ears.
‘Not that I’ve seen – and I’ve had the news on since I got into work. We’ve had no updates from the police. There is talk, though, that this isn’t the first time Leanne has run away. They seem to think she’ll come back of her own accord.’
‘They shouldn’t think that,’ I say. I feel breathless; I’m talking too much and need to sit. ‘I have to go, Luke.’
‘What do you mean: They shouldn’t think that?’ he says. ‘If you’ve got information that’ll help find Leanne, then you have to say.’
‘I only meant that… I’m worried about history repeating itself.’
‘Erica, what do you know? What has Craig told you?’
‘Nothing about Leanne. I’m always the last to know. Will you let me know if you hear anything?’
‘Erica, please—’
‘You’ll let me know?’
‘Yes.’ He sighs.
I replace the handset, thinking that he probably won’t keep his word. He’ll have more important things to do than update me. But for those few moments we were chatting, it was almost like talking to a friend.
I sit on the downstairs step to catch my breath. I’m too old for this.
Craig is a stranger to me. It’s like he wants to break my heart all over again. And Jim was right. Why am I still here? I get to my feet, and shuffle back to the phone table.
I open my address book and find his number.
30
Luke spent the rest of the morning thinking about Craig Wright being outside school. He imagined seeing Megan and Alice in the distance, waving as they held the man’s hands. No matter how fast he ran, he could never reach them.
After ringing the school and, at the risk of sounding like one of those parents, reiterating that under no circumstances are they to let his children leave school without it being him or Helen picking them up, he set off to work.
He resisted passing Erica’s on the way there – he was already a few hours late as it was.
Now it’s midday, and the more he thinks about it, the more he feels it can’t have been a coincidence. He replaces the handset after speaking to Erica.
‘What’s your face like that for?’ asks Amanda, sitting opposite him.
Luke had told her about seeing Craig that morning and she’d been the only one so far not to think he was going insane.
‘I’ve just had a weird conversation with Erica Wright,’ he says. ‘She was going on about losing Denise. I asked her if Craig had mentioned me, but she couldn’t remember. I’m sure she knows more than she’s saying.’
‘What do you mean, she lost Denise?’
‘I’ve no idea. Do you think Denise has gone missing?’
‘We’re like dumb and dumber here,’ says Amanda. ‘We’ve obviously no idea. And we can’t go round there again – not when Craig followed you after we interfered the last time.’
‘She didn’t sound well.’
‘I expect she’s having a stressful few days,’ she says. ‘Son released from prison for murdering a girl, another girl seen with son goes missing. I’d say that makes for a shit week.’
Luke remains silent while he thinks.
‘Look,’ says Amanda, ‘there’s nothing we can do from here. The police will be doing what they can. You gave them the details of the vehicle Craig was driving. Plus, you didn’t see the girl with him this morning, did you? It might be Jason Bamber – or someone we don’t even know about – working alone. There’s nothing we can do but wait.’
‘Wait for another girl to turn up dead?’
‘It’s not like we can hunt them down, Luke, is it?’
‘No.’
But he knows he’ll get little work done this afternoon. As soon as it gets to three o’clock, he’s going to wait outside the school until his children are out and safe.
Luke feels calmer now that Megan and Alice are safely tucked up in bed. He’s set up his laptop in his small office upstairs so he can keep an eye on them.
‘Not on the beer tonight?’ Helen shouts from their bedroom.
She’s trying on yet another black dress for a work do. Luke’s positive she hadn’t mentioned it before. She’s done her hair too; it’s up in a twist, with bits hanging round her face. Luke hasn’t seen her dressed up for months.
‘I need to keep a clear head,’ he says.
‘So what do you think of this one?’ Helen says from the landing.
‘Looks great,’ says Luke, thinking it looked exactly the same as the last one. ‘Who’s leaving again? And since when did going out for an office party on a school night become a thing?’
‘Eh?’ she says, slipping her feet into two-inch heels. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Just someone I spoke to yesterday at work. Jenna Threlfall’s sister was having her Christmas party on a weekday. Anyway.’ Luke waves his hand, batting the subject away. ‘Do you remember she had a sister?’
‘I don’t remember much about Jenna, let alone her sister.’
‘What time will you be back?’
‘No idea. I’m not working till six tomorrow night, so it might be a late one.’ She kisses the top of his head. ‘You’ll hardly notice me gone, Luke,’ she says. ‘You’ve barely spoken to me in days. You’ve become obsessed with that case. You know you’re not some kind of detective.’
‘I’m not obsessed. It’s giving me a focus. Last month you said I’d lost my drive, now you’re complaining because I found it.’
‘Hopefully that girl will come home safe and everything can get back to normal.’
‘Her name’s Leanne.’
‘Bye, love,’ she whispers loudly from the top of the stairs.
He rushes to the landing.
‘I was in the middle of talking to you!’
She stops halfway down the steps, turning around slowly.
‘You will wake the kids,’ she hisses.
‘So? What do you care?’ He shouts, knowing that the volume will piss her off even more. ‘You’re hardly ever here – and when you are, you take no notice of me.’
‘Have you heard yourself?’ She’s leaning towards him, her eyes narrow. ‘I hardly ever go out for actual fun. In case you hadn’t realised, when I am out all hours, I’m bloody working!’ She turns and stomps down the rest of the stairs. She stops as she reaches for the door handle, looking up at Luke. ‘We can talk about this tomorrow.’
The door slams shut. She didn’t bloody care about waking the children then, did she? Luke is shaking. What’s wrong with her? Can’t she see how much it hurts him to be dismissed all the time?
Luke hadn’t heard a cab waiting for her outside. Did she actually mention where she was going? Fuck it. Helen’s a grown woman – she can look after herself.
He briefly checks on the girls before returning to his office, slumping onto his chair. After a few deep breaths, he turns to face his computer.
Luke clicks on Olivia Threlfall’s email and scrolls through the pictures she sent him. He stops when he comes to one that’s obviously been scanned – the photo is slightly bent in the top right corner. It’s one of Jenna that Luke hasn’t seen before. In it, Olivia is sitting on her older sister’s knee. Jenna has her arms wrapped around her sister; their heads are level, with Olivia’s long brown hair resting on Jenna’s shoulders.