Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
Gemma
We were at the police station for ages and now we’re finally back in the pickup. It’s late so I called Morgan, asking her to wait for me at a café by her school. There’s no way we’d let her go back to that house without me or Ethan being there.
I know Ethan is deep in thought but I need to say something to break the deafening silence.
He’s barely spoken since the interview and it’s unnerving me.
I start thinking aloud, trying to work through what we spoke about.
‘The police said, whoever fitted the device knew that us not having Wi-Fi was a problem. To work around it, they had to enter our house to retrieve and replenish the hard drive. The number of hours that had been recorded told us all that there was someone in the house on Monday night. They swapped the hard drive before running off. I can’t believe someone has been sneaking in while we’ve been there. ’ I shiver at the thought.
Ethan grips the steering wheel like he wants to strangle it. He doesn’t say anything. I’m proud of how restrained he was at the police station given that he’s had a few outbursts lately.
I continue. ‘We didn’t hear them because the TV is always on loud or Cora is always making a noise. They’ve had it so easy.’
‘It makes me sick to think that someone has been listening to everything we say.’ He hits the steering wheel as we slow down at a junction.
‘Same, and I don’t think the police believed us, especially when they found nothing else in the house. The intruder seems to have come and gone like a ghost, leaving nothing behind.’ A chill runs through me.
While we were being interviewed, we gave another officer our keys.
They dusted the loft hatch and Aunt Dorette’s office for prints.
‘It’s going to be weeks before forensics process everything,’ I say.
The look on the police officer’s face told me that he doubted us.
We’re a long way off from being a priority for them.
To top things off they were all called out to attend to a tree that had fallen on several cars during a recent storm.
Great, no one believes us and even if they did they’re too busy dealing with emergency callouts.
‘I can’t believe they brought up your arrest,’ I continue saying to Ethan.
‘You were cleared. There was no reason to do that. The police officer even seemed happy to tell us that the neighbours had accused us of writing the letters. They’re all as bad as each other, the police and the neighbours.
They hate outsiders and they hate us.’ Everything is a mess, a terrifying mess.
I put my phone in my bag, glad I took a photo of the recent letter.
Ethan lets out a long sigh. ‘I agree. We need to focus on getting the job done fast so we can leave.’
Is he suggesting that we stay there after all that’s happened? ‘I’m scared, Ethan. I don’t want to go back.’
‘I know. I don’t either but we don’t have the funds to start staying in hotels if we’re to finish this project.
Whoever it is couldn’t get into the apartment, which is why they had to go in through the loft.
Also, I’m not letting these arseholes run us out of the house.
We need to make sure we don’t leave the main door on the latch again and we’ll be okay. ’
‘But we didn’t leave it on the latch last night.’
‘I don’t know.’ He doubts me and himself. ‘I messaged Robbie and asked him to grab a doorbell camera, but we don’t have Wi-Fi yet so that’s not going to help. He also put a new smoke alarm in the apartment.’
I want to shout about how that is his fault but arguing now wouldn’t be the best thing to do.
I’m also livid that we forgot to book an appointment with the nursery for Cora.
As for the Wi-Fi problem, I can’t believe the engineer cancelled on us due to the weather.
Morgan is going to be upset and it’ll be me who bears the brunt of her moods.
We need to collect our daughter. ‘Great, I guess we have no choice but to stay.’ I wish my mum was still alive.
If I could bundle the kids up into the car and drive away from Clover House, I would, but the truth is, we have nowhere else to go.
Ethan’s parents live in a one-bedroomed flat in Cornwall and they have barely any money.
We can’t just turn up there and camp out in their living room. We’re trapped.
‘I love you, Gemma. We’ll get through this and we’ll get the job done quicky.’
‘I love you too.’
My phone beeps. I read the WhatsApp.
Harry’s mum took me home. X
My heartbeat ramps up. I call her. ‘Morgan, where are you?’ I put her on loud speaker so Ethan can hear.
‘Chill, Mum. I’m at Harry’s, that’s why I messaged you. I used their Wi-Fi. Is the Wi-Fi sorted at ours?’
‘Cancelled due to bad weather. Sorry, love.’ Ethan delivers the bad news.
Morgan hears him through the phone. ‘Great. Stuck in the dark ages still. I’ll call Mai on WhatsApp while I’m here.’
‘Morgan.’
‘What?’
I reply, ‘Whatever you do, don’t go back to the apartment. The team are there doing a bit of work. Morgan…’ I can’t tell her that someone was recording us. It’s too much.
‘Yep.’
‘Why did you get a lift home instead of staying in the café like I asked you to?’
‘James and his friends were heading there. I didn’t want to be around him.’
I let out a long breath. ‘Okay, just stay put. We’re on our way back.’
Cora sleeps in her chair on the back seat, and snow has started to fall thick on the windscreen. The wind whips up the trees. ‘Ethan?’
‘Hmm.’ He indicates and we’re soon driving out of the town and along the country roads.
‘It definitely wasn’t Tessa’s nephew, James. Morgan just told me that he was going to hang out at the café by the school, which means he was at school when we received that letter.’ I owe Tessa an apology, but then again, she wasn’t exactly nice to me.
I worry as a weather report comes on the radio.
Keep safe out there tonight in Whitby. We’re expecting snow and there have been several reports of fallen trees.
Emergency services are attending to a major incident on Belmont Street.
Stay tuned because we’ll have more details for you soon.
Keep checking in for more updates on public transport and school closures. The traffic report is coming up next.
My mind goes back to the letter which said new friends, old friend. I’m more certain than ever that this is about me. Whoever is doing all this is out to get me, not my children, not my husband. Me. The police think we’re a joke but I know things they don’t, things that are utterly terrifying.