Chapter 3
Chapter Three
The chiming of the clock on the wall in the living room timed perfectly with another rumble of thunder, though this one wasn’t as loud. The storm seemed to be heading out to sea.
Judith looked up. She was sitting on the edge of the sofa, arms wrapped around her, tense and agitated, tears staining her face. It was midnight, and Alice was still missing.
‘She hates weather like this,’ Judith said, not for the first time.
She looked over at WPC Freya Sloan in the armchair. She was only young, probably not much older than her missing daughter. She had neat, shoulder-length brown hair and beautiful skin, so smooth. She gave Judith a sympathetic smile that revealed dimples in her cheeks.
‘I’m not a fan of it either,’ Freya said. She brushed her hair behind her ear. ‘Would you like me to make you another cup of tea?’
‘No. Thank you.’
Judith stood up and went over to the bay window. She pulled back the curtain and looked outside. All she could see was her reflection staring back at her.
‘I can’t do this. It’s madness to be just sitting here waiting.’
‘Judith, it’s better for someone to remain at home. If Alice decided to shelter somewhere from the storm, she may come home now it’s abating a bit. She’ll need to see a friendly face.’
Judith nodded. She understood. She just couldn’t stand not doing anything. She returned to the sofa and sat down.
‘Tell me about Alice,’ Freya said. ‘You mentioned she likes reading, what else does she enjoy?’
‘She likes to make her own clothes,’ Judith said with a smile.
‘I got her into that when she was young. I was always getting patterns and making a skirt or a dress. When she was little, she used to sit in that seat where you are and watch me as I sized up the material and cut it to the right shape. When she was old enough, she’d help. She was a natural at it.’
Freya smiled. ‘I wouldn’t know where to begin.’
‘It’s actually quite easy. Those patterns you can buy give you a step-by-step guide.’
‘And the jumper she was wearing when she left this morning, she made that, too?’
‘Yes. It was her first try at knitting. She spent all summer making it.’
‘Does she have many friends?’
Judith’s face dropped. ‘No. She finds it difficult to make friends.’
‘What about the people she’s at college with?’
Judith shook her head. More tears pricked her eyes, and she wiped them away before they could fall.
‘They don’t understand. She’s a regular teenager, like the rest of them. She has the same feelings and emotions. Because she looks a bit different and has learning difficulties, they treat her so … well, some of them can be very cruel.’
‘She’s bullied?’
‘She says she isn’t, but she is.’
‘How do you know?’
Judith stole a glance at Freya and quickly looked away.
‘I … a few months ago, Alice was very quiet. She seemed sad but wouldn’t tell me why.
I was worried about her, so I took the day off work and followed her to the college.
A couple of the girls were laughing at her.
I heard one mention her weight. I wanted to march right over there and slap them, but, well, that wouldn’t have done Alice any good at all, would it? ’
‘No.’
‘I just wanted to see for myself what she was going through.’
‘Did you mention it to her, what you’d seen?’
‘No. I mentioned it to Geoff.’
‘And what did he say?’
‘He was fuming, naturally, but he said if we involved ourselves, we’d just make things worse. We’d have to wait for Alice to come to us and, in the meantime, make sure she had a happy home life.’
‘And she does?’
‘Of course. She’s very happy at home. When she’s not reading or making clothes, she’s watching game shows with her dad.
They play this game where they try to give the funniest answers.
’ She smiled at the memory. ‘It’s silly, I know, but the atmosphere in here is so light and full of fun. She can forget the cruelty out there.’
The front door opened and slammed closed. Judith jumped up from the sofa and ran out into the hallway.
Geoff looked as though all energy had been sapped out of him and he struggled to kick off his working boots.
Behind him, two young men in uniforms and waterproof overcoats looked soaked to the skin, drained, and shattered.
Judith didn’t need to ask; their impassive faces told her what she needed to know.
Geoff shook his head.
‘We’ve looked all over. There’s no sign of her anywhere. It’s like she’s just disappeared.’
Judith started to cry again. She held onto the doorframe, screwed up her face, and let the torrent of emotion pour out. Geoff leaped forward, grabbed his wife and wrapped his huge arms around her. He took her into the living room.
Freya stepped into the hallway to join her colleagues. ‘Nothing at all?’ she asked, lowering her voice.
‘There’s no one out there,’ PC Simms said. ‘It’s a ghost town. Sergeant Adams said they’ll start knocking on doors at first light if she’s not found.’
Freya looked over her shoulder into the living room and stepped closer to Simms. ‘Did Geoff say anything? Do you have any suspicions?’
‘He loves her. He’s worried about her. He said he thinks she’s being bullied at college.’
‘Judith said the same thing. We could go round there tomorrow and talk to the teachers as well.’
‘What about now, though?’ PC Lowe said. ‘I mean, the storm seems to be calming down, but we can’t just leave her out there, can we?’
‘We don’t know that she is out there,’ Simms said. ‘We don’t know anything.’
‘I’ve tried ringing Adams three times in the last hour, and it’s always been engaged,’ Freya said. ‘People must be calling about all kinds of things because of the storm.’
‘So, what do we do then? Do we go back out there or wait until first light?’ Lowe asked.
‘I don’t think we have any choice. We’ll wait,’ Freya said.
All three remained in silence in the hallway, listening to the backdrop of Judith crying her heart out.