Chapter 41
FAYE
It’s my first attempt at a disguise. I stare at the woman in the mirror and I don’t see Claire or me.
I see a pale-faced woman with dark hair.
I’m wearing a wig that I found in a box in the attic and last wore at a Halloween party about three years ago.
I went as Morticia Addams and Scott dressed as Gomez.
It’s one of the last times I can remember us laughing easily and enjoying each other’s company.
I loved sashaying around in a long black dress while Scott’s pencil moustache gradually unpeeled throughout the night.
Of course, that was just before his affair began.
The wig is not great quality, but I manage to comb it into a bun that juts out below a baseball cap.
Then I put on a pair of square-shaped glasses and a baggy t-shirt over black leggings.
There’s no law against me going to see Claire’s neighbour, but I don’t particularly want to be recognised by anyone in the area, especially now the press have got wind of this. And if DS Oliver suspects I’m sticking my nose in where it’s not wanted, that might work against me.
Nathan is in York visiting the northern branch of his office and won’t be back until later. It still seems strange that he wants to help me, but perhaps he’s right, maybe I have been underestimating him.
My phone alerts me that the taxi is waiting outside—while I’m usually fine driving, I sometimes avoid it during more stressful moments in case I have an episode—and I make my way downstairs, and out the front door.
The driver is quiet as I get in. If he wants to know why I’m going all the way to Little Ingleby, he doesn’t ask.
The car air conditioning is a welcome reprieve from the muggy weather outside and this itchy wig. I resist the urge to tear it away and concentrate on staying calm as the miles tick by.
When the village comes into view, I pull in a deep breath.
The truth is, I’m not just here to see Janice, I have another reason to come to Little Ingleby.
I’ve even brought a few tools with me. The taxi pulls up and I grab my backpack and climb out of the car.
When I heft it onto my shoulders, the weight tugs at the muscles in my back.
Then I walk towards the one place that might give me answers.
* * *
I keep my head down as I walk past the Blackburns’ house.
For now, I just want to find out if anyone’s at the property.
Sweat runs down my back when a car moves along the road.
But they don’t stop. They’re driving fast, but I get a quick glimpse of a BMW as it speeds around the corner. To my relief, it’s not a police car.
But there is a car in the driveway, which is interesting. A small, ten-year-old Skoda.
I make my way around to Janice’s house, remove the hat, wig and glasses and shove them into my bag. She answers on the first doorbell ring.
“Hi,” she says. There’s a moment of hesitation, as though she doesn’t want to let me in. But then she steps away from the door. “Come in.”
“Thanks,” I say, following her inside.
“So, I saw in the news, the police questioned you?” Janice asks straight away.
“Yes,” I say. “But only because Claire may have come to my house. Which means she knew I existed. Even though I had no idea about her.”
Janice nods. She leads me through to the conservatory again and I get a glimpse of Claire’s house next door, through the hedge.
I can see the upstairs windows and I imagine my twin sister living her life up there.
What happened behind those walls? As I stare at the window, the flicker of a figure moves across the window.
I’m sure of it. But it doesn’t reappear.
“So, what do you want to ask me?” Janice breaks my distracted stare.
“Oh, yes, sorry. I’m just trying to make sense of everything. How Claire knows about me and why she came to me. Did she ever say anything to you?” I ask. “About her long-lost mother? Her adoption? Something?”
“Actually, she did,” Janice admits. “She mentioned that she’d had a few long talks with her birth mother. But something happened. They fell out.” Janice shakes her head slightly. “This was years ago. I wish I could remember the details.”
“How long ago?” I ask.
“Before I knew her,” Janice says. “I didn’t move to the village until 2003. We became friends a year or so later and she told me more about her past a few years after that. So, this is all a long, long time ago.”
“Did you tell the police?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “To be honest, they’ve focused more on when I last saw Claire. Her mindset after Jack died. That kind of thing. Anything to do with her birth mother seemed irrelevant. Ancient history.”
“Right. I guess that makes sense.” I wrap my fingers around wicker conservatory seating.
“I have to admit, I’m floored you agreed to see me.
With the focus on me from the police, I thought you might be suspicious.
I don’t know if it goes without saying – I mean, from my point of view it does – but I had nothing to do with Claire’s disappearance.
She went missing before I even knew she existed. ”
Janice rubs her palm along her knee. Then she says, “I believe you. Actually, the reason I agreed to see you is because I’m hoping you’ll listen to me when the police won’t. I’ve warned them about him and told them about all the shouting I heard but…” Janice shrugs.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
She hesitates. “I think he might have done something to her. I think he might have hurt her.”