Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX
I could hear the boiler working hard, creaks and rattles reverberating through the old house – a clear indication that Annie was still in the shower in her en suite.
The whole system was ancient, in desperate need of replacement, but she seemed not to notice the many things she’d neglected to tend to over the three years she’d spent living here.
The fact that the hot water took so long to warm up that by the time it started to come through the tap, you’d already finished washing your hands.
The strange wiring that meant if you turned on the dining room light, the lamps in the living room switched themselves off.
I wasn’t sure if it was simply a quirk of the house or a safety issue, but when I mentioned it, Annie just shrugged and said her parents had lived with it this way for years and it didn’t bother her a bit.
I’d waited to hear the bolt slide across her bedroom door, then rushed back to my room, relieved to find Amala still sound asleep in the bassinet.
I’d stashed what I’d snatched from the loft in the inner zipped pocket of the changing bag, attaching the little padlock I’d picked up in the village hardware shop as it had become obvious that I needed a deterrent for Annie.
I still couldn’t believe she’d gone through my things and smashed my phone.
I’d been so stunned that I had barely reacted, but in the aftermath, the consequences of what she’d done had hit me.
That phone had been my lifeline. My only way of contacting the outside world.
And under the guise of being fearful that I was being tracked, she had destroyed it, cutting me off.
Had she meant to do that? To make me feel quite so vulnerable?
As if it hadn’t already been difficult enough.
I had no choice but to order a new one, but how?
Annie lived like it was the bloody dark ages, and I had hoped not to have to use my bank card.
But I couldn’t risk leaving. Not with him looking for me… not until I had what I had come for.
I glanced out of the bedroom window at the sound of the gate opening, and felt my shoulders stiffen as Aaron sauntered up the path, a shopping bag slung over his shoulder.
I knew I couldn’t ignore Annie’s instruction to take the shopping from him, but another encounter with that man was the last thing I wanted.
Then again, I thought, looking at the remains of my broken phone on the dresser, he might be the only hope I had. But would he help me?
I bit my lip. Amala was still sleeping, and I knew she wasn’t likely to wake any time soon. Leaving her in the bassinet, I sucked in a deep, courage-giving breath and headed downstairs to get it over with.
I opened the front door just as he was reaching for the bell. ‘My daughter is asleep,’ I said quietly. ‘Annie said to take that.’ I reached for the bag, and he passed it to me.
‘I’m glad it’s you,’ he said, his eyes soft, friendly, though I stepped back instinctively at his words. ‘I wanted to apologise.’
I frowned, instantly suspicious.
‘No, I mean it. I was heavy-handed. It’s only out of concern. Annie… she doesn’t have guests. Especially not—’ He broke off, then gave a smile. If I hadn’t known better, I might have be lieved him.
‘Not what?’ I pushed, curiosity getting the better of me.
He shrugged. ‘She doesn’t have anyone to stay. She’s not had the easiest time of it, and she likes her space. That’s all I meant.’
I nodded, meeting his eyes. ‘I get that. She explained about her ex… how she’s still afraid of him coming for her.’
His eyebrows shot up. ‘She told you about Ryan?’
I nodded.
He let out a long breath. ‘And what are you planning to do with that information?’
‘ Do with it?’
He twisted his mouth. ‘I’m just saying, morals go out of the window when it comes to money. Wouldn’t you agree?’
I bit my lip, glancing across to the house he’d somehow managed to afford on a policeman’s salary. ‘Did yours ?’ I bit back. ‘What morals did you have to bend to buy a house like that in this pretty little village?’
He glanced towards it dismissively. ‘It was a wreck. Practically derelict. I bought it at auction for next to nothing and did it up myself. Took years.’
I gave a shrug. ‘Sure you did.’ I sighed.
‘I thought we were getting somewhere, Aaron, and yet here you go again, tossing out outlandish, nonsensical remarks and accusations. What is it you think I’m planning to do?
Hmm?’ He looked at me, considering, and I went on.
‘Annie’s business is her own. I have no intention of sharing it with anyone else. Okay?’
He was silent for a moment, folding his arms across his broad chest as he regarded me, analysing me like a bug under a microscope.
Finally, he gave a resigned nod. ‘Okay. I—’ He broke off, rubbing his palm over his face as if he were suddenly exhausted.
‘Sorry,’ he mumbled. He had the grace to look sheepish, his eyes softening again.
‘I’m just protective of her. And this’ – he gestured to me in the doorway – ‘it’s out of the realms of normal, and it makes me uncomfortable. I’m sorry,’ he repeated.
I screwed up my face, unsure what to think. ‘Fine. But if you could just stop jumping down my throat, I’d appreciate it.’
‘Got it.’
I put the shopping bag down by my feet and folded my arms. ‘Did she—’ I broke off, not wanting to continue the conversation but knowing there was nobody else I could ask.
I could hear the desperation in my voice, the fear, and I didn’t want him to pick up on it too.
I tried again, though the second attempt was not much better. ‘Have you seen other babies here?’
His face blanched, and he quickly shook his head. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I… I just wondered. Did Annie have a baby?’
‘Is that what she told you?’ he whispered.
‘She didn’t tell me anything.’
He stepped back as if he’d been caught divulging secrets he shouldn’t share, then swallowed, glancing up at the window above as if he might find her looking down at us.
‘Annie doesn’t have a baby.’ His words were firm.
‘She’s fragile. Her mental state is… She’s been through a lot.
I won’t tell you her business. It isn’t for me to say.
And I get that you don’t mean to cause issues, but you being here…
your daughter being here… You really should go. Soon. ’
‘What do you mean? Is she dangerous?’ I asked, thinking of that mad glint in her eye as she’d held the hammer in the kitchen, the moonlight streaming down behind her, the complete lack of remorse or apology as she stood over my ruined phone.
The way I could hear her walking around her bedroom behind the bolted door at all hours of the night.
The pit she was digging with a level of obsession that was impossible to ignore.
A high-pitched creak sounded above us, and I looked up to see her bathroom window opening wide, steam bellowing from it, her shower clearly finished.
‘Tell Annie the plums are divine!’ Aaron said in a loud, jovial voice. His eyes met mine, full of warning, and I wondered if I’d got him all wrong. If he’d been trying to help me see what was right in front of my face. He turned for the gate, calling a too-friendly goodbye.
I shut the door, realising I’d got more than I bargained for when I came here.
But even knowing that, I couldn’t leave.
I glanced up the stairs and felt my insides turn to ice.
There had been a baby here. I’d seen the truth written all over Aaron’s face.
I’d known he was hiding something horrible.
And I was certain I didn’t want to know what it was.