Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
As Juliette left the house that morning, she was glad that she’d called the police.
Perhaps a visit from an officer would ease her mind if they said someone had been caught prowling nearby, so that it couldn’t be her imagination playing tricks on her.
Mind, she knew she’d be lucky to get an officer to visit over such a small matter.
So she was pleased when she’d been told a police community support officer would call to see her. First she had to nip into Leek that morning. She needed some stationery and had a parcel to post. It wouldn’t take much longer than an hour.
Richard was in his front garden when she went out to her car. Thankfully, she hadn’t seen him since the weekend. She wondered if he’d been avoiding her, so that his clandestine dinner would remain secret.
‘Hi, Juliette,’ he said as he spotted her. ‘How are things?’
‘Oh, they’re fine, thanks.’ She paused. ‘Although I think I saw someone in the garden last night.’
‘Really? What time?’
‘About half past nine. It could have been my imagination, but I thought I’d check with the local police to see if there’s been any reports of prowlers, or the likes.’
‘I hope you weren’t too worried. You know if you ever feel in danger, you must come round to us. Either of us would be happy to help.’
‘That’s very kind of you.’ She smiled. ‘Thanks.’ She was about to get into her car when he spoke again.
‘I’ve been meaning to talk to you all week. It was about when you and Danny saw me on Saturday evening.’
‘Oh.’ Juliette opened the door, wanting to get away as quickly as possible. ‘It’s none of my business,’ she parroted what Danny had said to her.
‘I know and I thank you for being discreet. Sarah and I have an open relationship but best to keep it quiet.’
She nodded. ‘Of course.’
‘It doesn’t happen too regularly,’ he added. ‘I only see Amy a couple of times a month. I’m sure you can see that Sarah and I struggle as a couple and let’s just say the intimacy isn’t there as much nowadays.’
‘I really don’t feel comfortable discussing this with you, Richard,’ she said, getting into the car. ‘Whatever you and Sarah do is no business of mine, nor of Danny’s. I’m happy for you, if you’re happy.’
‘Sure. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.’
‘I know.’ Her smile was false. ‘I have to go.’
She closed the door and left him standing there.
What a creep! All that crap about having an open relationship was a load of baloney to her.
She was a one-man woman, couldn’t see the point of affairs.
If you were that unhappy with someone, leave them.
There were plenty more potential partners out there.
But there was equally something sinister about Richard’s actions. Why would he want to discuss this with her rather than Danny? After all, he was quick to speak to him when he accused her of imagining a child in their back garden.
The local police community support officer visited Juliette as planned.
She was a friendly woman, in her mid-forties, who looked around the property and gave her some advice for security.
It was to do with installing CCTV and more outside lights.
Juliette didn’t want to live in a fortress; another one of the reasons why they were moving out of London was to feel safer.
There was no point doing this and recreating a prison.
Besides, if there had been someone, it was most probably a thief scavenging through the garden sheds for what they could find, rather than someone with a gun waiting to shoot her at the first sign of trouble.
Though neither was a good thing. She’d definitely tell Danny to install more outside lighting.
After a hectic afternoon of catching up on work, Juliette made dinner and took it in the conservatory. It was too wet to sit outside, warmer weather had been promised for the weekend.
It was when she was gazing out of the window as she tucked into her food that she first saw it. She paused, fork halfway to her mouth. There was something on Emily’s bench.
As she drew closer, she broke out in goosebumps, pulling her thin cardigan around her. Closer still, and she covered her mouth with her hand as she gave out a gasp. It was Emily’s teddy bear, the one she had put up in the loft.
She reached for it, almost scared to touch it, to see if it was real or if it was a figment of her imagination. Emily had been vivid in her dreams the night before. Was this her way of letting her know?
She shook the silly thoughts from her head and picked up the bear.
Sitting on the bench, she looked at it. Her parents had bought the toy for Emily, shortly after she was born.
It was one of the things she had latched on to, been unwilling to let go as she grew older.
Juliette had been hoping she could give it to her grandchild in the future. That had been dashed good and proper.
There could be no mistaking this was Emily’s toy. What was going on?
Had she got it down herself and come to sit with it on Emily’s bench? It must be that. There could be no other explanation. Someone couldn’t have come into their home, found the toy in the loft and brought it back down without anyone noticing. It wasn’t impossible but highly improbable.
One thing was certain, she wasn’t sharing this episode with Danny. He’d think she was going mad after the child next door incident.
Perhaps it was time to go back to the doctors after all?
Maybe it was best if she came off all the medication now she was here.
She would be able to cope better. The move had proved to be good for her, and she had promised Danny she would get checked out.
Yes, she’d make an appointment, book a train and go back with Danny on Sunday evening.
She could manoeuvre her work round to suit. A break away might do her good too.
Later that evening, coming back from a walk across the field behind their house, Juliette glanced up at the house. She was still staggered by its beauty, the orange of the sky around it as the sun set on another glorious day.
She sat on Emily’s bench while she finished her wine. It really did help that Emily hadn’t been to the house now. There was nowhere Juliette could see her sitting, no room where she should have been sleeping.
A movement next door caught her eye and she sat up straight in a flash. The blind had gone up at a window where it was always down and she’d spotted a face. It didn’t belong to Sarah, she was certain. A little girl with blonde hair. The same child she had seen before.
She couldn’t be imagining that, could she?
She ran indoors to get her phone, but by the time she got back, the child was gone. But there was a child. And she wanted to know why it was a secret.
And why she was being hidden.
Next door, she heard the back door open. Keeping quiet, she watched as Sarah walked to the bottom of her garden and disappeared into the woods. Buoyed up with the wine, Juliette decided to follow her. Further down, there was a small gap in the hedge that she could squeeze through.
At the entrance to the woods, she paused for a moment before going inside.
She followed the path, ignoring the feeling of the darkness creeping in, and praying she wouldn’t get lost. Then she stopped.
Sarah was up ahead at the clearing. She was standing in the middle of it, looking down at the ground and talking to herself.
‘I miss you so much,’ she said.
Juliette stayed still. Confused, she decided now was not the time to speak to her and turned to go back.
A branch cracked under her feet and she froze. When she chanced a look over her shoulder, Sarah was no longer in the clearing. Knowing she was trespassing, she headed back along the path and out of the woods as quickly as she could, hoping she wasn’t spotted.