The Half Sister, page 29
The more Lauren’s talking, the more claustrophobic Kate feels.
‘We need to find Jess,’ croaks Kate, almost to herself. ‘We need to get to her before the police do.’ She turns to Matt. ‘Where is she?’
‘I don’t know,’ he says. ‘She called in sick this morning.’
‘Call her, Lauren,’ says Kate authoritatively, standing up and striding unsteadily towards the revolving doors. ‘Find out where she is.’
Lauren rings her number as they rush across Cabot Square. Engaged. She tries again. Engaged.
‘Shit!’ says Kate, as they reach the station. ‘What’s the quickest route to Hackney?’
‘DLR to Stratford,’ says Matt.
‘She doesn’t deserve this,’ says Lauren as they scramble down the escalator of Canary Wharf station. ‘She feels alone and lost enough as it is, but if the police tell her what they’ve just told us . . .’
‘That’s why we need to get to her first,’ says Kate, as Matt takes hold of her hand, making her feel more secure, both literally and figuratively.
‘And what are we going to say to her?’ asks Lauren.
‘She doesn’t know what we know,’ says Kate, breathlessly. ‘So, we have that advantage.’
Kate’s phone rings just as they reach the platform and, seeing that it’s Jared, she slides to answer it. ‘I need to take this,’ she says, as they all stop for breath.
‘Hey Kate, it’s only me,’ he says. ‘I just wanted to get back to you with what I’ve found out about your girl so far.’
Kate can’t help but wonder if it’s even relevant anymore.
‘So?’ she snaps, without meaning to.
‘So, she was adopted when she was six by Mr and Mrs Oakley down in Bournemouth and it appears she kept their name even though she went back into the foster system a short while after. It seems that the ill health of her adoptive parents brought that on.’
‘Okay,’ says Kate, not hearing anything she doesn’t already know. She can’t decide if that’s a good thing or not.
‘But her papers show that up until she was adopted, she was living with various foster parents across the north of England.’
‘Yep, that seems to add up,’ says Kate. ‘And do you have the name she was living under?’
‘Yeah, it seems she kept her birth name until she was adopted,’ says Jared.
‘Which was?’ asks Kate, feeling as if there’s something lodged in her throat.
‘Which was . . .’ says Jared, without any sense of urgency. ‘Ah, here it is . . .’ Kate can hear the rustle of paper at his end and doesn’t know whether she wants him to hurry up or slow down. ‘Woods,’ he declares, oblivious to its significance. ‘Her birth name was Harriet Woods.’
She ends the call and looks to Matt who, judging by the fact that he has his hands on his head, is one step ahead.
‘It’s her, isn’t it?’ he says.
Kate types Woods Murder Harrogate into her phone’s search engine. A flurry of archived articles flood her screen.
Woman murdered – husband and baby missing.
Husband prime suspect in woman’s murder.
Baby found abandoned.
Wood’s murder – husband cleared.
The salacious headlines are mainly from Yorkshire’s local newspapers, but ‘Killer on the loose’ ran in her own paper. ‘Shit!’ she says before reading the body of the article to Lauren and Matt.
‘Frank Woods, the husband of Julia Woods, who was found murdered in her home in Harrogate, Yorkshire, two years ago, has been released without charge. Mr Woods was the prime suspect for his wife’s murder since absconding and being traced to Spain. But following his extradition and subsequent questioning, Yorkshire police have said that he is no longer part of their inquiries. The hunt for Mrs Wood’s killer goes on.’
None of them say a word. Their expressions say more than enough.
48
Lauren
Now that Lauren’s stopped moving, sweat is springing to her pores, making a track down the length of her spine. She fans out her shirt with one hand, whilst the other trembles as she dials Jess’s number again, not sure whether she wants her to pick up or not.
She answers on the third ring, but now that she has her, Lauren doesn’t know what to say and looks to Kate wide-eyed.
‘Find out where she is,’ hisses Kate under her breath.
‘Listen, where are you?’ starts Lauren. ‘I need to see you.’
‘Did you see the article?’ asks Jess, ignoring the question.
‘Yes, I did,’ says Lauren.
‘It’s caused quite a stir,’ says Jess tightly.
Lauren wants to ask how, but she doesn’t want to alert her to anything she doesn’t already know.
‘I’m sure,’ she says.
Kate nods at her and rolls her hand over to encourage her to get to the point.
‘Look, I really do need to see you,’ she says. ‘We need to see you.’
‘We?’ asks Jess, and Lauren grimaces. She should have kept it simple, not made it out to be the big deal that it is. Kate looks as if she’s holding her breath. ‘Me and Kate,’ Lauren goes on. ‘Are you at home?’
‘Aren’t I the popular one?’ Jess says. ‘First the police and now you and Kate.’
Lauren’s sure her heart’s stopped beating. ‘The police?’ she says numbly, and Kate closes her eyes, letting her head fall backwards. ‘What did they want?’
‘They think they might have some news on my mother,’ says Jess.
Lauren goes into fight or flight mode; her head battling against itself to do the right thing. Does she offer this young girl solace in a world that has been so cruel to her? Or does she protect her family, at all costs, no matter what they may have done?
‘Wow . . . that’s amazing news!’ she says, trying her best to sound upbeat, but the pretence lies thick on her tongue.
‘Yeah,’ agrees Jess sombrely. ‘I’m going down to the police station now as they want to take a DNA sample and tell me what’s going on.’
‘Why don’t I come with you?’ says Lauren, at a loss for anything else. She can’t let Jess, a young girl she’s come to care a great deal about, face the news of her mother’s murder alone. ‘Where are you? I’ll come and meet you. You don’t want to do this on your own.’
Jess sniggers. ‘You make it sound like I’m a lamb going to slaughter. Do you know something I don’t?’
An oppressive heat bears down on Lauren and she’s grateful for the rush of air the oncoming train brings with it. Kate and Matt look at her with raised eyebrows, both of them questioning whether they’re getting on or not.
‘Of course not,’ laughs Lauren awkwardly, shrugging her shoulders. ‘I just think you should have somebody with you. Tell me which police station you’re heading to and I’ll meet you there.’
‘Oh that’s really sweet of you,’ gushes Jess. ‘I’m going to—’
‘Jess?’ calls out Lauren as a silence fills the line. ‘Jess?’
‘What’s going on?’ asks Kate. ‘Where is she?’
The doors of the train begin to slide shut. ‘Lauren, where is she?’ Kate shouts, jamming her foot in between them to stop them from closing.
‘Hey!’ says Matt, pulling Kate free. ‘Nothing’s worth killing yourself for. We’ll get the next one.’
‘Shit! Shit! Shit!’ says Lauren as she jabs at her phone again and again, only to hear the busy tone. ‘She’s on her way to talk to the police now, but I’ve no idea what station she’s heading to.’
‘Okay,’ says Kate. ‘She’s going to have to find out in her own way now, so we need to think about damage limitation from our point of view.’
‘How do you mean?’ asks Lauren, wondering how they can protect themselves from the fallout that looks to be heading their way. Even if Jess takes the news she’s about to get well, the police are still going to be knocking on their door again, wanting to know more. What started out as someone else’s adventure now feels like Lauren’s very own nightmare.
‘I think we need to go and see Mum,’ says Kate. ‘We need to prepare her for what might be coming her way.’
‘Agreed,’ says Lauren, as they rush across the footbridge and onto the opposite platform where a southbound train is waiting. ‘But how the hell are we going to tell her that the woman her husband’s had a child with was murdered.’
‘Do you think Dad knew?’ asks Kate, stepping on just as the door alarm sounds.
‘That he had a child or that her mother was killed?’ asks Lauren.
‘Either,’ says Kate.
‘I’m still sure I saw him with a woman and a baby, and I know I told Mum, despite her not remembering.’
‘So if he knew he had a baby, then he’d know that child’s mother was dead. Even if they weren’t in a relationship – weren’t even on speaking terms – he’d know because it was all over the local paper.’
Lauren’s head falls back against the glass partition. ‘It doesn’t look very good, does it?’ she says, not wanting to state the obvious, but unable to ignore it. ‘Especially given we moved to London that same year.’
It hits her then that this is all her fault. If she hadn’t uploaded her DNA, hadn’t persisted in bringing Jess into the family, hadn’t upset Kate and her mother with her insistence that Jess’s story was worth listening to . . . and now it’s out there and look what’s happened. Lauren feels as if the air is being squeezed out of her as she acknowledges that she may have served her father’s head on a silver platter.
‘Let’s not jump to conclusions,’ says Matt, without any real conviction. ‘I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for all of this. We just need to let the police join up the dots. At the moment they’ve got to follow every line of inquiry, so all we need to do, is tell them what we know . . . and support your mum, until they realize that they’re barking up the wrong tree.’ He offers a smile of reassurance, but Lauren gleans none.
‘Do you think they know who killed her already?’ asks Kate.
Matt looks at her. ‘I think they have someone’s DNA, other than the husband’s.’
‘What, so now all they need to do is match it up?’ asks Lauren, somewhat naively.
‘All they need is a name,’ says Kate dourly.
Lauren can’t bear to imagine it’s one they all know.
They walk from Greenwich station to their parents’ house in silence, playing out the next few minutes in their heads.
Lauren presumes it will largely fall to her to tell their mother about the secrets from the past; to destroy the love she’s held for her husband all these years. Because whichever way you look at this, the absolute best-case scenario is that their father was a serial philanderer – firstly with Helen Wilmington, then Julia Woods, and God knows how many other women. They’re the cold, hard facts that are about to crush their mother’s world. The worst case doesn’t even bear thinking about.
Lauren’s mouth instantaneously dries up as she turns into her parents’ quiet cul-de-sac, and by the time she reaches their house, it’s nigh on impossible to swallow. In the summer sunshine, with its manicured garden and flowering hanging baskets, the house looks the epitome of the suburban dream. She shudders as she imagines what’s about to go on behind its perfect facade.
49
Kate
‘Mum!’ shouts Kate as she lets herself in with her key. She can hear Noah crying, calling out for his mummy.
‘Ssh,’ says Rose. ‘Just be quiet, it’ll be all right.’
‘But I want my mummy,’ the little boy cries.
Kate looks at Lauren and in that split second, they share a look of utter confusion.
‘Noah!’ yells Lauren, as she flies into the living room.
Kate’s right behind, but it doesn’t shield her from what greets them. Her knees lock and her heart jumps into her mouth as Jess stands in front of them, holding Jude.
‘Jess!’ cries out Kate, unable to comprehend the scene that is playing out in front of her. Rose is sitting on the floor, backed up in the corner of the room, with Noah on her lap. Emmy is sat with them, looking up at Jess with fascination.
‘Mummy!’ squeaks Noah through his tears.
‘Stay here!’ says Rose abruptly, gripping his arm tightly.
‘But I want Mummy,’ he cries, trying to pull away from her.
‘Don’t come any closer,’ says Jess, as Lauren instinctively moves towards her son’s open arms.
‘What?’ manages Lauren, sounding as if someone has their hands around her throat. ‘Wh-what are you doing? Give me my baby.’
‘Stay where you are,’ says Jess, holding Jude tighter to her.
‘Jess, please!’ shrieks Lauren.
‘I mean it,’ says Jess.
Kate edges forwards, out of Matt’s cautionary grasp, with her arms aloft.
‘Jess, what’s going on?’ she says. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I thought I’d pay your mother a visit,’ says Jess acerbically.
‘But I thought you were going to the police station?’ says Kate, choosing her words carefully. ‘I thought you were going to give a DNA sample.’
‘What, to find out if I’m my mother’s daughter?’ Jess lets out a hollow laugh that ricochets around Kate’s whole being. ‘I don’t need a DNA test to prove who I am.’
‘I-I don’t understand,’ stutters Lauren.
Kate has no idea what’s going on, but she needs to get control before this all becomes so much worse than it already is. ‘Jess, just give Jude to me,’ she says, forcing herself to sound conciliatory when all she wants to do is scream. She inches ever closer towards her precious nephew who’s gurgling away contentedly, thankfully oblivious to the hostility surrounding him.
‘I’m warning you,’ says Jess. ‘Stay where you are.’
Kate weighs up what’s the worst Jess can do if she just makes a lunge for Jude and snatches him out of her grasp. They might grapple for a few seconds and he could get pushed and pulled, but it wouldn’t take much to overwhelm Jess’s slight frame.
She leaps forward, flinching in anticipation of the resistance she’s going to come up against. Jess raises her right hand and Kate stops dead in her tracks, so close to Jess that she can feel her breath on her face. It feels like it’s all happening in slow motion as the metal blade catches the sunlight filtering through the net curtains. In that moment, Kate finds herself wondering how on earth this can be going on behind the doors of such an ordinary house.
‘Kate!’ barks Matt, bringing her out of her momentary trance.
‘Ah, Matt!’ exclaims Jess.
Kate can’t compute what’s going on.
‘So, you know exactly who I am?’ he asks.
Jess laughs cynically. ‘What? You thought you were the one holding all the cards?’
Kate feels as if her lungs might burst as she holds her breath.
‘I . . .’ he starts. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘Well, then maybe you’re not quite the intrepid journalist you think you are,’ says Jess.
‘Whatever this is, you need to stop,’ he warns.
Jess laughs and grips hold of Jude even tighter. ‘It hurts, doesn’t it? Not knowing what someone would do to a defenceless baby.’
Kate remembers the room in Jess’s flat, perfectly prepared for the arrival of a little one, with its baby clothes and nappies. Had this been what it was all about from the beginning? Was Jess looking to get an eye for an eye? One baby’s sacrifice for another’s?
‘Okay, listen to me,’ says Kate, forcing herself to stay calm amid Lauren’s desperate cries. ‘No good can ever come of this. Whatever it is you want, we need to sit down and talk it through.’
‘I want the truth!’ Jess screams, her ice-cold facade momentarily giving way to a show of raw emotion.
‘And we can find it,’ offers Kate. ‘But not like this.’
Jess’s shoulders slump and Kate gets ready to snatch Jude from the arms of defeat, but then Jess shakes her head and any chance of a truce crumbles.
‘This,’ she says, pointing the knife at Jude, ‘is the only way I’m going to find out what really happened, because that’s the way you seem to do things around here. You think babies are collateral damage. That they can be sacrificed if it means you get what you want.’
Lauren lets out a heart-wrenching sob from somewhere behind Kate. ‘We can find the truth together,’ says Kate, her voice trembling. ‘Whatever it is you need to know, we’ll help you find it.’
Jess scoffs. ‘Funny how you’re all so interested now, isn’t it? Now you’ve got something to lose.’
‘Let us help you,’ says Kate.
‘Help me?’ Jess snorts. ‘You’ve done nothing but hinder me since the day I arrived.’
Kate knows she can’t argue with that. She’s going to have to try a different tack. ‘I understand that,’ she says, edging slowly forwards again, hoping Jess won’t notice. ‘But we now have unequivocal proof that you’re our father’s child and I will do everything I can to help you find whatever it is you’re looking for.’
‘I gave you that opportunity three months ago,’ sneers Jess.
Kate shakes her head, unable to make sense of what she means. It had only been a month since Jess had turned up at her parents’ front door.
‘I came to your offices and spoke to you about a story I had,’ said Jess, smiling wryly.
Kate’s head feels as if it’s about to explode.
‘Don’t you remember?’ Jess goes on. ‘I told you that my mother had been murdered and I’d been abandoned.’
Kate delves into the depths of her mind, desperately searching for something of any relevance.
‘So, you’ve known all along who your mother is?’ asks Lauren incredulously.
‘Was,’ sneers Jess correcting her. ‘I know who my mother was, because she’s dead now isn’t she?’ A flash of pain crosses Jess’s features, but she quickly pulls herself together.
‘Wh-when did you find out?’ Kate stutters, unable to think straight.
