Page 59 of Stolen Ones

Lisa’s face fell just an inch as her fingers began picking again at the blanket. ‘And the boys?’

‘The more I fought to hang on, the harder it was on them. For their sake I had no choice but to let him go.’

Alex sighed heavily so that Lisa would appreciate her martyrdom and her sacrifice. She needed to leave lots of little seeds to germinate in her mind.

‘Once they’d left, I tortured myself with visions of him finding someone else. I used to lie in bed picturing them together. I worried that my boys would forget me. The thoughts turned to him falling in love, him marrying someone else. Of my boys getting attached to someone else as their memories of me faded away. I was tortured by pictures of someone else putting them to bed, some other woman reading them a story. Of another woman’s face being the last thing they saw before falling asleep.’

Alex paused as she could see the terror building in Lisa’s eyes.

‘But the worst thing I could imagine, and there being absolutely nothing I could do about it, was the thought of them calling someone else mummy.’

A strangled cry escaped from Lisa’s lips even as she covered her mouth in horror.

‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have unloaded like that. Our situations are completely different. I’m sure, I mean, I wouldn’t have thought any of that would happen to you, but the pain is still so raw, even after six years. It doesn’t take much for it all to come spilling out.’

‘It’s…it’s okay,’ Lisa said, trying to get her thoughts in order.

Alex shook her head. ‘I wouldn’t tell anyone else this,’ she said conspiratorially, ‘but when the pain was at its worse, I’m surprised that I found the strength to carry on.’ She stood and headed for the door. ‘Most days I just wanted to die. It’s a pain that never goes away, and as a mother yourself, I know you understand.’

Alex offered one last half-smile before turning and leaving the cell.

The half-smile turned into a real one.

Yes, this part of her plan was definitely on track.

Thirty-Four

Butler Building Limited was located on a small trading estate just outside Quinton. From the car park, Kim could see that the business had grown over the years and had taken the premises either side of it. To the right of the two-storey building was a double metal gate that appeared to be for equipment and materials storage.

The three reserved spaces outside the door were occupied with a new BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes.

‘Company appears to be doing okay,’ Bryant said as they passed the collection of vehicles.

‘Top brass are always the last to suffer anyway,’ Kim said, pushing open the heavy glass entrance door.

The reception area was pleasant and unfussy. The chairs appeared comfortable, but there were no flowers or magazines to soften the space. The walls were filled with framed montages of what she assumed were high-profile projects at varying stages of construction.

She frowned as a woman appeared at the desk.

Bryant stepped forward.

‘May we speak with Jenson Butler please?’ He held up his ID. The woman picked up her glasses from the desk and peered at it closely.

‘We spoke with him briefly at Hawne Park,’ Bryant clarified.

‘Oh dear, that’s where the bones were found, isn’t it? Are they human?’

‘If we could speak with Mr Butler,’ Bryant pushed, pleasantly but firmly displaying one of his many interpersonal skills. He could temper two emotions to the correct degree to get the desired result. It was a skill that had not been bestowed upon Kim. She would ask once and then shout. There was very little scope in between.

Bryant moved away from the desk to offer privacy as the woman picked up the phone. He took a moment to peruse the gallery, and the same frown that had made its way onto her face appeared to be mirrored on his.

It was definitely something they’d address when they spoke to the man.

‘He’ll be just a couple of minutes,’ the woman said after ending the call.

Bryant gravitated back to the desk. ‘Have you been here long?’ he asked, leaning on the counter as though it was his local bar.

‘Twenty-nine years,’ she said with pride in her voice.