Page 91 of Worse Than Murder

Alison wipes a tear away. ‘Were you on your own all morning, Mum?’

‘Of course, I was. What makes you ask that?’

Alison doesn’t reply but continues to stare at her mother.

Iain clears his throat loudly. ‘It was Travis who told me.’ Everyone turns to look at him. ‘I was at the stables. We were having problems with the plumbing, and I had the sink off in the bathroom. Travis was shouting my name, really screaming it. I remember thinking then something was wrong. He came bursting in; said the girls had gone missing and would I help him organise a search party.’

‘Travis asked you to organise a search party?’ Alison asks. ‘Why?’

‘Why?’ Iain looks at her with a frown. ‘Because the girls were missing.’

‘How did he know? Who told him?’

‘I phoned the farmhouse,’ Lynne says. ‘Travis answered the phone.’

‘Did he?’

‘Yes. Alison, what is it? You’ve a very strange look on your face. Is something wrong?’

Alison takes another sip of wine. She shakes her head. ‘I don’t understand why Travis immediately knew Celia and Jennifer weremissing, though. We used to come up to the farmhouse all the time. Why didn’t he ask if we were there, with you, Iain?’

Iain’s eyes widen and dart from left to right as if he’s trying to remember something he’s forgotten.

‘I… I… don’t recall…’ he says, slowly.

‘Travis jumped to the conclusion they were missing. It makes no sense,’ Alison says.

‘It does, though, now, doesn’t it?’ Claire says. ‘They were in Travis’s car. Surely it’s clear that he took them for… whatever reason.’

They all fall into silence. The atmosphere is oppressive. The only sound comes from a clock on the wall.

‘I can’t get my head around this,’ Alison says. ‘To think that Travis was responsible. He was always so good to us. He let us sit in the front seat of his car and pretend we were driving, do you remember?’ Alison asks Claire.

‘I do. I remember him showing me the gears. I know I was only about five, but I remembered it all. Clutch down, into first, find your biting point…’ she says with a smile.

‘It’s difficult to imagine that same man being responsible for kidnapping Celia and Jennifer,’ Alison says. ‘There’s no reasoning behind it.’

‘Who knows why people do what they do?’ Lynne says. She’s looking away, down at the floor. Her voice is low. She’s clearly uncomfortable, struggling with something. She’s clutching Iain’s hand firmly beneath the table. ‘Excuse me.’ She jumps up and runs out of the room, her hand over her mouth.

Iain, Alison and Claire sit in silence.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have come over here this evening?’ Claire asks.

‘You’re always welcome here, Claire, you know that,’ Iain says. ‘Only, it’s bringing it all back, taking its toll on Lynne.’

‘The truth is always difficult for some people to hear,’ Alison says.

The silence intensifies.

I’m wired after all that coffee and alcohol. I take a warm shower to freshen up and go straight to bed with a gin and tonic from the bar. Sally has long since turned in and I can hear Philip moving around in the restaurant downstairs, cashing up and locking up. I pull the thin sheet over me and finish my drink. It’s a warm and muggy night. I’m tempted to leave a window open a crack, but paranoia forces me to leave it shut. I turn over, snuggle down and close my eyes.

* * *

‘Matilda. Matilda.’

I open my eyes. The room is pitch dark. Philip is standing over me. All I can see in the darkness is the whiteness of his eyes. They’re wide and staring. Something is wrong.

‘What is it? What’s happened?’ I can hear the panic in my voice.