My Sister's Bones(79)

‘Shh–’ She’s trying to tell me something.

I make my way up the hallway, but I can’t see a phone. There’s something sticky underneath my feet. I shudder. It’s blood. The house smells of it. I remember that smell. It’s what my childhood smelt like. Even though Kate was always first on the scene I would hover behind her, standing on tiptoes to see what state my mother was in this time. Even though Kate tried to shoo me away, I still saw the bruises; I still smelt the blood.

I need to get her out of here. Perhaps I can get her next door to Mum’s and break in somehow, then call the police from there.

‘Shh–’ she gasps then flops her head back on to the step.

‘Sorry, love, I can’t hear you,’ I tell her, my heart thudding. ‘Look, we’re going to have to get you up.’

She shakes her head then grabs my hand. Her breath is shallow as she forces the words out.

‘He’s . . . gone.’

‘Who’s gone?’ Does she mean her husband?

Her eyes roll in her head.

‘Shh–’ she says, wincing in pain. ‘Shed.’ The word falls out of her mouth like a stone.

‘Shed? He’s in the shed?’

I’m terrified. I just want to run. But Fida squeezes my arm tighter.

‘You . . . have . . . to . . . go.’ She spits out each word, squeezing my arms tighter with every syllable. ‘The boy –’

She lies back, exhausted from the effort of speaking, then she lifts her head and stares at me pleadingly.

‘Please . . .’

‘Your little boy is in the shed?’

She nods her head.

‘Help him,’ she gasps.

Then her head falls back. I put my hand on her chest. She’s still breathing but it looks like she’s fainted.

I stand up, my heart pounding. This is too much for me. I need to call the police. But if something happens to that child while I’m away I’ll never forgive myself. This is one child I can help.

I take off my coat and put it gently over Fida, then make my way through the house.

Be brave, I tell myself, as I push open the back door and step out into the shadowy garden. Be like Kate.





38


My legs feel like they are going to give way as I move across the grass towards the shed. What the hell am I doing? I feel disorientated from the wine and pills but I know I have to do this. If I can help this little boy then I’ll have done something right in my thirty-five years on this earth. Then maybe Paul will be proud of me. He’ll see that I can be a good person.

I reach the shed. The door is wide open. I count to three then step inside.

‘Hello?’ I call, my heart beating so fast it feels like it’s coming out of my chest.

‘Hello?’ I repeat. ‘It’s okay. You can come out. I’ve come to help you.’

As my eyes adjust to the dark I can see it’s just an ordinary garden shed with plant pots and old boxes. What was I expecting, a dungeon? Fida must’ve been delirious with the knock to her head. There’s nowhere to hide a child here. He must be in the house.

I’m just about to go back when I hear it. A rustling coming from the back of the shed. I freeze.

‘Hello?’ I call again, my voice quivering.

I am scared, so scared. But then I see something move in the far corner. I step closer and there he is: a tiny boy crouched behind a set of ladders.

‘Oh my God,’ I say softly, my heart thudding against my chest.

I walk towards him and he cowers further into the corner.

‘It’s okay,’ I whisper, sensing his fear. ‘I won’t hurt you.’

The boy mumbles something beneath his breath.

‘What was that you said, darling?’

I get down on to my knees and gently ease myself towards him. I remember when Hannah was a little girl, she was so shy and she hated it when adults stood over her; it used to terrify her. Mum would say: ‘If you make yourself small then children will trust you.’

‘What’s your name?’ I ask him. I’m next to him now and I sit down on the floor, resting my arms on my knees.

He looks up at me fleetingly then hides his face again. His hands are so tiny.

‘What are you doing in here?’ I ask him. ‘Playing hide and seek?’

He looks at me blankly so I try again.

‘Shall we go and find Mummy?’

He nods his head then whispers something. I lean in closer, gently take his hand and pull him out of his hiding place.

‘What did you say, love?’

‘Find Mummy,’ he says, looking at me for the first time.

‘Come on then,’ I say, getting to my feet. ‘Let’s go and see Mummy.’

I hold out my hand but he stays where he is.

‘Come on,’ I say.

‘No,’ he cries, shaking his head. ‘No go out there. Bad man out there.’

The poor kid is terrified but I don’t know what to do. I’m guessing the ‘bad man’ is his father and if he comes in here to find him we’re done for. I need to get him and Fida next door to my mum’s house and then I can think what to do next.

‘There’s no bad man,’ I say, kneeling down next to him. ‘He’s gone now. But I know a nice place we can go. It’s my mummy’s house and I bet there’ll be some biscuits there. You can have some while we wait for your mummy.’