Silent Child(77)

“You think he killed them,” I whispered.

Of all the horrible things that had happened to me, this was the most unexpected moment since I’d walked through the hospital doors and seen my son alive. This I had not anticipated at all.

“I do,” Rob said. “I’m sorry. And there’s more. Clippings of articles from when we thought Aiden had drowned.”

I closed my eyes and tried to steady my breathing. “Do you think he took Aiden?”

Rob frowned. “He’s obsessed with you. I dunno whether it fits the pattern but I think he’s capable of anything. I’m sorry, Em.”

“But… I saw Amy on that TV show and I was sure it was her. She’s evil, she’s…” I trailed off, thinking about the masks people wear. I’d seen Amy for who she was during that interview, and now I had seen Jake for who he was, too. He was clearly unhinged, and that meant I had to assume he was capable of anything.

I thought back to the moment I was told about my parents’ accident. Mum and Dad had been on their way to London for a weekend away when their brakes failed on the motorway. They told me it was because of water in the brake fluid. An easy problem to miss when you’re not good with cars. It was all so feasible. But what if it was Jake tampering with the engine?

I thought back to that time. Who had I told? Who knew? Most of the village, probably. Mum was the GP and she treated most of the town. I would have mentioned it to anyone while doing my chores, shopping in the newsagents, or sending a parcel in the post office. It would only have taken Jake to overhear, or have a conversation with Mum herself. Or maybe someone mentioned it at school. Gossip was rife amongst the Bishoptown residents and not a lot happens, so a short trip to London might make itself into the daily chatter. Did you know Gina Price is going to London for the weekend? Well, she must be still trying to get over the death of her grandson. I wonder if they’ll see a show…

Yes, he could easily have heard about my parents’ trip down to London.

“Rob, I can’t bear this,” I whispered. “I’m trying to be strong. The air in here…”

“Take a step outside,” he said. He wrapped his arm around my waist. “Just for a moment. Breathe.”





38


The rain was soothing, and I didn’t care about the cold. I was freezing to the bones of me anyway, and it had nothing to do with the October weather. I leaned against the slick exterior of the garage and let the rain wash over me. The place smelled like wet cement and mould. That would be the smell I would most associate with Jake as time wore on. Wet cement and mould. That was him, slippery and foul, a man with two sides. How had I fallen for him?

He had manufactured it. All of it. He’d seen the way I’d fallen apart after Aiden and he’d seized the opportunity while he had the chance. With my parents out of the picture he knew I had no one to take care of me, and he knew I would fail to take care of myself. So there he was, swooping in like a knight in shining armour, becoming my protector and my healer. He introduced me to paints again. He helped me find a job. He set me back on my feet, always with an arm behind my back propping me up.

Rob emerged from the garage with his head held low. When he came closer, he pulled me into a hug. “I never should have left. I’m so sorry, Emma. I shouldn’t have left you grieving for Aiden by yourself. I was fucking selfish and I’m sorry.”

Though I hugged him back, I felt like a shell. Now I understood how Aiden could sleepwalk through his life without uttering a single syllable. I got it. My heart shrivelled up inside my rib cage, barely fluttering. I was hollowed out.

He shut the garage door and led us to the truck. Once inside he removed his cap and rubbed the rain water from his skin.

“Aside from the pictures of you as a minor and the girl, there’s nothing. At least, there’s nothing that might prove whether he killed your parents,” he said. “He didn’t keep any souvenirs if he did do it, just those clippings, and I guess you could say it was his obsession with you that made him keep them. I think he did it, though. It makes sense. It fits in with all these lies.”

“Does it?” I spluttered. My throat was so choked that I could hardly get my words out. “Are we jumping to conclusions, here? He’s… he’s my husband and I’m accusing him of murder.”

“Emma, I really think he did it. And I think you believe it too.”

The sick part was that I did believe it. I wanted to be wrong, but I believed it.

“It’s not your fault, Em. He took advantage of you like he did that girl. That’s what he does.”

“I know… I just…” I stared down at my stomach. Was I carrying the child of a murderer? “How could I have fallen in love with him?”

“Did you though? Wasn’t it just the security he offered that you fell in love with? If you were really in love with him, would there have been this spark between us?”

I waved a dismissive hand. “That… that’s because of Aiden coming back. Our emotions were all over the place.” I tried to ignore the hurt look in his eyes. “Why didn’t the police find any foul play when they investigated Mum and Dad’s deaths?”

“Probably because they weren’t expecting any. Your parents didn’t have any enemies. No one would expect them to be murdered.”