The Passengers(71)

He was caught between a rock and a hard place. By reporting the threat to the police, Heidi would likely learn about Josie and his marriages would not survive. He had spent too much of his childhood being treated as a pawn by his parents in their own dysfunctional marriage to watch it happen to his children too. But by paying up, it might break his business.

‘If I manage to get the money, how do I know you’ll not want more later?’ he typed.

‘You don’t,’ he read after another seven-day delay. ‘You’ll have to trust me.’

‘Okay,’ he replied.

‘I want it in cash and delivered one week from now. Next Tuesday morning I will give you instructions on where to leave it.’

Sam barely closed his eyes the night before drop-off. As Josie slept soundly, he curled himself up behind her, draping his arm over her stomach and breathing her in as if for the last time. He had drained the business account of all but pennies. His only hope was that the overdrafts and credit cards he had applied for over the last few days would be accepted and keep his business solvent. It might take him years to pay them off though. It was an added stress he didn’t need but it would be worth it to protect the status quo.

Before he set off on his journey earlier that morning, he brushed against Heidi on the doorstep and took the opportunity to cup her chin and kiss her.

‘You’ve done something, haven’t you?’ she asked, eyeing him up and down. ‘You only ever kiss me like that when you’ve done something you shouldn’t have.’

‘You have a suspicious mind, DS Cole,’ he replied and slipped his holdall containing the cash into the space behind his Passenger seat. ‘See you on Friday.’

It was only now with all the pieces slotting together that it all began to make sense. Dark clouds of guilt filled the sky above him when he thought of how much hatred Heidi must have had for him to go to such extremes. The pain of her husband’s infidelity would have been all-consuming, the need to punish him fierce. And today he added insult to injury by trying to take her votes and her life as they competed for survival.

He hoped that she could see he had only behaved that way because he had four children who needed him, not just the two.

Nevertheless, Sam had never felt more worthless in his life.





Chapter 48





‘That brings us to our penultimate Passenger,’ began Fiona. Heidi’s image dominated the centre screen.

Aside from her glistening eyes, she offered no obvious expression of emotion. Fiona gave her the once-over and tutted. ‘I’m at a loss as to know what I can say about her. If I was her brief, I wouldn’t put her in the stand because I’d struggle to persuade a jury to warm to her.’

‘I find her every bit as deceitful as her husband, if I’m being honest,’ said Muriel.

‘That’s as maybe, but can you even begin to imagine what it must’ve been like to discover something like that about your husband?’ said Matthew. ‘Having an extramarital affair is one thing, but marrying another woman behind your wife’s back requires an extra level of deceit. God knows what he put her through.’

‘Oh good Lord,’ sniffed Jack from his side of the room. ‘Can we put this into some kind of perspective please. The idiot fell in love with two women at the same time, more fool him. It happens. In fact, didn’t it happen in your precious Bible, Muriel? Lamech, if my memory serves correctly. He was married to two women.’

‘He was also a murderer and his two wives deserted him before he was made an outcast by society,’ said Muriel. ‘If you’re going to use the Bible to help make your case, at least get your facts right. And I would like an explanation as to what the Hacker meant when he said Heidi had blackmailed her husband.’

‘Don’t hold your breath,’ said Libby. ‘It’s another vague accusation where we’re left to fill in the blanks.’

‘But what do we actually know about Heidi?’ said Fiona. ‘I don’t have any idea what makes her tick or why I should give her my support.’

‘This is becoming repetitive,’ Jack yawned and shifted in his seat. ‘There are two Passengers left. Either you offer Mrs Cole your vote or throw it away on a vagrant who was planning to top himself anyway.’ Libby shot him a glare. ‘Have I said something that’s factually incorrect?’

‘I’d have liked to have heard more passion from her; begging us to save her life so that she can see her children again,’ said Muriel.

‘You sound almost disappointed,’ said Jack. ‘If one didn’t know better, one might assume you enjoyed playing God.’

‘That’s not what I mean,’ she protested. ‘I can only base my judgement on appearances alone because that’s all she’s given us.’

‘Have any of you given thought to what kind of wife she was?’ asked Jack. ‘Perhaps she drove her husband to an affair.’ He looked to Matthew. ‘Sometimes one person isn’t enough to satisfy all your needs.’

‘Then leave the marriage,’ said Matthew. ‘How many times have you done that now, Jack?’

Jack laughed. ‘Do you really want to go there, Matthew? At least I haven’t driven a spouse into the arms of another man.’

Matthew’s expression soured as he pushed his seat back to rise. Libby took hold of his arm before he could get to his feet. ‘Leave it,’ she said quietly but firmly. ‘This is what he wants.’ Matthew remained where he was.