Her One Mistake(71)

Charlotte could hear her friend begging her to believe her about Brian.

He’d been acting so odd two days earlier when he’d turned up at her house, and his focus on Harriet rather than his daughter had concerned her.

But could he really be the man Harriet had described? Capable of such hidden abuse, bad enough to make her stage such an elaborate plan.

And then there was the story Brian had told when he’d visited months earlier. When he’d calmly explained how Harriet had left Alice in the car while she renewed her passport at the post office.

Charlotte shuffled forward in her seat, rolling her shoulders. There was something niggling her, she thought, as she absently watched the mother and her little girl. Something in the corner of her mind, a fragment of a conversation that felt important. But she couldn’t quite reach it.

? ? ?

CHARLOTTE CHECKED FOR traffic cops as she pulled up outside the school. She didn’t expect to see any at this time of day, but it wouldn’t be the first time she got caught parking illegally.

“I’m sorry, I got held up,” Charlotte said as she ran into the office. Molly sat on a plastic chair at the far side of the room, with a bowl on her lap and a teaching assistant’s arm loosely around her shoulders. Her face was ashen, apart from the skin under her eyes that in contrast made her look like a panda.

“Oh, Molly.” Charlotte had obviously ignored how bad she’d been that morning in her rush to get out of the house. Her daughter fell into her arms, crying louder as she did. Charlotte hugged her tight and then, holding her at arm’s length, looked into her face and wiped a stray tendril of hair away from Molly’s eyes. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

“She hasn’t been sick,” the teaching assistant said, “but she feels very hot. You can take this with you,” she added, handing her the empty bowl.

Charlotte placed a hand against Molly’s forehead and agreed she was very hot to the touch. “Is there anything going around?”

“Not that I know of.”

“I’ll call the doctor,” she said. She’d usually wait twenty-four hours, but Charlotte was leaving nothing to chance anymore. Not where the children were concerned. Picking Molly up, she carried her back to the car, snuggling into Molly’s warm hair. She couldn’t leave her like this.

On the way home Charlotte called the doctor’s office and a nurse had rung back by the time she pulled into the driveway. “Just a bug, I expect. Give her some Tylenol and get her to rest, but keep an eye on her,” the nurse told her. “If she gets worse, call back.”

At home Charlotte laid Molly on the sofa, covering her with a crocheted blanket, and stretched out on the other one so she could watch over her for a bit while she decided what to do about Harriet. But no sooner had she lain down than her cell started ringing.

“Charlotte? It’s Angela Baker.”

“Oh, Angela, hello.” She’d completely forgotten to cancel her appointment with Captain Hayes. “I’m sorry. I meant to call and say I wouldn’t be able to come in.” She looked over at Molly. “My daughter’s sick.”

“I’m sorry, I hope it’s nothing too serious?”

Molly was sleeping soundly already. In fact, some color had already returned to her pallid cheeks. “No, I think she’ll be okay. I just need to keep an eye on her,” Charlotte said, realizing she’d need to go back to the school in a couple of hours to get the others. Maybe Audrey could bring them home.

“Well, I hope she’s better soon. I’ll let him know you can’t make it, but he’ll probably want to call you.”

“Of course.” Charlotte’s heart was beating so loudly she wondered how Angela didn’t hear it. She knew if she was going to say anything about Harriet, this was the time. Any later and she’d be—

“So, can I arrange another time for you to speak to Captain Hayes? Maybe he could come to your house if you aren’t able to leave your daughter?” Angela said, interrupting her thoughts.

She needed to tell her now. If she ended the phone call without admitting what she knew, she’d be withholding evidence.

Yet there was still that thought niggling at her. Something wasn’t right, and if she let them take Harriet away, then what would happen to Alice? What if her friend was telling the truth?

“That’s fine,” Charlotte said, her heart banging so hard it almost cracked through her skin. “I’ll be able to come in later.”

“Okay. Thanks. Before I go, have you ever heard of a friend of Harriet’s named Tina?” Angela asked. “Harriet knew her in Kent.”

“I don’t think so.”

Angela didn’t answer, and Charlotte couldn’t help asking, “Has she heard from Harriet? Do you think she knows where she is?”

“Possibly. She may have gone back to Kent. Somehow I don’t think she’s gone too far.”

“Really?”

“She hasn’t left the country, at least,” Angela said.

The memory she’d been trying to grip on to felt closer. “How do you know?” Charlotte asked, but in that moment she already knew.

“Harriet’s never had a passport,” she murmured at the same time Angela spoke the words.





HARRIET