She hesitated a moment, the hairs standing up on the back of her neck. This didn’t feel right, not good at all. How was she going to find her way up there in the dark? And why the quarry?
She wound down the window, a damp mist now billowing around outside, making visibility almost zero. Sod this for a game of soldiers, she said to herself as she glanced around the car park. Even with the torch from her phone, all she could see was a wall of white as the mist enveloped the car.
Muffled shouts in the distance made her heart jump up her throat. What was that? She held her breath, body rigid, listening. Another shout.
This is a stupid idea. She wondered if the messages were some sort of practical joke. Or something more sinister? A shiver ran through her body. She wound up the window and rang James, determined to do things on her terms, not his. We can talk in my car, she decided. I’m not going out there.
His phone rang and rang, but there was no answer. She sent a message and waited, but nothing came back. After ten minutes, she started the car and drove to Hailey’s house, confused and angry that he’d dragged her out on a wild goose chase.
‘I’ve no idea what that was all about,’ she said to Hailey when she got back, teeth chattering with cold. ‘There was nobody there. The mist was down, couldn’t see a bloody thing. I thought I heard something, but sound travels up there when it’s still, doesn’t it? Really misleading. It could just as easily have been people at the pub.’
‘Well, I’m glad you’re back,’ Hailey said, giving her a hug before releasing her and going into big-sister mode. ‘You shouldn’t have gone off like that on your own. We said we’d do this together, didn’t we?’
Sara gave an apologetic smile and tried to ring James again. Still no answer. What on earth was he playing at?
Chapter Thirty-Two
Hailey woke her the next morning, gently shaking her shoulder.
‘You’re going to want to see this,’ she whispered.
Sara slid out of bed, trying not to disturb Ezra, wondering what had happened.
‘It’s not the girls, is it?’
Hailey shook her head and beckoned for her to follow her out into the hall. She was still in her pyjamas, hair mussed up. She showed Sara her phone, a news report: Local man found unconscious in Ilkley Quarry.
Sara’s gut wrenched as she read the article. It was James. She blinked a few times, trying to clear the sleep from her eyes, wondering if she’d read it right, and scanned the brief report again. Found by dog walkers. He had head injuries and had been kept in hospital for observation. Police were keeping an open mind and were asking for witnesses.
Her hands covered her mouth as she looked at Hailey. ‘Oh my God! I heard a shout when I was there last night. I wonder if that was him.’
‘Problem is, it messes up our plan to get things sorted out while the girls are away.’ Hailey tapped her chin with her phone, lost in thought. ‘Mind you, if he’s in hospital…’ She gave Sara a slow smile. ‘Well, they encourage visitors. Nobody will think it odd if you go and see him, will they?’
Sara thought for a moment. ‘I suppose his dad might be there, but he’s only just out of hospital himself, and he’s still not well, so I doubt he’ll be visiting. Anyway, he’s got the business to run. It’ll all be on him again if James is in hospital.’
‘I’ll wait outside while you go in,’ Hailey said. She gave a satisfied smile. ‘There’ll be no running away, and if he’s in a weakened state, we might just have a chance of getting something close to the truth.’
A little hand landed on Sara’s leg, making her jump, and she turned to see Ezra, sleepy-eyed, behind her. She glanced at Hailey, who understood they should save the rest of the conversation for later, when Ezra was on his play date with the girl next door and they could talk openly.
Hailey had taken the day off, and once Ezra was happily playing with Holly, the sisters got ready for their first mission of the day – talk to Matt. Visiting hours at the hospital weren’t until after twelve, so James would have to wait. Sara had rung the hospital and found out which ward he was in. Apparently he had concussion and a broken wrist but was comfortable and could have visitors.
She was still bothered about his accident, unsure why he would have chosen to meet up at the quarry when he hadn’t been worried about them being seen together previously. And he’d had something to tell her. She had a horrible feeling that maybe it hadn’t been an accident at all. She’d heard shouting, hadn’t she? Had someone attacked him? She told herself not to get carried away. She’d find out this afternoon, and in the meantime, she needed to focus on Matt.
Hailey was being slow to get ready and Sara was desperate to see her girls, even if only from a distance, so she told her sister she’d go on ahead and wait for her at the house.
Their home was on a hill, and she pulled up behind a car at the top of the road, where there was a slight curve. In this position, she could see down the pavement to the house, but her vehicle was more or less hidden. Fiona would be coming from the other direction to collect the girls, so there was no danger of Sara being spotted. She sat for a moment looking at the street of gritstone terraces, with their neat gardens and tidy hedges, sadness infusing her very bones. There were two blocks of five houses on each side of the road, a gap between each block giving access to the backs of the houses where the garages were. It all looked so normal, so benign. Who could tell that at number 5, there was a family being torn in two?
Ten minutes later, Fiona drew up in her huge black 4x4 and jumped out of the driver’s seat, dressed in skinny jeans and a T-shirt, her blonde hair gleaming in the sun. Sara grabbed the kids’ binoculars that Ezra used for wildlife watching up on the moors, wanting to get a better look.
Fiona rang the doorbell, and a few moments later, Matt answered and ushered her inside. That’s my house, Sara thought. I should be there with my children, not out here watching. Anger burned in her heart as she watched her daughters come out and hug their father goodbye before getting in the car, Fiona fussing about with bags, making sure they were all neatly stowed in the boot.
Once the girls were settled, Fiona ran back to the house and went inside, the door closing behind her. Sara frowned. What was she doing? Had they forgotten something? Five minutes later, she came back out again, Matt behind her. He stood on the doorstep leaning against the frame, hands in his pockets, watching Fiona walk back to the car.
Does she look a little flustered? Flushed. Sara changed her focus to Matt, studying his familiar face. A face she’d woken up to almost every day for the last eighteen years. A face that… Is that a smudge of lipstick? Her heart skipped a beat and she dropped the binoculars as her mind came to the obvious conclusion. Fiona and Matt? By the time she’d picked the binoculars up off the floor to have another look, Fiona was pulling away from the kerb, doing a neat three-point turn while Matt gave the girls a cheery wave. He watched the car until it turned right at the end of the road, then disappeared inside the house. The front door shut.
Fired with an indignant rage – her thinking blurred by hurt – Sara got out of the car and ran down the road. She stopped at the front door and took a moment to calm herself down. It would be better if she was stealthy, if she had the advantage of surprise. As quietly as she could, she slid her key into the lock, but it wouldn’t go all the way in. She stared at it, tried again, then realisation dawned. He’s changed the locks.