Sara shuffled her feet, nudging Fiona’s leg. She squealed in pain.
‘Oh God, I’m so sorry,’ Sara said, as if she meant it, while anger flared in her chest. Does she really think I’m going to let this go? She sat in silence, seething as she considered Fiona’s ultimatum.
‘Do we have a deal?’ Fiona asked, a tear trickling down her face. ‘Look, I need an ambulance. Please, Sara, Let’s just agree on this.’
Sara glared at her, too angry to speak. When she did, there was a steely edge to her voice.
‘Think of all those women who were exploited. It’s not just me, is it? I know you tried to tell Matt that it was all consensual, and you might have convinced him, but I know it isn’t. You’re facilitating paid abuse.’ Sara’s feet itched to kick her again, harder this time, but she resisted. It was more important to understand why she’d been the target of Fiona’s scheme.
Fiona closed her eyes. ‘Okay, some of it was wrong. I’ll admit that. I saw a business opportunity, didn’t think it through in terms of consequences.’ She grimaced, another tear rolling down her cheek. ‘It’s all over, anyway. Matt’s put an end to it. He said he’s destroyed everything.’
Sara stared at her, willing her to open her eyes so she could see if this was the truth. The hardware was ruined, but what about the backup in the Cloud; what about the copies that were already out there, being shared by God knows who?
The sound of footsteps made her look up, and she got to her feet, caught Hailey’s arm and led her away so Fiona couldn’t hear.
‘I had a good look in her car,’ Hailey whispered. ‘There’s something that could be a backup drive in the boot, all wrapped up in plastic. I didn’t touch it, didn’t want to leave fingerprints.’
‘A remote backup? God, I never thought of that. Do you think she was coming up here to hide it till all the fuss died down?’
Hailey nodded. ‘That makes sense.’
‘Did you call the police?’
Hailey looked at her. ‘You sure you want me to?’
Sara swallowed her fears of what might lie ahead for her. ‘Do it,’ she said. It was the only way she’d be able to live with her conscience. How could she act to save herself when all those other women were being robbed of their dignity, molested without even being aware of what was happening? ‘Who knows what Matt can do in terms of starting it all up again? And I don’t trust Fiona as far as I can throw her, not with that much money at stake. It’s got to be stopped. Properly finished.’
‘I’m proud of you,’ Hailey said, her eyes gleaming. She walked a little way down the hill to make the call, while Sara chewed at her lip, thinking about what would happen next. She wasn’t ready to deal with the police. The kids. I need to make sure they’re okay.
She waited for Hailey to finish.
‘Can I borrow your phone? I need to ring Matt. I’ve no idea what state he’s in, or where he is, and he’s got Ezra.’ Her voice sped along, propelled by the overwhelming desire to be with her children. ‘And then I need to check on the girls, tell them—’
‘Hey, calm down.’ Hailey held out her phone. ‘You take this. I’ve got my work phone in the car, so you can contact me on that.’ She gave Sara’s arm a reassuring squeeze. ‘Go and get the girls, ring Matt, do whatever you’ve got to do to make sure those kids are safe. I’ll stay with Fiona, make sure the police know what’s been going on.’
Sara took the phone, gave Hailey a grateful hug and hurried down the hill. It was only a twenty-minute walk back to her house, where she’d left the car, and as she walked, a plan formed in her mind. She’d go and get the girls and then phone Matt. If he wouldn’t talk to her, she’d get Sophia to speak to him. Between them they could sort this out and get Ezra back home. As a last resort, she told herself, the police would be able to find him.
But as she hurried down the road towards the house, she realised none of that would be necessary. Matt’s car was parked outside.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
She started to run, adrenaline pumping through her veins, unsure what Matt was going to be like with her, but desperate to hold her son. He’ll be furious I changed the locks and he can’t get in. She slowed as she neared the car, expecting Matt to jump out and start shouting at her, but the vehicle was empty. With her heart racing, she checked the back garden, but there was no sign of Matt or Ezra.
Bloody hell! Where are you?
She pulled Hailey’s phone from her pocket and dialled his number. It rang and rang, but no answer. She tried again. And again. Eventually, she left a voicemail.
‘Matt, look, this has all got out of hand. We need to talk. Hailey called the police. Fiona’s been arrested and I promised her I wouldn’t tell the police anything in return for her silence about the money from the community centre. We’ve got to get our story straight. For the sake of the kids.’
It was a dangerous game she was playing – the lies mounting up – but she hoped he couldn’t tell that her message was the opposite of the truth. She had a clear goal in sight: to put right the wrongs that had been done and get life back to normal without anyone she cared about getting hurt. Hailey would look after the children if Sara ended up in prison. Yes, it would bring humiliation to the family, but that was a price she was willing to pay. It would pass. Things would be forgotten. She could move to Skipton; not far away but another world in terms of the reach of local gossip. Her mind whirred through the consequences, none of them great, but it was a matter of damage limitation.
When she turned towards the house after leaving her message, she noticed broken glass, the kitchen window propped open. Matt. Is he still here? Quickly she unlocked the back door and ran inside.
Ezra was screaming upstairs. She crept through the hall until she could hear Matt’s raised voice. ‘We’re just going on a little holiday. You do not need every single bloody cuddly toy.’
He’s taking him away! She clung to the banister as she listened.
Ezra’s screams got louder, and she knew Matt was fighting a losing battle. There was no rational conversation to be had, no reasoning with him once he’d worked himself up into this sort of paddy.
Quickly she crept outside, where she wouldn’t be heard, and rang Hailey to tell her what was happening.
‘What a relief you found them. Don’t worry, the police are here. I’ll tell them Matt’s at your house and threatening to run off with Ezra. That should get them round pronto. I’ve already given them a run-down of what’s been happening, but they want a full witness statement, so I’ll be here a little while longer.’
Sara finished the call, then picked up a piece of the broken glass and crept out to Matt’s car, stabbing the two back tyres. Satisfied that he wouldn’t be going anywhere, she went back into the house, bumping straight into Matt as he carried a screaming, thrashing Ezra into the kitchen.
‘Mummy!’ Ezra shrieked, battering his father with his fists, his face red and tear-stained. Matt stared at her, a look of horror in his eyes. The shock of seeing her must have made him loosen his grip, allowing Ezra to wriggle free and run to Sara, who scooped him up, her heart skittering with relief as he wrapped his arms and legs round her body.