wandered off in her care on a school trip …’
Sarah nodded, her imagination already running riot.
‘They’d been on a nature trail and then they were going to be spending the afternoon in the children’s pool at the water park,’ Becky went on, her expression causing goosebumps to rise over Sarah’s skin. ‘The boy was rescued from the adult pool. The deep end.’
‘Oh God, no.’ Sarah’s heart turned over. ‘How old was he?’ she asked, her throat tightening.
‘Just five,’ Becky supplied. ‘Blonde hair, blue eyes.’
Sarah waited until she’d tucked Ollie safely up in bed before she called Joe. ‘The little boy who wandered off on Laura’s watch,’ she said as soon as he answered. ‘He was rescued from the deep end of a swimming pool.’
Joe didn’t reply straight away, then, ‘Jesus,’ he said, sucking in a sharp breath.
‘That man she was married to, Christopher Jameson, he was right,’ Sarah went on, cold fear and nausea constricting her stomach. Despair, too, at her own stupidity. Every time she imagined she could trust this woman Steve had brought into Ollie’s life – a woman who she’d given access to her child, had been persuaded to keep giving her access, despite her reservations – she’d been proved wrong. What else would it take to make people see that Laura wasn’t the person she pretended to be? Would they condemn Sarah now if she denied her access, which she fully intended to?
‘About that,’ Joe said, sounding cautious. Everyone was cautious; tiptoeing around Laura’s feelings because of her brother’s disappearance, frightened of stressing her out. What about Sarah? She was frightened. What about Ollie? Shouldn’t he, a vulnerable child, be people’s first consideration? ‘I spoke to him,’ Joe continued. ‘Christopher Jameson, I went to see him.’
‘And?’ Sarah asked, cold foreboding in the pit of her stomach.
‘She took his son swimming.’ Joe delivered another bombshell. ‘The boy couldn’t swim,’ he went on gravely. ‘He was terrified of water in fact.’
Sarah’s heart slammed into her chest. The dreadful argument at Ollie’s birthday party; she recalled it vividly. It had started the second Sherry had mentioned the swimming pool, and ended with Steve inexplicably falling from a ladder. She had no idea what was going on, what had gone on, but it was now very clear that something was terrifyingly wrong. ‘Why didn’t you take me seriously, Joe?’ she asked him, anger rising hot inside her. ‘Why aren’t you doing something? My son might be in danger.’
‘I’m trying,’ Joe answered, his tone frustrated. ‘I’ve spoken to my DS, but—’
‘Not hard enough,’ Sarah said furiously, and ended the call.
Forty-Eight
Becky came straight over when she rang her. Sarah thanked God that she had at least one person on her side. ‘Are you sure you want to do this now?’ her friend asked worriedly as she stepped through the front door.
‘I’m sure.’ Sarah nodded, determined, her car keys already in her hand. ‘Steve needs to know what he’s got himself into, the danger he’s been putting his child in.’ She intended to make it as clear as daylight to Steve that he wouldn’t be seeing his son again as long as he was in Laura’s company. ‘Ollie’s sound asleep,’ she said. ‘He might wake up and fret with all that’s being going on, but hopefully he’ll sleep through.’
‘Don’t worry, I’ll keep a careful eye on him,’ Becky assured her, not looking overly thrilled that Sarah was insisting on going to Laura’s house tonight, but accepting that she needed to. She’d had enough of phone calls and being talked down. She didn’t want to give Steve or Laura notice of her arrival, give Laura a chance to hone her bloody acting skills.
‘Thanks, Becky,’ she said gratefully.
‘It’s not a problem. I know you’d do the same for me. Just take a breath and drive carefully.’ Becky looked her over seriously. ‘Promise me.’
‘I promise,’ Sarah said, swallowing emotionally as her friend gave her a firm hug.
‘I’ll have my phone right by me,’ Becky called after her as she climbed into her car.
Sarah nodded appreciatively and made sure to reverse slowly off the drive.
She hadn’t gone far when her phone rang. Joe. She hesitated, and then rejected the call. He would only try to dissuade her from going, as he’d tried to dissuade her about every suspicion she’d had about Laura. She felt a pang of guilt as she reminded herself that he had been trying, that he had appeared to be supporting her more. He couldn’t do anything, though, could he? He did have to