that Sarah had said the car appeared to be coming right at her, which had shaken him, he wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing here. It could be that the Caldwells were involved, one or both of them. Sherry, maybe, going to see her daughter after imbibing too much wine over dinner? It might be no more than that, an accident, the driver running scared because they’d been drink-driving. Joe couldn’t escape the niggling worry gnawing away at him, though, that it wasn’t that simple. That what had happened to Steve was malicious intent. Taking into account the definitely weird things going on, his overriding worry was that Sarah might have been the prime target.
So, what could he do about it? Pose a few questions, he supposed. Ideally to Sherry and Grant Caldwell separately. Maybe he would get lucky and one of them would slip up and contradict the other’s story.
Running a hand over his neck, he was about to turn to the front door when something cracked into the back of his skull with the force of a sledgehammer. Blinking hard against the blinding jagged lights that danced across his eyes, he dropped heavily to his knees. He didn’t have a chance to wonder what the fuck was going on before the second blow floored him.
Fifty-Five
Sarah
‘Where is he?’ Cutting the call to Joe, whose number she’d rung repeatedly on her way here, Sarah pushed through Steve’s front door almost before he’d opened it.
‘Who?’ His arm pressed to his ribs, Steve took a step back as she stormed past him. ‘Sarah, what the bloody hell is going on?’
Continuing along the hall, she banged the lounge door open, glancing in, and then flew to the kitchen. It was empty. No smell of breakfast or coffee, no sign that anyone had even been in it this morning. ‘Where is he?’ She whirled around, back to the hall. ‘Where’s my baby?’ she screamed.
‘Ollie?’ Steve asked, the colour draining visibly from his face.
Oh God, no. Seeing his genuine bewilderment, the alarm in his eyes, Sarah’s heart froze. He seemed to have no idea what she was talking about. Snatching her gaze away, she turned to race up the stairs, pushing Ollie’s door open, as if by some miracle she would find him playing there, then flew to the main bedroom. The bed was unmade. Steve had clearly just climbed out of it. No Laura. Panic twisting inside her, she stepped inside, glancing around the room, for what she wasn’t sure. She wasn’t likely to find her hiding under the bloody bed.
Trying desperately to stay calm, she swung back to the door – and stopped, her gaze falling on an oval locket lying on the dressing table. Picturing Ollie making a tiny ‘o’ shape with his thumb and forefinger when she’d asked him about the photo Laura had shown him, her heart leapt. This had to be what he meant.
Tentatively she picked it up, took a breath to brace herself – she wasn’t sure why – and prised the clasp open. For a second, she thought the blue-eyed, blonde-haired little boy looking back at her was Ollie. That the tiny wisp of hair in the other side of the locket was his. She’d trimmed his fringe, after all.
It wasn’t Ollie, but seeing afresh the striking resemblance to him tore another hole in her heart. Did Laura truly imagine that Ollie was Jacob, that somehow she could replace him?
Gulping back the nausea rising inside her, she returned the locket and ran back to the stairs, coming face to face with Steve, who was making a painful attempt to climb them.
‘Where’s Laura?’ she demanded. She’d been sure she would find Ollie here. Been desperate to. She’d slipped away from the police, who’d tried to console her, assuring her they would find him. She knew they wouldn’t. They were moving too slowly, knocking on neighbours’ doors, for God’s sake, while her innocent child was with a woman who was plainly deeply disturbed. They needed to find Laura. That was where he would be. They hadn’t been listening. They’d offered her platitudes. He’d probably wandered off through the open gate, they’d said. He wouldn’t have got far. They would find him. Like Jacob? she’d wondered. The little boy who’d disappeared from the face of the earth?
Even after she’d shown them the bunny, still they’d tried to reassure her, offering her tea while they waited for a family liaison officer who would be able to keep her informed. Tea!