for CCTV cameras, but there were none to be found. It was why I was persistent in my request to go to church.
‘I’m not asking for confessions,’ I said, steering the conversation back to the topic in hand. ‘I just want to sit and pray. George can chaperone me. I won’t break into conversation with someone mid-prayer.’
Daniel tightened his grip on my hand. His presence was intoxicating. I reminded myself that he was also my kidnapper, and I could not grow too attached. But he was the person who snuck chocolate bars into my room, persuaded Sheridan to go easy on me. And tonight, he had taken me out after I had been stuck inside for weeks. Each time we spoke, I chipped away at his loyalty to Sheridan. But time was not on my side. Weeks were passing at a frightening rate. I did not want to contemplate my future after the baby was born.
I tuned in to Daniel’s narrative.
‘Honey, I know this has been hard for you,’ he said. ‘You think I haven’t noticed you getting attached to this baby? You think I haven’t seen you rub your stomach or heard you talking to your bump?’ A beat passed between us. ‘But there are compromises to be made. I know we’ve not handled this well, but trust me when I say your baby couldn’t be in safer hands.’
‘I know . . .’ I lied. ‘I just want to do the right thing. But I don’t know what that is any more.’ I bowed my head, one hand over my bump as I tried to communicate to my baby. I would do whatever it took to get us both out of here.
Releasing my hand, Daniel rested his arm around my shoulders. ‘I’ll speak to George. We’ll get you to church.’ He squeezed my shoulder. Another secret to share.
‘Thank you,’ I said as he rose. I took his outstretched hand, slowly rising from the bench. His hugs were gentle now, and he ended our time outside with a soft kiss.
‘Feeling better?’ he said, stroking my cheek.
‘Yes.’
The word was a whisper, because I was fighting back my tears. I did not want to go back to my basement room, but I had to keep up the charade. If Daniel thought I believed him, then I would have no reason to run. A soft breeze played with a loose strand of my hair and I savoured the final seconds of night air.
Back in my basement flat, the hairs prickled on the back of my neck as I realised my nightdress had been moved. Slowly, I unfolded the garment, slipping out a piece of paper tucked beneath the crease. Someone had been in my room. But who? Old newspaper headlines delivered a warning as I unfolded the page. This message was different. It wasn’t Celeb Goss magazine; it was a photocopy of a news story from several years ago. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I read on.
Carolina Times 14 March 2015
CAROLINA WOMAN MISSING
By Peter Barker
Police are appealing for help in finding twenty-one-year-old Kelly Blunt, who has been missing from her home in South Carolina since 14th September this year. Her family and police are asking for the public’s help in finding her. Kelly gave up her waitressing job and traveled to New York in the hope of becoming an actress after communicating with an alleged celebrity couple in a chat room online. She told her mother she was going to live with them while they helped establish her acting career. It has been six months since her daughter was last in touch.
‘I’m crushed,’ her mother said, speaking from her trailer park where she lives with her five children. ‘Some days it feels like I can barely breathe. Kelly was a kind girl who saw the good in everyone. She would never go this long without calling to see how we are.’
Kelly’s bank account has not been used since her arrival in New York, where the trail has gone cold. She told colleagues that she was meeting industry insiders who would help her get started in her acting career.
‘She was very trusting,’ colleague Bobbi-May said. ‘We warned her that going on her own was a bad idea, but she was excited to meet whoever was waiting for her. When we asked, she said it was “top secret,” and that she would be staying in New York for ten months of coaching before moving to Hollywood.’
Kelly Jade Blunt has long white-blonde hair, is five