Convictions — Excerpt from Chapter Two
‘She hates me,’ said Tina, as Ruth pulled away from the kerb.
‘Who?’
‘Mum. It’s all my fault and Annie was her favourite anyway. She really hates me now.’
‘I’m sure that’s not true, Tina. Your mum and dad are under a lot of pressure. That makes people say and do things they wouldn’t normally say and do, and that they don’t even mean. You feel it, too, don’t you?’
Tina nodded. ‘I feel all funny inside. My tummy feels heavy and buzzy. All I can think about is Annie.’ She grasped the bunny’s ears tightly. ‘Will they find her?’ she asked Ruth.
‘I hope so.’
‘We had such a good time at the concert. It’s not fair. It shouldn’t have all gone wrong like that.’ She sucked in a lungful of air and hiccupped out a sob. ‘If only I hadn’t bought those T-shirts, we could have got a taxi. Or if I’d watched the time, we could have left earlier. Or if I’d taken more money. Or rang Mum and Dad. Or just got in a taxi then asked Gran to pay when we got there … I’d have still been in trouble, but Annie wouldn’t have been taken away.’
‘Shh, pet, you can’t think like that. You could drive yourself mad with all the “what ifs” and “might have beens”. You can’t blame yourself for that man being what he was. Any decent man would have taken you two girls home. He’s the bad one, Tina, not you.’
‘Do you think Mum will ever forgive me?’
‘I’m sure she already has. She’s tired and upset and worried about Annie. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you, but she knows you’re safe now, doesn’t she? And that’s what matters to her.’
Tina wound the bunny’s ears round and round her fingers, over and over again, eyes on the toy.
‘It’ll be okay. You’ll see,’ said Ruth, pulling into the kerb.
‘I hope so,’ Tina replied in a small voice.
‘Trust me.’
Hilary spilled out of the front door and ran toward the car, waving.
‘Now, you go and have fun with your friend. Call me when you want to come home, you hear?’
Tina nodded, already halfway out of the car.
‘Who?’
‘Mum. It’s all my fault and Annie was her favourite anyway. She really hates me now.’
‘I’m sure that’s not true, Tina. Your mum and dad are under a lot of pressure. That makes people say and do things they wouldn’t normally say and do, and that they don’t even mean. You feel it, too, don’t you?’
Tina nodded. ‘I feel all funny inside. My tummy feels heavy and buzzy. All I can think about is Annie.’ She grasped the bunny’s ears tightly. ‘Will they find her?’ she asked Ruth.
‘I hope so.’
‘We had such a good time at the concert. It’s not fair. It shouldn’t have all gone wrong like that.’ She sucked in a lungful of air and hiccupped out a sob. ‘If only I hadn’t bought those T-shirts, we could have got a taxi. Or if I’d watched the time, we could have left earlier. Or if I’d taken more money. Or rang Mum and Dad. Or just got in a taxi then asked Gran to pay when we got there … I’d have still been in trouble, but Annie wouldn’t have been taken away.’
‘Shh, pet, you can’t think like that. You could drive yourself mad with all the “what ifs” and “might have beens”. You can’t blame yourself for that man being what he was. Any decent man would have taken you two girls home. He’s the bad one, Tina, not you.’
‘Do you think Mum will ever forgive me?’
‘I’m sure she already has. She’s tired and upset and worried about Annie. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you, but she knows you’re safe now, doesn’t she? And that’s what matters to her.’
Tina wound the bunny’s ears round and round her fingers, over and over again, eyes on the toy.
‘It’ll be okay. You’ll see,’ said Ruth, pulling into the kerb.
‘I hope so,’ Tina replied in a small voice.
‘Trust me.’
Hilary spilled out of the front door and ran toward the car, waving.
‘Now, you go and have fun with your friend. Call me when you want to come home, you hear?’
Tina nodded, already halfway out of the car.
***
When Ruth got back to the house, Derek and Penny were rowing at full volume. The police constable on the door looked distinctly uncomfortable, but the press were enjoying the show.
‘Clear off,’ Ruth shouted, as she locked her car and headed for the path. ‘I want them out of here,’ she said to the uniformed officer. Then louder, so the reporters could hear: ‘And arrest them if you have to.’ She turned her back on them, muttered ‘Fucking vultures,’ as she went into the house.
Derek and Penny were toe to toe, at each other’s throats, red-faced and shouting. Ruth took one look, then went into the kitchen and put the kettle on. She made a pot of tea and raided the cupboards for biscuits, then went back through to the sitting room. The volume had decreased, but the bickering continued.
Ruth had loved her dad. He taught her all sorts of things her mother disapproved of, such as how to gut a fish, climb a tree, and whistle. She put her fingers in her mouth and blew, and the resulting ear-piercing shriek got Derek and Penny’s full attention.
They turned to face her. ‘Ruth! When did you …?’ Derek asked, as it registered that Ruth was in the house.
‘Come through to the kitchen, please,’ she said, then turned and led the way. They followed her and sat down at the table while Ruth poured tea for them all.
‘Now,’ she said. ‘What on earth was that all about?’
Derek and Penny looked at each other. Their mouths worked, but neither said anything. Finally, they both spoke together.
‘Nothing,’ said Penny.
‘I don’t know,’ said Derek.
‘Look, I know you’re feeling the pressure, but I need you two to be strong, to be a team. And so do your girls.’
Derek rubbed his eyes. ‘It’s the not knowing … but let’s face it, Ruth, whatever we’re going through, it pales into insignificance against whatever Annie’s coping with.’ He turned to his wife, covered her hand with his. ‘I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean it, any of it. I’m just so …’
She nodded, gripped his hand tightly. ‘I know. Me, too.’
‘Is there any news?’ Derek asked Ruth.
‘Nothing, yet. Leads are being followed up and people are being spoken to. We will find this man, I promise you.’
‘Then we can bring Annie home.’
Ruth said nothing: she didn’t want to dent Penny’s optimism. When her mobile rang a few minutes later, the tension in the room was palpable, as was the disappointment when it turned out to be Hilary’s mum, saying that Tina was ready to come home. Ruth went to collect her, first warning Derek and Penny to keep cool heads.
***
‘You didn’t stay long,’ Ruth remarked to Tina when she had the little girl safely buckled into her seat.
Tina shrugged. ‘It didn’t feel right.’
‘You girls didn’t fall out, did you?’
Tina shook her head. ‘No, but I shouldn’t be enjoying myself when Annie’s missing.’
Ruth reached over and squeezed her hand. ‘It is still okay to do normal things, you know.’
Tina wound the bunny’s ears round and round her fingers. ‘Do you think Annie’s okay?’ She didn’t lift her head, just stared at the toy, kept winding the ears.
‘Well, we don’t know that she isn’t. That’s all we can say for sure right now.’
‘She’ll be scared, though.’
Ruth said nothing. There was no need, they both knew it to be true.
‘What if he kills her?’ Tina’s voice was little more than a whisper. ‘Ruth, what if Annie’s already dead?’
Ruth pulled over and parked.
‘Hilary’s brother said …’
Ruth unbuckled her seat belt so she could move closer to Tina. She put her arm around her shoulders and turned the girl’s face up to hers. ‘What did Hilary’s brother say?’
‘He said that Annie was probably in a freezer in somebody’s garage by now, all cut up.’ Tina started to sob.
‘Take no notice of stupid talk like that. Hilary’s brother sounds like an idiot,’ said Ruth, fuming inwardly.
‘He said I was like Judas. He said I betrayed Annie and condemned her to death when I ran away and left her, just like Judas did to Jesus. He said I’m stupid and selfish and I’ll go to Hell and burn forever.’
‘Oh, Tina, that’s not true. Don’t take any notice of him.’
‘That’s what his dad said. He smacked him and sent him up to his bedroom.’
Ruth said a silent hallelujah. ‘Well, then! Even his own dad knows he’s an idiot.’
‘But what if …?’
Ruth interrupted her. ‘No more “what ifs”, Tina. Let’s concentrate on the facts. Fact: we know what the car Annie was driven away in looks like. Fact: we have a list of people who own cars that fit the description and the bit of the number plate we saw on CCTV. Fact: we will find that car and that man.’
‘And Annie.’
‘Yes, and Annie. So listen, you,’ said Ruth, giving Tina a hug, ‘stick to the facts in future.’
Tina cheered up. ‘Just the facts, ma’am,’ she drawled in her best American accent.
‘You betcha. Just the facts.’
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Convictions by Julie Morrigan is available for purchase now from Amazon UK, Amazon US and Smashwords.
