Beth finished reading and tossed the paper back into Charlie’s lap.
‘You honestly think I could do that? What that is saying? To a two-year-old child? You think I’m capable of… that?’
Charlie swallowed hard before he spoke. His mouth was dry. He licked his lips. ‘I don’t know, Beth. It looks a lot like you. It’s your eyes. I know your eyes.’
‘It says here they tortured him. You think I could torture a child? Kill a child?’
‘She didn’t do it. I remember that. She was found not guilty. It was an older boy who tricked her into helping him snatch the kid. He went down for it. That newspaper got fined a fortune for printing her name and picture.’
‘It doesn’t matter. You’re saying you think I could even be involved in this?’
‘Beth, I don’t know! You’ve been acting so weird lately. And then there’s those fucking notes. And the incident with Daisy.’
‘It’s not me, Charlie! You know me. I’m your wife. You’ve known me for most of our adult lives. This…’ she picked up the newspaper, screwing it up, she threw it back at him, ‘is not me.’
‘Well someone seems to think it is.’
They sat in silence. Charlie flattened out the paper and stared down at it. Random words and phrases jumped out of the page at him.
Tortured, over fifty separate injuries, painful, systematic beating, knife wounds.
Charlie screwed his eyes shut, shaking his head. This could not be Beth. But his mind kept seeing the note left at his work.
How well do you know your wife?
‘Charlie, can we go home? Please.’
Charlie turned the key, and the engine roared to life. As he glanced up he noticed Anna holding the curtain back in one of the large bay windows.
Charlie put his foot on the accelerator and drove away from Derek’s house.
‘I can see why somebody might think it was you,’ Charlie said eventually.
‘There is a resemblance, I’ll give you that.’
‘It’s spookily like you. When I first saw it something jarred in my head. I couldn’t put my finger on it… then it clicked. I thought I was looking at Daisy.’
‘Charlie, you know me. Please tell me you know I couldn’t do anything like that.’
‘Yes. I believe you. I do. It was a shock at first. That’s all.’
‘Honestly? I need to know that you’re with me here. I don’t want you thinking… wondering things. If you have any doubts, I need you to talk to me about it. Now.’
‘I believe you.’
Beth nodded.
‘I think we should tell the police.’
‘Charlie, no. I’d rather not. It will cause problems. They’ll want to talk to Daisy, and she’ll be traumatised. I don’t want that for her.’
Charlie flicked on the indicator and took the right turn into the long twisting lane that eventually led to their farmhouse.
‘Beth, somebody has vandalised my car. This is not someone leaving us silly notes anymore, this is getting serious. If some crazy person believes that you are that girl, that you hurt a child… I don’t want to think what might happen next.’
Beth remained silent.
‘I knew we should have done something after what happened with Daisy. If some lunatic thinks you’re wrapped up in this…’ His voice trailed off.
‘I’m begging you, Charlie. I’ll sort the car. I’ll pay for it so you don’t even have to claim on your insurance. But please don’t get the police involved. We’ll have to explain why we think this is happening. And if it makes it into the papers, or gets leaked, then other people might think this girl is me… what would happen then? We would be…’
‘Be what?’
‘Finished here,’ Beth said, sadly.
‘But it’s not you, so you don’t have anything to worry about, do you?’
‘Do you think that matters? Can’t you remember the fuss surrounding this case? There was outrage when she was found not guilty. When the boy got out of jail he got a new identity. But there were all sorts of accusations. Random people got named as potentially being him, with absolutely nothing to back it up. Pure supposition. Their lives were ruined. Do you want that to happen to me… to us? If people thought for one second that I might be that little girl, that would be it for us. We would have to leave.’
‘Do you really think so? People know us here.’
‘You know me better than anyone. And it didn’t stop you asking, did it?’
Charlie didn’t reply. As he pulled up into their drive, he let out a long breath.
‘Please don’t say anything to Margot.’
‘Of course I won’t.’
Charlie turned off the engine, and they crunched their way over the gravel to the front door.
17
Beth and Charlie let themselves in quietly. No sooner had they set foot in the hallway, Cooper came scurrying out to greet them.
They made their way to the living room, poking their heads in the door. Margot sat reclined on the sofa, reading a trashy romance novel. She looked up and waved.
‘Hello, darlings! How was it?’
Beth stepped into the room. ‘Yeah, we had a nice time, thanks. And thanks again for looking after the kids.’
‘No bother at all.’
‘Was everything… okay?’ Beth asked tentatively.
‘Yes, of course. Hardly saw Peter. But Daisy was good as gold.’
The news made Beth relax a little. No danger at the door tonight.
‘Zoe came over for a while. She’s a lovely girl.’
‘Yes. She is.’
There was an awkward silence. Margot glanced from Beth to Charlie, then hopped up off the couch.
‘Right, well now you’re back I’ll be off.’
‘Okay. Sure you don’t want a coffee first?’
‘No thanks, I’m fine. Can’t drink caffeine this time of night. I’d never sleep and would be peeing non-stop.’
Beth walked with Margot to the front door.
‘Is everything okay?’ Margot mouthed to Beth as they stood in the hall.
‘Yes, we’re both tired,’ Beth whispered back. Margot leaned in and gave her a tight hug.
‘See you Monday,’ she said casually as she crossed to her Audi at the end of the
