The Child’s Secret

Sam knew exactly what Selina was going to say. The scheme she had been conjuring up with her friend’s help was based on the same presumption everyone had made at the party the night before: that Anna had become a permanent appendage to Sam’s life. But that was before their recent heart to heart and now Selina knew better. He could tell her mind was whirring by the twitch in her eye.

‘I was thinking,’ she continued, ‘that you could go on your own. I don’t condone you spending the rest of your life in seclusion but you do need to recharge your batteries.’

‘When I’m not digging up Pat’s garden,’ Sam added, but Selina didn’t need to argue her case any more. ‘Actually, it’s not a half-bad idea. I could go for some long walks and clear away the cobwebs. Of course, I’d have to check out the job first to make sure I know what I’m letting myself in for, but yes, all right then. Tell her to give me a call and we can set something up.’

At last Selina had found a way to settle his mind, although possibly not in the way she had intended. He had gone out on a run because he was starting to feel that same urge to escape that had made him leave Edinburgh. He was trying to resist it because he didn’t want to run away again so perhaps a temporary break might give him the space he needed.

10 (#ulink_39bdb363-9ab7-5b4e-8b32-4a0c08a21046)

Sam’s flat: Wednesday 7 October 2015

As they sat facing each other across the dining table, Sam could feel a trap closing in around him and he had to work hard to keep his breathing steady and his expression neutral.

‘Remind me again, Mr McIntyre,’ Harper said, ‘when did you first meet Jasmine?’

‘During a school trip to the park.’

‘No, I mean when. What time of year?’

Sam tried to think back. ‘There were bluebells around the tree, so it would have been spring time.’

‘You can still picture it in your mind, can you?’ Harper asked. His eyes had widened like a cat’s watching its prey.

‘I’d guess it was late April,’ Sam clarified. ‘But there’ll be a record of the visit at work if that would help.’

Harper looked thoughtful and his eye was drawn to the green square of paper on the table. He reached out without warning and turned it over. There was a look of disappointment on his face when he discovered it had a white underside that was blank and otherwise nondescript. Returning his attention to Sam, he asked, ‘And you met Mr Peterson when?’

Sam scratched his head, which felt flaky with dried salty sweat. ‘Early to mid-June. It was the day of Jack’s leaving party, so again, it will be in a diary somewhere at work.’

‘And did you see Jasmine again during that time?’

‘No, I didn’t.’

Harper sucked in air between his teeth. ‘That’s quite a gap. Did you want to see her?’

The detective knew Sam wasn’t going to answer so continued where his train of thought was leading him. ‘So you meet Jasmine in April and her dad in June. You realize at this point that while you can bump into Mr Peterson any time you like in his local, it wouldn’t be so easy to engineer a meeting with Jasmine again. Would that be right?’

Sam was shaking his head. ‘This is sick! There’s a child missing and I don’t know where she is. I would never harm Jasmine, if anything I only ever wanted to protect her. Stop wasting time here, DCI Harper, and go out and find her for pity’s sake!’

Harper continued as if Sam’s outburst hadn’t happened. ‘Are you still refusing to allow us to search your apartment, Mr McIntyre?’ Harper asked. ‘We can wait for a search warrant but I’d rather have your co-operation.’

‘I don’t recall saying that you couldn’t,’ Sam said. He could feel his clenched jaw aching now. He let out a frustrated sigh that he wished was powerful enough to knock the smug detective off his chair. ‘Go ahead, do what you want.’

‘Thank you, Mr McIntyre.’ Without breaking his gaze with Sam, Harper lifted his hand and signalled to the police officer behind him. ‘So, where were we?’ he asked as his colleague slipped out of the apartment, presumably to organize a search team. ‘Ah, yes, we know how you met Jasmine and her dad, but what about her mum? How did you manage to inveigle your way into her life?’

11 (#ulink_c58ff64f-56e0-5bdc-9344-b6d40217d06d)

Saturday 20 June 2015

Selina had instructed Sam to continue seeing Anna, as if that alone would allow him to keep his conscience clear, but it wasn’t that simple. It was inevitable that Sam would hurt Anna at some point and the longer he let her believe they had a future together, the deeper that hurt might be. He had to at least try to stop that from happening, but as the couple strolled down the road together on a warm summer’s evening he didn’t know where to begin. Anna was beautiful and lively and enthusiastic about life in general, and while he didn’t think for a minute he would ever be able to immerse himself completely in her kind of world, he couldn’t deny it felt good to pay a visit now and again. If there was a way forward, one thing was clear: it would have to be on Anna’s terms and not just his own.

‘I can’t wait for school to finish,’ Anna said as they made their way towards the King’s Arms. ‘One more month and then I can relax for a while. Mum and Dad have a villa in Spain and it’s free for a couple of weeks in August if you fancy it?’

When Sam didn’t immediately respond, she squeezed his hand tightly as if to force an answer from him. It worked, although it wasn’t the answer she was hoping for.

‘I’m not too sure about that,’ he said hesitantly as he scrambled to think up a believable excuse. ‘With my Celtic blood, I’ll be burnt to a crisp.’

‘Really?’ she asked.

Anna made a point of looking at his deeply tanned arms – an occupational hazard from his outdoor lifestyle. He squirmed under her scrutiny and then, fortunately for Sam, his phone began to ring.

The call was from Pat, and Sam tried not to look at Anna as Selina’s friend explained a little about the work she wanted doing at her caravan in Pantymwyn. He continued to walk as he talked and by the time they reached the pub, Sam had made arrangements to meet Pat at the site to check out the job.

‘So who was that on the phone?’ Anna asked after they had found a table in a quiet corner.

‘One of Selina’s friends wants me to do a job for her.’

Sam was being deliberately vague, but Anna had already heard one half of his conversation and evasion was futile. ‘So where is this caravan, then?’ she asked.

Sam hadn’t yet taken a seat and played for time. ‘Let me get the drinks in first.’

Before he could move, a pint and a glass of wine were placed down in front of him. A hand clamped around his shoulder. ‘No need, mate – these are on me.’

When Sam turned around, Finn was smiling from ear to ear. The two shook hands. ‘And I know I promised you a slap-up meal but I’m afraid I haven’t had my first wage packet yet. When I do, though, I promise to take you both out.’

Sam already knew from Jack that he had taken Finn on. The job was only going to be over the summer but there was always the chance his contract might be extended.

‘You really don’t have to thank me, Finn. All I did was put you in touch with Jack, no more.’

Finn was shaking his head. ‘No, you did more than that. I’d reached the point where I’d all but given up, and if I’m being honest, I was in a pretty bad place.’ He patted Sam on the shoulder again. ‘Anyway, I won’t disturb you now but maybe I’ll see you at school. I take you’re being dragged along to see the play?’

Sam looked a little nonplussed as he turned to Anna, who raised an eyebrow. ‘I told you all about it, Sam,’ she scolded. ‘We’re putting on an adaptation of the Wizard of Oz in a couple of weeks.’

Finn was laughing. ‘I was the same, Sam. The wife’s been going on about it for weeks because our Jasmine’s in it, but I took no notice. Now, thanks to you, I’ve turned over a new leaf and I promised Laura I’d go. And if I’m going, then I don’t see why you can’t bite the bullet too.’

‘We could all go out for that meal afterwards if you can get a babysitter,’ Anna suggested.

When Finn agreed, there was little Sam could do to object to the plan, although he wasn’t giving his approval willingly. The idea of stepping inside a school hall packed with excited parents and nervous kids made his insides twist in knots, and yet there was a part of him that wanted to see more of the family he had helped, if only to remind himself that he wasn’t completely selfish and self-absorbed.

When Finn returned to the bar, Sam and Anna chatted a little about the play and he feigned interest as best he could. He had assumed she had forgotten all about the phone call from Pat until she said, ‘So, tell me more about this caravan. Where is it?’

‘Wales.’

Either Anna hadn’t picked up on Sam’s reluctance to involve her in his plans or was ignoring it and said, ‘I’m not so busy with the play that I couldn’t fit in a quick trip to Wales.’

‘Oh, it’s not any time soon. She doesn’t need the garden finished until the end of August.’

‘In the school holidays, then, that’s even better. The only time I get to go to Wales these days is on school trips and believe me, it’s never a fun day out.’