Don't Let Me Go (36 page)

‘Of course.’ Kim immediately opened the laptop again and turned it for Charlotte to see. ‘It’s just a few lines setting the record straight.’

‘I’m as convinced as you are that Heather Hancock’s behind this,’ Gabby told her sister. ‘She’s always had it in for you, ever since she got her facts wrong in that child custody story you were involved in, and you made the paper print an apology.’

Kim was listening attentively.

‘Plus,’ Gabby ran on, addressing Kim, ‘she’s always had the hots for Jason, Charlotte’s ex, which is a bit rich when he’s actually married to her own best friend. The trouble was, when his wife kicked him out to move in her new boyfriend, he ended up with Charlotte instead of Heather, and if you ask me Heather’s never forgiven Charlotte for it.’

‘It’s all so petty,’ Charlotte sighed, relieved that Anthony wasn’t there to hear any of this.

‘Well, she’s soon going to find out that she’s wrong about Gavril Albescu too,’ Kim reminded them, ‘and now you, Charlotte, have to decide whether or not you want me to push the police to investigate her.’

‘Will they be able to prove it was her?’

‘Probably. It’ll depend if she used her own computer.’

‘But even if she did there’s still a problem with it being on a foreign website.’

‘Indeed.’

‘Then let the police follow it up in their own way. The last thing I need is to start worrying myself about her when she actually couldn’t be less important.’

‘Well said,’ Maggie piped up cheerfully.

‘But she is running a negative campaign through this website,’ Kim pointed out, ‘so we definitely need to keep an eye on her. Anyway, I need to go or I won’t make the five o’clock back to Bristol. Does it read OK to you?’ she asked Charlotte.

Charlotte quickly scanned it.
In the interests of accuracy, the family of Charlotte Nicholls would like to make it clear that Ms Nicholls is not the daughter of Gavril Albescu. Nor is she related to him in any way.

‘We decided not to add anything about who your real father is,’ Gabby told her, ‘in case it kicks off a whole other line of interest in the story that your mother, in particular, really won’t need.’

‘Thanks for thinking of her,’ Charlotte replied. ‘I know she’ll appreciate it and so do I.’ Getting up to say goodbye to Kim, she asked, ‘When will I see you next?’

‘I’m not sure at the moment,’ Kim replied. ‘I’m pretty crazy for the rest of this week. Did Anthony mention anything to you about working on a statement?’

‘He did, and I will.’

‘OK. If you need any help, just shout. For the time being though it’s probably best if you rough it out first, then we can meet up and work on it together.’

‘Brace yourselves, everyone,’ Ron declared, coming into the kitchen, ‘I think we’ve been found.’

‘Oh God,’ Kim groaned. ‘How many are there? I hope my taxi can get through or I’ll miss the train.’

‘It’s already outside,’ Ron told her, ‘and so far there’s only one suspicious-looking chap admiring my hedges, so shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll come out with you.’

‘He’s likely to ask if Charlotte’s in here,’ Kim said as they went, ‘so it might be a good idea to say no. He probably won’t believe you, because he’s obviously found out she’s been bailed to this address, but no one in here’s going to speak to him so he’ll soon realise he’s wasting his time and go away.’

After Kim had gone, Tommy and Gabby began preparing to leave too. ‘Tommy’s giving me a lift back to the court for my car,’ Gabby explained, coming to give Charlotte a hug. ‘I wish I could stay longer, but I have to pick the kids up from Martin’s mum at six. Are you going to be all right?’

Charlotte glanced at Maggie and smiled. ‘I think so,’ she replied.

‘You know I’m at the end of the phone if you need me,’ Gabby reminded her, ‘and I’ll be with you at the weekend to help you move into the flat.’

The flat. A new home, a place she hadn’t even seen yet, didn’t even want to live in, except she had no choice.

‘I’ll be back later with the things Gabby’s brought for you,’ Tommy told her. ‘Maggie’s very kindly invited me to join you for dinner.’

Throwing a grateful look Maggie’s way, Charlotte hugged Gabby hard, but her eyes were on Tommy.

He knew what she was asking, even though she couldn’t put it into words, and when he gave her a nod to convey that everything was OK, she felt an unsteadying rush of tears swamping her eyes.

Chapter Eighteen

‘
I DIDN’T KNOW
what else to do,’ Tommy was saying to Anthony on the phone the next day. ‘I realise I shouldn’t have done anything at all, but the way Charlotte was looking at me, she’s desperate to know something . . .’

‘It’s OK, you did the right thing,’ Anthony assured him. ‘We have no reason to believe Chloe’s not settling into her new home, so let’s not assume the worst. Do you know where the new home is, by the way?’

‘All I know is what I told you when we spoke before court yesterday, that Tracy had to collect her from the first place after only two days – nothing to do with Chloe, apparently, it was the couple themselves having problems.’

‘OK. Do you know how Wendy Fraser’s meeting went with the people from adoption services?’

Glancing through his office window to where a handful of the team were going about their day, Tommy said, ‘All I can tell you is that it happened, but what was said, or decided, I’ve got no idea. I’m presuming no one’s spoken to Tracy about it yet either, or she’d probably have come to tell me.’

‘How fast can it happen?’

‘In this case, probably pretty fast because Chloe’s a prime candidate. In fact, setting all personal issues aside, if I was on the case I’d probably be recommending it myself.’

‘This soon?’

‘She has no family, apart from the father, who’s never going to get custody of her again, and being as young as she is . . . There’s no shortage of people out there who’d want her.’

‘OK, I’m going to be candid with you now: the chances of me getting Charlotte’s case thrown out before it comes to trial aren’t good. So it could mean Chloe having to remain in care for anything up to six months, by which time, from what you’re telling me, she could already be living with her future parents.’

‘She could, and once the process has begun there’s no way we’d be able to pull her out of it, unless we find the parents aren’t suitable, of course.’

‘OK. This is all good to know, and obviously on some level Charlotte’s going to be aware of it, because she knows the system well enough. She’s probably just hoping that nothing will be done until her own fate has been decided, and we need to let her carry on thinking that, at least for now. Meantime, I’ve arranged to see a colleague whose speciality is family law, to find out if there’s anything we can do to shelve the adoption process before it goes any further.’

Relaxing slightly, Tommy said, ‘That’s what I hoped you were going to say. My only concern now is that Wendy and the powers that be are going to realise that someone from this office has been in touch with you. I don’t care for myself, I’m out of here anyway at the end of the fortnight, but I do care for Tracy.’

‘I hear what you’re saying, and I’ll ask my colleague to find out if there’s a way of presenting this from the top down. In other words, he’ll probably contact the director of social services, or even someone at ministerial level, to try and get them to hold up an adoption order pending Charlotte’s legal proceedings.’

After thanking Anthony again, Tommy put the phone down and went out to the main office to check the whiteboard for Tracy’s movements. Finding a blank for the afternoon he guessed she was either around the building somewhere, or out visiting Chloe. If she were visiting anyone else it would be written on the board, as would scheduled meetings, holidays or court appearances.

‘Anyone know where Tracy is?’ he called out to the handful of those who were in.

Receiving only shakes of the head or shrugs, he returned to his office and picked up the phone. ‘Trace, where are you?’ he asked when she answered her mobile.

‘Visiting a friend,’ she replied.

Certain from her tone that it meant Chloe, he said, ‘Have you heard any more about the adoption thing? Do you know how the meeting went?’

‘Not a word, but it was only yesterday.’

‘Sure. If you do hear something you’ll let me know?’

‘Well, actually, I’ve been thinking about it, and you know, maybe that is the best way forward. Anyway, I can’t really talk now, I’ll see you when I get back to the office.’

‘Sir,’ Karen Potter called out as DCI Gould sailed past her desk.

Barely pausing, Gould said, ‘Whatever it is, make it quick.’

‘It’s Charlotte Nicholls and her connection to the Temple Fields Massacre. We haven’t managed to trace who posted the information yet, and I’m wondering how much time you want us to spend on it.’

Glancing at his watch, he said, ‘Has anything else gone up since?’

‘Not on the foreign site, but there’s a message on her Facebook page saying she’s not Albescu’s daughter. It’s here if you want to take a look.’

Coming to read over her shoulder, he checked his mobile as it rang, and barked into it that he was on his way.

‘The CPS guy is not happy about any of it,’ Potter told him as he read the Facebook posting again. ‘He’s saying it could prove highly prejudicial to the case and . . .’

‘I know what he’s saying,’ Gould snapped, ‘and if he’d like to find a way of increasing our resources we might be able to track down who’s behind it. As it is, it’s out of our jurisdiction anyway, and as I don’t see anything there to sway a jury against us I’m not feeling too bothered about it. But keep an eye on it,’ and answering another call he strode off towards the lifts.

‘She’s definitely not a chatterbox, are you, honey bun?’ Carrie Jones was saying teasingly to Chloe. ‘I think she likes it here though, don’t you? Well, why wouldn’t she when she has her own room with lots of toys to play with, and even a TV? Not that she’s allowed to watch any old thing,’ she assured Tracy. ‘Only a half-hour here and there of children’s programmes, and a little bit of wildlife. I find that most kids enjoy watching animals in their natural habitat, and it can be very educational, I’m sure you’ll agree.’

Carrie Jones’s smile was so full of teeth that Tracy could almost imagine her starring in one of her favoured programmes. In fact, according to the file, she’d hosted a popular series of animal adventures back in the nineties, as most of the photographs and paintings around her cluttered terraced home, here in Minehead, proved.

Minehead! Thanks, Wendy, for the near-seventy-mile round trip to come and visit.

Though Tracy had never seen Carrie Jones’s
Animal Escapades
herself, she was aware from the notes she’d been sent that every child who came into Carrie’s care was required to watch an episode a night for the time they were there. Apparently, in some cases it meant they came away able to recite whole chunks of a programme, which, depending on the child, could be extremely entertaining, more than one social worker had written.

Tracy couldn’t imagine Chloe reciting anything, or even taking in much of a programme. Sitting there at the back of an armchair with her head hanging limply over her bear and her fragile limbs seeming to twitch each time she was addressed, she couldn’t have appeared more lonely or forlorn. What was going through her mind, she wondered.

As if she didn’t know.

‘Is she eating?’ she asked Carrie.

Carrie’s smile came forth again. ‘We had a boiled egg and soldiers this morning, didn’t we?’ she responded bouncily, putting Tracy in mind of a jolly kangaroo. ‘And we ate two whole fingers of bread and half the egg.’

Receiving no response from Chloe, Tracy said, ‘What about lunchtime?’

‘Well, we didn’t do so well with that, did we, sweet pea? But we’ve got some lovely chicken nuggets and chips for tea and a delicious upside-down pudding for afters. Have you ever had upside-down pudding?’

Chloe juddered and pulled Boots closer to her face.

‘I think she’s going to like it,’ Carrie told Tracy brightly. ‘All my other children have wolfed it down and come straight back for more. You can help me make it if you like,’ she said to Chloe. ‘That should be fun, shouldn’t it? Have you ever done any baking?’

A tear dropped into Chloe’s lap.

‘Oh dear,’ Tracy murmured, going to her. ‘You mustn’t be upset, Chloe. Everything’s going to be all right. Carrie’s going to take very good care of you and you’re starting back to nursery next Monday, which’ll be lovely, won’t it? Lots of other children to play with and friends to make.’

Chloe began shaking her head and as tiny, whispering sobs broke from her heart Tracy pulled her into her arms.

‘There, there,’ she soothed, rocking her back and forth. ‘I know everything’s new and a bit scary right now, but there’s nothing to be afraid of, I promise.’

‘Certainly not me,’ Carrie piped up cheerily. ‘I’m the least scary person in the world.’

Unable to stop an unkind thought about the teeth, Tracy told Chloe, ‘Everyone loves Carrie. She was very popular when she was on TV, and all the children who come here say what a lovely time they’ve had.’

Beaming at the compliment, Carrie said, ‘I know it can take a bit of time to settle into a new place, but I shall do everything I can to make you happy. We can do lots of things together like going to the beach, or the park, or the zoo . . .’

Chloe was shaking her head faster than ever. ‘Want Mummy,’ she sobbed. ‘Go to Mummy now.’

Tracy smoothed Chloe’s wispy curls and kissed her head, as she said, ‘Do you remember what tomorrow is? It’s your birthday, isn’t it, and you’re going to be four. That’s so grown up.’

‘You’ve got a birthday tomorrow,’ Carrie gasped in excitement. ‘Well, we’ll have to do something about that. Shall we make a special cake and put four candles on it?’

Chloe was fighting to catch her breath as her hysteria grew. ‘Mummy!’ she choked. ‘Want to go to Mummy!’

‘All right, all right,’ Tracy murmured, holding her close. ‘You need to calm down now . . . Chloe, you need to calm down, there’s a good girl.’