The One You Love (36 page)

Local loner discovered in canal.

Parents distraught.

Emma peered into the envelope and found the accompanying note.

‘My God,’ Will said, staring at the note. ‘They know what really happened.’

‘Dad’s gone up there. I hope he doesn’t do anything stupid.’

‘He has a gun.’

‘What?’

‘He borrowed it from a friend,’ Will explained.

‘We’ve got to get up there,’ Emma announced, ‘before this gets any worse.’

66

‘Do you think Miranda will be all right?’ Will asked, as they sped along the motorway.

‘I hope so,’ Emma replied, concerned that she was already feeling tired, with over a hundred miles of darkened road still to go.

‘We’ve been too hard on her, haven’t we?’ Will commented. ‘She didn’t deserve getting caught in the fallout between Dad and us. We should have kept her out of it.’

‘I know,’ Emma agreed. ‘I just hope for her sake – for all our sakes – that Dad doesn’t get himself into trouble.’

‘He’s trying to make things right,’ Will commented, ‘to make up for the past few years.’

‘He could make things worse,’ Emma said, ‘if he goes storming in there with a gun. Who knows what could happen.’

‘Do you think there’s a chance that Dan and Lizzy are okay? Do you think whoever has them might just have kept them there, and not hurt them?’

‘For the past two weeks I’ve been praying that Dan is okay,’ Emma said. ‘But I just don’t know. We’ve just got to hope that they are both all right.’

‘I won’t forgive myself if anything has happened to them. This is my fault – someone’s taking revenge for what I did, and you’re the one suffering.’

‘You didn’t kill Stephen Myers,’ Emma stated. ‘Remember that.’

‘But I helped to dispose of his body,’ he replied. ‘I was part of it. And whoever sent Dad that newspaper cutting knows that.’

‘I wish the police had taken me seriously,’ Emma lamented. ‘I don’t think they’re going to send anyone up there, are they?’

‘Doesn’t sound like it, from what you told me,’ Will agreed. ‘You could have told the police the whole story, you know. If you’d have told them everything, they might have been more ready to believe you. I’m ready to take responsibility for what I did.’

‘It would have slowed everything down. They’d have wanted to bring us in for questioning. I know what Gasnier is like. We don’t have time for all that. Anyway, I need your support – I don’t want you locked up in a police station.’

‘But I’m just saying, if you want to tell the police, then I’ll completely understand. It might even be good for me. I’ve been holding onto this secret for too long.’

‘You’re a good person, Will,’ Emma said. ‘Don’t ever forget that.’

It was one o’clock in the morning by the time they reached Stephen’s parents. Emma slowed to a stop on the opposite side of the road. She and Will sat there for a few seconds, just looking up at the house, which was shrouded in darkness.

‘I can’t see Dad’s car,’ said Will, scanning up and down the street.

‘No.’

‘We might have got here before him,’ Will offered. ‘We did make good time.’

‘Maybe,’ Emma replied. ‘Are you ready?’ She reached for the car door.

Will nodded.

They crossed the road, with no sign of movement along the whole street, and knocked on the door.

There was no answer.

Emma tried another few times, before knocking on the front bay window.

‘What now?’ Will said when there was still no movement.

‘I don’t know,’ she replied, looking up at the top window. ‘Maybe we’ve got this all wrong. It might not have anything to do with Stephen’s family – anyone could have found out what had happened to Stephen and could be doing this.’

‘You’re right,’ Will agreed. ‘Dad might not even have come up here, might he, if he suspects or knows that it was someone else?’

‘Exactly,’ Emma said. ‘This could be a red herring.’ She paced up and down the pavement, clutching at the back of her neck. ‘Why won’t this end?’ she shouted in frustration.

Then the door of a neighbouring house opened.

‘I’m really sorry,’ said Emma, as the man, dressed in striped pyjamas, glared at her.

‘You looking for Mrs Myers?’ he asked sternly.

‘Yeah,’ Emma replied.

‘She’s gone,’ he said. ‘They took her away a few days ago, into a hospital. She’s been getting worse recently.’

‘Oh, right,’ Emma said. ‘Is Mr Myers around? Doesn’t he live nearby?’

‘Used to. Peter moved to London a few months ago. I think he just wanted to get as far away from her as possible. Can’t say I blame him really – she fell apart after her son died. I know it’s all been extremely difficult for him.’

So he’d been living in London. He had to be behind all this. ‘Do you have an address for him?’ Emma asked.

‘Why do you want to know?’

‘I just need to see him,’ Emma said. ‘It’s really important.’

‘Funny, that,’ the man noted, suppressing the hint of a smile, ‘because you’re the second person to come looking for Peter Myers in the past hour. Never knew he was so popular.’

67

‘Eh?’ Emma lifted her head from the passenger seat and turned towards Will. She felt dizzy with tiredness.

‘Hi,’ said Will, his hands wrapped around the top of the steering wheel.

Emma noticed that they were parked in a residential road: houses tightly packed on both sides, a couple of homes boarded up with green metal panels. The sun had come up and birds were singing.

‘Are we here?’ Emma said, rubbing her forehead.

‘We’re here,’ Will confirmed.

‘But what time is it?’ Emma peered at her watch. She’d been asleep for over three hours. ‘You’ve driven all the way back down to London yourself? You should have woken me up.’

‘It was okay. You needed the rest and I wanted to help.’

‘Have we just arrived?’ she asked, trying to shake off the grogginess.

‘We’ve been here a couple of minutes. I was just thinking about what we should do.’

‘Which one is the house?’ Emma asked, looking out at the street, house by house.

‘That one just there.’ Will pointed. ‘I did a slow drive-past when we first arrived.’

‘Any sign of Dad’s car?’

‘None,’ Will replied. ‘It’s not in this street.’

‘This might still all be a wild goose chase.’ Emma looked across at the house. ‘But there’s only one way to find out. C’mon.’

‘Maybe we should wait,’ Will said, putting his hand on Emma’s arm.

‘For what?’

‘I don’t know. Maybe we should wait and think about what to do.’

‘We haven’t got time. Every second we wait here increases the chance that something bad might happen. Are you coming?’

‘Okay,’ said Will, getting out of the car.

‘It’s open,’ whispered Emma as they reached the door and noted that it was ever so slightly ajar. But no light was coming through the gap.

They looked at each other, both breathing heavily, wondering what to do.

‘Maybe we shouldn’t,’ Will said, as Emma went to push at the door. ‘Maybe going in there isn’t the right thing to do.’

‘You don’t have to come in.’

‘I will,’ he replied. ‘If you go in, I’ll go in too.’

‘Thanks,’ she said, pushing the door.

They both slid into the darkened house. As Emma closed the door behind them to block out the light from the street, it became apparent that at least one light in the house was on. The light was coming from one of the back rooms, down the end of the corridor in which they were now standing.

They moved slowly along the wall, aware of each other’s breathing. The place smelt of damp and dirt, and it was a strain not to cough. As they passed a door to their left Emma heard a tapping sound.

She stopped.

‘What is it?’ Will whispered from the darkness.

‘Someone’s in there.’ Emma pointed at the door. Slowly, she opened the door and the tapping sound stopped. ‘Hello?’ she said. ‘Who’s in here?’

And then they saw. In the corner of the room, shrouded in darkness, was a human figure, hunched forward on a chair.

68

‘The light,’ Emma directed. ‘Switch it on.’

‘Are you sure?’ Will said. ‘They’ll know someone’s here.’

‘Do it,’ Emma said, moving across to the figure.

The room exploded into bright light.

‘Lizzy, oh my God.’ Emma knelt down in front of her friend. Lizzy raised her head, a gag tight across her mouth. Her face was bruised and her eyes hollow and vacant. It was as if she didn’t recognise Emma.

Emma untied the gag whilst Will stayed back, glancing at the door, ready for whoever might enter the room.

‘Em,’ Lizzy mouthed, gasping for breath. ‘Stephen’s father.’

Emma cupped Lizzy’s face. ‘Everything’s going to be okay. Have you seen Dan?’

Lizzy shook her head.

Emma smiled supportively, then looked up at Will. ‘You untie her. I’m going on.’

‘We both go,’ Will said.

Emma nodded. They untied Lizzy, switched off the light and helped her out of the house, across the road, and into the car.

‘We’ll be back,’ said Emma, feeling a sharp shard of pain shoot up her back; Lizzy was exhausted, and carrying her had been hard work.

‘I’ll go first,’ said Will as they entered the house for a second time. This time they moved a little more quickly, past the staircase on their right and towards the door at the end of the corridor. They stopped at the door, able to hear muffled voices.

Will looked to Emma for direction, his hand on the door handle.

Emma nodded.

As they opened the door a gunshot rang out.

69

‘Dad,’ Emma said from the doorway, ‘put the gun down.’

Edward stood over Peter Myers, the gun aimed at his head. Peter Myers was clutching his knee, which was a mass of blood. He was strangely quiet for a man who had just been shot through the leg.

‘I’m going to finish it,’ Edward replied.

‘Please, don’t do this,’ Emma pleaded, edging into the room. ‘It shouldn’t end like this.’

‘He deserves to die,’ Edward said. ‘First his son ruined your life, and now he’s done the same. Do you really want to save the life of the man who murdered Dan?’

‘Dan’s dead?’ Emma said, her stomach plummeting.

‘In the kitchen. His body has just been dumped there on the kitchen floor. I’m sorry, Emma, but this… monster has killed your fiancé.’

‘No,’ Emma said, shaking her head and bringing a hand to her mouth as Will put an arm on her back. She felt as though she was going to be sick. Peter Myers looked at her, grimacing, but offering no hint of remorse.

‘I’m sorry, Emma,’ Edward repeated. ‘But can’t you see now why this man doesn’t deserve to live? He just wanted to hurt you and everyone you love. He deserves everything he gets.’

‘No,’ Emma said, trying to push the images of Dan out of her mind. ‘He’s a victim like the rest of us.’

‘How can you say that? He’s not a victim,’ Edward spat.

‘He’s suffered too,’ Emma said. ‘Stuart Harris began this, but you’re not the one to finish it – not like this.’

‘Em’s right,’ Will said from behind her shoulder. ‘Put the gun away, Dad. Miranda needs you. You’re going to have another child who will need you. We need you too.’

Edward gave a sarcastic laugh. ‘If he lives, then you’ll go to prison.’ He took neither his aim nor his eyes off Peter Myers, as if the guy was going to leap up and fight back. ‘Has he told you, Emma? Has your brother told you what he did? He was an accessory to murder.’

‘He’s told me everything,’ Emma said. ‘We can work this out.’

‘No,’ Edward replied. ‘As long as this man is alive, it could all still come out.’

‘Who do you really want to protect?’ Will asked. ‘Me, or yourself?’

‘You, of course,’ Edward replied. ‘I want to protect my son.’

‘Then you might as well put the gun down, because it’s already too late for me. I’ve told the police everything.’

‘What?’ Emma glanced around.

‘I called them when we first arrived here, while you were still asleep. They should be here any minute.’

‘You idiot,’ shouted Edward, taking his eyes off Peter Myers for the first time. ‘You stupid idiot!’

Emma saw her chance. In one smooth movement she spun towards the floor, sweeping Edward’s legs from underneath him. He fell to the ground like an uprooted tree.