All Fall Down: A gripping psychological thriller with a twist that will take your breath away (12 page)

S
he didn’t believe him
, Rob was sure of that, but for now he seemed to be off the hook. As Wendy busied herself grilling some chicken for their dinner, Rob slipped out and fetched a couple of plastic bags from the cupboard under the stairs, then hurried up to the bedroom.

He’d scarcely had time to think through the ramifications of what he was about to do, but he knew now that there
was
no time. In the morning they were driving to Norfolk, leaving a friend who was also a police officer with free access to the house. He had to put the trainer somewhere safe until he’d decided what to do with it.

Still the range of possibilities continued to plague him. Had Jason Dennehy given him a false reassurance? Was one of the kids mixed up in something?

Crazy thoughts, but then he remembered Dawn’s expression when Wendy had denied that the twins would ever take drugs. Aren’t the parents always the last to know – or the last to accept the truth? Rob knew he couldn’t risk involving the police if there was even a tiny chance that one of the twins – or Georgia, even – was implicated in some way. Certainly some of Josh’s past behaviour had been impossible to fathom – like the time he convinced the school cricket team to turn a maths teacher’s car on to its roof, all because he’d been graded A when he felt his work deserved an A*. . .

Closing the bedroom door, Rob put his hand inside one of the bags so that he didn’t have to touch the trainer directly. Another thought occurred to him: the person who’d hidden the shoe hadn’t wanted it to be found – or else they’d have left it somewhere in plain sight. That must mean they were intending to tip off the police, and Rob would be caught red-handed in possession—

He heard an unmistakable creak on the landing. Panicking, he sent shoeboxes tumbling out of the wardrobe as he wrapped the trainer in a bag and shoved it under the bed.

I
t wasn’t
in Wendy’s nature to be suspicious – there had been various times in recent years when she’d had serious misgivings about Rob, and the lengths he was going to in order to keep the business afloat – but always she’d relied on the belief that he would tell her if he needed to. Now, though, something about the way he’d raced upstairs just didn’t feel right.

Her fears seemed to be justified when, after a couple of minutes of agonising, she decided to follow, and found that the bedroom door was shut. That made no sense.

For a second she was going to knock, but then she thought:
It’s my bedroom.

It’s my husband.

She opened the door and found him, frozen in a peculiar crouch, with the wardrobe in disarray. For a moment he looked guilt-stricken, as though he’d been caught doing something shameful.

‘What’s going on?’

‘Just looking for a sweater to wear on the boat. Sorry about. . .’ He indicated her dress shoes, which had spilled on to the floor.

‘Rob, are you sure there isn’t something wrong?’

He’d already turned away from her, kneeling to gather up the shoes. ‘I’m fine. Are
you
okay?’

She sighed, discomfited by his tactic of throwing the question back at her. The only way to combat it, she decided, was to come clean.

‘Look, earlier today, I. . . Hold on.’ She frowned, because Rob had lifted a pile of old clothes, trying to get at a fleece. ‘Where’s the laptop?’

‘What?’

She moved down beside him, leaning into the wardrobe to check the next compartment. ‘The old Toshiba. It was in here.’

‘Was it?’ Rob sounded stunned. He rested a hand on the floor, as if worried he might topple over.

Wendy tried to remember when she’d last seen it. ‘I definitely backed up the photos after Christmas – and this is where I put it.’

He was shaking his head. ‘Maybe one of the kids used it?’

‘I can’t see that.’ The laptop had been Jurassic by the time they’d relegated it to a back-up device for their pictures and videos: the kids would recoil at using such primitive equipment.

‘Unless you’ve put it somewhere else, and forgotten?’

‘I suppose so.’ In normal circumstances she might have greeted his remark with indignation, but now she hoped she’d been that forgetful. ‘If not, it means someone has taken it – yesterday, maybe?’

‘Except Dawn’s just said that we’re basically overwrought, and imagining things.’

‘But we’re not. This proves it.’

‘
If
it’s missing. Even then, we can’t actually prove anything.’

Wendy could sense his unease, but she didn’t understand it. Why would he be so reluctant to accept—?

‘The main thing is that we wiped the drive, didn’t we?’ he said, interrupting her train of thought. ‘So there’s nothing of value on there.’

‘Just a lifetime of photos. All our most cherished memories.’ Wendy sniffed, close to tears.

‘Hold on. Didn’t Josh mention the laptop when he was home at Easter? Something he wanted to copy from it?’

‘Did he?’ Wendy didn’t recollect anything. ‘You think he took it with him?’

‘Might have done. We can ask him tomorrow.’

Wendy sighed. ‘I don’t know. I’m half inclined to forget the holiday, and call the police.’

R
ob felt wretched
, diverting her attention on to Josh. He knew better than Wendy that the laptop had almost certainly been stolen – by the same person who had left the trainer. The same person who was trying to frame them for a murder.

But the fact remained that he couldn’t afford to involve the police. Not yet, at least. Maybe by the time they got back from Norfolk, he’d have a clearer idea of what he should do. . .

Then came another question that almost literally knocked him sideways.

‘Is there any chance that all of this is connected to Iain Kelly?’

‘Wh-what?’ he asked. ‘Why would you think that?’

‘I don’t know. But we agreed at the time what a terrible irony it was, dying the way he did.’ Wendy got up, took a tissue from the box by the bed, and blew her nose. ‘He made a lot of enemies, people like that Jason Dennehy. What if he was harbouring a grudge against you?’

Rob stared down at the carpet. Time to own up.

‘He isn’t. I spoke to him on Wednesday.’

‘What?’

‘The same thing occurred to me, so I went to see him. But Jason’s adamant that he doesn’t blame me for what Kelly did. And he was genuinely shocked when I told him about Sunday.’ While Wendy digested this information, Rob added, ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I just thought, because it didn’t lead to anything. . .’

She waved away his apology, staring mournfully at her reflection in the wardrobe mirror. ‘I had my own theory, too. With me it was Mark Burroughs.’

‘Burroughs?’ Rob felt a jolt at the name. ‘Jesus, if that bastard—’

‘I know, I know. But I don’t think he’s part of this, either.’ She described how she had paid a visit to the pub owned by Burroughs senior, and with a rueful smile, said, ‘I think perhaps it’s time to be a bit more honest with one another.’

He nodded, because he had no choice but to stick with the lie, and said, ‘I think it is.’

B
ecause of the escape
, it was necessary to take some precautions. Fortunately these could be employed as part of the next challenge, since again they required you to draw on a wide range of skills.

In the first stage I wanted you to follow them, research them, look into their lives – even have personal encounters with them, if you could do it safely.

I wanted the family unsettled, nervous, paranoid.

Slowly, gradually, I wanted them scared.

For our own safety, it made sense to engineer their guilt, in place of ours. I wanted a tripwire all ready to go, something to set off at any moment should the police start looking in our direction. (No reason why they would, of course.) It was also an opportunity to have enormous fun at their expense.

But then it got really interesting.

Your incursions were a great success. As well as planting the evidence that would incriminate them, you also found an old computer. From this came all manner of glorious detail, and some fascinating discrepancies – like the girl who sprang from nowhere.

We looked at their photographs.

We watched their videos.

But we also recovered their data. Information they believed had been wiped. As a result, my plans were brought forward. The ultimate aim could be achieved so much sooner than I had anticipated.

We know they leave tomorrow. We know their destination is a holiday home, a lonely cottage on a remote, secluded stretch of the Norfolk coast.

How perfect for them.

How perfect for us.

B
y Saturday morning
the humidity had broken, not with a storm but with the return of a misty drizzle that clung to their skin as they loaded the bags and cases into the Land Rover.

They were underway by eight o’clock, which the kids seemed to regard as the crack of dawn. Evan shut his eyes and promptly fell asleep. Georgia declined an offer to select the in-car music, preferring the solitude of her earbuds; Rob wondered if she was listening to anything or just using them as a barrier.

Could have done with some myself
, he thought. So far today he and Wendy hadn’t spoken much. She’d maintained a kind of brittle cheerfulness, making a conscious effort not to dwell on the events of the past week, while he did his best to keep up the pretence that he could put it behind him.

He was in the mood to drive fast, and for the most part got his wish. When they were held up by an accident on the M25, he kept a tight lid on his temper, aware that it would alienate Josh if he turned up in a foul mood.

It was ten to ten when they came into the city through Harbledown and took a left turn towards Whitstable Road. Josh was one of five students sharing a tile-hung terraced house in Harcourt Drive, midway between the university campus and the city centre.

Parking was never easy but they managed to find a space, slightly overhanging a driveway. Wendy asked Evan and Georgia to stay in the car, and to let them know if someone needed to get past.

‘I just hope we’re early enough to catch him at home,’ she fretted, but Rob feared the opposite: a sleepy Josh coming to the door, having completely forgotten about the holiday.

Wendy knocked on the door. Waiting beside her, Rob realised he was clenching his fists and made an effort to relax. He gazed at the soft grey sky above the houses across the road. It was cooler here than at home, but at least the drizzle had petered out.

After Wendy had knocked a second time, they heard movement inside the house. The front door was opened by a man in his late twenties with slicked-back hair and a voluminous, hipster-style beard. He was barefoot, and wrapped in a maroon dressing gown.

‘Sorry if we woke you,’ Wendy said. ‘Is Josh up yet?’

‘Josh?’

‘Josh Turner.’ She glanced at Rob as it struck them both that this man didn’t recognise the name. ‘Sorry – are you staying with someone?’

‘No.’ The man frowned, taking an age to gather his thoughts. ‘I live here. But, uh. . . there isn’t anyone called Josh.’

A
fter going
round in circles for a minute, they were invited inside. The man wasn’t particularly unfriendly, but he spoke with such drawling disinterest that Rob couldn’t help but get frustrated.

His name was Eric, and he was a post-grad at Kent. He shared the house with four other students, two of whom were male – Ikram and Max, names which sounded vaguely familiar to Rob.

But no Josh.

‘How long have you been here?’ Wendy was examining the hallway, as if trying to work out whether they’d come to the wrong address.

‘Couple of months.’ Eric’s eyes grew distant as he trawled what was presumably the vast – or simply overloaded – database that was his memory. ‘You know, uh. . . the guy before me might have been called Jack, or Josh, or. . . you know, a
J
word.’

Now he mentions it
, Rob thought.

‘What about. . . Miya, is it?’ Wendy asked. ‘Is she here?’

‘Miya? Uh. . . yeah.’ The man nodded but didn’t move.

‘Can we speak to her, please?’

‘Uh. . . let me check.’

As he trudged upstairs, there was a tap on the front door and Evan came in, with Georgia trailing behind him. Evan sensed the mood at once: ‘Is Josh all right?’

‘He’s not here,’ Rob said.

‘What, he’s gone out?’

‘No. According to the bloke we’ve just spoken to, he doesn’t live here any more.’

‘You’re kidding?’

Wendy grasped Evan’s arm. ‘Did he ever give you any indication. . .?’

‘No. Not a thing.’ Evan was shaking his head in disbelief. ‘Typical bloody Josh.’

T
hen Miya appeared
, also clad in a bathrobe but with jeans underneath, tying back her long hair as she padded downstairs. She was a young Japanese woman, blinking curiously at them as though woken in a hurry. She nodded at Rob and Wendy, then saw Evan and gasped.

‘Oh wow, you’re the twin brother!’ She had an accent that Rob thought was East Midlands. ‘You really do look alike.’

‘Do you know where Josh is?’ Wendy asked.

Looking confused by the desperation in Wendy’s voice, Miya took the last couple of stairs in slow motion. ‘He moved out – weeks ago, now. I can’t believe he didn’t tell you.’

‘Well, he didn’t,’ Rob said bluntly.

‘Was this before the end of term, or after?’ Evan asked.

‘Before, I think. He was. . .’ Miya shrugged, looking sombre. ‘He seemed to have problems. One day he just packed up and left. He hadn’t said he was going, but Ellie was home at the time, and caught him loading stuff into his car.’

‘His
car
?’ Wendy turned to stare at Rob. Although Josh could drive, he’d never owned a car, and surely couldn’t afford one at the moment.

‘Is this Ellie around?’ Rob asked Miya.

‘No, she left straight after her exams. You’re lucky to have caught me – I’m off tomorrow for a few weeks.’ A hopeless little shrug. ‘I assumed Josh had gone back home. He told Ellie he was dropping out.’

‘
What?
’ Rob’s shout made her jump, and he quickly apologised.

‘Did he say what had gone wrong?’ Wendy asked. ‘Or anything about where he was going?’

‘The way Ellie told us, it seemed like he was leaving Canterbury and we wouldn’t be seeing him again.’ She brightened as Evan produced his phone and slipped out of the door. ‘Oh, you can call him, can’t you?’

‘He mostly ignores us.’ Wendy sniffed, and wiped away a tear. ‘So nobody has any idea where he is?’

‘I’m so sorry, Mrs Turner. I wish I could help more.’

‘You’re sure he said he was dropping out?’ Rob asked. ‘Could he have got a job, maybe? Something that required him to move away?’

‘I suppose so. But Ellie didn’t mention it.’

‘Okay.’ Rob could barely disguise his frustration. As he turned away there was a hesitant cough from Miya that seemed to signal more bad news.

‘After he’d gone we had people looking for him. I didn’t see them, but Ellie did – and Max, I think. They came a couple of times. Two men. Ellie said they were quite. . . threatening.’

Wendy groaned. ‘Did they say who they were, or why they wanted him?’

Miya shook her head. ‘They just wanted to know where he was. Max nearly got into a fight, because we couldn’t tell them. He had to show them Josh’s old room to prove he wasn’t there.’

Rob was now so anxious and confused that he couldn’t come up with a single constructive question, but Wendy suggested they exchange numbers. ‘Please call me if he gets in touch, or if you hear anything that could help us find him.’

‘Of course.’ Miya looked close to tears herself. ‘We had no idea he’d actually gone missing, otherwise we would have. . .’

Wendy nodded. ‘It’s not your fault.’

T
hey congregated on the pavement
, waiting restlessly while Evan made another attempt to reach Josh by phone. Wendy gave Georgia a hug, staring at Rob over their daughter’s shoulder. Her plaintive gaze seemed to ask for something he couldn’t give, and he turned away, ashamed to be at such a complete loss.

What kind of trouble was Josh in, that he’d had to do a runner?

And could it be connected, in some way, to what had been happening at home?

‘It just rings,’ Evan reported. ‘No answer, no voicemail.’

‘What now?’ Wendy asked.

Rob shrugged. At the sound of a car door closing, he remembered the Land Rover was partially blocking a driveway. ‘We could take a look on campus. Wouldn’t his address be registered somewhere?’

Wendy nodded eagerly, but Evan was doubtful. ‘It’s the summer break,
and
it’s a Saturday. I doubt if there’ll be any admin staff around.’

‘Still worth a try.’ Rob felt a tingling at the back of his neck and absently glanced round, wondering if Miya or Eric was peeking out at them. ‘Let’s split up. Georgia and I can check out the university, while you and Evan have a look in town.’

Wendy turned to Evan. ‘Are there any places he’s mentioned, or anyone he might know around here?’

‘Doubt it. He’s the original hermit.’ There was a bitter note of betrayal in Evan’s voice. Then he said, ‘Actually, there’s a café he likes. Said it has a lot of interesting characters.’

Clutching at this lifeline, Wendy said, ‘Let’s go, then.’

‘Best get something to eat while you’re there.’ Rob gave Georgia an encouraging smile. ‘And we’ll grab something at the uni.’

Closed off as usual, the girl only shrugged, prompting Wendy to offer her own consolation: ‘It’s all right, darling. We’ll find him.’

But Georgia, with a wisdom that belied her age, said only , ‘Maybe he doesn’t want to be found.’