Escaping Life (19 page)

“
She
was
twenty eight
when she disappeared. 
She worked as a banker.  She loved it.  She lived in the city, on her own,
since Elizabeth moved out.  She had a wonderful life.
”
 
He hung his head, heavy under the pressure of recollection. 
“
She
was a happy, beautiful girl.
”
 
His voice broke as he said the final words, trembling and stuttering as he
brought his hand up to his eyes.  Elizabeth couldn
’
t
tell if he was crying, or if it was just beads of sweat on his face.  She took
her hand out from underneath and rested it on top of his.  She wanted to
reassure him in the same way that he had her.  She looked to Jack Fraser.

“
She
was happy, Jack.  She had a great life.  Until our
m
other
died everything was normal.  No problems, no issues.  At least, nothing we knew
of.
”

“
Boyfriend?
”

“
I
don
’
t
think so.  She dated a bit, but nobody serious.
”
 
He looked for a little longer than she was comfortable with, waiting patiently
for validation. 
“
Honestly,
we were close.  She would have told me.
”

“
OK,
”
he said, knowing the next part wasn
’
t
going to be easy. 
“
When
your Mum died.  What happened?
”
 
She stared at him part blankly and part with anger.  He could see that same
cold shiny exterior that he had brushed against at the mortuary and in the
service station.

“
She
was strangled.  I told you already.
”
 
She could feel her father
’
s
hand tighten under her own, his knuckles clenching into an open fist.

“
I
know, but you need to elaborate.  Who found her?
”

Elizabeth was stroking her
father
’
s
hand again, softly brushing away the pain of reminiscence.  She was strong for
him, just as she had been for the last four years.

“
Rebecca
found her.  She had been dead for hours.  They called an ambulance and tried to
do CPR.
”
 
She could feel his hands tightening more, and she rubbed her hands up his
forearms too, in a desperate bid to soothe it all away and hush his pain from
the stark rehashing of death in front of them. 
“
It
was the neighbours who went round.  That
’
s
how the police got called.  Rebecca.  She didn
’
t
take it well.
”

“
What
do you mean?  Surely none of you took it well?
”

“
She
became hysterical.  She wouldn
’
t
open her door.  She was terrified, like whoever had done it was still out
there.  She kept calling me and saying that we had to leave together.  That we
had to run away.   I was married.  It was .....
”
she paused,
“
....
it was difficult.
”

“
And
then?
”

Elizabeth took a deep,
bolstering breath. 
“
On
the day she disappeared I went to her house.  She looked like she hadn
’
t
slept.  Her face,
”
she said, as she closed her eyes, remembering the eyes that had met hers as
Rebecca had opened the door,
“
it
was like, like she hadn
’
t
slept ever since.  Her skin was grey.  Big black bags under her eyes.
”
 
Elizabeth was more animated now, her own hands skirting about in front of her,
her own face a model for what she had seen. 
“
She
kept screaming at me that we had to go, that we weren
’
t
safe.   She was grabbing me, scratching.  I shouted at her.
”
 
Jack sat listening, waiting for her words to find a way out. 
“
I
said she was crazy, and that she should get herself together.  I hit her.  She
was grappling at me, you know like a crazy person.
”
 
Her words were frail now under the shame of her actions.  The act of
remembrance was breaking her:  her voice, her strength, her conviction.  Her
steely exterior was melting under the heat of the past, and the old, softer
Elizabeth, the one that had lived through this tormented past was the one sat
before him now. 
“
I
left her there.  I left her.  She was yelling at me to come back. 
‘
Betty!  Betty!
’
 
I ignored her.  I couldn
’
t
take it.
”

“
That
was the last time you saw her?
”
Jack probed.  Elizabeth nodded, and looked to her father with a face that
begged forgiveness.  Edward had been silent throughout, listening intently as
she re-lived their final moments together, watching her every animated move. 
It had been so long, she couldn
’
t
remember if he had even heard this story before or not.  She wiped her fingers
across her cheeks, brushing away her tears.  Jack fumbled in his pocket and
found a tissue, and handed it to her.

“
Thank
you.
”
 
She took it, wiping her eyes, and then blowing her nose.  He gave her time for
convalescence, a complementary moment to get herself together.  She looked up
at him and gave him the smallest of nods, but it was clarification enough that
they should continue.

“
OK,
what about these things?  The things she left?  These were her clues.  She left
them for you.  I need you to help me.  She thinks it
’
s
you that can piece this together.  What do you recognise?
”
 
Jack pointed at the small plastic bags that sat before them.  He had been
looking at the bags for over a week now and here he was, asking a complete
stranger who hadn
’
t
seen her sister in years, to find the clues.  He thought that maybe it was him
who was crazy.

Elizabeth looked down,
picking up each bag one by one, reviewing the contents.  She had composed herself
again.  Her defences were back up, her strength restored. 
“
The
photographs are of us.  It
’
s
Christmas.  We were kids.  She is grabbing me because I was messing around and
Daddy was trying to take a photograph.  We are all here.
”
 
She put the bag down and picked up the bus ticket. 
“
This
is from the next morning after she went missing.  The bus station is about ten
miles away, at a guess, from where the car was found.  The clothes, the shoes. 
They belonged to our
m
other.
The key and cigarettes, well, I have no idea.
”
 
Jack nodded in recognition of her efforts.  She was trying so hard, but maybe
she wasn
’
t
going to be the magical missing jigsaw piece that he had hoped she would be.

“
Mr.
Jackson.  Anything to add?
”
 
Edward turned to Jack Fraser, looking at him, and in turn looking at the bags
of evidence.

“
Nothing. 
How are we supposed to make out anything from this jumble of items?  None of it
makes any sense.
”
 
He cleared his throat. 
“
Detective,
sadly my wife was murdered, and my daughter could not accept or cope with
this.  Just like Elizabeth told you, she was not acting in her right mind. 
Then she disappeared.
”
 
He picked up the letters from the newspaper, sealed tightly in plastic bags and
marked with today
’
s
date. 
“
And
now she has come back, leaving equally crazy letters like this.  Her actions
don
’
t
make sense because she didn
’
t
make any sense.
”

“
Daddy?
”
Elizabeth pleaded. 
“
Don
’
t
speak of her like that.
”

“
I
’
m
sorry.  But it is true Elizabeth.  She has killed herself, and involved us in
it in this mysterious way because she was unwell.
”
 
He looked at Jack. 
“
My
daughter needed help detective, which we would have readily given her.  This is
just simply,
”
he considered his words,
“
another
tragedy.  I want only now to bury her, and try to rebuild our lives.  Again.
”
 
Jack Fraser stood up to meet Edward Jackson, the giant of a man who had stood
up before him, slowly making his case and providing his explanation.

“
Well,
I think we are done here,
”
Jack said. 
“
I
’
m
sorry that I have had to ask you both to rake over all of this difficult
history again today.  I hope that you both understand.
”
 
Edward picked up his jacket and folded it over his arm
as Jack Fraser ushered them out of the interview room.  They remained silent as
he led them back through the double doors that led into the hot and stuffy
reception, filled with the stench of stale sweat and coffee and the same
whirring sound of the inefficient fan. 
“
I
’
ll
be in touch if there is anything else we need.
”

As Elizabeth and her
father stepped out into the car park, she couldn
’
t
help but feel that something, some issue, was left uncovered.  She thought back
to the letter, no longer in her physical possession, but indelibly imprinted on
her mind.  She thought of how certain Rebecca had been that she would
understand her when she wrote those letters and left them for her to find.  Had
so much changed in the last four years that she couldn
’
t
understand her own sister anymore?  She didn
’
t
want to let her down again.  She wasn
’
t
ready to walk out on her yet.  Not this time.