No Child of Mine (49 page)

‘That’s excellent ... Now, before you go, are you able to get Skype here? Bob is really keen to chat to us on a video link, if you can bear it.’

Since she couldn’t think of any reason why she couldn’t bear it, apart from being apprehensive about confronting the life her mother was leading – and had long led – without her, Alex said, ‘I’m sure it’s possible, so we’ll try to download it when I get home and give it a go.’ And because she felt she should, she added, ‘It’ll be good to meet him, even if it is via a satellite.’

Since the traffic turned out to be lighter than usual, it was a mere twenty minutes later that she pulled up behind her mother’s rental car. She was just turning off the engine when her mobile rang.

Seeing it was Brian Wade, she hardly knew whether to be worried or defensive as she clicked on her earpiece. ‘Hello Mr Wade, I ...’

‘Where is she?’ he demanded furiously. ‘What have you done with my daughter?’

An icy fist snatched at Alex’s heart as she replied, ‘I haven’t done anything with her. She was asleep on the sofa when I left ...’

‘Well she’s not there now, and I want to know why ...’

‘Oh my God,’ Alex mumbled, trying not to panic. ‘Doesn’t your wife know where she is?’
She should never have left her there. The woman had been totally spaced out ... If Ottilie had wandered into the road, anyone might have made off with her
.

She glanced up as Anna came down the path. ‘I take it you’ve searched the house,’ she said to Wade.

‘Of course I have, and the garden and garage. I’ve looked everywhere and she’s not damned well here. You were the last person to see her, so if ...’

‘She was with your wife when I left,’ Alex cut in angrily. ‘Have you called the police?’

‘Of course not. I assumed you had her, and if I find out you have ...’

‘Please don’t threaten me,’ she seethed, getting out of the car. ‘Now let’s try to calm down and think of where she could be. Ottilie’s gone missing,’ she said to her mother, who was gazing curiously into the back of the car.

‘Oh I don’t think she has,’ Anna replied, opening the rear door. ‘In fact I think she’s right here. Hello, lovely little girl. Would your name be Ottilie, by any chance?’

Choking with relief, Alex watched her mother lifting Ottilie and Boots from the footwell into her arms. ‘It’s OK,’ she told Brian Wade. ‘We’ve found her. It seems she smuggled herself into the back of my car and ...’

‘And I’m supposed to believe that?’

Furious, Alex retorted, ‘Do I sound as though I’m lying?’

There was a beat before he said, ‘No, I suppose not, but as she’s never done anything like it before ...’

Refraining from pointing out that she probably hadn’t known anyone to run away to before, Alex said, ‘Well, the important thing is she’s perfectly safe, and once I’ve given her a drink and a little bite to eat I’ll bring her home.’

‘Or I can come and get her.’

‘It’s fine, I don’t mind driving back.’

With a sigh he said, ‘Are you sure you haven’t done this on purpose? It’s very out of character ...’

‘Mr Wade, before you start accusing me of kidnapping your daughter, maybe you should be asking yourself why she’d want to run away in the first place.’

Anna’s eyes widened, showing how impressed she was by Alex’s firmness.

Alex brushed a finger over Ottilie’s cheek and signalled for her mother to take her inside.

‘I’m sure, in your position,’ Wade was saying acidly, ‘that you’re perfectly aware of the way children develop crushes on teachers or other adults they regularly come into contact with. If you can assure me that you didn’t put Ottilie up to this, then I am prepared to believe that she has developed an attachment to you that should probably not be encouraged if it’s going to lead to this sort of behaviour.’

Before she could stop herself, Alex snapped, ‘She’s three years old, Mr Wade, and from what I can make out she is starved of affection, particularly her mother’s. That would be why she’s developed an attachment to me, so I hope you’re not thinking of changing your wife’s appointment with the psychiatrist again, because this problem has to be sorted. Now, I think we’ve said enough for the moment, so I’ll see you in about an hour – with Ottilie.’

Taking her bag from the car, she looked at the small space where Ottilie had stowed herself and felt her heart folding with so many emotions, as she pictured her there and the reasons why she’d hidden, that she barely knew what they all were.

She was becoming too involved with the child and she knew it, but there simply wasn’t any way she could hand her over to someone else now. Besides, it would be even more unprofessional if she were to try and back out of the case before they had the medical assessments she’d insisted on. Once they were in and they had a clearer picture of what was – or wasn’t – going on in the Wade household, the situation would very likely sort itself out.

‘You’re a little rascal,’ she chided gently, as she entered the kitchen to find Ottilie seated at the table with a glass of milk in front of her and Boots in her lap. The smell
wafting from the oven caused her stomach to rumble, and the way her mother was appearing so amused by the little episode she found both caring and endearing.

‘Ottilie was just telling me that her bear is called Boots,’ Anna informed her. ‘And I thought that was a very clever name for him.’

Going to sit with Ottilie, Alex ran the backs of her fingers over her cheek as she gazed down at her fondly. ‘Do you know who this is?’ she asked, glancing at her mother.

Ottilie looked up at Anna.

‘That’s my mummy,’ Alex told her.

Ottilie breathed in sharply, then lifting her bear she said, ‘Boots.’

Alex had to laugh.

‘You are utterly adorable, young lady. I hope you know that,’ Anna said, coming to join them.

Ottilie showed her Boots.

‘Yes, Boots is too. Does he like honey?’

Ottilie shook her head.

Anna’s eyebrows rose. ‘So what does he like?’

‘M’lade.’

‘Oh, of course,’ Anna replied, rolling her eyes. ‘I should have realised that. And do you like marmalade?’

Again Ottilie shook her head.

‘What do you like then?’

Ottilie frowned as she thought. ‘Brownies,’ she said, ‘and lickish.’

‘Liquorice,’ Alex explained. ‘Her friend Chloe brought some to playgroup for her today.’

‘Chloe,’ Ottilie said to Anna.

‘She has a pretty name too,’ Anna chuckled, ‘but I’m afraid I don’t have any liquorice. What I do have, though, are some special little treats that I baked for Alex. Would you like to try one? I’m sure they’re cool enough by now.’

Touched that her mother had done this, Alex said to Ottilie, ‘I wonder what they can be?’

Ottilie was wide-eyed with intrigue as she watched Anna go to the stove and whip away a tea towel that was covering a tray. ‘Dah dah!’ she exclaimed, bringing the tray to the table. ‘In Greece, which is the country they’re from, they’re
called koulourakia, but that’s a difficult word to say, so we’ll just call them biscuits, shall we?’

Ottilie’s mouth formed a little O as she stared at them.

‘They look delicious, don’t they?’ Alex said, encouragingly. ‘Shall I try one first?’

Ottilie’s eyes followed Alex’s hand from the tray to her mouth.

‘Mmm,’ Alex murmured, as the flavour enlivened all her taste buds.

‘Now you,’ Anna invited as Ottilie’s gaze returned to the tray.

When she didn’t pick a biscuit up, Alex chose one for her and broke off a morsel. ‘There,’ she said, handing it to her. ‘And if you like it, we’ll give one to Boots too.’

Ottilie shook her head.

Surprised, Alex asked, ‘What’s the matter? Aren’t you hungry?’

Again Ottilie shook her head.

Alex glanced at her mother and shrugged, unable to explain the refusal. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she told Ottilie. ‘We’ll just do what we did the other day, shall we, and wrap some up for you to have later?’

‘Not later,’ Otttilie said in a tiny voice.

Baffled, Alex looked at her mother again. ‘Are you sure, Ottilie? I think you’ll like them. Maybe you can give one to Mummy and Daddy, then you’ll all have one.’

Ottilie’s lower lip started to tremble.

‘Oh, it’s OK,’ Anna cried in alarm. ‘You don’t have to have one. I’ll put them away, shall I?’

Ottilie nodded.

Bewildered and concerned by the oddness of the refusal, Alex watched her mother return the tray to a counter top and tried to think what might be behind it. Since she really didn’t have any idea, and because the time was ticking on, she turned back to Ottilie, hating herself as she said, ‘It’s lovely having you here, sweetheart, but I’ll have to take you home soon.’

Ottilie’s shoulders drooped as she hung her head.

Feeling utterly wretched now, and more concerned than ever, Alex told her, ‘Your daddy is very worried about you.
Mummy too, but it’s OK ...’ She broke off as Ottilie started to shake her head.

‘Stay here,’ Ottilie whispered.

Alex looked at her mother, but Anna was as lost for a solution as Alex was.

Taking it very carefully, Alex said, ‘Can you tell me, Ottilie, why you don’t want to go home?’

Ottilie sucked in her lips as tears welled in her eyes.

‘What is it?’ Alex encouraged gently. ‘Are you afraid of something?’

Still Ottilie didn’t reply, and her lips stayed between her teeth.

‘Is anyone unkind to you?’ Alex pressed.

Ottilie drew Boots into her chest and hid her face.

‘You can tell me if they are, and I’ll make it stop.’

In the end it became clear that Ottilie wasn’t going to answer, and it took all the powers of persuasion Alex possessed to get her back into the car. She was crying so hard as Anna fastened her seat belt that Alex very nearly called Brian Wade to tell him she’d keep her for the night. She would have if she’d thought he’d agree.

‘Her father says she has a crush on me,’ she whispered to her mother as she closed the rear door of the car. ‘But there’s more going on here than that. She seems genuinely scared.’

Anna was watching Ottilie in her car seat and looking almost as worried as Alex. ‘You’re the expert,’ she said quietly, ‘but I have to agree. No child gets this distraught about going home to their parents. Isn’t there anything you can do?’

‘Believe me, if there was I would, but she’s their daughter, and until I can prove anything against them, or get some kind of support from a psychiatrist or a paediatrician, I’m afraid she has to go back there.’

Anna looked so anguished in the moonlight that Alex almost felt she was letting her down too. How complicated her emotions were, erratic and even irrational. ‘Would you like me to come with you?’ Anna offered.

Though Alex was tempted to say yes, she shook her head. ‘It’s OK, I’ll do it,’ she said. ‘Maybe you can have a
go at downloading Skype while I’m gone,’ and trying not to feel resentful of how easy her mother’s world seemed in comparison to Ottilie’s, she got into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

Anna was still standing beside the car, seeming to sense she’d done something wrong, but wasn’t quite sure what.

Wishing she hadn’t been so abrupt, Alex wound down the window and softened her tone as she said, ‘Thanks for being so lovely to her.’

Anna nodded and returned her gaze to Ottilie.

‘I’ll be back in about an hour,’ Alex told her, and as their eyes met she managed a smile.

Minutes later she was driving towards town with Ottilie’s sobs tearing through her heart. She had no words to comfort her, she could only continue the journey all the way to North Hill where she would have to leave her. However, as they reached the outskirts of Kesterly, she pulled into a layby and turned in her seat so she could see Ottilie’s face in the lamplight.

Certain she’d never done anything this difficult in her life before, she said, ‘I need you to help me with something, sweetheart. I need you to stop crying before we reach home, OK, because if your daddy thinks you get upset when you’re with me he might stop me from coming, and we don’t want that, do we?’

Ottilie’s fragile frame jerked awkwardly as she shook her head.

Reaching for her hand, Alex whispered, ‘It’ll be all right, I promise. I’ll come to pick you up on Wednesday, which is only the day after tomorrow, and my mummy will come too. You’ll like that, won’t you?’

Ottilie nodded.

Alex watched her and felt so wretched that it was the hardest thing in the world not to turn the car around and take her home again. ‘Have you stopped crying now?’ she asked.

Ottilie tried to nod again.

‘Good girl,’ and because there was nothing else she could do, she turned to drive on into town.

*

Brian Wade was standing at the front door with Ottilie, waving goodbye to Alex Lake. There was a smile on his face and tenderness in his eyes which remained until the car’s tail lights disappeared from the end of the drive.

Keeping hold of Ottilie’s hand he closed the door, turned her around and walked her upstairs to her room. ‘You’ll be going to bed with no supper tonight,’ he told her as he took off her coat. ‘That’s what happens to little girls who run away from home. Do you understand that?’

Ottilie swallowed as she nodded.

Lifting her on to the bed, he started to remove her shoes. ‘I hope you haven’t told Alex Lake about any of our games,’ he said severely.

Ottilie quickly shook her head.

He regarded her suspiciously. ‘You understand that very bad things will happen to you if you do tell her, don’t you?’ he challenged.

Ottilie’s eyes filled with tears as she nodded.

‘And one of them will be that I’ll have to take Boots away.’

With a sob of panic Ottilie hugged the bear tightly to her.

‘Stop crying now,’ he said coldly. ‘You know it’s not allowed.’

Ottilie was doing her best, but the sobs kept on coming.

‘I really don’t want to punish you,’ he told her, ‘but if you keep this up ...’

‘No – no more,’ she choked.

‘Good. Now you’ll stay here until morning unless I decide to come and get you. If I do, I hope you’ll have remembered by then the proper way for a little girl to behave.’