Nowhere to hide, p.21
Nowhere to Hide, page 21
I don’t want this life either.
24
NOW
Callie had been wearing a dead girl’s bracelet.
She couldn’t shake the thought as Nico slept soundly beside her, just as it was playing on her mind that Anya had been in the cottage at some point.
Learning Faith had given Anya the bracelet as a Christmas present, Callie had taken it off her wrist, handing it back. It wasn’t hers, and the quote she had found inspirational now felt redundant. Anya hadn’t got this. Her life had been cruelly taken from her.
Callie had moved into Stable Cottage mid-February. Had Anya lost the bracelet before or after? Was she the mystery intruder who had touched Callie’s things?
If so, it made no sense. Anya had been the most aloof with her of everyone and Callie barely knew her. Why would the girl be so interested in her?
Unless she had figured out Callie Adams and Mica Parker were the same person.
No, it wasn’t possible. Duncan was more often than not photographed alone and the press had never been interested in her. Plus, along with the name change, she looked different. Gone were the designer dresses and she seldom wore make-up these days. And her hair was always worn loose now and naturally wavy, instead of being straightened to within an inch of its life.
Would Anya really have recognised her?
It was a stretch, but she supposed it was possible. Was that why Anya had broken in? Was she looking for proof of who Callie was?
What if she had been spying for Duncan?
The unwelcome thought, as preposterous as it was, popped into her head.
No. She was stretching things too far.
But Anya was dead. Was Duncan somehow involved in what had happened to her?
It was ridiculous and far-fetched, but the seed was planted, and the longer she lay there, the more it was snowballing out of control. As much as she tossed and turned, and tried to shake the thought, sleep wasn’t forthcoming.
Did Duncan know she had come here? Was he watching her and getting ready to pounce?
It would be his style to lurk in the shadows while he toyed with her. He liked playing games.
She fought the urge to get up and check the front door was locked. Although she was sure she remembered twisting the key, Nico had been distracting her at the time, trailing kisses along her jawline and down her throat, and they had both been eager to get back to what they had earlier started.
For a while, he had kept her occupied, patient and giving and tender. So different to Duncan. It was afterwards, in the quiet darkness, that her mind had started working overtime.
No, the door was locked. She shouldn’t doubt herself. And they had a canine army on the floor around the bed. If anyone tried to break in, the dogs would alert them.
Still, she stewed and she fidgeted, her movements eventually waking Nico.
‘Are you always this restless in bed?’ he asked, his voice husky with sleep.
‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.’
‘It’s fine. I’m a light sleeper anyway. Is everything okay?’
When she didn’t answer him, not wanting him to think she was a fool, he propped himself up on his elbow, a lot wider awake as he looked down at her. He ran his free hand gently up and down her arm.
‘Something’s bothering you. Talk to me.’
‘It’s nothing. I’m just being paranoid.’ She tried to make a joke of it. ‘And laying here in the dark doesn’t help.’
‘So what’s playing on your mind. You know if you say it out loud, it won’t seem so bad.’
Callie wasn’t so sure about that.
‘Is it about Anya?’ he pushed, his intuitive brain already racing to the root of the problem.
‘She was here, Nico. In this bedroom.’
He couldn’t deny what was fact, and to his credit he didn’t try to, nodding in agreement. ‘I don’t know why. I offered it to her when she first started working for me. I said she could stay here, have her own space, but she didn’t want it. Despite her relationship with Larissa, I think she felt an obligation to look after her.’
‘So why was she here?’
He shrugged. ‘Maybe she changed her mind, but was too proud to say. I guess I must’ve missed the bracelet when I was getting the place ready for you.’
‘Do you really think it’s that simple?’
He was silent for a moment. ‘Yeah, I do. And it’s not something that should be bothering you in the middle of the night.’ He smiled at her, his hand moving up to cup her cheek and his thumb brushing across her bottom lip. ‘It happened before you moved in; you’re worrying about nothing.’
‘But what if it didn’t?’ Callie’s voice was a whisper.
She watched his reaction, saw him frown.
‘I don’t understand.’
‘What if it didn’t happen before I moved in?’
‘Callie—’
‘No, listen to me, please.’ She pushed herself up so she was facing him, mirroring his pose. ‘I told you someone tried the door the first night I arrived, and remember how I thought someone had been here going through my things?’
The frown deepened. ‘You think it was Anya?’
‘I didn’t imagine it, Nico. Someone was here and it would make sense, given that I found her bracelet.’
Seconds ticked by as he considered her words. ‘But why?’
‘What if she recognised me?’
‘No, she didn’t. I know Anya. She spoke her mind. If she had suspected who you were, she would have said something. If not to you, then to me.’
He sounded firm in his defence of the girl and Callie hesitated, considering her next words.
‘Was there a reward?’
‘A reward?’ He looked confused. ‘For what?’
‘To find me.’ She saw the realisation dawn and quickly pushed on. ‘I know Duncan. He wouldn’t have just accepted it when he was told I had drowned. Not without a body.’
It was a lot to put in front of him, especially given that he had just woken up, and she watched the flicker of different emotions on his face as his brain switched through the gears.
‘Wait, you think Anya figured out who you were and approached Duncan?’ he asked, eventually. His tone was carefully neutral.
‘I don’t know what to think. It’s possible though, right?’
‘So, what, you’re saying you think he killed her?’ Nico’s eyes widened and she could see he was taken aback.
Callie dropped her gaze, a little embarrassed. ‘Him or Rob Jolly. Is it really that big a stretch?’ she asked, picking at a frayed edge on the duvet.
He took his time answering, which at least told her he was considering what she was proposing. ‘Anya went missing weeks ago and the police have already made an arrest,’ he said eventually.
‘But what if they have the wrong man?’
He fell silent again. ‘They must have evidence,’ he pointed out eventually. ‘Besides, if any of this was true, it would mean Duncan has known where you are for a while. Why would he not have come forward?’
‘It could be a trap.’ Her voice had dropped to a whisper again, remembering how Duncan had liked to trick her, to have her believe she could change the outcome, then enjoying the moments when he took all hope away.
Nico’s expression softened and he reached out to run his fingers through her hair.
‘I get it, okay. He did some godawful things to you, and it’s easy for your imagination to run riot, especially in the middle of the night. It’s understandable you’re worried and scared he might show up, but I honestly don’t think Anya was in contact with him. I can’t explain how her bracelet happened to get under your bed, but I’m sure there is an innocent explanation. I don’t believe he’s here in Norfolk either. But I want you to feel safe, so I’ll stay here with you while we figure this out, either on the sofa or in this bed, whatever works for you, or you can come and stay in the house, okay?’
He was so logical, his words making sense. ‘Okay,’ she agreed.
‘I won’t let anyone hurt you, Callie.’
She believed him. Nico radiated a steady inner strength, which gave her hope, remembering he’d had his own difficult past. She didn’t know the details, but Laurel had told her he had once been volatile and angry at the world for the shitty hand it had dealt him.
‘How do you do it?’ she asked, reaching for his hand and entwining their fingers. ‘You’re always calm and reasonable, and you seem so confident in your own skin too. Laurel says you weren’t always this way.’
Her words seemed to surprise him and for a moment, she wasn’t sure if he was going to answer, but then he asked, ‘You know about my mother?’
‘Not really.’ It was the truth. She hadn’t been given all the details. ‘I know you were alone when Paul and Janice took you in.’
There was another hesitation. This time, he pulled his hand away and settled back down against the pillow.
Worried she had pried too much, she quickly backed off. ‘We don’t have to talk about it. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.’
‘It’s okay, Callie, I’m going to tell you. Come here.’ He unfolded his arm, indicating for her to lie down with him, letting her get comfortable, before tugging her close. ‘My mum was twenty-one when she had me. She was living at home and didn’t have the best relationship with my grandparents. I never knew who my dad was, other than his first name was Luca. He was a holiday fling. A local she met in Italy – hence my name. He’s not on the birth certificate and they never stayed in touch, so I doubt he knows I exist.’
‘That can’t be easy,’ Callie sympathised, feeling him shrug it off.
‘It is what it is. It used to bother me, but not so much now. We lived with my grandparents in Cumbria until I was six, then Mum met Kevin. He was older and had been discharged from the army. Mum was besotted and, despite my grandparents’ disapproval, we moved away with him to live in Kent. He wasn’t healthy for her to be around. She was easily influenced and he had plenty of vices. He was also lazy, supposedly retrained as a painter and decorator, though he hardly ever took on any work. Either he had an injury or the jobs just weren’t there. My mum worked, but she struggled to pay the bills and put food on the table. Then, when I was nine, my grandparents were killed in a house fire and, as their only child, Mum inherited everything. That was when things went downhill.’
‘How so?’
‘Mum and Kevin both had addictive personalities and Kevin liked to gamble. I think the inheritance lasted them just over a year. When the money was there, everything was great. They were both full of smiles and life was all holidays and presents, but then it was gone and, shortly afterwards, Kevin left. Mum was devastated and she blamed me.’
‘What?’ Callie shifted her head to look up at him. ‘How the hell was it your fault?’
‘It wasn’t, but she was young and saddled with a kid she had never wanted in the first place. She was alone, unhappy and penniless. Other women her age were out having fun. She saw it that I was holding her back. That’s why she started lying about who I was to the men she met, pretending I was her younger brother. She hated being alone and was desperate to meet someone else.’
‘And did she?’
‘Yeah, she met Harvey.’ There was the faintest hint of bitterness in his voice.
‘And he thought you were her brother?’
‘At first, yes, and when he found out the truth, he threatened to leave her. Instead, she left me.’
It shouldn’t have come as a shock. Callie knew he had been alone, but still she had to hold in her gasp. ‘How old were you?’
‘I was twelve.’
‘Seriously?’ That was messed up. Her own family dynamics weren’t great, but at least she had been an adult when her dad had moved back to the States. ‘You were a kid. That’s not even legal.’
‘I didn’t tell anyone for ages. I guess I was too embarrassed. I woke up one morning and she was gone. She’d left me a note on the kitchen table telling me to look after myself and she loved me, but couldn’t do the whole parenting thing any more, and there was an envelope with £50 in it.’
‘You were all alone.’ Callie’s heart squeezed and she reached up to touch his cheek. In that moment, she had an overwhelming urge to look after him, horrified at what his mother had done.
‘I tried to carry on as normal, going to school, trying to eke the money out on food, but gradually, my supplies dwindled and the envelopes of utility bills were piling up. I didn’t have money for those and I was terrified of the landlord coming to kick me out. It turned out she had paid two months’ rent in advance, but I didn’t know that at the time. Of course, he did come knocking eventually and after dodging him for a couple of weeks, I was too afraid to go home. I used to hide in the school changing room after football practice and sleep there.’
This was so much worse than Callie had realised, and it couldn’t be easy for him to talk about. Thank God he had crossed paths with Paul and Janice Adams.
‘That’s when you met Laurel, right?’ she asked, keen to push him on to happier memories. She remembered some of what her friend had told her. Laurel had been at Nico’s school, a couple of years below him. Her first year of high school. There had been a bully who had targeted her and, hard to believe it now, she had been scared of him.
‘Yeah, I didn’t really know her at the time, but I’d seen her around and heard one of the other kids picking on her. He was in the year below me. One night after school, her mum was late to pick her up and the spiteful little prick was with his two friends. They had her surrounded and had emptied her school bag over the ground. I told myself it was none of my business and it was safest to stay in the changing room, but then I heard her crying.’
Laurel was so headstrong, Callie couldn’t imagine her being reduced to tears. ‘You intervened, right?’
‘Yeah, it was three of them and she was a tiny girl. It wasn’t fair. I climbed out of the window and went over to confront them. I made sure they left her alone.’
He was playing it down. Laurel had told Callie how he had kicked their arses and that they never gave her any grief again. Although she knew the rest, she listened as he explained how he had made Laurel promise never to reveal his hiding place. But, worried about him, she had told her parents anyway. Initially, Nico had been mad at her and frightened too, but it turned out to be his saving grace. Paul and Janice Adams had taken charge of the situation, insisting on giving him a bed and a decent meal, then contacting the authorities. It took some manoeuvring, but they were eventually allowed to foster Nico, while steps were taken to track down his mum. She had been found living in a bedsit with Harvey in Cornwall, but died after being hit by a car while fleeing the police.
Eventually, Paul and Janice had adopted Nico, and even though by then he was in his teens, they treated him as their own, giving him exactly the same opportunities as Laurel.
‘How did you feel when your mum died?’ Callie asked now. She knew the emotion of grief she had experienced with her own mother, but this had to be different.
Nico shrugged again, tracing light circles on her arm with his finger. ‘Sad, angry, but mostly numb. She was my mother, but she hadn’t been a mother. If that makes sense.’
‘It does.’ Callie reached up and kissed him. ‘Thank God you met Laurel’s parents.’
‘They’re my real family. Sometimes blood doesn’t matter. It’s the people who are there for you. And it’s because of them I got the opportunity to work with Teddy. Paul was doing Teddy’s accounts when he lived down in Kent and I was with him one day when he went out to see him. It was the first time I had been around horses, but I felt a bond straightaway. Teddy recognised it and offered me an apprenticeship.’ He smiled at Callie. ‘So there you have it. The story of my life.’
It was a sad one, but with a happy ending, and realising everything Nico had overcome, to see what he had achieved, and the person he was today, gave her hope. He had defeated his demons. Was it possible she could defeat her own?
It also struck her that Nico and Duncan had both risen from nothing. Their stories were similar and they had both pulled themselves out of the gutter, finding success, but how differently it had shaped them. Duncan using his past as an excuse for cruelty, while Nico tried to be a good man.
Talking helped and this time when she closed her eyes, Callie drifted off to sleep. Her dreams plagued her, though.
Duncan was in them, and he was at Willow Brook Farm. She kept trying to run from him, to hide, but he kept finding her.
Then, eventually, she was safe and back in bed in the cottage.
The weight of the mattress dipped and she was aware of Nico leaning over her, tenderly brushing her hair back. His breath was warm against her ear, but he didn’t smell right, and as he spoke, she froze, realising it wasn’t his voice. Terror choked her.
‘You think you can escape,’ Duncan whispered. ‘But I will find you.’
25
After dropping Olive off at school on Friday morning, Faith headed into Brundall to see Vince Mitchell.
She had left Ethan at home, sleeping off his hangover. Later, they were going to have to talk about his drink problem, which was becoming steadily worse. Faith put him and Olive above everything. Was it so much to expect him to do the same back?
Parking outside Craft Angels, she fished the bracelet she had given Anya out of her purse and studied it. She had taken her time picking it, wanting it to be perfect. The pretty quartz stones, glinting in the sunlight, signalled strength, while the message on the dog tag was meant to encourage, to let Anya know she could handle everything life threw at her.
How wrong she had been about that.
She had bought the bracelet, but didn’t want to keep it, not wanting the reminder of everything that had happened. Instead, she planned to give it to Vince. Larissa might have been Anya’s mother, but Vince was the one who had loved and cared about her most. She also wanted to ask a few questions, curious as to how the bracelet had ended up at Stable Cottage.
