television blaring in the background and his face glued to his tablet. All was right in his world. Beth brought him a drink of juice and put it on the windowsill for him.
‘This is for you, Mum,’ he said as he pulled out the rest of the white envelope that was sticking up from the side of the sofa cushion. Beth’s stomach churned. She took the envelope from him, went to the kitchen and shut the door. She sat down and thumbed the envelope; she could feel that there was a card inside. Beth knew from the writing that it was from Nick; perhaps it was just a Christmas card. She could destroy it without opening it; fling it in the open fire tonight when Leo had gone to bed. It was a tempting thought that she could watch it burn but could she cope with not knowing what was inside?
In an instant she answered her question as she ripped it open. It was a Christmas card; simple and classy. She held it in her hands and noticed they were shaking ever so slightly. She opened the card and something fluttered to the floor. She left it there for a moment while she read what was written inside.
Dearest Elizabeth and Leo,
Wherever this finds you I pray you are safe and well.
Love always
Nick
Beth read it again. There didn’t appear to be any hidden message or any threat and most importantly no hint that he was coming after them. She leaned down and picked up what had fluttered out of the card. It was a newspaper clipping. She turned it over in her fingers to identify which side was relevant and then she spotted it.
SOCIAL MEDIA – FINDING THE MISSING
She speed-read the short article and nausea swirled in her stomach. One sentence in particular struck her: Social media has become a useful tool for the families of missing people and the police in helping to locate them. It went on to give various examples and how even celebrities had got involved with sharing and retweeting photographs to raise awareness and jog people’s memories. Beth slowly and deliberately screwed up the newspaper clipping until it was a tight ball in her hand. On top of the revulsion, she felt an uncomfortable sense of pleasure that she had known Nick well enough to second-guess that it would be something more than a Christmas card.
She remembered how she’d brushed over the fact that Nick used to open her mail. Everything would be still in the envelope. He appeared to have slit the envelopes neatly for her as a thoughtful thing to do ever since she’d ripped into one and got a paper cut. An innocent gesture, she had thought at the time. It was only later that she realized things were going missing: the social invitations, bank cards and the odd personal letter. It became clear that Nick was reading her mail when he questioned why she had visited certain shops or knew about an engagement party for a friend that had moved away.
The paper clipping was a clear threat, she knew that, but instead of fear she felt anger. She was angry that he thought he was still in control of her. Beth stood up, folded the card roughly and shoved it into her jeans pocket. There was a knock at the door and Leo was unlikely to stir so she went to answer it. If her face was stony when she opened the door the frown that appeared would have done nothing to enhance her expression of welcome.
‘Hiya,’ said Jack, ‘I hadn’t seen you about so I thought I’d check you were okay.’ He was smiling. Beth wasn’t. All the sensations generated by the newspaper article were washing around inside her. She didn’t speak. ‘Are you okay?’ asked Jack with a concerned raise of an eyebrow.
Beth swallowed hard. How could she have fallen for another charmer? Was she a complete idiot? She studied his face for a moment. There were no clues there. He looked completely normal. In fact he looked relaxed, casual and gorgeous and she, like a fool, had fallen for it. How was she to know he was another abuser? He was staring at her and she knew she had to say something. Leo was in the other room so she had to be careful. ‘Yes, fine, thanks. Was there anything else?’ Her tone was brusque and her expression remained sombre.
‘Er, are you sure you’re okay? And Leo?’ Jack half looked past Beth and she instinctively stepped forward to block his view into the hall. Jack pulled back, scowling. ‘There is something wrong, isn’t there? What’s up? Tell me.’
‘Nothing, and it’s really none of your business anyway.’ Beth shut the door. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Shutting Jack out was what she had to do. But then why did she feel so bad about doing it?
‘Beth!’ Jack banged on the door. ‘Beth, what’s wrong? You’re worrying me.’
Leo shuffled into the hall clutching his tablet. ‘Is that Jack?’ he asked as Jack continued to raise his voice outside. Beth nodded, leaning against the door as if shielding Leo. ‘Why can’t he come in?’
‘Because, because …’ Beth did not want to have to explain this. ‘We fell out and we’re not friends any more. You know that sometimes happens.’
Leo nodded his understanding. ‘Why did you fall out?’
‘Oh, nothing serious. Would you like a hot chocolate?’
Leo smiled and followed his mother into the kitchen as Jack continued to thud on the door. He eventually gave up and left Beth and Leo to have their drinks in peace and for Beth to start to think. She hadn’t actually begun a relationship with Jack so in theory keeping his involvement in their lives to a minimum should prove to be straightforward. However, the problem with theories was that they were often disproved. She liked Jack, that was the bottom line, and now she had to un-like Jack and it was not as easy as it was on social media. She needed to reset her emotional gauge where he was concerned. He was now a no-go zone and she couldn’t kid herself that she wasn’t more than a little sad about that. She gave herself a shake. She shouldn’t be feeling sad, she should be elated that she’d had a lucky escape this time. Perhaps that feeling would take longer to materialize.
There was also the question of Doris. She was meant to be dog-sitting again from tomorrow. She hated the thought of going back on a deal and whatever Jack had done in the past he had made a good job of her kitchen. But unlike Simon and his acceptance of a couple of packets of biscuits and a free-flowing supply of tea while he worked, there had been no end date pinned to the dog-sitting agreement. Beth had surprised herself by getting used to having Doris about the house while she worked and even enjoying her company. Leo considered himself to have a part ownership in the dog, flinging his arms tightly around her when he got in from school and using her as a stand-in playmate when Denis wasn’t about. But despite how Doris may have wheedled her way into their lives, Beth knew what she had to do.
She sat and stared at her fifth attempt to write a note to Jack. She really wished she didn’t have to do this, which made it that much harder to write. She sighed and gave it a final read.
Jack,
I am really sorry but I am no longer able to dog-sit for Doris. Leo and I have loved having her here but as I move on to the next stage of getting Willow Cottage ready for resale it won’t be possible to look after her any more.
Sorry.
Beth
Beth put what she hoped was a polite and well-worded note through Jack’s door as quietly as she could. She had almost made good her escape when the door opened and she heard his footsteps jog up behind her.
‘Beth, talk to me. What’s going on?’ Jack’s voice was soft behind her. People like Jack knew when to play the charm card and when to apply
