I press send.
But I can’t just sit around waiting for a reply. I call Diane’s mobile. It goes to voicemail. They’re all dodging my calls. I try not to think about what this means. That they’ve made a plan to keep the children from me. To make sure everything works in Robert’s favour.
I try to get my breathing under control and check my emails again. I have one new message. Please let it be from Sadie.
I read the subject line:
Message Undeliverable
Fuck!She must have closed down her email account too.
I do a quick check on social media for any sign of Sadie Lewis, but I can’t find mention of her anywhere. It’s as though she’s disappeared off the face of the earth. Or like she never existed in the first place…
I leave the house and get back in my car. I’m shaking so much that I’m not safe to drive but I have no choice. I tear back round to Diane’s ready to scream at her if she doesn’t tell me where Robert has taken my children. Her car is missing from her driveway, but I get out and ring her doorbell anyway. No reply. I hammer on the door with my fists and scream her name, even though I know it’s useless. She’s not here.
I stand on the doorstep pulling at my hair and dragging my nails down my cheeks. I’ve entered a nightmare. What am I going to do?
Think. Think.
Okay, so the girls have school tomorrow. Once Robert has dropped them off, I’ll go to the school office and say we’ve had a family emergency and I have to take them out. It’s the last week of term before the Easter holidays so I can change the door locks and keep the girls home until I’ve worked out what to do. Three weeks should be enough time to figure something out.
But I want them home with menow. Why did I leave them at Diane’s last night? I should have anticipated she’d suggest something like this. It’s not Robert’s style to be so devious. So calculating. Socruel.
I leave Diane’s place for the second time today, and head back home. At a loss for what to do. Maybe I really should call the police?
As I let myself back into the house, my phone pings with a voice message. I stand in the hall, call my voicemail and with a thumping heart, I listen. It’s a message from Robert.Finally.
‘Hi Gemma, I’m sorry for giving you the run-around this morning. I thought it would be best if I looked after the girls for the next few weeks.’
What? Next few weeks? Best for who exactly? It sounds as though he’s on speaker phone in the car. I can hear the girls in the background and my heart aches to have them with me. I try to concentrate on what he’s saying.
‘You’re always so busy with work that it makes sense if I take them for the holidays. Nothing happened between me and Sadie, but you’re not willing to believe me and after you threw me out of the house… I couldn’t risk you keeping me from the girls. I’ve always been their primary carer, so I should be the one they live with while we’re sorting things out.’
Primary carer? My pulse is racing now, the blood whooshing in my ears.
‘I’ll keep in touch via phone. Don’t worry about the girls. They’re absolutely fine. Happy as anything.’
Happy without me, you mean. Well we’ll see how long that lasts. I’ll give it a day before they start missing me.
‘I mean it, Gemma. Don’t worry. I love you. But you’ve totally overreacted. We’ll talk when I get back.’
Get back? Get back from where exactly? I have a horrible feeling about this.
‘Mum has come with me to help out. We’ll be back before school starts up. Okay, I’d better go.’
The voice message ends and I immediately call him back. But, as always, it goes straight to voicemail. As I leave him a furious message I head back into the dining room to see if my suspicions are right.
‘I’ve just listened to your message. Why are you doing this? Was this your mum’s idea? Is Sadie with you? Her mobile isn’t working. Nor is her email.Whywon’t you speak to me properly instead of leaving messages? I need to talk to you Robert! You can’t just ignore me!’
Back in the dining room, I pull open the filing cabinet and check the hanging file where we keep our passports.
No!
Only my passport is here. Robert’s and the girls’ are missing.
Fifty-Three
It’s Monday evening and I’m lying on my bed still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. The past thirty-six hours have been a living hell. I haven’t slept. I haven’t washed. I’ve barely eaten. I can hardly hold myself upright. I have no idea where Robert and Diane have gone, or if Sadie is with them. Would Diane even condone that? She may not particularly like me, but I can’t believe she would accept Robert shacking up with the nanny.
