AllFreeNovel
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chapter 56
alex
It’s impossible to keep watch on the cottage from the road. The house is on a bend, with uninterrupted views in both directions, and there’s no cover: the road hugs the coast here and on the opposite side of the road from the cottage is a steep rock face, with no tree to hide behind, no hedges or stone walls. As soon as it gets light, anyone glancing out of the window will see me.
I weigh up the risk. Do I leave now and trust I can get the police to take action before this woman disappears with Lottie? I’ve no idea if this is a rented holiday cottage; they could be gone tomorrow.
Or do I stay and chance them recognising me and running again?
The front door opens suddenly and I shrink back into the shadows, heart pounding, thankful for the darkness cloaking me. The woman lets the dog out and he sniffs the air, and then immediately runs towards me, barking.
‘Toof! Come here, boy.’
The woman comes out onto the porch, silhouetted against the light from the hall. The dog stops running and barks again. He’s less than six feet away from me. I should’ve left when I had the chance. If she sees me now, she’ll know I followed them from the café. She’ll know I know—
‘Stop it, Toof! It’s just a rabbit!’
He gives a final bark and then reluctantly turns back. The woman lets him into a small garden to the side of the cottage, where he presumably does his business, and the two of them go back inside.
I don’t realise I’ve been holding my breath until the door shuts behind them. I close my eyes and exhale as my heartbeat slowly returns to normal.
My car is still parked outside the café. I pull out my phone as I walk back to it and call Jack. I need him to get hold of the police and get things moving. If I call them, they won’t take me seriously, not after the debacle in London. They’ll say I’mseeing what you want to see. They’ll delegate to the local plod, who may or may not get around to coming out here this week. Or maybe next. They’ll sit down with my daughter’s kidnappers over a cup of tea and shortbread and admire the view of the sea.We have to check these things out, you understand. Well, I wouldn’t mind another cup, if you’re sure it’s no trouble.
Damn it, whereisJack? He still hasn’t responded to my text, and now he’s not answering his phone.
I can’t justleave, not without my daughter. It’s Monday tomorrow: for all I know, the woman may only be renting the cottage for the weekend. I’d feel slightly less frantic if I knew they lived here, but without the resources Jack has at his disposal, there’s no way to find out. I don’t know anyone else who can—
Quinn.
Like her or not, the woman has an uncanny ability to ferret out information. Maybe having a journalist involved will actually help me for once, putting pressure on the police to get their act together. Quinn Wilde has become part of my story as much as I’ve become part of hers. I have her number: my phone automatically stored it last time she called me.
But she doesn’t answer her mobile either.
