* * *
Marian looked at the baby in the suitcase. There was something wrong. The baby was crying; screaming. Why did she look like Sophie? This baby wasn’t Sophie. Then she heard another cry. There was another suitcase and another baby. It was Aimee. It was all wrong. Both babies were screaming. Marian looked from one baby to the next, she tried to comfort them but it was as if they couldn’t hear her, they wouldn’t stop crying. She tried to reach for them but someone was holding her back. She started to struggle, she kicked and pushed and pulled.
“Let me hold my children. They are my daughters, they need me. Let go of me. They are my children. LET GO OF ME…”
Marian woke with a jump and could hear a baby crying. In an instant she caught up with her reality. Sophie and Aimee were gone and the crying baby belonged to someone else.
“Sarah?”
Marion took the baby up.
“Sarah, you’re going to have to go to the shop and get some nappies and some baby milk or something. I can’t keep giving her the boiled stuff.”
She dressed her in another one of the little romper suits she’d found. Was it Aimee’s or Sophie’s, she wasn’t sure.
“Sarah, I’ll give you some money. It’s just down the road. When you get back we’ll have some breakfast and you are going to have to make some decisions.”
“Sarah?”
Marian went down the stairs calling her name.
Marian’s handbag was on the kitchen counter; it was empty. Her phone, diary and keys were on the floor. Her purse was there, but it was open and the cash was gone. A couple of the drawers in the kitchen were open but they were already empty. There had been nothing to take.
Marian swung around instinctively and looked at the mantelpiece; the picture of Sophie and Aimee wasn’t there. Her head was spinning.
“No… Why? Why would she take that? No No No.”
Then she spotted it on the table with a scrap of paper underneath it. One word scrawled on it
“Sorry.”
Marian’s head was spinning; again. “This isn’t happening to me.”
She searched the house and even checked the bottom of the garden again. Sarah was gone. It was 10 am before Marian even looked at her watch for the first time. She picked up her mobile phone and scrolled through the numbers. She hesitated at one or two but she knew there was no one who would take her call.
The doorbell rang.
“Sarah!”
Marian ran to the door. Through the glass she could see it wasn’t Sarah.
“Did she recognise me? Oh God, did she call the newspapers?”
“HANG ON PLEASE.”
She put the baby safely in the sofa corner propped up by all the cushions
A rep from the car hire firm was standing at the door. She had totally forgotten that her rental car was being delivered.
He introduced himself and Marian waited for the flash of recognition that usually crossed people’s faces when they met her. He didn’t flinch – he had no idea who she was.
The man walked around the car and Marian pretended to listen to what he was saying. He went on about the features of the car, what was in the boot, something about the glovebox and the stereo.
“Ms Redland? Errr… Ms Redland?”
“Yes, I’m so sorry. Yes that’s fine. Thank you.”
“Great, and the car seat?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Well, as I said, there is a car seat in the boot, if you don’t need it we can take it away to give you more room.”
Everything stopped. It had not occurred to her before, but now… well now it made total sense. She argued with herself for half a second, but she already knew what she was going to do.
She looked again at the man to make sure he hadn’t recognised her. He was looking at her with a nervous smile.
“That’s great. You can leave it. I don’t need it at the moment but I’m visiting family and it may come in handy.”
Lying had become so easy.
“Oh great! Well thank you, Ms Redland. And you have a safe trip now!”