‘Good,’ he said, setting down his book. ‘I’ll be late back tomorrow. I’ve got rugby practice after school. I’m in the team.’
‘Great!’ I said. ‘Well done.’
‘And I’m in the swimming team,’ he added modestly.
‘That’s fantastic. You should have told me sooner.’
He shrugged. ‘There was a lot going on.’
‘But never so much that I haven’t time to listen to your good news,’ I said. Adrian wasn’t one to boast about his achievements. ‘I’m very proud of you, son,’ I said, and kissed his head.
‘I’m proud of you too, Mum, but don’t ruffle my hair.’
I did anyway, and having said goodnight I came out.
Joss was in her room now, waiting for me to say goodnight. She looked very worried, unsurprisingly, and I sat on the edge of the bed. ‘I’m sure the police will find them soon,’ I said. ‘There aren’t many places you can hide with a child.’
‘I hope Mum doesn’t leave Kev alone with him like she used to,’ Joss said. She’d never been able to use Eric’s name.
‘I’m sure she won’t,’ I said. ‘Try not to worry.’
‘I’ll kill him if he hurts Kev.’ Her eyes filled and I took her hand between mine. ‘I can’t think of anywhere they could be,’ she said. ‘That creep didn’t have any friends. There’s my nana and grandpa, but they never liked him, so they wouldn’t have gone there. And anyway, we haven’t see them in a long while.’
I sat with Joss for some time, stroking her hand and reassuring her as best I could that her mother would look after Kevin and they would be found soon. Eventually she said she’d try to get some sleep and snuggled down. I gave her a kiss and hug goodnight and came out.
I was half expecting someone from the police station to telephone, but when no one had called by eleven o’clock I went to bed. Exhausted but too worried to sleep, I lay for over an hour in the dark, agonizing over where Linda and Kevin could be and if they were safe. I appreciated that Linda’s act had been a ‘fight or flight’ response and she hadn’t meant Kevin any harm, but to flee with the person who’d been accused of abusing her children was totally irresponsible and would make her situation with the social services much, much worse.
The following morning we fell into the school routine again, but of course, as I woke Joss, Lucy and then Paula, their first response was to ask if I’d heard anything. I had to tell them I hadn’t. When I woke Adrian he groaned and turned over, which is his usual response to being woken for school. However, when he came downstairs for breakfast he said to Joss, ‘How are you doing? You must be worried. I hope your mum and brother are found soon.’
I could see she appreciated it. ‘Thanks, Adrian; that’s kind,’ she said with a small smile.
Joss and I left the house first, and once in the car Joss switched on the radio, clearly not wanting to talk. When I dropped her at school I said, ‘Take care, love. See you later.’ She nodded and went in. I didn’t go straight home but drove to the supermarket on the edge of town, as I needed to do a big grocery shop. Once I was home and I’d unpacked, I telephoned Jill and told her I’d taken the photograph into the police station the evening before. She thanked me and said the social services had taken out a court order in respect of Kevin, which would give them greater powers. It wasn’t necessary to do so for Joss, as she was already in care and therefore not at risk of harm. Jill asked how Joss was and I told her that she was obviously very worried but had gone to school as usual. ‘And she has no idea where her mother and brother could be?’
‘No. She mentioned her mother’s parents, but they’ve never liked Eric so they’re not close.’
‘The police will have covered that. Family and friends are the first place they look for a missing person,’ Jill said.
I heard nothing further on Thursday and our anxious wait for news of Joss’s mother and brother continued. On a positive note, Adrian had a good rugby practice after school, Lucy said she was going to try for the school netball team and Paula had been praised by a teacher for a piece of written work she’d done in history, so I congratulated them all. Tired from their first week back at school, they were in bed at 9.30 p.m., and having said goodnight to them I sat with Joss until she fell asleep. When I still hadn’t heard from the police or social services by Friday lunchtime, I was frustrated and also a little angry. I was hoping that someone would telephone, even if it was only to say that there hadn’t been any developments, so when the phone rang at 12.45 I answered it immediately with trepidation and relief. But it wasn’t the social services or the police; it was Miss Pryce.
‘Is this a good time to call?’ she asked. ‘I wanted a word with you about Joss.’
‘Yes,’ I said. I thought Joss had probably vented her anger and frustration at school, or had broken down crying, unable to cope.
But Miss Pryce’s voice was upbeat as she said, ‘I thought you’d like to know that Joss has had a really good first week back at school. I’ve had feedback from most of her teachers and she’s attended all her lessons, hasn’t been disruptive in class and has sat quietly, listening. Neither has she been leaving the school at lunchtime. This is a huge improvement since last term and we’re all very pleased.’
‘Excellent,’ I said, mustering as much enthusiasm as I could. While I was obviously pleased Joss had turned over a new leaf, I knew there were other reasons why she was quiet and staying in at lunchtime, which Miss Pryce clearly wasn’t aware of – and it wasn’t for me to tell her.
‘So I wanted to say well done,’ Miss Pryce continued chirpily. ‘Joss has obviously had a very good summer with you. She’s come back to school a different child.’
‘That is good,’ I said. ‘Thank you for telling me. I’ll pass it on to Joss.’
‘There’s no need,’ she said. ‘I saw Joss at morning break. I always like to give the students positive feedback as soon as possible, especially if there have been behavioural issues in the past.’
‘Thank you,’ I said again. It was all I could say.
When I collected Joss from school that afternoon the first thing I told her was that there hadn’t been any news about her mother and brother. She sighed heavily and slammed the car door shut. The next thing I told her was about Miss Pryce’s telephone call. ‘So well done, I’m very pleased with you,’ I said. ‘I know this has been a difficult week, but you’ve coped well.’
She shrugged despondently and turned on the radio, signalling that she didn’t want to talk.
I could understand why Joss was running out of patience. The worry of her mother and brother being in hiding with Eric must have been excruciating, and my words of reassurance and kindly meant platitudes sounded jaded and hollow. She didn’t say anything during the drive home, and when we got in the others knew from her obvious dejection that there was no news and she wanted to be left alone. We all ate together at six o’clock, but without our usual Friday-evening light-heartedness at the start of the weekend. Once we’d finished our meal and cleared away, Adrian, Lucy and Paula went to do their homework so it wasn’t hanging over them all weekend, and Joss ambled into the living room.
‘Would you like me to help you with your homework?’ I offered. I thought it might help take her mind off the worry for a while.
She sat on the sofa, looking very downhearted, and gave a small nod. I sat next to her. ‘Cathy,’ she said, ‘before we start, I was thinking I might phone my nana and grandpa.’
‘Oh yes?’ I said, surprised.
‘I know I haven’t spoken to them in a long while, but we used to be close. And with Mum and Kev gone, they’re the only real family I have.’
I felt so sorry for her. ‘I understand,’ I said. ‘When was the last time you saw them?’
‘About a year ago. Before I left home. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if I phoned them now.’
‘Do you have their telephone number?’ I asked. ‘I haven’t got it.’
‘I know it off by heart,’ Joss said. ‘I
used to phone them every Friday evening to tell them what sort of week I’d had. It started after Dad died and stopped when I left home.’
A lump rose in my throat. ‘Joss, I wish you’d told me that before. You could have phoned them from here every Friday.’
‘I didn’t really think about it until now,’ she said. ‘And I was always out on a Friday evening.’ Which was true.
Yet while it seemed a good idea for Joss to be in touch with her grandparents again, I had some reservations. Given the lapse in time since they’d last had contact, and that they would have been told their daughter and grandson were missing and must be worried sick, it was difficult to know what their reaction would be. People deal with grief and stress in different ways and it was possible they might blame Joss for causing trouble and lying, as her mother had done. However, Joss wanted to phone them and I could stay close and intervene if the call became distressing for her.
‘I’m sure they won’t mind if I phone,’ Joss said again. ‘They’re really nice people. I should have kept in touch.’
‘OK, but remember they’re likely to be very worried and upset.’
‘I know,’ Joss said.
I passed her the handset. She keyed in the number and then, when it started ringing, she tilted the handset a little away from her ear towards me so I could hear too. As it rang I could see Joss growing increasingly nervous, and she began fidgeting with the cuff on her jersey. Then a woman’s voice answered and stated the phone number.
‘Nana?’ Joss said very quietly. ‘It’s Joss.’
There was a second’s pause and then, ‘Joss! Oh my! It’s so good to hear from you. We’ve been talking about you. How are you, love?’ I was relieved.
‘Not too bad, Nana,’ Joss said sweetly.
‘Are you well?’ her nana asked.
‘Yes. Are you?’
‘Yes, thank you, love. But we’ve missed you so much.’
‘I’ve missed you too,’ Joss said. I could see tears welling in her eyes. I placed my hand on her arm to reassure her.
‘I’m so pleased you’ve got in touch,’ her nana said. ‘I thought you would eventually. We used to be a close family before all of this. Are you still living with the foster carer?’
‘Yes. Cathy.’
‘Oh, love. It’ll be so nice when you can all live together again as a family. I hope it won’t be too long.’
‘Yes,’ Joss said quietly, clearly very emotional.
‘Fancy you phoning on a Friday,’ her nana said, brightening up. ‘Do you remember all those chats we used to have every Friday evening? You used to tell me all about your week at school, what you’d been doing in lessons, who your best friend was and even what you’d eaten for your school dinner. I loved those chats.’ I heard her voice tremble.
‘I did too,’ Joss said.
‘Anyway, love, enough of me. I know you’ll want to talk to the others.’
Joss looked at me, puzzled. ‘Grandpa?’ she asked her nana.
‘Yes, he’ll want to speak to you, but talk to your mum first. She will be pleased you’ve phoned.’
‘Mum!’ Joss exclaimed. ‘Is Mum there?’
‘Yes, of course, pet. I’ll call her now.’
‘What?’ Joss said, turning to me, the colour draining from her face.
We heard her nana call ‘Linda!’ Then she said to Joss, ‘She’s coming.’
‘Is Kev there too?’ Joss asked, shocked.
‘Yes, of course. He’s with Grandpa. Speak to them when you’ve spoken to your mother.’
‘Nana, is my stepfather there?’ Joss asked tightly.
‘Good heavens, no, love. Of course not. Not after what he’s done. Your mother’s told us what happened and it’s shocking. I just wish we’d known sooner.’
There are times in life when you don’t have the information you need to make an informed decision, but a decision is required. With no idea what was going on or what part Joss’s grandparents had played in their daughter and grandson’s disappearance, I was tempted to take the handset from Joss and find out. I was sure Joss wouldn’t mind, for she was looking as shocked and confused as I felt. But Linda was already on the phone. ‘Hello, Joss?’ her mother said in a small voice.
‘Mum, what’s going on? You’re supposed to be missing. The police are looking for you.’
‘I can’t talk now,’ Linda said under her breath, presumably so her parents couldn’t hear. ‘I’ll try to phone you later.’
‘No. I want to talk to you now!’ Joss demanded.
‘I can’t, not now.’ There was desperation in Linda’s voice. ‘Please, love. I’m sorry. I’ll phone as soon as I can, I promise. Kevin is fine, so there is no need for you to worry.’
‘Mum!’ Joss said. But the line went dead. Joss and I stared at each other.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Unbelievable
Let me phone her back,’ I said, taking the handset from Joss. I cleared the line and pressed redial.
The phone rang about half a dozen times and then Joss’s nana answered. ‘Hello?’ she said tentatively.
‘It’s Cathy, Joss’s foster carer.’
‘Oh, I see. I don’t understand what’s going on here. My daughter was supposed to be talking to my granddaughter, but she’s fled upstairs, crying. She’s saying she has to leave straight away.’
‘She mustn’t do that,’ I said. I didn’t know what Joss’s nana had been told, but I guessed it probably wasn’t the truth. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.’
‘Joan.’
‘Joan, I’m not sure what’s going on either, but we need to ask you – did you know that Linda, Kevin and Eric are registered as missing?’
‘Missing? No. What do you mean?’
‘They left home on Wednesday evening and haven’t been heard of since. No one knew where they’d gone, because Linda didn’t leave a forwarding address. The police have been looking for them.’
‘What?’ Joan exclaimed. ‘But Linda and Kevin have been here with us all the time. I don’t know where Eric is and I don’t care. Linda didn’t tell anyone where she was going because she’s left her husband and doesn’t want him to find her.’
‘So Eric hasn’t been there at all?’
‘No. I wouldn’t have him in my house again after what he’s done.’
‘And the police and social services haven’t been in touch with you?’
‘No. Why should they? It’s Eric they’re looking for.’
I realized Joan knew some of what had happened but not all.
‘Joan, the police are looking for Eric, but they thought the three of them were together. I don’t understand why no one has contacted you, they should have done. Do you know why Linda and Kevin are staying with you?’
‘I told you,’ Joan said a little sharply and clearly stressed. ‘Because Linda has left her husband. She had nowhere else to go. She confided in me. I now know what a wicked man he is and the bad things he’s done to Joss and Kevin. She needs time to adjust and the support of her family.’ Her voice trembled.
‘Joan, I’m afraid there’s more to it than that, and Linda mustn’t run away again. She has to contact the police or social services.’
‘Why? She hasn’t done anything wrong.’
This was so difficult. What I needed to say was going to shock and upset Joan. ‘I’m afraid she has,’ I said. ‘I appreciate why Linda ran away, because she couldn’t bear to lose Kevin as well as Joss, but the social services have a court order to bring Kevin into foster care.’
‘Why?’ Joan cried, distraught.
‘Because Eric has been abusing Kevin, and Linda failed to protect him. She’s been standing by Eric, defending him, and he has been living at the house. The social services had no alternative but to apply to the court for a Care Order to remove Kevin for his own safety. That’s why Linda ran away, and I’m afraid it’s a police matter now.’ Harsh though it was, Joan needed to understand the seriousness of what had happened, and she did. r />
‘I can’t believe this is happening to us,’ she cried.
‘I’m so sorry, but you had to know. Linda mustn’t run away again with Kevin. It will make her case even worse.’
Joan was crying, and Joss, who had heard some of the conversation, was looking at me, concerned and close to tears herself. Then I heard a male voice in the background say, ‘Joan, whatever is the matter?’
‘Oh, Andrew,’ I heard her sob. ‘The police are looking for Linda. They want to take Kevin into foster care, like Joss.’
There was a pause and then the man came on the line: ‘Hello, I’m Andrew, Linda’s father and the children’s grandfather. Please tell me what is going on. My wife is very upset.’
‘I’m Joss’s foster carer, Cathy,’ I began. ‘I appreciate how upsetting this is for you both.’ I then told him the sequence of events that had led to Linda fleeing with Kevin and arriving at their house, finishing with the present position – that there was a court order to take Kevin into care and the police were looking for Linda, Kevin and Eric, as no one knew where they were.
Andrew gave a long, heartfelt sigh. ‘What a mess,’ he said. ‘My wife and I had no idea. Linda told us she’d left Eric because he’d been abusing the children. We didn’t know the police were looking for her, or that Kevin was going to be taken into care. But once we tell the social services that Kevin is with us then everything will be all right. Linda, Kevin and Joss can stay here until they can return home.’
I knew it wasn’t going to be that simple. ‘It may take a while to sort out,’ I said gently. ‘There’s a court order in place for Kevin, and the child protection services will need to be satisfied he’s safe.’
‘Of course he’s safe with us,’ Andrew said brusquely.
‘I know, but the social services will need to see for themselves, so what I’m saying is, it may take time to sort out.’
‘I can’t see why,’ he said bluntly. ‘We’re the children’s grandparents.’
‘I know,’ I said, and left it at that. Andrew clearly didn’t know the workings of the social services as I did and that grandparents had very few rights when it came to children in care.