The Attic Room: A psychological thriller - Huber Linda - Страница 29

‘Nina, of course! It must be awkward for you. Why don’t you let her stay here overnight? That would give you more time.’

Nina heaved a sigh of relief. A sleepover with a dog wouldn’t be a hard sell, and then her mind would be at rest about her girl. ‘Thanks, Cassie, I’ll bring Naomi later this morning if that’s okay. I’ll have to talk to her about spending the night but I’m sure she’ll agree. It’s a load off my mind to have someone take care of her.’

It was shortly after eleven when Nina pulled up outside the Harrison’s house. The hired car was a larger vehicle than she was used to driving, and it took her three goes to get into the tight space at the side of the road.

She made a face at Naomi. ‘How to look seriously un-cool in one easy lesson,’ she said, and Naomi giggled.

‘Chill, Mom. I think you’re real cool,’ she said, with a phoney American accent.

Nina looked at her girl, grinning at her from the passenger seat, her hair scraped into a high pony tail. How very much she loved Naomi. If anything happened to her little girl because of all this John Moore stuff… it would be unbearable. Impossible to live with herself if even a hair on Naomi’s head was harmed. Damn the anonymous caller to hell.

Cassie and Glen came out to greet them.

‘Can I really stay the night?’ said Naomi, as Cassie hugged her. ‘And where’s Kira?’

‘Of course you can. Your room’s all ready, and Kira’s waiting for you in the kitchen,’ said Cassie. ‘We’ll take her for a walk later on, but first Glen could do with another pair of hands to finish the fence, couldn’t you, love?’

Nina carried Naomi’s bag inside, her heart warming. Cassie and Glen were obviously delighted with their young visitor, and Naomi, who knew nothing about the second threatening call, was equally enthusiastic. Nina grinned as she watched her daughter struggle into a pair of Glen-sized overalls. It was plain Naomi could hardly wait to get her hands on a paint brush.

Cassie walked back to the car with her. ‘Nina, are you quite sure you don’t want to stay here tonight too? There’s plenty of space. I don’t like to think of you rattling around in your father’s house all by yourself.’

Nina was touched – there were good people in the world. She should remember that in the midst of all this. ‘Don’t worry, Cassie. My cousin’s coming and he’ll probably stay over. There’s a lot I have to go through with him before Naomi and I head north. I’ll phone this evening and let you know what’s going on. And thank you more than I can say for taking Naomi like this. It makes all the difference.’

Cassie gave her a brief hug. ‘I’ll leave you to phone Sam, will I, and let him know what’s happening.’

Nina smiled as she drove off. Cassie was doing a bit of match-making there – and what did she think about that?

David Mallony ushered her into his office and was approving when he heard about Naomi’s new home.

‘Good. We don’t know what the blackmailer’s planning,’ he said. ‘If he phones again, try to keep the line open for as long as you can. Talk to him. That’d give us more time to pinpoint the call.’

‘Do you think he knows the police are involved?’

‘Oh yes, but he’ll think he can make you comply now without telling us. I have a feeling it’ll be a letter next time, with a demand for money, and I think it’ll come by post in the morning. He won’t want to risk being seen near the house. So it would be better if you stay on until tomorrow at least.’

Nina sat staring at the glass paperweight on David’s desk. What he said sounded logical, and it was reassuring to know the blackmailer was unlikely to appear on the doorstep. She turned back to David Mallony. Now for the difficult question.

‘What have you found out about – John Moore?’

‘There was a large number of pornographic images involving children on his computer. We’re investigating to see if that was as far as it went. I can’t tell you any more at the moment, Nina.’

In a way Nina was relieved. Maybe it was easier if she didn’t know the ins and outs of what her father had done. A thought struck her – why on earth hadn’t he disposed of the laptop? He’d got rid of bags full of shredded paper. What was on the shredded paper that wasn’t on the laptop?

‘Contact details for other paedophiles, I imagine.’ David Mallony sounded depressed when she asked him. ‘Leave it to us, Nina; you don’t need to know the details.’

Nina was glad to accept this. She told David Mallony about meeting Emily Moore and Paul, and he listened, an interested expression on his face.

‘Good for you. But you know, it’s not at all certain this blackmailer is George Wright. He does have a record, but he’s been pretty quiet for the last six or seven years. We’re keeping an open mind there.’

Back at the house, Nina started to organise her belongings for a possible departure the next day, then went to look at the photos on the table. Paul wanted to see them again; she would leave them here in the meantime. The ‘people’ snaps were laid out in groups, with the ‘non-people’ ones in a pile at the side.

She picked up a photo of herself as a young child with Claire and John Moore. It was so frustrating that she remembered so little. She had a hazy memory of the house, more a sense of familiarity than an actual memory. There was the horrible feeling that John Moore might have been abusive in some way. But maybe she only felt that because she know about the pornography on his computer… and because Claire must have had a powerful reason for that enormous, long-term lie. Was this what Claire had been trying to say, moments before she lost consciousness? Nina swallowed.

What had her mother known?

Nina’s mobile buzzed at half past three while she was packing Naomi’s remaining things. And after she’d left this house – which might even be today, if Paul couldn’t stop overnight with her – she would never stay here again. And oh, the relief was incredible – she literally felt lighter.

Sam’s voice was upbeat. ‘Hi, Nina. I’m between meetings. How’s things?’

‘Okay,’ said Nina cautiously. ‘I was about to phone you. I guess you haven’t spoken to your parents today?’

‘No. Why?’

In as few words as possible, she told him what was going on. Sam was horrified.

‘But Nina, of course you have to go to Mum’s! You don’t know this weirdo isn’t going to come to the house. It’s much too risky!’

‘I won’t stay here unless Paul can stay with me,’ said Nina, trying to sound reassuring. ‘And I’ll make sure all the doors and windows are locked, don’t worry. David Mallony doesn’t think the blackmailer will come here, anyway.’

Sam, however, was not to be reassured. ‘David can’t possibly know that for sure. And for heaven’s sake, you don’t know Paul Wright, and his being related to your father and George Wright is hardly a recommendation, is it?’

Startled, Nina thought of Paul’s gentle brown eyes and the way his hair fell over his forehead. Maybe she didn’t know him, but he was family – he’d been part of her life all those years ago. They connected.

‘Sam, I’m related to John Moore and George Wright in the same way as Paul is. Sometimes you just have to trust people. Two weeks ago I didn’t know you existed either.’

It was the wrong thing to say. Sam’s voice was tight when he replied.

‘Well, I can say the same about you, but I think I’d trust you over a stranger with a criminal family background. I’m sorry if you don’t feel the same way. I thought we were friends.’

His last sentence sounded nothing but petulant. Nina gripped her phone, biting back an angry retort. She had neither time nor energy for this right now. She forced herself to sound calm.

‘Sam, I don’t need any more hassle here. Paul’s due any minute so I’m going to hang up. I’ll let you know what happens.’

She put the phone down and stared at it. Had she been too hard on poor Sam? No, she was in charge of her own life and it was up to her what she did and where she stayed. Though in a way Sam was right too, because even if Paul was her cousin, she had no idea how trustworthy he was. Sam came with the recommendation of being a lawyer, but Paul had no such testimonial. It was always tempting to judge people by your own standards, she thought, running upstairs to check that the lock on her bedroom door worked. It did, and the door was solid oak.