‘Have you still not heard from her?’ Steve looked up from the rocking chair where he was feeding Theo, who was guzzling greedily from his bottle, making a satisfied smacking sound with each mouthful.
Sophie spun around from the wardrobe where she was putting away a tiny mountain of white Babygros. ‘Amy? No.’
‘Aren’t you worried?’
Sophie bristled at Steve’s tone of voice. ‘Yes, Steve, of course I’m bloody worried! But what do I do? We effectively kidnapped her once before and look what happened… she’s made it really clear she doesn’t want to see us.’
‘I think we should pay them a visit.’
Sophie closed the wardrobe door and sighed. ‘I do too but I’m scared that we might make things worse. What if they’re perfectly happy but he doesn’t want her to see us again because he knows we’ll try to turn her against him? Let’s face it, he’d be right, wouldn’t he?’
Steve tutted. ‘I suppose so. I just can’t believe she’d be happy to cut us off after spending a whole year with us. I mean, how must Megan feel not seeing Emma?’
His face softened as he spoke about Megan and Sophie felt her heart squeeze with love. She knew how much he missed Megan and George, even though he had his hands full with his own two. ‘I know. And we all miss them so much. They were such a part of the family. It feels like a bereavement. I would love to see Amy again.…’ She tailed off as she thought about how close she and Amy had become and how painful it felt to have lost her again so abruptly.
‘Well, like I say, I think we should just show up there.’
Sophie bit her lip nervously. ‘OK. But I don’t think we should take the kids.’
Steve nodded his agreement. ‘What about Emily and Melissa? Should we tell them?’
Sophie considered it for a moment. Emily had got a mysterious new boyfriend and was so loved up she seemed to be in a world of her own lately, and Melissa was travelling so much to America with work that she wouldn’t be able to offer much in the way of assistance. ‘No, let’s just do it ourselves. It’ll look a bit more believable if we pay a friendly visit as a couple than if the whole lot of us turn up mob-handed. That way, if there’s no problem and they’re all perfectly happy, we can just have a coffee and leave.’
‘I’m not sure I can promise to be civil to him.’ Steve smiled ruefully. ‘He did crack my ribs the last time I saw him.’
Sophie laughed. ‘Well, I’m not exactly his biggest fan either but let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.’
Theo, who was lying over Steve’s shoulder, having his back rubbed, let out a gigantic burp. Steve grinned at him proudly. ‘OK, that nails it. It seems my son shares my opinion of the lovely Nick. Let’s go tomorrow, shall we?’
The following evening, having asked Steve’s mum to babysit, they set off for Notting Hill. As they drew up outside the house, Steve whistled through his teeth. ‘Maybe I’m beginning to understand why Amy didn’t want to leave him after all.’
Sophie looked up at the beautiful, white stucco mansion. ‘I hate it. It gives me the creeps. But maybe it’s because I know what’s gone on here.’
They parked the car and walked up the front steps. ‘I’m really nervous.’
Steve took her hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘Me too. It’ll be fine. It’s the right thing to do. Hopefully, we’ll find that all is well and we can go home again feeling reassured.’
Sophie rang the bell. After a few moments, they heard footsteps echoing down the hallway. Sophie’s heart started to race and she immediately regretted coming. She was just looking back down the steps, wondering if it was too late to make a bolt for it, when the heavy, black door swung open.
Nick frowned slightly, as if trying to place who they were before recognition dawned. ‘Oh. It’s you.’
‘Hi, Nick!’ Sophie’s voice sounded much brighter than she felt and it slightly startled her. ‘We were in the area and we thought we’d pop in for a coffee.’
Nick closed the door just a fraction, but enough to make a point. ‘Right. Only we’re a bit busy at the moment.’
‘That’s OK,’ Steve said affably, taking a step closer to the door. ‘We won’t keep you long.’
Nick shook his head. ‘Sorry, but it’s really not convenient. Maybe another—’
His words were interrupted by a loud squeal from the hallway. ‘Steve! Sophie! You came!’ Megan slipped around Nick’s legs and dived into Steve’s arms, taking him unawares and almost causing him to lose his balance.
‘Hey, Meggie! Wow, you have grown soooo much!’ Steve lifted her up so he could get a better look at her, causing her to giggle in delight.
Sophie watched Nick, as his face folded in fury. ‘Megan!’ he snapped. ‘Get inside now!’
Megan’s mouth dropped open in shock. ‘But it’s Sophie and Steve. Mummy always said we’d see them soon.’
‘Well, you’ve seen them now, please go back inside.’
Sophie’s skin prickled at the sinister tone of Nick’s voice. Like a gently bubbling volcano about to erupt. ‘Is Amy in?’ she said, as loudly as she could, hoping that Amy would hear her and come to the door.
‘As I said…’ Nick reached out and pulled Megan roughly from Steve’s arms. ‘She’s busy. Please leave.’
Steve shrugged. ‘No, I really don’t think so, Nick. We’ve come to have a coffee with Amy and that’s what we’re going to do.’
Nick turned away and attempted to kick the door shut but Steve put his foot in the gap. ‘Move your foot now or I’ll call the police.’ Nick fixed Steve with a look of pure hatred.
‘Oh, I don’t think we want the police involved, do we, Nick? We might mention a few things to them ourselves and you might find yourself being marched off in handcuffs.’
Sophie swallowed hard and her eyes kept being drawn to Megan’s bewildered little face. She was scared for herself and Steve but she was more scared for Amy and the kids. Nick would make her pay for this. ‘Maybe we should go, Steve?’
Steve looked at her in surprise. ‘What? No, I think we shouldn’t go anywhere until we’ve seen Amy. I want to know that she’s OK.’
Nick shook his head. ‘I think you should take Sophie’s advice and leave.’
‘I will.’ Steve matched Nick’s steely tone. ‘When I’ve seen Amy.’
Nick hesitated for a moment, then tutted loudly. ‘Oh, for fuck’s sake… Amy!’ he yelled over his shoulder. Sophie squirmed on Megan’s behalf at her dad’s bad language but she was obviously used to it and didn’t flinch.
After a few moments, Amy appeared, moving falteringly down the hallway. Sophie’s hand flew to her mouth. Amy looked as if she had aged at least ten years since she had last seen her. Her eyes looked haunted and she walked with a stooped, shuffling gait. ‘Amy…’ she began, her voice breaking as the tears gathered. ‘What’s happened to you?’
Amy managed a wan smile. ‘I’ve just had the flu and it’s taking a long time to shift it.’
Sophie so desperately wanted to believe her. She didn’t want to think that she had let her friend walk back into a death trap and had then been so wrapped up in her own life that she had barely given her a second thought over the months that had passed since. She looked at Steve for some kind of reassurance but she could see that his face was a mask of confusion.
‘Right, you’ve seen her – now you can leave.’ Nick used his own foot to kick Steve’s out of the way and slammed the door hard in his face.
Sophie gasped. ‘Shit. What do we do now? Do we leave?’
Steve was biting the inside of his cheek as he stared fiercely at the black painted door, as if somehow he would be able to see right through it if he stared hard enough. ‘No,’ he said at last. ‘We’re not leaving.’
Sophie followed as he walked down the steps and looked into the passageway that led to the back garden. There was a tall wooden gate blocking the path. Steve tried the latch and shrugged when it was locked. Taking a few paces back, he ran at it and gripped the top, before propelling himself athletically up and over it. Sophie gasped with a mixture of admiration and fear. ‘Steve!’ she hissed. ‘Don’t do anything stupid!’
She heard the sound of the lock being undone and the gate opened. Steve grinned. ‘Not bad for an old man, was it?’
Sophie rolled her eyes. ‘Seriously, Steve. What the hell are we going to do now?’
Steve’s grin faded instantly and he became serious. ‘We’re going to make sure she’s OK. That’s what we’re going to do.’
Sophie nodded, relief flooding through her as she realized that this is what she had hoped they would do. They couldn’t just walk away, knowing they might have put Amy in even more danger.
She followed Steve down the narrow path. Dusk was rapidly encroaching and the garden was bathed in an eerie mist that made Sophie shiver but at least provided a level of camouflage. There were steps up to the French doors at the back of the house, through which they could clearly see the kitchen and day room, illuminated against the darkness outside. Steve lay on his stomach at the top of the steps and motioned to Sophie to do the same. She obeyed, by now shaking at the prospect of what they might see.
George was sitting on the floor nearest to them, playing with his Lego, apparently oblivious to any commotion, whilst Megan was standing to one side, looking back into the hallway. ‘I can’t see them,’ Steve muttered. ‘Can you?’
Sophie shook her head and squinted to try to get a better look. ‘No. They’re obviously still in the hallway. That must be what Megan’s looking at.’
They continued to watch for a few more minutes, until suddenly Megan visibly jumped with fright and ran crying into the hallway. After a few seconds she reappeared with Nick, who chivvied her back into the kitchen, before disappearing again, looking flustered. ‘Where’s Amy?’ Sophie looked at Steve. ‘I don’t like the feel of this.’
‘Neither do I.’ Steve scrambled to his feet and made his way to the French door nearest to where George was sitting. He crouched down and knocked very gently on one of the square panes of glass.
George looked up in surprise and beamed with delight when he saw Steve’s face at the window. He stood up and came towards him, pressing the palms of his small hands to the glass. Steve waved. ‘Hi, Georgie! It’s me, Uncle Steve. Can you open the door so I can get in and give you a hug?’
George frowned in confusion, before looking up at the lock that was above his head. ‘Just turn the key, Georgie!’ Steve shouted, giving him a smile of encouragement.
George pondered for a second longer, then reached up and turned the key, looking enormously pleased with himself as he did so. Clearly, this was a new trick for him. Steve opened the door as gently as he could and crept into the house. He scooped George up and gave him a tight squeeze. ‘Good boy, George. Well done.’
Sophie followed Steve into the house and headed towards the hallway, her heart thumping furiously. She could hear Megan sobbing but couldn’t see her. Finally, she realized the noise was coming from under the table. She bent down and looked underneath. Megan was curled into a ball, her thumb in her mouth, crying piteously. ‘Oh, sweetie,’ Sophie reached out to touch her but Megan instinctively recoiled. She was looking past Sophie with a look of abject terror in her eyes.
Sophie turned slowly to follow her gaze. The hallway was in darkness but she could just about make out the silhouetted shape of someone standing above a mound of some kind. Her mouth dried with fear but, as if on autopilot, she began to walk slowly towards the figure. She reached for the light switch and flicked it, flinching as the hallway flooded with light, blinding her temporarily.
As her vision cleared, she heard a scream, realizing after a second that it had come from her. ‘Sophie?’ Steve came running into the hall from behind her and kept moving until he reached Nick, who was standing over Amy’s slumped form. In one fluid movement he had twisted Nick’s arm up behind his back and slammed him against the wall. ‘What the hell have you done?’ he yelled, his voice querulous with anger. ‘Sophie, call an ambulance and call the police!’