The Attic Room: A psychological thriller (22 page)

Nina’s head was buzzing and she couldn’t see properly. Waves
of dizziness were threatening to overcome her. She opened her mouth, but her
voice had gone.

‘It’s Naomi’s,’ said Sam. ‘I’ve seen her with it. Nina, put
your head down.’

He pushed her head between her knees and the giddiness
receded. She scrabbled for the door handle.

‘Nina, stay in the car!’ said David, getting out himself. ‘Wright
has a gun, remember? When – if – we want you to come, I’ll get you.’

He disappeared into the farmhouse. Now all the policemen
were inside except one who was standing at the corner of the building, and Nina
saw with a shock that he was armed. There was the sound of an engine, and the
paramedic appeared up the lane and parked on the far side of the car. Nina
moaned.

‘Dear God, Sam, is she - ?’

David’s voice. ‘Nina! Come quickly!’ The shout came from
within the house, and Nina was out of the car and running, the paramedic close
behind her.

Naomi baby, I’m coming, Mummy’s coming, I’m right here…

She crashed through the back door and pulled up short in a
large farmhouse kitchen. Which way, which way? The house was silent; it was
cold, and seemed deserted – and –

Naomi?

Claire’s Story – Glasgow

Something was hissing behind her, but her eyelids were too
heavy to open. Panic surged through Claire as she realised she couldn’t move.
And her face… something was wrong, her face was broken, tight, something hard
was covering her nose – oh God, what was happening? Where was she?

‘Talk to her,’ said a voice. ‘She isn’t deeply unconscious
now.’

‘Mum?’

The surge of panic came again as Claire heard the fear in
Nina’s voice. It took a monumental effort, but she managed to crack her eyes
open. Brightness stabbed into her head but not before she saw the orange
curtains hanging round the bed – oh dear Lord, she was in hospital. The thing
on her face was an oxygen mask. In a way it was reassuring. They would look
after her here, wouldn’t they? Her thoughts drifted into nothing; it was
easier.

A bang nearby focussed her mind again. Nina was still there,
and she was talking.

‘…and Morag’s looking after Naomi. It’ll be okay, Mum. They’re
experts here, it’s a specialist unit so you’re in the best possible place.’

Again and again Claire tried to open her eyes, but they
wouldn’t obey her. It was so horrible. She couldn’t see Nina, but that would be
Nina’s hand holding hers, wouldn’t it? She tried to squeeze the cold fingers,
but her own remained lifeless. She must be really bad; a specialist unit wasn’t
going to be on the island. Had they taken her to Glasgow? Oh dear Lord.

Nina was silent again, but Claire could hear her daughter’s
uneven breathing; she could sense Nina’s fear. What was going on? Heavier
darkness swung into her head, and a shiver ran through her body. She was hurt;
she was badly hurt, maybe she was going to die here… No, no, she couldn’t leave
her girls. Oh God, she didn’t want to die, please God… But the darkness was all
around now.

A new thought struck and Claire’s mind was suddenly clear.
Robert. If she died now Robert would get in touch with Nina. What a shock that
would be for her girl, to have a long-dead father appear and say – what? What
would Robert tell Nina? And what would Nina say, what would she think of Claire
for lying to her all these long years? How stupid she’d been; she should have
written that letter to Nina, the one to be opened after her death. Nina would
never know why her mother had lied about her father’s death. But maybe she
could still put that right.

For a long moment she gathered her strength, then at last
she managed to open her eyes. Nina was sitting by the bed, eyes closed and her
face pale as… as death. Claire feasted her eyes on her girl. All she needed to
do was tell Nina that Robert was alive. Nina must have felt her gaze, for she
opened her eyes and leaned forward, clutching Claire’s hand.

‘Mum? Is there something you want?’

Thank God, Nina had realised she wanted to speak. Claire
opened her mouth but no sound came out. She tried a whisper.

‘I’m sorry. I should have told you.’

‘Don’t worry, Mum, it’s all right. You can tell me later.’

‘Robert.’

But her voice was gone again, swallowed by the hissing of
the mask on her face, and Nina didn’t understand. Claire tried again, with the
same result.

Nina patted her shoulder.

‘Relax, Mum. Have a rest for now. I’ll go and phone home,
tell them you’re awake. Morag’ll be so…’

Claire’s eyes closed again and she felt herself drifting as
Nina continued to speak. Dear God, if she went to sleep now she’d never be able
to tell Nina about Robert. All at once she knew that was exactly what was going
to happen. The darkness was different now… This wasn’t just floating towards
sleep, this was… distancing… leaving… listening to the person she loved most in
the world, and knowing she would never see Nina again, or Naomi… She should
have told Nina right at the start… or at least, when she had grown up… but Nina
would forgive her, Nina loved her…

The world was closing in… her world – Edinburgh, and
Bedford… and Arran; she was standing at the top of the hill now, the Firth blue
and sparkling down below. Nina was running towards her… how terrible to leave
with no goodbye…

‘Nina!’

David’s voice came from upstairs, and Nina stumbled through
the cluttered kitchen. Her breath hoarse in her ears, she thundered past the
ancient coffee machine on the counter, the old-man slippers by the Aga, and
upstairs past the trio of framed embroideries on the stair wall. Two policemen
at the top motioned her into a room facing the front of the house. Three more
strides and Nina gathered Naomi into her arms, feeling the terrible tension in
the girl’s body. Naomi was sitting on the double bed, shivering, her eyes wild,
but she was alive, thank Christ, she was alive. Sheer, blessed relief flooded
through Nina as she rejoiced in every heave of Naomi’s chest as they sat there
clutching each other, both trembling. Her baby was here; she was holding her
little girl.

David touched her shoulder and spoke quietly. ‘She was
locked in, Nina, but the key was in the door. We need to find out if she knows
where Wright has gone – she didn’t answer when I asked.’

Nina stroked the hair from Naomi’s face. ‘Do you know,
sweetie?’

Naomi shook her head then burst out crying, and Nina couldn’t
prevent her own tears.

For a few moments she and Naomi hugged and sobbed together,
then Nina wiped her eyes. Time for supermum.

‘Sweetheart, you’re safe now. We’ve got you. Naomi – are you
hurt? What did he do to you?’

The million dollar question, and Nina leaned back to look
into Naomi’s face. Her daughter was pale and wide-eyed with fear, her face
tear-streaked and filthy, and she was clutching Nina with shaking hands. Hell,
no child’s hands should ever have to shake like this.

‘He kept grabbing me and pushing me around,’ she whispered. ‘And
he wouldn’t tell me where we were or nothing, he was horrible, Mummy, why did
he do that?’

Nina stroked the tangled honey-coloured hair back from the
pale face, feeling the tightness inside her gut begin to ease. It didn’t sound
as if Paul had abused Naomi, but the girl’s use of the word ‘Mummy’ showed how
insecure and frightened she was. Nina swallowed. What, oh what was she supposed
to say to make the situation less frightening for her child?

‘I think he’s a – he’s not normal, lovey, he’s not well.
Darling, did he touch you under your clothes? Did he make you touch him? Did he
– ’ Hell, Naomi wasn’t a baby, she would know the word – ‘Did he assault you?’

Naomi burst into noisy tears and Nina could barely make out
what she was saying. ‘No. But he kept pushing me around everywhere and shouting
and then laughing. And at the first house he took photos of me and he said they
were the before photos, and he was going to use them to catch some bad men who
wanted me to look different afterwards – after what, Mummy, what did he mean?’

Nina closed her eyes, hugging Naomi tightly. Christ, Paul
could have returned here at any time, and who knows what would have happened to
her lovely daughter if they hadn’t arrived here before him. Thank God for Emily
and her efforts with the photos.

David Mallony was standing in front of the window. ‘That’s
what we’re going to find out, Naomi. The main thing is you’re safe. We’ll get
you three out of here now, Nina. The police doctor will check Naomi soon.’

Nina felt Naomi’s body relax a little. David sounded so authoritative
and in control, just what they both needed right now. Sam was standing in the
doorway, and he moved back as she led Naomi from the room.

‘Sam, thank you,’ she whispered, and he touched her cheek as
she passed.

Back at the police station, Naomi told what little she knew
and then they were allowed to go back to Sam’s flat, well away from all
frightening associations for Naomi. It was a good couple of hours before the
wildness in the little girl’s eyes began to diminish. Sam phoned round their
families and friends while the same police doctor who’d seen Nina the day
before questioned Naomi closely and conducted a brief examination which
involved some very personal questions but fell short of removing any of Naomi’s
clothing. Afterwards Nina took the doctor into the kitchen to talk. The woman’s
first words were what she wanted to hear.

‘She hasn’t been sexually assaulted,’ said the doctor. ‘She
spoke quite openly about her experience and what Wright had said and done. She
wouldn’t have been able to do that if anything had happened. It’s been a
terrible shock for her, though. Naturally. Talk to her about it, but don’t
force any confidences, take things at her pace. And it might be an idea to tell
her a little about your own encounter with Wright; she doesn’t know anything
about that yet and it would give her the feeling that the ordeal wasn’t hers
alone. No gory details, though, play it down. I’ll leave some tranquillizers.
You can each have one at bedtime and they’ll give you a good night’s sleep.’

Nina went back to the living room, where Sam was with Naomi
on the sofa, carefully sitting well round the corner. Naomi had a fat cushion
clutched across her chest, but Nina noticed that the trembling had stopped.

‘Come on, you,’ she said, putting a hand on Naomi’s head. ‘Bath
time. Sam doesn’t have any smellies that you’d like, but we’ll put a good
squirt of my shower gel into the water and you can lie in the bubbles and I’ll
tell you about Paul Wright locking me up in a horrible house all night.’

The doctor was right. Hearing about Nina’s imprisonment
jolted Naomi out of her own situation. They discussed mental illness and child
abuse quite openly, and Nina’s last lingering fear vanished. Naomi’s behaviour
in the bath was the same as always, and her body was unmarked. Nina left the
girl drying herself with one of Sam’s massive bath towels.

Sam was in the living room with a bottle. ‘Wine,’ he said,
pouring her a large glass of red. ‘If anyone deserves it it’s you. Are you
okay?’

Nina sipped, then put the glass down and looked at him. He
stepped across the room and took her in his arms, holding her tightly, and she
could hear his heartbeat and the sound of his breathing. She fitted her
forehead against his neck, feeling how their breathing coordinated. In, out. Slowly,
she began to relax. Now if she could stay right here for about four months she
would be okay again.

‘I feel like I’ve had the biggest fright of my life,’ she
said.

‘Well, you’re not alone,’ said Sam. ‘And if I - ’

‘Stop snogging.’ Naomi marched into the room, her face still
pale. ‘I’m hungry, I haven’t had anything to eat all day.’

Nina went to hug Naomi. A hug could work wonders; she and
Sam had just proved it.

‘Right,’ said Sam, rubbing his hands. ‘What would you like?
I could make spaghetti, that’s quick, or pizza, that takes a bit longer, or we
could send out for a curry or go for a hamburger – you choose.’

‘Chicken Tikka,’ said Naomi, her head on one side as she
considered. ‘And chapatis and normal rice.’

They ate at Sam’s breakfast bar, and Nina was glad to see
the colour return to Naomi’s face. The safe routine of having something to eat
was helping them both. Although it wasn’t really routine, thought Nina; they
had never eaten with Sam, unless you counted the picnic by the river where
Naomi had gone off in a strop. The bad mood was a thing of the past today; the
little girl was listening to Sam’s account of the beaches he’d been to in Devon
with an almost-smile on her face.

‘I want to go to the beach too. When can we go home, Mum?’
she said, mopping up the last of her sauce with a chapati. ‘Home to Arran, I
mean.’

‘As soon as they let us,’ said Nina. ‘I’ll talk to David
Mallony tonight. We’ll go on Sunday at the latest.’

And how good it would be to be back on the island, back to
fresh air and healthy living. Of course they would have to visit Emily first.
And Cassie and Glen.

‘Good,’ said Naomi. ‘Will you be coming to see us sometime?’

She was looking at Sam, and for the life of her Nina couldn’t
read her daughter’s expression.

‘Maybe I will,’ he said, glancing at Nina. ‘I’ve never been
to the islands. We’ll see what we can fix up, will we?’

He gave Nina the ghost of a smile. ‘I’ll bring you the last
lot of documents to sign.’

Nina grinned back, feeling that it was forever and a day
since she’d been able to grin at him and mean it. ‘You’ll be very welcome, Sam.’

Was it her imagination or did his face fall slightly when
she said that? It was clear that he was still hankering after a relationship,
but she would need several gallons of fresh island air in her lungs before she’d
be able to think thoughts like that. On the other hand, she could search for
years and never find a man as supportive – and, yes, as fanciable – as Sam… A
couple of deep breaths on Sunday should do the trick. She smiled again and his
face brightened.

Nina gave Naomi one of the doctor’s pills and sat by Sam’s
spare room bed until the little girl fell asleep. Naomi’s face was flushed, and
lying there in her Snoopy nightgown she was the very same child who slept in
her little room under the farmhouse roof on Arran, lulled by the sounds of the
sea. Nina heaved a sigh. They had survived. Everything was going to be all
right.

Sam was on the landline when she went back to the living
room. He was talking to David Mallony, but the conversation was coming to a
close.

‘They haven’t found Paul yet,’ said Sam, replacing the
handset on its base. ‘David thinks he’s holed up somewhere on one of the
estates. Apparently there’s a fair-sized paedophile network around here and
Paul has contacts to them.’

Nina shuddered. It was more than time to leave Bedford,
leave David and his team to close the case.

‘We’ll go on Saturday. All I want to do now is get Naomi
well away from here,’ she said. ‘The bad stuff won’t seem so immediate when we’re
back home. Island life is so different.’

‘Nina – I meant what I said about visiting you on Arran,’ he
said. ‘I know you don’t want to think about what we could have together, but
one day you might and till then I’ll be making a nuisance of myself. Be warned.’

Nina laughed, and held out her glass. ‘I’m warned.’

Sipping, she wandered through to check that Naomi was okay.
Because… and the thought made her shiver all over again – Paul was still out
there somewhere. They weren’t safe yet.