‘I don’t know.’ Theresa was ashen. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, streaking her skin with mud. ‘I can’t think about that right now. Please let’s just hurry up so we can both get out of here.’
Reluctantly I jumped into the ditch, trying to push back the feeling I was climbing into my own grave. Above me, the machinery loomed, and I almost expected the wail of police sirens to scream into life. But there was nothing apart from the soft rustle of the oak tree overhead, and Theresa sniffling in the background. I clawed at the ground until I recovered the remains of the skeleton. I worked automatically, disassociating myself from my task in order to carry on. So much had happened that my brain was barely able to take it all in. Using my torch, I searched for pieces of clothing, any extra clues to the identity of the skeleton beneath my feet. But there was nothing but bones and scraps of white material. Theresa and I exchanged a glance as I handed her the last of the remains. Her breath thick with the exertion, she reached out a hand to pull me up from the hole.
A light sprinkling of rain began to fall on my face. Time was running out. ‘Cover it in as quick as you can, then we’ll pull some branches across.’ I admired her strength as she took control and told me what to do.
‘I can’t believe that’s all that’s left,’ I said, watching as Theresa carefully wrapped our finds. ‘No shoes, no personal effects. I’d have thought there would have been more.’
‘It’s been here years. They could have disintegrated, or maybe Emma disposed of them elsewhere so he wouldn’t be recognised.’ She glanced over her shoulder at me. ‘C’mon, you need to get moving. We can talk about this later.’
‘But where are we going to put him?’
Theresa gave me a knowing look. ‘Leave that to me. The less you know about it, the better.’ She closed the bag and stepped back out of the way. ‘Emma’s my sister; this is my mess too. I should have been there for her.’ She looked at me as if to ask why I was still standing there. ‘Quickly. We don’t have much time.’
I wiped a bead of sweat from my forehead before shrugging off my coat and throwing it on to the fence. The wind cooled my face, and I welcomed the light mist of rain that accompanied it. Hot from exertion, my mind was working overtime as I climbed into the cab of the digger. The bucket swung as my hand slipped on the controls, my fingers slick with rain and mud.
‘Steady!’ Theresa shouted, jumping out of the way.
‘Sorry!’ I said, pausing to take a breath before drying my hands on my coat. I set to work, churning over the soil and filling in the empty grave. I tried not to imagine how Emma had felt as she shovelled dirt on top of Luke’s body. Disgust rose within me. I wanted to pack my things, take my child away from this awful place and start again. But I had so many unanswered questions. Who was the man I’d met in Leeds? Surely that meant that someone else was in on the secret too? They could be watching us right now, waiting for Emma to lead them to Luke. I shivered, grateful that Theresa had arranged to dig at night. She was reliable, someone I could trust. Unlike my wife. Throughout the haze of revulsion, one question loomed clear in my mind. Yes, I wanted to leave, but did I want Emma to come with me? And could I trust her with my son?
CHAPTER SIXTY
ALEX
2017
Dawn streaked the sky as the rising sun bled on the horizon, signalling the beginning of a new day. With a heavy heart, I climbed down from the digger, dreading the muddy trudge back to my car. My legs felt like lead as I approached Theresa, who was kneeling on one knee over the wrapped remains. Overwhelmed with guilt, I laid my hand on her shoulder and squeezed. ‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘I should never have involved you. I honestly didn’t expect to find anything.’
I noticed fresh tears on her cheeks as she rose, and she bowed her head as she wiped them away. It was her all over, wanting to appear strong and in control. ‘It’s so sad,’ she said. ‘To end up like this, reduced to a pile of bones in an unmarked grave.’
I sighed, unable to keep my opinion to myself another second. ‘I know Emma’s my wife and I love her, but how could she?’ I glanced down at the remains. ‘This was a real person, a human life.’
But Theresa did not have the answers any more than I did. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed, and I drew my arms around her. ‘Shh, it’s going to be OK. We’ll sort this out, I promise.’
She wrapped her arms around me, the warmth of her body providing comfort. I closed my eyes, breathing in the scent of her hair. Silence fell, and we drew back from each other. I cleared my throat.
Having sensed my hesitance, Theresa stepped away, heat rising to her cheeks. ‘Sorry,’ she said, wiping away the last of her tears. ‘It’s not like me to fall apart like this. You go home to Emma. It’ll be morning soon. She’ll be wondering where you are.’
‘I don’t know if I can do this,’ I said. ‘Act like nothing’s happened.’
‘You have to. What choice do we have? At least now you can sell the house without worrying about what they’ll find.’
But it was not that easy, and we both knew it. Time after time I had prayed Emma had got it wrong and this would all be proven to be a mistake. But now, with the evidence of a body, there was no disputing the facts. I was living with a stalker who had murdered her victim. Her mental health was already declining. What if I said the wrong word, threatened to take Jamie away? Was this the fate that awaited me?
As I drove towards home, I could not imagine what Theresa was going through, with those skeletal remains in the boot of her car. Just what had she planned? What would she say if she were stopped by the police? It did not bear thinking about. But right now my worries were closer to home. The sight of light in our bedroom made me grip the steering wheel tight. What was Emma doing up at this hour of the morning? Was Jamie OK?
I quickly flung off my wellingtons and protective trousers before changing into my shoes. There was nothing I could do about the mud lining the sides of the car, but at least I looked reasonably clean. I opened the front door, only to be met by Emma, wide-eyed and staring, with Jamie clinging to her side.
‘Daddy!’ he cried, running towards me, and I quickly checked him over before taking him in my arms. He clung to me tightly, burying his face in my shoulder. ‘Hey, it’s OK,’ I said, trying to provide reassurance. ‘Everything’s going to be all right.’
‘Mu . . . Mummy said there was a bad man outside,’ he stuttered, each word piercing my heart.
I glared at Emma, trying to keep my tone low. ‘What the hell’s happened?’ I said, rubbing Jamie’s back as I soothed him. But Emma stared at me vacantly, tears springing to her eyes. ‘Emma!’ I said, trying to snap her out of whatever trance she was in.
She pointed to the door. ‘It was Luke. He was outside.’ She turned, leading me out to the kitchen. Every light in the house was switched on. ‘Here,’ she pointed at the kitchen window. ‘I saw his face in the window.’
Her eyes were wild, her hair windswept. I glared at her mud-caked feet in disbelief. ‘Have you been outside?’ I said, fear creeping up my back as I thought of where I’d been just minutes before.
‘We need to call the police,’ she said, staring over my shoulder through the window. ‘I heard noises. He’s out there. It’s only a matter of time before he comes back.’ She grabbed my arms, making Jamie tighten his grip. But the more I tried to reassure our son, the louder Emma became.