Elisabeth Carpenter - Only a Mother

‘I guess that’s what teenagers do all the time,’ says Luke.

‘No… I mean, yes they do. But when Jenna went missing, I thought he had something to do with it, but I was wrong.’

‘Who, Craig?’ Luke asked, confused.

‘No,’ she says. ‘I think his name was Jason.’

‘I spoke to Jason Bamber,’ says Luke to Amanda, sitting at her desk in front of him. ‘He’s one of Craig Wright’s close friends – a bit flash… full of himself, but he said he barely knew Jenna Threlfall. Talked to Jason’s girlfriend – who was friends with Jenna at school. She said Craig was seeing Jenna behind Lucy’s back – and she saw him with Jenna the night she disappeared. She reported it to the police, but Erica Wright had given her son an alibi.’

‘Good luck untangling all that, then,’ she says, grimacing slightly.

‘There’s more. I’ve just spoken with Jenna’s sister, Olivia, who said she was sure that the person Jenna was seeing was called Jason.’

‘Shit. Did the police know about this at the time?’

‘Maybe Jason was the second man questioned for Jenna’s murder.’

‘That sounds plausible. So what we’re missing here is…’

‘Evidence. Someone knows where the T-shirt and necklace taken from Jenna are. And I’ve a feeling who that might be.’

‘Hey!’ It’s Derek at his desk next to the window: the ‘sports department’. ‘Check out Granada Reports .’

Luke turns to face the flat screen on the wall as Derek turns up the volume.

‘ Local teenager Leanne Livesey has been missing for three days having last been seen with convicted murderer Craig Wright. Let’s go over to Samia Brennan. ’

It pans to a large detached house, painted a strange yellowy beige. The reporter stands outside in a beige mac under a large umbrella.

‘ Leanne Livesey, who is seventeen years old, was last seen getting in a car with Craig Wright, who has in the last few days been released from prison after serving seventeen years for the murder of his girlfriend, Lucy Sharpe. If anyone sees Craig Wright, the police have advised not to approach him, but to dial 999. ’

‘Shit,’ whispers Luke.

‘You can say that again,’ says Amanda. ‘Isn’t that the kids’ home on Mill Street she’s standing outside? I pass that on the way to work. Why aren’t we there? It’s only about a mile away. Bloody Granada Reports , they get everything first.’

Luke grabs his keys from his desk and his coat from the back of the chair. As he’s putting his arm in the first sleeve, his phone rings.

‘Leave it,’ says Amanda.

‘It won’t take a minute,’ says Luke.

Amanda folds her arms as he picks up the handset.

‘Luke Simmons, the Chronicle .’

There’s a few seconds’ silence before a quiet voice says, ‘Luke? It’s me. It’s Erica Wright.’

‘Erica?’ Luke grabs a pen and points to the phone. Amanda gives him a thumbs up. ‘How can I help?’

‘I have a name that I’ve been researching. Pete Lawton. I hope you’re writing this down. He was with Craig when Lucy disappeared. He was having work experience at the garage. Craig said it was called Anderson & Campbell in Ashton. I thought you might do a better job of tracing the man. It would clear Craig’s name. It’s very important.’

‘Erica, have you seen the news?’

‘Well, I saw the girl… I mean I saw a girl on the news… they mentioned Craig, but they’ve got it all wrong.’ She talks slowly, as though choosing her words carefully. ‘I know you think I’m only saying that because he’s my son… that I’m burying my head—’

‘Erica,’ says Luke. ‘The police know he’s taken a young girl… taken her away in a car. She’s only seventeen.’

There’s a clatter down the line, like she’s dropped the handset – or has she fallen?

‘Erica!’ Luke shouts down the phone. ‘Shit, Amanda. I think she might’ve collapsed or something.’

She grabs the handset from Luke’s hand.

‘Erica, love. My name’s Amanda. Can you hear me?’ She looks to Luke. ‘She’s crying, wailing. She’s not unconscious.’ She turns to face the desk. ‘Erica. Come on. Talk to me. I’ll have to phone an ambulance if you don’t talk to me.’

Luke watches, holding his breath as Amanda stands still.

It seems the whole newsroom is listening to the silence.

Amanda’s shoulders drop and she turns to face Luke.

‘Thank God, Erica. You had me worried, then. Do you want us to pop round?… Oh really? Well, I’ll let you get that. We’ll come and see you in an hour or two… check you’re all right.’

Amanda holds the handset away from her ear.

‘She hung up… said there was a knock at the door.’

‘Police.’

She replaces the handset. ‘Well, yeah. Most likely.’

‘Come on,’ says Luke. ‘Sunningdales, then Erica’s.’

Luke walks across the office, the adrenaline pumping down his legs, his arms. This is the best he’s felt in years.

Jenna was a lot feistier than Lucy. She didn’t really want to come out with me that day.

‘Tell her we’re only popping to the shop,’ I said to her.

‘But she’s thirteen,’ she said. ‘I can’t leave her on her own.’

‘Thirteen’s fine. Kids walk home from school from eleven years old. Listen… she won’t know we’ve gone – we could sneak out. We’ll only be a few minutes.’

‘But what’s the point of going out if it’s only for a few minutes?’

Jenna was a loose end. She was the one who could get me into trouble. I wanted to know if she’d keep quiet for me.

We drove to somewhere different than I went with Lucy. They still hadn’t found her. I should’ve pointed them in the wrong direction, but then I’d look like a grass, wouldn’t I?

I’d put vodka in a SodaStream bottle and she’d been drinking it on the way there.

‘Don’t worry, Jen,’ I said. ‘It’s six o’clock now. Your mum and dad will be home.’

‘What? What time is it? Have I been asleep?’

‘No, no.’

She sat up straight in the car.

‘The police came round the other day,’ she said. ‘They asked about you.’

‘I’m sure they didn’t, Jen.’

‘They know a lot about you.’

‘But you didn’t say anything, did you? Because I know a lot about you, too, Jen. About how you betrayed your friend. And you wouldn’t want that to get out, would you?’

She shook her head, but there was something in her eyes. Back then I thought it was guilt, but looking back, it was probably fear.

‘It was you, wasn’t it?’ she said. ‘Did you take Lucy somewhere? Have you hurt her?’

‘Don’t be silly,’ I said. ‘As if I’d do a thing like that. I loved – I mean I love her.’

I almost slipped up – Lucy was only missing then.

‘But what about me?’ said Jenna, relaxing into the seat. ‘I thought you loved me.’

It was the stuff in the vodka I gave her that made her less resistant. It didn’t take as long as with Lucy.

I knew that she knew, as soon as I saw her face.

Once she got in the car, she wasn’t coming out alive.

I made sure she was totally clean.

And now, I’ve done it again.

I’m still on the floor after hanging up the telephone and the thuds on the door are getting louder, stronger.

‘If you don’t answer the door,’ a woman’s voice, stern, ‘we have a warrant to forcibly enter the premises.’