A Time of Peace Read online

  She straightened up and walked back to the lounge, strain etched on her face. Christmas Eve was usually a happy time as they looked forward to the festive season, but not this year. It had been a job making the entire family stay away, but Rose hadn’t wanted the house filled up; it would have only caused Bill more agitation. She was sick with worry for her daughter and her husband’s health. She knew everyone was holding their breath waiting for news, and praying that Kate would be found soon, and alive!

  Bill and James were staring at a photograph as if mesmerized. The picture had been found on the reception desk of Grant Phillips just before the offices closed last night. No one had seen who had left it there.

  ‘That tells us she’s still all right and in good enough spirit to ham it up in front of Derek Howard.’ Rose spoke briskly. Since receiving the photos, she found her admiration for her daughter had risen markedly. Of course she’d always loved her, but had worried that she might not be able to take the knocks life handed out from time to time. Now she knew her daughter could.

  ‘Why’s she got a piece of sack tied around her head?’ Pete wanted to know. He had refused to go home until Kate was found, so he’d been living with Rose and Bill.

  ‘I don’t suppose there’s any heating where he’s keeping her and she’s trying to keep herself warm.’ Bill’s voice was husky with tiredness and worry.

  ‘James,’ Rose turned to her son, ‘why didn’t anyone see who delivered the photos to Grant Phillips? You always have someone on duty in reception, surely?’

  ‘The receptionist left her desk for only a few minutes to take a visitor up to the drawing office. The envelope was there when she returned.’

  ‘You sure this is the only message with the pictures?’ Bill asked his son.

  ‘Yes, all it says is – I’ll see the Freemans back in the gutter they came from.’ James ran a hand over his eyes. ‘Mum, let’s cook a proper meal, and then we must try and get some rest. We’ve done all we can.’

  ‘Can I help?’ Pete asked. ‘I’m good at peeling spuds.’

  ‘You’ve got yourself a job.’ Rose gave him a studied glance. Kate had been right to help him. It was already evident that there was something special about Pete. Her daughter would have seen that of course, she had an uncanny knack of seeing beneath the outward appearance of people. Her insides clenched painfully, praying that Kate was putting that talent to good use. It might increase her chances of survival.

  Rose was about to go to the kitchen when there was a knock on the door. ‘I’ll get it.’

  Standing on the doorstep in the fading light of dusk was a man of about thirty-five, holding firmly on to a girl of no more than nine or ten years old. She’d been crying and didn’t look as if she wanted to be there.

  ‘I’m looking for someone called Freeman.’

  ‘That’s me,’ Rose said, trying to keep a weary note out of her voice. People had the habit of coming to her when they had legal problems, but she wasn’t capable of dealing with anything at the moment. She had enough trouble of her own.

  He held out a package. ‘My daughter came home with this a while ago, and I think it belongs to you.’

  Rose pulled aside the paper and saw a small camera. Although she didn’t recognize it, Kate and cameras went together … ‘You’d better come in, Mr …?’

  ‘Sanders,’ he told her, ‘and this is my daughter May.’

  She took them to the sitting room, introduced them, and held out the camera to Pete.

  ‘That’s Kate’s!’ he cried, taking it from Rose. ‘She put it in her pocket when Derek Howard came for her. She never steps outside the door without a camera of some sort.’

  Suddenly they were all on their feet talking at once.

  Clearly frightened by the turmoil in the room, May peered from behind her father, eyes brimming with tears. ‘I didn’t steal it!’ she shouted in panic. ‘I didn’t do nothing wrong! I want to go home, Daddy.’

  Bill stooped down in front of her and smiled. ‘We know you didn’t do anything wrong, May. We have a daughter and she’s in terrible danger, so could you tell us where you got the camera?’

  May was calmed by Bill’s gentle voice. ‘What’s happened to her?’

  ‘A man’s hidden her somewhere. That’s her camera and we need to know where it was found.’

  ‘I don’t know, honest!’ The girl was becoming agitated again and cast her father a beseeching glance.

  ‘Tell Mr Freeman where you got the camera, May. No one’s blaming you for anything.’

  ‘I went to the shops for Mum. She’d run out of flour, and I met two girls and they had it. They said it wasn’t any good but I liked it, so I swapped a film star magazine for it,’ she informed the room. ‘I’d just bought the new Photoplay with my pocket money.’

  ‘Who were these girls?’ James asked.

  ‘Dunno. They said they didn’t live in Hammersmith. Their mum and dad was doing some shopping for Christmas and told them to wait outside the shop.’ May stopped and looked anxiously at Bill. ‘They said it wasn’t pinched; they’d found it where they play.’

  ‘Did they say where that was?’ Rose prompted.

  The girl shook her head. ‘I didn’t have time to talk no more because their mum came out of the shop.’

  ‘Thank you, May.’ Bill stood up, his disappointment clear for anyone to see.

  ‘I’m sorry I don’t know any more.’ May was looking more composed now.

  ‘Mr Sanders, we were about to have dinner – would you like to join us?’ Rose asked.

  ‘Thank you, Mrs Freeman, but we must be getting back.’

  ‘It was kind of you to return the camera,’ James said.

  ‘I couldn’t do nothing else when I saw it was quite valuable. We don’t want to be accused of stealing.’

  Bill took a five-pound note out of his wallet and gave it to May. ‘That’s for bringing us Kate’s camera.’

  May’s eyes opened wide when she saw the small fortune. ‘Thank you, sir, but I didn’t want to come. My dad made me,’ she admitted.

  ‘I hope you find your girl safe and well, Mrs Freeman. I’m sorry we couldn’t be of more help.’

  After Sanders and his daughter left, Rose and Pete went to the kitchen and set about preparing a quick meal. They worked silently, their thoughts and prayers with Kate.

  Dinner was ready and Rose made everyone sit down. All they’d eaten during the search were sandwiches. They’d chased every lead, however flimsy, but to no avail. It was a silent meal, with everyone lost in their own thoughts.

  James let out a ragged breath as he pushed his plate away, his appetite evaporating as he gazed at the photograph of his sister.

  ‘Show me those pictures again,’ Rose ordered, taking them from her son.

  Bill leant towards her. ‘That’s obviously a room in a derelict house. Where can it be, Rose?’

  She frowned. ‘It isn’t one of Grant Phillips’s building sites, is it?’

  ‘No, Mum, we’ve checked all of those,’ James said. ‘Howard wouldn’t be daft enough to take her to one of ours.’

  ‘The police haven’t found the car yet,’ Bill said, ‘but that’s hardly surprising. Howard would have dumped it miles away, if he’s got any sense.’

  Rose returned to studying the pictures. Her mind went over all the building developments taking place at the moment and she cursed silently. There was a time when she’d have known every one of them, but she was out of touch now.

  ‘Rose.’ Bill sat beside her. ‘Isn’t there any clue in the photos?’

  She closed her eyes trying to visualize places where Kate might have been hidden, but there were hundreds of suitable sites in London alone … And then it came to her! ‘James show me the note again!’

  ‘I’ll see the Freemans back in the gutter they came from.’

  Rose surged to her feet. ‘My God, he’s taken her to Bermondsey! And I think I know the very place.’

  She scribbled the location on the back of the ph
otograph and thrust it at James. ‘Take this to the police station. Kate might be there.’

  James left at a run. Bill and Pete were scrambling into their coats when Rose stopped them.

  ‘We are going to let the police handle this. If we go storming in, he might panic and kill her.’

  That warning was enough to stop everyone, and they waited.

  James was soon back. ‘The police are mounting a raiding party. They’ve asked that we keep out of it. Oh, and by the way, they’ve found the Wolseley in St Albans.’

  Bill’s mouth was set in a determined line. ‘I’ll leave it to the police, but I’m going to be right behind them.’

  14

  The waiting was terrible. It was dark again and Kate shivered. She had done her best to keep her circulation going, but now it was an effort to move. All she wanted to do was sleep. Derek Howard hadn’t come up here for a long long time. Night had come, then morning, then night again. How many days was it? She couldn’t remember. Time seemed to have stopped for her. She was past feeling hungry, but was glad she’d rationed herself to a couple of sips of lemonade now and again because she needed the liquid. Fear gnawed away at her as she vacillated from praying that he wouldn’t come, to fear that she might be left here to die. Suppose he’d been arrested and wouldn’t tell them where she was? How long could she stay alive without food and water? And yet, if he came, she would die for sure. What a choice!

  She leant against the wall. It was so quiet she had the feeling that the world no longer existed and she was the only person left alive. She was even pleased to see a mouse, which turned up now and again. It was quite unafraid of her and she watched as it foraged around, feeling sad when it disappeared through a tiny gap in the floorboards. Her slim hope that the camera would find its way to her family had evaporated. It had been a crazy idea anyway. Had James been contacted, or was Howard trying to make him sweat by keeping him in the dark? She gave an uncontrolled giggle. She was in the dark all right!

  Her mind was starting to play strange tricks. She tried to work out again how long she’d been here. Was it two days … or three? Maybe more, she’d lost track of time. Was it two days ago Howard had tried to strangle her, or was it the day before that? Perhaps it was Christmas Day now? Kate realized she was confused and had tried hard to keep alert. She had sung all the popular songs she could think of, recited poems and her favourite Psalms from the Bible. But she really couldn’t seem to concentrate now …

  She drifted off to sleep, seeking release in oblivion.

  The sound of heavy footsteps running up the stairs snapped her awake. She scrambled off the bed with a startled cry. Howard was coming for her, and he was in a hurry. She’d been asleep. Dear God, she’d been sleeping when she should have been trying to escape. She began to shake in terror; she didn’t want to die! Panic ripped through her. He was almost at the door now. He would kill her this time!

  The door burst open and with a scream of terror she squeezed herself behind the bed. A bright light blinded her and she heaved the mattress up, standing it in front of her for protection. He was saying something and trying to pull the mattress away. She was going to die!

  ‘Steady, miss.’ The man’s voice was gentle. ‘I’m a policeman. You’re safe now.’

  It was a trick. She was gulping in air.

  It was bedlam as more people came into the room. After the silence of a short time ago Kate became frightened and even more confused.

  ‘Quiet!’ someone ordered. ‘She doesn’t know what’s happening.’

  ‘Miss Freeman, I’m Detective Andy Green. We’ve caught Derek Howard and he’s now in custody.’

  She cautiously peered around the mattress she was using as a shield. They looked like policemen …

  ‘It’s all right, miss,’ one of them said gently, reaching out for the mattress. ‘Let me have that. You don’t need it any more.’

  She let it drop and stood there shivering, her mind not being able to grasp what was going on.

  ‘Where are the ambulance men?’ Detective Green asked. ‘She’s hurt. And let her family come up. She needs to see a familiar face.’

  After the isolation, the room full of people was disorientating. She was dry-eyed but inwardly she was screaming in terror. It took every ounce of self-control she had to stop herself passing out. Was it over? Or was she hallucinating?

  ‘Kate.’

  The voice of her father was nearly her undoing, but when she saw his haggard face she knew it really was all over. She wrapped her arms around him, giving a dry sob. This was no trick of the mind. He was here. He was solid. Neither spoke. There was no need for words.

  Rose appeared. ‘Are you hurt, Kate?’

  She stepped away from her father and hugged her mother. ‘I’m all right.’ In the torchlight she didn’t miss the look of anger and concern that swept over her mother’s face. Then James gathered her in his arms, his face wet with tears.

  ‘I’m so sorry … I’m so sorry.’

  ‘We caught the blighter,’ the policeman informed her. ‘You’ve got nothing to fear now, miss.’

  ‘Thank you.’ She swayed and her mother took hold of her arm to steady her. ‘Can I go home now please?’

  ‘You must go to the hospital for a check-up first.’ A police officer beckoned the ambulance man over. ‘Take Miss Freeman now.’

  ‘Can you walk, miss, or would you like the stretcher?’ He wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.

  ‘I can manage,’ she told the ambulance man, and hoped she was telling the truth, because her legs didn’t feel as if they would hold her.

  Kate sat on the edge of the examination table, her head bowed as the doctor wrote his notes. The check-up had been thorough, painful and embarrassing. The police had wanted photographs of her injuries. She hadn’t realized how badly bruised she was after Howard’s attack on her. But it was what that beast had done to her mentally that would be hard to get over.

  ‘I’ll give you a full medical report in the morning,’ the doctor told the policeman, who had stayed the other side of the screen all the time. Then he turned his attention back to Kate. ‘I would like to keep you in overnight.’

  That made her look up. She wanted the sanctuary of her own room. ‘No, I’m going home.’

  He studied her for a few moments, then nodded. ‘Very well, your parents are waiting outside for you.’

  Kate awoke from a deep sleep feeling bewildered. For a few seconds she thought she was still in that cold dark room. She sat up with a cry of alarm.

  ‘It’s all right, my darling.’ Her father sat on the edge of the bed and took hold of her hand. ‘You’re safe now.’

  As she gazed at his face, her eyes clouded, but not with tears. She was so angry. Her father had suffered, and that odious man had no right to inflict such pain on him or on the rest of her family. She remembered James’s tears and hoped Derek Howard burnt in hell for what he’d done. She had never before wished harm on anyone in her life, but now she did …

  ‘Are you feeling better?’

  She did her best to dampen down the fire of revenge raging inside her and smiled. ‘I’m fine, Dad. What day is it?’

  ‘Christmas Day.’

  Kate laid her head back and wallowed in the luxury and warmth of her own bed, knowing that her family were all around her. ‘What’s the time?’

  Bill glanced at his watch. ‘Ten in the morning.’

  Her gaze rested for a moment on the pile of presents in the corner of the room and she sat up straight. ‘I was supposed to visit Wilkins House yesterday!’ Or was it the day before? Damn, damn, damn! She couldn’t think clearly. Her mind was skittering about all over the place.

  ‘That can wait. We’ll send someone round with the gifts.’

  ‘No, no.’ Kate shook her head. ‘Eddie and the boys will be so disappointed if I don’t turn up. I ought to pop into Standish House as well to wish them a happy Christmas.’

  ‘Your mother’s already done that, and we’ve sent each
home a large Christmas tree and hampers of goodies.’

  ‘That was a lovely idea.’ Kate smiled warmly at her father. ‘But I must go to see Eddie.’

  ‘You’re very fond of that child, aren’t you?’

  ‘Yes. He’s a lovely boy and he yearns for a proper mum and dad.’ Kate’s expression was troubled. ‘They all do.’

  ‘You get yourself ready and I’ll take you – after you’ve had some breakfast.’

  ‘Thanks, Dad.’ She watched him leave; he had aged ten years since she’d been kidnapped and she didn’t think she would ever be able to forgive Howard for doing that to him.

  She’d had a bath and washed her hair last night, but did the same again now. After the filth of that room it was lovely to feel clean. She chose her best suit, which was a lovely cherry-red, brushed her hair until it shone blue-black, tucked a silk scarf around her neck to hide the marks, then put on shoes with the highest heels in her collection. Now she felt ready to face the world, outwardly at least, but she knew she was going to have to give the performance of her life to fool everyone.

  As soon as Kate walked into the kitchen, her gaze fixed on Rose’s face, and she realized with dismay that her mother was also showing the strain. Kate had always considered her mother to be the tough one of the family, but this had caused her much anguish.

  ‘You look better.’ Rose smiled at her daughter. ‘What would you like for breakfast?’

  Kate thought for a moment. She hadn’t wanted anything last night except a cup of hot cocoa, but now she was hungry. ‘A fried-egg sandwich please, and a strong cup of tea.’

  ‘I’ll have the same, Mum.’ James strode in and squeezed Kate’s shoulder, then he sat next to her. ‘I’m so sorry, Kate. I should have handed Howard over to the police as soon as we had any suspicion that he was involved in defrauding the company. I was too bloody soft on him!’

  ‘It wasn’t your fault.’ Her smile was forced. ‘As you can see, I survived.’

  ‘Thank God, but it must have been a terrible ordeal for you.’

  She wasn’t going to let him blame himself. ‘I’ll get over it. How did you find me and what’s happened to Derek Howard?’