Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas

Author:Claire Douglas [Douglas, Claire]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781405932585
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2019-06-26T23:00:00+00:00

28

Margot

Margot had spent all weekend at her daughter’s bedside – visiting hours allowing. She wanted to cherish every waking moment with Heather. She’d nearly lost her and, even though she knows the road ahead won’t be easy, at least she’s alive and recovering a little more each day. And Margot will do her best to make sure she doesn’t go to prison.

The police are still standing guard. Heather’s been moved out of the ICU to a private room, mainly because of the police presence but also because the hospital doesn’t want the other patients to be alarmed. The doctors – thank the Lord – aren’t allowing Heather to be interviewed yet, saying she’s still in no fit state emotionally to deal with the fact that all the evidence points to her shooting dead two people. Heather has said she can’t remember a thing about that fateful day. Margot had tried to probe her gently, asking her if she remembered anything, but Heather had got distressed and Adam had glared at her disapprovingly.

‘Give it time,’ Dr Khan said, when she passed her pacing the corridor. ‘It’s common for patients to be unable to recollect any memories from the time of their brain trauma. She might never get them back.’

Could Margot live with that? The not-knowing? She thinks so, if it means having Heather back where she belongs.

Margot’s rubber soles squeak as she strides down the corridor to Heather’s room. Because it’s Monday morning, Adam has agreed to stay at the caravan park to check out the young couple, whom she still thinks could be journalists. Margot’s excited at the prospect of spending time with Heather, alone, and has with her an array of chocolate and magazines. At the weekend Adam brought Ethan in to see her and Margot had to fight back tears as he snuggled up to his mother’s chest, his head resting against her collarbone, sucking his thumb, happy and contented to be with her again. Heather had kissed his soft dark curls hungrily, tears running down her cheeks as she practically inhaled him, terrified of being parted from him again. Margot understands how that feels. And in that moment she knew Heather hadn’t tried to take her own life. There is no way she’d ever leave her little boy. He is her world. Maybe it had been an accident. Maybe the gun had gone off in her hand and the bullet hit her chest. Or – she recalls the unidentified set of fingerprints on the gun – somebody else was involved.

Heather is sitting up in bed when she enters the room. She looks up, her eyebrows raised. It’s still a shock to see the huge padded plaster on the side of her head. ‘Mum. Why is that policeman still outside the door?’ she says. She asks the same thing every day. And every day Margot has to come up with more lies.

Today, Dr Khan has suggested they tell her the truth. Gently, of course. The police are champing at the bit to interview her.

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