2nd June 2013
Dear Readers, this is the final chapter of A Model Mother: However, there is also a short epilogue in two parts, which I am publishing at the same time as this chapter.
I am dedicating this chapter to another of my favourite writers on Wattpad, Michael Whitehouse6. He writes horror and paranormal stories, my favourite genres after romance. One of his stories, “Forgotten Valentine” although a horror/paranormal story, has a romantic theme.
When Rose returned to the flat, Nathalie was still in bed, recovering after a very late night clubbing with her friends. Lloyd was in his highchair being fed lunch by Delma. He grinned and waved at Rose when she came in and she sat down in the chair next to him.
Delma looked at her friend with concern,
“You are as white as a sheet. Do you want me to make you something?”
Rose shook her head. “No, its ok, I’ve had too many coffees already and if I eat anything I think I’d choke.”
“It didn’t go well then?” Delma asked.
Rose thought. “It was all a bit surreal. Miles had to dash off soon after I saw the photographs. Max has taken an overdose,” she explained quickly.
Delma was shocked. “Oh my God. When?”
“This morning I think. The clinic contacted Francesca and Bill called Miles. He went to pick up Helen and then they are going straight to Oaklands. He wanted me to go with him and I sort of felt bad saying no, but I really don’t think it was appropriate for me to be there, for ….well, for all kinds of reasons really.”
Delma was desperate to ask Rose about the photographs. They had speculated about them for so long and now finally, they got to know what was in them and the reason for Mile’s desertion of Rose. But Rose was looking fragile and preoccupied and Delma wasn’t sure if it was fair to prod her.
However, she needn’t have worried, it seemed that it was the photographs that was preoccupying Rose the most.
“Well, I finally got to see the damn photographs and I’m afraid that whilst they’ve answered some of the questions I had, there are a whole load more still to be answered. “
Rose described what she had seen and explained about the ones of Max and the woman who had impersonated her. Delma was incredulous, and gasped when she heard about the photographs of Max making love to a Rose look alike.
“This just gets weirder and weirder. And you still can’t remember who the woman reminds you of?”
“Nope, but it will come back to me.”
Delma was thoughtful. “So, how do you feel now about Miles, has it changed anything?”
Rose sighed. “I still wish he had shown them to me as soon as he saw them. Even if he had continued to believe they were genuine, I could have been investigating who was in the photos and why they had been made. But I have to admit that they are very convincing – it is a detailed and well thought through scam. But…..” Rose choked a bit and Delma reached over and stroked her friend’s arm.
“The thing is,” Rose continued, “Max must have really hated me to do that and I can’t for the life of me work out why. Miles said he thinks that Max was and is so drugged up that he is seriously sick and beyond reason. And now if Max…… well, to be brutal about it if Max dies, then we’ll never know why he did it.”
They were interrupted by Lloyd who had finished his dinner and clearly indicated he was ready to play. Delma wiped his face and hands and Rose lifted him up and holding his hands in hers encouraged him to walk into the living room. He was on the verge of being able to take his first steps unaided, her baby was growing up!
“Listen”, said Delma, “I have to love you and leave you now, I agreed to Skype a potential client this afternoon, once that’s done I’m free again, OK? But please, please call me as soon as you have any more news, and I mean anything, promise?”
Rose hugged her friend, “Thanks for having Lloyd – I’ll call you later anyway, whether I’ve heard anything or not – I just can’t get those photographs out of my head.” Delma hugged her friend back. She was reluctant to leave her, she looked so deflated, but Nathalie was in the flat so she wouldn’t be alone.
Once Delma had left, Rose sat on the large Persian rug in her living room and helped Lloyd build a tower of bricks out of large colourful wooden blocks. She still felt bad about not going to the clinic with Miles, she knew that he desperately wanted her support but he would have Helen and Bill there and if anyone needed support it was going to be Francesca. A reunion between them all was hardly appropriate at what might turn out to be the death bed of Fran’s brother. And Rose had to admit it; she desperately craved Mile’s presence. She had felt sad and shocked about Max but she was reeling, too, from seeing the photographs at Miles’s flat, particularly the ones of her and Max and she was still taking it all in. Miles said he would update her as soon as he knew exactly what Max’s condition was and she wished he would hurry up and call.
Feeling lonely, Rose went and fetched her laptop and typed an email message to her Dad. She knew he was probably out leading a night dive, so she just told him she was up for a Skype when he got back if he was no too tired. As an enticement she told him that she had finally got to see the photographs.
She was so lost in thought that when her ‘phone went off it almost made her jump off the ground, Lloyd stopped what he was doing to stare at it too. Convinced it was Miles, she was caught off guard when she heard Serge’s voice.
“Hello, is that you Rose?”
“Oh….Serge. How are you?”
He sounded tense, not his usual jovial and teasing self.
“I’m fine thanks, yourself?”
“Fine too,” Rose responded, “Have you called about the Spa?”
“No, no, not at all. I’ve called to talk to you. How is Lloyd ….and…er…..Miles?”
Rose thought this was a strange conversation, where exactly was it leading. “They’re both well, thanks. Have the police found out who slashed your tyres yet?”
“Yes, they have. And I need to talk to you about it, it’s quite urgent actually. Can I come around now or later this afternoon?”
Rose was taken aback, she didn’t really want Serge around in case Miles returned to her flat and besides she and Miles still had quite some talking to do.
“Can you talk to me over the ‘phone?” she offered, but Serge almost immediately declined the offer, saying that he really wanted to speak to her in person.
“OK, come straight over,” Rose offered, “but I may need to go out in a couple of hours.”
“Will Miles be there?” asked Serge.
“No, he’s, um.. he’s with his family this afternoon.”
Rose got the feeling that he was disappointed Miles wouldn’t be present, it was all very curious.
“What about Lloyd, is he with you?”
“Yes, of course he is. Serge, what is this about, you’re starting to make me feel nervous!”
“No worries, I’ll be over in about…….30 minutes, ok?”
She decided it was just going to be an extraordinary day and it was best just to roll with it. First the photographs, then Max, now a visit from Serge. Could it get any stranger?
Once she had put the ‘phone down on Serge she went to check on Nathalie, again encouraging Lloyd to walk to Auntie Nathalie whilst she kept tight hold of his hands. She hadn’t actually seen her sister properly for the last twenty four hours, they had just exchanged a few words here and there. Nathalie unexpectedly had had her braces removed yesterday, earlier than they had anticipated and the difference was incredible, she had bloomed into an incredibly beautiful young woman and now her lovely white even teeth were the icing on the cake. Rose felt protective of her but had to keep reminding herself that when she had been Nat’s age she had already been modelling internationally for two years.
Nat was actually up and dressed and looked as if she was on her way out somewhere. Rose rolled her eyes in mock disbelief. “Out again? Where to this time?”
Nat coloured slightly, “I’m going to the park with Jojo – he’s got a day off today and needed a break from his studying.”
Oh,so, there is something going on, Rose thought to herself; and then chided herself, they might well just be friends.
“Hey, that’s great. Is he coming here first?”
Nathalie seemed to relax a bit, perhaps she had been worried Rose might become over protective.
“Yes, he said he wanted to say hello to you, will you be around?”
Rose was relieved, but she sort of already knew that she could rely on Jojo to always do the right thing, she found herself warming to him more and more; he would know that, with all her concerns over Lloyd being in the public eye, he would not want to make it any worse.
Nathalie looked contrite suddenly, “Did it go alright with Miles this morning, you seemed to come back ever so fast.”
Rose got her sister up to speed and Nathalie’s eyes grew as round as saucers. “Oh my god, if Max dies, you’ll never know why he did it!”
“Unless we manage to track down the woman posing as me,” agreed Rose.
“Anyway, just so you know, Serge is coming round soon, says he wants to speak with me urgently about the other night, when his tyres were slashed – seems it never rains but it pours!”
“Oh, ok,” Nat said casually, but she eyeballed her sister suspiciously.”
“What?” Rose demanded, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m just worried that you’re going to end up in an even bigger mess if you’re going to have both Serge and Miles chasing after you at the same time. And, well it doesn’t really seem fair to Miles that’s all – I think he’s really trying hard to make up for what he did.”
Nat blushed as she finished her speech and Rose raised her eyebrows. “It didn’t take long for Miles to work his charm on you, did it?” she retorted, lightly.
Nat smiled sheepishly. “I do like him and I think Helen is so lovely too; I think that he is still completely head over heels in love with you – and not just because he wants to get his hands on Lloyd,” she added as an afterthought.
Rose kissed Nat tenderly on her cheek. “Thanks for that. But you know I still have a lot of things to work through, in my head. Everything seems to have happened so fast since that photo of Lloyd got into the press, and my life is just completely upside down again.”
Nat lifted up Lloyd who was starting to feel left out and held him close. “Shall Jojo and I take him with us to the park – he’ll love it.”
Rose hesitated. She was a more than a little unsettled and it was making her feel protective of her son. “I assumed that Jojo might appreciate a bit of off duty time with you alone.”
Nat started to blush again, “I’ll ask him when he arrives, but he loves Lloyd just as much as we do you know. Here he is now!”
The doorbell rang and Rose let Jojo in. He was looking hot, sizzling hot, thought Rose; if he wasn’t so fixed on a career in law he could have made it as a male model, no doubt about it. He also looked a little shy – he wasn’t visiting as a security guard and his usual business like veneer had been replaced by that of a young man at leisure who clearly had an affection for her little sister.
“Miss Pendry”, he nodded at Rose.
Rose sighed, “Please call me Rose, it doesn’t feel right to be so formal if you and Nat are …..she hesitated and saw Nat and Jojo glance at each other and smile, “well, since we are such good friends now.”
Rose walked LLoyd back into the living room and behind her heard Nat ask “Shall we take Lloyd with us, you know how much he loves the Serpentine.”
Jojo sounded hesitant, “I don’t mind taking him at all, but remember I’m not on duty.”
Rose heard Nat lower her voice and couldn’t help smiling and feeling touched when she heard her say to Jojo,
“I think my sis could do with a break – she had a really intense meeting with Miles this morning and then he had to rush off because one of his relatives has tried to top himself – I’ll tell you about it in the park.”
Jojo followed Rose into the living room. “We’d be happy to take Lloyd with us to the park, if you think he’s up for it –but I’m not officially not on duty, I’m not sure how you feel about that. We were planning to be a couple of hours at the longest.”
Much as she was reluctant to let him out of her sight, Rose thought that actually it might be better if Lloyd was occupied whilst Serge was around, so she quickly agreed. Lloyd beamed and chuckled at a promise of feeding the ducks, and Jojo dressed him up in a fleece and a hat whilst Rose put together some pieces of stale bread and crackers from the kitchen to take to the park with them.
Nat and Jojo made a striking couple and when Rose watched them from her balcony, she smiled as she saw people look twice at them and in some cases look at Lloyd in puzzlement too – both tall and yet so starkly different in colouring with Jojo’s black afro-Caribbean heritage and Nat’s Nordic blonde skin, bone structure and hair. Boy, if they have kids, Rose thought to herself, they will be something else. But not as handsome as Lloyd of course, and she felt a little tug on her heart as she saw him all snuggled up in his pushchair. She watched them until they disappeared out of sight onto Rotten Row behind the hedge that separated Hyde Park from Kensington Road.
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The woman in the car parked outside Rose’s block of flats was trying to make up her mind whether to follow Nat and Jojo or not. Whilst debating what to do she saw, in her mirror, a familiar silver Porsche approach and she slid down in her seat. It was Serge. He drove up to the entrance to Rose’s block of flats and down the ramp to the car park – he had a quick word with the concierge who pressed a button to raise the security grille and Serge disappeared into the basement.
She felt her blood thumping through her veins. So, he was still seeing Rose after all. That slut had been to Miles’s flat this morning and now she was entertaining another lover this afternoon – her, husband. As soon as the Porsche was out of sight and the grille was lowered into place, the woman, Irena, tied up her hair and shoved it into a soft beret, then put on her sunglasses. She got out of the car, locked it and started jogging towards the park, in the same direction that she had seen Jojo and Nathalie walking. Seeing Serge at Rose’s flat had made up her mind, she would go for Lloyd first. Rose would have to wait. She paused momentarily to pull out her phone and quickly sent a coded message to Lily. With any luck Lily would already be parked off the West Carriage Drive as they had planned, Irena’s message would put her on alert that action was imminent.
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Rose was a little nervous about Serge being in her flat and now wondered if she had done the right thing in being there alone.
But it was too late for doubts, the buzzer sounded and suddenly Serge was filling the hallway of her flat. Typically of Serge, whilst he paused to kiss Rose briefly on both cheeks, he then walked decisively ahead of her into her living room. Rose smothered a smile, he could be incredibly arrogant. However, there was none of the lightness and flirtation of their meeting last week; in fact Serge was looking decidedly grim.
Once in the living room, he looked around him as if he had lost something. “Where is Lloyd? I thought he was with you.”
“Nathalie just took him out in his pushchair, she’s with a friend, Jojo, he’s off-duty today but normally he works as a body guard for us.”
“Are you sure the baby is safe?” Serge asked doubtfully.
Rose felt as if a cold hand had clasped her heart. “Why shouldn’t I be?” she looked at him quizzically, “If you know something I should be aware of then spill it now Serge because if something happens to Lloyd I’ll never forgive you.”
Serge nodded and threw himself onto one of the sofas.
“It’s Irena, my ex-wife. She was the one who slashed my tyres.”
Rose’s eyes widened, as she took in the implications. “You told me she was in Russia, that she was barred from travelling. I thought she was too sick to travel alone.”
“I thought she was in Russia too. Turns out she has been travelling in Europe and the US for over a year, her family had covered it up.”
Rose suddenly gasped, put her hands over her face and sat down next to him. The name of the familiar face she had been trying to place in the photographs suddenly flashed into her head; what she had recognised in one of the photographs that Max had given Miles was Irena’s face; Serge had once shown Rose a photo of Irena and that was what her memory had been trying to place.
“Oh my God, Serge, it was her, in the photographs.”
Serge took her hand in his. “What photographs? Please, tell me, has she been near you?”
Rose looked at him, her mind was racing. She delayed answering whilst she thought through the implications. Somehow Max must have got caught up with Irena. She needed to find out as much as she could from Serge but was not quite ready yet, to let him know of the content of the photographs or the role they had played in her break-up with Miles.
“Does Irena know Max Whitlock?” she asked Serge.
He looked stunned. “Yes, it seems she does, but I only just found that out myself, how did you know?”
Rose’s heart started to thump and she wasn’t entirely certain why. “OK, this is serious Serge, I need to know, is she a risk to me or to my family, is she likely to try to physically harm us?”
Serge let out a breath of air, sharply. “I am really concerned that she might be," he confessed. “But, I have no hard evidence and nor do the police. She has stalked me before and from the incident with the slashed tyres it looks like she has started again. My experience of Irena is that she prefers to play mind games, she is an arch manipulator. My fear is that she will target you because she knows that we went out together and also because we got engaged. She isn’t of sound mind and she is not taking her medication. This means she will be in a highly paranoid frame of mind.”
Serge stood up again, his restlessness spooked Rose. “I don’t know where she is either. She has not returned to her last known address and it looks like she is renting or moving around hotels for a night at a time. She must have a large supply of cash on her because her credit cards are not being used.”
He stopped and looked at Rose. “You said something about photographs, has she already been in touch with you?”
Rose thought carefully about what she should say. She wasn’t sure she wanted those photographs confiscated by the police yet. “I was shown some photographs today that had been deliberately tampered with; a woman, who I now realise is Irena, had made herself look like me in order to deceive ……someone…..and deliberately cause some trouble for me.”
Serge opened his mouth as if to ask a question but Rose shook her head at him.
“That’s all I’m prepared to say Serge, it’s a really delicate situation, please don’t ask me any more questions until I know exactly what I can and can’t reveal, it’s not just Irena who is implicated.”
“OK,” Serge agreed. He looked at her thoughtfully. He was as sharp as a knife and Rose knew that mind of his would already be making connections, most of them right. “But it might be that the information you hold will be exactly what the police need in order to arrest her; so please, I would urge you to pass on any evidence you have as soon as possible.”
“Miles has the actual evidence,” Rose explained, “I’d have to talk with him first. But you must understand Serge that it is extremely sensitive, if the evidence fell into the wrong hands….”
“I understand. Look, babe, I’d feel more comfortable if Miles knew about this too. I think that every precaution must be taken for the safety of you and Lloyd until Irena has been caught.”
Rose nodded in agreement. “I’ll tell him, but at this minute he is dealing with a, …..well, a family crisis; I don’t want to burden him today if I can avoid it.”
Serge shook his head. “I disagree. I’m sorry for the family crisis, whatever it is, but he must know that you and Lloyd may be at risk. I think that security for all three of you maybe Nathalie too, must be priority. I’m happy to talk to him myself, if you think that’s possible.”
Rose wasn’t sure that was wise. Miles was already deeply suspicious of Serge and if he knew that he was here now, in her flat, he might go completely off the deep end. On the other hand, Miles may not take Rose as seriously about Irena than if he heard it straight from Serge himself; after all, Serge knew her better than any of them.
“OK, I’ll call him and hand him over to you, but let me speak to him first.” Rose pulled her mobile from her bag and dialled Miles’s number. He answered quickly.
“Hi, thanks for calling.”
“How is he?”
“Touch and go I’m afraid. He’s clinging on, but is still unconscious.”
“I’m really sorry; please tell Francesca I’m thinking of her. Is your Mum there?”
“Yes, she’s very upset of course, but is good support for Francesca.” Miles hesitated, “Look this is completely confidential and I know I can trust you not to say anything, but the police have been called in by the clinic; they think it may not have been accidental.”
Rose swiftly took in the implications. “Oh my god, that’s awful. Is it linked to his debts do you think?”
“We have no idea at the moment. That’s certainly a strong possibility and there’s nothing else that any of us are aware of. But apparently Max left a written statement with Dr. Jones yesterday; he said it was to go to Bill in the eventuality of anything happening to him but the police have taken it away, they said they won’t tell us what’s in it until they’ve had a chance to read it and carry out initial investigations.”
“OK, Miles, listen to me; what I’m going to tell you next may seem a bit strange, but it might be related. Please hear me out and don’t get angry ok?”
Miles sounded puzzled. “Go on.”
“Serge got in touch with me about an hour ago. The police have found out who was responsible for his slashed tyres, it was his ex-wife, Irena.”
Rose looked at Serge who was listening carefully to her conversation. She continued
“And Miles, listen, Serge is here with me now and he wants to talk to you.” She could almost feel the temperature drop over the phone.
“What the hell……., do you not think I’m going through enough right now without making me engage in small talk with your ex!”
Rose decided to just cut in and added loudly, “Miles, she is the one in the photographs – Irena, do you understand what I’m saying?”
That got his attention. There was a silence, then… “OK, put Kupetsky on.”
Rose proffered the phone to Serge, who took it with alacrity. She sat back and closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on Serge’s half of the conversation so as to more accurately guess what Miles might be saying.
Serge was business-like, he described Irena’s mental state to Miles and why he thought she may be a risk to them. Then followed a series of “ahas” and “ok, yes” that led Rose to believe that Miles was probably making plans with Serge whilst trying not to alarm her unnecessarily. There was a longish conversation about security arrangements and Lloyd and Nathalie were mentioned.
Eventually, the conversation came to an end, Serge thanked Miles politely and apologised for bringing bad news then he handed the phone back to Rose whilst taking out his own and moving into the kitchen to make calls from it. Rose noticed that Serge dropped his voice too so that she could not hear what he was saying. God, it was like being in an asylum herself – men!
Miles sounded calm and brisk. "Where’s Lloyd now?”
“He’s in the park with Nathalie and Jojo.”
“Do you know when they’ll be back?”
“They said they’d be a couple of hours and that was about half an hour ago.”
“Look I suggest you call them and ask them to return to the flat; ask them where exactly they are and go and meet them. Can you let Jojo know the situation. I’m going to call my security guys and get them to up the vigilance on yours and my flats and my mother’s too. I’m also going to alert Bill as to what has happened, are you comfortable with all of that?”
Rose swallowed hard but managed a sound that vaguely managed to convey an affirmative. Miles continued.
“Serge will get photos of Irena emailed over to me and Bill and I’ll forward to him, a scanned copy of how she looks now – and don’t worry, I won’t compromise you in any way – I’ve simply explained to Serge that I believe she may have had surgery so as to look more like you in order to harass you and and he will pass that information onto his guys and to the police too.”
Rose felt tears prick at her eyes and unexpectedly her voice came out in a semi-whisper. “Miles, I feel scared…..” she wanted to ask if he would be home soon, but felt terrible asking him to come back when he had so much on his plate with Max. She brushed some tears from her cheeks, it had been a hugely emotional day and she just wanted to put her arms around Lloyd and then both be wrapped up in Mile’s arms.
“I’m so sorry,” she continued, “I’m being an idiot.”
Miles stayed practical but she could hear a catch in his voice. “Go get Lloyd," …he advised gently. “Why don’t you call Delma and get her round too. I’m going to leave now and I’ll come straight to you. Call me as often as you like."
Rose sniffed, “OK, see you later.” She felt relieved that he would be back soon and the thought of going to fetch Lloyd, cheered her up.
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Hyde Park was relatively busy for the time of year. This was the first burst of sunshine for some days and it wasn’t long before the joggers, roller bladers and mothers with young children and strollers were out in force. The grass was still a bit damp but blankets and coats were being spread out as Londoners and visitors from myriad countries, sat down and enjoyed snacks, sandwiches and coffee in one of London’s favourite parks.
Through the middle of it, the dark water of the Serpentine was by turns smoothed and then textured by the slight breeze, like the skin of the snake for which it had been named. There were peddalos and rowing boats out on the lake and a queue was forming at the ticket booth where they could be hired. The indoor café was heaving with tourists. When Nathalie and Jojo reached the black railings at the north east edge of the Serpentine, Lloyd had already dozed off, tired out by the slides and swings at the park just across from Rose’s flat. Jojo bent down and gently covered him up with his fleece and Nathalie undid the pushchair restraints so that he could be more comfortable. They stared at him for a few moments.
Jojo turned to Nathalie and took in her appearance. He had been falling in love with this girl for some weeks now, but A) he wasn’t completely certain his feelings were reciprocated, Nathalie was not the type to wear her heart on her sleeve and B) most of the time he had spent with her had been strictly business and in the security business you should never mix business and pleasure – it could be dangerous and lead to serious errors. And given that he had to pay his own way through university and law school he couldn’t afford to lose his job. And C) whilst Jojo had a high measure of self-confidence, he was sensitive about the fact that Nathalie’s sister was very seriously wealthy and she was used to a way of life that he could only dream of, yet. There was no way he could offer her,yet, the things she took for granted. So for the moment he was trying to be pragmatic enough to accept that for the time being they were both very young and deserved a good time.
So, he had held his breath when he had texted her to ask, casually, if she would like to go out with him today. A nail biting twenty minutes later she had returned his text and agreed that she would see him. She had also said that he would have a surprise when he saw her. He was over the moon.
“Lloyd’s so cute,” he said. “But not quite as cute as the person I’m looking at right now,” he continued, smiling and staring straight at her.
Her cheeks flushed as he knew they would and she smiled back at him with an open confidence, no longer putting her hand up to cover the braces which had been removed – this was the surprise she had promised him.
Gently and playfully he slid his arms around her waist, waiting to see if she would resist. She didn’t. In fact she slid her arms up over his chest and ran her hands through his hair. Oh boy, that felt so good. This was going well. He pulled her close and whispered in her ear.
“I’ve wanted to do this for such a long time, did you know that?”
“I was hoping you did, but I wasn’t really sure,” Nathalie confided shyly. Jojo lowered his lips to hers and gently kissed her, nibbling and teasing her lower lip. She giggled and pulled away and looked into his face. His eyes were dark with desire and quickly she pulled his mouth against hers and kissed him back, hard. She heard him groan and he pulled her close against him so that she could feel the iron hardness of his chest. Tentatively she opened her lips and explored his mouth with her tongue. In return Jojo devoured her and Nat felt her knees almost buckle with the strength of his passion. She too had been dreaming of this kiss for weeks, but hadn’t been sure if she was mistaking his professionalism courtesy and good manners for something more serious. Now she knew she hadn’t and the feeling that Jojo felt the same way about her as she did made her heart hurt.
“Let’s go somewhere quieter,” Jojo suggested. He nodded to the trees and grass ahead of them, “Lets sit down over there for a bit, Lloyd can have his snooze and we can have a bit more”…..he grinned at her…..” privacy.” Jojo tangled his hand in Nat’s as they made their way over onto the grass, choosing as secluded a spot as they could. Nat pulled Lloyd close and put the brake on the pram. When she turned back to Jojo she was once more enveloped in his arms and when he kissed her again, she lost track of time and place.
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Serge had insisted on walking with Rose into the park and had called up a couple of his security guys to meet him there too. She had texted Nat, and would call them once they were in the park and make her way to them. She didn’t anticipate that they had got very far anyway. When she and Serge had come out of the flat which was on a spur parallel to the busy Kensington Road he had suddenly stopped walking when he saw the silver car opposite and grabbed Rose’s wrist.
“That’s her car,” he hissed to Rose. “Who’s car?” Rose asked, momentarily confused.
“Irena’s. That’s the car she was seen driving the night she slashed my tyres. Quick, come back inside while I make a call.”
“No,” she suddenly wanted to get into the park as fast as she could, Lloyd was in there with Nat and she was desperate to make sure they were ok. She pulled out her ‘phone too.
Serge saw her face and acquiesced, “OK, come on, let’s get into the park, but I need to call my guys and the police, so that they can check out the car. You call Nat.”
It was obvious that the car was empty so they stopped only briefly to look inside it. It was clean and empty, not even a speck of mud on the floor. Serge scrutinised their surroundings, he was wondering if this was one of Irena’s traps. Either that or she had so completely lost the plot that she didn’t care if her car was seen parked right outside Rose’s flat, or, more worryingly she had ditched this car and had another one waiting for her in a different location. He realised that there was a strong possibility she had seen him entering Rose’s flat and that would have made her mad. He made contact with his security guys and the named contact he had been given by the police. He told them of his whereabouts and summarised the situation.
Rose phoned Nat but still got no response; she could feel an edge of panic and had to mentally talk herself into staying calm. Once through the entrance to the park, she walked straight across Rotten Row towards the Serpentine all the time scouring the crowds, checking out couples with strollers. They definitely weren’t in the children’s park, she wondered if they had gone there and moved on. But she couldn’t see them. She dialled again on her ‘phone, still nothing. She sent an urgent text to both Nat and Jojo.
PLEASE CALL ME IMMEDIATELY YOU READ THIS, YOU MAY ALL BE IN DANGER, DON’T LET LLOYD OUT OF YOUR SIGHT. I’M IN THE PARK LOOKING FOR YOU AND SO ARE SECURITY.
It was dramatic, but she had to get their attention. She wished and wished that Jojo was on duty – he would have picked up in a second.Serge joined her and she told him that she had failed to make contact. She was shaking now and he looked white and grim. He took her hand and held her by his side. “Please, just wait a couple of minutes until my security arrives, they will be here so fast, please.”
Rose waited impatiently and continued scanning the crowds, her heart in her mouth; she was increasingly desperate to keep moving. While she waited she thought through the possible places where Nat and Jojo might be in the park. She knew that they had entered through the Albert Gate because she had seen them do that from her flat. From memory she thought that they had seemed to be veering slightly towards the left which would take them either straight to the north shore of the Serpentine, or to the children’s playground first. She had wondered if they might have wandered in Lover’s Walk, as it was quiet there and if they were looking for a bit of a romantic interlude that would be a good starting point – it would also account for them not answering their ‘phones; and if that was the case then she deducted that Lloyd must have fallen asleep. They had bread to feed the ducks but if Lloyd had fallen asleep then they might be saving that for when he woke up.
No, Rose was certain now; if they were not answering their phones then they must be engrossed in each other and for that to happen they were probably somewhere relatively secluded. And they must have reached it quite fast too, which would sort of rule out the Italian Gardens which were at the southern end of the lake, beyond the Serpentine Bridge and would therefore also rule out the Peter Pan statue and Princess Diana Memorial fountains in Kensington Gardens, which were both a favourite of Nat’s, she loved to take Lloyd there.
Rose didn’t dare stop and analyse what was going through her head, which was that somehow Irena was intending to try to snatch or harm Lloyd and that if Nat and Jojo were not on the alert she might get away with it. Rose swallowed a sob in her throat as she thought of her precious baby out there somewhere in this park, at risk.
Serge cut into her thoughts. “I’ve sent them pictures of Irena as she used to look and one of you, I’ve told them that she has made herself look like you. I’ve also forwarded the pic you gave me of Nathalie and I’ve described Jojo to them. I’ve told them what they’re wearing and described the pram. Ah, this is them now”
Rose saw an ordinary people carrier pull up and six or seven young men and women tumbled out of it; they were dressed casually and were behaving like a group of friends out to have an afternoon’s fun in the park. A couple of them were carrying roller blades – Rose could immediately see the advantage of a couple of them being able to move quickly around the tarmacked paths of the park.
One of them briefly made eye contact with Serge and looked at Rose but apart from that, they quickly scattered into the park, a couple of them staying fairly close to Serge and Rose. Serge started walking again, still holding Rose’s hand, he was clasping it hard and Rose realised that actually it was she who had been hanging onto it for dear life.
“Please”, she begged Serge, “I have to walk faster, this is torture; I’m terrified for Lloyd.”
She disengaged her hand from Serge and sprinted to the edge of the Serpentine, looking around in all directions. Serge did the same, checking too that the security guys were within sight.
Once at the edge of the Serpentine, Rose pulled out her phone again and called Nat. Nothing. Next she called Miles. He answered immediately.
“I’m on my way. I’ve managed to get a helicopter flight into London and a car will be waiting for me, where shall I meet you?”
“Just keep calling me and I’ll let you know the best place, I’m in Hyde Park at the moment, looking for Nat and Jojo.”
“What’s the matter?” Miles asked sharply, “You sound upset, has something else happened?”
“Irena’s car was parked outside my flat; it’s empty. She could be in Hyde Park too; she might have seen Nat and Jojo go there with Lloyd and may also have seen Serge at my flat. I can’t get hold of Nat or Jojo; they’re not answering their ‘phones. Jojo is off duty and I think that maybe Lloyd is asleep and they are wrapped up in each other somewhere. I daren’t think aboutl the alternatives….”
“Are you on your own?” Miles demanded.
“No, Serge is with me and a team of his security guys are in the park too; he’s called the police and we’re just making our way around the park, I’m at the Serpentine, but I can’t see them anywhere.”
Rose stopped talking because she actually thought she was going to be sick and was finding it hard to talk rationally any more.
“Miles, what if she gets hold of Lloyd, I’ve never been so terrified, this is like a nightmare.”
Miles felt as though he might be sick too. He cursed himself for leaving them this morning. Cursed himself again for not acting on those photographs as soon as he saw them.
“Rose, listen to me. Keep calm and keep your wits about you. Lloyd and Nat need you now like they’ve never needed you before; please, stay strong and move around the park as quickly as you can, keep close to Serge and security, there will be more there soon – remember she may be after you too, so don’t go off on your own whatever you do. Keep calling Nat all the time, and get Serge to keep calling Jojo. One of them is bound to pick up.”
“OK, I’m going to call Nat now, then I’m going to keep on walking around the park. Please be quick.”
“Babes, I’m going to be there with you real soon, ok. Call me as soon as you find them.”
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Irena soon caught up with the lovers and watched and followed them from a distance. First they had taken Lloyd to a children’s play area and Irena had watched, jealously, all the parents with their young children. Then they had crossed the Serpentine towards the café and were soon wrapped up in each other’s arms, kissing passionately. They were completely oblivious to what was going on around them and the baby was fast asleep in his pushchair. Irena paused under the shade of a tree and watched them obsessively, as still as a wildcat about to pounce on its prey. Eventually they settled under a tree, not too far from the bank of the Serpentine, and put the pram under the full shade of the tree within sight of them. Then they were back in each other’s arms, oblivious to the world.
Irena sat and watched. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the baby, Lloyd. He looked so peaceful and cosy. She longed for a baby of her own and why shouldn’t she take him? She imagined, as she had done a hundred times before, taking him home to her flat; she already had a nursery set up for him, painted pale blue, furnished with custom made baby furniture and a pile of toys. She would make sure that he had everything he wanted and would love him as if he was her own. Rose didn’t deserve to be a mother; she was a slut, stealing other women’s husbands. And her sister was no better, kissing and making love in a public park in the centre of London. No wonder Rose’s fiancé had left her and told the papers that he didn’t believe the baby was his, probably it wasn’t. She was sure that the baby must be Serge’s, otherwise why would he still be sniffing around Rose; if she could get rid of Rose and take the baby she was certain that Serge would come back to her.
She was now so close to getting what she wanted, she couldn’t afford to make a mistake. She was hoping to have an opportunity to take the baby without alerting the two lovers. If she could just see a way to grabbing the pram and walking off with it, then she would head straight for the Serpentine Bridge, where she had a car waiting for her. But just now, she didn’t have a clue how she was going to separate the pram from them without them seeing, she was going to need a miracle.
And a miracle was what she got.
At first there was what seemed to be a minor kerfuffle close to the Serpentine; a few people craned their heads craned towards the lake and some people stood up for a closer look; those walking along the paved path stopped and shouting was heard from the direction of the water. Then almost like a giant game of Chinese whispers, a message that a boat was sinking travelled through the crowd. People who had been sitting and lying on the grass or on the park's striped deckchairs stood up and many moved en masse towards the Serpentine for a better look. Irena felt excited, she couldn’t believe her luck. The area around Nathalie and Jojo was filling up with people. They were still engrossed in one another although at one point they both sat up to check on Lloyd who was still asleep in his pram. Jojo stood up and looked towards the lake but then returned to Nathalie and both were soon thoroughly entwined again.
Irena crept closer to them, the crowds were getting thicker and moving faster towards the Serpentine in the hope of seeing the drama that was unfolding there. Within minutes she was next to the pram, she could almost touch the handles of it. With blood thumping in her ears, Irena had to make a quick decision, should she take the pram and run or grab the baby and risk him waking up and crying as she ran with him.
Just at that moment, a few young boys rushed between her and the pram and spun it slightly but just enough so that the back of the stroller was now facing Nathalie and Jojo. As quick as the blink of an eye, Irena bent over the stroller, lifted Lloyd and then merged back into the crowds. Briefly she walked against the crowd so as to get behind and beyond the tree where Nathalie and Jojo were lying and then she turned and joined the flow, keeping Lloyd cradled close to her as she walked as quickly as she could pretending to look ahead at the Serpentine and not down at the baby so as not to draw attention to herself.
Lloyd stirred in her arms, but there was no way she could stop, if he started yelling she would just have to move faster, anyway if she could get as far away as possible from Nathalie and Jojo then his cries would not be recognised.Every step she took, she kept expecting a hand on her shoulder and to be stopped, but it didn’t happen and she kept walking, walking, walking, towards the Serpentine Bridge, where she knew a car was waiting for them; and then they would be whisked to safety.
Irena did however suddenly feel herself being scrutinised from a pair of sleepy eyes in her arms. Lloyd was awake and he was looking at her. Irena briefly looked down at him and smiled in what she hoped was a comforting way. Large khaki eyes stared at her with suspicion and Lloyd, normally the sunniest of babies, decided he didn’t like the look of this woman at all; he let out a long and loud yell and Irena was horrified.
She tried to shush him in her arms and held him closer; but Lloyd was having none of it; he was ten months old, tall and strong and Irena found herself now running and having to grapple with him at the same time; she had a sedative in her pouch but she didn’t dare stop; as soon as Nathalie and Jojo realised he was missing all hell would break loose, she had to get out of the park and into the car as soon as she could, then she would help Lloyd get back to sleep. When he woke up he would be in his new bedroom.
Almost jogging now, she could see the bridge ahead. She had agreed with Lily exactly where the car would be parked so that she would not have to waste time looking for the car or waiting for it to arrive; London traffic was too busy to take that chance. Lloyd was screaming now and fighting to get free of her and she had to hold on with all her strength, she hadn’t anticipated this. Other mothers with babies and young children, threw looks of sympathy in her direction, all familiar with the antics and embarrassment of being in charge of a fractious toddler.
At last, she was close to the bridge, once she had crossed it, it would be less than five minutes to safety; she started to feel an exhilaration similar to the feeling she had had when she had watched Max dying; she was so smart she really could achieve anything she set her mind to; nobody could get the better of her.She slowed down very slightly as she approached the road over the bridge and it was then she heard a shout from behind her.
“Irena Kupetsky – stop.”
Goaded into running faster she reached the pavement,looked left, saw the road was clear and stepped out – straight into the path of a black cab.
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Crowds of people seemed still to be pouring towards the Serpentine and when a group of rowdy lads barged past them, their feet within inches of Nat’s face she irritatedly tugged herself away from Jojo, who immediately made growling noises and tried to wrestle her back down to the grass and tickle herNat giggled helplessly. “Stop, stop it, that’s not fair. Hey, do you think we should go see if we can help – what if someone’s drowning? And by the way, our phones have been going barmy.”
Jojo reluctantly pulled himself upright and sighed; “They have plenty of lifeguards at the lakeside, I really wouldn’t worry; rubbernecking will just add to the rescuers’ problems. I’ll just go and have a peek, ok. Don’t go away,” he placed a kiss tenderly at the end of Nat’s nose.
Nat glanced over at Lloyd. His pram must have been spun away from her by those boys who had just charged past them. She reached over and tugged it towards her, surprised at how light it was. When she saw it was empty she jumped up and scoured the grass, Lloyd must have fallen out when he was asleep, he was incredibly strong now. Nat looked all round the pram, not believing her eyes. A slow cold feeling of terror travelled through her.
“No, no, no no, no,” she started repeating to herself and out loud, not willing to believe what her eyes were telling her.
“Jojo” she shouted and he looked over at her in surprise, her voice was loud and panicked. His eyes hit the empty pram and almost instantly he reached for his phone; ignoring the flashing messages, he phoned straight to his HQ and issued the highest security alert, scouring the crowds around them as he did so. He didn’t waste time looking for the baby first, he knew what had happened and mentally he cursed himself; he had made a terrible error assuming that because he was off duty it meamt potential kidnappers would be too.
He had first to calm Nathalie who was almost hyperventilating, tears coursing down her cheeks. She had fallen to her knees on the grass and Jojo made her stand up.
“Nat, we’ve got to move fast. Nat, look at me,” The tone of his voice shocked Nat into looking at him.
“I’m going to start searching for LLoyd, I’ve alerted the company, they’ll have additional staff here as soon as they can. I need you to call 999 and report what has happened – now. Then read your messages, I think someone may have been trying to warn us – maybe your sister – you must get hold of her and tell her what’s happened and then you have to keep me informed – do you understand. Nathalie, do you understand what I’m saying?”
Nathalie nodded miserably and pulled out her phone.
“Describe to Rose exactly where you are, and Babe, look you may be in danger too – get Rose to send someone to you ASAP, I must go look for Lloyd.”
“I want to come too,” Nathalie wailed, wiping the tears from her face.
“No, stay here with the pram – so that the police know exactly where he was snatched from; talk to the people who were around us, see if they saw anything; keep the pram, it may have fingerprints on it which could lead us to whoever has done this. And text me if you have any news.”
Jojo hugged Nathalie hard and then jogged off towards the path that ran around the Serpentine, trying to get a feel for where the snatcher might have walked – they would undoubtedly try to hide themselves in a crowd; he kept his ears open for a baby’s cries – Lloyd had had a good sleep and would very soon be awake. Most of the crowds were around the Serpentine itself, still gripped by whatever rescue drama was still taking place on the lake. To his left the crowds were pouring into the Park from the main gates, to his right they were all strolling towards the Serpentine Bridge. Instinctively and from his training he knew that it would be easier to move with the crown not against it so he started walking towards the Serpentine Bridge, all the while looking around him.
His phone went, it was Nathalie. She sounded desperate..
“Serge Kupetsky’s ex-wife is in the park, and Rose and Serge think she might have been intending to harm Lloyd or Rose. Rose has been trying to get hold of us for ages. I’ve told her Lloyd has gone.” Nathalie sobbed, “She had to hand the phone to Serge; he’s with her, Miles is on his way. The police have already been called over half an hour ago and are in the park, plus a load of plain clothes security, some are on roller blades. They’re making their way to me.”
“Serge said to tell you that he and Rose are on the south westerly side of the Serpentine, making their way towards the Diana Memorial. He said that Irena is tall, slim, blonde and has apparently made herself look like Rose, so if we look for a Rose look alike we may find her. He will send a photo of her to you. The police and security have pictures of her and of Lloyd.”
“OK, Nat, that’s brilliant, phone Serge back, tell him that I am on the north side of the lake, moving westwards towards the Serpentine Bridge. Can you remember that?”
“Yes, ” Nathalie whispered, “I’ll call him back now.”
“Babes, just stay where you are until the police arrive; one of them can escort you to Rose. If this woman approaches you then keep your distance and text me immediately.”
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Rose wondered how she was able to keep breathing and walking as if normal when her mind was screaming in pain. “My baby has gone, my baby has gone,” it kept repeating. She could hear herself thinking, quite calmly, yet as if she was listening to another person, “If Lloyd is dead then I don’t want to live any more either. I want to be where he is.”
Serge still had a close hold of her hand and two security people were now with them too. Serge was liaising non-stop with police and security and keeping Rose updated.
First, when she heard the commotion by the lake, she had thought that it must be related to Lloyd and she had been glued to what was happening. A peddalo boat had started slowly sinking on the Serpentine, the people in it were panicking a little because they had young children, but a rescue boat had reached it and lifted the family to safety. It didn’t stop the crowds pouring towards the water though, all with their mobile cameras raised. The mood turned jovial as it became clear that no one was in danger.
Within minutes Rose had received the panicked call from Nathalie, she hadn’t been able to believe what she was hearing and Nat was sobbing hysterically too. She had handed the phone to Serge and when he pulled her close she didn’t resist.
“Rose, I’m so sorry. Sweetheart why don’t you rest here, I’ll get a doctor to come to us.”
Rose shook her head. “I can’t keep still, at least if I’m walking and looking I’m doing something. Let’s keep going. Does Jojo know which direction they went in?”
“He thinks that it is likely she would have headed North West, towards the Serpentine Bridge because of the crowds heading in that direction.”
“That’s it there,” Rose nodded towards the bridge, ahead of them as they walked past the Diana Memorial fountain.”
As if galvanised by the thought that Irena and Lloyd may be close, Rose broke into a jog and moved quickly towards the bridge. When she reached West Carriage Drive which was the road over the bridge, she stopped and watched the crowds pouring out from the park across the other side of the bridge, they were coming from the north west side of the Serpentine where Jojo thought Irena might be. Rose scrutinised the crowds. She could swear that she could hear a baby crying and turned to tell Serge.
“There’s a baby crying but I can’t see it, can you?”
Serge could hear it too.
Suddenly, unmistakeably, Rose and Serge heard someone shout out, “Irena Kupetsky – stop.”
Seconds later, Rose saw her, she had reached the kerb and was looking left, she held Lloyd in her arms who was screaming and wriggling, Rose rushed towards them, pleading under her breath,“Please look right, please look right,” but to no avail. Irena stepped out right into the path of a speeding black cab and was thrown into the air with the impact. Lloyd slid out of her arms and Rose lost sight of him.
She could hear screams as she sprinted to the cab and forced herself into a crowd of people who had gathered around the road. She was dimly aware of Irena spread-eagled half in and half out of the windscreen of the cab, blood everywhere.
In slow motion, Rose leaned into the crowd who were peering at a bundle on the ground.
“It’s a bloody miracle,” someone said, “He’s hardly got a scratch on ‘im. Poor kid, he’s lost his mother by the look of it.”
“No, I’m his mother,” Rose gasped.
She fell to her knees and stared into her son’s eyes. He had been crying and his face was all blotchy and pink. His lips were screwed up in disgust. When he saw Rose he blinked and stared back at her, his face broke into a gummy smile and he held out his arms. Then everything went black.