Schoolgirl Missing Page 3

  Kit had mentioned The Forum, maybe she had been with one of the kids from there? Although, technically, she shouldn’t really describe them as kids, they were young adults, ranging from eighteen to twenty-four. Kit was very disparaging of The Forum and its residents, which niggled Neve. She had met some of the youngsters at Jake’s art studio and, on the whole, she had felt a certain amount of empathy with them. Most of them, once you got to know them, were trying to get their lives on track having come through the care system, their backgrounds having little or no positive role models and often horrendous family lives. Neve knew only too well how bad family life could be when you were a young adult.

  She wondered who Poppy had met and, as Kit had thought, if they could possibly be from The Forum. She tried to recall the ones she had seen at Jake’s studio but no one in particular sprang to mind matching the description that Kit gave.

  There was, of course, one person she could ask – Jake. Neve was aware of the little flutter her stomach gave as she thought of contacting Jake and further acknowledged that it only served to back up Kit’s observations earlier about how she was making more of an effort with her appearance. It was a good job Kit wasn’t aware of her anticipation, it would only upgrade his observation to suspicion, when in actual fact, there wasn’t anything to be suspicious about.

  She took out her phone and tapped out a message.

  Hi, just wondered if you had five minutes to spare this morning?

  She received a reply almost straight away.

  For you, of course! I have a break between classes in 20 mins.

  Great. See you then.

  Neve pushed her phone into her pocket and couldn’t help smiling to herself at Jake’s immediate response and willingness to help. It was flattering and something which Kit hadn’t done in a long time.

  Rather than take the car, Neve decided to kill two birds with one stone and take Willow for a walk at the same time. Jake’s art studio was on the outskirts of the village but less than a ten-minute walk away.

  It was the beginning of July and despite promises of better weather, today was definitely not keeping schedule with the forecast. As Neve took her raincoat from the peg, she found herself checking her reflection in the mirror and wondering if her lipstick needed touching up.

  She sighed and tutted at herself, Kit’s observation had been right, but it irritated her all the same. ‘A girl’s allowed to wear lipstick,’ she said out loud defiantly as she stood up straighter and pushed a stray strand of hair off her face. With that, she shrugged on her jacket and with Willow hooked onto the lead, she set off for the art studio.

  As Neve crossed the bridge and turned into Copperthorne Lane, the earlier stomach-fluttering excitement made a return. This was so silly. She was a grown woman. A married woman. Jake Rees was her art tutor. She couldn’t let the current harmless mutual attraction develop into anything else. It was one thing thinking these things and having secret fantasies but playing them out in real life was something else.

  Jake had converted an old farm building into a working studio about three years ago and lived above the premises. An artist himself, he supplemented his income with traditional art lessons and art therapy. He was involved with the young adults at The Forum – his social conscience, he called it. Those well off enough to pay for lessons and therapy were also funding those less fortunate who needed support in processing their emotions, thus helping them to make a positive future for themselves.

  Neve admired his philosophy. Jake did what a lot of people only talked about, or superficially advocated by pointlessly sharing social media memes and believing that was a way to help. Jake acted on his thoughts, he didn’t just share and flick through to another status update. And of course, there were those who didn’t even do the whole sharing thing. Those like her husband who thought kids today expected everything to be handed to them on a plate and what they really needed was a dose of reality.

  Neve sighed. Kit had lost his empathy somewhere along the way. He hadn’t been like that when they married, she was sure, but somewhere, somehow, his compassion had leaked away, leaving behind someone she found hard to understand.

  Copperthorne Lane wasn’t much more than a gravel track and as she rounded the bend, the converted buildings came into view. Neve pushed open the stable door and poked her head into the studio where a group of around six artists were standing in front of their easels in a semi-circle. Neve couldn’t see the subject matter but from the boards bearing the half-completed charcoal drawings of a camera, photo albums and some scattered photographs, it looked like they were studying still life.

  She caught sight of Jake talking earnestly with one of the women and leaned against the door frame, enjoying watching him without him noticing her. His dark hair, with its relaxed curl, skimmed his eyebrows and equally dark lashes.

  ‘Hey,’ said Jake, looking up and smiling. He excused himself from his student and came over, kissing her on the cheek. ‘How are you?’

  ‘Hey,’ replied Neve, taking in a deep breath of his aftershave, mixed with a more overpowering smell of turps. ‘I’m good, thanks.’ She nodded at the artists busy working on their canvasses. The woman Jake had been talking to looked up and smiled. Neve had seen her a few times at the studio but didn’t know her name. She returned the smile. ‘Full house today,’ she said to Jake.

  ‘Wednesday specials,’ said Jake, lowering his voice and dipping his head so his mouth was near her ear. ‘OAP day.’

  Neve gave a small giggle. She flinched inwardly. It wasn’t even that funny what Jake said. She needed to get a grip of herself. ‘I can come back later if you’re busy,’ she found herself saying.

  ‘Not at all. Come on through. Bring the dog with you as well.’ He placed his hand on the small of Neve’s back and guided her through the main studio.

  Neve smiled at another of Jake’s students. This time a gentleman, who Neve estimated to be in his early seventies.

  The man stopped what he was doing to make a fuss of Willow. ‘Aren’t you lovely,’ he said, stroking the dog’s ears. ‘I’d better not stroke you too much, you’ll end up with paint all over you, then your mistress won’t be pleased.’

  ‘Your picture is looking great, Stan,’ said Jake. ‘I like what you’ve done with the greens there. You remembered what we said last week about blending the colours. Good stuff.’

  Stan beamed like a schoolboy. ‘Thanks. I wasn’t sure about this area here. Do you ...?’

  Jake moved his hand from Neve’s back to Stan’s shoulder as if they were mates down the pub, standing at the bar with their pints. ‘This is good, but remember, Stan, it’s your painting.’ He stood back and addressed the rest of the group. ‘OK, if you want to take a ten-minute break.’

  Jake ushered Neve through to the smaller studio at the rear of the main room, which, in turn, led through to a small office.

  Neve followed him through the open door and as he closed it behind them, she rested against the table in the middle of the room, which suddenly felt small and intimate. She’d worked in here before, it was a room Jake used for one-to-one sessions or with art therapy students who, for one reason or another, weren’t happy working in a larger group. Neve liked it in here, she felt she could be freer with her art. When she was alone or if it was just Jake in the room, she was able to express her deepest thoughts, her strongest fears and her darkest emotions on the canvas. There was no one to question her work or ask for an interpretation or, indeed, attempt to interpret it themselves. She hated that. They could just as well have been examining her naked body.

  ‘So, what do I owe this pleasure?’ asked Jake, taking the lead from her hand and hooking it under the leg of a stool. He moved to stand in front of her, his arms folded and dipped his head to seek out her eyes.

  Neve had been keeping her focus on Willow, it was the safest place to look, she had decided. Sensing his gaze, Neve looked up at him. Her heart was beating faster than necessary, and she took a deep breath to regain some sort o
f control.

  ‘Well,’ she began. ‘Erm … I can’t make the class today after all.’

  ‘That’s a shame,’ said Jake. ‘A real shame. It’s not the same without you.’ His voice had dropped in both volume and tone.

  ‘I’m sorry, but Poppy has a presentation at school which I promised I’d attend and I have to meet Kit soon.’

  ‘Have to?’ said Jake. ‘You know, Neve, you’re a grown woman, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.’

  Neve’s face was only inches away from Jake’s. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek. ‘I’ve already said I would.’ She managed to eke out the words, her eyes still magnetised to those gorgeous brown ones of his.

  The sound of Neve’s phone pinging through a text message broke the moment. Jake stepped back as she fumbled in her handbag for her mobile.

  Decided to go the whole hog. I’ve organised a spot of lunch on the boat for us. See you soon. Xx

  Guilt flushed through her. Kit was clearly going out of his way to patch things up and here she was coming dangerously close to Jake in more ways than one.

  She moved over to the window, not because she particularly wanted to admire the view, but she wasn’t sure she trusted herself being so close to Jake. ‘We’ve just spent the past half-hour looking for Poppy. We had a bit of an argument at home and she went off in a huff.’

  ‘Oh no! Did you find her?’

  ‘Yes. She’s at school now,’ said Neve, forcing herself to sound composed. ‘Kit found her down by the river with a friend.’

  ‘That’s a relief. I take it she’s all right, then?’

  ‘Yes, she’s fine. Just being a grumpy teenager, really.’

  ‘And what about you? Are you all right?’ asked Jake, coming to stand beside her. ‘It can be a tough job looking out for everyone. You mustn’t forget about yourself.’

  If Neve moved her right arm just a fraction away from her body, she knew she would make contact with Jake. A fierce warmth shot through her and she was certain her neck was blotchy.

  Neve forced herself to continue looking out at the meadow and the river beyond. Jake’s compassion was both immense and tender. How could something so gentle batter her resolve so forcefully?

  She tried to gulp down the little cry that erupted in her throat, but without luck.

  ‘Hey, hey, hey,’ said Jake, slipping his arm around her shoulder.

  She shrugged him away. ‘Don’t,’ she said, muffling another heavy breath with her hand. ‘Too much sympathy and I’ll be a blubbering wreck.’

  Jake held his hands up and took a step back. He gave a smile full of kindness. ‘I don’t want to be responsible for making you cry,’ he said.

  ‘Ignore me, I’m being silly. Just a bit stressed after this morning.’

  ‘You know where I am if ever you want to talk,’ he said.

  ‘I do. Thank you, Jake. You’re a good friend.’

  His smile downgraded to sadness as he acknowledged her comment with a small nod, before picking up some perfectly clean brushes and busying himself with washing them under the tap. He wrapped a towel around them and squeezed the water from the bristles, before popping them into a jam jar on the windowsill. ‘So, what did you want me for?’ he said, at last. ‘You texted.’

  ‘It was about Poppy,’ said Neve. ‘Kit didn’t recognise the friend she was with this morning and thought he might be from The Forum. I just wondered if you might know who it was.’

  ‘A lad? Why do you think he was from The Forum?’

  ‘It was a man, actually. Well, older than Poppy by quite some years, according to Kit. He had a beard and an eyebrow piercing. Lip ring too.’ She was uncomfortable at Kit’s assumptions and stereotyping but equally aware that she was endorsing this by posing the question to Jake.

  ‘So, you assumed he was from The Forum and must be bad news?’ said Jake, an accusing tone creeping into his voice.

  ‘Sorry. It’s not me …’ Neve trailed off, feeling both disloyal to Kit and embarrassed.

  ‘They get a bad press round here,’ said Jake. ‘Some have just had it tough.’

  ‘I know that, honestly,’ said Neve. ‘I just thought I could put Kit’s mind at rest, that’s all.’

  ‘Just because a man was talking to Poppy, it doesn’t mean he was trying to groom her or something,’ carried on Jake. ‘He might actually have been trying to find out if she was OK. If she needed help.’

  ‘I get it,’ said Neve, feeling a little frustrated. On the one hand she had Kit thinking the worst and on the other, Jake thinking the best. ‘I get all that. I’m just checking.’

  Jake let out a long sigh. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, coming over to Neve again and facing her. He cupped the tops of her arms with his hands. ‘I shouldn’t take out my frustrations with your husband on you.’

  Neve had to concentrate on answering. All she could think of was Jake’s hands touching her bare arms. The hot flush reared up again. ‘Forget it,’ she said.

  Jake lowered his head, his chin brushing the side of her hair. She heard him take another deep breath, which he exhaled very slowly. She lifted her face a little, wanting to feel his cheek against her own. Jake moved his face down, his lips drifting over her ear and sweeping her jawline.

  Neve closed her eyes and for a second allowed herself the luxury of this contact. She was folding. Caving into a desire she had been trying to ignore for some time now but with each meeting, it had grown stronger. Jake’s patience and understanding, his ability to allow her to safely explore her darkest thoughts without judging her, without asking questions, had given her the confidence to move forwards. He demanded nothing. So very different to what she was used to.

  Kit.

  Her mind churned up an image of Kit. Neve jolted backwards.

  ‘Sorry, sorry,’ she muttered.

  ‘Don’t be sorry,’ said Jake, with a resigned smile. ‘There’s nothing to be sorry for.’

  Neve brushed non-existent creases from her dress, mumbling more apologies. ‘I should be going,’ she said finally with some clarity.

  ‘You look beautiful in that dress,’ said Jake, his voice once again soft and low. ‘You look beautiful all the time.’

  ‘Thank you, but I need to go …’

  He stepped between her and the door. ‘I know who the man is.’

  ‘You do? Who?’

  ‘I think it’s the new guy from the employment agency, Pillars, they tend to draft in the support workers for the kids at The Forum.’ He paused.

  Neve nodded. ‘Yeah, I know.’

  ‘Did Kit say if he had longish hair, almost dreadlocks but not really?’

  ‘I can’t remember if he mentioned that or not,’ said Neve.

  ‘I’m pretty sure it’s Lee. I forget his surname now, but he came along on Monday and introduced himself briefly. I had a class from The Forum in, he was there with them for a few minutes. And he had a lip ring and eyebrow piercing.’

  ‘It’s got to be him, then,’ said Neve. ‘How old do you think he is?’

  ‘Late twenties, maybe?’ said Jake. ‘I’m not supposed to, but I can look it up on the system. The Forum sent me an updated register and it always has the staff details on there.’

  ‘Would you mind? Just so I can put Kit’s mind at rest.’

  ‘You can’t say I showed you, though. Data protection and all that.’

  ‘I won’t. I’ll just say you remembered him, which is more or less the truth.’

  Jake gestured towards the office and Neve followed him through. The office was no more than a box room, with a small window overlooking the back of the building, held shut by several strips of duct tape placed along the bottom of the window frame.

  ‘That looks secure,’ said Neve, more for something to say than real concern. If she felt Jake’s presence earlier, being in this tiny confined space with him now was almost too much for her.

  As if to emphasise the lack of space, Jake leaned round her and closed the door. ‘Just in case
someone comes in unexpectedly,’ he said. ‘I could get into trouble for this.’

  ‘Oh, please, I don’t want you getting into trouble if it’s confidential information,’ said Neve.

  ‘I want to help. Don’t worry,’ reassured Jake. ‘No one need ever know. It can be our little secret.’ His hand brushed her arm as he moved to pull out the blue office chair. ‘And thanks for the reminder about the window. Must get that fixed. Do you want to sit down?’

  ‘No, I’m fine,’ said Neve. She perched on the edge of the desk and waited patiently as Jake opened up the register for The Forum.

  ‘Right, here we go,’ he said, scrolling down the names. He tapped the enter key and turned the screen to face Neve. ‘Lee Farnham.’

  Neve gave a gasp at the name and again when she saw the picture smiling back at her. She looked up at Jake.

  ‘What’s up?’

  Neve struggled to find words. She couldn’t say out loud what was really running around her head. She recognised the face immediately, despite the lapse of time. But she didn’t know him as Lee Farnham. She realised Jake was looking quizzically at her. ‘I … erm … I …’ Shit! Her mind was blank. Quick, think of something. ‘I thought … I mean, he’s older than I thought he would be, for some reason. Kit said he was older, but I thought he may be twenty, early twenties, he’s … erm … well, you know, older.’ She was gabbling.

  ‘Yeah, definitely older,’ said Jake. He moved the cursor to a box and double-clicked. ‘There, twenty-nine.’

  Not only could Neve have told Jake his actual age without him having to look, she could have even recited his date of birth without hesitation. ‘Thanks,’ was all she said.

  A voice from the studio calling out Jake’s name, made Neve jump.

  ‘Wait here,’ said Jake. He opened the door only enough for him to squeeze through. ‘All right, Stan. What’s up?’ He closed the door behind, leaving Neve alone in the room.

  She turned to the screen and gave an involuntary shiver at the face looking back at her. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ she whispered.