Tagan's Child Read online

  “Hi Sandie,” I said as I heaved a box up onto the counter in the tiny kitchen. Sandie, a local girl who other than Audrey, was my only employee, was busy frying eggs.

  She glanced up. “Hi Sophie, alright?”

  “Yeah good thanks, you?”

  She nodded in response and carried on cooking. She was a sweet girl but like most seventeen year olds was master of few words. I smiled and finished unloading the car.

  The coffee shop wasn’t a big place, it could seat thirty at a push but it kept me, Audrey and Sandie busy. Audrey came rushing into the kitchen. “Sophie love, thank goodness you are here, we are rushed off our feet.”

  “Don’t worry, the cavalry has arrived,” I said, squeezing her shoulders affectionately as she made her way back into the shop with an order.

  It turned out to be a hectic couple of hours. A coach load of American tourists had come to visit Betherlands, the local stately home, and had wandered into the village. Apparently, they’d been told by their tour guide that Hatherley was a typically quaint English village. Fine by me, that kind of talk was good for business. By four o’clock, however, the shop was empty, the sun had admitted defeat and it was getting colder by the minute.

  We all sat down for a well-deserved cuppa. “Oh, I meant to tell you Sophie, a man came into the shop looking for you this morning. He was most insistent about knowing where you were,” Audrey said disapprovingly.

  I sipped my tea. “Really, did he say what he wanted?”

  “No, but he wasn’t very happy when I refused to give him your mobile number. I told him to come back at lunchtime. He didn’t come back though, did he?” She turned to Sandie for confirmation, who just shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

  “He seemed very keen to find you,” Audrey continued.

  “What did he look like?”

  “Well, he was tall with very short blonde hair and spoke with a foreign accent.”

  “And he was hot,” Sandie added.

  Audrey gave her a withering look.

  “What? He was!”

  I was puzzled. “I wonder what he wanted.”

  Audrey looked concerned. “I assumed you would know.”

  “He’d be difficult to forget if you had met him,” Sandie said.

  Audrey ignored her. “I don’t like strangers turning up asking for your number, it’s not right and I didn’t like his tone at all,” she said, sounding cross. “If he turns up again I shall give him a piece of my mind.”

  “It was probably just some salesman,” I said, trying to reassure her. “If it was urgent, I’m sure he will come back.”

  Audrey harrumphed her disapproval. Dear Audrey, she was like my mother should have been.

  “How was yesterday?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “Well, pretty hard, as expected. Toby was a little trooper though,” I said with a sad smile.

  “He’s a dear little lad and he’s coped with the loss of his mother so maturely. You are doing a great job.” Audrey patted my hand. Many a time I had poured out my insecurities about being Toby’s guardian to her.

  “I’m doing my best. He supports me as much as I support him.”

  “You are lucky to have one another.”

  “It’s hard though, I miss Katie so much.”

  “I know you do, we all do,” she said sympathetically.

  I took another sip of my tea. “But, do you know what? As tough as yesterday was, I actually woke up this morning feeling optimistic about the future, probably for the first time in the last year. Toby and I have an easy relationship, he’s getting on well at school and the shop is doing okay.” I left out the bit about moving things forward with Marcus.

  “That’s the spirit my dear.”

  I looked into Audrey’s kind face. She was an attractive older woman. She was lined but her bone structure was delicate and her skin unblemished.

  “Thanks Aude you are such a support, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I squeezed her hand. “Let’s shut up shop and head home early, I don’t think anyone else is coming in this afternoon.” I glanced outside. “It looks like it might snow.” Even though it was dark the sky had taken on a heaviness in the light of the street lamps that hadn’t been there before. I picked up our mugs.

  “Now that’s enough of that kind of talk, I’m not built for the cold,” Audrey said, shaking her head and shivering as she walked past me to get her coat.

  “Don’t be such a spoil sport, there’s nothing like a dump of snow, especially when there’s sledging potential,” I said, putting the mugs in the sink.

  “Yeah, I love a bit of sledging,” Sandie agreed.

  Audrey shook her head. “I’m afraid I’m getting too old for that sort of thing.”

  “Rubbish, you’re a spring chicken Aude,” I teased. “I bet you could give the kids a run for their money.”

  She laughed. “Forty years ago maybe. I prefer a more sedentary pace of life now.”

  She had always been very secretive about her age but she had to be in her mid to late sixties. I smiled and shrugged on my coat. “Can you lock up at the front? I’m going out the back.”

  “Course love, see you tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, see you tomorrow,” I said. “Bye Sandie.”

  “Bye,” she replied.

  I could see my breath in the glow of the security light out the back. I pulled my scarf up to my chin. My old truck started after a few throaty attempts and I patted the dashboard. “Good girl,” I said gratefully and reversed out of the shop’s back yard.

  I drove home and thought about Audrey. She was such a good friend and support. She lived alone with two cats she adored, but the love of her life was her friend and neighbour Paul Franklin. Unfortunately for Audrey, Paul was his wife’s loyal and totally committed full time carer. Once a week, Audrey and Paul would spend companionable time together when Eva went into respite care. They did the crossword together and discussed the news topics of the day and I knew it was these moments that Audrey lived for.

  I turned into my road and was dragged away from my thoughts by the sight of a tall shadowy figure standing by my front gate. My mind flitted to the conversation Audrey and I’d had earlier about the mysterious stranger who had come into the shop asking questions about my whereabouts. I felt a shot of adrenaline as I did a quick risk assessment of the situation. The street was quiet and there were no lights on in the house next to mine. I contemplated turning around and then thought better of it. Whoever this person was, he was obviously persistent and would no doubt catch up with me sooner rather than later.

  I pulled into the drive at the side of my house and glanced in the rear-view mirror. I hoped the man might have moved on, but he was still there and I watched him walk up the garden path ready to meet me at the front door. I grabbed my mobile phone and brought Marcus’ number up on the screen, I could hit dial if I needed to. I got out of the car and put my phone in my pocket keeping it in my hand as I approached my mysterious visitor, who was now waiting for me under the porch.

  He was tall and wore dark jeans and a dark jacket. His collar was turned up and his hands were pushed hard into his pockets in a gesture against the cold.

  “Can I help you?” I said with a cheeriness I didn’t feel.

  “I’m looking for Sophie McAllister,” he replied in an accent I struggled to place. I looked up into his face. He didn’t look like my idea of a homicidal maniac, in fact far from it. Sandie had been right, he was spectacularly good-looking. His hair was fair and very short, he had a well-defined brow and his jawline was angular. All in all, pretty breath-taking. I found myself staring at him struggling to assimilate the oxygen I was drawing into my lungs.

  “Do you know where I could find Ms McAllister?” he repeated, interrupting my appraisal of his not inconsiderable good looks.

  “Um yes, I’m Sophie McAllister,” I replied breathlessly. Get a grip! He might be a fine example of a man but that didn’t mean he was any less inclined to do me harm, h
e could probably throttle me with one hand. “Can I help you?” I asked again.

  He offered his hand for a handshake and I flinched at the sudden movement.

  “My name is Ahran Elessar.”

  His hand was as warm as mine was cold.

  “Are you the legal guardian of the boy?”

  Chapter 3

  His terminology struck me as odd and then I realised he was talking about Toby. I snatched my hand from his. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up like the hackles on a dog and the unease I felt when I first saw him returned. I decided to play ignorant. “I’m sorry I’m not sure what you mean. Who did you say you were again?”

  “Ahran Elessar,” he said, enunciating it as if I was either deaf or stupid. “I need to talk with you about your nephew as a matter of urgency. Could we step inside?”

  How did he know anything about Toby? My uneasiness increased. Who was this guy? He was clearly no salesman and the last thing I had expected was the topic of conversation to be about my nephew. Apprehension prickled across my skin.

  “Can we go inside and talk?” he urged more insistently.

  I stood on my doorstep weighing up whether I should let him inside or just tell him to get lost. He acknowledged my hesitation by taking a step closer and lowering his voice. He was close enough for me to smell his citrusy aftershave.

  “You and your nephew are in grave danger, I have been sent to protect you.” His expression was serious and fear crashed through my body causing my fingertips to tingle. “I know how this might seem,” he continued, “but it’s very cold out here. Can we talk about this in the warm?”

  Why were our lives in grave danger? I stared at him blankly.

  Even though I got the impression he wasn’t overjoyed about being here, there was something about him that was calm and reassuring.

  “Are you the police?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “Then how do I know you don’t mean us any harm?”

  “Please believe me when I say I’m not here to hurt you. If I meant you any harm I could do it right here, right now.”

  He was right, he could attack me on my doorstep and no one would hear my screams.

  “You and your nephew are not safe and I am here to protect you,” he said, repeating his earlier statement. “Can we please go inside and I will explain?”

  His sincerity seemed genuine but it was the thought of Toby coming to any harm that finally forced my decision.

  “Okay. Although my boyfriend will be home any minute.” This of course, wasn’t true.

  My hand was shaking when I put the key in the lock. I opened the door and Mungo rushed out of the kitchen and charged up to my unexpected visitor wagging his tail and whimpering like an idiot. Great! Some guard dog you are!

  Ahran had to duck as he walked through the doorway and my hallway suddenly felt small.

  “Can I take your coat?”

  He hesitated as if my offer had caught him off guard. “Er, yes, thank you.” He shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to me.

  I hung it up and got a waft of his aftershave again mixed with the kind of smell you get when your skin has been exposed to hot sun. I wondered how he could possibly smell of the sun when it had been freezing cold all day.

  Mungo was going over the top with his canine welcome and I grabbed his collar. He could be so irritating. “Mungo, that’s enough!” Dogs were supposed to protect their owners, weren’t they? “Sorry,” I apologised and led him into the kitchen. Fortunately, I had lit the Aga yesterday and the kitchen felt warm and inviting.

  “In your bed,” I commanded before Mungo could even think about resuming his overly friendly assault on my visitor. He did as he was told but shot me a look of disappointment at having his enthusiastic greeting curbed, it wasn’t often we had new people to the house for him to sniff and lick.

  “Come in.” My mind was reeling. What had we done to anyone that would make them want to harm us? Toby was just a child and the worst I had ever done was thirty five in a thirty zone.

  “Please take a seat.” I congratulated myself for my calm manner when I felt anything but calm.

  He pulled out one of the wooden chairs at the kitchen table and it creaked as he sat down. Without his jacket he was lean and broad. His skin was lightly tanned and his eyes were the most mesmerizing shade of blue, it was difficult not to stare at them. “Can I get you a drink? Tea…Coffee?”

  “Just a glass of water, please.”

  I switched the kettle on, feeling like I needed the comfort of a mug of tea. I poured his glass of water and tried to still the tremor in my hand.

  “Thank you,” he said, taking the glass from me, his hand as steady as a rock. At least he was polite, which wasn’t a quality I usually associated with serial killers.

  “Where is your nephew now?” he asked, straight to the point.

  I chose to lean up against the counter rather than take a seat opposite, for some reason it made me feel like I had more of an advantage. I held my mug with both hands seeking its reassuring warmth.

  “He’s at a friend’s,” I replied.

  I eyed my unexpected visitor warily. I’d have placed him in his early thirties. He sat with an easy confidence and wore an expensive looking black roll neck sweater that clung to what must have been some seriously toned muscles underneath. He had faint laughter lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth but apart from that, his face was flawless. His long legs were muscular and clad in a pair of designer jeans and he wore a pair of brown leather Chelsea boots. All in all, expensively turned out and not what you would expect of a potential bodyguard.

  “Okay so can you please tell me what this is all about?” I insisted.

  Ahran leant forward on the table. “The boy in your care is very…” He paused searching for the right word “…special.” His expression was solemn.

  I gave a humourless laugh. “You don’t think I know that? He’s the only family I have left.”

  “I understand he is important to you after the loss you have suffered but what I mean is he is special in an...” Once again he searched for the right words, “... unusual way.”

  I felt confused. How did he know what loss I had suffered? And what did he mean Toby was special and unusual?

  “How do you know anything about us?” I demanded.

  “I know a lot more about you and the boy than even you know.”

  More than even I knew? He was talking in riddles.

  “Do you know who the boy’s father is?” he continued as if to prove his point.

  “Toby, his name is Toby,” I said in frustration. I was beginning to feel out of control.

  He ignored me and raised his eyebrows waiting for my answer.

  I sighed. “His father is called Tagan, but he doesn’t have anything to do with Toby and never has had,” I said bitterly.

  Ahran made no comment and continued with his game of ‘I Know More Than You’. “His name was Tagan Halsan and he was my cousin.”

  “Well you can tell Tagan Halsan to go to hell. If he thinks he’s having Toby he is sorely mistaken.” I put my mug down and stepped away from the counter. “If this is why you have come then you can get out of my house.” I could feel hot tears prickling at my eyes. They would have to take Toby away over my dead body and not without a fight before that. A sinking feeling dragged at my stomach. I could almost feel the cracks beginning to fracture my fragile world. I was a fool this morning to think I could lead a normal and settled life. Things always turned to shit!

  Ahran remained calm. “I don’t think you heard what I said. Tagan was my cousin. He died over eight years ago.” He paused and let me digest this information. “And I have no intention of taking the boy away from you,” he said, his expression softening just a little.

  “Then why have you come to see us now? As far as Toby,” I said, emphasising his name again, “is concerned, his father was never interested in him when he was alive, why should it matter now that he is dead?” I coul
dn’t help feeling a small vindictive twinge of satisfaction knowing that Tagan no longer walked this earth.

  “Tagan never knew he had a son,” Ahran replied in a clipped tone. My vilification of his cousin was obviously beginning to annoy him.

  “Yeah right, more convenient to play ignorant at least there is less chance of having to pay maintenance,” I continued, I couldn’t help myself.

  He drew in a deep breath before continuing. “We had no idea Tagan had a son at first and it took me a while to find you both. If Tagan had known he had sired a son, believe me he would have come looking for him himself.”

  I snorted. Sired a son. Hello? We are in the 21st century! And where was that accent from?

  Before I had a chance to ask him, Ahran continued.

  “The picture you paint of my cousin is not an accurate one. Tagan would have been very proud if he had known he had a son even if he is...” Ahran stopped himself. “He just would have been very proud and I’m sure he would have wanted to get to know him.”

  “What were you going to say? Even if he is what?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Judging by the expression that flickered across his face, it was something he found disagreeable. “What does matter is that my family has enemies and we have reason to believe that they may come after Toby.”

  Suddenly I felt nauseous. “What kind of enemies? Are you in the Mafia or something? Its drugs isn’t it?” I said, throwing my hands in the air and shaking my head, not giving him the chance to answer any of my questions. “I knew it!” I thought about Toby’s good for nothing father it wouldn’t have surprised me to find out that he was some addict who had got into debt to some badass drug dealer. Whatever illegal pies Tagan and his family had their fingers in, Toby and I wanted no part of it.