Chapter 7
"I'm going to the press conference. Can you handle things here?" Jack asked her the next day. Lisette nodded, flashing him a smile. If there was a press conference for the town, no one would be in the store. It would be time she could use to restock the shelves.
And she did. It was peaceful. No one came in. Nothing.
If only she'd known what all had been happening at the press conference.
"Does Lisette know?"
DS Miller's words pulled DI Hardy from his thoughts. The fact that Jack Marshall was a sex offender was not something he had been suspecting, and until DS Miller had said those words, the thought had never crossed his mind.
"And she leaves her children with him," DI Hardy said, feeling angry at the thought.
"We need to bring him in and talk with him. Soon," DS Miller suggested.
"I agree. I don't want Lisette or her children alone with him until we speak with him," DI Hardy decided firmly.
And so, two hours later, they had Jack Marshall in for questioning.
It was getting late, Lisette realized. Nearly five. Jack had phoned her twenty minutes before to let her know he was going straight to a Sea Brigades event and she could close up the store on her own. She had yet to do it entirely alone, but she wasn't too worried about it.
The twins, though, were getting hungry. Lisette was going to have to buy something small from the store for them for supper. She had taken it for granted that Jack had been bringing them food. She would need to start packing meals for them and bringing them along.
She was in the process of thinking that when the door opened. Lisette's head jerked up, an automatic reaction.
Alec and Ellie had entered the store.
And neither looked too pleased.
"What's wrong?" Lisette asked. She glanced over at the children, who were playing with some blocks Jack had brought them.
"Sit down. We need to talk," Alec said firmly. Lisette glanced at the door. No one ought to come in. But…she shook her head. She could leave the store open. It'd be fine.
She settled onto a stool while the two remained standing in front of her.
"What do we need to talk about?" Lisette asked. Anxiety quelled inside of her.
"Is it about Daddy?" she asked, voice small and eyes wide.
"No. It has nothing to do with the man who kidnapped you," Alec said, but his voice didn't soften.
"It has to do with Jack Marshall," Ellie told her.
"Is he okay?" Lisette demanded.
"Oh, he's fine. We just had him in at the station. Were you aware that he had a conviction for underage sex?" Alec asked her.
Lisette started to shake her head, only to stop. They'd talked about his family before. He mentioned an altercation with his wife's family, back when he was younger.
And he'd mentioned that she was considerably younger than him.
"No. But he's hinted at it," Lisette said.
Both Alec and Ellie sat up straighter.
"And you still worked for him? You still brought your children here and left them with him?" Alec demanded.
"No. It wasn't like that," Lisette protested. She closed her eyes. Jack was a private person. He had told her about his family in implied confidence.
"Jack never went into detail about it. He had…conflicts….with his wife's family, before they got married. She was quite a bit younger than him," Lisette explained, feeling guilty for saying what she was.
"A girl?" Alec blurted out.
"Yeah," Lisette said.
"Why didn't he tell us?" Ellie asked Alec.
"He doesn't talk about it. Jack's a private person, and it's a sore subject," Lisette tried explaining.
"Why is it such a sore subject?" Alec prodded, his voice a bit softer now.
"Because he had a son too," Lisette said.
"A son?" Ellie repeated. Lisette nodded.
"He had a son who was killed in a car accident. His wife was driving. They got divorced soon after that," Lisette explained.
"So he had nothing to do with little boys?" Alec asked for clarification.
"Nothing," Lisette agreed. Alec nodded.
"That's all we need. Let's go, Miller," Alec said. Ellie headed for the door and Alec started to, only to pause. He turned back to Lisette.
"If you can't reach me by mobile…I live in the Trader's Hotel," Alec told her. Lisette tilted her head, staring curiously at him.
"I just…if something happens. Room 215. It's right near the back door stairs," Alec told her.
"Okay," Lisette said.
He then quickly hurried out of the room.
Lisette wasn't sure what to make of that.
Jack didn't show up that night. At all. He left a shaky voicemail on Lisette's phone, which left her frowning. But she knew how to lock up the shop. So she did.
She shut and locked up the shop before pushing the children in the stroller home.
The night air was a refreshing change from the shop she'd been in all day. She hadn't realized that she'd miss the night air so soon after her nights outdoors.
It was a nice change, though. The air was cool, nearing cold in temperature. Both children would be sick had they still been outside. And she probably wouldn't have been much better off.
Her eyes lingered on the coastline as she approached Paul's house.
Maybe, with time, she could even get over her fear of the water.
The next day was quiet, still. Lisette had an uneasy feeling settling within her, but she didn't dare say anything aloud. She didn't want to risk it. So she tried to ignore the suspicion she had. Jack was in and out briefly throughout the day, leave Lisette to keep the place under control.
By the end of the day, nothing had happened. Yet still she couldn't get rid of that fear that something was coming, something terrible.
"You don't look too good."
Lisette started at Paul's words. She was tucking the children into bed. She turned around swiftly, staring at her brother.
"I feel out of sorts. I think I'm going to take a walk," Lisette said.
"Be careful," Paul told her, eyes glued to her. He hesitated once more before pulling out his mobile.
"Here. I have a home line as well. We need to look into getting you your own mobile," he told her with a rueful smile.
"I can look into it on Monday. Got your sermon prepared for tomorrow?" Lisette asked. Paul gave her a smile.
"Just got to put the finishing touches on it. I'll listen for the children. Don't be out too long," Paul told her. Lisette nodded and headed out the door.
She made her way back towards town for a quick stroll when she noticed the man.
He was leaning against the side of a building, staring intently at her.
Too intently.
Lisette turned quickly, deciding she would have to run. Try to make it back to the house. Hope to get out of town then quickly.
Two arms grabbed her before she got far. Then one arm as the second left her to cover her mouth.
"Sh! Grey! It's me!" the voice hissed at her.
The familiar voice. She stopped struggling. As soon as she stopped, he uncovered her mouth.
"Al?" she asked faintly. He released her entirely, and she turned to face him.
It was Al.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him.
"I saw you in the paper," he told her.
"The paper?"
"Yeah. You were wearing the hoodie I sent you away with," he told her.
"But why?" Lisette pressed. Al let out a shaky sigh.
"He's unsettled. I…I told him you died. We lit the hospital on fire -there were only ten patients, and you were the only one on the top floor. It was pretty easy to fake. But I don't think he believed us," Al said.
"Was anyone else hurt?" Lisette demanded.
"No one. We made it look like it was his fault, for demanding you be alone on the third floor. But Grey – he's uneasy. Restless. He's been killing us more frequently. Twenty drownings in the last month," Al said.
"What do you think that means?" Lisette asked.
"I think it means he's about to run. Disappear again. He won't leave us alive," Al told her.
"What do we do?" Lisette asked him.
"Hide. I've covered my tracks. I'm going to be hiding in France, I think. I know you can't get out of the country. But be careful. You need to stay out of the news. You should be safe this time, but the next time? Who knows what will happen. If he spots you, he'll come for you," Al warned her. Lisette's throat felt tight. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat.
She didn't succeed.
"Am I safe here?" she asked.
"I don't know. I really don't. The reporters don't help. But there's coverage here. He'd never suspect you were here, so long as you don't get seen. Dye your hair, cover up more. Change your names," Al suggested.
"But that's the thing. I…I have. I was kidnapped, Al. I found my brother. I'm going by my birth name," Lisette said.
Al looked even more uneasy.
"Be exceedingly careful. I've got to go. I can't linger, or there's a possibility I can be traced. I had to warn you, though, before I leave. Be safe," he repeated before kissing her forehead and disappearing into the night.
For a moment, Lisette just stood there in a haze. Then the panic settled in. She needed to get out of town. Now.
She needed to run as far away and as fast away as she could.
But she couldn't.
There was Paul.
And Danny. Alec said she needed to stay in Broadchurch, for Danny.
Alec.
She needed to talk with Alec. He could help her figure this out. He had to. If he wanted her to stay.
Lisette pulled her coat tighter around herself and hurried towards the hotel, sneaking in the back door and up the stairs. She made it to 215 and knocked. There was a thump, then a crash, then the door handle moved. Lisette grabbed it, helping it along before pulling the door open.
Just in time for Alec to crash into her.
He took her down, collapsing on top of her. He looked like he was choking.
Lisette struggled to pull her mobile from her pocket. She had 999 dialed immediately.
"What's your emergency?" the voice answering the mobile asked.
"I'm at the Trader's Hotel, second floor. I'm with a man who isn't breathing. I don't t know what's wrong with him. He's still alive, just…he looks like he's choking," Lisette said as she managed to roll Alec onto his back.
"An ambulance is being dispatched. Can you check his pulse?" the operator asked.
Lisette leaned over Alec and checked his pulse.
"His heart is going crazy," she said.
"He may be having a heart attack. If he goes unconscious, you can start CPR. An ambulance should be with you shortly," the operator reassured her. Lisette hung up the phone and stared at Alec.
He was still there, just looking like he was choking. Like he couldn't breathe. Lisette leaned over him and pressed down on his chest once, twice, three times. And then she breathed into his mouth.
She stopped and stared for a moment, trying to see if it worked. His face looked like it was starting to turn blue.
That wasn't good.
So she did another chest compression and breath. And another. And another.
After a few minutes, his face didn't look blue, but he was still nearly gasping. Five minutes passed and his eyes were falling shut.
And she could hear the ambulance sirens.
Once the paramedics arrived, it took no time for them to load Alec up in the ambulance. Lisette climbed in as well, clutching at his hand as the ambulance roared to the hospital. The paramedics didn't say a word to her.
The hospital was another story.
The emergency room workers stopped her the moment she tried to follow him back there.
"You can't go back there," the woman told her. She was eyeing Lisette like a hawk. She obviously recognized her from around town.
"But I need to. He needs me," Lisette said, that though alone circling inside her head.
"The only way you can go back there is if you're closely related to him, or married to him. And you're the vicar's sister," the woman informed her.
Lisette sucked in a deep breath.
"I am. Married to him, I mean. I'm his wife," Lisette told her.
The woman looked as if she knew it.
"And why didn't you tell anyone then?" she asked.
"We were trying to keep it a secret. Can I go back?" she begged. The woman stepped aside and waved Lisette back.
Lisette couldn't help but wonder why the woman had thought they were married in the first place.
She phoned Paul and let him know she was at the hospital with Alec. He had sounded worried until she explained why she was there. He hadn't sounded as keen when she told him she was spending the night to make sure he was okay.
But he didn't protest too terribly much.
Lisette was grateful it was a Sunday morning. The news shop wasn't open Sundays, so she didn't have to worry about missing work or contacting Jack.
It was about four in the morning when Alec came to. He blinked at her wearily before staring in confusion.
"What are you doing here?" he asked her.
"You had a heart attack. At least, that's' what the doctors told me," Lisette said.
"What are you doing here? Why did they tell you anything?" Alec wanted to know.
"I told them I was your wife."
"WHAT? Why'd you do that?"
"They wouldn't let me come back otherwise. The woman seemed to already think that was the case," Lisette tried defending herself.
"Why were you even in my room?" Alec asked her.
"I came to talk to you. You managed to partially open the door for me," Lisette explained, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"What about?" Alec asked.
"About my past. But you're sick," Lisette protested.
"I'm fine," Alec disagreed. Lisette shook her head.
"You're not. You could have died, Alec. The doctors, they told me you need surgery. To fix your heart," Lisette said.
"I may not survive that surgery. And I'd be taken off the case," Alec protested.
"But what if you die?" Lisette asked, wringing her hands in her lap.
"I'll be fine. Why did you come to my room?" Alec pressed.
"The man who helped me escape found me."
Her words had Alec struggling to sit up.
"What?" he asked.
"The doctor. The one who helped me escape. He saw me in the news," Lisette explained.
"In the news?!" Alec protested loudly.
"He recognized my hoodie," Lisette reassured him quickly.
"So you weren't otherwise recognizable?" Alec asked for clarification.
"No. He told Daddy we'd died," Lisette tried explaining.
"The three of you?" Alec asked skeptically.
"They lit the hospital on fire. I was the only patient not on the first floor, so it was easy to get everyone else out and say I'd died with the children," Lisette said.
"Christ," Alec murmured, "So you're safe?"
"Not quite," Lisette disagreed, "Daddy's been upset. He's killing a lot of people. Al thinks he's about to go on the run again. Disappear. So Al took off to France," Lisette explained.
"If this Al, the doctor? If he took off, then your kidnapper is going to be scouring the news and country in search of him. What if he tracks him here?" Alec demanded.
"He couldn't. Al was careful. He probably created a few false trails. He's smart," Lisette reassured Alec.
"But you can't know that for sure. It's your life on the line here," Alec pointed out.
"I…I was going to run," Lisette told him.
"When you found out?"
"Yeah. But I thought of Paul. And Danny. And you. I had to come see you, tell you what had happened. I knew you'd be able to help me," Lisette explained.
Alec nodded and frowned.
"I've got to get out of here," he said.
"You need to stay. They said you did," Lisette protested, stumbling to her feet quickly.
"Sit down. You're tired," Alec ordered her, even as he was swinging his feet over the side of his bed.
"No. You're injured. You should stay there," Lisette protested as a nurse ran into the room.
"Sir, you need to stay in bed," the nurse tried, but Alec shook his head.
"I'm checking myself out," he said.
"Alec, you can't," she protested, but he shook his head.
"The longer I'm here, the more chances someone has of finding out where I am," he murmured to her.
"Please, talk some sense into your husband," the nurse begged her before running out of the room, presumably to get a doctor.
"But what if you have another heart attack?" Lisette asked him worriedly.
"I'll be fine," he brushed it off as he pulled out the IV and started disconnecting the wires hooking him up.
Lisette could do nothing but watch helplessly. She trailed behind him as he walked out of the hospital, the doctors all trying to convince him to get back in bed.
And she waited beside him as he waited for a cab.
"I can drop you off at your house," Alec offered as he climbed into the cab. She climbed in after him.
"What if you have another heart attack? I don't wanna leave you alone," she protested.
And he sighed.
The two of them rode to the police station in near silence. She followed him up the stairs and to his office, where she sat on his couch.
She was asleep in minutes.
Alec did his best to ignore her as he got to work on his behind paperwork, all the while allowing his mind to run through theories. Before Lisette had explained Jack Marshall's past, but now? That was less likely. Unless new information came to light, he doubted it had anything to do with him.
He heard a quiet buzzing noise. Puzzled, he stood.
Lisette. It was coming from her pocket. But she was so tired she didn't even stir at the sound or movement. He sighed and pulled the phone from her pocket, laying her down on the couch from her sitting position as he did.
"Hello?" he asked.
"What are you doing with my sister's phone?" Paul Coates's voice asked bitingly.
"She fell asleep on my couch," Alec said drily.
"So you're out of the hospital then?" he asked.
"Nothing serious," Alec said automatically.
"She told me it looked quite serious. That's why she was spending the night sitting up with you," Paul said suspiciously.
"She worries too much," Alec waved it off.
"Do you know what time she'll wake up? I need to get ready for church, and I don't know what to do with the children," Paul's voice was hesitant, as if he hated to say such a thing.
"Are they well-behaved?" Alec asked with a frown.
"Well, yes, but I've got a lot of work I have to do. I don't want to leave them alone," Paul said, puzzled.
"Bring them to me. At the station. If they're well-behaved they can run in my office while I work and she sleeps," Alec said.
Paul was silent for a moment.
"Okay. I'll bring her a change of clothes as well. Was she up all night?" his voice was hesitant.
"From what I gather. She nearly fell over in exhaustion when she followed me out of the hospital," Alec said drily.
"I'll be there in ten minutes with them. Thanks, I guess."
"You're welcome, I guess," Alec echoed him before hanging up. He glanced back at Lisette, her long hair nearly covering her face. He moved it carefully from her face, tucking it behind her head. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep. As if she didn't have a care in the world. The few lines in her face smoothed away when she was asleep, leaving her looking her age rather than older, as she had since Alec had met her.
He pulled himself away and settled back in at his desk, leaving her mobile on the corner of his desk.
It was closer to fifteen minutes before Paul showed up, looking slightly suspicious. When he saw Lisette asleep on the couch and obviously unharmed, he relaxed slightly. He set both children down on the ground and the two of them were on their feet instantaneously, running around the room with inquisitive eyes.
"Don't break anything," he told the children gruffly. Both children glanced up at him, then at each other, then back at him. And nodded in sync.
"They're always like that," Paul noted. He settled a bag into the corner of the room before placing a smaller bag on top of it.
"Her clothes are in the top bag. The diaper bag is below it. Do you know how to change a diaper?" Paul asked him skeptically.
"I have a daughter. I know," Alec informed him. Paul nodded sharply at his words.
"I didn't bring the stroller. They're fairly energized today. If she needs a ride home when she wakes up, I can pick her up after church. If she wakes up in time, I'd love to have her at church," Paul said.
"Okay," Alec nodded. Paul gave one last look at the three and headed out the door. Only, he stopped in the doorway.
"Did something happen last night? To her, I mean? She sounded extremely shaken when I talked to her. Moreso than I would have expected," Paul said.
"An acquaintance from her past found her and warned her of her kidnapper's current actions. She came to find me to let me know what had happened when she found me," Alec stated, trying to be as evasive as possible while at the same time allowing Paul to know the concerns and threats.
Paul nodded, looking worriedly at Lisette.
"She'll be fine," Alec reassured him. Paul nodded and without another word, left.
True to his word, the children were well behaved. They spent the first thirty minutes or so exploring every nook and cranny of his office before Emmaline crawled up on his lap to watch him do paperwork and Jasper took to emptying his trashcan piece by piece before putting everything back in it again.
Before he too decided he had to see what Alec was doing.
As the others slowly trickled in, he got quite a few stares. Everyone glanced in his office, did a double take, and tried to find an excuse to walk by or come in.
The ones who came in to give him stuff then got a glance at a sleeping Lisette and left with even bigger question marks written on their faces. It really irritated him, but he wasn't about to make the children hide or wake Lisette up. After all, it was his fault she was tired and didn't want to leave him alone.
The superintendent came in awhile after the first brave soul spotted Lisette. When she saw the three of them, she sighed.
"Alec…" she started.
"Sorry," he said immediately.
"What happened to your head?" she asked. He had a few bruises along the top of his head where he'd hit the ground, he'd noticed when he'd pulled his clothes on at the hospital. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it was enough to make people look twice.
"I took a fall. Mild concussion," he said, waving it off.
"And them?" she asked, gesturing towards Lisette and then the children.
"Lisette found me. She had a scare with someone who she knew from the town she used to live in finding her. She took me to the hospital and was worried about leaving me alone after they told her I had a concussion," Alec lied.
"They shouldn't have told her," the superintendent stated.
"She told them she was my wife."
The words made the superintendent look up sharply.
"If she did that, the whole town will know about it in a week. Alec, they'll think the children are yours," she warned him.
"There's nothing I can do about it," Alec protested. The superintendent nodded slowly.
"And it might explain her sudden appearance. I'd tell your ex-wife, though. Explain the basics of who she is. The last thing you want is her showing up in a fury," the superintendent suggested.
"I'll do that later today," Alec promised, dreading the thought of a conversation with his wife.
She glanced back at the children once more.
"Don't make a habit of bringing the children to work," she told him.
"I'll try not to," he said, managing a small smile. With that, she was satisfied and left the room, pulling the door shut behind him.
His ex-wife. He would need to call her then, especially if Karen decided to write up a piece on it. Which she surely would. He wouldn't claim she was his wife, but the suspicion would be there no matter what now. It must've already been there, for them to believe it so readily at the hospital.
He pulled out his mobile and dialed the familiar number.
The phone only rang twice.
"Hello?" Her voice was so familiar. Before, it would have made him ache to hear it. Now, it was just a familiar voice.
He didn't know how he felt about the change.
"Hey. It's me. Alec," he said.
"I know. I do have caller ID. What do you want? Haven't heard from you in ages," she said, her words biting.
"Whose fault is that?" Alec shot right back, before sighing.
"Look, I didn't call you to fight. I wanted to inform you of something," he said.
"Yes?"
"I found a girl in the town I'm in now. She was kidnapped as a child and raised by a serial killer. She managed to escape and is hiding here with her two children," Alec tried to explain Lisette's back story as briefly as he could.
"How does that concern me?"
"Because last night at the hospital she lied and told them she was my wife. And everyone believed her. Her children are young – twin two-year olds – so everyone will believe it's true. I wanted to let you know the truth, before it got back to you," Alec said quickly.
Tess was silent on the other line.
"But they're not? Your children?"
"No. Three years ago, we were still happily married. I've never cheated on you. But I won't openly dispute what they say. Not when it would explain her sudden appearance here," Alec said.
"Which serial killer?"
"Dan Teds. The one we all thought was dead. He's alive. And still killing. Just more discreetly," Alec explained.
"Christ! Have you told anyone?" his ex-wife demanded.
"Yes. We're working on how we can invade the town he's in. We're being careful before sending people in, as he apparently has control of the entire town. That and we learned last night that they faked the girl's death in the town to get her out," Alec explained.
Tess sighed.
"Okay. But you'll have to explain to Daisy. She's not taking my new marriage well, and I doubt she'll take this well either."
Alec's throat threatened to close at her words. He'd managed to forget that she'd already gone and remarried.
But there was no forgetting it now.
"Okay. If she hears about it, have her call me. If not…if not, I'll try coming up there. Sometime. I don't know when yet. I'm still in the middle of a case," Alec told her.
"Alright. Just let me know, so I can take off work and make sure she's available," Tess said.
"Thanks Tess," Alec said.
"It's no problem, Alec. Bye."
"Bye."
It was approaching eight o'clock when Lisette began to stir. The children were still awake, still sitting patiently on his lap as their eyes followed everything he did, each line of text on the pages. It was almost as if they could read, Alec noted with a small smile. But he had a feeling it was just their natural curiosity – they were too young to know how to read.
Not ten minutes after Lisette began to stir, DS Miller showed up. She didn't even notice Lisette, just the children.
"Sir, I was wondering if I could go to church," she said carefully.
"Church?" Alec asked in disbelief. Then he nodded.
"Yes. We could see if anyone's acting differently. Good plan, Miller," he said.
"That wasn't why I wanted to go, but okay," she said, turning. Her eyes fell on Lisette, and she turned once more. Her eyes then narrowed on his bruises.
"What happened to you?" she asked.
"Took a fall. Lisette insisted on me going to the hospital," he said.
"Anything bad?" she wanted to know.
"Minor concussion. Lisette didn't want to leave me alone," Alec explained, repeating his previous fabricated story for her.
Miller nodded at his words.
"I'll see you there, then, sir?" she asked.
"We'll be sitting near the back. To better watch everyone," he said.
"Would you rather me take them with? If you show up with them…there are going to be reporters," Miller warned him.
"It's already going to go around town that she's my wife. We'll need to disguise her a bit, to keep her father from recognizing her, but the town already believes they're my secret family," Alec said.
"But you didn't confirm anything?" Miller pressed.
"No, but she accidentally did. At the hospital. They wouldn't let her come with me unless she told them she was my wife. They already believed she was, so they took her word for it," Alec said.
"So everyone thinks the children are yours?" she asked, peering intently at the children.
"Yes. They do," Alec agreed.
"They resemble you," Miller found herself saying.
"Really?" Alec said, giving the two children a hard glance.
They did, sort of. Both had brown hair and brown eyes. They sort of had his nose, he guessed. But Lisette didn't look too different from him.
He guessed it made sense.
"How do you want to disguise her?" Miller asked. Alec could only shrug helplessly.
"I'll go to the supermarket and be right back. We can work on disguising her when I get back," Miller said.
And she was gone.
Sorry for the long wait. It's been one hell of a summer.
-Andi