Dead of Winter

Chapter 68

Ebony stood in Helen Tapp’s kitchen.

‘Helen. . it’s important that everything is told now.’

She nodded that she understood.

‘Is Alex your son?’

‘Yes. . but I didn’t give birth to him.’

‘He’s adopted?’

‘Yes. We got him when he was eighteen months. We never thought we could have children; then years later. . Alfie.’

‘Have you got all your adoption papers?’

‘Yes. . of course. .’

‘How did you come to adopt Alex?’

‘He was called Adam when he came to us. His mother was murdered, we were told. She named someone else in her will in the event of anything happening. But that person died with her. It was her wish that he be put up for adoption, change his name, everything. He gets money put into an account for his needs. It’s a generous amount from his grandfather but his mother left instructions that there was never to be any contact. We were delighted to take him on. We were having trouble conceiving, we’d been trying for years.’

‘Do you think Alex might have been approached by any of his family?’

‘I don’t know. Looking back. .’

‘Before Alex disappeared did you notice anything strange? Did Alex ever ask you about his real mum?’

She nodded. ‘Michael told me not to mention it before. He said it would make no difference to things.’

‘We found no searches on his PC

‘That wasn’t one that Alex really used. He did his homework on it here in the kitchen where I could help him if he needed, but he used his iPad in his room. Michael bought it for him.’

‘Where is the iPad now, Helen?’

‘He took it with him that day.’

‘To the Arsenal match?’

‘Yes. . I know. . I don’t know why he did that.’

‘Because someone told him to bring it maybe. . Did Alex know he was adopted?’

‘We told him a couple of years ago.’

‘How did he seem with it?’

‘Not bothered in the beginning. In the last six months he’s been asking a lot of questions about how his mother died.’

‘Uncomfortable questions?’

‘I found his questions really difficult to answer. How do you tell a boy his mother was murdered? I told him she went away. I told him she might still be alive but I doubted it.’

Ebony looked at Helen Tapp and she realized that Adam thought he’d found his real mum.

She got outside and called Carter. ‘Adam never knew who he was until someone told him. What about the woman Tapp is seeing?’

‘I had him followed,’ said Carter. ‘He’s having an affair with Aaron’s mum.’