Chapter 40: NOW - The Safe Room

I’m glued to the screen watching Peter and Sophie eating chocolate cake. Sophie picks at hers while Peter eats his with abandon, making yummy noises with each bite.

“It’s good isn’t it?” He doesn’t give Sophie time to reply before continuing. “So good. Who knew I’d be good at this? You’d be lucky to have me as a dad, wouldn’t you?”

Just then Emily walks in and I lean even closer. There she is. The liar. I can’t even imagine what sort of warped mind would agree to do this with Peter. She must be just as bad as him.

“What do we have here then? My man and my best girl enjoying cake,” Emily says, like she’s the woman of the house. “What more could I ever want?” She kisses Peter on the cheek.

My best girl. I want to strangle her.

But what else stands out to me, aside from the nauseating way she talks to my daughter, is that her accent has changed. She no longer has a neutral, slightly posh voice. She sounds almost cockney. She faked everything. I wonder if she faked the pregnancy too. I shake my head. I’d agonised over the decision to leave Emily out in the cold, because every lie she told me was designed to foster sympathy. I hate her almost as much as I hate him.

Emily moves over to Peter and puts her arm around him. But Peter tenses and steps away from her, out of her embrace. I remember what he said to me about Emily being a means to an end. There’s no way I trust anything he says, but sense there’s an element of truth in his words. Perhaps their relationship started out genuine but after Mary died, Peter became fixated on me again. I almost feel sorry for Emily. It’s so clear to me that Peter has been using her. There are real bruises on Emily’s face. Did Peter do those? What kind of woman allows a man to beat her to get closer to his stalking victim?

She cuts her own slice of cake and sits down next to Sophie.

“Aren’t you a lucky girl?” She nudges my daughter with her elbow and I rage inside.

Sophie isn’t eating anymore. She’s watching Emily, just like I am.

I wonder what Sophie understands about the situation. She knows I’m not here and there is a strange man in the house. Does she understand that Emily manipulated her way in? My daughter is smart and I think she’s picked up on this dynamic. Peter scares her, but I think she’s just as disgusted by Emily as I am.

I consider the fact that Emily is the weakest link in all this. There has to be a reason why she’s so devoted to Peter, and if I can poke holes in their relationship, maybe I can turn her over to my side.

I’ve thought through a few options while I’ve been locked in here. The first one is to make Peter believe I have real feelings for him, that I’ve been genuinely moved watching him with my daughter and want to be his girlfriend. It makes me want to throw up, but Peter is deluded enough to buy it. On the other hand, it might take time. It’s clear that Peter wants to toy with me. Yes, this is some sort of weird seduction, but it’s also control, and he will enjoy having me in this box for as long as possible.

The other option is to try and break out of here. I’ve played it safe so far, distracted by watching my daughter, making sure she’s okay. But there might be something I can do.

I could attempt to shut down the electricity. The safe room is wired in and doesn’t work on a generator. There is a back-up generator, but I wanted the computer to be on at all times, so I had it wired in. What if I could trip the electricity for a few seconds? Would it automatically open the safe room door?

I keep trying to visualise the installation manual—which of course Peter removed from the shelf—because I can’t remember if the door automatically unlocks when the electricity goes off. If I’m wrong, I run the risk of having no camera channels to observe, and less clean air from the fan. I also don’t know how I would trip the electricity. I’m not an expert and I can’t remember what Ed always warned me not to do.

No. Right now, anything like that is too risky. If I try something and the door doesn’t open, Peter could keep me locked in here for days without lights, and without the camera feed. Then I’d be in the dark and wouldn’t know if Sophie is safe.

Then there’s Emily. If she comes in here alone maybe I could persuade her to let me out and turn Peter in. Does she even know why I’m down here? I feel like he’s holding information from her.

I pull the blanket tightly around my shoulders, protecting me from the chill. I have thought about another option but it’s one of the riskiest and it involves a kind of bravery I’ve never had.

Peter wants me alive. If I put myself in danger, there’s a chance he might let me out to save my life. But that would involve harming myself. I’d need to look like I mean it. My gaze travels across to the cans of soup. If I could open one up and use the sharp edge on my skin... A shudder rolls through my body. Only in the most desperate of circumstances could I do anything like that.

Finally, Sophie… If she could get help…

No. Peter will be watching her like a hawk, and I don’t want her to have to try any risks. I want her safe, even if that means being with Peter and Emily.

First, I need to check this room for cameras. I never installed anything inside the safe room itself, but Peter may have come prepared. It makes me wonder what he knew about this house before tonight. Has he been inside it before? He may not have needed to be inside the house to figure out I have a good security system and a safe room. We extended the size of our cellar, excavating the north section which altered the exterior of the building. We had to apply for planning permission to do that, and all of the information is available online.

I wonder if he really bought the house down the road. Surely, he couldn’t afford it, but I would never put anything past Peter. Perhaps he squatted inside the house before it was sold. Or he stayed somewhere nearby and kept an eye on the house, waiting for the day when the removal vans turned up, priming me to accept a new neighbour.

I’m convinced he found a way to look inside my home somehow.

I feel sick again, but I push it down. On the screen, Emily is washing the plates.

“I need to go to the toilet,” Sophie says. She’s fidgeting around in her chair, a sure sign that she’s desperate for the loo.

Peter nudges Emily in the side with his elbow. “You take her. But watch her like a hawk. All right? We don’t want any issues.”

Sophie shakes her head slightly but the two of them ignore it. Emily dries her hands and grabs Sophie by the arm.

I follow them through the house. Emily isn’t as soft with Sophie as she was before. She pulls her roughly through the corridors to the downstairs toilet. It’s one of the few places I didn’t put a camera so I can’t watch. I move my attention back to Peter. He’s still. Contemplative. Maybe planning his next move.

For the rest of the day, I’m forced to watch them play house. Peter finds colouring books for Sophie. Emily cooks pasta for dinner, and they eat it in front of the TV. From the living room I see Sophie grimace as she eats. Even Peter leaves plenty on his plate. Emily isn’t a good cook. I note that piece of information in case it comes in useful when I need to manipulate Peter.

Later, Peter takes Sophie upstairs, lets her change into pyjamas, and then reads a book to her. He chooses one of the baby books that Sophie’s more than capable of reading alone because he doesn’t understand children. It’s all an impression of being a father, of being a good man. I weep watching Sophie sit in bed, her expression pained. She doesn’t know this man. He’s making her uncomfortable.

“Good night, sweet angel.” He plants a kiss on her forehead before turning directly to the camera. “You’re safe now with me. Soon your mummy will join us, and we’ll be one big happy family.”

My insides squirm. I look at my daughter, at the way her mouth twists in confusion and fear.

“Where is Mummy?” Sophie asks, her voice devastatingly quiet and uncertain.

“She’s resting.” Peter walks back to the bed and sits on the edge. I curl my hands into fists watching him move so close to her. “Listen to me, because I need to tell you something. You know that the outside world is really scary, right? Mummy always taught you that.”

Sophie nods her head.

“When I’m here, things are less scary. I’m your new daddy and your mummy’s new husband.” He sighs. “It’s nice to have a family, isn’t it? I’ve always wanted one.”

“I already have a daddy,” Sophie says.

“That’s right,” I say out loud to the screen. “Good girl, Sophie.”

Peter’s spine straightens. I put my face in my hands. He doesn’t like Sophie not buying this.

“No, you don’t. That man is dead.” He stands, all six feet of him looming over my small child. “I’m your daddy now. Understand?”

Sophie’s face is as white as a sheet. She nods once, quickly.

He walks over to the door, waves to her, and then closes it. As soon as he’s gone, Sophie runs over, tries the door handle and finds it’s locked.

My heart flutters with panic. There is no lock on Sophie’s door. Has he installed one from the outside? Fuck. I touch the screen, wishing I could help her. My God, if there’s a fire… No. I can’t think about that. I can’t. We’re fine. We’re alive.

She gives up on the door and rushes over to the window, but it’s also locked. I wipe tears from my cheeks. This isn’t right. It’s too cruel. The two of us locked in different rooms, not able to hold each other. I say her name out loud, racked with emotion, watching as my daughter climbs back into bed, pulling the cover over her head.

I know she’s crying. I know she’s lost and afraid and there’s nothing I can do.

I bang against the door, feeling like a feral animal in a cage. I climb onto the toilet seat and squint through the vent, wishing I could somehow shrink myself down to climb inside.

Then I hear the footsteps coming back down the cellar stairs.

“How are we doing?” he asks, his voice slippery, like a swimming eel.

I bite my lip, step down from the toilet seat and approach the door.

“I want to see Sophie.”

“You can see her any time you want,” he says. “You know I left the cameras on for you.”

“No, I want to really see her. Let me out, Peter, please. This is inhumane. You know that. You’re not a cruel man. I saw you reading a story to my daughter. I saw how gentle you were with her. It was so moving to me.”

I press my face against the door, willing him to comply.

“I’m glad you’re seeing another side to me,” he says. “But I’m not sure I can trust you, Amber. I know you’re looking for a way out.” His voice increases in volume as he comes closer. “As much as I want to touch you, hold you, I know I can’t. Not until you want to be with me too. I just don’t believe you right now. I’m sorry.”

“Peter, please. Give me a chance.”

“I will, darlin’. You’ve just got to prove you’re worth it first.”

The footsteps move away, leaving me to contemplate his words.