by Suzy Turner
Lana glanced across at her sister. Both frowned before looking away.
‘You’re right, Scott. We do have a secret…’ Lana said very quietly.
‘But we can’t tell you what it is,’ Emma added.
‘But why the hell not? We’re supposed to be best friends. We’ve known each other since we were, like, babies.’
Emma sighed loudly. ‘I know…’
‘But if we told you… we’d have to kill you,’ Lana said, more light-heartedly.
‘Oh c’mon,’ he said, leaning backwards. ‘That’s bull and you know it.’
‘Scott, if we could tell you the truth we would, you know we would. But it is practically life or death. Please just trust us, for now. Can we please just have a nice Christmas holiday with you? Please? Pretty please?’ Lana fluttered her eye lashes at him and grinned, while Emma proceeded to tickle his side - it always worked.
‘Okay, okay.’ He gave in. ‘But at some point or other, youare going to tell me what’s going on.’
Emma looked across at her sister and they said nothing. Instead, they both jumped on him and began to tickle him, making him laugh before he managed to get clear of them, falling onto the snow covered grass below with a thump.
‘Ow,’ he groaned.
‘Oh… are you okay?’ Emma said, wide-eyed, as she peered over the rock only to find him not there.
‘What the? Where did he go?’
A loud giggle could be heard from the other side of the rock where Scott was running back through the ruins towards their bikes.
‘Last one’s a wally!’
‘Oh, we are so going to get you!’ yelled Lana as they climbed down and ran after him.
CHAPTER THREE
The fairy lights twinkled in the dark while Audrey, Patrick, Declan and Saleena silently placed a whole host of gifts under the tree and all over the sofa.
Just before they called it a night, Patrick drank the glass of sherry Lucy Jo had left for Father Christmas, and handed the mince pie to Declan who took a bite, leaving a few crumbs on the plate. Rudolph’s carrot was picked up by Audrey who took a large bite before taking a large swig of the milk left for the reindeer.
Saleena watched from the doorway, smiling, touched by the annual tradition. When the room was set for the morning, all four grinned at each other, saying goodnight before they quietly went up to their rooms, careful to avoid the creaky step.
Declan and Saleena closed their door behind them, leaving the parents to peer into their children’s bedrooms. Content they were all sleeping peacefully, they went to bed for a good night’s sleep before the chaos of Christmas morning.
oOo
Ever since she could walk and understand that Christmas meant presents, Lucy Jo had always been the first to rush into her parents’ bedroom and pounce on them on Christmas morning – usually not before six a.m., but no later than a quarter past.
At almost seven a.m., Audrey rolled over to look at the alarm clock on Patrick’s side of the bed. Frowning, she rubbed her eyes and looked again. It was six fifty-seven.
Shaking her husband awake, he turned, opening his eyes with a grin. ‘Is it time?’ he whispered, like a small child.
She nodded and smiled. ‘They’ve slept in today.’
Patrick glanced at the clock and frowned. ‘That’s not like her.’
Audrey sighed. ‘It means we’ve got a few minutes to wake up properly this year.’
Grinning, he leaned over and pulled his wife close. ‘Shall we go and pounce on them instead?’
She chuckled. ‘At Christmas, you’re such a child.’
‘You love it, really.’
‘I do,’ she giggled. ‘I love you.’
Giving her a long kiss, they both climbed out of bed and pulled on their dressing gowns and slippers. Before they opened the door, they glanced at each other childishly, then ran out, making lots of noise.
‘Wakey, wakey! It’s Christmas morning!’
Greg was first out onto the landing, followed by Emma, Lana, Declan and Saleena.
‘Wow, it’s freezing.’ Lana shivered, pulling her dressing gown tightly around her. ‘Does anyone else feel a draft?’
Seconds later, when they realised Lucy Jo still hadn’t appeared, Audrey put her hand on her chest and looked across at her husband.
Rushing into the little girl’s bedroom, Audrey screamed when she saw nothing but an empty bed… and an open window.
‘Oh my god… my little girl! Lucy Jo!’ she cried.
oOo
The house was full of Patrick’s co-workers from the police force, dusting for fingerprints, making notes and asking questions whilst a distraught Audrey, who wouldn’t let Greg out of her sight, was being comforted by Saleena.
Patrick and Declan were out combing the streets of Andilyse Island, hoping to find some clue as to where the little girl was, or who had taken her. But they were getting nowhere.
Eventually, they trundled back home. Opening the front door, Audrey rushed to Patrick’s side, looking for some trace of hope on his face. When she saw none, she burst into fresh tears and returned to the living room.
By this time, the forensics team and other police officers, except for one who stood by the main entrance, had left the house. It was eerily quiet.
Lana and Emma sat in the kitchen. They’d barely said a word all day.
‘We’ve got to do something, Em,’ Lana eventually whispered.
‘I know.’
‘We’re Watchers, we can find her, I’m sure we can.’
‘Yeah.’
‘What about Eleanor? Maybe we should call her?’ Lana suggested.
‘Eleanor already knows,’ said Declan, who was leaning against the kitchen doorframe.
‘Oh. Is she sending help?’ asked Lana.
Declan stepped forward and put his hands on both girl’s shoulders. ‘There’s nothing she can do at the moment, not until the police uncover some more clues.’
‘Huh, but why not?’
‘Chances are Lucy Jo is still on the island. Eleanor is in London. It’s up to the police to find her. We’re going to help as much as we can, okay? We’ll get her back.’
The girls looked distraught as he went back to the living room. Following him, they sat down beside Greg, whose eyes were red and puffy. Audrey tried to smile at them, but she just couldn’t.
‘I’ll go make some tea,’ Saleena said, standing up and walking out.
‘Greg, can you go and give Saleena a hand in the kitchen please?’ Patrick asked his son, who nodded and followed her. And girls, why don’t you go and make your mother some toast? I think she needs to eat something.’
‘I’m not hungry.’
‘You must eat, darling. You’ve not had anything all day.’
But she shook her head and looked out the window.
‘Perhaps we ought to give your parents some time alone, girls?’ suggested Declan.
Patrick looked up. ‘Yes, thanks.’
Wandering slowly upstairs, Emma put her foot on the creaky step, making Lana jump.
‘Why didn’t we hear anything?’ she said. ‘We were right next door, we should have heard something.’
‘I don’t know, Lana. Nobody heard a thing.’
‘But how? How can someone break in, take our sister, and not make a sound?’
Emma shook her head as they stood at the top of the stairs looking at Lucy Jo’s bedroom door, with the little pink and silver sign on it that said ‘Princess’.
Lana gingerly pushed the door open and stepped inside.
‘I don’t think we’re supposed to go in, sis. It’s a crime scene.’
‘I don’t care, this is our sist…’
Without finishing the sentence, Lana fell to the floor with a thud.
When she opened her eyes, it was dark. Letting them adjust to the lack of light, she looked around to see Lucy Jo, sleeping beneath her Disney Princess duvet, her gentle snores like heaven to her ears.
Standing up, Lana wa
lked over and smiled. A sudden draft of air made her shiver and she turned, startled at the sight of the bedroom window slowly opening.
Gasping, she ran over, trying to stop the kidnapper from entering, but it was no use. She wasn’t really there; it was merely a vision, and her fingers went right through him.
Stepping backwards, she watched in horror as a person dressed entirely in black climbed in through the window. She tried to get a closer look, but she couldn’t identify him. Yes, it was a man – but that was about all she could make out.
He carefully crept across the room and pulled back the duvet. Before picking little Lucy Jo up, he took something from his pocket and sprinkled it over her face. Then he put his hands underneath her and lifted her from the bed.
‘Wake up, Lucy Jo, wake up!’ Lana yelled, as he crept back towards the window.
Seconds later he and Lucy Jo were gone.
Lana started to sob loudly, tears rolling down her eyes as she felt the warmth of someone’s arms wrap around and pull her into him. She stopped sobbing and breathed in the familiar scent of her father.
Opening her eyes, she looked up at his frowning face as he carried her into her own room. Declan and Emma stood behind them, as he gently placed her on the bed.
‘What happened?’
‘I…I fell,’ she said, rather unconvincingly.
Declan’s eyes opened wide as he read her mind. ‘Patrick, why don’t you go back down to Audrey I’ll stay with the girls.’
Standing upright, Patrick turned to walk out of the room, but he stopped, turned back and asked. ‘You just fell? Nothing else happened?’
‘Erm…no, Dad.’
Frowning, he nodded and stepped out of the room, pulling the door closed behind him.
‘What happened?’ asked Emma again as she sat beside her.
‘I saw him, Em. I saw the man who took Lucy Jo.’
‘You did? Who? Who did this?’ cried Emma before the door was suddenly flung open and Patrick stood there, glaring at them all. ‘You’re going to tell me what’s going on, and you’re going to tell me right now,’ he growled.
Emma grabbed Lana’s hand as they both looked up at Declan.
‘Patrick, I think you’d better sit down.’
‘Declan, what the hell’s going on?’
‘Like I said, Patrick, sit.’
Doing as he was told, Patrick dropped down into the seat in the corner of the room.
‘Girls, the truth was bound to get out at some point. And under the current circumstances, I feel it’s only right that your parents should know.’ Declan said sombrely.
‘Know what?’ Patrick said, barely opening his mouth.
‘The truth about your girls.’
CHAPTER FOUR
An hour later, Patrick remained in the same seat, totally dumb-founded. When Declan and the girls had finished telling him everything, he slowly stood up, rubbing his chin nervously.
Lana and Emma both looked pale. Both wanted so much for him to pull them into one of his bear hugs and tell them everything was going to be okay.
Instead, he opened the bedroom door and walked out, without saying a word.
Emma couldn’t hold it any longer and she began to sob. Putting her arm around her, Lana leaned her head against her sister’s shoulder and began to cry too.
Declan knelt down in front of them. ‘Just give him a moment. He just needs to process it, that’s all. Don’t worry, please don’t cry. He’s still your dad and he loves you so much more than you know. In fact, here he comes…’ he stood up and stepped away from them as Patrick hurried back into the bedroom, crouched down and pulled his girls towards him.
‘I always knew you were special,’ he muttered beneath the tears. ‘Your mother and I always used to say there was something about you, about the both of you, that was different from other kids. But different in the best way possible. My daughters are angels, true angels.’
‘Only half angels, Dad,’ whispered Emma through her own tears.
Eventually, he let go and just looked at them.
‘We need to find Lucy Jo, Dad,’ Lana whispered.
He nodded and stood up, turning to Declan. Holding out his hand, Declan grinned and shook it before pulling him into a friendly hug. ‘I’m sorry we had to keep the truth from you, mate.’
‘It’s alright. I understand now, I really do.’
‘Right, Lana, you need to tell us everything about the vision.’
Lana looked up at her dad, who took a deep breath before nodding at her. ‘Go on, love. Tell us everything.’
oOo
‘So you think this person wasn’t human?’ Declan asked.
Patrick coughed nervously before she nodded. ‘There was something about his eyes, something supernatural, Declan. I don’t know how else to describe it. But he wasn’t entirely human, I can tell you that much.’
‘Perhaps that would explain the lack of footprints outside of Lucy Jo’s window,’ suggested Emma.
‘We had some snow fall last night, which might have covered the tracks,’ Patrick answered.
‘But there is a possibility they didn’t walk away from here, though,’ Declan added.
Patrick shifted in his chair. ‘If he didn’t walk, then how?’
‘He might have flown, Dad,’ Emma said quietly.
‘Flown? Jesus.’
The sound of the creaky step made Patrick jump up. The door opened and Audrey appeared, looking pale and tired.
‘Oh, love, perhaps you ought to get some sleep?’
‘I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I can’t do anything until we’ve got our daughter back,’ she snapped. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I just can’t cope with this… I can’t,’ she cried into her husband’s shoulder.
‘I know, I know.’
‘Right,’ said Declan matter-of-factly. ‘Audrey, I’m sending you to London with Saleena. No, I’m not taking no for an answer. You’re taking Greg with you and you’re going to stay with Eleanor. Patrick, you, me and the girls are going to get to the bottom of this. We’re going to find Lucy Jo. Now that Lana has confirmed the presence of something supernatural, this is a case for the Watchers. You must trust us, okay?’
‘Supernatural? Watchers? What are you talking about?’ Audrey whispered.
‘It’s alright guys, I’ll tell her,’ Saleena said as she appeared in the doorway. ‘Audrey, come and sit down in the lounge with me. Emma, would you and your sister mind going to make a very sweet cup of tea for your mum? She’s going to need it. Patrick, perhaps a glass of brandy will be a good idea, as well. And, by the look on your face, you should join her.’
oOo
‘I can’t believe they know,’ whispered Emma; they both lay in the comfort of their beds, facing one another from across the room.
‘I know, it’s kind of surreal, isn’t it? Not having to hide anything from them ever again. It’s cool.’
‘They took it pretty well, didn’t they?’
‘If you mean drinking half a bottle of brandy, then I suppose so.’
‘At least it helped her go to sleep for a while.’
‘She’ll be awake soon, though. The thought of Lucy Jo out there somewhere will stop her from sleeping for too long.’
‘I know the feeling.’
‘I can’t believe they made us go to bed,’ Lana tutted.
‘Everyone needs sleep, sis.’
‘I just can’t help thinking about the kidnapper, you know? Those eyes. It’s freaking me out. And why haven’t we heard from him? Surely he’s got demands? I mean, in the movies they always have demands.’
‘Yeah, but this isn’t a movie, Lana. This is real life.’
‘Don’t remind me.’
Both girls rolled over on to their backs, closed their eyes and sighed.
‘Do you think she’s okay?’ Lana whispered.
‘I hope so.’
‘Why aren’t we doing anything? We should be out there, scouring the island.’
‘The police are doing
that.’
‘Yeah, and they won’t let Dad join in. That sucks. He’s the chief, he should be able to do what he wants.’
‘He’s too close, Lana. Too emotional. They need someone running the case that doesn’t have such a strong connection to the victim.’
‘You’ve been watching way too many episodes of CSI and Criminal Minds, you know, sis.’ Lana smiled.
‘But I’m right, though.’
‘Yeah, I know.’
‘Look, let’s try and get some sleep and then, in the morning, we’ll go hunting. Deal?’
‘Deal. Night, sis.’
‘Night.’
CHAPTER FIVE
‘Hi, Scott.’ Lana sighed as she and Emma joined him on their bicycles a couple of days later.
‘Hi. How are you coping?’ he asked.
‘Okay, I guess,’ Emma sighed.
‘Still no news?’ Both of them shook their heads and he frowned. ‘You ready?”
They had planned to cycle over to the other side of the island, to see if they could spot anything suspicious. All three of them began cycling in the freezing cold air, determined to discover some kind of clue as to who took their little sister.
‘Hey, there’s that Hummer again,’ yelled Scott, pointing further down the road as they watched it drive off into the distance for the second time in a week.
‘That’s a point, actually,’ Lana said, ‘That jeep only appeared on the scene a few days ago, just before Lucy Jo was taken.’
Speeding up, the three of them headed after it.
Eventually, out of breath and tired of pedalling, they arrived outside a normal looking house just down the road from the Grimshaw farm.
The Hummer was parked in the driveway.
‘Do you know who lives here?’ asked Scott.
The girls shook their heads as they propped their bikes against the wall and crept around the back of the house, where a middle-aged woman was hanging out washing with two youngsters playing in the leftover snow just a few metres away.
‘I recognise her,’ whispered Lana. ‘She works for Lady Denton. I think she’s her cleaner.’
‘Looks pretty normal to me,’ Emma said quietly.
