by D. S. Butler
She started when she saw me in the doorway. “Abbie, I didn’t hear you get back.”
I leaned against the doorjamb, trying to find the words to explain what I just found.
She narrowed her eyes and folded her arms. “Something’s happened.”
I managed to nod and pulled out one of the chairs at the kitchen table to sit down. “Yes, I need to talk to Sienna.”
“I’ll call her for you. She’s still upstairs.”
As Angie bustled away, I leaned heavily on the table and tried to organise my thoughts. I hadn’t spoken to Steve yet, but I needed to focus on one thing at a time. First, I would explain what had happened to Sienna, then I would call Steve. He might want to come straight home. I knew that’s what I would want to do.
Sienna tentatively entered the kitchen. “What’s wrong? Angie said something had happened.”
I nodded as Angie followed Sienna into the kitchen. They both sat down at the table opposite me.
“I found a note in your mum’s locker. I’ve told the police and they are going to come here in a little while and talk to me about it.”
Sienna’s face crinkled. “A note?”
“Yes, it wasn’t very nice. It said, ‘Keep your mouth shut’.”
The last thing I wanted was to put Sienna through any more stress, but the police would be here soon and I couldn’t hide this from her forever.
Sienna’s face paled. “Keep your mouth shut…? Who was it from?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. And I don’t know if your mum ever saw it.”
“Oh my God,” Sienna whispered, leaning back in her chair.
Angie put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “There, there. Don’t upset yourself, sweetheart.” The older woman met my gaze, and I saw my fear reflected in her eyes.
“Did somebody leave it in her locker for her to find or do you think Nicole put it there?” Angie asked, looking puzzled.
I frowned. I hadn’t even considered that option. I’d assumed someone slid the sheet of paper through the gap around the locker door, but Angie was right, Nicole could have received the note and then put it in the locker herself.
“I really don’t know.”
“Where is it?” Sienna asked. “Can I see it?”
“I gave it to the police at the health club. They’re going to run some tests.”
“Will they find out who sent it?” Sienna trembled as she spoke.
“I hope so.”
I wanted to reassure her, to try and make her feel safe and less confused, but there was nothing I could say. We sat in silence around the table, each of us baffled by what this could mean.
Even Charlie seemed to sense something was wrong. He left his basket in the utility room and made a circuit around the table, bumping his nose into each of our legs until we leaned down to stroke him.
“I don’t feel very well,” Sienna said suddenly and she did look very pale.
I got up and after putting my hand against her forehead, I said, “Why don’t you go upstairs and have a lie down? The police won’t be here for a little while yet.”
She felt cool and clammy beneath my touch and I went upstairs with her, worried she might faint.
I sat beside her as she leaned back on her pink pillows and stroked her hair. She needed reassurance and comfort, and I was glad to have an excuse to stay by Sienna’s side and put off having to telephone Steve and tell him what had happened.
She grabbed her teddy, a pink and white bear Marilyn had given her on her third birthday. As she hugged it tightly, she looked closer to five than fifteen.
After a few minutes, I told Sienna I needed to go downstairs and call Steve. Confusion and fear were clouding my judgement. Was I delaying telling Steve about the note because the note was typed on the same paper I’d found in his office? Or was it simply because I didn’t want to hurt him when he was grieving?
Angie was still in the kitchen when I went downstairs and rather than phone Steve straight away, I went to his office. The paper was on the same shelf as before and I took a sheet, rubbing it between my fingers and turning it over, examining it closely. It felt the same. It looked the same. But what did that really mean? Only that Steve and whoever had sent the note had the same taste in expensive paper.
I’d been hoping to find a maker’s mark or a name on the packaging, but there was nothing but a stack of paper on the shelf.
I slid the sheet back on top of the pile and went to get my phone from my bag.
The call went better than I expected. Steve was cool and calm when I told him, and more concerned with how Sienna was handling this development than anything else.
I told him she was lying down, and he said he would call her later. He made no mention of coming home, and I didn’t press him on it.
Shortly after I’d finished with the call, the doorbell rang.
I wiped my sweaty palms on the sides of my jeans, feeling guilty. Logically, I knew I had to be completely honest with the police and that meant telling them Steve owned the same paper, but I didn’t want to get him in trouble unnecessarily. He’d already been escorted to the police station for questioning, and I knew that he couldn’t have killed Nicole. He had an alibi. If I mentioned the paper to the police, wouldn’t that just cause more unnecessary upset?
I took a deep breath, ran my hands through my hair and opened the front door.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Two detectives stood on the doorstep, the same ones who had come to Janet’s flat after Sienna had been found. They introduced themselves again, possibly because they didn’t recognise me or perhaps it was just procedure.
The man was tall and broad with a stern face that made me feel even more anxious.
“I’m DI Tom Green,” he said and turned to his colleague. “This is DS Carly Dawson.”
DS Dawson smiled at me as I opened the door wide for them and took a step back. “I’m Abbie Morris,” I said. “I found the note in Nicole’s locker.”
Charlie was at my heels, and I almost stumbled over him when I took another step back. He was a good dog and was used to visitors. He didn’t bark or jump up, but DS Dawson edged around him nervously. I leaned down, and asked Charlie to sit, which he did obediently.
“Shall we do this in the kitchen?” I asked and both detectives agreed.
I hadn’t intended to call Sienna down from her room. Frankly, I didn’t see the need to put her through any more strain, but she’d heard the detectives arrive and stood barefoot at the top of the stairs watching us. Her hair fell in waves past her shoulders. The skinny jeans she wore, emphasised the slimness of her legs and highlighted her fragility. She clutched the bannister as she came down the stairs.
I sensed she wanted to ask the detectives what they’d learned about the note, but she kept quiet, her eyes wide and watching, taking everything in, but not speaking. DS Dawson smiled at her, but Sienna looked away.
Wringing my hands together, I led them into the kitchen with Charlie walking beside me.
Angie was just shrugging on her lightweight rain jacket. She saw the detectives behind me and said, “I can stay if you’d like, lovey.”
Her offer touched me, but I said, “No, you get off home. You’ve had to wait around long enough today. Jock will be wondering where you are.”
Her husband didn’t want her involved in this situation and was worried about her. Staying even later today, would only make life more difficult for Angie.
She gave me a firm nod and left the kitchen.
I offered to make tea, but the detectives shook their heads. They clearly wanted to get down to business. We all sat down around the kitchen table, and Charlie sat beside Sienna, as though he sensed she needed his support.
“Right, let’s start at the beginning, shall we?” DI Green said, fixing his eyes on me.
I began by telling them about the message left on the voicemail service and explained how I’d found the note. As I spoke, I felt their eyes boring into me, weighing me up and
judging me.
I told them everything, apart from the fact the same paper used for the note sat in Steve’s office. I meant to tell them. I really did, but with Sienna sitting there trembling like a leaf, I didn’t want to say anything else to upset her.
I was surprised by the depth of their questioning. They repeated themselves over and over, and I felt like they were trying to trip me up on some of the details. Paranoia gripped me. Did they think I planted the note myself? Though I hadn’t felt that way at the time, I was now glad the receptionist and the woman with wet hair had both seen me find the note. At least I had two witnesses.
“So, who actually saw the note first?” DS Dawson asked.
“Um, the lady with the wet hair, I think. Sorry, I never asked for her name.”
“Deidre Sadler,” DS Dawson said.
“Have you spoken to her?” I asked. “She should be able to tell you what happened.”
DS Dawson gave me a tight smile. “We have spoken to her, Abbie.”
“Right, did she tell you the same thing? She saw the note at the back of the locker and then I went and picked it up.”
I couldn’t keep the impatient tone from my voice. They were only doing their jobs, and I was reacting badly because I was keeping something from them and the guilt was eating away at me.
“We have to talk to everybody, Abbie. I know that the questions can seem tedious, but it’s routine.”
“It’s too routine if you ask me,” I snapped. “You should be out there looking for the person who actually sent the note, not questioning the person who found it.”
I was losing my cool, and the tension was rubbing off on Sienna. She looked chalk white and hadn’t uttered a word since we’d sat down at the table.
DI Green and DS Dawson were unmoved by my outburst. They were probably used to it.
I exhaled a long breath. “I’m sorry. It’s just finding that note scared me… Do you have any idea who sent it?”
DS Dawson put her pen back in her jacket pocket. “We’re looking into it.”
When Sienna spoke up, it was so unexpected we all turned to face her. Her voice trembled. “Do you think the person who sent the note killed my mother?”
DI Green leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and lowering his head to look Sienna in the eye. “We don’t know yet. It’s certainly something we are looking into. Is there anything you can tell us about the note?”
“Me?” Sienna looked horrified.
“Can you think of any reason someone might be asking your mum to keep quiet?”
Sienna shook her head rapidly.
“We need to keep an open mind. It might have nothing to do with your mother,” DS Dawson said. “The note could be unrelated.”
I thought that was very unlikely. Normal, balanced people just didn’t leave notes like that. Surely, whoever sent the note had killed Nicole because they didn’t think she’d keep quiet. That was the only theory that made sense, but then who wanted her to keep her mouth shut…and keep her mouth shut about what?
The questioning continued, but the detectives focused on me rather than Sienna, who was monosyllabic. By the time they’d finished, I felt wrung out and hadn’t learned anything new. Was that because the detectives were keeping their cards close to their chests, or did they simply have no idea who’d sent the note? I had to hope they were getting somewhere with the investigation. The idea that Nicole’s killer would never be brought to justice was impossible to stomach.
After an hour, their questions finally dried up, and as I led them back to the front door, I realised time was running out. If I wanted to tell them about the paper in Steve’s office, I had to do it now. I paused beside the doorway. There was no way I could do this without Sienna finding out.
“Actually, there’s one more thing,” I said. “It’s in here.” I pointed to Steve’s office and when the detectives followed me inside, I closed the door behind us. “I think it’s best if you wait out there, Sienna.”
Neither detective spoke as I walked over to the bookshelf. “It’s not a big deal,” I said. “Sorry for the drama. I just didn’t want Sienna to hear this.” I pulled a sheet of paper from the pile and held it out to DI Green. “It’s the same type of paper as the note.”
DI Green ran his fingers over it and tilted his head to one side. “I see.”
That was all he said, and it was maddening. What exactly did he see?
“I’m sure you can probably buy that paper in a lot of different places.” I linked my fingers together to stop myself waving my hands about, something I always did when I was nervous.
“Thank you,” he said and slid the piece of paper into a transparent plastic bag he’d taken from his jacket.
We stood there awkwardly for a moment until I realised they weren’t going to say anything else. I led them back into the hall.
Sienna was still standing there, looking bewildered. I was sure as soon as we were alone she would have questions for me.
After the detectives left, I slumped on the sofa. “That was exhausting.”
“I don’t like the way they look at me,” Sienna said, causing me to blink in surprise.
“What do you mean?”
She folded her arms over her chest and shivered. “They look at me like they want to see under my skin.”
I had to admit they made me feel the same way. “I suppose that’s their job. They need to find out who’s hiding things from them so they can get to the truth.”
Sienna nodded slowly. “I guess. What did you show them in Steve’s office?”
I knew this question was coming, but still I cringed. “I wanted to show them some paper.” I sighed as Sienna looked at me expectantly. “The paper in Steve’s office is the same as the paper used for the note. Of course, that doesn’t mean I suspected him of sending the note,” I added quickly. “I’m sure lots of people have the same paper.”
Sienna shrugged. “Sure, Steve would never have sent something like that.”
“No, I agree… Are you happy living here with him?”
Sienna seemed surprised at the question. “Yes.”
She’d answered quickly and honestly, without thinking, and I smiled with relief. “I’m glad.”
She tilted her head to one side. “You know Steve would never have hurt Mum, don’t you?”
I was taken aback but managed to say, “Of course.”
“It’s just you don’t really know him that well, but I do. He would never have hurt her.”
“You’re right, I don’t know him that well, and I’m worried about you. I just want to make things easier for you.”
She sat beside me on the sofa and gazed up at me through waves of coppery hair. “I know and I’m glad you’re here, Abbie.”
“Do you want me to contact your grandmother or Janet? I’m sure they’d come straight here if I asked them.”
Sienna shook her head thoughtfully. “No, they’d only worry and there’s not much we can tell them, is there?”
I was impressed that she was putting their feelings before her own.
“Okay, well, I’m going to put the lasagne Angie made us in the oven. Do you want anything to drink?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine, thanks.”
It took me a little while to figure out the controls on the oven, and as I leaned down to open the oven door, I saw Sienna out of the corner of my eye. She was checking the lock on the front door.
I straightened up to watch her as she made a circuit around the hallway then the sitting room, checking all the windows were shut and locked.
The poor kid. She was terrified of something. Was she scared of the unknown, or did she know more about Nicole’s death than she’d been letting on?
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I grabbed some items from the fridge to make a salad to go with our lasagne and we ate early. Neither of us was very talkative. Steve called shortly before we ate to talk to Sienna. I was surprised he didn’t change his plans and come home tonight,
after all, he was Sienna’s family now. When Sienna told me Steve would be staying in London, I tried to hide my consternation. It wasn’t my place to interfere.
To be honest, I was in two minds over whether I wanted Steve to come home. On the one hand, there was strength in numbers, and I couldn’t help feeling nervous being alone at Yew Tree House with Sienna. But on the other, my mind kept drifting back to the expensive, cream paper in Steve’s office.
I didn’t think he sent the note to Nicole. Not really. He had no reason. But still, I couldn’t put it out of my head.
I took a mouthful of lasagne, and looked at Sienna, who sat at the kitchen table opposite me. She bowed her head over her plate, pushing the food around, barely eating. Angie was a good cook and the lasagne was very tasty, but neither of us had much of an appetite this evening.
Sienna pushed her plate away and I put my knife and fork together.
“I think I’ll just listen to some music in my room this evening,” she said.
I tried not to feel slighted. It was understandable for her to want some time alone. “Okay, I’ll probably watch some TV and then have an early night.” I began to clear the table.
Sienna helped me load the dishwasher and then went upstairs, leaving me alone in the kitchen with my thoughts. She was holding something back. That much was obvious, but I didn’t know why.
Once the kitchen was clean, I sat down at the table, wishing I had something to drink. Steve had told me to make myself at home, but I didn’t feel comfortable helping myself to his wine. He had a small, temperature-controlled room at the back of the house to store his wines. I remembered Nicole telling me he was a wine aficionado, and I guessed some of the bottles would be very expensive.
I wasn’t a heavy drinker, but tonight a drink would really help ease some of the tension.
