Her Missing Daughter: A Gripping Psychological Thriller

by D. S. Butler

  “I can’t get hold of our IT guy, and Steve still isn’t replying to my messages. Is he here?”

  “No, but he’s back home tonight, I think.”

  Toby’s face was flushed. He raked his fingers through his hair before letting out an exasperated sigh. “It’s doing my head in. I just want to know where I stand. I’ve been locked out of the accounts and my password doesn’t work.”

  “Computer problems are such a pain,” I commiserated.

  He looked at me as though I were stupid. “I don’t think it’s the computer that’s at fault.”

  “What are you doing here, Toby?” Janet asked rudely as she walked up behind me.

  “I’ve come to see Steve.”

  “Well, he’s not here.”

  Toby narrowed his eyes. “I gathered that, thank you.”

  “Why are you still hanging around then?”

  Shocked, I looked at Janet. What did she have against Toby? Did she like anyone? Or was she this rude to everyone?

  “I’m about to leave,” Toby said coldly. “But first I just need to check some paperwork in Steve’s office.”

  He took a few steps closer to Steve’s office door, but Janet quickly stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “Oh no you don’t. That’s Steve’s private study. You’re not going in there when Steve isn’t around.”

  Toby clenched his teeth, and his face turned bright red. “Get out of my way, Janet.”

  He growled the words and sounded so angry I took a step back. But Janet stood her ground. “No, come back when Steve’s home.”

  “Toby was breathing heavily, and I suspected he might manhandle Janet out of the way, but at the last minute, he just turned on his heel and stalked out of the front door, slamming it behind him.

  I let out a sigh of relief. “What was that all about?”

  Janet folded her arms across her chest and looked at me through narrowed eyes. “I can’t believe you were just going to let him barge into Steve’s office.”

  I frowned. What was I? A guard dog? “Toby Walsh is Steve’s business partner. He could have had a legitimate reason for needing some paperwork from Steve’s office.”

  Janet shook her head. “Are you really that naive?”

  I stared at her.

  “He’s been locked out of his accounts. Steve isn’t returning his calls… He’s obviously trying to push him out of the business for some reason. Our loyalty should be with Steve. I mean, I know you had that thing with Toby a while ago but-"

  “A thing? I didn’t have a thing with Toby.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “If you say so.”

  I opened my mouth, ready to argue, but then snapped my lips shut. Just let it go, I told myself. This isn’t important.

  At that moment, Sienna and Zach walked past us to the stairs. “We’re going to my room to listen to some music,” Sienna said.

  “Well, make sure you keep your bedroom door open,” Janet said, watching them climb the stairs with her hands on her hips.

  Fortunately, after spending ten minutes telling me everything I was doing wrong with respect to Sienna, Janet decided to leave. The rest of the afternoon was peaceful. Angie left about an hour later, and I fixed Sienna and Zach some linguine for dinner.

  I set some of the pasta and sauce aside for Steve in case he hadn’t eaten.

  He didn’t get home until just after nine p.m. He and Sienna had a lot to talk about, so I left them to it and went to bed early. After everything that had happened that day, I knew it would take ages for me to fall asleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about that note — keep your mouth shut — and the fact Eric Ross really didn’t want his family to find out about Sienna.

  Could the mild-mannered, academic be responsible for Nicole’s murder?

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  The following day, Lizzie turned up when we were having breakfast. Steve had woken early and gone shopping, and I’d cooked the three of us a full English breakfast. When the doorbell rang, I wondered if it was Angie, but then remembered it was her day off.

  Steve let the family liaison officer in, and she joined us in the kitchen, sniffing the air. “Oh, that bacon smells amazing!”

  “There’s some more in the fridge. I could make you a bacon sandwich, if you like?” I offered.

  Lizzie shook her head and patted her stomach. “Thanks, but I’m on a diet. No processed meat for me.”

  She did accept the offer of coffee though, and the four of us sat down around the kitchen table.

  “I’ve just popped by to give you an update. We had an in-depth conversation with Professor Ross. At this stage, we don’t think he was involved in your mother’s death.” Lizzie looked directly at Sienna. “But, we’re still looking into his whereabouts when Nicole was shot and examining the communications he had with her. He seems to realise he went about contacting you in the wrong way, Sienna. He is very remorseful.”

  I took a sip of my coffee. He hadn’t seemed very remorseful when I’d spoken to him.

  “How are you doing?” Lizzie asked softly, looking at Sienna.

  “Okay, I guess. It was a bit of a shock.”

  Lizzie nodded. “I think you’re coping brilliantly.” She turned to Steve. “Did you know Eric Ross was Sienna’s father?”

  I felt bad for Steve being put on the spot like that in front of Sienna. He bristled and looked coldly at Lizzie. I couldn’t blame him. The police had carted him off to the police station as a suspect in his wife’s murder. It was no wonder he wasn’t on the best of terms with them.

  “No, Nicole simply told me Sienna was born after she’d had a brief fling. To be honest, it’s not important to me. I see Sienna as my daughter. Eric Ross has had no role in her life so far.”

  He reached out and put his hand over Sienna’s.

  She looked up at him and pushed her wavy hair back from her face. “Steve’s been my dad for years. He’s been there whenever I needed him. I’m not interested in getting to know Eric Ross.”

  Lizzie looked surprised, and I had to admit I’d assumed Sienna would want to get to know her new family, especially since she’d just lost her mother. She’d obviously been pushing Nicole for details about her biological father. Perhaps Eric Ross had been a disappointment.

  “Are you sure, Sienna? Because he’s told his family about you now. I understand his wife is a bit reserved, but his children are keen to meet you.”

  Sienna shook her head vigourously. “No. I thought about it last night, and I don’t want to meet them. They’re not my family, not really.”

  Lizzie nodded slowly. “Of course, I’m just passing on their message. I’m sure they’ll respect your decision.”

  After Lizzie left, Steve retired to his study to do some work, and I suggested Sienna and I take Charlie for a walk. It wasn’t as warm as yesterday, but it was the perfect temperature for Charlie. While walking beside the road, we kept him on his leash, and he trotted happily between us.

  “Do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?” I asked, glancing sideways at Sienna as we walked along Fleet Hill towards the village.

  She tugged her hoodie closed and raised the zip. “Not really. I really wanted to know who my father was. I thought it would give me some answers, make me feel… whole, I guess. But Steve was right, he’s my father. That man didn’t want anything to do with me, so why should things be different now?”

  “It’s no reflection on you. He just put his own needs first.”

  “I know,” she said, nodding. “I was so angry with Mum for not telling me who my father was. I knew she was lying. I skipped school, and a few times, I just didn’t come home at night… I wanted to make her feel guilty, to force her into telling me.”

  “It can’t have been easy for either of you,” I said.

  It was so quiet out here, with only the sound of birds singing, insects buzzing and leaves rustling.

  “I wish I hadn’t done all that now,” Sienna said, her eyes glassy with tears.

  “I
t must have been difficult for your mum. She must have had reasons for keeping it secret. She probably wanted to protect you.”

  “Did she really never tell you?”

  I shook my head. “No, and I never guessed. I’ve been thinking back, wondering if there were any signs I missed, but I can’t think of anything.”

  “Do you think she regretted it? Maybe she was ashamed.”

  “I don’t think she could have regretted it. You were the best thing in her life. You know that, don’t you?”

  Sienna rubbed her eyes and sniffed before looking up at the sky. “I just wish I could go back in time and be nicer to her.”

  I reached out and put an arm around her shoulders. “We all have things we wish we’d done differently. I wish I’d made more time for her. I wish I’d come back and seen you both more often. But we can’t change those things. No one’s perfect, but we have a lot of great memories.”

  “I made her so sad. I came down for a glass of water one night and found her crying. That was my fault.”

  “When was that?”

  “About a week before she died. I think it was a Wednesday because I’d had drama class with Mr Owens.”

  I pondered that for a moment. “Did you ask her why she was crying?”

  Sienna shook her head. “No, I felt guilty so I pretended I hadn’t seen her.”

  Not only was Sienna dealing with intense sorrow, she was also grappling with guilt. That was a lot for anyone to handle, let alone a fifteen-year-old girl.

  I was no expert on grief. I wished there was something I could say to make her feel better, but the only thing I could do was listen.

  As we walked through the village, she talked in spits and spurts, trying to make sense of her feelings. We both shed some tears, but when we turned around and began to walk back to Yew Tree House, I felt some of the darkness I’d experienced over the last few days begin to lift. For the first time, I could imagine Sienna getting past this and living a full life again.

  It would take time for Sienna to come to terms with her loss and her feelings of guilt. Therapy might help. I decided to mention it to Steve. I hoped Sienna would decide to rejoin the drama class, too. I’d never been involved in drama myself, but knew some people found it very helpful in handling their emotions.

  Charlie was panting a little when we got back. He needed a drink. It didn’t feel very warm today, but thanks to his dark fur he was very sensitive to the heat.

  As I was removing Charlie’s lead, Sienna opened the front door. I wasn’t really paying attention and almost walked into the back of her. She’d stopped dead in the hallway.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “Somebody’s been in our house.”

  I walked past her and instantly saw what she meant. From where we stood in the hallway, we could see into the sitting room. The television had been overturned and was on the floor. All the drawers in the cabinet were open.

  What had happened while we were gone?

  My mind immediately went to the possibility that Toby had turned up and had some kind of altercation with Steve.

  “Where is Steve?” I asked, glancing towards his office.

  Sienna made it there before me. “He’s not there.” Her voice was high, verging on hysteria. “Steve! Where are you?”

  Charlie let out a low whine. I wondered if he could sense something we couldn’t.

  I entered the study, not because I didn’t believe Sienna, but I wanted to see if Steve’s office was in the same state as the sitting room.

  It was worse.

  His expensive leather chair was on its side. The computer monitor had been pushed from the desk to the floor. Papers were scattered everywhere.

  Who had done this?

  I turned in a slow circle, taking in the devastation and then realised Sienna wasn’t by my side.

  I walked quickly into the hall. “Sienna?”

  She was halfway up the stairs. “Come back down.” My voice was harsher than I’d intended.

  “I’m going to see if Steve is upstairs.”

  “No, come down here now.” My voice was firm. It needed to be because it had only just occurred to me that whoever had ransacked the house might still be here.

  Sienna looked torn. She stood in the middle of the stairs gazing upwards and then glanced back down at me. “But what if he’s hurt?”

  “Come downstairs. We’ll go outside and call the police. Then I’ll look for Steve.”

  Finally, she did as I asked. From outside, everything looked perfectly normal. I dialled Lizzie’s direct number with a shaking hand and quickly told her what had happened. She promised to send an urgent response unit, and said she was on her way, too.

  I promised Sienna I’d go back inside and look for Steve, just in case he was hurt and needed first aid. After taking a deep breath, I told her to look after Charlie and then went back inside Yew Tree House to find Steve.

  I stepped into the hallway and paused, listening.

  Silence.

  That didn’t necessarily mean there wasn’t anyone here. I did a quick circuit of the downstairs first. I checked the dining room, then the kitchen and utility room. I’d just turned away from the utility room, when I caught sight of something through the kitchen window.

  There was a lounger in the middle of the lawn and someone was sprawled on it.

  Was it Steve?

  The back door was open, so I stepped out onto the patio.

  It was Steve. He was wearing the same clothes. He had one of those old-fashioned straw hats pulled over his face and he wasn’t moving. One arm flopped over the edge of the lounger.

  “Steve?” I called out, my voice wavering.

  He didn’t answer and he didn’t move.

  Oh, please, let him be all right. Sienna wouldn’t be able to handle losing both parents.

  My muscles were stiff, seized up through fright, but I forced myself to walk closer.

  “Steve?” I said again, louder this time.

  When he sat up, blinking in the bright sunlight, I almost fell over.

  My hands flew up to my face. “Oh I’m so glad you’re okay… I thought.”

  He frowned and rubbed a hand over his sleepy face. “What’s wrong?”

  “The house… It’s been trashed.”

  Abruptly, he got up to his feet and threw his hat down on the lounger. “What? That’s not possible. I’ve only been out here for half an hour.”

  “Sienna,” I called, walking away from Steve towards the garden gate at the side of the house.

  It was locked, so I slid the metal bolt free and pulled it open. “Sienna! Steve is okay. He was in the garden.”

  After a moment, Sienna and Charlie walked down the path at the side of the house and joined us in the garden.

  Sienna flung herself at Steve, sobbing.

  Charlie looked as confused as I felt. I filled his outside drinking bowl with water from the external tap and watched as he lapped it up.

  “Did you see anyone when you were walking back,” Steve asked, putting his arm around Sienna’s shoulders. “Whoever did this could have passed you on the road.”

  “Not that I noticed,” I said. “A few cars passed us, but I didn’t pick up on anything unusual. I looked around downstairs, so I think whoever did this has gone, but I suppose they could be hiding upstairs.”

  Sienna gripped Steve’s arm.

  “Did you call the police?” Steve asked.

  “Yes, they’re on their way.”

  I looked back at Yew Tree House as the sun slipped behind a cloud. I shivered. Had they been looking for something, or did they simply want to scare us?

  Because if frightening us was their aim, they’d succeeded.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  We stayed in the garden while the police searched the house and conducted various forensic tests. Steve pulled some more garden furniture from the summerhouse, and we settled in the padded chairs, looking like a group of friends relaxing and enjoying a plea
sant summer’s day in the garden. Only, none of us were feeling relaxed.

  Sienna was very quiet, and I worried this was a big setback after all the talking we had done earlier. Steve was tense, and I couldn’t help glancing at him every now and again, wondering if he thought the same as I did… That this had to be down to Toby Walsh.

  In some ways, I hoped it was Toby. His temper had been scary to witness yesterday, but being able to put a face to your adversary helped to humanise them.

  After all Angie’s talk of evil, the idea of an unknown person rummaging through our personal possessions made my skin crawl.

  I wasn’t sure how much time had passed but it felt like hours when Lizzie finally came out to give us an update.

  “It looks like nothing else was touched. Whoever was here focused on the sitting room and the study.”

  “Did they go in my room?” Sienna asked, her eyes red and her cheeks pale.

  Lizzie shook her head. “It doesn’t look like it. If it is all right with you,” she said, looking at Steve, “I thought it might be a good idea for me to stay with you for a couple of days. Nothing to worry about, but just so I’m on hand if you need anything.”

  “Do you think they’ll come back?” Sienna’s voice shook.

  “I doubt it,” Lizzie said, smiling reassuringly.

  I can’t say her smile helped make me feel any better. My stomach was twisting and churning, and my pulse rate still hadn’t slowed to its normal level.

  “That’s fine with me,” Steve said. “I still can’t believe I slept through everything.”

  Lizzie gave him a tight smile. “Yes, that is quite unusual.”

  We heard Janet before we saw her. She was yelling at one of the officers at the front of the property.

  I rolled my eyes and looked accusingly at Steve. It was his fault. He’d decided it was a good idea to let Janet and Marilyn know what was going on so they could take Sienna home with them.

  Janet strode into the garden closely followed by Marilyn. Sienna stood up to hug her grandmother.

  “Sweetheart, are you okay? Do the police know who broke in?” Marilyn asked.