Anita opened the door and greeted me with a warm hug, which only deepened my self-loathing.
“Oh Suzanne, thank you so much for popping round. Carly will appreciate it, I’m sure. And thank you again for tracking her down — you’re a lifesaver.”
A lifesaver? I shivered as I thought about how wrong she was.
“It’s fine, Anita, honestly. Don’t thank me.” I wondered if she’d feel the same when she saw me named as Teigan’s killer. “Is Carly here?”
“Yes, yes. She’s up in her bedroom, just listening to music. Go on, I’ll put the kettle on.”
Usually I walked through the house with confidence, knowing that I was a professional, that I was making a difference. Now, I felt like a fraud.
“Carly?” I poked my head round the door, which was covered in Bastille posters. “Can I come in?”
She looked startled, jumping up from her single bed and removing her headphones.
“Suzanne? What are you doing here?” She looked worried, as if her decision to run away had finally caught up with her.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” I said softly. “I just wanted to see how you were doing.”
She nodded and gestured over to the cushioned wicker chair in the corner. She propped herself against the headboard of her bed, pillows piled behind her. Her cheeks blushed slightly. Perhaps she was embarrassed because I’d seen her so vulnerable, hiding out there alone in the forest. It probably all felt surreal now that she was back in the safety of her foster home.
“How are you feeling?” I asked as I sat down. It was her reading chair, which I’d suggested Anita get for her when she’d told me how much she loved to read. All the Harry Potter Books. The entire Hunger Games saga. The latest e-reader charging on her nightstand. Books were heaped under the chair and to the side of it.
“Um, okay, I guess. Did that police officer lay off you?”
I smiled, touched by her concern. “Yes, don’t worry about that.”
“Good. I don’t want to get you into trouble. You’ve always looked out for me.”
I nodded and smiled at her, tears pricking at my eyes. “Carly, I have to ask. You said Rhys didn’t want anything to do with you? What actually happened?”
She shrugged and stared down at her purple painted toenails. “I got his address and went to see him,” she paused. “He couldn’t get rid of me quick enough. The place was nasty, and it reeked. Plus, I’m pretty sure he’s caught up in drugs or something, as he kept talking about important people he ‘works’ with and stuff.”
“Oh dear,” I sighed. “I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but if he’s into all that, maybe it really is best if you guys aren’t in touch at the moment. You’re doing so well, Carly.”
“I know but, he’s still my brother.”
“I know.”
“He, uh, was kind of annoyed when I mentioned you, actually.” She shuffled awkwardly on her bed, tucking her feet under, sitting cross-legged with her headphones resting in her lap.
“You mentioned me?” I was surprised she’d bring up Children’s Services, considering their family’s history with them. With me.
“Yeah, I just said I still work with you and stuff. Then he went off about how your daughter was missing and that showed you were full of shit. Sorry about that, by the way. I had no idea until he told me. He was just being a dick about it all.” She rolled her eyes, still irritated by her brother’s reaction.
“Oh. In what way?” I couldn’t help myself — it was like a red button I knew I shouldn’t push, but I was desperate to know everything Rhys thought about me, the social worker who had ruined his life.
“You know, just like stupid stuff about how you were finally getting what you deserve … you know, because of what happened. But it wasn’t your fault Timmy died. I told him that. I said it was him that had the stupid idea to hurt themselves in the first place, so it’s actually his fault.” Her head dropped down, and her cheeks flushed red. “I shouldn’t have said that, though. That’s what made him kick me out, basically.”
My heart swelled at the thought of Carly defending me to her brother.
“He was just being an asshole,” she continued. “Like, laughing about it, saying you’d never find her and stuff.” She sighed and shook her head. “So, if that’s what he’s like, then I don’t want to know him, anyway. I’ve been focussing this morning on applying to college, instead. I think I want to be a nurse.”
“Hmm.”
It was a poor response to a young girl who was showing great emotional intelligence, maturity, and determination. What I wanted to say was that it was a smart way to assess the situation and that I was thrilled about the college application. But I couldn’t get past something. Rhys had said I’d never find Teigan. How did he know that? How did he even know she was anywhere to be found?
Something sparked within me, and I realised that perhaps I had been looking at this all wrong.
Back in the safety of my car, I tapped nervously on the steering wheel as I waited for her to answer the phone.
“Hello?”
“Steph! I need your help.”
“Why? Are you okay? I came out the loo, and you were gone!”
“Yeah, sorry about that. Look, I know this sounds crazy, but I could be on to something here.”
“On to what? What are you talking about?”
“I need your help. Please. Meet me down Grove Road, off Grove Avenue in twenty minutes, okay?”
“What? Why?”
“I found someone who might have information about Teigan.”
“Suze … I feel like you might be clutching at straws here.”
“No, look. This kid I used to work with, Rhys, the surviving Dannot brother. I think he knows something. I’ll explain it all later, just please come. Twenty minutes.” I hung up the phone, not giving her a chance to refuse. It could be nothing, but it could be everything. I took a deep breath and allowed myself the spark of hope that Teigan might still be alive, after all.