‘Do you want anything to eat?’ Libby dumped her bag onto the kitchen counter three hours later, as Sam leaned against the door frame. His skin was still drawn, and fatigue had etched dark shadows under his eyes, but the terrible weight that had been pressing down on his shoulders when she’d found him at the beach had gone.
He shook his head. ‘Nah. I’m wiped out. I’m going to crash.’
‘Okay, but we do need to have a proper talk later. About the drugs… and about what Gemma told you.’
‘I know.’ He gave her a weary smile and left the room, scooping up the cat as he went. Harriet purred in approval. Giving in to her own fatigue, Libby walked across to the kettle. The coffee percolator was still sitting on the hob where she’d left it, but it was too late in the day for more caffeine.
The thought almost made her burst out laughing, since she doubted she’d be getting much sleep tonight, regardless of what she drank. All the same, she filled the kettle with water and reached for the loose-leaf peppermint tea. She then pulled out a second cup and glanced over at Stephen.
He was standing by the wide glass doors, staring out into the garden. They’d been in the police station for almost two hours as Stephen filed a missing person’s report and then Sam spoke to a detective sergeant about selling the drugs to Zoe and Hayley. But because they hadn’t shown up in Hayley’s toxicology reports and Zoe hadn’t reported it as a crime, the detective had sent them home with the comment that they would be following it up.
However, the outcome for Stephen hadn’t been so positive, and while the police officer on the reception desk had promised to investigate it, she hadn’t seemed in a hurry to do so. And then there was Nathan.
A fresh ache caught in her throat. Stephen had told the officer about Gemma’s research and her belief that Nathan was Colin Wallace’s son. And that he was missing. It hadn’t elicited much interest from them, but Libby knew how quickly that could change if they found something.
She shut her eyes, hating how little control she had over everything. But it had to be that way. She couldn’t keep trying to rewrite things to suit herself. She’d called her husband multiple times while they’d been at the police station, each time leaving him the same message.
Please talk to me before things get any worse.
But there had been no reply.
Which meant until she heard from him it was best not to think about where he was. Or what he was doing.
A wave of guilt rushed over her as she looked over to Stephen. The despair on his face when the police had all but dismissed him had been all too familiar and she’d found herself inviting him back to the house. Plenty of room on the road to despair.
‘Would you like a hot drink?’
‘No, thanks.’ He stepped away from the glass doors. His movement was calm but the restless twitch of his hands and the fevered colour in his cheeks exposed his mounting concern. ‘I have to do something.’
‘I know.’ Libby ignored the whistling kettle and gestured for him to sit down at the bench. He reluctantly looked at the stool before sliding onto it. She joined him. ‘If I can help you, I will. What do you need?’
He raked a hand through his hair. ‘While Colin Wallace was never charged, or confessed to any other murders, about five years after he went to prison, a private investigator who’d been hired by the families of the missing boys discovered eight lock-ups that had been rented by someone matching Colin’s description.’
Libby sucked in a breath. ‘D-did they find any evidence?’
He shook his head. ‘No. Numerous tenants had used them since then, and there’s also the suggestion that they’d been thoroughly cleaned before the keys had been returned. The lock-ups were all within a forty mile radius of Wallace’s house. If Gemma has been taken by…’ he paused, as if catching himself, ‘a Wallace copycat, there’s a chance they’ve done something similar.’
Understanding swept through her.
‘You want to search all the lock-ups? There could be hundreds.’
‘Eighty-four commercial ones that have been advertised in the last six months,’ he corrected. ‘I have a list of them.’
‘That will take forever.’
‘I know. But until the police take me seriously, I need to keep searching on my own. And since Ian… I mean Nathan… isn’t here, it seems the most logical place to start.’
It was.
‘We have a home office where Nathan keeps some files. I could start going through them. See if I can find a rental agreement or an address.’
‘Thank you, Libby. And please call me if you find anything. I’m going to book into a hotel. I’ll call an Uber.’ His eyes filled with gratitude as he pulled out his phone.
‘I promise,’ she said, trying to ignore the heavy weight of what she was saying.
Once Stephen had gone, she checked on Sam. His door was half open, no doubt to let the cat come and go as she pleased, and she peered in. He was sprawled out on his bed, his face soft with sleep, while Harriet was curled into the side of his chest.
I’m doing the right thing.
She quietly retreated and made her way to the office. Nathan’s laptop was on his side of the long desk that they shared and she opened it up. They’d never been the kind of people to hide their passwords from each other and she tapped it in.
If there was something to find, then she’d find it.
* * *
By six o’clock, Libby was exhausted. She’d spent the early afternoon searching the office at home before driving over to TLC Manufacturing. The obnoxious Rita had almost refused to let her into his office until Libby said in a cool voice that she was part owner. Even then, the girl had given her a sullen look, refusing to even answer Libby’s most basic question of when Nathan had last been there.
In the end, she’d closed his office door, leaving a disgruntled Rita on the other side. Then she’d opened his work computer, which had the same password as his laptop. But again, she hadn’t been able to find anything except a large number of emails from creditors, as well as a profit and loss statement that made for alarming reading.
She didn’t need Sam’s math tutor to tell her that the business was in terrible shape.
Which also meant there was no way Nathan could afford to expand the business.
A quick look in his calendar confirmed it. Her throat went dry as she went back through his schedule. There was no mention of meeting with a rental agency or going to view a lock-up. But it hadn’t been much consolation. On the way home, she’d stopped at Eloise’s house, but her mother-in-law didn’t answer.
Libby still had the keys but after her last search of Eloise’s house, she hadn’t felt up to going in there again. And so she’d arrived home and spent the last hour searching through all of Nathan’s clothes, hoping to find something.
Instead, all she’d discovered was a bottle of her favourite Australian shiraz tucked at the back of the wardrobe along with a gorgeous gold necklace. For her birthday in two weeks. The one they were meant to be celebrating in Spain as a family.
‘Sam, you piece of shit. Where are you?’ Sienna’s voice sounded out from downstairs, quickly followed by the stomp of Doc Martens and a door slamming shut. Libby scrambled to her feet and was halfway down the stairs as Sienna came charging up to her, closely followed by another girl with dark hair. Hayley?
‘Libby, have you seen him? And don’t try and protect him, because—’
‘He’s asleep,’ Libby said in a low voice and herded them through to the kitchen. Sienna’s lipstick was smudged and her dyed black hair was ruffled as if she’d been running. And… she and Hayley were holding hands.
Sienna seemed to follow her startled expression and let out a sharp snort. ‘Please for the love of cats do not say anything. And why is Sam asleep? Do you have any idea what he’s done?’
‘Actually, I do. He told me this afternoon and we’ve been down the station so he could report it.’
Sienna’s mouth dropped open and the bright colour in her cheeks faded. ‘Are you sure?’
‘I am.’ Libby nodded and turned to Hayley. ‘And he feels terribly guilty about it. He would like to apologise to you properly when you feel up to it.’
‘You bet he bloody will.’ Sienna tightened her grip on Hayley’s hand, as if worried she was a helium balloon that might just float away. ‘I still can’t believe he was such a dick.’
‘It’s okay, Sina.’ Hayley’s voice was soft and her face was pale. ‘He didn’t mean it.’
‘That doesn’t make it right,’ Sienna said, though the anger was gone, replaced by concern. Hayley gave her a shy smile but beads of sweat dotted her brow and her face had drained of colour. It looked like she was going to faint.
‘Hayley, I’m going to slip my arm around you and help you lie down.’ Libby gently guided her onto the floor and knelt beside her, checking her pulse. ‘Is this your first day out of the house?’
She nodded, her face drawn and body trembling. Sienna’s eyes filled with alarm.
‘Is she okay? She seemed okay. But it was a bit windy when we doubled back on my bike. Is this my fault? I should never have dragged her back here. I was so mad at Sam. Hayley, I’m so sorry.’
‘Sina, I’m okay, stoopid. I just feel a bit woozy.’
‘It’s okay, sweetheart,’ Libby said as she instructed Sienna to bring her some cushions to prop up under Hayley’s legs. She loosened the collar of her shirt and then put her hand on Sienna’s arm to stop her leaning over too much. ‘Let her have some air and when she’s able to sit up, I’ll make sure she’s okay.’
‘Th-thanks, Libby.’ Sienna wiped away a tear, her eyes never leaving Hayley’s face.
Half an hour later after a cup of sweet tea, Libby walked back to her car where Sienna was waiting, while Adele Terrace herded her daughter into the house.
Sienna was fiddling with her silver thumb ring when Libby climbed into the driver’s seat but her eyes were glassy like she’d been crying. ‘Is she really okay?’
‘I think so. Though she’s been through a lot and these things can take time. Why didn’t you ever tell me that you liked…’ she tailed off, not sure how to continue the conversation.
‘Girls? Hayley? Why should I? It’s not like heterosexuals have to announce their straightness. I don’t want it to be a big deal,’ Sienna retorted, sounding so much like her usual self that for the first time in days, Libby managed to smile.
‘You’re right. I’m sorry. Though I’m still not clear on what happened between you two. At one point, Adele thought you were stalking her daughter.’
‘That’s not what happened.’ Sienna’s eyes were bright. ‘I was only there because I needed to make sure she was okay. After what happened—’
‘What?’ Libby stiffened.
Sienna wrinkled her nose. ‘Okay, so don’t freak out. But the night of the bonfire, Hayley rang me up. She sounded really drunk or something and wanted me to pick her up. But Sam and Dad were out, so… I borrowed Sam’s car.’
‘That was you?’ Libby turned to her, thinking of the pink nail and the fact Denise’s husband had seen the car at Harrington Beach that night.
‘I know, it’s bad and you’re probably going to ground me for a hundred years, but trust me, I’ve already paid. We had a fight and Hayley got out of the car and ran off. I looked for her everywhere but couldn’t find her. And yes, that makes me a hypocrite for getting mad at Sam when it’s just as much my fault.’
Libby leaned back in the driver’s seat. So, she hadn’t been going mad. Both of her kids had been involved in what happened, though neither of them had been responsible. It should have made her feel better. But all it did was point the finger more firmly at her husband.
‘I guess the important thing is that she’s safe and back at home.’ Libby started the engine and tried not to think of Gemma Harrington. Hayley had been able to walk out of her lock-up the following morning and physically was fine apart from exhaustion and the remnants of the ketamine. But if Stephen was right, then Gemma had been missing since Wednesday evening.
And the longer she was out there, the more she would be suffering.
Stephen’s gaunt face appeared in her mind, eyes pleading at her. She knew what they both wanted her to do. What they wanted her to ask. Except to ask her, she would have to tell Sienna the truth about Nathan. Well, at least what she and Sam had discovered. It was something she dreaded.
‘Did Hayley say anything about what happened? Was there any clue about who might have done this to her?’
‘Oh my God. Why would you even ask that? You sound like all those wannabe detectives. Do you know that’s why Hayley didn’t want to leave the house? Because so many of them kept trying to talk to her?’
Libby winced. She’d known that would be the reaction, but she couldn’t leave it. ‘I do have a reason. There’s someone else who’s missing. They’re older than Hayley. But it’s been two days now and I know they’re really scared. That’s why I asked. Because even the smallest clue might help us find her.’
Sienna narrowed her eyes. ‘Who is “us” and what’s going on? Has it got something to do with why Sam spontaneously told you about what happened that night?’
‘Sort of.’ Libby tightened her grip on the steering wheel. ‘There are some things I have to tell you…’