Chapter 63
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
Juliette swallowed. Suddenly, the reality of what she was doing sank in.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said to Danny. ‘I’ve felt really deceitful not telling you, but the little girl I thought I saw and Richard denied does live here. She’s four years old and her mother, Louisa, is missing. Louisa is Sarah’s sister.’
Danny’s mouth dropped open.
‘I couldn’t believe it either, but it’s true.
’ Juliette explained what had happened the day she’d met Daisy.
‘I’ve been trying to find out more about Louisa before Sarah goes to the police.
I went to Derby, where she’s from, and I spoke to a friend of hers.
She says she lost contact with Louisa because she thinks Richard is—’
‘You’ve been to see people about this?’
‘I wanted to tell you, but I knew you’d try and stop me.’
‘Too right I would, because it’s none of our business.’ He shook his head in exasperation.
‘There’s a child’s life at stake!’
‘Wait a minute.’ Danny paused. ‘You said you’ve seen her?’
Juliette nodded. ‘Last week. I made Sarah take me to her. I thought I was going out of my mind seeing things and all the while it was Richard playing tricks on me, to stop me from finding out the truth.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes! How many more times do I—’
‘Christ, Jules, I would never have agreed to this meal if I’d known all this was going on!’
‘What do you expect me to do?’ She hissed. ‘Walk away and pretend I haven’t seen her? You know I can’t do that.’
‘She isn’t your responsibility.’
‘So you think it’s okay living next door to a child that’s locked up away from people? A child who hasn’t seen her mum for a year?’
‘You don’t know that for certain.’ He glanced towards the door but there was no sign of Richard or Sarah. ‘Did Sarah say anything about Richard’s part in all of this?’
‘Richard told me he’d seen Louisa and Daisy a few months ago. I now know he’s lying. Plus he’s just said he hasn’t seen either of them. He only spoke to them on the phone.’
‘You’ve spoken to Richard about this too? I can’t begin to understand why you wouldn’t confide in me.’ His tone was sarcastic as he threw her a thunderous look.
‘He said there was nothing to worry about. But I didn’t believe him. I got us an invite here for dinner, so that you could see Daisy. And now you’re doubting me.’
‘It’s not that I don’t believe you. It’s the reasoning – why would they go to such lengths to hide a child?’
‘Exactly. Something is wrong. I can’t let it go, not with a child involved. I can’t leave her there, not after…’
She couldn’t say the words, but Danny knew what she was getting at.
‘That’s a low trick to use Emily,’ he muttered.
‘I’m sorry,’ Juliette said. ‘But this is important to me. If you can see Daisy, we might be able to get her and Sarah away from Richard.’
‘But he’s just said she’s not here!’
‘He’s lying.’
Danny gnawed his bottom lip. ‘Do you think they’re both in danger?’
When Juliette nodded, he continued.
‘You should have called the police if you have suspicions.’
‘I couldn’t, don’t you see? Sarah says she’s tried before but you know Richard and his smooth talk. She said he had officers believing Sarah was making it up. She’s scared to do anything now because he hit her after that.’
‘He hit her?’ Danny’s face darkened.
Juliette nodded, feeling her cheeks burning. She wasn’t sure if that was entirely true. She reached for his hand.
‘Please, do this one thing for me. I have to try and help them. If things get out of hand, then we can call the police. But for now, I need you to believe me. I want you to see Daisy.’
Danny shook his head and stood up. ‘I think we should leave, right now. I don’t want anything to do with this.’
Richard appeared in the doorway. ‘I think you should stay where you are.’
Danny’s legs gave way as he thumped back down.
Juliette gasped. Richard was holding a shotgun and he was pointing it at them.
‘Richard? What’s going on?’ she asked, glancing from him to Sarah and back.
Neither of them spoke as Sarah moved into the kitchen.
‘Sarah has been putting things into your wife’s head,’ Richard said to Danny. ‘She thinks Louisa isn’t missing. She thinks she’s here on the land. Buried in the woods, no less, don’t you, my love?’
Juliette saw the blood drain from Danny’s face.
‘I can see your mind ticking over,’ Richard added. ‘But she’s lying.’
‘I don’t know what to believe right now,’ Danny replied.
‘So all these things that have been happening to me were all your doing?’ Juliette questioned.
‘Some of them, yes.’
‘The cries of the child in the garden?’
Richard nodded, sniggering to himself.
‘He used to do that to Louisa,’ Sarah spoke quietly. ‘He recorded Daisy crying on his phone, then would pretend it was her during the night. Louisa would get to Daisy’s bedroom to find her asleep. Richard would repeat it once she was in bed.’
‘But why?’ Juliette asked him.
‘I like playing games. Like the trip to the woods we said you’d done that morning?’ Richard shook his head. ‘That never happened.’
‘And the toy that was left on the bench; the photo that was missing from my phone? The note pushed through the door? The doors being left open?’ Juliette couldn’t meet Danny’s eyes, fear of the hurt she might see because she hadn’t confided in him. ‘Do you have a key to our home?’
‘We do. I used to look after the old dear’s cat.’ Richard sniggered. ‘But that wasn’t me. That must have been Sarah. She’s always been a joker.’
Juliette was struggling to keep up. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘Why don’t you explain to her, Sarah? Because if you hadn’t meddled, none of this would be happening.’
‘Don’t you dare blame me!’ Sarah yelled.
‘It’s your fault she found out about Daisy.’
‘Well, obviously that wasn’t part of the plan. And neither was this.’ She pointed at Juliette and Danny.
Richard glared at Sarah. ‘Shut up.’
‘Oh, come on. You haven’t thought this through very well. What are you going to do? Shoot them? And bury them in the woods too? Somehow I think people might get suspicious and start asking questions. Because it was you who murdered Louisa as well!’
Juliette thought that Sarah was brave to come out and say what she was thinking. She wondered if it was because she and Danny were there to protect her. But that all changed in an instant when she saw Richard swing the gun round and aim it at Sarah.
Danny jumped to his feet, but Richard turned the gun back to him.
‘No, please!’ Juliette stood up too.
‘Stay where you are! In fact’ – he waved the gun around – ‘Both of you on the settee.’
They moved across the room and sat down again. Juliette pleaded with Sarah, then Richard.
‘Please,’ she said, her voice a tremor. ‘Whatever is happening here, let us go. We’ve done nothing to you and I promise we won’t—’
‘I found the phone this afternoon with your text messages to Sarah.’
Juliette paled.
‘Can someone tell me what the fuck is going on?’ Danny looked at them all in turn.