I feel for her. ‘I know exactly what you mean,’ I say, avoiding eye contact.
‘Of course you do,’ she says. ‘Sorry, I’m not thinking straight.’
We are silent once more. The clock on the wall ticks into the quiet spaces between us – telling us it’s eight o’clock. It feels much later.
‘So, have either of you got any life on your phones?’ I say, finally, trying to be practical.
Thomas and Maddie pull their mobiles from their pockets.
‘My cell’s at forty per cent,’ Maddie says, looking at the screen. ‘No signal though.’
‘Not much, I’m almost out of juice.’ Thomas shoves his back into his pocket.
‘Maybe turn yours off for now, Maddie,’ I suggest. ‘Between us we’ll then have enough battery to call the police tomorrow.’
‘OK,’ she says, pressing the button on the side of the phone, and swiping the screen.
‘I still think someone should try calling the police tonight,’ Thomas says. ‘Maybe a couple of you could go for a walk, try and get a signal?’
‘I don’t mind going,’ Maddie says. ‘Maybe we could go together, Amelia. We really should try to get hold of the cops. I mean I’ve seen enough TV shows to know if Ruth’s left out all night in this weather, it will mess with forensics. We may even get in trouble for not reporting it.’
‘It’s not exactly normal circumstances.’ I instantly regret my snippy tone. I doubt Maddie will ever be a friend – but I know right now we must pull together, and she’s trying her best to help. ‘I’m sure the police will understand,’ I say softening.
There’s a knock on the door, and Maddie jumps to her feet, dashes to open it.
Rosamund stumbles into the cottage, pale and shocked. ‘I’ve lost Finn,’ she cries, teeth chattering. ‘He didn’t wait for me. Said he was going to get his quad bike, but I couldn’t keep up with him. And then I thought I heard a scream. Thought it was Elise, and took off in the other direction, but the cold got too much.’
‘And the scream?’
She shakes her head. ‘I don’t know.’
Maddie is leading her by the elbow towards the wood burner, and once there, Rosamund crouches down in front of it and rubs her hands together.
‘Where is she? Where’s Elise?’ she says, tears in her eyes. She’s visibly shaken. ‘Where the hell is she?’
Maddie finds a blanket and wraps it around Rosamund’s shoulders, before disappearing into the kitchen.
Over the next few moments, Thomas breaks the horrific news about Ruth.
‘Murdered?’ Rosamund’s eyes are wide in her pale face, her voice soft and quivering. She rises and perches on the edge of the sofa.
‘We think so,’ I say. It’s lame. Of course someone killed her.
Maddie appears from the kitchen, and hands Rosamund a steaming mug of tea.
‘But it makes no sense.’ Rosamund blows on the liquid, takes a sip, and swallows. ‘Why would anyone want to kill Ruth?’
We do a collective shrug, and I feel my heart picking up speed once more.
After the awful shock of seeing Ruth’s body, and all the things that have happened over the last year, I would have expected to be a little desensitised by now, but if anything I’m worse.
‘She’s the most harmless woman I’ve ever met,’ Maddie says. ‘Such a sweet, gentle person.’
‘Was she?’ I say. ‘I mean I’m not saying she wasn’t, of course, but, how well did any of us know her?’ I’m aware I’m speaking ill of the dead – that it’s meant to be unlucky, and is far from kind – but I can’t help thinking how overprotective and controlling she was of Finn. Nobody is without secrets.
‘I’m sure you don’t want to talk about Lark going missing, guys,’ Rosamund says, ‘but I can’t help but compare.’
I open my mouth, about to say how different this is to when Lark vanished, when someone knocks on the door. I jump up and race to answer it. It’s Dad brandishing a bottle of gin. ‘Thank God,’ I say, taking it from him. I head into the kitchen to search for some glasses. Whatever we decide to do now – and I know we’ve got to do something – I’m going to need a double to get through tonight.
Chapter 30
Present Day
Amelia
I sit on the edge of the sofa, lean forward, and splash gin into three glasses, screw the lid back on the bottle, and stand it by my feet like a crutch.
I pick up one of the glasses and take a large gulp, enjoying the warming sensation as it makes its way down my throat. Rosamund knocks back her gin in one, and I widen my eyes. I’m not thinking straight. She’s pregnant. She shouldn’t be drinking. I make a mental note not to give her any more.
I take another gulp, and say, ‘I’m worried about Finn.’
‘Finn knows these woods,’ Rosamund says, banging her glass down on the table. ‘It’s Elise you should be concerned about. She’s been out there for hours.’
‘Of course I’m worried about Elise. I just meant—’
‘We need to think logically,’ Thomas cuts in. ‘We know Elise isn’t in your cottage, Rosamund. But maybe she’s in Amelia and Dad’s cottage, or Ruth’s.’
‘Or the farmhouse,’ I say.
‘Well, she’s not in mine,’ Dad says. ‘I checked over the place when I picked up the phone adaptors, and again when I collected the gin.’
‘What if someone took her? The same person who took Lark?’ Rosamund says, still tearful.
‘You mean Jackson?’ Dad says.
‘But even if Jackson was here at Drummondale House, where would he take her?’ Thomas says.
‘OK,’ I say, raising my index finger. ‘For one, we don’t know for sure that Jackson took Lark a year ago. And two, if Elise has been taken; surely whoever took her couldn’t have gone far. They certainly haven’t gone anywhere by car. Maybe she’s hiding
