Back The Missing Wife Save as PDF
Chapters (64)
  1. THE MISSING WIFE
  2. PRAISE FOR SAM CARRINGTON
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. THE EPILOGUE
  58. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  59. Prologue
  60. Chapter One
  61. Chapter Two
  62. About the Author
  63. By the same author
  64. About the Publisher

Louisa sucked in a long breath. If this was filmed on Friday, it must’ve been just before Louisa herself had gone to Tiff’s. When she’d stumbled across the drone, it might’ve only just crashed. Had the person who she’d just seen barging her way into Tiff’s been there when Louisa was banging on the door? Perhaps Tiff hadn’t been lying on the floor bleeding to death when Louisa was there after all. She felt relieved in one way; she was beginning to piece together the puzzle, and it would take away some of the guilt she’d been experiencing, thinking she’d been feet away from her friend and not done anything to help. This woman, if she could see who it was, might be able to give more information that would help them construct an accurate timeline of when Tiff slipped and fell.

Louisa re-watched the footage again from the point at which the woman came into the picture and focused totally on the woman’s features. She was wearing dark-blue, possibly black trousers and a dark hoody. When she turned towards the back door, Louisa noted her hair was long, flowing down her back. It was fair, but she couldn’t make out the exact colour – could be light brown, dark blonde, possibly even red.

Louisa pitched backwards, slamming into the chairback.

She took the footage back a few frames then paused it.

Louisa could make out long, spiral curls.

She was looking at Melissa Dunmore.

41

THE THEORY

For the fourth time, Louisa rewound the footage and checked again, unsure whether her conclusion was to be trusted. She blinked hard, trying to keep her eyes focused. She saw no new evidence to suggest she’d been mistaken.

The woman going into Tiff’s house was Melissa.

Oliver’s missing wife was, apparently, no longer missing.

Louisa screenshotted the paused image. She should call the police immediately, but a niggling voice in the back of her mind told her not to. If Melissa was in the area, why hadn’t she contacted the police herself? Surely she knew they were looking for her. There must be a reason why she didn’t want to be found. The question of why on earth she’d have turned up at Tiff’s in the first place was a baffling one. Something wasn’t right – Oliver, Melissa – they’d both been to Tiff’s house. On separate occasions, or at the same time, she didn’t know. Either way, it was a hell of a coincidence and raised alarm as well as more questions. Louisa reconsidered her earlier theory of this being some kind of life insurance fraud. What other possible reason could there be for what was going on?

But if that was the case, then Tiff must’ve known – even been in on it.

And now she couldn’t ask Tiff.