BooksBarbecue
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 pushed the drawer back in, but it jammed. She opened it again, bending to look inside. There was something caught at the back of the drawer preventing it closing properly. Louisa ran her hand along the inside, using her thumb and finger to catch hold of what was blocking it. When she withdrew her hand, she was holding a photo.

Louisa studied it – it seemed old. There was a yellow tinge to it, the quality not great. It was good enough to tell who the people depicted in the scene were though. It had been taken on a beach, of a group of people all in swimwear – tanned, young. All smiling, bar one.

Tiff.

Louisa’s mouth dried.

This changed everything.

Standing next to Tiff, with her arm around her, was a younger woman. One with curly auburn hair.

‘What the hell is Melissa doing in this photo?’ Her words echoed around the kitchen. Louisa looked up, half expecting to see Tiff at the opposite side of the island. She had wanted her to answer the question.

But she was only met with icy silence.

Had she been focusing on the wrong questions, the incorrect theory? Louisa had assumed Melissa had merely paid Tiff a visit, leaving her alive and well. But what if she hadn’t left Tiff alive? The police may have been happy with their findings, that it was a tragic accident with no evidence of foul play, but then they didn’t have the drone footage. Melissa, a missing woman, forcing her way into Tiff’s house moments before Tiff landed up dead did throw a different light on the situation.

Now she really thought about it, the fact that Tiff had never mentioned having met Melissa seemed odd, suspicious even. Louisa had assumed up until this point that Tiff had never set eyes on Melissa Dunmore. She certainly didn’t appear to know her and didn’t let on to Louisa that she’d known her from years ago.

But, although that was strange, it didn’t go far in answering the question of why Melissa would want Tiff dead. Why had Melissa visited Tiff that day?

44

THE DARKNESS

‘Can you take Noah, please? I need to shower.’ Louisa pushed Noah into Emily’s arms.

‘Well, yeah – I guess. And yes, Mum, I’ve had a good day, school was great, thanks for asking,’ she muttered under her breath as Louisa turned and ran up the stairs. Louisa called back to her, saying she’d chat afterwards. It was a bit harsh to immediately hand over Noah as soon as Emily came in from school, but Louisa had to wash away the remnants of the stale smell of Tiff’s house. More than that, she needed headspace; time to process and arrange her thoughts more coherently than they were currently.

She had no one to talk to about this latest development. No one she could trust, anyway.