by D. S. Butler
My mind was working overtime. Was Sienna with him now? Was that why he didn’t want to be disturbed? “Did you get the impression there was someone else in the house?”
Jessica thought for a moment. “I don’t think so… Do you think he had somebody else there with him and that’s why he didn’t want to let me in?”
That was exactly what I was thinking.
My stomach churned. Just how close had Sienna been to her teacher?
Without evidence, I didn’t want to say too much to Jessica. But as I stood there with my arm around the young girl’s shoulders, I couldn’t help thinking how this was an echo of what happened to Nicole when she was just a few years older than Sienna. Professor Ross had been Nicole’s lecturer. He’d held the same position of trust when he’d had a relationship with his student.
I felt stinging bile rise in my throat as I considered the possibility that Jason Owens had been taking advantage of Sienna and goodness knows how many other young girls. If this was true, he would lose his career and could go to prison. Was he deluded enough to believe no one would discover what he’d been up to?
If there was the slightest chance Sienna was there, I needed to go to Jason Owens’s house now. There was a chance my suspicions were wrong. Was I leaping to conclusions?
Why hadn’t I told Steve or Janet this morning that I suspected Sienna was pregnant? If I had, they wouldn’t have let her out of their sight, and she wouldn’t be missing. I’d screwed up. Now, I had to find her and make this right.
“Listen, Jess, I need you to do something for me.”
She looked up at me and blinked, before hiccuping.
“I need you to go to Yew Tree House and speak to Sienna’s Aunt Janet. I want you to tell her everything you’ve told me.”
“But I can’t,” Jess said in desperation. “She’ll know I had a crush on him. It’s too embarrassing.”
“Please, Jessica. It’s important.”
“Why can’t you do it?”
“Because I’m going to go and see Jason Owens and get to the bottom of this.”
Jess shook her head frantically. “Please, don’t. He’ll think I’m such a baby.”
Jason Owens’s view of Jessica Richardson was the least of my concerns right now, but I patted the girl on the arm and said, “Don’t worry. I won’t mention you unless I have to. But this is important. I need you to go and speak to Janet, okay?”
Reluctantly, Jessica nodded.
“There’s a police officer at the house as well. Tell her if you can’t find Janet.”
Jessica looked alarmed, and I thought she might be about to bolt, but instead she wiped the smudged mascara from beneath her eyes.
“I need to speak to Mr Owens because I think he’s been using his position to get close to a number of young girls. Is that right?”
She shook her head. “No, he’s always been really nice to me before. He really listens, you know? He said I was talented.”
As Jessica defended him, I felt my blood boil.
“That’s what predators say, Jessica. They butter you up so you feel compelled to do what they ask.”
Jessica looked miserably at the black smudges of mascara on the backs of her hands. “I’m an idiot.”
“No, you’re not. You’re a good person and you trusted somebody who is meant to be there to help you. None of this is your fault.”
She sniffed again and fresh tears glistened in her eyes.
“Will you go and tell Janet and the police officer where I’m going, please?”
“All right. Are you going to talk to Mr Owens now?”
I looked along the road running through the village in the direction of the primary school and Jason Owens’s thatched cottage and nodded.
“Yes, I am.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Sienna
Sienna whimpered and closed her eyes, trying to picture herself safely back in her bedroom at Yew Tree House. Why had she left? What a stupid thing to do. She’d been safe there with Steve, Abbie and the police officer. Now she was in serious trouble.
Her eyes snapped open. She heard footsteps. Her body flooded with adrenaline, making her tremble uncontrollably.
Her instincts were screaming at her to run and hide. But she couldn’t.
He’d tied green garden string around her wrists and looped it through the arms of a heavy wooden chair, making escape impossible.
The string had rubbed her skin red and raw as she pulled and yanked her arms, struggling to get free.
She took a shaky breath and tried to calm down. If she panicked, she would never get away. She looked slowly around the room, her gaze focusing on everyday objects.
A fireplace. Brass ornaments. Paintings on the walls. Normal. Everything was normal. This was just a mistake. He was trying to scare her into keeping quiet. If she was good and promised to do as she was told, he would let her go.
But then her head shifted to the right and she gave a sob of despair when she saw the mangy, stuffed fox with its dark, glass eyes. It seemed to be staring at her, taunting her.
She screwed her eyes shut and murmured a prayer.
Please, let somebody help me. Please, I just want to get out of here. Please.
Then the door opened.
Sienna’s body was rigid with fright. Her eyes opened wide, and she recoiled at the sight of the figure in front of her.
It took all her courage to say, “Please, let me go. I won’t tell anyone what happened.”
“It’s too late for that,” he said, looking at her in a way that filled her heart with terror.
He was evil. Nasty. It was hard to believe she’d seen him as anything else.
Sienna shook her head, and as her hair fell forward, covering her face, she whispered, “It’s not too late. Please.”
“Shut up,” he said viciously. “You’re so boring. All you ever talk about is yourself. Such a pathetic little girl.”
“But… You said that you loved me.”
He laughed then, an emotionless, cold, wicked bark of laughter that made her stomach tighten with fear.
“I’d never be interested in you,” he taunted. “Why would I be? Just a pathetic little girl?”
“Why are you doing this? I did everything you asked. I didn’t tell anyone. Not even my mum.”
“Yes, you did,” he snarled. “And it’s your fault she died. If you’d kept your mouth shut, none of this would have happened.”
The lump in Sienna’s throat made her feel like she was choking. She couldn’t breathe. What did he mean? She hadn’t told a soul. Not even Zach.
“Are you the one who shot her?” Sienna asked with a sob.
He smiled. A wide smile that showed all his teeth.
Chapter Forty
When I arrived at Jason Owens’s thatched cottage, I was shaking with rage. I hammered on the door, not caring if any of the neighbours heard me causing a scene. I couldn’t believe he’d been carrying on like this under everyone’s nose.
He didn’t answer straight away. What was taking him so long? If he had Sienna in there, he was going to wish he’d never been born.
I used the side of my fist to hammer on the door again, only just resisting the temptation to kick it and unleash some of my anger.
As I’d walked to his cottage, I’d tried to call Steve but he didn’t answer his mobile. He was probably still driving to London, so I left a message. Of course, I hadn’t been able to say everything I wanted to tell him. It was hardly the sort of thing I could leave on voicemail, but I asked him to call me back as soon as possible and told him it was about Sienna.
I banged on the door again. There was still no answer. Stepping over the flower beds, I peered into the leaded windows at the front of the house but saw nothing.
Where was he?
When I’d seen Jessica, she’d come straight from his house so he must still be here. The only possibility was that he was hiding from me.
The idea made me feel even angrier and I rapped on the door again
.
This time the door opened, just a crack.
It was bright and sunny outside and very dim and dark in the cottage. I could only see a fraction of Jason’s face and most of that was in shadow.
“Can I come in?” I asked bluntly. “I’d like a word.”
I stepped up and put my hand flat against the door, but to my surprise, he didn’t let me in.
Instead, he bolstered the door with his weight. “It’s not a good time, Abbie.”
His voice sounded odd and strained. Like he was hiding something.
My eyes narrowed as I studied him.
“I’m sorry if you’re in the middle of something, Jason, but this is actually very important, and I need to speak to you now.”
His eyes widened in surprise. Did he really think he was going to be able to keep his disgusting secret from me now? Even now, as he was about to be caught red-handed, he thought he could fob me off.
“Please, Abbie. I’ll speak to you later, I promise. But now really is a bad time.”
“Just let me in, for God’s sake,” I hissed at him. “I’m perfectly prepared to make a scene out here if I have to. But I don’t think you want me to do that, do you, Jason?”
His face was blank as he stared at me, and I couldn’t work out what game he was playing. It was all over now. Surely he could see that?
He was much stronger than me, and there was no way I was going to be able to barge my way inside his house. But if he wanted to do this on the doorstep, that suited me just fine. It was his reputation that would suffer, and news would soon spread anyway.
I wouldn’t mention Jessica or Sienna by name, but I’d say enough to get the neighbours talking.
“I’ve heard some extremely disappointing things about you today, Jason.”
He stared at me, horrified, but said nothing.
“I wonder what the school governors will make of you inviting young girls to your home. Is Sienna here? Just how far did your inappropriate behaviour go?”
That did get his attention. He was so shocked, he stopped leaning his weight against the door, and as my hand was flat against the wood, I pushed it open wider and got a better view of Jason’s face.
What I saw made me feel sick.
On the left side of Jason’s face was a long red mark.
A scratch mark? He’d been hit by someone. Sienna? Had she fought back and this animal…
Why hadn’t I just phoned the police after speaking to Jessica? I should have trusted my instincts.
By that point, I wasn’t thinking logically. I was so furious and scared that Sienna was still in his house and in danger that I gave the door a tremendous shove, putting all my body weight behind it.
He wasn’t expecting it, and the move made him stumble backwards into the hall.
I took my chance, darting inside.
Even then I knew it was reckless. A little voice in the back of my mind was warning me to be careful, but I didn’t stop. Yes, I was taking a risk and could get hurt, but I was driven by fear, worrying that Sienna was somewhere inside the house, hurt and needing my help.
But as I rounded on Jason Owens, ready to give him a piece of my mind and demanded he tell me where Sienna was, I felt a rough shove from behind. Something hard hit the centre of my back, propelling me forward.
I fell awkwardly. My outstretched arms failed to break my fall, and the side of my head hit the edge of the door frame. Everything went grey and hazy. Then I fell flat on my face on the floor.
Jessica Richardson walked slowly along Fleet Hill. She had no idea what sort of trouble Sienna was in this time. For the past few months, Sienna had been moody and distant.
Jessica had tried to be a good friend. She’d tried to get Sienna to talk about whatever was bothering her, but she seemed to prefer Zach’s company these days. Not that Jessica cared. Why should she? She had plenty of other friends. It didn’t matter that Sienna was her oldest friend, the girl she’d known since nursery school. Things changed, people moved on. Jessica wasn’t a child. She understood that, but even so, it hurt a bit.
She shivered as she walked in the shade of the oak trees and wished she’d worn something warmer. What had she been thinking? God, everyone would hear about how she got tarted up and went to see Mr Owens. It wasn’t fair. Why couldn’t Abbie mind her own business?
Everyone was so worried about Sienna all the time, and Jessica knew she was supposed to feel sorry for her old friend, especially as she’d just lost her mum, but Sienna had been acting up for a few months before that, and Jessica couldn’t help resenting the fact she never got into trouble.
If she’d tried Sienna’s antics, she wouldn’t be allowed to leave her room for the next month! The one time Jessica had spoken back to her mother, only to tell her she didn’t want any more piano lessons, she’d had to do the washing up every day for a week!
She did feel sorry for poor Mrs Carlson, though. Sienna’s mum had always been so glamorous and interesting.
Jessica yanked down her white T-shirt, which was riding up her stomach as she walked. All this effort for nothing. Mr Owens couldn’t get rid of her fast enough. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered him ordering her away from the house.
Abbie seemed to think Sienna’s disappearance had something to do with Mr Owens. Jess wouldn’t be surprised if Sienna had been in the house when she’d called round. She’d probably been crying on his shoulder as he stroked her hair and whispered kind words. Had they both had a good laugh after she’d left?
Jessica clenched her fists. It really wasn’t fair. Sienna got everything she wanted. No one even looked at Jessica when she was around.
It was out of order. Why should Jessica have to go and speak to Sienna’s Aunt Janet while Sienna got nice and cosy with Mr Owens?
She’d never really liked Sienna’s aunt very much. Janet was always pulling sarcastic faces and making mean comments. Jessica was never sure what to say to her and ended up tongue-tied whenever she was around.
The breeze whistled through the tree canopy overhead, and Jessica’s skin prickled with goosebumps.
Did she really have to do this? Couldn’t she just go home? It had been a bad enough day already, and this was all Sienna’s fault for going missing again.
All she wanted to do was go home and curl up on her bed, feeling sorry for herself. If she got home soon, she’d have time to polish off the rest of the chocolate ice cream before her mother came home and gave her a lecture about saturated fat levels.
As she reached the driveway entrance to Yew Tree House, Jess sighed and sulkily looked at the cars parked outside. She folded her arms over her chest and debated whether to tell Janet or keep walking.
Chapter Forty-One
The wool carpet was rough against my cheek and smelled old and musty. My arms trembled as I tried to push myself up from the floor. I didn’t understand what had happened. Someone had hit me… but it wasn’t Jason… he’d been standing in front of me.
I pushed myself to my knees and tried to get my bearings.
Just ahead of me, Jason sat on the stairs. He was looking at me in a very strange way. His head dipped, and his eyes narrowed.
In my dazed state it took me a while to process the expression on his face. Then suddenly it clicked. Fear. Jason Owens looked afraid.
I tried to turn my head, but my neck felt stiff and my head was banging. I sensed a movement behind me but didn’t move fast enough to see who was there.
“What’s going on?” I asked. My voice was thick and slurred and didn’t sound like my own.
“You could let her go?” Jason said. “She hasn’t seen you. She doesn’t know anything.”
I blinked in confusion, wishing my brain would work properly, but the pain behind my eyes was blinding. I put my hands against my temples and squeezed. When I lowered my hands, one was covered with blood.
A harsh laugh sounded behind me, and I turned quickly, so fast the room seemed to spin.
“It’s too late for that,” the vo
ice said. “She knows far too much. You all do.”
I blinked into the dim light of the hall and flinched back seeing a tall figure towering over me.
Toby Walsh.
What was he doing in Jason’s house? What was going on? Had he pushed me? I reached out to steady myself against the wall and tried to stand up.
“What’s going on?” I asked again, this time angry.
That’s when I saw the gun.
A short, stubby rifle. It looked antique. In fact, it looked like one of the matching pair Jason had hanging on the wall in his sitting room. But this gun wasn’t harmlessly decorating a wall. It was pointed at my chest.
Toby cocked his head and smiled at me, and I felt my blood run cold.
“Sorry to interrupt, Abbie. You wanted to have a conversation with Jason. Please, go ahead. It was most amusing.”
I turned back to Jason, and he shook his head almost imperceptibly.
“Go on,” Toby prompted again. “You were about to ask Jason if he’d been having his wicked way with young girls, weren’t you?”
I swallowed hard, feeling very out of my depth. Toby had shifted his position so now his body blocked the front door. Rushing inside hadn’t been the most intelligent decision I’d made recently.
I needed to get out of here, but first I needed to find out if they had my goddaughter.
“Where’s Sienna?”
“She is waiting in the sitting room,” Toby said pleasantly, as though we were having a polite conversation at a dinner party.
I started to stumble towards the sitting room, searching for her, half expecting Toby to stop me, but he didn’t.
I put out my hands to stop myself from falling as I shakily entered the sitting room. There at the far end of the room was Sienna.
I gasped in shock. She had material tied around her mouth, acting as a gag, and she was tied to a chair.
“You animal,” I spat over my shoulder at Toby, forgetting for a moment he was holding a gun.
I rushed to Sienna’s side, dropped to my knees and tried to free her arms from the coarse green string, which was biting into her delicate, pale skin.