‘I’ve left loads of messages on his mobile but he must be in a meeting, because he hasn’t got back to me.’
‘Okay, we’ll send someone round to his workplace, if you can give me the address. Maybe he knows something about it. Could he have taken her?’
‘To work?’ I shake my head. ‘Dom would never take Daisy without telling me.’
‘Even so,’ she replies. ‘We’ll need to speak to him.’
‘Are those sniffer dogs?’ I ask, pointing to the estate car.
Callaghan nods. ‘We’ll see if they can pick up a scent. But if she’s been taken in a vehicle then—’
‘Can you get the dogs to check my neighbour’s house?’ I interrupt.
‘Your neighbour?’
‘Sarge!’ one of the uniformed officers from the squad car calls out and Callaghan turns to look.
I follow her line of sight, annoyed to have been interrupted. But then I see the reason why. I was so busy talking to the police that I hadn’t noticed my husband pull up behind the squad car. I hadn’t noticed him get out of the car and walk towards us… with Daisy in his arms.
‘What’s going on?’ Dom calls out. ‘Everything okay?’
‘You’ve found her!’ I cry. I rush over to him and scoop Daisy out of his arms, bringing her up to my face to inhale her scent and kiss her forehead. Tears spill down my cheeks and I can barely stand upright. ‘How did you know she was missing? Where was she?’
‘Kirstie! Tell me what’s happened,’ Dom says, his face turning grey with concern.
‘Is this your daughter?’ Callaghan asks, coming up behind me.
‘Yes! Yes, my husband’s found her. You got my messages, Dom. Where was she?’
‘What messages?’ he asks, confusion spreading across his face.
And then I notice he’s wearing shorts and a T-shirt, not his usual work suit. ‘What day is it?’ I ask, confused.
‘Monday,’ he replies.
‘Is it a bank holiday or something?’
‘Don’t think so, no.’
‘So why are you dressed like that? Why have you got Daisy?’
His cheeks redden. ‘Why are the police here?’ he hisses, so only I can hear.
‘I woke up and Daisy was missing! I was frantic with worry – I thought someone had taken her!’
‘She wasn’t missing,’ Dom says firmly. ‘I told you last night I was taking the day off so you could take it easy this morning.’
‘You didn’t tell me that!’ My heart thumps uncomfortably at the drama I now realise I’ve caused.
‘Yes, I did,’ Dom insists. ‘Last night, while you were feeding Daisy, I came in and told you I’d take today off so you could relax. I told you to have a lie in this morning while I took Daisy to the supermarket.’
‘No,’ I murmur, shaking my head. Why don’t I remember that conversation?
‘Do I take it there’s been a misunderstanding?’ Callaghan asks. ‘Can you confirm that this child is the one you reported missing?’
‘Yes, this is Daisy. I’m so sorry.’ I hang my head. ‘I didn’t realise my husband had taken her out.’
Dom’s nostrils flare and he holds out his hands. ‘I did tell you, Kirst. I was trying to do something nice for you – give you a break. You seemed so stressed yesterday.’
‘As long as she’s back safely,’ Callaghan says, ‘that’s what matters, eh?’
I nod and bend my head to kiss the tip of Daisy’s nose. To hold my daughter in my arms once more is so sweet, so unexpected, so utterly joyful. But my relief is swiftly overlaid by something else – humiliation.
I can’t wait to take my daughter back into the house, away from everyone. Away from their bemused stares. Rob Carson is outside Martin’s house with the other builders, and they’re all looking over at me. Mel and the Cliffords are standing in the road, eavesdropping on our conversation. And I’ll bet Lorna is peering out of her window to see what’s going on.
I’m mortified. They must all think I’ve got a screw loose. But I honestly don’t remember Dom telling me he was going take the day off. How can I have blanked something like that out? Could I really be so stressed that I would forget an entire conversation? I don’t know, but right now all I want to do is get back inside, away from everyone’s incredulous stares.
I murmur more apologies to the police officers before taking Daisy back into the house, my heart hammering against my ribcage. I leave the door open for Dom to follow me, even though I feel like slamming it in his face. How could he have taken her without telling me? He knows how worried I’ve been about her safety.
I carry Daisy into the living room and peer out of the window. Dom is still talking to the detective, no doubt apologising on my behalf, making excuses for his unhinged wife. But it wasn’t my fault. What the hell was I supposed to think, waking up and finding my daughter gone?
The detective must have said something amusing, because Dom laughs in response. I can’t believe it. He’s actually laughing, while I’m in here feeling like shit. My blood heats up; all my earlier terror and humiliation swelling together into a seething rage.
The police leave and Dom works his way around the neighbours – from Mel and the Cliffords to the builders at number six, charming them, explaining, apologising. Finally, he comes up the driveway and into the house. He walks into the lounge with an expression that’s halfway between apology and condescension.
‘How could you!’ I cry.
‘What!’
‘How could you take her without telling me?’
‘I did tell you. I told you last night!’ Dom throws up his hands.
‘I don’t remember you telling me anything like that. I would have remembered.’
‘I did. I swear I did.’ His face darkens. ‘Are you saying I’m lying?’
‘Maybe you meant to tell me, but you forgot?’
‘I didn’t forget. I came into Daisy’s room and told you. Believe me or don’t believe me, but I’m telling the truth. Why would I lie? And how could you have forgotten?’
Daisy begins to fret in my arms. She doesn’t like the atmosphere in the room and neither do I. ‘Just… Just don’t ever do anything like that again,’ I say through gritted teeth, before marching past him and up the stairs, hot tears dripping down my cheeks.
‘Like what?’ Dom calls after me. ‘Like going shopping and giving you a lie in? Okay, I won’t ever do that again!’
I reach the bedroom and slam the door behind me, making my poor baby jump out of her skin. I’m trembling with rage and shock and humiliation. Ten seconds later, the whole house shakes as the front door slams too. I stare out the window and watch my husband stride up the pathway, get into his car, reverse noisily and drive away.
Sixteen
Dom comes back home just before lunch, but things are strained between us. I’m barely speaking to him. Not that he’s made much of an effort to speak to me either. We’re kind of deadlocked, neither of us backing down over who was in the wrong this morning. Mel calls round but I hide upstairs, pretending to be asleep, in no mood to talk to anyone. I’m relieved when Dom says he’s going back to work this afternoon. Maybe by the time he gets home this evening, we’ll have calmed down and be on speaking terms again. Maybe.
The fact that Daisy wasn’t snatched by Martin or anyone else hasn’t stopped me feeling nervous. And it’s made me more determined than ever to keep her safe. I will never allow something like that to happen again. Sure, it was only Dominic who took her out of the bedroom this morning, but that’s not the point. The point is, I slept right through it. Anyone could have come in and lifted her out of her cot and I did nothing but lie there, out of it, oblivious.
It hasn’t allayed my suspicions about Martin. Far from it. His car is still missing from the driveway, so either he’s away or he’s at home and his car is in the garage. I know what I need to do, but I feel dizzy at the thought of it, so I won’t let myself think about that right now. Instead, I potter about the house trying to distract myself from the heavy feeling in my gut. From the thought that all the neighbours must think I’m crazy. From the fact that Dom and I are growing further apart. And all the while, someone out there wants my baby.
* * *