24 Months Earlier
Lucas wandered into the house, breathing heavily. He'd spent the last couple of hours down at the river court, trying to clear his head so he could get back to writing. It had been unsuccessful, instead of coming back invigorated and ready for work, he was eager to spend the day with his family.
'Peyton?' He walked into the kitchen and riffled through the mail, discarding most of the letters as junk. 'Peyt? I was thinking we could head to the beach- it's lovely out there'
The blind flapped tauntingly, suddenly seizing Lucas' attention. His stomach lurched, eyes widening as he stared at the back door. The glass was broken. The door handle dislodged. Someone had forced it open. Coldness engulfed him.
'Peyton?' He paced out into the hall, scanning the downstairs. 'Peyton?' His voice soon rose above his initial whisper as his feet carried him up the cream carpeted staircase. 'Peyton? Erin?!'
The silence that confronted him provoked a sudden urgency and he was suddenly propelling himself from room to room, shouting their names desperately.
Their room was as at the end of the hallway. He tripped over an abandoned plastic zebra that had escaped from Erin's zoo as he crossed the threshold.
The bed was centred between the window and french doors leading out to the balcony and it was inevitable that his eyes immediately be drawn to the king size.
The crimson stain marking the white bed linen sent his heart racing and his mind into overdrive. He blinked, harboring the tears that were threatening to form. It was ok. It was going to be ok.
As he turned his eyes caught the reflection of the long wall mirror, his gaze landing on his four year old daughter, sat inside the closet, the door wide open, her legs to her chest. His head snapped round. 'Erin' He breathed, falling to his knees, his large hands closing around her small upper arms. 'Sweetie are you ok? Where's Mummy?' He followed her rounded eyes, receiving nothing to signify Peyton's whereabouts. 'Sweetheart' He shook her desperately, the immediate relief of finding her was quickly evaporating. 'Erin what's wrong?' He demanded. 'Talk to me. Where's your mother? What's happened?' He pulled her stiff figure to her feet, lifting her little blue dress up and scanning her for any bruises or marks. Nothing. He took a sharp breath of sheer relief before caging her small head in his hands, trying to gain her attention. 'Erin where's Mummy?'
Nothing.
'Oh god' He closed his eyes.
'Speak to me' He shouted, shaking her in frustration.
Her bottom lip quivered and he instantly stopped, pulling her little form into a hug. 'I'm sorry sweetie, I'm so sorry. It's ok. It's going to be ok. We'll find Mummy.'
'What happened?' Brooke demanded fretfully. She'd had to close the store for the afternoon in order to rush down to the police station. He'd been abrupt on the phone and not in the bit informative. 'Lucas?' Her voice wavered from it's usual steady, confident rasp.
'I don't know'
'Where, where are they?'
'A psychologist is talking to Erin'
'A psychologist?' She wore a crease to her forehead. 'Why?'
'They, they're trying to find out what happened'
'But she's ok right?'
'Physically' He nodded. Mentally? He wasn't so sure.
'Where's Peyton?' Brooke looked at him expectantly.
'I don't know'
'What do you mean you don't know?'
He turned, looking at her properly for the first time. 'I mean I don't know' He said offhandedly.
She opened and closed her mouth, unsettled by his response. She'd figured the house had been broken into, he'd mentioned a smashed window on the phone.
'There was, there was blood on the bed' He mustered.
His words jarred her from her stupor.
'There was blood...Peyton's missing Brooke and Erin won't speak'
'It's evident that whatever happened earlier this morning has left your daughter traumatised. She's not speaking-'
'Really?' Lucas spat. 'I hadn't noticed. I thought you were meant to be a fucking child psychiatrist.'
'Mr Scott-'
'No, you listen to me. My wife's missing and my daughter's terrified and has been completely mute for the last twelve hours, forgive me if I'm a little concerned' He barked.
'I know you're frustrated but shouting isn't going to help anyone'
Lucas stared through the glass screen. Erin was sat at a child sized table, a blank piece of paper in front of her. They'd tried to coax her to draw, tried to encourage her to play but she was having none of it. What scared Lucas most was her expressionless little face, gazing blankly ahead of her. He knew her inside out, he knew that she'd never just sit in a strange room all by herself, she was a confident yet shy when put in a new environment. She'd be crying round about now. Crying for him, for her mum.
He ran a hand through his hair.
'I think we should try again tomorrow. When a child's been through a traumatic event they frequently ignore what happened, displace the event. I have every confidence that she'll come round. It'll take time'
Lucas sighed. He didn't have time. He needed her to talk to him now. He needed her to tell him what had happened.
'Here's your breakfast Mr ellie-phant' Erin placed a little tea cup and saucer down in front of the grey plastic animal and proceeded to make slurping noises as the 'ellie-phant' drank all his water.
The door suddenly burst open.
'Mummy' Erin smiled. 'Look' She held up her giraffe and zebra happily. 'Will you play Zoo with me?'
Peyton was already in front of her, yanking the little girl to her feet.
'Ow, Mumm-'
'Hush baby' She struggled to standing, dragging Erin up into her arms. 'You've got to be quiet' She whispered sternly already back out into the hallway.
'Bu-'
Peyton roughly covered her mouth, silencing her. Her face was flushed, her eyes filled with fear and the four and a half year old was quick to know that something was wrong. Peyton walked quickly, yet silently into her room, closing the door softly before letting Erin down.
'Mumma' She whimpered.
'Mummy needs you to be a really big girl right now' Peyton grabbed her wrist tightly, and guided over to the closet that lined the far wall. 'I need you to stay in here. Like when we play hide and go seek' She whispered, opening the door and ushering Erin inside.
'I'm scared'
It was all Peyton could do not to pull her into her arms again. 'I know, but you're my brave girl. You have to be silent ok? You have to promise not to say a word till Mummy comes and gets you ok?'
Erin sucked in a breath.
'Promise?'
'Promise' Erin muttered.
Peyton hastily kissed her head. 'Good girl' She quickly closed the door.
Darkness enveloped her, the crack of light where the two doors joined comforting her four year old self. She looked down, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light. Her little giraffe was still in hand but her zebra gone. She wanted to tell her mum that she'd dropped him, that she needed him. She put her hand on the wooden panel and then there was a loud bash- the bedroom door opening and slamming. She shuffled back against the wall, carefully pushing one of Peyton's heels out of the way, her heart beating painfully against her rib cage. She sucked her bottom lip and yanked on the nearest hanging piece of clothing. Peyton's midnight blue dress cascaded down on her, the silky material burying her. She inhaled the sweet smell of perfume, the sweet smell of her Mother and silent tears began to form in her great big green eyes. The voices were muffled but she could hear, she almost choked as she stopped the sob that was daring to escape her throat.
'Go dispose of the kid' A deep voice reigned. The bedroom door opened and closed again and foot steps retreated down the hall.
Erin put her thumb in her mouth, something she'd done since she was a baby. Both Lucas and Peyton had managed to break the habit over the last year but she still did it when she was upset or in this case frightened. She pulled the silky material away from her face and quietly scooted onto her knees, bravely looking through the key hole.
'Right. I need you to put this on'
'I'm not putting anything on' Peyton's voice sounded.
'Sweetheart either you do it or, I'll do it for you and I'm pretty sure you'd rather not have any help. What's it going to be, because I'd be delighted to assist you' He smiled smarmily and in a second she'd snatched the expensive material from his hands and was reluctantly edging toward the bathroom. 'Here'
'What?'
'You get changed here' He said simply. Peyton's gaze drifted briefly to the cupboard and for a second Erin was sure she could see her, she held her breath, not daring to move. And then Peyton was undressing, quickly. Erin watched on in confusion as she pulled a black dress over her head and the man zipped it up, his hands lingering on her.
'I can't find the kid' A second manly voice sounded, jolting Erin from her trance. She gulped, backing up against the wall again and pulling the blue material over her, her small finger tips fiddling with the silky cotton.
'Let's just hurry up and get out of here'
A few painfully long minutes past and then light suddenly poured in. The cupboard door had opened. She closed her eyes tightly but apart from Peyton, no one could see her, concealed by the hanging clothes.
'What're you doing?' Peyton struggled but the stranger holding her was stronger.
One of Lucas' dress shirts was pulled from the cupboard and then the large feet stomped back across the room. Erin's wet eye lashes flickered as she watched, frozen and petrified.
A knife had suddenly appeared and Peyton was perfectly still.
Tears prickled at Erin's eyes. She bit her tongue, stopping herself from screaming, watching in horror as the sharp edge sliced down ruthlessly against her mother's palm. The shirt was pressed to the gash left.
Blood. Red.
The white garment was quickly stained. Erin's face contorted when Peyton choked back a whimper of pain.
Now one of the men had a needle.
She'd been to the doctors. Injections made you all better. Injections protected you from getting poorly. That's what her Daddy had told her. Maybe her Mummy wasn't well and they were making her all better.
Peyton's body drooped though, her limbs giving way, her eyelids closing a nanosecond later, her body giving in to the unyielding drug.
Erin watched helplessly. She blinked. The room was suddenly black. She blinked. Peyton was laying at the foot of the bed, her clothes blood soaked her eyes wide and blank. She screamed.
'Erin wake up' Lucas effortlessly lifted her screaming form out from under the tangled bed sheets, cradling her in his arms. Her cries pierced through him, a mixture of fear and relief filling him. It was the first sound she'd made since her mother's disappearance and yet he'd never seen her so hysterical. Her thrashing arms and legs slowly settled against him as he trailed a soothing hand over her sweaty forehead. 'Sh, sh. It's ok baby. I'm here' He rocked her and her sobs slowly quietened. 'It's ok' She was clammy all over, her nighty stuck to her and the sodden bed sheet confirmed Lucas' suspicion that she'd wet the bed. He held her tight.
'Luke'
His head jerked toward the door.
Haley stood, concern etched on her face. The house had been closed off as a crime scene, the investigators searching for evidence and in the mean time Lucas felt absolutely helpless. He'd spent the majority of the day down at the station and with Nathan, searching for any sign of Peyton but as of yet there was no news. He just wanted to get Erin home, to her own bed, but for now her uncle and aunt's house would have to make do.
'Here, let me get her cleaned up'
'No I, I've got it'
'You've not slept for the last twenty four hours Luke' She attempted to take Erin, but he stood abruptly.
'I said I've got it' He stalked past her. He couldn't let her go, holding onto her made him feel closer to Peyton somehow. He knew it was a ridiculous notion but he was losing his mind to fear and by concentrating on Erin he was managing to distract himself somewhat from the terrifying reality that his wife was well and truly missing. The possibility that she'd been taken was not even something he was willing to consider yet, he'd heard what the investigators had said. He'd heard the word abduction but he was still waiting for her to walk through the door and announce that it was all a big joke. He was only kidding himself, he knew deep in his gut that she wouldn't be walking through the door anytime soon.
