A/N Apologies for pulling this up and down a little. I had some copy / paste issues!
Daisy Hardy was sitting in the backseat of a Vauxhall Astra next to her friend Lucy. They were engrossed in a playlist with a set of earphones split between them, a bud in each girls ear, as they were driven through the new build housing estate where Lucy lived,
"Our main news at 2 pm this Sunday afternoon," the radio caught Daisy's attention, "police spokesmen say searches continue for the cousins Pippa Gillespie and Lisa Newberry reported missing early this morning. A press conference will be held later this afternoon but in the interim police request anyone with any information call a dedicated CrimeStoppers line on.." Lucy's mum abruptly switched the radio off.
Given the speed with which her father had bolted for the front door in the morning Daisy couldn't help but think she might be seeing a lot more of Lucy in the coming days.
One of the best thing about staying at Lucy's was the fact that after the fun of an afternoon finishing homework together before dinner and then getting ready for bed with face masks Daisy got to sleep in the guest bedroom. She knew some girls liked sitting up after hours chatting at a sleep over but she liked being able to slip away and be on her own to sleep. Which is what she should have been doing if only she had not been disturbed by the flash of headlights pulling into the drive below her window. There was a slight crunching of the gravel and then a light knock on the front door.
"Mr Hardy…Alec?" Lucy's dad was clearly surprised.
"I'm sorry to be here so late but I…" her father sounded unusually unsure of himself.
"Come on in. Can I get you a cuppa?" She could hear her dad coming into the house and Lucy's mum starting to bustle around in the kitchen.
"No I can't stop. Got to get back to work but I was in the neighbourhood following something up and I thought I'd swing by and see if Daiz was still awake. I've not seen her in a couple of days," an uncomfortable pause followed again, "On cases like this you know? Makes you think."
"I entirely understand." Daisy could not help but think Lucy's dad didn't have a clue, but despite this she heard a creek on the stairs and a moment or two later her doorway opened carefully and quietly.
She didn't know why but she slowed her breathing and squeezed her eyes tight shut. Her dad sounded sad and emotional and she was not sure how to handle it. She forced her breathing to remain steady as the bed sagged slightly under her father's weight as he perched next to her a hand ghosting over her hair . He sighed,
"Love you Daisy-girl. Love you so so much. Growing up too fast," there was a pause, just long enough that Daisy started to feel uncomfortable and that she should tell him he was awake but the moment was gone and he leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead, "Sweet dreams my darling. Sweet dreams." And then he was gone.
"He looked awful Tess. Just awful." Daisy's Aunt Felicity stood at the back door whispering furiously into her mobile phone. At the kitchen table Daisy idly turned the page in her maths text book and focused on not looking like she was listening,
"Swept in he did whilst I was cooking dinner, refused to eat anything," A pause and then at a slightly higher volume, "of course I'm feeding her properly. A nice lean chicken and veg right up Alec's alley. But he was having none of it. He looked terrible, bags under his eyes you could camp out in, grey skin, horrifically crumpled clothes. But you'd know this. You work with him. You live with him" Another pause and then a further increase in volume, "What do you mean you haven't seen him since the hospital? I thought you were partners. Yes, Tess I know it's not like American tv but still." Daisy's Aunt Felicity stopped listened to Tess on the end of the phone before responding at almost full volume,
"Don't patronise me. I'm telling you no matter how important cracking this is; what that man's seen… what he did at the river yesterday it leaves a mark, especially to a father as good as your husband. He needs to slow down before he collapses and, no, I don't care if I'm overstepping he needs to sit down to a meal with his wife and child and be reminded no matter how cruel to these other people he still has his family and it matters. That he matters. You need to get back here now Tess and stop him from leaving after his shower I don't care what you are doing nothing is more important than that." Felicity ran out of steam, paused, and then continued, "where are you anyway?" More pointed now, "Who are you with?"
"I mean I feel for Daisy Hardy, I really do." Daisy stopped abruptly at the sound of her name.,
"I mean it's been weeks now and no real progress – the press coverage has been brutal. I can't imagine what it's like for the kid at home. Her parents have got to be feeling the heat."
Daisy did not recognise the teacher speaking but bristled with embarrassment and anger. The three weeks since her dad had found Pippa Gillespie hadn't been easy. She had not been allowed to be at home on her own and had spend an inordinate amount of time with either her Gran or Aunt or at a friend's house. Late at night when they her parents were both in the house she heard mutters of work talk and tensions seemed high. She did not really want to think about it and she was certain she did not want to hear other people talking about it,
"Be fair now." Daisy was relieved to hear her favourite teacher respond, "It's an impossible job really isn't it. Damned if they do and damned if they don't. Easy to stand on the side-lines and comment."
"I just think it's selfish that's all. It's a demanding, dangerous job and I feel for the kid left at home whilst they run off all over the place." Daisy peeked around the corner to see the chemistry teacher juggling books as he tried to lock the door of the lab, "It's one thing being teachers and working in the same place but really? Two coppers?"
"Come on – you can never tell what happens in someone else's life can you? We shouldn't be speculating."
"I'm not speculating I'm just saying I've seen her going home with half the class this last few weeks and not a sign of her parents really,"
The two teachers started to walk away their voices fading down the hallway, "It's a shame. It really is."
Daisy lay in bed reluctantly reading her English pages for the next day. She'd left her final bit of homework until far too late but had been having a light-hearted evening with her Gran and wasn't really enjoying the novel they'd been set. Her Dad had come home and yet again refused offers of dinner taking himself off to his study and then to bed early. Her mum had followed an hour later and as far as Daisy knew was still in the living room chatting with Gran. The door was shut and there was a murmuring of the television. She let her mind wander from the book reflecting on how nice it had been to know everyone was at home at the same time even if they were not actually together. Her musings were cut short by a loud and fear ridden scream from her parents bedroom.
Without consciously thinking about it Daisy was out of bed and looking for her dressing gown noting how her heart was hammering and that she had gone cold and prickly. As she reached the doorway, the awful noise continuing she heard her mother bounding up the stairs muttering as she did so,
"For fuck's sake not again." She looked shocked to see Daisy in the hallway, "Nothing to worry about sweetie back to bed it's just your silly old dad having a bad dream."
They stood staring at each other as her father took a merciful breath of air before the scream started again. Tess spoke again, sharper this time,
"Please Daisy not now. I need to go sort him. Go back to bed everything will be fine. I promise." And she headed into her own room not waiting to see what Daisy did. Daisy hovered, waiting. Behind the door she heard her mum talking, her tone the same sharpness still in her voice,
"Alec! Alec! Wake up. Everything is fine you are having a bad dream. Another one." The screaming stopped.
"Here's your pill. No don't take it dry have water as well." A pause, "This cannot go on Alec it's not fair to anyone. You need to go back to the doctors. You need to find out if you can take sleeping pills or something. You can't keep thrashing and screaming in your sleep. You need some rest. You looked like shit three weeks ago now you look like a dead man walking. Take some bloody control." Daisy was horrified to hear her mum being so unpleasant to her dad, the poor man had clearly had an awful nightmare. She was relieved to hear her dad speak,
"Is this your tough love approach?" he sounded shaken, "I'll be fine when we sort this. When we find Lisa, nail Ashworth. It'll all be fine."
"I'm not sure it will be. Not if you don't look after yourself. Please hop in the shower and then get back to sleep."
Daisy was not sure if her mum was going to stay or leave and so she fled back to her bedroom consumed with worry.
Daisy and Felicity opened the front door laden with the outcomes of a successful shopping trip. They were trying to move quietly, for the first time in weeks both Alec and Tess were at home on a weekend and Felicity had swept Daisy out of the house early in the morning encouraging them to both go back to bed with a salacious eye brow waggle that Daisy had tried very hard not to notice.
"I don't like the woman. I think she's playing you." Tess' voice was loud and forthright floating down the stairs from Daisy's parents bedroom.
"Nonsense." Daisy smiled. Her dad sounded pretty sure of himself, "I think it's great." He sounded slightly manic. Manic but happy, "Come on you know this? I think they are on the defensive. She's told one two many stories now, clearly has a distorted relationship with Lee and she's panicking. Come on love, you know it's close to the end when they panic."
"I still think you are obsessed."
"Aye obsessed that's not a bad way to describe her approach with him. She's beyond besotted and panicking."
"Not him," Daisy heard her mum tut, "although I do agree they seem unusually infatuated for a couple married for so long. She's playing you. She refuses to talk to me or Ali if we go with you. Everything is directed to you. She's positively mooning after you. I think she's hoping to flirt her way out of this."
"Flirting?" her Dad sounded bewildered and Daisy and her Aunt exchanged wide eyed smirks and moved quietly into the kitchen enjoying the show "No panicked she is."
"For God's sake. You aren't stupid don't play daft with me. She's all big fluttery eyes, and 'oh Alec this, Oh Alec that'. You need to be careful. Do not speak with her alone. You may be playing oblivious now but we need her to be a strong part of our case not a weak link for the defence to come after us on. I think the woman's dangerous!" there was a pause for breath and then Tess continued in a different tone, "How much weight have you lost? You look bloody awful. Everyone's noticed and commenting. Go get some more kip. I'll put the kettle on."
"Where the hell are you?" Daisy started awake at the sound of her mum loud in the darkness of the house. She scrambled in her bedside table looking for her phone. 03:42 am. She rubbed her eyes and tried to focus.
"I am not having you sleep at the station again Alec. People are talking you know. You need to get your scruffy arse home and sleep properly. We're going to have another go at the Ashcrofts tomorrow and you need to be on top form." Daisy listened to her mum; she had not realised her dad was not at home yet.
"It's embarrassing you know? When I hear the cleaners gossiping about you asleep at your desk? The blokes on the team saw you shaving in the gents the other day. You need to come home," a pause,
"It's not good for you – you know that. You are supposed to be minimising stress not actively looking for it… God you're frustrating."
Daisy was surprised by how angry her mum was. She seemed to be more worried about what people thought than she was about her husband. Daisy had started to notice her mum's focus on everything looking right but it was still discomforting to hear in the early hours. She knew her Dad was not well; he did not seem to be sleeping and he seemed heart sick about their current case and Daisy could not help but think her mum could maybe be more supportive.
"No, no more chat on this just come home. Now." Tess's frustrated sigh wafted up the stairs as Daisy lay back to bed, half wanted to sleep and forget what she'd heard and half wanting to hear her dad come home. Sleep won out and she was tossing in a disturbed slumber when her father pulled the care into the driveway.