'Thank you for coming in Lucas'
He shook his head, disregarding. 'What's happened?' His simple question was brimming with astounding hope.
The two inspectors looked at each other in a way that left Lucas nervous and speculating. 'What have you found?'
'Why don't you take a seat?'
'No I-'
'Please take a seat'
The anxious man sat his extremely tired body down on a chair, looking at them expectantly.
'Where were you yesterday morning Lucas?'
'I was at the river court' He countered.
'Alone?'
'Alone' He confirmed, eyes darkening and brow furrowing. 'I've already told you all this'
'We're just trying to clarify your whereabouts around the time of your wife's disappearance.'
'What are you insinuating?'
'Nobody can confirm you were there Lucas, in fact the last person to see you was Mrs Smith from across the road, when you came outside to put the rubbish out in the morning, no one else recalls seeing you at all between the hours of 9am and 1pm, when you made the emergency call to announce Peyton's disappearance.'
'So because I have no witnesses I'm suddenly a suspect?' He exclaimed, clearly outraged.
'It's all precaution'
'You're just wasting valuable time, I love Peyton, she's my wife, I'd never harm her. I just want to find out where she is and make sure she's ok'.
'We found one of your shirts in the laundry basket Lucas'
He made an exasperated face, isn't that where dirty clothes were meant to go?
'Let me rephrase that- a shirt with blood, Peyton's blood. Do you know anything about that?'
He glowered, he didn't like what they were suggesting. 'You seriously think that I've hurt her?' He laughed in disbelief. 'If I'd hurt and killed my own wife do you really think I would leave evidence laying around? Do you think I would have called the police?' He exclaimed angrily. 'This is fucking ridiculous'
'Mr Scott you need to calm down. We're just doing our job. We need you to answer these questions so we can move on this investigation'
'I don't know what happened but you're wasting your time' He growled out in frustration. 'I need you to find her, I need her found. What if she doesn't have much time, what if whoever's taken her is hurting her. I've told you everything I know'
'There was also a knife Lucas'
He wasn't shocked, he'd seen the blood on the bed, all kinds of terrifying images had been dancing around his head, but it still hit him hard. It made it all the more real.
'That, that's good right? You can get a DNA sample right? There's got to be traces, there's got to be finger prints?'
One of the inspectors stood, his arms crossed over his broad chest. His grey moustache twitched as he looked down, intimidatingly.
'Forensics are in the process of finding out those results as we speak'
Lucas wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans, his head bobbing vigorously. 'How long will that take?'
'We should have them back within the next few hours'
'Right' He stood. 'I'm going to get my daughter, she needs to be in her own home right now' He walked to the door.
'Lucas?'
He looked back over his shoulder. 'Yes?'
'Don't wander too far, we may need you to answer a few more questions'
Lucas was half a second away from punching the man in the face. He didn't like the way he was being treated, or how this whole situation was being treated. He clenched his fists, but restrained his bout of anger. Being charged for assaulting an investigator wouldn't do much in his favour.
'I'm not going fucking anywhere, as I just said, I want to get my little girl back in her own house. Then I will be waiting for your call with those results' He said through gritted teeth.
Lucas looked up from his desktop, sensing Erin in the door way. She'd clearly dressed herself. He was impressed by how coordinated she was but the buttons on her little check shirt were buttoned wrong and he instantly felt guilty for neglecting her. They'd been back an hour and despite Haley and Nathan's efforts to accompany him, he just needed to be alone. He'd not ventured into his bedroom yet, the whole house smelt sterilized and things were out of place and he didn't get that warm comforting feeling of being at home, it wasn't home, not without Peyton. Erin tottered nervously into his study, her hands holding onto something.
'Hey sweetie. What have you got there?'
She stopped at his chair, handing over the goods.
There was a card with a hand drawn basket ball on the front and the words 'Best Daddy in the whole world' Scribbled in orange crayon. He smiled. He'd been completely oblivious of what the day was, Father's day.
'Wow, this is beautiful Erin, thank you'
Next he looked at the box. His brow creased. The writing on the cream gift box wasn't his daughter's childish scrawl, it was Peyton's neat handwriting clearly reading- 'Happy Father's Day'
He pulled off the narrow lid and his heart skipped a beat. Confounded, he sat staring for a long minute. His vision blurred in and out of focus.
Inside lay a pregnancy test, or more precisely, a positive pregnant test.
Erin chewed on her bottom lip. She didn't know what it was. Her mummy had said it was a surprise. They'd hidden it together in a secret hiding place, under the loose floor board in Erin's walk in cupboard and Peyton had told her not to say a word and to not give it to her daddy until father's day.
'Where did you get this?' He beseeched, his words forming slowly.
She didn't answer.
'Erin' His fingers curled around her small upper arms. 'I need you to talk to me. Where did you get this?'
She didn't answer.
'If you don't tell me, you're going to be spending the rest of the day in your bedroom' He attempted black mail but...
She didn't answer.
'Damn it Erin' He thundered. She stumbled back fretfully as he abruptly pushed himself up from the study chair.
The fairy tale, happy family photographs, displayed on top of the book shelf taunted him.
Peyton's smiling face.
In one swift movement he sent all the frames clattering to the floor, the glass smashing loudly. His blood pressure was sky rocketing through the roof and he knew he needed to calm down, for Erin and for himself. The last thing he needed right now was to have a heart attack.
His hands gripped the side of the book shelf, his head hanging as he caught his breath and then slowly, he turned around and sloped down to the floor cradling his head in his hands.
He didn't know what to feel. A dizzying mix of emotions filtered through him. It felt wrong, so very wrong but the absolute joy that swelled in his heart was inevitable. Another baby. They'd talked about trying again but he'd had no idea.
But he couldn't, he refused to be happy. This baby made everything ten times worse. He wouldn't allow himself to imagine a future with this unborn child in it. He had no idea if she was alive, and if she was, where she was or what had happened but it was likely for her to miscarry, just from the stress of the last forty eight hours.
His jaw tightened in an attempt to stop his trembling bottom lip. He was yet to cry but this was too much, he couldn't hold it in any longer.
A loud strangled sob escaped his throat.
Erin's wide eyes stared at him. Her daddy didn't cry. He was a superhero. She tip toed through the shattered glass and gingerly slid onto his lap, resting her head on his shoulder.
He wiped at his eyes, trying to disguise the tears.
'I'm sorry Erin, Daddy's being silly' He muttered, his strong arms holding on to her.
The thought of Peyton being on her own tore at his heart.
But she wasn't alone.
She was sat naked against the cold tile, bathroom wall, her hands on her stomach, protectively over her growing baby. She wasn't showing, far from it, she was eight weeks in and yesterday morning she had been beside herself with excitement, she'd been waiting for the right time to tell Lucas and father's day seemed like the most appropriate day. She wondered whether Erin had given him his present, if he knew. She wished with all her heart that he didn't know, she didn't want him worrying even more than she knew he already would be.
She shifted against the wall, whimpering at the unpleasant pain it caused. She was tender all over and there was an unmistakable soreness between her legs.
It had been worse than she could ever have possibly imagined. She'd backed out at the last minute and he'd told her that was fine, but judging by his face she'd known it was not fine. He'd then gone on to tell her he'd take great pleasure in ending her daughters life. She'd felt completely pathetic as she'd then begged him to not go, to come back to bed. The most awful thing was how horribly gentle he was, he'd spent a great deal of time just kissing her from head to toe and tracing the contorts of her rigid body. It was like some lewd affair and she couldn't get Lucas' face out of her head the whole time. She wondered if he'd be angry, livid with her for complying to his vulgar bribery.
When he'd finished, her relief was short lived. He'd settled himself beside her, his arm snaked around her bare waist, his other hand brushing her hair away from her sticky face while he'd whispered words of adoration into her ear. He'd fallen asleep that way and she'd had to endure his body pressed against hers and his heavy breath hitting the back of her neck. She'd waited, waited until she was positive he was in a deep sleep, and only then did she summon enough courage to slide from his embrace. He'd muttered something and she'd panicked but then he'd rolled onto his front. She'd then blindly maneuvured her way to the ensuite, where she now sat.
The sudden need to clean herself, overwhelmed her. She staggered to her feet, trying to be quiet as she opened the glass shower door.
She turned the faucet on, eager to wash away what he'd left on the inside of her thigh. She slid her slender legs under the cold water, revelling in the numbness that quickly consumed her body.
'Peyton' Ian said her name and pulled the shower door back at the same time.
She screamed and brought her hands up to cover her chest. 'Get out'
He examined her, finding it some what bizarre, the way in which she was trying to hide her body from view. He'd already seen everything, they'd just been in the most intimate of situations and yet now she was being shy.
He didn't move, seemingly disinterested with her hysterical behaviour.
'Get out' Her anger turned to a sob.
He grabbed a towel off of the towel rack. 'No, you get out' He requested coolly, holding the creamy towel out for her to step into.
She took a shuddering breath. 'Please, I, I need to shower'
'You don't need to shower. Get out' He repeated.
'No I-'
'You either get out or I drag you out, so why don't you make it easier on me and yourself, hm?'
She didn't see any other alternative, she'd rather do as he said than have his hands touching her goose pimple covered skin. She awkwardly stepped onto the tiled floor, grimacing as he wrapped her in the large towel.
'That's better' He rubbed her arms. 'Look you're shivering'
'I can dry myself' She tried to take over his actions but he was persistent and it only triggered her already nauseous stomach. 'I'm going to be sick' She muttered, inhaling exaggeratedly in an attempt to suppress the bile creeping up the back of her throat. His hands loosened on her and she lurched free, keeling over the toilet basin.
'Oh sweetheart' He held her hair back as she heaved, she was to preoccupied to swipe his hands away and when she'd thought it had eventually subsided, his soft, soothing voice in her ear was like a catalyst and she was choking again. When there couldn't have been anything left in her stomach she fell back onto the floor, his arms around her, supporting her fragile body. The towel had come loose and he covered her with care, stroking his hand repeatedly over her forehead. 'There we go, it's all over now. I'm sorry, it must have been the drug they had to give you, you've probably had a bad reaction'
She doubted that, she knew what it was. Morning sickness.
His fingers were interlocked with her left hand and it was only now that she noticed, and more importantly, noticed what he was inspecting. Her wedding ring.
She jerked her hand away like she'd just been scolded.
He snatched her wrist back with purpose.
'No, you-you've taken e-everything e-else' She stuttered desperately.
Demoralized, her bloodshot eyes watched him roughly remove the ring that had been a permanent fixture on her finger since the day she'd said her vows.
'You don't need it any more' His knuckles whitened as his fingers curled, tightly around the band.
She flexed her hand, feeling seemingly more naked than ever before.
'You'll have a new one soon' He professed. 'You're mine baby, always and forever'