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Chapter Twenty – A Sister's Secrets
Sam sighed as Phil pulled the car up outside the Davidson's house, she didn't know what to say to Stephanie. How could she tell her that there was still no sign of Jessica, and that perhaps she was involved in her own disappearance, that she had asked Ella to move her car, and that Ella had done what she had asked.
"Are we telling them about Ella?" Phil asked, as he opened his door and climbed out of the car
"No, we can say that her car has been found, but I don't want to tell them about Ella, not just yet. If there is still nothing by the end of the day, then I will consider it, but before then, no" Sam replied, as she walked after Phil towards the front door
Phil didn't reply, he just nodded, he knew what Sam meant, after all she knew all too well what it was like to have a missing daughter.
Sam knocked on the front door rapidly, as she waited next to Phil, eventually the door flung open, and Toby stood in the doorframe.
"DI Nixon" he said politely, "Come in" he continued, as he stepped into the house, allowing Sam and Phil room to enter the house.
"Thank you" Phil replied, as he wandered inside, "Toby I am DS Hunter" he said, introducing himself, and holding out his hand, which Toby shook cautiously
"Have you found my sister yet?" Toby asked bluntly, as the three of them sat down, Toby in an armchair by the door, and Sam and Phil next to one another on the large sofa.
"No, we haven't" Sam replied, "That's what we wanted to speak about"
"Are your parent's home?" Phil asked
"No, Dad has taken Mum out, y'know, try and get her mind off not knowing where Jess is. They've gone out for the day, I think he was going to take her shopping, not that it will make much difference"
"And that would be why?"
"Shopping would remind her too much of Jess" Toby said, with a small smile, "My sister is addicted, or at least she was"
"When I was here the other day Toby" Sam began, as she leant forward in her seat, "I had the feeling that perhaps you knew something that your parents didn't about Jessica"
"Like what?" Toby asked matter of factly
"Did Jessica have a boyfriend?" Phil asked, eager to know if Steven was involved in all of this
"I think so" Toby admitted
"But your parents have no idea?" Sam asked
"Yep, she is twenty-one, I am sure that she had a life of her own" Toby replied sarcastically, "If she didn't, then that's pretty sad" he added
"Do you know who?" Phil asked
"Yeah, his name's Steven something. I know I heard her on the phone the other week, going on about him to someone-or-other" Toby answered, before a confused look appeared on her face, "Does he have something to do with this?" he asked worriedly
"We don't know" Phil replied quickly, before Sam has a moment to reply
"Did you ever hear her mention where she used to meet him? Or what they used to do together?" Sam asked, anxious that this may have been the lead she had been waiting for
"What you think she's going to tell me what she does?" Toby questioned, "You obviously never had a little brother"
"He's right Sam, I never told Steve anything" Phil interjected
Sam glared at Phil, and then decided to rephrase her questions, "Did Jessica have any hobbies that she liked to do?"
"Her laptop. She loves that thing, she would spend hours on it, doing her university work, talking to friends, making photo albums, downloading music" Toby explained, "Strange thing is though, Mum and Dad never bought it for her, it just one day appeared in her room, I think she thought that she could hide it from me, but she failed" he said mischievously, "Steven's name is on that, I am sure of it"
"His name is on the laptop?" Phil asked eagerly
"Yeah, she was working on some document the other day when I wandered into her room to ask her if she'd take me footy practice, and she quickly exited it, but I managed to catch a glimpse of the screen, and it had the name Steven on it, as well as a list of other names" Toby explained wistfully
"Do you know where the laptop is now?" Sam asked
"Yeah, should be next to her bed, but under a sheet and a pair of shoes, Mum hasn't moved a thing since she's been gone, she just sits in there, hoping that the phone will ring" Toby replied flatly
"We are doing our best to find her mate" Phil said, as he stood and went over to Toby and patted him on the shoulder
"Yeah, I know. It's just the last time she was here, she was just my annoyingly perfect sister, who never made a mistake, or let her foot go wrong, and now she isn't here, and I kinda miss her" he said with a sigh, "This family needs her"
"I'm sure she misses you too" Sam answered, hoping that it sounded convincing
"Thanks" Toby said with a slight smile, "I will go and find the laptop. Or do you want to come with?"
"We'll come, if that's alright" Sam answered for the two of them
"Jess' room is just down here" Toby said, as he stood and began to leave the room.
Sam gave him a slight smile, in a way of some encouragement, and followed Toby out of the room, down the small corridor, and stopping at the door of Jessica's room, Sam wandered inside, and looked around once more, Toby was right, nothing had been moved since she had been in here the first time that she had been at the Davidson's, before she even knew that Phil was involved in all of this. There was still a pair of socks laying in the middle of the room, as well as a pile of magazines scattered along the ground. Sam turned to look back at Phil, who had leant against the doorframe, she could almost see what he was thinking, perhaps similar to her, that this laptop could solve this whole case, that this could have been why Jessica disappeared, as she looked at him, she gave him a small smile, once this case was over her was going to have to leave again, and she didn't want him to leave her life once more, without a trace.
Phil smiled back at Sam, as the two of them stood looking around Jessica's room, it looked no different to any other young girl's room, there were photos all around the walls, magazines on the floor, textbooks stacked in the corners. Phil watched as Toby bent over, moved a sheet and the pair of shoes out of the way, and picked up a small white laptop, with a power cord attached. He handed it gently to Sam. Phil sighed, was this? The laptop that he had failed to find all of those times before, was this? The one piece of evidence that would nail that scumbag to the wall, once and for all?
"Can we take this?" Sam asked
"If it will help find Jessica then sure" Toby answered, "She's not here to care, is she?" Toby asked sarcastically
"What about your parents?" Sam asked
"You are the police, ain't you? It isn't like you ain't going to bring it back, or steal it?"
"No I guess not" Phil answered, "You've got a good sense of humour there"
"Yeah, Dad describes it as annoying. Oh, and that laptop, if she's got a password on there, then it'll be 'Milly'"
"Milly?" Sam asked
"Yeah, our puppy. She loves that dog"
"I've never seen a dog here" Sam replied
"She's here" Toby stated, as he nudged past Sam and Phil and out into the corridor, before calling "Milly. Here girl, I've got a biscuit", and soon enough a small black fluff ball bounded out from another room, and stopped at Toby's feet, sitting patiently. "This is Milly"
"You don't have a biscuit though" Phil said
"No, but you do"
"Huh?" Phil said as he looked back at Toby blankly
"The top drawer there, open it" Toby said pointing
Phil looked behind him, and pulled the drawer open, inside sat a small bag of dog biscuits, which he pulled out and passed to Toby before Milly started to jump at his feet.
"See" Toby said, as he gave the biscuit to Milly, who then ran away and disappeared, back from where she came, "Another one of my sister's secrets"
"Right, Milly it is then" Sam said, as the three of them walked back down the corridor to where they were before.
"How did you work out that it was Milly?" Phil asked
"Easy, her clue is something like Dog's Name. My sister is clever, but not that clever" he said with a laugh
"Thanks Toby" Sam replied, as she wrapped the power cord around the laptop, and headed for the door, "We will bring this back, as soon as we have had someone look at it. You will tell your parents that we came today?"
"Yeah I'll tell Dad, Mum isn't really up to much at the moment, y'know with Jess not being here" Toby answered as he opened the door to let Sam and Phil outside
"See you soon" Phil replied, not really knowing what to say, he had never been able to learn what was the right thing to say when someone was missing, he hadn't even known what to say to Sam, all those years ago when Abi wasn't here.
"Bye" Toby said, and then he closed the door behind them, leaving Sam and Phil on the doorstep.
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Oh and a note, the more Sam and Phil is coming, I promise.