Page 42 of The Sisters at the Last House Before the Sea

‘Have you lost Isla?’

‘No.’ Caitlin hesitated. ‘Actually, I’m looking for my daughter, Maisie.’

Sean caught her eye and held her gaze. ‘I didn’t know you had children.’

‘I don’t. Not really. Maisie’s my stepdaughter. She’s fifteen.’

‘And she’s gone missing, has she?’

‘Kind of. She went out walking in the snow a couple of hours ago and she hasn’t come back.’ Sean narrowed his eyes, obviously thinking she was being over-anxious – and perhaps she was. But he didn’t understand the background. He didn’t know what was going on right now. ‘It’s just, she’s quite vulnerable sometimes and—’

When Caitlin paused again, Sean jumped in. ‘All right.’ He turned to the young lad with him. ‘Charlie, get yourself back to the garage and let Jen and Lee know that I’ll be out for a while.’

Charlie nodded and, with a final curious glance at Caitlin, scuttled off, his big boots sending up puffs of snow crystals.

‘What are you doing?’ Caitlin asked Sean, feeling panicky.

‘Helping you to look for Maisie.’

‘You don’t have to do that.’ Caitlin didn’t want to spend time in this man’s company. This man who resented her for some long-ago slight.

‘I’m well aware of that. But I’ll give you a hand anyway.’

‘Aren’t you needed at work?’

‘They can cope without me for a while. All we seem to be doing anyway is pulling cars and tractors out of ditches. The roads are treacherous today.’ He rubbed his hands together to keep them warm. ‘So, where have you looked already?’

‘I’ve walked around the village and there’s no sign of her.’ Caitlin breathed deeply to calm the anxiety she could feel rising inside her. ‘Isla’s on the look-out for her too.’

‘Have you checked local caffs in case she’s sitting drinking hot chocolate somewhere?’

‘Most are closed because of the weather but I looked in the couple that were open and there’s no sign of her.’

‘Have you tried ringing her mobile?’

‘Of course I have, but she forgot to take it with her.’

Caitlin felt her muscles tense. It was kind of Sean to give her a hand – though she wished he wasn’t. But did he think she was a total idiot?If he doesn’t now, he will when he finds out what your husband has been up to.

Sean tilted his head, as if he could almost hear Caitlin’s thoughts. ‘Have you got a photo of Maisie on your phone, so I know what she looks like?’ he asked.

‘Yes, I’m sure I have a few.’

Caitlin quickly scrolled through her pictures and showed Sean the first one she came to that included her stepdaughter. She was standing beside Caitlin and Stuart, during a trip to the theatre two months ago. Maisie looked bored, as usual, and Caitlin and Stuart were standing together, with Stuart’s arm around her shoulder. He wasn’t one for public displays of affection and had only given her a cuddle after being told to ‘get closer’ by the friend taking their picture. They looked like such a happy family, at first glance.

‘Is that your husband?’ asked Sean, peering at the screen.

‘Yes, that’s Stuart.’

‘And that’s Maisie, I suppose.’

‘That’s right.’

He looked as if he was about to ask another question, but then said: ‘OK. Let’s see if we can find her.’

The two of them walked side by side through the village, hardly speaking. But Maisie was nowhere to be seen and Caitlin’s concern began to grow. Where would a stroppy fifteen-year-old go on such a cold day? What if she’d walked out of the village and got lost and now had hypothermia?

‘Are you sure Maisie hasn’t already gone back to Rose Cottage?’ Sean asked as they hurried towards the ruins of the castle. ‘Maybe we should try back there.’

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