Page 62 of Her Hidden Shadow

What did she see? Gina wanted to shout after her, but the sound of her heels had disappeared around a corner and Robbie Shields’s brother was waiting to be interviewed. She took deep breaths and leaned against the wall while composing herself.

She walked into the interview room and saw Collier waiting, ready to start the recorder while perusing the file full of notes in front of him. Mr Shields tapped his fingers on the table. He couldn’t have been more different to his brother, Robbie. He wore an old tracksuit covered in splashes of paint and his rugged, acne-scarred face was framed by a mound of dark shaggy hair. She caught sight of the notes in front of Collier as he pulled them out of the file. The man’s name was Damon Shields, and he was married with four children. Collier started the recorder and made all the introductions.

Gina cleared her throat and began. ‘I’d like to express our condolences. We’re really sorry for your loss.’

Mr Shields nodded and did the zip up on his tracksuit top. ‘Thank you. You can’t believe how much we miss him. My kids are gutted, and it hasn’t sunk in yet that Uncle Robbie is gone. Of course, I haven’t told them what happened. It’s too much and they’re so young.’

He pulled his phone from his pocket and turned it around to reveal a photo of two boys holding fishing rods. ‘That’s me and Robbie. I was five years older, and I had friends my own age, but on this day, I told them I was hanging out with my little brother. We went fishing at the canal and just before we left, our mum took this photo. He had this infectious laugh and people loved him. I guess he was a little cheeky chappie. He grew into a teen who people loved too, not like me, I was a grumpy teen who lived in my room and got into trouble at school. Robbie swept people’s drives and worked in their gardens for hardly any money. He was like that, he liked to help the community and really thrived on making people happy.’ Damon Shields paused. ‘That’s why I can’t get his fling out of my head. I knew about Sienna.’ He paused.

‘What did you know about Sienna?’

Collier began to take notes.

‘He had a slip up. Lauren and Robbie had been through a bit of a bad patch. That’s why he slept with Sienna. He wasn’t a serial cheat.’

Gina wondered what he was getting at. She also wondered if Damon Shields knew about Robbie’s holiday fling too.

‘When it happened, Robbie told me about the pregnancy. He asked me what he should do, and I had a go at him, told him what an idiot he’d been. I mean, Sienna was Lauren’s best friend. He later told me that Sienna agreed that they should never tell Lauren, after all Sienna didn’t want to lose her best friend either. Anyway, several months later Sienna has a daughter, and he knew the little girl was his but still, Sienna came up with this story about a soldier she’d been seeing, and they agreed that they would stick to it as long as Robbie paid her monthly maintenance. I have children and I know that children need the truth. Dora still needs the truth. I made it my mission to work on Sienna to get that truth out there as I knew Robbie was too gutless to face it.’

Gina wondered how well he knew Sienna. ‘Did you speak to Sienna without Robbie being present?’

Damon Shields nodded. ‘I met up with her a few times because I really wanted to see my niece. My youngest is the same age and all I could think of was my kids getting to know Dora. I wanted them to play together as cousins and grow up close, like me and Robbie did, so I told Sienna this. Dora has Robbie’s blood and I thought she deserved to have a father who would be present in her life. I didn’t know if his forthcoming marriage would survive the truth coming out, but I also told Robbie separately, this little girl is your daughter. She means more than anything and if your marriage can’t withstand your mistake, it wasn’t meant to be.’

‘How did they react to what you were saying?’

He began to pick dried paint from his arm and he flicked a bit onto the floor. ‘Sienna was on board. She was fed up with the lie and she knew Dora deserved more. Robbie hated the idea and I know that on Saturday night, she was planning on speaking to him about it. He wasn’t looking forward to her coming over at all, but he planned it for that night as he knew Lauren wouldn’t be back for hours.’

What Mr Shields was telling them fit with what they already knew. ‘When did you last see Sienna Moorcroft?’

He bit the inside of his mouth and frowned. ‘Maybe a week before. I saw her in the supermarket, and we spoke outside.’

‘What did you talk about?’

‘Not much, there was a man waiting for her in a car, a dark saloon car. I asked her if he was her new man as I knew she’d not long come out of a bad but short relationship.’

Gina felt her stomach roll. He was describing Jacob’s car, and she had to do her job, even though it might hurt Jacob. ‘Can you describe that man?’

He shrugged. ‘It was dark, but he was parked under a streetlamp. Maybe short hair, clean shaven, the registration ended in SA.’

That fit Jacob’s description and car.

Collier raised his eyebrows.

Gina continued. ‘So, you asked her about her new relationship?’

He nodded. ‘She seemed hesitant to say anything so maybe they hadn’t been together long. She said he was nice, and they got on well. Then she hurried over to him, got into the car and he drove off. That’s the last time I saw her. Where’s Dora staying?’

‘With Sienna’s family, up north.’

He pressed his lips together. ‘There is something else, which is why I came. I thought you should know everything.’

Gina sat up. ‘What is it you want to tell us?’

‘It’s about Lauren. Robbie slept with Sienna because Lauren had a fling. It was an immature move, I know, but that’s why he did what he did. I don’t know who Lauren slept with, but Robbie did say it was an ex. Robbie wasn’t a bad man. He was upset, he was angry and sleeping with Sienna had been a stupid, impulsive mistake. All he wanted was to settle down and grow old with Lauren and she shattered him. Time passed and he decided to forgive her.’

‘What’s happened since to make you believe Lauren’s past has something to do with Robbie’s murder?’

‘Robbie told me something over Christmas. When he came home from work on Christmas Eve morning, he saw a wrapped-up package on the step. It was addressed to Lauren. She was meant to have had the day off work, but she’d been called in as one of her colleagues was off sick. Robbie was also meant to be working until five, but his boss let him out early. Robbie took the hand-delivered parcel into the bungalow and opened it.’

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