Spoilt (2 page)

“
Can I help you?” she asked.

“
Yes, I’m Detective Hudson.” He showed the girl his badge.
“This is Detective Johnson. We’re here in relation to Kate Miller’s
disappearance.”

The hopeful smile which greeted them disappeared from her
face.

“
Did you find her?”

“
Yes, Ma’am, we believe so,” Maggie said. “May I ask your name
please?”

“
Yes, my name is Amy Miller. Is she okay?”

“
Are your parents at home?”

“
Only Kate and I live here. Please will you tell me? What is
it?”

“
You might want to sit down. Can we come in?”

“
Please, where is she?”

Amy’s anxiety-filled eyes darted between Lucas and
Maggie.

“
We believe we found your sister this morning.”

“
Where is she? Is she ...?”

“
Perhaps it would be better if we came in.”

“
Okay.”

Amy led them to the sitting room and perched on the edge of
the couch. Maggie sat beside her and Lucas took the chair
opposite.

Amy stared at them for a moment wide eyed before asking in a
broken voice “Please, where is she?”

“
We’re really sorry ... your sister has been murdered,” Maggie
said gently.

“
Oh no, please no,” Amy whispered as the blood drained from
her face. “Kate ...”

Tears streamed down her face as she sat rigid for a moment,
her face full of shock and disbelief. She buried her face in her
hands and broke into wrenching sobs. The two detectives glanced at
each other; they hated this part of the job. Several heartbreaking
minutes passed before Amy’s tears subsided and her composure
returned. She took a deep breath and with a determined set to her
chin, looked at Maggie.

“
We’re very sorry about your sister but we do need to ask you
some questions so we can find out what happened to her. Would you
like to call someone? We could continue this later.”

“
I want to help.”

“
If you need time,” Maggie said.

“
No, I want to do it now. What do you need to ask
me?”

“
When was the last time you saw Kate?” Lucas began.

“
On Sunday night as I was leaving to go out with friends.
About six, I think, as the movie started at seven.”

“
Was she here when you got home?”

“
I don’t know. It was about eleven and her door was
closed.”

“
When did you realise she was gone?”

“
The next day. She’s usually home from work by six, so when
she wasn’t home by eight, I began to worry. I rang her work and
they said she hadn’t been in ...” Amy’s voice trembled. She dabbed
at her eyes with a tissue.

“
This was when you reported her missing?”

“
I rang her phone first and heard it ringing from her bag in
her room.” She paused. Lucas and Maggie exchanged another glance.
Libby’s possessions had been left at home too. “I rang everyone we
know and no-one had seen her ... so I reported her
missing.”

Amy picked at the tissues scrunched in her shaking hands and
chewed on her lower lip.

“
Did she say if she was going anywhere or meeting with
someone?” Lucas asked.

“
No.”

“
Do you know if she was having anyone over?” Maggie
asked.

“
Um, she mentioned she’d met this guy but she didn’t say if
she was meeting him.”

“
Did she tell you his name?”

“
No.”

“
Perhaps she had him over or he came to pick her
up?”

“
I doubt she would have invited him here. She’s really ...
cautious. She might have planned to go out but she didn’t say
anything. Kate would have told me if she was seeing anyone special.
We are … I mean were, very close.” She bit her lip again and fresh
tears threatened.

“
Could there be anyone who may have held a grudge against
her?”

“
No! She’s a kind, beautiful person. I don’t know why anyone
would want to do this.”

The tears Amy held back now ran down her face.

“
Just a few more questions and then we will leave you in
peace,” Maggie said.

“
Do you or your sister have a lot of money?” Lucas
asked.

“
What?”

“
Is your family well off? Were you spoilt?”

“
No. Why are you asking me this?” She furrowed her
brow.

“
There was a ... note left at the scene.”

“
No, our parents are working class. We rent this apartment. We
pay our own way ... I ... I don’t understand.”

“
Can you think of anything else about the man she was seeing?”
Maggie asked.

She shook her head. Amy didn’t bother wiping away the flowing
tears now.

“
We don’t want to make this any harder than it already is but
we need to send over some crime scene investigators to check for
fingerprints and evidence, in case she invited someone
in.”

She nodded her assent.

“
We appreciate it.” Maggie paused. “We also need someone to
come down and identify her. Would you like us to arrange for your
parents to do it? We would have gone to them first but we didn’t
have any contact details.”

“
It’s ok, I’ll ring my parents. I don’t know how I am ... Can
we do it later?”

“
Yes, when you’re ready. Are you sure you’re ok?”

She nodded.

“
Again, we’re sorry,” Maggie said as Amy showed them to the
door.

Once in the car Lucas and Maggie sat in silence for a few
minutes, both lost in their own thoughts.

“
More of the same,” Maggie spoke breaking the quiet. “Both had
a mystery guy and were missing five days or longer. Neither spoilt
nor well off but had the words cut into them. Why use these
particular words?”

“
I’m having trouble with that too. They both have dark hair
and are short and petite too. Maybe they resemble someone or they
dressed well and he assumed they were rich.”

“
Hopefully Dave will have something for us.”

Chapter 3

Broken Souls

Friday

It was around nine but there appeared to be little activity on
the streets. As Chelsea drove through the stillness, a familiar
sentimentality flowed through her. Her mind drifted back to the
first time she’d brought Wes to meet her family. How his brilliant
blue eyes widened in amazement at the houses and estates, almost as
if he couldn’t believe places like this existed. She remembered his
beaming smile as they drove in the gates and how proud she’d been
to bring him home.

Stop it, Chelsea, he’s gone.

The second Chelsea pulled to a stop, her sister ran out to
meet her. Charlotte wrapped her in a big bear hug as Chelsea
climbed from the car.

Charlotte’s curly strawberry-blonde hair bounced and her dark
brown eyes sparkled as she gave Chelsea an animated update on the
latest gossip. Her chatter remained constant as she strode towards
the house. Chelsea, considerably shorter than her tall, slim
sister, quickened her steps to keep up. As they entered the large
hall, a fluffy grey cat wandered in and wound his way around
Chelsea’s legs.

“
Hello, Sebastian.” Chelsea beamed as she picked up their
beloved pet. “It has been so long since I’ve seen you.”

Chelsea placed Sebastian down as Sarah’s short, petite frame
rushed down the stairs, to embrace her eldest child.

“
Oh, darling, I’m so glad you’re finally here. I was beginning
to worry.” Her brow creased. “I wish you would leave earlier and
get here before dark.”

“
I couldn’t close early today. I had to finish some bouquets
for a wedding this weekend.”

The arrangements were for her shop, Bloom, which she’d bought
with the help of a business loan, several years before. Chelsea
took pride in what she’d achieved without the aid of her wealthy
parents.

“
You work too hard, Chelsea. Maybe you should hire more help.”
Sarah stopped. Chelsea’s expression silenced her. “Very well, no
lecture. Let’s go and locate our men.”

The girls followed their mother toward the study while
Charlotte continued to update Chelsea. “You’re not going to believe
this but Evan is already seeing Sasha Brooks.”

“
You broke up about three weeks ago, didn’t you? I thought it
wasn’t that serious.”

“
That is not the point. I broke up with him and he still
should be heartbroken.”

“
Aren’t you already interested in someone else?”

“
Once again that is not the point.” She pouted her full lips
before stomping into the study.

Chelsea laughed, amused by her sister’s latest folly. As she
followed Charlotte into the room that had always been their
sanctuary, the comforting warmth surrounded her. The blazing fire
from the hearth produced an inviting glow.

Her grandfather, Harold, sat in one of the comfortable leather
chairs by the fire, drinking his ritual nightcap of brandy. His
thick beard always ready to tickle your cheek and his wavy grey
hair was, as usual, in disarray. Chelsea always found her Pa to be
an uplifting sight.

Her father, Bradley, sat opposite, attempting to read a book.
His lanky frame filled the chair, while his dark wavy hair crept
down his face as he came very close to snoozing.

Chelsea’s brother, Hayden, a younger version of his father,
lay on the adjacent couch with iPod plugs in his ears. He thumped
out a beat on his legs.

Seeing her baby brother, ten years her junior at fifteen,
always brought forth familiar tender feelings. She’d loved to
mother him as a child.

Hearing the women enter the room, Bradley’s eyes sprang open
as though he wasn’t about to doze off and Harold beamed at
her.

“
Come over here and give your old Pa a kiss.”

Chelsea walked over to give her grandfather an affectionate
cuddle and kiss. “Hi Pa, it is so good to see you. Hope you’ve been
good.”

“
Never. I have to keep Mrs. Simpson down the road on her
toes.”

Chelsea laughed and proceeded to her father. “Hi, Dad,” she
said giving him a squeeze. “I’ve missed you; it’s nice to be
home.”

“
We miss you too, honey. It has been far too long.”

Chelsea glanced over at Hayden, who was still playing a drum
solo and totally oblivious to anything happening around
him.

“
Hayden,” Sarah yelled.

“
Huh?” he yelled over the music. “What?” He opened his eyes
and seeing his sister, pulled the plugs out of his ears. “Hi,
Sis.”

Chelsea walked over to her brother and kissed him on the top
of his head. “Hey, Hads.”

“
Now I can go to bed?” he mumbled.

Hayden unfolded his long, lean frame from the couch and
trundled out of the study and upstairs to his room in the left wing
of the house.

“
So full of conversation, our Hayden,” said Sarah, rolling her
eyes.

“
He’s a teenager, Mum. I don’t remember being much better. Cut
him some slack.”

“
I do, Chelsea, but sometimes trying to talk to him is like
pulling teeth.”

Chelsea curled up on the couch her brother had vacated,
happiness warming her as she listened to the chatter around her.
For the first time in months she felt relaxed and comfortable. She
soon discovered her eyes growing heavy.

Through her sleep haze Chelsea heard her name and opened her
eyes to see Sarah’s kind face beside hers.

“
I think perhaps you should go off to bed, honey, especially
if you want to get an early start in the garden
tomorrow.”

She glanced around to discover only Sarah and Charlotte were
still up.

She said goodnight before heading up the staircase to her old
room still painted mauve with butterfly motifs adorning the walls
from her teenage years. Her white canopy bed draped with sheer
curtains looked inviting as always. Remembering her suitcase, she
turned to retrieve it from the car and paused when she saw it on
the seat by the window. Probably brought up by Bradley. She
smiled.

As she prepared for sleep, she tried to ignore the memories of
Wes. They troubled her most in this room. She recalled their last
visit together when he’d proposed to her on the balcony, under a
star-filled sky.

After the family celebrations, they had laid together on this
very bed. His broad shoulders were facing her as he propped up on
one arm beside her, staring at her with his pale blue eyes. His
straight blonde hair fell over one eye as he grinned at her in his
boyish, charming way. How they’d gazed at each other filled with
love, unable to contain their happiness and excitement about the
prospect of a life together.

If he wanted a life with you, why did he leave? Why can’t I
forget him? It’s been a year. I’ve gotten on with my life, run the
shop, kept busy but he just keeps creeping back in. Stop it,
Chelsea, he’s gone, get over it.