“Still asleep, I’ll go wake him up and we’ll start looking for her.”
Cardinal pushes past me unapologetically, surprising us all by grabbing Willow’s hand and starts to drag her down the corridor with him. “I’m going to find the detectives–this ends fucking now. We’re all leaving and I don’t care if we have to swim through dirty waters.”
My head snaps to Merle as he starts bristling in the doorway, grabbing his jacket from a hook beside the door. “C’mon, the hotel should be locked up but we need to check all the doors and make sure she’s inside. Have you checked downstairs?”
I shake my head. “Not yet, I can’t–” my throat constricts and I have to rub at my chest. It feels like someone’s pouring acid down my throat, burning my eyes when I look at him. “I don’t know what to do.” I admit.
Seeming to put his differences aside, he gives my shoulder a shake and turns me around. “Let’s go find her.”
“Fuck. Wren?” Cardinal’s voice booms from down the corridor, to which the four of us pick up our pace to meet them at the top of the stairs. Willow crouches down, hands fluttering over more dark marks on the carpet.
“There’s blood and it trails down the stairs.” She rasps.
Pushing through the group, I lean down next to her—the markings turning into grazes against the carpet like something was dragged.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“Find her now.” I say with no room for arguments, taking the steps two at a time till I’m flying onto the marble floor. There’s no noise coming from down here, apart from everyone following me and we begin searching every room. Shouts come from every direction as each guest tells me the rooms are clear. “Where the fuck is she?” I bellow, just as Detective Starling appears through the double doors in a casual black t-shirt and cargo trousers. He has a slight sheen to his skin.
“Mr Hastings, what are you shouting about? What is going on?” He raises his voice, holding his palms up to me.
“Robin is missing, she’s not in the hotel.” I know in my soul she’s not in this house.
He raises an eyebrow and his stupid fucking mustache moves with it. “What do you mean she’s not in the hotel? Could she be in one of the bedrooms?”
I can’t help but slam my palm against the doorframe. “She’s not in the fucking hotel.” I yell, probably not my smartest move with someone in law enforcement.
He grabs me by the collar of my hoodie. “I suggest you calm down. You’re all meant to be in your rooms, so I will go collect DS Goldie and we will search the hotel.”
I push his hand off me, giving zero fucks at this point. “I thought it was DC? Whatever–we need to find her now and then I’m taking her out of this hotel.”
The glare he gives me is borderline unprofessional, but before he can object, Cardinal leads Willow and Mavis into the lobby.
“She’s not on the ground floor. Lily was getting Phin so they can unlock and check every guest room upstairs.”
Footsteps echo down the stairs as Detective Goldie joins us, pointing back behind him. “Your drummer is locked in his room. No one is to let him out.” He says to me, but I’m completely over this bullshit.
“Whatever, let’s just find her.” The air is starting to become stifling, pressing down into me with the weighing severity of the situation. I’m made to repeat the story of how I woke up alone this morning and couldn’t find her, the blood on the carpet and the weird scratches. Bristling the entire time they ask me questions, my skin feels tight and buzzes with needing to move. I need to find her.
“The back conservatory door was unlocked.” Merle barks, rushing to meet our group from the direction of the dining room. His face is grave, a light mist dampening his clothes and hair. “It’s still raining a little, but the door was wide open.”
In an instant I’m running, physically pushing my body to its limit without the coffee it craves this early to function. Now probably isn’t the time to enquire about cutting down; all my thoughts zone in on the sheer anger because I fear someone’s taken her from the hotel. She’d have no reason to leave, no means to go outside alone and leave without breathing a word.
Mum had needed me so many times and I’d let her down, either being in another country or away at school. She’d neededme right until the end and I’d barely been able to break away from my responsibilities to care for her like I should have. This time I wasn’t letting anyone down. I was going to find her.
Cold engulfs me as I hurl myself outside, the heavy door propped open with a large plant pot. Ignoring the damp that seeps into both my clothes and skin, I rounded the side of the house, moving past the wrap around orangery and deciding on the direction of the back gardens purely on instinct. Something feels right checking this way first, my feet moving from pebbles to slabs of stone. Everything is silent apart from the light rain meeting the tree tops, no animal sounds or movement, so hearing the other guest's footsteps behind me echoed out into the morning air.
“Check fucking everywhere. I’ll look in the woods, Willow check the greenhouse. Wren make your way down to the lake. Everyone else check the outer buildings, we need to cover the entire property.” Cardinal snaps, a natural born leader not showing one sign of distress.
“She could be anywhere.” Willow breathily heaves, hands on her thighs, seeming completely uncaring she’s only in her sleep clothing. “Mavis and I will check the paths leading to the other function rooms.” Not waiting before taking off in the direction of the trees.
“Detective Goldie, go check the front of the property, as well as the carpark and gates.” Starling commands. “I’ll head to the lake with Mr Hastings–there's a lot of ground to cover, she could be in the water.”
Lurching down the stairs, I’m wrenched back. Cardinal grips my arm and pulls me into his frame, my own body protesting for him to get off me but he forces my head next to his own.
“The next victim in her book is drowned. I found a copy in the library and wrote down all the murders after you pointed out the pattern.” He says low enough only I can hear. I look in Starling'sdirection who is already making his way down the steps and into the gardens.
“She’s not dead,” I grit out. “I’d fucking feel it and she’s not.” I push off him and run, his heavy footsteps follow. “I’ll meet you at the lake, find her!” He really does not have to tell me twice as I run like my life depends on it.
