‘We checked. That was the last time her passport was used. Also, her bank card was used in the UK frequently since she came back.’
I unclench my jaw. ‘Have you got an address?’
‘Her only registered address is your family home.’
‘So where’s she been living? Because Dad hasn’t seen her.’ I get to my feet and fold my arms across my chest.
Sergeant McCormack gives me a sympathetic look. ‘The cash withdrawals have mainly been over the border in Somerset, in and around Glastonbury.’
‘Glastonbury?’ I try to think about who I might know there. But the only time I’ve ever been to Glastonbury is when we were kids. Mum and Dad took us there on a day trip. I remember it was really hot and after we’d looked around the town, we had a picnic in a field, and a farmer with a shotgun shouted at us for trespassing.
‘The cash withdrawals were fairly regular until the end of last year.’
‘What happened after that?’ I ask.
‘They stopped.’
I try to decipher the expressions on the officers’ faces, but they’re unreadable. ‘What does that mean?’
‘We wouldn’t want to speculate.’
‘So you’re saying you don’t know what’s happened to her.’
‘Not at this time, no. I’m sorry. I wish we could be more helpful.’
‘But there are other things you can do, right? What about checking CCTV cameras or finding out where she lives or works?’
‘I’m sorry, Zoe. Because she hasn’t been in the country for so many years and we have no new address or place of work for her, it’s almost impossible. Of course, Dina’s details will stay up on the missing persons database, so if anyone comes forward with information, they’ll be able to cross-reference it there. But chances are, she’ll get in touch with you eventually.’
‘But what if she’s been hurt?’
‘We did a check of hospitals and mortuaries in the area and no one of her description has been admitted.’
I realise I’m going to have to let Dad know what’s been going on. I wonder what he’ll make of it all. I think I’m in shock at the fact that my sister doesn’t want to be found – not by us anyway. She’s decided to shun her own flesh and blood. Then again, I guess she already made that decision when she left home at sixteen, but at least she kept in touch, no matter how erratically. It hurts that she’s cut us out of her life so completely. Yet… I can’t help admitting to myself that things are easier without her around. Whenever she does get in touch, there are always conditions attached. Either that, or she wants something.
I notice that the officers are on their feet. ‘So, is that it?’ I shake my head helplessly.
‘Obviously, we’ll let you know if we hear anything else. And if you could keep us posted if you hear anything, that would be great.’
Dina and I aren’t the best of friends, but it doesn’t stop the rocks in my belly from sinking a little further. What if I never see her again? I tell myself there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ll simply have to get on with my life without her in it. At least I have my new family now, and things will certainly be less… complicated without my unpredictable sister. But, try as I might, I can’t hold onto that rationality. I’m suddenly overwhelmed by a rush of emotions. I honestly can’t tell if I’m furious with my sister, worried about her, sad, or something else entirely. I need the officers to leave so I can try to process the depth of my feelings. There’s something in my gut that isn’t chiming right. A twisting, gnawing sensation that has me almost panicked. Like I’m free-falling and I won’t know what’s wrong until I crash to the ground.
Twenty-Six
NOW
I have absolutely no recollection of seeing my sister on my wedding day. Toby’s story feels like fiction, not real life. I keep expecting that any second I’ll wake up.
A thin sheen of sweat has appeared on my husband’s forehead and upper lip. Either he’s lying about Dina, or the stress of remembering is taking its toll. I want to believe Toby is telling me the truth. But I also want it to be a lie, because otherwise that means I killed my sister. I clasp my hands in front of me to stop them shaking. I don’t think any of this has sunk in properly.
Toby takes a breath. ‘Zoe, I’m sorry you don’t remember that night, but maybe it’s a good thing, considering what happened.’
I’m about to dispute this, but I need to hear the rest, so I bite my tongue and force myself to sit back down at the table. Toby follows me. ‘Dina was drunk,’ he continues. ‘Not just tipsy, but almost paralytic. Staggering all over the place. Saying all kinds of crazy stuff like she was in love with me and she couldn’t believe I was going to marry you. That we had a connection.’ He darts a look at me across the table and swallows. ‘You were standing there in shock. I tried to reassure you that what she was saying was all nonsense, but it didn’t feel like you were even listening to me. I felt absolutely powerless. I could see our relationship slipping away. I felt like I was going to loseeverything!’
Toby gets to his feet, agitated. He walks across the hotel room, then turns and walks back. I want to prompt him to continue talking, but again I manage to stay quiet. To wait for him to carry on. He finally sits back down and continues his account.
‘Anyway, eventually you snapped out of your shock and started quizzing us both. I can’t remember exactly what you said, only that you were understandably upset. It’s all a bit of a blur. Dina kept insisting that I shouldn’t marry you, that she and I were meant to be together. I told her that she was deluded, and that the best thing she could do was to leave, and for us all to forget this ever happened. It seemed like she was finally going to do as I asked. She started walking towards the door, but at the last minute she turned and pulled a knife out of her pocket and held it to my throat.’
‘No!A knife?What the hell?’ I bring a hand up to my mouth and hold my other hand up to stop him talking while I try to digest this. I feel like I’m seriously going to lose the plot in a second. My eyes fill with tears as I try to get my breathing under control.
