Chapter 9

"Shirley?"

Damien called out but it was empty. 

He frowned.

She always slept in Cindy's nursery whenever they argued.

Without another thought, he walked across the hallway and pushed open the nursery door.

"Cindy?"

But it was silent.

The bed was neatly made.

The night lamp still glowed faintly beside the little bed, but there was no sign of either of them.

His brows knitted together.

"They must be downstairs."

He descended the staircase two steps at a time.

The living room was empty and so was the kitchen.

"Daisy."

The maid hurried out from the pantry.

"Yes, sir?"

"Where's Madam?"

Daisy looked puzzled.

"I thought she was upstairs."

"And Cindy?"

"I haven't seen her since last night."

Damien's expression hardened.

"What do you mean you haven't seen her?"

"I... I assumed ma’am had taken her to the nursery after dinner."

He looked around the house once more.

"Shirley!"

His voice echoed through the mansion.

But there was no answer.

He checked the study, the guest room and the backyard.

But there was nothing.

An uneasy feeling settled in his chest.

He strode back upstairs and entered the bedroom again.

This time, his eyes swept across the room more carefully.

He looked at the wardrobe…one side stood half empty.

Several dresses were gone.

He opened another compartment.

The small suitcase Shirley usually carried during previous family trips had disappeared.

His heartbeat quickened.

"No..."

He crossed the room and pulled open another drawer.

It was empty.

He immediately walked into the nursery.

Cindy's favorite teddy bear was gone.

Her tiny pink backpack was also gone.

Even the children's storybooks Shirley read every night were missing.

Only then did it hit him.

She hadn't gone for a walk but she had left.

Damien grabbed his phone and dialed Shirley's number.

The call connected for a brief second before the reply came through.

‘The number you are trying to reach is currently switched off.’

He ended the call and dialed again and he got the same response. 

His jaw tightened.

"Daisy!"

She appeared almost instantly.

"Yes, sir?"

"Did Shirley say she was going anywhere?"

"No, sir."

"Did anyone come to the house last night?"

She shook her head.

"No."

Damien rubbed a hand over his face before dialing another number.

The estate security office answered immediately.

"Mr. Schrett."

"I need last night's security footage."

"Is something wrong, sir?"

"My wife left the house."

A brief silence followed.

"...With my daughter."

"We'll review the cameras immediately."

"I want to know what time they left, what vehicle they used and which direction they headed."

"Yes, sir."

Damien ended the call without waiting for another response.

He immediately dialed a different number.

The call was answered after the first ring.

"Hayes Investigations."

"This is Damien Schrett."

"Good morning, Mr. Schrett."

"I need you to find someone."

"Who?"

"My wife."

He paused before adding,

"And my daughter."

The detective sensed the urgency in his voice.

"When did they disappear?"

"Sometime during the night…I guess."

"I'll begin immediately."

Damien lowered the phone slowly.

His gaze drifted back toward the bedroom.

Everything had happened so quickly.

Not a single argument and not a single goodbye.

Just...gone.

He scrolled through his contacts once more before pressing another name.

‘Violetta.’

She answered almost immediately.

"Good morning."

"I need you to come over."

His voice sounded unusually strained.

"What happened?"

"Just come."

"I'll be there."

Twenty minutes later, the front door opened.

Violetta stepped inside, her expression filled with concern.

"Damien."

She walked straight toward him.

"You sounded worried."

He exhaled slowly, "Shirley left."

Her eyes widened.

"What?"

"I can't find her."

"And Cindy?"

"They're both gone."

Violetta covered her mouth in apparent shock.

"Oh my God..."

While Damien spoke with one of the security guards over the phone, Violetta's eyes wandered around the living room.

They landed on the brown envelope lying on the coffee table.

She walked over and without drawing attention to herself, she slid the papers out.

Her eyes dropped to the last page.

Shirley Schrett.

Signed.

A faint smile almost appeared on her lips before she quickly composed herself.

She slipped the papers back into the envelope just as Damien ended his call.

"They've reviewed the front gate footage", he said.

"They left just after two this morning."

Violetta looked at the envelope before meeting his eyes.

"...She signed them."

Damien followed her gaze.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Violetta sighed.

"I think this was her plan all along."

He lifted his head.

"What do you mean?"

"She signed the papers…then took Cindy away."

She walked closer.

"She's hurting, Damien."

"So?"

"So she's punishing you."

Damien frowned.

"No."

"Think about it”, her voice remained calm, "she knows how much you love Cindy."

Just then, Damien's phone rang.

An unfamiliar number flashed across the screen.

He answered immediately.

"This is Damien Schrett."

A man's voice came through.

"Good morning, sir. I'm Officer Collins, calling from the Highway Patrol regarding a serious accident on the eastern highway that happened about fifty minutes ago…"

Damien’s hands tightened around the phone.

His heart skipped a beat.

"A woman and a young girl were involved."

The sitting room suddenly felt suffocating.

"There wasn't much left of the vehicle..."

Damien's face drained of color.

“It can't be…”, he whispered as he lost balance. 

“We found a phone lying around the scene and it had your number etched on it.”

Violetta stood and rushed over to him. 

“What's it Damien?” 

“Shirley…Cindy…no”, he said, trying to pull himself together. 

Without a second thought, he rushed upstairs to pick up his car keys and he zoomed off in his car. 

He arrived at the Eastern highway and was completely shaken by the crowd that stood around. 

“Are you Mr. Schrett?” a man asked after noticing how mortified he was.

“Yes…I am”, he muttered.

“Officer Collins would like to speak with you. Please follow me.” 

Damien did as he was told. 

“Sir, he is Mr. Schrett”, the junior officer announced.

“Hi”, Officer Collins said but Damien couldn't reply.

“The bodies of the woman and little girl were completely burnt when we arrived. 

Thus, it's a bit difficult to identify them. 

But, we found this phone and teddy bear near the car.” 

Damien received the items with trembling hands.

He recognized the teddy bear immediately.

It was Cindy's and the phone belonged to Shirley.

She had gotten his number printed on the phone's cover about a year ago…the things she did for love.

He blinked hard before dropping on his knees and letting out a devastating loud cry.