Read Her Last Tomorrow for Free Online Page B

outside my house. It’s because he was there all along, right opposite, watching me.
    ‘ Where is she? ’ I yell as I start to pace through the archway into his living room before skirting back round and heading upstairs. ‘Ellie? Ellie! ’
    The upstairs rooms are filled with rubbish — old ornaments and boxes of papers. I know one thing for certain — there’s definitely no computer in this house. The guy doesn’t even look as if he knows how to work a vacuum cleaner.
    Despite this, I find myself rifling through his belongings, emptying drawers and throwing things all over the place in my desperate search for something — something — that might lead me towards Ellie.
    I’m back out on the landing and yanking at the loft hatch when I hear the now-familiar voice of Derek downstairs.
    ‘He’s up there,’ he says.
    Before I can get any further, the policeman who’d been standing outside my house is tugging on my arm and leading me back down the stairs.

12

    By the time I’ve been frogmarched back to my own house by the policeman, McKenna and Brennan are already sitting in my living room, waiting for me. Tasha’s there too.
    ‘What the hell, Nick?’ she says as I try to avoid looking anyone in the eye. The anger has subsided now and all I feel is shame and embarrassment.
    ‘Don’t, Tash,’ I say. McKenna and Brennan have left the room to speak to the officer who was posted outside, and who came to get me out of Derek’s house.
    ‘No, seriously, what the hell? We’ve been out knocking on doors, handing out photos of Ellie, scouring every fucking inch of the area and you’re, what, ransacking some old guy’s house?’
    ‘Tash, I know. But you have to just believe me, alright? I want Ellie back as much as you do. More than you do.’
    ‘More than I do? Are you serious?’
    ‘It’s my fault she went missing, isn’t it?,’ I say, looking at her for the first time. ‘Don’t you think I don’t know that? Don’t you think I’m not beating myself up every minute, every second? I want her back too and I’m doing what I can, in my own way, to make sure that happens. You just have to trust me, Tash.’
    ‘Trust you?’ she says, making a snorting noise. ‘Nick, I couldn’t even trust you to get her to fucking school.’
    There’s a few moments of silence before I speak again. ‘That’s low.’
    ‘It’s honest,’ she replies. ‘What were you doing over there anyway? What did you seriously expect to find? Ellie locked up in a cupboard in his spare bedroom?’
    ‘I thought he might know something,’ I reply, knowing I can’t say anything more. Not now.
    ‘Like what?’ McKenna asks, having re-entered the room silently.
    ‘I don’t know. I just thought... He must have seen something.’
    McKenna sighs and shares a look with Tasha before speaking to me. ‘We’ve already spoken to Mr Francis and he told us that he didn’t see anything. Amongst other things that he told us,’ she adds, leaving the comment hanging in the air like a bad smell.
    After a few moments, Tasha offers them tea and McKenna follows her out to the kitchen. I notice they don’t ask me if I want anything.
    ‘What were you looking for, Nick?’ Brennan asks once they’re gone.
    ‘Nothing,’ I reply.
    ‘You must’ve been looking for something,’ he says, sitting down in the armchair in what seems like some sort of attempt to lighten the atmosphere. ‘I mean, you don’t just go around ransacking your neighbours’ houses just for the sake of it, do you?’
    I’m not sure how to respond to this. What can I say? I received a ransom email saying I could have Ellie back if I kill Tasha, and I thought he sent it ? Sure, I could very well say that. Only I don’t want to. And deep down I know why I don’t want to.
    It’s at this point that I realise why my frustrations are aimed at the police investigation and the search for Ellie. It’s because I know that the longer the search goes on, and the less likely it