Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 39

When he’d caught sight of his daughter after exiting the car, Samuel’s temper flared and he had to fight to keep it in check.

Vivian looked exhausted and fragile, eyes red and mouth in a stubborn line as she clutched her school bag like it was a lifeline. It took all his control to greet Charles and ask Vivian is she was alright.

*If he doesn’t make them regret this then I will*, Samuel told himself as he slid into the driver’s seat and, with a single glance at his daughter in the rear view mirror, pulled out into the late afternoon traffic.

He’d hoped his explanation on why he wasn’t holding her accountable for what happened would give Vivian some relief, but from the way she sat and the look on her face told him she didn’t really believe anything he’d said.

Trust would take time, he reminded himself as he loosened his grip on the steering wheel, fingers already stiff. They’d only known about one another less than a month and trust took time to develop under regular circumstances. With Vivian’s history it would take much longer, but he wasn’t deterred. Once the three month probationary period was up and he could finish the adoption process, making her one of the family by law, was the first step.

Showing her he was in it for the long haul, no matter what, was one of the easiest and best ways to gain her trust.

All he could do in the meantime was make sure he was there for her no matter what.

When they arrived home, he made sure to open the door for his daughter, but what Samuel really wanted to do was hold her, give her reassurance that everything was going to be fine and she had nothing to worry about. But she disliked being touched — whether because of the abuse she was said to have suffered before being found or just a general aversion — and he had to respect that boundary at all cost. A hand on her shoulder was the best he could manage at the moment, giving it a small squeeze as he spoke.

“Why don’t you go change into more comfortable clothes and rest for a bit. I’ll bring you a snack in fifteen minutes, alright?”

Vivian only nodded as she left his side, taking the stairs two at a time until she disappeared on the second floor.

Flexing his hands, Samuel walked to the kitchen where he filled the electric kettle, flicking the switch on before rummaging around for the hot chocolate he’d seen his daughter drinking a few times.

There were plenty of tea and coffee choices, as he and his sons enjoyed both, but as far as he’d seen Vivian hadn’t shown any interest in that collection and stuck to the hot chocolate he’d purchased on a whim just before she’d moved in.

Opening the can, he peered inside. Frowning, he looked at the label again, then back inside before chuckling.

It was supposed to have tiny marshmallows but from the looks of it Vivian had already eaten them all before getting halfway through the can. Samuel made a mental note to find somewhere that sold the things by themselves so he could add them in as a surprise.

While the kettle was heating the water, he pulled out two mugs, one of which he scooped the hot chocolate powder into as per the instructions on the side of the can — plus an extra spoonful because it didn’t look like enough — and a tea bag in the other.

Next he scrounged around for something they could snack on. From what had been eaten versus what his boys usually ate, Samuel had deduced his daughter preferred sweet things, whether fruits or packaged goods didn’t matter.

Any type of berry, something his sons had never shown much interest in, vanished within a couple days of purchase, but vegetables, even those pre-cut into easy finger food sizes, were only lightly touched.

Laurent had complained about some of his packaged cookies and whatnot disappearing too fast, so it was likely Vivian had taken some of those.

Feeling unsure, Samuel took out a tray and put a bit of everything on it. A few different types of Laurent’s cookies, and a handful of both strawberries and blueberries his daughter hadn’t managed to make disappear yet.

The kettle clicked off but Samuel ignored it.

Pulling out his phone, he checked his messages but there was nothing new from Charles — everything else he ignored for the moment. He had to wait for the lawyer’s report on the situation before making a move. If Samuel retaliated while Charles was in the middle of working something out it would look petty and paint him in a bad light.

No, he had to be patient. Everything had to be done with precision or it could backfire, and that wasn’t an acceptable outcome. Especially not when his daughter was involved; she didn’t need to deal with this anymore than absolutely necessary.

The police knew better than to talk to him or his sons, because they were used to dealing with the bullshit the people with badges tried to stick to them. That they were now focused on his daughter had Samuel on edge. Did they honestly believe he wouldn’t find out? Why would they even attempt such a stupid move?

What was the thought process to come up with such a bold and idiotic plan? What were they even hoping to learn from her? Vivian didn’t know anything about his business dealings — any of their business dealings — so why bring her in?

Was it about Annie? It didn’t seem plausible.

Except…

Leaning into the counter, Samuel stroked his beard with a frown as he tried to recall the details from the files Charles had given him the previous month.

Unable to remember, Samuel flicked the kettle on again before strolling to his office.

The safe was behind some books on the middle shelf. He set them aside as he always did, thumbing in the passcode then scanned his pinky fingerprint — chosen because who used their pinky print for verification. The lock thunked and Samuel opened the safe.

Inside was a variety of things; some cash for emergencies, a gun, important documents, a few pieces of jewelry that Annie had worn on a regular basis — those she hadn’t been wearing when she’d disappeared — and the two file folders Charles had given him on Annie’s autopsy and case file notes, and Vivian’s life since being found.

Leafing through Annie’s folder, Samuel skimmed it over until he found the location where her body had been found. Next, he took Vivian’s folder and looked for the page that gave the church’s address — St Peter’s Church, on Vivian Street. Right. She’d been named after it, how could he have forgotten?

Replacing both folders in the safe, Samuel pulled out his phone and thumbed to the navigation app, putting in the coordinates for Annie’s body and the church’s address.

They were in separate counties, but only ten kilometres from one another. Was it possible for an eight year old to make that trek? It’d been early spring, but the weather was unpredictable that time of year and if it’d been below freezing…

There was a chance Vivian had been with her mother when…