Chapter 15



Summer’s POV

I tightened all the muscles in my body until they started to burn; I wanted to feel something other than dirty. The memory of his lips on my cheek was making me feel ill and I just wanted to throw up and scrub myself clean.

“Lily!” I looked up to see Rose and Poppy standing in front of me looking really worried. Rose guided me to the sofa and made me sit down. I took a deep breath, feeling my lungs sting as they filled with air.

“Sorry, I’m okay,” I mumbled. Poppy smiled sympathetically and squeezed my hand. This was only going to get worse. Would I get out of here before he raped me?

“I’m going to make us all a nice hot chocolate,” Rose said cheerfully as she walked over to the kitchen. I glared at her back; she really thinks a hot chocolate was going to make this okay? She frustrates me so much but I can’t hate her; it’s not her fault that she’s like this. Poppy isn’t like it as much but I guess that’s because Rose has been down here longer.

I drank my hot chocolate quickly, burning my tongue and barely tasting it. I tried to focus on something other than him kissing me but I can still feel his disgusting lips on my skin. “I’m having a shower,” I said, jumping up. I couldn’t stay out here anymore I needed to feel clean again.

I turned the hot water on and stepped in. It was too hot but I forced myself to stay under the water. I scrubbed my whole body until it hurt but no matter how much I cleaned myself I still felt dirty. I finally got out when my body stung so much I could barely move.

My body was red and the side of my cheek where he kissed was bleeding a little. I winced in pain as I touched it lightly, it was going to leave a mark but at least the skin where he touched was gone.

Rose and Poppy gasped when I walked out of the bathroom, “Lily what did you do?” Rose asked, looking at my cheek.

“It’s fine,” I replied with a shrug. “I’m tired. Night.” I didn’t want to get into it now I just needed to go to bed.

“Night,” they called at the same time. I climbed into bed and pulled the cover up over my head and squeezed my eyes shut.

The week passed so slowly and each day I felt like I was finally going to go insane. He’s getting worse and talks to himself a lot but he doesn’t come down here for very long anymore so whatever he’s doing I’m almost grateful for. Rose said he’s probably just stressed; apparently he gets very anxious when there are an uneven number of us down here. He likes things to match and makes sure our outfits are coordinating. Today we’re all wearing a white tank top with a blue flower on the bottom right, blue cardigan and matching long white skirt with the same flower at the bottom. I feel old but I really don’t care about the clothes I wear!

We’re spending the whole day cleaning the kitchen, disinfecting the counters and cupboards, washing the walls and floor, cleaning between the tiles with a toothbrush, wiping the packages and tins of food and wash up all the cups, plates and utensils. Rose said this takes all day as we have to repeat the process three times to get it clean to his standards. His sick psychotic standards!

“Okay Lily if you and Poppy start taking everything out of the cupboards and putting it on the table I’ll mix the floor cleaner and get the mop,” Rose said, taking the lead. I was actually grateful that we’re doing this, at least today would pass quickly and I could go to bed. At night is the only time I let myself think of Lewis, when I lay down and close my eyes I picture his face and everything we’ve done together, without him I probably would have given up a long time ago.

After three hours we stopped to have a sandwich for lunch. I sat down at the table and my legs were stinging where I was crouching down cleaning the inside of cupboards. I was tired already and we were nowhere near done. Looking around this room I almost started crying again, it still doesn’t seem real, things like this just don’t happen.

“We’d better get this done before he gets back,” Poppy said as she picked up our paper plates and threw them in the black bin bag. I stood up and grabbed the sponge ready to scrub the same clean spot again.

I forced the tears back and took a deep breath. What would Lewis be doing now? Would he still be looking? Does he know I’m still alive? It kills me that I don’t know what he’s thinking, I just want some way of telling him I’m not dead and that I love him more than anything in the world. I won’t give up, no matter what he does to me, not if there’s still a chance I can get out of here and be with Lewis again.



Lewis’ POV

I sat in her bed watching the news in case something had happened in the half an hour I’ve been up here. The police were holding someone called David Smith in connection with the murders of the girls in the canal. One of them, the latest girl to die was Helen McDonald and she was having an affair with David. The police think that Helen was planning to tell his wife so he killed her. He’s also been known to have other affairs and even use prostitutes in the past.

They think that he’s done something to Summer but he denies everything and says he’s never seen Sum before. The only thing he’s admitted is the affair, and that was only because CCTV footage was found in the lobby of a hotel of him and Helen kissing, until he was shown that he denied that too. If he can lie about having an affair with Helen then he can lie about doing something to Summer.

Apart from finding Summer’s phone where he dumped those bodies there’s nothing to link him to her abduction so the police are still considering other options and searching for her. I think he did it I just need to find out why and what he’s done with her.

With the murder investigation and further searches and surveillance around the canal there’s not as many police officers looking for her so I’m doing more, getting up earlier and not coming back until twelve or one o’clock in the morning, it’s exhausting but I can’t give up.

Dawn is convinced that Smith has killed her and this morning was pleading with the police to let her talk to him and beg him to tell her the truth. She’s not dead but Dawn won’t listen to me, if Smith has done something to her then he’s holding her somewhere and she’s just waiting for us to find her. I just want to know where she is and if he’s hurt her I’ll kill him. I’ve thought about just going to the station when he’s being interviewed and shooting him or something but he’s the only one that knows where she is.

“Lewis,” mum said softly, shaking my arm. “Lewis, it’s almost six.” I sat up and looked out of the window, it was getting light outside.

“Thanks,” I said as I jumped out of bed, pulling my jeans and hoodie on.

She smiled sadly and I could see that she wanted to beg me to take a break but she knows that I won’t. “There’s some breakfast on the table.”

“Great thanks. Has there been any more news this morning?”

She shook her head and looked at the floor, “Nothing new.” I didn’t expect there would be but my heart still sank a little more. “They’re continuing questioning today but they won’t say more than that, I just wish he’d tell us where she is.” I clenched my jaw tight, I hate him and every time anyone mentions his name or anything to do with him I fell sick and want to smash something. It’s over, he’s been found so why won’t he just tell us where she is.

Henry was shovelling his food down his throat when I sat down. “I’m coming with you today,” he said, chewing his food quickly. I nodded and ate just as fast, eager to get back outside and search.

We did the usual search of the woods, fields and anywhere else we passed but like every other day we found absolutely nothing. At nine o’clock we headed to the canal, it was far too dark to keep searching the woods now and we wanted to talk to the police and see if they’ve found anything else.

Michael came walking towards us as we approached the police tape; he usually meets us there as he knows we’ll just walk under it if he doesn’t. “Lewis, Henry.” He greeted us with a friendly smile.

“Hi, have you found anything?” I said quickly before Henry could open his mouth.

He scratched his jaw and looked around us, making sure no one could hear. Oh s*it what have they found? “This morning another body was recovered from the water,” he said quietly. My heart stopped and Henry visibly tensed beside me. He put his hand up, “No it’s not Summer. The body has been down there for quite a while.” My body relaxed a little and I breathed a sigh of relief. “We’re releasing a statement tomorrow morning so please keep this quiet.” We both nodded. He was actually okay and would always keep us up to date with any developments before anyone else.

“What about Smith? Is he talking yet?”

He shook his head, his jaw was tight. I know he wanted to solve this and find Summer as much as the rest of us. “Nothing yet.” He wasn’t going to give up I could tell. I just wish they would let me or even Dawn talk to him and maybe convince or beg him to tell us where she is.

It’s so frustrating, there is no actual evidence to prove that he’s killed those girls and abducted Summer, all they have is the fact that he was having an affair with Helen and used prostitutes, nothing that would send him to prison unless he admitted it or some real evidence was found.

“Listen, I have to get on but I’ll keep you updated. We’ll find her,” he said passionately. He has a teenage daughter so I think he’s taken this quite personally and I know he works extra hours too.

“Yeah okay thanks,” Henry said quietly. We walked back to my car in silence. Henry is usually easy to read but I have no idea what’s going on inside his head anymore, he barely says anything to anyone and spends a lot of his time going over maps to see where she possibly could have been taken.

Every time we pass a van we stop to check it out, we know she was taken in a van but the tyre tracks weren’t very good so all we know is it’s a van with crap tyres on it, unless they’ve had new one put on since taking her! Sometimes I’ll see someone with the same colour hair and my heart would go wild, the disappointment is crushing when I realise it’s not her.

“You wanna do one last check of those old allotment sheds before we go back?” I asked Henry who was staring out of the window, concentrating hard on something.

“Yeah sure,” he mumbled, not moving an inch. “We’ll find her won’t we?” he asked after a few minutes of silence.

I nodded, “Yeah. I’m not giving up until we do.”

“Me neither. You know I didn’t want her to have a boyfriend until she was at least thirty but I’m glad it’s you she chose.”

I almost smiled, “Thanks. I’m glad it’s me too.” He chucked quietly and nodded his head.

We pulled over five minutes later and grabbed the torches. We checked the six broken sheds and as I thought she wasn’t here. “Let’s go,” I said quietly, slowly walking back to the car.

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No Clover in this one but I'm doing his POV in the next chapter :)

So what do you think about David being arrested for the murders? :O Police have the wrong man!!!

Please comment, vote and all that ;D