The coat felt strangely heavy, weighted down in a way that didn’t make sense.
Frowning, Rain ran her hands over the garment, feeling the lining. Her fingers brushed against something thick and crinkly, like wads of paper were stuffed inside. What the hell? Had Fay been hiding her diaries in her coat?
Curious, Rain laid the coat out on the bed and spread it open, searching for a way to access the hidden contents. There were no obvious zips or openings, so she grabbed a pair of scissors from the kitchen and carefully cut into the lining. As she pulled back the fabric, Rain let out an audible gasp.
Stacks of crisp fifty-pound notes were crammed into the coat, more money than Rain had ever seen. Where on earth had Fay got this kind of cash? Rain’s fingers shakily brushed over the banknotes, half expecting them to disappear like a mirage. But they were all too real, the weight of them heavy in her hands and even heavier on her heart. Fay, what have you done?
As she stared at the money, trying to wrap her mind around its implications, something else caught her eye – a corner of paper peeking out from beneath the cash. With a sense of trepidation, Rain carefully extracted what appeared to be a photograph.
It was a picture of Fay with a man, their arms around each other, smiling at the camera. Rain studied the image closely, her forehead creasing. This must be the mysterious married man Fay had been seeing, the one she’d been so secretive about.
There was no mistaking the intimacy of their pose, the way they leaned into each other. A wave of relief washed over Rain as it confirmed the mystery man wasn’t Jake or Jimmy. At least Fay hadn’t been lying about that. But the relief was short-lived as Rain focused on the man’s face, trying to place him. He seemed vaguely familiar, like she’d seen him somewhere before, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Turning the photo over, Rain noticed a date scribbled on the back. It was from a few months ago, long before Fay’s recent disappearance. The gears turned in Rain’s mind as she tried to piece together the timeline, to make sense of what she was seeing.
She grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she found Lauren’s number. Her thumb hovered over the call button as she debated whether to call her, but the thought of facing this alone, of not knowing what had happened to her sister, was unbearable. Steeling herself, Rain hit the call button, her heart pounding as she waited for Lauren to pick up.
‘Please don’t hang up, Lauren,’ Rain blurted out as soon as Lauren answered, her voice shaking with barely suppressed panic. ‘It’s Fay. She’s missing, and I found a shitload of cash in her room. Like, a serious amount of money.’
There was a heavy pause on the other end of the line. ‘Where did she get it from?’ Lauren asked finally, her tone cautious.
Rain rubbed her forehead, feeling the beginnings of a stress headache coming on. ‘It has to be drug money. It’s the only explanation I can think of for why she disappeared the first time around. But this time...’ She swallowed hard, forcing herself to voice the terrifying thought that had been growing in her mind. ‘This time, I think someone’s taken her against her will.’
The admission hung heavily in the air, the reality of the situation crashing down on Rain. She sank onto the bed, her head in her hands as the enormity of it all overwhelmed her.
‘I can’t even go to the police. They’ll just arrest her if she’s involved in something illegal and who knows what will happen then. Fuck! When is she going to learn?’
Lauren let out a heavy sigh. ‘Maybe... maybe it’s time for you to take a step back. Let Fay deal with the consequences of her own actions.’
The words hit Rain hard, even though a part of her knew Lauren was right. ‘I can’t do that. She’s my sister, and—’
‘Come on, Rain,’ Lauren cut her off, her tone gentle but firm. ‘Do you honestly believe she gives a crap about you? She’s constantly getting you tangled up in her messes, putting you at risk.’
Rain chewed on her lip, the truth of Lauren’s words sinking in. She knew she was only looking out for her, trying to protect her, but the thought of abandoning Fay, of leaving her to fend for herself … it went against every instinct Rain had.
‘Yeah, I know. But what the hell am I supposed to do now?’ she asked helplessly, feeling torn in two.
‘You know exactly what you need to do. You just don’t want to face it.’
Rain closed her eyes, Lauren’s words echoing in her head. She knew she was right. She couldn’t keep bailing Fay out, couldn’t keep putting herself in danger for her sister’s sake. But the thought of cutting Fay loose, of letting her sink or swim on her own … it was almost too painful to bear.
‘Yeah. I guess you’re right,’ she said finally, her voice heavy with resignation.
There was a moment of silence on the line, both women lost in their own thoughts. Then Lauren spoke up again, her tone gentler now. ‘Syd said you’re coming to help out. The sooner we can put our heads together and come up with a plan, the sooner we’ll be able to get some answers.’
‘Okay,’ she agreed, a new sense of determination settling over her. ‘I’m on my way.’
Rain hung up and shoved her phone back in her pocket. She took one final glance around Fay’s room, her gaze lingering on the piles of cash and the photo before she reached down and grabbed them, stuffing them into one of Fay’s suitcases.
As she stepped outside and made her way to Clara’s car, Rain felt like she was moving in a daze, her body on autopilot while her mind raced with the implications of what she had discovered.
When she got in the car she switched on the overhead light and unzipped the case on her lap, revealing the stacks of cash. ‘Check this out.’
Clara leaned over, her jaw dropping as she took in the sight. ‘What the... where the hell did all that come from?’
‘Fay’s room.’
‘Where did she say she got it from?’
Rain let out a hollow laugh. ‘She didn’t. She wasn’t there.’
Clara’s face fell. ‘Oh no, what has she got herself into now?’
Rain shook her head, the same question that had been haunting her since she found the money. ‘I don’t know, but for her sake, I hope whatever it is doesn’t end with her winding up dead.’
The unspoken fear that had been lurking in the back of Rain’s mind finally given a voice. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Fay was in real danger, that whatever she had got herself mixed up in was far more serious than any of her previous misadventures.
Clara started the car, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. ‘We still heading to the hotel?’
‘Yep.’ Rain’s voice was firm, her determination to get to the bottom of this growing with each passing moment.
As Clara pulled away from the kerb and drove off into the night, Rain stared out the window. What if they were already too late? What if Fay was hurt, or worse? The thought made her stomach churn.
When they finally arrived at the hotel, Rain was a bundle of nerves, her heart pounding as she made her way to Lauren’s suite. Lauren took one look at her when she opened the door and frowned. ‘You look like crap.’
‘Stress will do that to you,’ Rain said, trying to force a smile. She briefly turned to introduce Clara, who held out her hand.
‘Nice to meet you,’ Clara said, her voice warm.
