Contents
Chapter Sixty-One
Overview
Stuart describes DI Brooks’s warranted search of Thornwood, which turns up nothing, undermining the investigation. Determined, Stuart privately searches and discovers a photo of a girl. Jane reveals Allen Black once lured her to Thornwood with a likely drugged drink and a scream upstairs, deepening suspicions and stakes around Daisy and Claire.
Summary
Over drinks, Jane presses Stuart to continue his story. Stuart recounts that DI Brooks returned to Thornwood with a warrant: multiple cars, neighbors watching, Annie’s lawyer present. After four hours, the police found nothing, deflating Brooks’s confidence and stalling the case.
Despite the clean search, Stuart felt certain something had been missed. Torn between protecting Daisy and exposing secrets, he hesitated to share more. Jane argued that safeguarding Daisy outweighed collateral damage to Annie and Jessamine, framing the urgency around the abuse and Claire’s family.
Stuart admitted he knew little about Claire Connolly entering the house. Jane then revealed she had been to Thornwood decades earlier, taken there by Allen Black after drinks under the guise of a job. A bang and scream upstairs made her spill a likely drugged drink, prompting her to flee, a near-miss that has haunted her.
Shaken by Jane’s account, Stuart returned to his own actions after the failed search. Convinced Annie had hidden something before the police arrived, he conducted nocturnal searches while Jessamine, Annie, and Daisy slept. After many nights, he finally uncovered something: a photo of a girl.
Who Appears
- StuartRelates the fruitless police search; later secretly searches Thornwood and finds a photo of a girl; prioritizes protecting Daisy.
- JanePresses Stuart for truth; reveals Allen Black lured her to Thornwood with a likely drugged drink and a scream upstairs.
- DI BrooksLeads a warranted search of Thornwood; finds nothing, weakening her case.
- AnnieHas her lawyer present during the search; suspected by Stuart of hiding something beforehand.
- JessamineAsleep during Stuart’s nocturnal searches; her secrecy is part of the household’s tension.
- DaisyThe child Stuart vows to protect; her safety motivates his search and secrecy.
- Allen BlackYears earlier took Jane to Thornwood; likely tried to drug her; associated with a disturbing scream.
- Claire ConnollyMissing woman linked to Thornwood; Stuart unsure if she ever entered the property.