Chapter Forty-Two

Jane hosts a rooftop party with Dexter, her stepchildren, and their partners. Surrounded by the younger generation she helped raise, Jane feels a pivotal moment: she cannot keep clinging to Rosebery Hall if she wants to be present, stable, and free of her past. She silently resolves to let go of the house to open a new chapter.

Wilf draws her aside to ask about her “detectiving.” Jane explains how the search for Daisy began at Rosebery and connects it to the near-abduction she survived at twenty-nine. She describes Bill Newsome’s recollection of her youthful walks mirroring Daisy’s, and admits she hopes saving Daisy might heal her own old wounds. Wilf affirms her strength, reinforcing her commitment.

The next morning, Jane leaves Tony’s house, buoyed by Wilf’s words and determined to find Daisy. She returns to Little Belmont, messages Shannon about collecting the dogs, then detours for cash. On the high street, a shuttered shop’s layered posters catch her eye. One advertises Martello’s Circus at Waterfowl Meadow from April 30 to May 5—the precise holiday window around the disappearance—featuring a clown image, which Jane recognizes as a potentially critical lead.