I don't care

Part 13

This is hopeless, Stevie thought as she doubled back again in the car, scanning the roadside. The rain was still lashing and she could hardly make out the white lines on the ground, let alone spot someone who was trying not to be seen. Where could she have got to? She doesn't even have shoes on!

After two hours of searching Stevie knew it was pointless and drove back to her house, rushing in and calling Karen. She begged her to come over right away even though it was her day off and Karen came immediately, worried sick by her boss' desperate tone.

Stevie rushed upstairs and changed, pulling on warmer clothes and quickly drying as much of her rain soaked hair as she could before Karen arrived.

"STEVIE WHERE ARE YOU?" Karen yelled through the house and Stevie rushed back downstairs.

"I'm here!" She shouted and Karen rounded back into the foyer, gasping at the state of Stevie as she grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the door.
"You have to take me to Lindsey's now." Stevie's words rolled together into one as she spoke incredibly fast and Karen was even more worried.

She followed Stevie out and Stevie had already got herself buckled in before she could even open her car door. Karen spotted the other range rover parked at an odd angle in the courtyard and the garage door still open.
"STEVIE HAVE YOU BEEN DRIVING?!" She yelled as she got into her own car.

"Karen we don't have time for this! Please just go! I'll explain on the way!" Stevie yelled in frustration and Karen gave her an anxious look as she started the car and pulled out.

"Start explaining!" Karen exclaimed once they were properly on their way and Stevie told her everything that had happened the night before concerning Leelee, as concisely as she could.

"She just ran out!" Stevie finished tearing up. "I have to find her, i'll never forgive myself if something happens to that little girl." Stevie said as painfully as if she'd been physically wounded.

"Hey, hey, we'll find her. We will. Teenagers do shit like this all the time." Karen said as she took Stevie's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Not on my watch they don't." Stevie continued to sob but held Karen's hand tightly until they reached Lindsey's house. She saw a car parked outside and she entered the gate code that hadn't changed all these years later. She rushed out of the car before it had even stopped moving and Karen yelled at her but she didn't care as she ran up to the front door and knocked on it urgently.

"Miss Stevie!" Maria said in surprise answering the door. "Come in, come in."

"Thank you Maria." Stevie gasped. "Is Leelee here? Have you seen her?"

"No. Leelee hasn't been here for about 4 days now." Maria said and it matched what Leelee had told her earlier but that didn't bring Stevie any comfort.

"Do you know where she goes when she's not here? Where i can find her?" Stevie asked desperately.

"She never tells anyone where she's going. Out with friends is all she'll tell me when i ask." Maria answered.
"Miss Stevie what's happened?" Maria asked.

"I found her at a club last night. She'd taken a lot of drugs, so i took her home with me until she sobered up. She slept it off but this morning she was in serious withdrawal and i was trying to get some answers out of her when she came down with a fever. I tried to get her to let me take her to the hospital but she screamed at me and ran out. She'd disappeared before i could even get out of the house and i need to find her. She could be seriously ill. She could have passed out somewhere!" Stevie got herself all upset again, explaining and had to sit to calm down.

"Miss Stevie i'll get you some water." Maria said.

"No. I need to find her." Stevie said almost wildly.

"No. You need some water." Maria said and came back with a big glass that Stevie downed.

"Maria..." Stevie started and the woman knew where this was going already. "Leelee told me some things. I need to know if they're true or if it was just a drug addicts lies."

"I can't tell you private details about the Buckingham's Miss Stevie. I'll lose my job and Stella needs me." Maria said fearfully.

"No one will find out. I won't tell anyone what i know. Or that it came from you. I just need you to confirm or deny some things. Please." Stevie begged and Maria nodded hesitantly. If she knew already it wasn't her that told her.

"Is Kristen an alcoholic?" Stevie asked.

"Yes." Maria answered grimly. God she'd had enough of that woman's shit.

"Is Lindsey?"

"Not as bad as her. But he drinks."

Stevie nodded, a little relieved. He hardly ever drank with her so she didn't think he could be an alcoholic but not as bad as her didn't sound very good either.

"Do they argue a lot?"

"Constantly when he's here." Maria nodded.

"Does Kristen... Does she bring strange men home?" Stevie tried to put it delicately, but this was something she was desperate to know since Leelee said.

"Yes."

"Does Lindsey know?"

"He doesn't seem to care." Maria answered and Stevie decided she didn't want to know anymore about this.

"Leelee said she didn't know they'd gone away." Stevie asked though it wasn't technically a question.

"They left yesterday. She hasn't been here. How would she know?" Maria replied like it was obvious.

"Well they could have called her? Text her, i don't know?" Stevie said.

"They... They..." Maria stuttered wondering whether she should say it or not and Stevie looked at her with big sad eyes begging her to go on. "They both avoid the children as much as they can." Maria told her and a tear fell down Stevie's cheek.

"They didn't even notice she was gone?" Stevie repeated what Leelee had told her.

"No. She's been like this for months and since Mr Buckingham is back, she's gone more."

"How can he not notice?" Stevie said in anguish.

"He's busy hiding from Mrs Buckingham." Maria shrugged, she was far too used to the situation to see how bad it was anymore.

"What about Will? Where's he?" Stevie asked as it dawned on her he might know where Leelee could be.

"He lives with his girlfriend. Comes back every now and then to check on Stella. That's why Leelee comes back too." Maria explained.

"Why do they check on Stella?" Stevie asked confused.

"She can't leave like they can. I keep her out of the house as much as possible. Away from the strange men, the arguing but she sees everything when we're here. She's very sensitive." Maria sighed and Stevie's heart broke in a much more crushing way than Lindsey telling her he loved her then leaving. Leelee was right. Everything he told her was a fucking lie.