LONG LOST

THE STORY SO FAR: Over the six years Leigh has been Janice’s gardener, they have become very close. Janice considers Leigh and her daughter, Mollie, as family until her long-lost nephew, Mark, turns up. Leigh is horrified when Mark moves in permanently and begins twisting things, making her feel she’s the one taking advantage when Janice offers to host Mollie’s birthday party. But Janice has become an honorary grandmother to Mollie and is determined to do this for her. The party goes well, but afterwards Janice tells Leigh that she’s been misplacing things like her platinum eternity ring and her grandfather’s pocket watch. Leigh discusses her concerns with Richard, Janice’s neighbour, and he advises caution. But Leigh feels she has to do something to protect Janice before it’s too late.

On the Monday following the birthday party, Leigh dropped Mollie at school, then drove to Janice’s house determined to tell her her concerns about Mark and the missing items.

She’d spent some time on the computer the previous day, trying to find out more about Mark Canning, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. She’d subscribed to a website so she could look up entries on the electoral roll for Upstead, the village where Janice used to live, but the only names that came up were Trevor, his wife, Linda, and another woman, Margaret.

She’d been