EPISODE TWENTY-SEVEN
“DAISY’S NIGHTMARE… (PART ONE)”
Daisy had been held hostage for over three weeks and truly believed that she would never ever see her family - or Barney ever again. She had tried to escape. Twice, as a matter of fact, but to no avail. The first time she had put her acting skills to good use by playing dead.
Her captor Dane walked into her bedroom to find her comatose on the bed. He was calling her for breakfast and was very annoyed when she didn't answer and even more annoyed to see her lying motionless on the bed.
“C'mon, stop playing silly beggars, would ya?Your breakfast is getting cold," Dane tutted in annoyance as he tried to nudge her awake.
When Daisy didn't answer, Dane got scared. All you had to do was keep her away from her family until your next instructions, he berated himself silently. If the bitch dies on me I won’t get paid…
Gingerly, he climbed onto the bed and leaned over Daisy until he was inches away from her face. Her death wasn't part of the deal. What the hell was he supposed to do now?!
Quick as a flash, Daisy suddenly grabbed onto his ear and pulled down hard. He yelped in surprise and pain as she then kneed him squarely in the groin.
With Dane writhing on the bed in pain, Daisy scrambled out of bed, rushed for the door and wrenching it open, fled down the stairs. I’ve gotta get out of here… I’ve gotta get someone to help me…
She thundered down the stairs towards the front door and was just about to make her break for freedom when she heard angry footsteps behind her. Let me outta here, please. she prayed silently. Just let me go…
Dane grabbed her and slamming the door shut, he then pushed her up again the wall, his hand around her throat, his glare menacing.
"Well, that wasn't very clever, was it?" He angrily hissed as she crumpled under his steely gaze. "Don't ever pull a stunt like that again..."
And she didn't for a good few days as she was very scared of Dane. But as the days dragged on, she knew that she had to get out somehow.
So, she decided to empathise with him and get on his good side, and find out more about him, so that maybe he'll take pity on her and let her go home.
But he saw right through her, because like Ben, Dane has no good side and took great pleasure in doing so.
“This sweetness and light act won’t wash with me,” he had sneered one day after another one of her attempts.
“All I’m interested in is getting paid, you understand? So do us all a favour – and keep that–“ he pushed his grubby index finger on her lips. “– shut, and it’ll be better for all of us. Especially you…”
So, Daisy was back to square one. She was all alone. In a desolate house somewhere out in the sticks with a gruff warden with no means of escaping. What else could she do?
She could believe in Barney.
She could believe in the love they have for each other and what they ultimately meant to each other.
And she could believe that somehow, he’d be the one to save her…
***
Barney was in Bar Nova with Charlie, their usual hang-out after hitting it hard in the gym.
After signing autographs and taking selfies with their adoring fans who plucked up the courage to approach them, Barney plucked up the courage himself to ask Charlie a question that had been bugging him for weeks…
"Have you noticed anything different about Daisy?" He asked, knowing how ridiculous the question sounded, but needing to know the answer.
Charlie looked at him puzzled. "What do you mean, 'different'?" "This'll sound weird, but something about is different. She’s different. Her kisses definitely are," Barney explained, touching his lips as he remembered.
"She kisses differently?" Charlie repeated. He then gave Barney as sly smile as he leant towards him. "What else is different in that area?"
Barney stared at him. "May I remind you that she's your fiancée's younger sister - and that's creepy?" "Noted," Charlie nodded. "Go on."
"Like I said, it's just weird. She doesn't remember things that I've told her and was awestruck at the Caribbean Skies studios the other week... I dunno, Charlie..." he shrugged.
"Well, maybe she's not Daisy. Maybe she's an imposter," Charlie laughed, his tongue firmly in his cheek.
Barney looked at him in horror. It might have been a flippant remark, but strangely, it was the only thing that made sense…
"Oh God!" Barney exclaimed as he grabbed his stuff and ran out of the bar. Charlie shouted after him. "Barney! Hey, I was joking! Where are you going?"
***
Barney drove like a madman down the street, frantically calling Daisy’s mobile but getting frustrated when it kept going to voicemail.
What if Charlie's off-the-cuff remark was right? What if the stalker had taken his beloved Daisy? Barney called Detective Kinsella and it too went to voicemail. "What's the point of having a mobile phone if you don't answer it?!" He screamed out loud in frustration.
An oblivious Frankie, meanwhile, was too busy preparing herself the fab dinner Barney had promised her.
Anticipating the romantic evening Barney had planned, she was blissfully unaware that her cover had blown, and she was about to be rumbled...
***
Desk Sergeant Erin Byron motioned to Detective Elliott Kinsella as soon as he entered the Police Station.
“Got a message for you from a Barney Holland...he sounded frantic," she continued. "Said he's been calling your phone but got no answer. Asked you to call him back asap."
Sensing the urgency, Kinsella thanked her and rushed back to his car. Careening down the street, he cursed his phone dying on him…
Trying on a slinky blue number with a halter neck and diamond detail all down the side, Frankie looked and felt sensational. She still felt guilty for what she was doing to Barney, but had put all her trust in Ben, still not realising that he was manipulating her.
Reaching the home he shared with Daisy, Barney rushed in and up to their bedroom, forgetting to close the front door behind him.
Frankie was there, hanging up the dress over the wardrobe door. Hearing his footsteps, she turned and smiled warmly at him.
"Hi, babe! Wait 'til you see the dress I picked out for dinner!" Frankie went over to kiss him, and was puzzled when he backed away.
"You OK? What's the matter?" She asked, concerned. Barney kicked himself for thinking for one second that she was Daisy. OK, so they could be twins, but how on earth could he had been fooled by her?
What was he thinking? How could he had done this to Daisy?
"I was just wondering… if you remembered our first date," he asked her with a short smile, his heart pounding.
She swallowed hard, shocked by the question. "Of course I do. I remember like it was yesterday," she nervously smiled, trying to regain her composure.
He smiled back, knowing he had backed her into a corner. "Then where was it?" He asked.
"You don't remember? Babe, I'm offended!" She mock-slapped him. Barney stared at her. "Humour me, Daisy. Refresh my memory," he said, his voice tightening with anger.
"Babe, we've got dinner reservations! That we'll miss if we don't get changed – and quick!" she said, desperately trying to change the subject as she knew that she was on dangerous ground.
"When did we have our first kiss?" He ploughed on. "When did we make love for the first time?" He quick-fired the questions at her.
"When did we say ‘I love you’ to each other for the first time too, eh? What are my parents' names? My brother’s? Where did I go to school?"
Frankie began to flounder. Months ago, Ben had given her a folder detailing the finer details of Daisy’s life, but had neglected to coach her on Barney’s.
"What is this, Mr and Mrs? C'mon, let's get ready for dinner," She laughed nervously. Ignoring her, he then looked down at a band-aid on her ankle, which she said was a result of her nicking herself shaving.
Months ago, Daisy had gotten a tasteful tattoo on her ankle of her and Barney's initials underneath a small red rose. But if the tattoo wasn't there...
He reached down and roughly ripped off the band-aid and his stomach lurched when he saw that her ankle was tattoo-free. "Oh... My God…!" he whispered in shock.
Why didn't I notice that before? He berated himself. How could I have been so stupid?!
"Barney, I can explain–“ but she was stopped short when he furiously grabbed her by the arms.
“Where is she? Where's Daisy?!" He shouted, as she cowered with fear in his angry grasp. “Barney… you’re really scaring me,” she whimpered. “Just please, let me go, and I’ll tell you everything… I promise.”
A few moments passed before he slowly released her from his grasp, then stared at her. Properly for the first time. “Who the hell are you?” he asked in disbelief.
“My name is Frankie,” she swallowed slowly. “Frankie Talbot… I’m… a stripper at Club Passions, and that’s where I–“
“How long?” Barney interrupted her.
“How long, what?”
“How long have you been… pretending to be Daisy?” he asked.
Frankie swallowed slowly again. “The night of the awards.” Barney close his eyes in dismay as he staggered backwards towards the bed.
Three weeks.
Three long weeks she’s been sleeping next to me.
Kissing me.
Making love to me.
Wearing her clothes.
Being different.
Distant.
Rejected my proposal.
And all the while, the real Daisy was out there – somewhere…
Barney opened his eyes and turned to Frankie. “That’s why you rejected my proposal…” he whispered softly as she slowly nodded. “Where is she?” he asked again, scared of the answer.
"I don't know," she confessed softly. "He didn't tell me where he was taking her. He just said I was to take her place."
“Who?” Barney demanded, as Kinsella and a female PC entered the room. “It was Benjamin Morrison," she admitted, hoping that Ben could forgive her landing him in it.
"Benjamin Morrison? Patrick's oldest friend?" Barney shook his head, baffled. "Why would he do something crazy like this? It doesn't make any sense."
"He said that Daisy was burnt out and needed time away from public life," she said. "And I was here to fool the public so she could recuperate."
Barney, Kinsella and the female PC all stared at her in shock. "And you believed that crappy story?! Are you fucking INSANE?!" Barney shouted. "That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life!”
"It's the truth!" Frankie shouted back defensively. Barney gave a disbelieving laugh as he looked at Kinsella and his colleague. “Are you hearing this?”
He then looked back at her as a wave of realisation washed over him and the colour drained from his face. “Oh… my… God. You’re the stalker, aren’t you?” he demanded.
"You’ve been making her life a living hell by texting her and freaking us both out?" "No! I haven’t stalked her at all!” Frankie protested. “I was just doing what Ben asked me to do!”
Elliott walked over to Frankie. “And are you sticking to this story?” he asked. Frankie nodded. He then turned to the PC who walked over to Frankie and held her wrists.
“Wait. What are you doing?!” she asked her nervously as Barney looked on, anger glittering in his eyes.
“Frankie, you’re going to have to accompany us to the station,” Elliott said firmly. “But why? I told you everything I know! I’m not the one who took Daisy!” she whimpered.
“I understand that, but right now, we have a missing woman – one that you have been impersonating for weeks – and you’re telling us that it is all Ben Morrison’s doing,” Elliott explained.
Frankie’s face drained of colour as Barney continued to look at her darkly. “Because it is! didn’t hurt her! I swear! I really thought I was helping her!”
“Then you can explain this properly down at the station,” he stated matter-of-factly as the PC took a pair of handcuffs out of her pocket.
Frankie stared at them in horror as the Officer clicked them shut over her wrists. “Francesca Talbot, I am arresting you on suspicion of fraud and impersonating another person…” she began.
"Wait, what are you doing?! I'm telling you the truth! Call Ben: he'll back me up!" Frankie interrupted as the Officer continued to read her her rights as she led her out of the room. "Call him, please! I’ve done nothing wrong!" she pleaded in vain.
As Frankie’s protestations continued to echo loudly as she was led out of the apartment, Barney turned to Kinsella, with tears pricking his eyes. “Find Daisy, Elliott. I don’t care about anything else, just find her – please…”
Elliott nodded as he patted Barney’s arm. “I’ll do everything I can,” he promised as he exited the room.
All alone, Barney took a deep breath, sank down onto the bed and slowly looked around the room.
Her clothes.
Her perfume.
The groove on her side of the bed.
All of her things.
He then picked up a framed photo of them on the bedside table. The last picture they had taken together.
They looked so in love.
So happy.
So contented.
Barney traced Daisy’s outline on the photo frame to his chest as tears streamed freely down his face.
He was in a nightmare. And he had no idea how it was going to end…
TO BE CONTINUED…
© 2026 Amanda Amory. All rights reserved.
