The strange footprint

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

The garden path held the marks of the gardener’s boots and the small round prints of the dog. Emily knew them both. Beside the back step, however, a third pattern crossed the mud: one deep heel, a narrow sole, then nothing. She followed it towards the gate. The gate was fastened from inside.

She returned to the step and looked again. A drop of water fell from the gutter into the deepest mark, filling it slowly. Her brother said it was probably a delivery man. Emily asked how he had left through a fastened gate. Neither answered. From the kitchen came their mother’s ordinary call to breakfast, and the two children remained outside a moment longer.

Analyse how the writer uses language and structure to create uncertainty in an otherwise familiar setting. Support your answer with references to the passage.