by Karen Aldous
A crashing sound broke her concentration. Her heart thumped. ‘Charlotte.’ She ran through the connecting door. Charlotte’s stillness told her she was fast asleep. On the marble floor however, a toy phone lay. Charlotte, she presumed, must have knocked it out of her cot. Evie clutched her chest, pulled the door to and returned to her bed and her questions and one in particular; why had Seb left her without a phone?
Ben stood at his window muttering expletives as he pressed the print button on his laptop. They’d had to cancel the flight company who they had hired for aerial shoots due to the thick mist. He checked the time and stripped off for a shower. After a quick shave and throwing on some shorts and a t-shirt, he marched down the hall to the kitchen to collect Evie’s document from the printer. He still hadn’t heard back from Evie, nor from her neighbour. It was over two weeks now. He checked his messages and popped his phone back into his pocket. The house was quiet now even though it was mid-morning. Most of the crew had returned to England for their much-needed break. Daniel, one of the producers, sat at the table overlooking the sea, munching toast.
‘Dan, morning.’
‘Morning Ben. Still a mist out there. Jamie texted. It’s still inland too.’
Ben glanced up at the window. ‘Yeah, would you bloody believe it, the day we plan filming from the air. Should have cleared by now.’ He turned to the printer.
Daniel held up some A4 sheets. ‘Sorry mate. I picked these up with mine. Hope you don’t mind, but I loved your script. The peasant character is just brilliant, very cleverly done.’
Ben felt his phone vibrate and instantly he hit the screen. ‘I, err… Sorry,’ he mouthed to Daniel.
Ben held the phone to his ear. ‘Ah, Suzanne, that was it. I couldn’t remember. You got my note. I had to guess at the house. I’m a bit concerned.’
‘It’s very odd. I’ve only had a quick text which was a bit of a shock, coming from her. She was very apologetic in her text about not being able to work. She said she was going on holiday.’
‘Exactly. It’s strange that she’s gone off like that. No warning.’ Ben meandered out the open door and onto the beach, kicking up the sand as he paced.
‘Yes, very. I’ve tried her phone and I’ve been looking out for her at the house every day and, no, she isn’t there. It is nearly three weeks. Her sister has just arrived and she is very worried. She hasn’t been able to contact her either and is concerned. Evie had a man watching her. A stalker, Cally’s seen him.’
‘Jeezus. I’m off to London tomorrow. Is it ok if I come along now to see you both?’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘I’ll be with you shortly.’
Ben slipped back through the door. ‘Dan. I’m just going up to Colombiers. I’ll have my phone.’
‘Fine. I’ll sh…’
Ben disappeared up the hall to grab his shoes. Deciding it would be quicker than the bike, he got in the car and drove, slower than usual due to the heavy mist. His mind wandered in all directions as to what could have happened. Where would the stalker have taken her? And why. Or her partner, if it was him, Seb Wilde, would they have just gone on a last-minute holiday? That was possible. Someone with a busy schedule was probably likely to do that. And go for a month or so if they thought they could get away with it. But if her best friend and sister had no idea where she was, this was seriously worrying.
As he steered down the track leading to Evie’s house, two women stood outside Evie’s gate, anxiety bruising their faces. One was a darker-haired version of Evie, only with a fuller figure, who he’d seen at the lake. The other, shorter in stature with long red hair, he figured was the friend he’d spoken to on the phone, Suzanne.
He climbed out of the car and, shaking their hands, kissed them lightly on their cheeks. ‘Hi, I’m Ben. I don’t know if you know, but Evie has been helping me with research. I haven’t seen her in a while but she had emailed me expecting a reply and I haven’t heard after emailing her back several times. I tried texting her too, and ringing. It’s all so bizarre.’
Cally swept her hair behind her ears. ‘I’m just so worried. There was this guy who has been following her and hanging around the house. He could have texted that message. She would never have let Suzanne down like that without a good reason. She’d just started that job and I know the money meant a lot to her. She must have told him she had to work.’
‘So, what about her partner?’ Ben asked Cally, ‘Would he have taken her away on holiday?’
Ben raised his eyebrows as Cally pinched her lip and then clenched her teeth. ‘Honestly, I don’t really know. I don’t think he’s ever taken her away before. I could be wrong but it just seems out of character.’
Suzanne shook her head in agreement. ‘No, as long as I’ve known her she hasn’t been away.’
‘Hmm,’ Ben took in a breath and placed his hands on his hips. He turned to the house. ‘Has anyone got a key?’
‘No.’ Both the girls’ heads shook.
His hand gripped his forehead. ‘So, no one has gone into the house to check they’re not in there?’ He swallowed hard at the thought.
‘I’m going to call the police.’ Cally said tapping into her phone. ‘They know about her stalker. They could at least break in and check the house, and find the whereabouts of the stalker. They took him in for questioning just before Evie disappeared. She’d called the police and they caught him.’
‘Jeez. Definitely.’ Ben waited as Cally started speaking.
‘Suzanne signalled with her arm. ‘I’ll go and make some coffee. I can bring it out or you are welcome to come in. It’s rather damp out here.’
Ben and Cally followed but Cally hung back, answering questions as she straggled behind. Ben did catch the mention of Seb Wilde however, and rubbed his chin.
Inside the house, Ben paced as Suzanne toddled to the kitchen and Cally caught up, hovering at the door. Several minutes later, she stepped in. Suzanne placed two coffees on the worktop.
Cally scooped one of the small cups up and slurped a mouthful of coffee. ‘The police are going to the stalker’s house, or at least will attempt to make contact, and they’ll send someone here directly. Oh God, I’m so scared. She was so brave the other day.’
‘Brilliant they’re on the ball.’ Ben said, still pacing. ‘There’s no point in panicking yet. She could genuinely just be away on holiday, but at least hopefully we’ll be able to rule out the stalker.’ Ben hoped he sounded more convincing than he felt. After all, it’s unlikely someone would hold a hostage without staying close by to keep an eye on the victim. Now the question was, was this guy holding her for ransom? Seb Wilde was certainly wealthy enough for that sort of thing, but neither girl had revealed his name. Or, his throat tightened as the thought trailed his mind, could it be that this guy was sexually motivated? It was then he let out a sigh. ‘I wonder… I might. No,’ he said scrunching his face as he realised.
‘Cally, haven’t you got her partner’s phone number?’ Ben asked. She stared at him blankly, he could see she was struggling.
Her eyes filled as she tightened her lips, staring like she was ashamed. Her head then rocked rhythmically from side to side. ‘No. We never got on. I never imagined I would need to speak to him, unfortunately.’
‘So, in an emergency?’
Suzanne and Cally stared at one another. ‘She spoke about it but I never received a number. She said she would put Cally and my names and numbers down in the event of an emergency. I’m not sure if that meant on her phone, or on her passport.’ Suzanne sloped over to Cally and put an arm around her. ‘There, we’ll find her. Don’t get upset.’
Cally’s chest shook as she sniffed. ‘I’m so angry with myself for not thinking of these things. A stupid phone number. I can’t believe I couldn’t just store a number on my phone. I could have at best asked him if Evie was with him.’
‘Oh there, Cally. You cannot blame yourself. Ah, I think that is the police.’
Suzanne took a handful of tissues
from a box on the table and handed them to Cally. ‘Wipe your eyes, dear, and come. They will have to go to her house.’
‘Oh, please no. I couldn’t face it if she and… Oh God, oh, please no.’
Ben rubbed his lips with his hand. ‘Look, would you rather I go out to them, just while they check the house? I’m sure it will be fine, but if you’d rather, just until…’
‘Yes. Oh, I’m not sure. I just couldn’t face…’ Cally sat down on the sofa. ‘Would you, Ben? Suzanne, could you stay with me. Argh, I just couldn’t face… I feel quite ill.’
Ben brushed her shoulder. ‘No worries. They may want to speak to you first, but then, I’ll go in with them. You wait here.’
Ben strode out through the garden and out the rear gate. Two gendarmes stepped out of the car. Ben explained and led them to Cally. After several minutes of questioning Cally, they returned to the car and, lifting a bag of tools from the boot of the car, began the task of entering the gates and Evie’s house. Ben watched eagerly as they easily broke through each lock on the gate. The sun had finally burned its way through the mist and the heat prickled his skin. Just as they entered the gates, Ben heard the sirens of a car and stopped, peering over his shoulder. More blue lights flashed above it.
The two gendarmes returned to the gate, anxious for news but not as anxious as Ben who was now jangling his legs. As the officer climbed out of the car, he gave a nod and hurried to the two gendarmes. They spoke fast and Ben couldn’t understand. He pushed his hair back from his perspiring face. A few minutes later, one of the gendarmes who spoke English sauntered towards him.
‘Monsieur, Aubin Arnaud, the… harceleur er… man who harass, he is at home. The search at his house for Mademoiselle Grant was, how you say, negative. My colleague tell me, he is being questioned. At this time, they have nothing.’
‘Thank you.’
‘We now continue with search the house.’
‘Yes. I shall come along shortly.’ Ben raised a thumb and dashed into Suzanne and Cally with the update.
Cally, clinging to the door, tugged her hair. ‘Oh, no, what is it?’
Ben relayed the information.
Cally inhaled. ‘Oh God, fingers crossed. This is torture.’ She turned, mumbling as if in prayer.
Suzanne slipped an arm around her shoulders. ‘Don’t worry. I’m sure it will be fine. The house appears to be locked up. I doubt they are in there. They are probably enjoying a lovely holiday. Maybe in the Caribbean or the Seychelles. Who knows? Her boyfriend is rich, I think.’
‘And a bit of a loose cannon. Let’s hope you’re right.’
Praying himself, Ben raced back through the garden and across the track. He stopped at the gate, daring himself to step over the threshold. Ok you can do this. For Cally, you can do this. He shimmied towards the front door, aware the cameras honed their lenses upon him but what did it matter. Evie was part of his team, he was entitled to be concerned, as well as to assist Cally and Suzanne. Approaching the door, his hands tensed and clutching them tight, he murmured a silent prayer before calling out to the empty hallway.
‘Est ce que quelqu’un ici?’ Is anyone here?’ he asked, surprised by his own memory.
The police, he suspected, would be searching and would, quite likely, have sent one of their team out by now if their findings were anything sinister. Entering the entrance hall and glancing ahead at a wide marble staircase, the feet of one of the gendarmes skittered down.
‘Il est tout clair,’ he said – it is all clear. The other two appeared behind him. ‘Peut-etre elle est en vacances.’ Maybe she is on holiday. He grunted, ‘But we need to investigate. That is long time with no contact, no? And no information, we ask questions.’
Ben immediately tipped his head back and looked to the sky. ‘Thank God, she’s not been…’ He covered his mouth, thinking what they could have discovered in the house. ‘Merci, monsieur. ‘I’ll tell her sister to come over. We will answer what we can.’
Chapter 27
Raking through kitchen cupboards, Evie discovered a cool bag. It was a bit bigger than she needed but she didn’t have to fill it. For days she’d convinced herself Seb would come but still no word. Anxiety was now making her sick. There was no option other than to find a way off the island. The only conclusion she’d arrived at was that Seb had abandoned them intentionally. That’s why he hadn’t left a phone. She placed six small water bottles into the freezer to chill, grapes in the fridge and then filled a French stick with tuna and sliced it into eight individual pieces before wrapping them and placing them in the cool box. Then, gathering several items such as nappies, sun cream and lifejackets along with her rucksack, she piled them on the island in the centre of the kitchen. Their only hope would be to find a boat somewhere or try to alert one passing.
‘We are going exploring today, poppet. Although, no idea how I’m going to manage with you climbing across those rocks. We’ll take it slow.’ We must find a way. She perched beside Charlotte in the highchair. ‘Do you want to look out for boats and pirates?’
‘Pilats.’ Charlotte repeated.
‘Pi-rrates. Say pi-rates.’
‘Pirates.’
‘Good girl. Finish your egg, I’ll put your trousers on, and we’ll get going.’
With a full rucksack securely tucked onto her back, Evie locked up the house and took what appeared to be the most used path. Taking Charlotte’s hand, they meandered through the garrigue and pines. Although it was only eight-thirty, there was barely a breeze, only a light mist, and mugginess hung in the air; even the cicadas were barely audible. The terrain was rocky, uneven underfoot and after several metres, clambering over lumbering tree roots, Evie lifted Charlotte onto a large boulder blocking their way and climbed up and over herself before lifting her daughter down.
‘Clearly, this isn’t the way Daddy brought us, is it?’ she said, lifting up her sunglasses and bending under some scrub. She could understand why though. The ground was pretty treacherous. Not ideal for children, but she continued, determined to see where it took them. Then gazing through the trees, she caught sight of the brightest turquoise sea her eyes had ever seen. ‘Oh, that’s stunning. I’ll show you if we can get any closer, poppet.’ They ambled across a clearer part and through more pines and, ‘Whoa.’ She tightened her grip on Charlotte’s hand and stepped back from the edge of a steep gorge. Her head felt light as she peered over and she took in a deep breath, her palm clutching her chest. ‘Urgh, there’s no way I’m taking you down that. Come on.’ Leading her daughter back from the edge, she kept a safe distance and skirted along the coast, navigating her way through the shrub and along the top of the gorge. There must be a way down somewhere, she thought. If she could get to the inlet and across the other side, there could be an easier way to climb down. There had to be. She couldn’t remain here indefinitely.
As they clambered for what seemed like miles, they reached the centre of a cavernous gorge. One end of it swept out, like a claw. That was the end she could see from the terrace. But, looking down, a hundred foot or two below, the water was crystal clear – the colours beautiful but so inaccessible. Now they had to walk across a few kilometres of the garrigue to see what was on the other coastline. She just had to pray they could find a way down and, better still, find a boat moored close by.
Again, their so-called trail was littered with perilous obstacles. Evie was so impressed with Charlotte, she was really enjoying her adventure. So much so, that Evie felt reluctant to stop for a break, preferring to hold out until her daughter complained. Weaving on, through maritime pines, Charlotte trrrr’d and c-c-c-d back at the cicadas as they warmed and their noise increased. They reached a clearing and what even resembled a path. Evie glimpsed out to sea, spotting a flotilla of yachts on the horizon.
‘There is life out there.’ Immediately she punched her arms in the air and waved in hope. Who was she kidding, she asked herself. ‘Oh God.’ They were miles away. She scoured the area; they couldn’t be far from the ot
her side. She spun around, still waving her arms, and to her right saw what looked like a cove with a beach in the distance. Puzzled, she lengthened her stride with Charlotte almost jogging alongside her. Maybe there was one up this end. A few minutes later, and leaping over several humps of tree roots, the edge of the cliff became apparent.
‘Please, let there be steps and a boat moored beside it.’ Her words instantly evaporated, just as her hope extinguished as they neared the edge. The other side of the headland was pitted with sharp escarpments. There was no way she could carry Charlotte over such dangerous cliffs. Squeezing her daughter’s hand, Evie threw her chin in the air.
‘Oh sweet pea, what are we going to do?’
‘Shmoke, Mummy.’ Evie burst with laughter.
‘Who taught you that?’ She bent down and followed Charlotte’s other hand pointing. ‘Oh no,’ she sighed, realising her luck had completely run out. ‘Thick sea mist. That’s all we need. ‘Oh dear, we’d better set up camp for a picnic – and not even a view. Let’s steer away from this ledge.’