liked the way Gary’s eyebrows scrunched when he was thinking. ‘Maybe she’s blocked the Cambodia thing from her mind so much that she’s actually forgotten she went. Or she just made a mistake. It wouldn’t be hard to do.’
She stroked the leaves of the lily between forefinger and thumb. ‘I know that. But don’t you understand? I have to find out. If something awful has happened to her, even if the chances are really slim, I’m the only person who will look for her.’
‘You can see why the police aren’t being that keen, though, can’t you? They’re obviously just waiting for her to email you from Thailand or wherever. Probably happens all the time – people take off, and the police get brought in for nothing. Don’t you think you should give it a few more days? Otherwise, what are you going to do? Sneak around spying on all the dates she’s been on?’
She looked at him.
‘Amy. You can’t do that.’
‘But like you said, the police don’t want to know. They’ve made that clear already.’
Gary sat down on the sofa and rubbed his face with the palm of his hand.
‘OK. I understand. If it’s what you think you need to do.’
‘I’m going to try the police one more time, though. Just so it’s on record.’
Gary paused. ‘Fair enough. And if they won’t help you, I will. It’s not safe for you to do it on your own.’
‘But …’
‘Don’t argue, all right? I want to help you. I really like Becky. She’s a … mate. I’m not taking no for an answer.’
She noted his eyes had misted over as he’d delivered these words. ‘Thanks, Gary.’
His mobile rang.
He muttered an apology before answering it. ‘Hi. Yeah, sorry … I’ll be there in ten.’
Amy looked at him quizzically
‘Sorry, I’m meant to be meeting my mate for a drink. I’m already late. But call me if you need anything. And let me know what the police say. Are you going to stay here?’
‘Not for long. I ought to get back. Boris needs feeding.’
‘Is that your bloke?’
She laughed. ‘My dog.’
‘Oh. And do you, um, have a bloke?’
‘No.’ Amy spoke a little more curtly than she’d intended. Surely, he wasn’t trying to hit on her? That was the last thing she needed.
Gary walked over to the door, then hesitated and turned back.
‘I know what else you could do. You could put an appeal out, see if anyone’s seen her.’
‘What, like a poster?’
He grinned. ‘For someone who runs a website, you can be surprisingly old-fashioned.’
‘I guess I’m an old-fashioned kind of girl.’
‘I was thinking you could use social media. You do use Facebook and Twitter, right?’
‘I use them a bit. Facebook, of course, for keeping up with friends, and everyone keeps telling me I need to use Twitter for my business, but I don’t really have time.’
‘Well, I’ve got a friend who’s an expert at all that stuff. Social networking. Maybe he could advise you of the best way to go about it. I’ll give him a call, see what he says.’
Gary left and Amy went back over to the desk, tapping the names of the three men who had sent Becky messages into the Notes app on her phone. She called the police station and, after being passed around, was told someone would call her back.
She intended to go home but got drawn into surfing through Becky’s web history, trying to find some clue. She logged into CupidsWeb again and trawled through profiles, read through Becky’s Inbox repeatedly. The room grew darker around her and she felt sleep tugging at her.
Soon, she was dreaming – that Becky was back, with a golden tan, telling Amy about the wonderful time she’d had in Cambodia. ‘I went to the Killing Fields,’ she said. ‘Lovely place. You should go sometime …’
She jerked awake, lifting her head from the desk. The room was almost dark, her neck throbbed and it took her a second to recall where she was, to remember that Becky was missing and to realize what the noise that had woken her
She stroked the leaves of the lily between forefinger and thumb. ‘I know that. But don’t you understand? I have to find out. If something awful has happened to her, even if the chances are really slim, I’m the only person who will look for her.’
‘You can see why the police aren’t being that keen, though, can’t you? They’re obviously just waiting for her to email you from Thailand or wherever. Probably happens all the time – people take off, and the police get brought in for nothing. Don’t you think you should give it a few more days? Otherwise, what are you going to do? Sneak around spying on all the dates she’s been on?’
She looked at him.
‘Amy. You can’t do that.’
‘But like you said, the police don’t want to know. They’ve made that clear already.’
Gary sat down on the sofa and rubbed his face with the palm of his hand.
‘OK. I understand. If it’s what you think you need to do.’
‘I’m going to try the police one more time, though. Just so it’s on record.’
Gary paused. ‘Fair enough. And if they won’t help you, I will. It’s not safe for you to do it on your own.’
‘But …’
‘Don’t argue, all right? I want to help you. I really like Becky. She’s a … mate. I’m not taking no for an answer.’
She noted his eyes had misted over as he’d delivered these words. ‘Thanks, Gary.’
His mobile rang.
He muttered an apology before answering it. ‘Hi. Yeah, sorry … I’ll be there in ten.’
Amy looked at him quizzically
‘Sorry, I’m meant to be meeting my mate for a drink. I’m already late. But call me if you need anything. And let me know what the police say. Are you going to stay here?’
‘Not for long. I ought to get back. Boris needs feeding.’
‘Is that your bloke?’
She laughed. ‘My dog.’
‘Oh. And do you, um, have a bloke?’
‘No.’ Amy spoke a little more curtly than she’d intended. Surely, he wasn’t trying to hit on her? That was the last thing she needed.
Gary walked over to the door, then hesitated and turned back.
‘I know what else you could do. You could put an appeal out, see if anyone’s seen her.’
‘What, like a poster?’
He grinned. ‘For someone who runs a website, you can be surprisingly old-fashioned.’
‘I guess I’m an old-fashioned kind of girl.’
‘I was thinking you could use social media. You do use Facebook and Twitter, right?’
‘I use them a bit. Facebook, of course, for keeping up with friends, and everyone keeps telling me I need to use Twitter for my business, but I don’t really have time.’
‘Well, I’ve got a friend who’s an expert at all that stuff. Social networking. Maybe he could advise you of the best way to go about it. I’ll give him a call, see what he says.’
Gary left and Amy went back over to the desk, tapping the names of the three men who had sent Becky messages into the Notes app on her phone. She called the police station and, after being passed around, was told someone would call her back.
She intended to go home but got drawn into surfing through Becky’s web history, trying to find some clue. She logged into CupidsWeb again and trawled through profiles, read through Becky’s Inbox repeatedly. The room grew darker around her and she felt sleep tugging at her.
Soon, she was dreaming – that Becky was back, with a golden tan, telling Amy about the wonderful time she’d had in Cambodia. ‘I went to the Killing Fields,’ she said. ‘Lovely place. You should go sometime …’
She jerked awake, lifting her head from the desk. The room was almost dark, her neck throbbed and it took her a second to recall where she was, to remember that Becky was missing and to realize what the noise that had woken her
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