Now You See Me by Emma Haughton Page B

all the excuses I’d made to Lianna and Maisy to avoid going round before today. The headaches I’d invented. The non-existent homework. Somehow, seeing my friends made Danny’s absence worse; it didn’t feel right, carrying on like everything was normal.
    â€œYour dad thinks there’s been too much pressure on you,” Martha continued. “From the police…from me.” These last words accompanied by an apologetic pinch of her lips.
    I stared at the cake on my plate. The knife hadn’t so much cut the sponge as pressed its way through it. It was all scrunched up and icing was oozing out the middle. Suddenly I wasn’t at all hungry.
    â€œI know this is hard on you, Hannah.” Martha leaned over and squeezed my hand. “It’s hard on all of us. But we will find Danny, I promise. We’ll get him back.”
    I nodded, looking at Rudman. He was sitting by the back door, whining at something outside.
    Martha followed my gaze and sighed. “He does that all the time, waiting for Danny to come home. And if it’s not him at it, it’s Alice.”
    Alice raised her head at the sound of her name, but didn’t speak. Martha boiled the kettle, emptied the teapot and swilled it under the tap, then dropped in some fresh tea bags. I studied her face. She looked exhausted, her eyes circled with gloom.
    She caught my gaze and I looked away. Saw on the other side of the table several photos of Danny, and Martha’s open laptop.
    â€œWhat’s this?” I asked, nodding at the laptop and taking a bite of the sponge. It was coffee, but bland and much too sweet.
    Martha sighed. “I’m trying to design a poster. And not getting very far. You know me and computers.”
    â€œA poster?”
    â€œAbout Danny. I have to do something, Hannah. I can’t just sit around waiting.”
    I looked at her. I knew how she felt. Doing nothing was worse than wasting your time.
    â€œIsn’t that something the police should do though?” I asked. “The poster, I mean. Isn’t that their job?”
    â€œApparently not. They’ve searched the area, interviewed everyone who might be a witness, alerted other police forces around the country. They seem to think they’ve done all they can at this stage.”
    â€œDo they have any idea what might have happened?” I tried to keep the tension out of my voice.
    Martha shook her head and slid her tongue around her teeth. “I get the impression they think he’s run away. That he’ll come back when he’s ready.”
    â€œAnd you don’t agree?”
    Her eyes fixed on mine. “Do you, Hannah? Do you really think Danny would do that, leave us, leave Alice, without a word to anyone?”
    I flushed. Was Martha accusing me again?
    â€œI’m sorry,” she said, catching the look on my face. “Let’s not get into that again. I know you would tell me if you knew anything.”
    Martha sighed again, heavier this time and pulled at her top lip with her fingers. “Truth is, I don’t know what to think. I can’t believe he’d run off, put us through all this, but then I’d rather that than…”
    She stopped. Not letting herself go there. But I knew where that thought was leading – better Danny left of his own free will than was forced.
    Abducted. Or worse.
    â€œThey’re talking of dragging the boating lake,” Martha said, her voice almost a whisper. “Just to check, Janet Reynolds said.”
    I thought of what I’d told them, about Danny and me crossing the ledge on our bikes. Did they think he went back there or something?
    â€œWhen?” I asked.
    â€œNext week.”
    I swallowed.
    â€œHe’s not there,” Martha added. “I told them that.” She looked at me as if for confirmation, her hands hovering restlessly in her lap.
    I took a deep breath. “We’ll find him.” I nodded towards