ashtrays and cigarette packets. I walked over to them. ‘Is one of you Jay Birche?’
A boy looked up. I immediately recognized him from the surprise party. He was about seventeen. Dark hair, pale, stubbly skin, grey eyes that were almost green, clothes worn in layers, as if he’d just got out of bed and pulled on whatever was at hand. He had about him a slouchy, unkempt beauty that reminded me at once of Charlie.
‘I’m Charlie’s mother.’ He raised his eyebrows but didn’t move from his place. I started to speak, then felt awkward. ‘Can we have a word? In private?’
He half grimaced at his companions, as if to say, ‘Old people, what can you do?’ then got up and followed me outside.
‘I’m Nina,’ I said. ‘We’ve not met but Ashleigh told me you’re a friend of Charlie’s. Is that true?’
‘What’s the problem?’ he said.
‘She’s disappeared,’ I said. ‘I don’t know where she is. I wondered if you knew?’
‘Disappeared?’
‘We were meant to fly to the States this afternoon but she never came home.’
‘I haven’t seen her today,’ he said. ‘I thought she’d be at your party, but you know Charlie. She’s not the most reliable person in the world, is she?’
‘You haven’t any idea where she might have gone?’
‘No.’
‘You don’t go to school on the island?’
At this his expression broke into a half-smile. ‘I’m at the high school.’
The private school on the estuary by Hemsleigh; that made sense. Farmer’s son. I wondered where they’d met. I couldn’t leave it like this. I’d got nothing. ‘I’m worried,’ I said. ‘She’s disappeared. She’s taken some of her things with her. It’s like she prepared it. I need to find her.’
‘I haven’t seen her and I think I’d know if she was going to run off. You shouldn’t worry about her. Parents always worry too –’
I interrupted him: ‘So, are you her boyfriend?’
‘I’m sorry?’
At that moment my phone rang. ‘Hang on,’ I said, and answered it.
It was Renata. ‘You need to come back,’ she said.
‘Charlie?’
‘There’s something you need to see.’
‘Can’t you tell me?’
‘It’s hard to explain. I’m not sure if I’m right. But if I am, you need to see it.’
‘I’ll be there in two minutes,’ I said, and turned to Jay. ‘I’ve got to go. Something’s up. Can I call you on your mobile?’
‘What for?’ he said.
‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘Just in case.’
‘I guess,’ he said.
He dictated the number and I touched the digits into my phone.
‘Good luck,’ he called after me, as I ran back to my car.
There was a parking ticket on the windscreen. I looked at it: 12.26. I scrunched it up and threw it on to the back seat, then turned the key in the ignition and drove home, ignoring the speed camera that flashed at me on The Street.
‘What is it?’ I said, as I burst through the door. ‘Tell me.’
Renata called up the stairs for Jackson. ‘Your mum’s here. Come on down now. Quickly.’
My son bounded down the stairs, two steps at a time, nearly tripping on his laces. The camcorder bounced round his neck and his face was hectic with tiredness and excitement.
‘Renata, this had better be important.’
‘I don’t know what it is,’ said Renata. She had scarlet patches on her cheeks. ‘Go on, Jackson.’
‘Let me find the right place,’ he said, pressing rewind and watching as images jerked incomprehensibly backwards. ‘Yeah, here. Look, Mum.’
I stood behind him and squinted at the small screen. A blur of grey-green colour moved along it. The upstairs carpet.
‘I can plug it into the computer if it’s hard for you to see. That’s what I was just about to –’
‘What am I looking at?’
‘Fast-forward, Jackson,’ said Renata.
‘No, it’s here.’
The camera had reached Charlie’s bedroom door. It swung up to the sign that said, ‘Knock first!’ in big block letters, then bobbed down again as the door was
A boy looked up. I immediately recognized him from the surprise party. He was about seventeen. Dark hair, pale, stubbly skin, grey eyes that were almost green, clothes worn in layers, as if he’d just got out of bed and pulled on whatever was at hand. He had about him a slouchy, unkempt beauty that reminded me at once of Charlie.
‘I’m Charlie’s mother.’ He raised his eyebrows but didn’t move from his place. I started to speak, then felt awkward. ‘Can we have a word? In private?’
He half grimaced at his companions, as if to say, ‘Old people, what can you do?’ then got up and followed me outside.
‘I’m Nina,’ I said. ‘We’ve not met but Ashleigh told me you’re a friend of Charlie’s. Is that true?’
‘What’s the problem?’ he said.
‘She’s disappeared,’ I said. ‘I don’t know where she is. I wondered if you knew?’
‘Disappeared?’
‘We were meant to fly to the States this afternoon but she never came home.’
‘I haven’t seen her today,’ he said. ‘I thought she’d be at your party, but you know Charlie. She’s not the most reliable person in the world, is she?’
‘You haven’t any idea where she might have gone?’
‘No.’
‘You don’t go to school on the island?’
At this his expression broke into a half-smile. ‘I’m at the high school.’
The private school on the estuary by Hemsleigh; that made sense. Farmer’s son. I wondered where they’d met. I couldn’t leave it like this. I’d got nothing. ‘I’m worried,’ I said. ‘She’s disappeared. She’s taken some of her things with her. It’s like she prepared it. I need to find her.’
‘I haven’t seen her and I think I’d know if she was going to run off. You shouldn’t worry about her. Parents always worry too –’
I interrupted him: ‘So, are you her boyfriend?’
‘I’m sorry?’
At that moment my phone rang. ‘Hang on,’ I said, and answered it.
It was Renata. ‘You need to come back,’ she said.
‘Charlie?’
‘There’s something you need to see.’
‘Can’t you tell me?’
‘It’s hard to explain. I’m not sure if I’m right. But if I am, you need to see it.’
‘I’ll be there in two minutes,’ I said, and turned to Jay. ‘I’ve got to go. Something’s up. Can I call you on your mobile?’
‘What for?’ he said.
‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘Just in case.’
‘I guess,’ he said.
He dictated the number and I touched the digits into my phone.
‘Good luck,’ he called after me, as I ran back to my car.
There was a parking ticket on the windscreen. I looked at it: 12.26. I scrunched it up and threw it on to the back seat, then turned the key in the ignition and drove home, ignoring the speed camera that flashed at me on The Street.
‘What is it?’ I said, as I burst through the door. ‘Tell me.’
Renata called up the stairs for Jackson. ‘Your mum’s here. Come on down now. Quickly.’
My son bounded down the stairs, two steps at a time, nearly tripping on his laces. The camcorder bounced round his neck and his face was hectic with tiredness and excitement.
‘Renata, this had better be important.’
‘I don’t know what it is,’ said Renata. She had scarlet patches on her cheeks. ‘Go on, Jackson.’
‘Let me find the right place,’ he said, pressing rewind and watching as images jerked incomprehensibly backwards. ‘Yeah, here. Look, Mum.’
I stood behind him and squinted at the small screen. A blur of grey-green colour moved along it. The upstairs carpet.
‘I can plug it into the computer if it’s hard for you to see. That’s what I was just about to –’
‘What am I looking at?’
‘Fast-forward, Jackson,’ said Renata.
‘No, it’s here.’
The camera had reached Charlie’s bedroom door. It swung up to the sign that said, ‘Knock first!’ in big block letters, then bobbed down again as the door was
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