“Mitch. Calm down. Panicking is going to help nobody. Emily’s going to check with the crew members they were out with last night. Did he mention the names of any other friends he’d made, ones he might have partied on with? Or any places he liked to hang out?”
“If there were, you’d probably know better than me,” said Mitchell.
“Emily was his closest. Before rehearsals, they used to meet at a bubble tea shop in Soho. How about we start off looking down there while I wait for her to get back to me? Do you want to book an Uber?”
“No need. I came prepared.”
Mitchell reached beneath the table for his open rucksack and placed a white crash helmet before Tommy. Unfortunately, he didn’t have his phone camera to capture Tommy’s expression.
“As you said yourself,” said Mitchell, “taxis are scarce this time of the morning. And as we have an emergency, getting around will be much faster on my bike.”
Mitchell felt bad about rushing Tommy, but the hour was already nudging ten. Later that day, the plane carrying Zane would take off from Hong Kong airport with or without him. Zane’s father had already messaged to confirm he was picking his son up from Heathrow. How would Mitchell explain to him and his sister that Zane had gone missing?
While Tommy packed the remaining pastries into a bag, Mitchell started the engine on his bike and waited for Tommy to climb aboard. Mitchell had never carried a passenger before,but after having had Tommy in his arms last night, feeling his rigid body crushed up against his back now and his arms snaked tightly around his midriff felt utterly right. Less than a minute into the ride, Mitchell felt Tommy’s body soften against him and his grip loosen.
They arrived at the tea shop in Soho in good time. Even though the place appeared packed and buzzing, they saw no sign of Zane. Tommy handed his helmet to Mitchell and told him to stay outside. He reasoned that he could converse better in Cantonese, but Mitchell guessed that he didn’t want him interrupting, especially in his present state of mind, and potentially freaking out the store employees. Mitchell watched him march up the counter, pull out his phone and show the screen to the staff, most likely a photo of Zane. One of the female servers nodded once but then grimaced and shook her head.
Mitchell’s heart sank. But Tommy wasn’t deterred and tried the same tactic in other cafes and coffee shops along the road. Each time, he reappeared, shaking his head.
“Look,” said Tommy eventually. “You need something to keep you busy. Why don’t you head home, make sure he’s packed everything and wait for him there. He’s bound to show up sooner or later. He may even be home already. If worse comes to worst, you’ll need to speak to your family and see if they can rebook his flight. I’m going to meet up with Emily in Causeway Bay. She has a few suggestions of places I can check.”
“I hadn’t thought that far ahead,” asked Mitchell, feeling powerless. “Do you want me to drop you off at Emily’s place?”
“Not for this. The MTR will be quicker. Mitchell, you need to remember that your nephew’s not an idiot. If anything had happened, he would have gotten word to you somehow. Let me do this on my own. You go home and get everything ready. I’ll call if I find anything and you can phone me know if he turns up. Agreed?”
“Okay.”
“Now head home and wait to hear from me.”
Mitchell rode his bike slowly down the slope to the bustling Queen’s Road, checking pedestrians as he passed. He could hear his sister’s voice in his head, berating him for breaking his promise to take care of her son. If anything had happened to Zane he would never forgive himself. As he drove through traffic past a row of shops, he noticed a familiar figure farther down the pavement.
William, dressed conspicuously in one of his casual but stylish and distinctive Shanghai Tang outfits, stood outside a convenience store, a small plastic bag dangling from his hand. He looked lost on his own, as though he was unsure of his surroundings and location. Mitchell realised he had rarely seen William without Harold. Catching a break in the traffic, Mitchell pulled up along the pavement and lifted his visor.
“Morning, William. Is Harold not with you?”
“Mitchell. Good morning. No, I left him at the hospital.” William looked paler than usual, the hand holding the goods shaking slightly. “He was admitted at four this morning.”
“Heavens, I had no idea his operation was today.”
“Neither did we. The specialist surgeon had a late cancellation, so they called us up. Woke us in the early hours. All a bit of a rush to get there.”
“Are you on your way home?”
“Actually, I’m not quite sure what I’m doing at the moment.” William peered down at the bag he held, and Mitchell felt a tug of sympathy. Tommy had been right. William and Harold were two halves of a whole. No wonder he felt so lost.
“How did it go? The operation? When can we go and see him?”
“I have no idea.” When William met his gaze, Mitchell wondered if his pallidness was not due to tiredness but to fear. “They told us three hours, but it’s been almost five and Harold’sstill in the operating theatre. The duty nurse sent me home, told me to get some rest. I half suspect they got fed up with me stopping them and asking questions.”
William’s attention was drawn to something over Mitchell’s shoulder, and he turned to see what William was looking at but saw only random pedestrians.
“Where’s Zane?” asked William. “Isn’t he with you?”
“Tommy and I are trying to find him. He’s disappeared off the face of the earth.”
“He isn’t at home?” William frowned and checked his watch, which seemed a strange reaction to Mitchell, but something he put down to William being distracted..
“He stayed out all night. And his flight’s later today. But don’t worry, William. You should get yourself home and get some rest. Or something to eat. I’m sure they’ll call you the moment there are any developments—”
