Caitlin raised her hand. ‘Bye, Bram. Bye, Rosabeth.’
Rosabeth linked arms with Bram, and they headed back towards where he had parked his snazzy little car.
‘And another one bites the dust,’ Caitlin said aloud as she watched them walk away. After all, they had hardly spoken, and she got the feeling he was just being kind when he offered to call her. He seemed like a nice enough man but there really had been no discernible spark between them.
She closed the front door and headed back through to the garden, where Archie was frantically looking under the bushes and trees. Everyone was on their feet and following suit and an air of panic hung around the place.
Caitlin made her way over to Archie and grabbed his wrist. ‘Hey, what’s going on?’
He ran his hands through his hair. His eyes were wide and even in the dim lighting, she could tell the colour had drained from his cheeks and his chest was heaving. ‘She’s… she’s gone. Sophie’s gone.’
22
‘She must be here somewhere!’ Caitlin said as they virtually ransacked the house, checking in every single room, cupboard, nook and cranny. Bowie was gone too, along with his lead, which meant Sophie had left on purpose. ‘She can’t have gone far.’ Her heart was hammering at her ribcage and her stomach was knotted so tight she feared she may throw up.
Grace was sobbing uncontrollably, she felt entirely responsible, and Caitlin tried to explain to her that it wasn’t her fault at all. Evin was sitting quietly staring at the floor in a state of shock, his skin pale and his eyes filled with tears. The poor kids. They couldn’t take the blame for this. Not when they were surrounded by supposedly responsible adults.
Mitch had phoned the police and they were on their way, so he was standing guard at the front door awaiting their arrival.
‘What time did you notice she’d gone?’ Ruby asked in a wavering voice as she closed the cupboard under the stairs after checking it for a third time, just in case.
Archie checked his watch. ‘I don’t know… about eleven-thirty? I know I shouldn’t have let her stay up so late, but I figured it was a special occasion. If I’d only made her go to bed…’
Caitlin placed a hand on each of his arms. ‘Hey, stop it. If she was going to run away, my guess is she would do it regardless. Let’s just focus on finding her. What was happening when you noticed?’
Archie rubbed his hands over his face and back through his hair. ‘Rosabeth had just come to say goodbye and I tried to find Sophie so she could say goodnight to her, but there was no sign of her. Rosabeth said it didn’t matter and that she had to go as Bram had offered her a lift.’
Well, that’s a lie, Caitlin thought.What other lies has she told?
‘I just let Rosabeth go as I needed to keep looking,’ the pain Archie was feeling was evident in his strained voice.
Dexter returned from upstairs. ‘Nothing up there, I’m afraid. I’ve checked the wardrobes and under the beds, as well as every cupboard big enough.’
Everyone was frantic, pale and filled with the dread no parent wants to experience.
‘I can’t sit here and wait for the police,’ Archie said through gritted teeth as he paced around the room. ‘I’ll have to go out and look for her.’
Caitlin walked over and gently took hold of his arm. ‘Hey, you stay here. We’ll go. The police will want to talk to you, and Sophie will need to see you when she comes back.’
Archie knotted his hands in his hair. ‘What if she doesn’t come back? Oh god, this is all my fault. She must hate me. I’ve dragged a traumatised child away from her hometown and tried to squeeze her into my stupid life. What was I thinking?’
Trying to help him see reason, Caitlin said, ‘Archie, she doesn’t hate you at all. She’s been through a lot, and something must’ve spooked her. Stay by the phone. We will keep in touch with you via your mobile, but keep the landline free, okay?’
Archie’s jaw ticked and his nostrils flared. She thought he was going to argue but instead he nodded. ‘I knew I’d be a shit dad. I should’ve listened to my gut. I’m just like him.’
‘Stop it!’ Caitlin snapped, hoping to shock some sense into him. ‘You are nothing like your father. And you did listen to your gut. That’s why Sophie is here. You absolutely did the right thing and deep down you know that. Now, you’re the only family that girl has got, so you need to stay strong. Just sit tight here and we’ll find her. I promise you that, Archie.’ As soon as the words had left her mouth, she regretted them.Why make promises that you may not be able to keep, you idiot?Then, as if a devil and angel inside her were having a confrontation, another thought sprang forth.No! You can’t think like that. Stay positive.
Archie closed his eyes for a moment as if trying to calm himself. ‘I’ve some torches if they would help,’ he told them, pointing to the cupboard under the stairs.
‘Already grabbed one,’ Ruby said, waving the shiny cylinder in her hand.
‘I’ve got my phone torch,’ Jules said.
‘Aye, me too,’ Reid added.
‘And me,’ said Dexter.
Mitch walked to the cupboard to grab a torch for himself. ‘Come on, let’s get out there. Evin and Grace, you stay here so we know you’re safe, eh?’ The two bewildered children nodded.
