‘None at all,’ Mac replied. ‘Not that they mentioned to me, anyhow. I got the impression they didn’t exactly take to me. God knows what they said about me after they left.’
14
Ioannis, the police officer, rang Ralph at around 7p.m. that evening to give an update. He confirmed investigations were continuing and would do so throughout the night.
Police were checking CCTV in all the likely places where Jessica could have been, and appeals were going out on local radio and TV stations, as well as on social media.
So far, checks with her bank revealed she hadn’t withdrawn any cash, hadn’t made or picked up any phone calls and hadn’t been admitted to any local hospitals.
‘The police chief said he’s surprised no one remembers seeing her in the village or on the ferry or any of the buses she was supposed to use, but it doesn’t mean something bad has happened to her,’ Ralph explained to the others, once he’d put down the phone. ‘Apparently, most missing people are found or return in the first few days, which is encouraging. We must hold on to that.
‘He thinks she’s low risk, because she’s so used to travelling on her own. They do seem to be doing everything they can to locate her, though. They’ll be in touch again tomorrow – unless they’ve got news, obviously.’
Ralph took a deep breath. He and Edie had been in the pool when the phone rang, doing lengths in a bid to distract themselves.
He’d leaped out of the water the moment he heard the call, and had stood talking by the stone balustrade, looking out at the sparkling sea stretching far into the horizon.
Soon, Edie had got out too, and fetched a towel to wrap round her husband’s shoulders. Mac, who’d been on a lounger, attempting to read his book, had put it down straight away and listened in on the conversation.
The three of them were now gathered on the top pool step, sitting side by side, while Ralph related what he’d heard.
‘I don’t understand why she’s low risk,’ Edie commented, bending forward to rest her elbows on her knees and staring into the distance. ‘She’s been missing for two days and nights. When does she become high risk?’
Mac, who was between her and Ralph, lowered his legs so his feet dipped in the cooling water.
‘I’m not sure,’ Ralph replied hollowly. ‘I guess in a day or two, if they still haven’t found her.’
‘Shouldn’t they be searching the area?’ Mac asked. ‘If no one saw her in the village, isn’t it possible she changed her plans at the last minute? She might have decided to go for a walk before catching the ferry. What if she fell? Have they considered that?’
Ralph nodded. ‘Our chap said they’ve done a preliminary search and found nothing, but I’m sure things will ramp up if they have to. That’s when they’ll get us involved. Probably the locals, too.’
They all looked up when Hannah appeared and joined them by the pool. She’d returned from the village about an hour and a half after Ralph and Edie and had gone straight to her room.
She’d obviously had a shower and had changed into a long white T-shirt and black leggings. Her hair was still wet and her face was bare of make-up and shiny with moisturiser.
Ralph repeated almost word for word what he’d told the others.
‘I just feel so helpless,’ Hannah said with a sigh, when he’d finished speaking. ‘If only there was something we could do now.’
‘You could make supper.’ Mac gave a sardonic smile. ‘Some hope.’
Hannah pulled a face, as if she’d caught a whiff of sewage. ‘If you’re hungry, why don’t you make it? We had somemezzein the village. I don’t want anything else.’
Mac rose and looked calmly at Ralph and Edie, ignoring his wife completely. ‘Do you fancy something? I’m happy to walk down to the village if we need anything.’
Edie explained what there was, and she and Ralph agreed they might be hungry in a while.
Mac nodded. ‘OK, great. I’ll light the barbecue and put some things together. If anything’s left, we can have it tomorrow.’
He was about to leave when Hannah piped up. ‘It just occurred to me – did you see Jessica when you went for your run on the morning she vanished? You were very quick. You must have overtaken her?’
Edie inhaled sharply and she heard Ralph do the same. All eyes were suddenly beaming in on Mac. He paused for a moment, like an actor preparing to deliver a monologue, and looked down at his wife, who was still seated.
‘No, I didn’t see her,’ he said, slowly and deliberately. ‘I didn’t stay on the path. I decided to go off-piste.’
‘Ah.’
The silence that descended was so loud, it made Edie’s head hurt and her vision blur. There was a sour taste in her mouth and her tongue felt as if it had been coated in sawdust.
