Roxanne
Roxanne’s phone pinged, startling her out of her helpless trance.
From: VERONICA Beesley
To: ROXANNE Furaha
OMG, you’re a blast from the past. Roxanne Furaha – long time! Are you still trying to save the world, getting pissed and shagging your way through half of the UK?
In answer to your question, nope, Isla hasn’t been in touch.
B.t.w. I don’t know anything about any reunion. Maybe the message didn’t get through to me. And I’m amazed Ben agreed to meet up, as he’s living in Hollywood now. Last I heard he’s got a small part in the next Bond film. I always knew he’d be an actor one day. He blagged his way into my bed enough times.
Listen, sorry this is a bit short, hon, gotta dash. Alfie Christie is here – remember him from uni? Cute with muscles to die for? He’s my cockapoo walker, and he’s about to take Maudie and Freda for their trundle around Hyde Park. Plus, I’ve got a fashion show to prepare! TOODLES!
MWAH MWAH MWAH
Veronica
Roxanne absorbed the words. How could Veronica know nothing about the reunion? Was Ben a publisher and an actor? Was that even possible? Her head pounded. Had Isla lied about the reunion? Had she been meeting Andy all along? She pummelled her temples with her fingers. But Isla must have been at the reunion. Roxanne had seen the photograph on Facebook of her and Sara.
Roxanne headed from her room, a dire need for something alcoholic from the bar washing over her. She would contact Sally, and Jack if he would only pick up. She dived along the corridor, bumping into Alex coming out of his room.
‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t looking where I was going.’
‘No, worries.’ He closed his door. ‘Doesn’t get any warmer, does it?’ he added with a laugh. ‘Makes the UK feel like the Sahara.’
Trying to hide her angst, Roxanne hurried onwards.
‘Oh, hang on,’ he said, trotting after her, the smell of his expensive aftershave wafting over her. ‘It’s about your friend.’
Roxanne stopped, and turned. ‘Isla?’
He nodded, by her side now. ‘We got chatting with a woman earlier, and I told her how you were looking for Isla. And she thinks she saw her at the Sky Station on Friday.’
Roxanne’s hopes rose. ‘Who is she? Can I talk to her?’
He shook his head. ‘She left for home, but she definitely thinks she saw a blonde woman get off the chairlift, and meet someone.’
‘Was it a man?’ She thought of the photograph of Isla with Andy, her head whirring with confusion.
Alex nodded. ‘She overheard him mention somewhere called God Dag Lodge. It’s a few miles out, apparently.’ He shrugged. ‘They got in a car.’
‘But you didn’t notice the car.’
He shook his head. ‘I didn’t notice anything much. We were knackered, and the cold air and a couple of bevvies . . . well, you know.’ He opened the door, allowing her to go through.
‘Well thanks,’ Roxanne said, heading past him and not looking back.
A taxi stood outside, dropping off visitors. Roxanne knew she needed to move fast, so she stepped out into the darkness, raced across the snow and jumped into the back seat.
‘God Dag Lodge, please,’ she told the driver, as she keyed 112 into her phone.
***
At her destination, Roxanne climbed out of the taxi, plunging her booted feet into the deep snow, which cracked under the pressure. She flicked on her phone torch and shone it around the area. The lodge itself was in darkness.
‘Can you wait for me, please?’ she asked the driver, who nodded.
As she stepped out across the snow, sirens rang out in the near distance. The police wouldn’t be long now. Isla must be here somewhere. She had to be.
But, as she took in the silence, she began to wonder if she was wrong. Had she put two and two together and made eight? Had she been so desperate to find Isla that she’d hoped to find treasure where none had been buried?
Snow had stopped falling for now, but the air was freezing as she walked towards the lodge, and a mist formed before her lips as she stumbled. Everything was far too quiet, and any hopes she’d had were drifting away.
Her phone pinged, and she stopped and quickly read a text from Sally telling her they would soon be in Abisko. There was an email from Sara too. She would read it later.
With gloved hands, she banged on the door, and tried the handle several times, but it was locked. She peered through the window, to see no sign of life. There was a notice on the glass saying the place was available for holiday rental. She punched the contact number into her phone.
‘Hello, I’m at God Dag Lodge. I wondered if anyone is staying here at the moment.’
‘Yes, until today. It’s available from tomorrow if you are interested.’
‘Could you tell me who is renting it out at the moment?’
‘That is confidential, I’m afraid.’
‘But it’s very important,’ Roxanne said her voice rising.
‘Sorry. Would you be interested in hiring the lodge?’
‘I’ll get back to you.’ She ended the call, and strode around the lodge, but there was nothing to see.
She was almost at a loss when the police arrived, and even more so when they searched the area and confirmed what Roxanne already knew: that nobody was there.
And that’s when Roxanne broke down, sobbing into her hands. A stream of tears she couldn’t control.
‘Please be assured we’re taking Isla’s disappearance seriously,’ a young police officer said, her Scandinavian accent warm, her tone comforting, as she rested her hand on Roxanne’s arm. ‘We’ll talk to the owners, and make sure she hasn’t been here.’
The officer was about to get into her car, when headlights illuminated the area and, with a skid across the ice, a car came to a halt.
A man was driving, and a wide-eyed woman was in the passenger seat. Two young children in bobble hats sat in the back. They all climbed out, the man and woman looking concerned as they approached, the children picking up snow and throwing it at each other.
‘Can I help?’ the man said, banging his gloved hands together. ‘We’re renting the place.’
***
‘The police have gone now, Sally,’ Roxanne said later, her phone pinned to her ear as she headed down the hill in the back of the taxi. ‘Isla had never been there. A family have been renting it out for over a week, and they haven’t seen her.’
‘What will the police do now?’
‘They’ll search the area. They seem to be taking it seriously. But there’s nothing suspicious up there.’
‘What made you think she was there?’
Roxanne sighed. ‘Somebody overheard the name of the lodge – and, they thought it was Isla.’ It suddenly seemed far too vague, and she began to doubt whether it had even been Isla. ‘We will find her.’
‘I keep clinging to that thought.’ Sally paused for a moment. ‘We’ve had so many lovely messages of support from family and friends. Millie’s put an update on Facebook. Not about Isla’s email, of course, but the fact we’re searching for her. “Has anyone seen her?” That kind of thing.’ She was talking too fast, almost manic. ‘It’s had lots of shares. And Abigail’s tweeted about it. I didn’t even know she had a Twitter account. It helps to know people are supporting us.’
‘Yes, I’m sure.’
‘We had a charming email from Sara Pembroke. She said you told her what had happened.’
‘Yes, sorry, I shouldn’t have . . . ’
‘No, don’t worry. She sounded lovely. Said she and Isla are good friends, and she wants to help. I suggested she does what she can on social media. That’s all anyone can do.’
Roxanne felt suddenly agitated. Sara and Isla weren’t good friends, were they? ‘Listen, I’ll leave you in peace, and talk to you later.’
‘OK, we should be there soon.’
Roxanne ended the call, and looked out of the taxi window. It was snowing again, stunning to the eye, yet so dangerous if you get on the wrong side of it.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
Where are you, Isla?
Back at Camp Arctic, Roxanne hammered on Alex’s door. ‘I need to talk to you. Are you in there?’ she called, pushing her face against the door.
Finally, the door flung open. It was Maddie, her dark hair damp and tied into a messy bun, a flimsy robe almost covering her body. ‘What the hell do you want?’
‘Alex sent me on a wild-goose chase,’ she said. ‘I need to talk to him.’
He appeared behind Maddie, wearing red silk boxers, his chest toned and tanned. ‘What’s up?’ he said, sipping dark spirit from a tumbler.
‘This woman you spoke to.’ Her face tingled as the heat of the lodge hit her, her snowsuit far too warm. She unzipped it, and wiggled it from her shoulders. ‘What did she look like?’
‘Jesus, here we go again,’ Maddie said, flinging her arms in the air, eyes rolling. ‘We’re trying to enjoy our honeymoon, but you keep turning up, giving us the third degree like some out-of-work Sherlock wannabe.’
Years ago, Roxanne might have decked Maddie, but now she bit down on her anger. ‘You know what it’s about. I can’t find my friend.’
‘Well, maybe you should get yourself one of those little beepers you can attach to keys.’ It was clear by her slight slur, she’d been drinking, and it suddenly hit Roxanne how young Maddie was. ‘Very careless, losing a friend,’ she went on, ‘you should be more . . . ’
‘Maddie, please,’ Alex cut in. ‘Have a heart.’
‘Yeah, well it’s so fucking cold here, my heart’s frozen,’ she said. ‘Why couldn’t we have gone to Barbados, like I suggested?’
‘What did the woman look like?’ Roxanne was breathless, her eyes on Alex. ‘Her hair colour? What was she wearing?’
‘Dark hair,’ Alex began. ‘And when we saw her she was wearing a bright blue snow jacket with a mountain scene on the back. I remember because it was unusual.’
‘Age?’
‘About thirty.’
‘Did she approach you?’ Roxanne asked.
‘Yes,’ Alex said.
‘And you told her about Isla.’
‘Yes, I think so. I can’t remember exactly how the conversation went.’
‘So did you see the woman at the sky station on Friday?’
‘No . . . no I don’t think so,’ said Alex, a slight irritation in his voice. Maddie moved in, took his arm and began tapping her fingertips up and down his chest. ‘Listen, we really need to get on.’
‘You know, I’m beginning to think this woman used you both to send me to the wrong place,’ Roxanne said.
‘Great, well that’s sorted, then,’ Maddie said. ‘Now bugger off, and leave us in peace.’ And with that, she slammed the door.
Roxanne clenched her fist and raised it to knock once more. But she knew there was nothing more they could tell her.
As she headed back to her room, she pulled out her phone. She needed to update the police.