Page 131 of Child's Play
The end of the scented garden, the kitchen guy had said and the bench was just inside it.
She hurried to the end of the space along the path that led around to the front of the hotel. She checked her phone. Still no signal. She couldn’t even call Bryant to see if he was having any better luck than she was.
Damn, damn, damn, which way to go? she wondered turning to face each direction.
And then she remembered what she’d seen that hadn’t yet made it to her brain.
Searching all of the rooms for Jared.
Children sitting in a group.
All facing the same direction, waiting.
She’d lied when she’d told Stacey that everyone was accounted for.
Where the hell was the fucking clown?
One Hundred One
‘Anybody in here?’ Bryant shouted, knocking on doors in the male locker room.
So far, he’d ruled out the gym, the badminton court, the Pilates and Zumba room and all areas of the swimming pool. Only the sauna and the ladies rooms were left.
The last door swung open to reveal a pile of neatly folded clothes. He banged on the sauna door as it began to open out towards him.
‘What the?…’
‘Mr Welmsley, where the hell have you been?’ Bryant asked, averting his eyes from the nether regions of the naked male covered only by a very small towel.
‘Umm… in there,’ he said, nodding towards the steam wafting over his head.
Ask a stupid question, Bryant thought.
‘But the event, the quiz, your sister…’
‘Is perfectly capable of keeping things running until I get there, but what the hell do you want anyway?’ he asked, stepping into the cubicle and closing the door.
‘Have you seen Eleanor Lewis?’ he asked, as the man ducked down behind the door.
The crisp white towel appeared and Bryant didn’t want to picture what was behind.
‘Ellie, the tutor?’
‘Yes, have you?…’
‘You’re banging on doors like a madman to ask me if I’ve seen someone I’ve barely ever spoken to in my life?’
Bryant didn’t like the way this man was able to make everything he said sound ridiculous. He worked all day with someone like that.
‘Well, have you?’ he pushed.
Jared’s head appeared and shook as Bryant heard the buckle of his belt snap shut.
He began to walk away when a sudden thought occurred to him. ‘Everything okay with you and your sister?’
‘Excuse me?’ he said, pulling on his shirt.
‘I saw you earlier, having an argument, in the reception.’
