‘Has she been in touch with you this morning or last night?’
‘I haven’t seen her for a few days. Why? Is something wrong?’
Justin hesitated, as if choosing his words with care. ‘She’s not in her bedroom. I thought she might have called over to talk to you.’
‘Talk about what?’ Karl left his bed and crossed to the window, from where he had a view of his brother’s house. Justin’s car was still in the driveway.
‘Things were a bit fraught here last night,’ Justin admitted. ‘And she usually runs to you when she thinks we’re trying to clip her wings.’
Fraught was probably a euphemism for blistering fury, Karl thought. He was familiar with the rows Constance had with her parents. She was the eldest of three and often complained that her upbringing had been a dress rehearsal for the siblings coming up behind her. Justin was right in thinking she could have confided in him but not on this occasion.
‘Was it a bad row?’ he asked.
‘Apart from telling us we’d ruined her life, no worse than usual,’ Justin replied. ‘But that’s neither here nor there at the moment.’
‘What was the row about?’
‘Does it matter?’
‘If you thought she’d come straight to me then, yes, it does matter.’
‘We’re not allowing her to attend the Blasted Glass concert.’
‘Ah, for God’s sake, Justin, you can’t—’
‘We discussed it with the other parents.’ Justin cut across his protests. ‘We all agreed that the girls are too young… and they are. You should have asked our permission before you told them you had those tickets.’
‘I’d no idea there’d be a problem. They’ve been looking forward to that gig for weeks.’
‘I don’t want an argument about this,’ Justin snapped. ‘Right now I need to find her or she’ll be late for summer camp.’
‘Have you phoned her friends?’
‘Jenna’s already done so. They’ve no idea where she is. They texted each other last night about the concert. Hate rants about parents, I should imagine, but Constance never mentioned anything about where she was going this morning… or if she planned to go out during the night.’ Justin’s voice sharpened, as if the latter possibility was too dangerous to entertain.
‘Night? Constance would never go out at night.’ Even as he spoke, Karl knew this was untrue and the alarm he sensed behind his brother’s questions added to his disquiet.
‘What about the riding-school?’ he asked. ‘Doesn’t she help out in the stables when she’s on her school holidays?’
‘Not without telling us… usually,’ said Justin. ‘But you could be right. I’ll check there. It’s either that or she’s training in the park with the Harriers.’
‘I presume you’ve rung her mobile?’
‘‘She left it on her bedside locker.’
‘Then she can’t have gone far. That phone is like an extension of her right arm.’ Karl’s feet were cold against the wooden floor but the chill that ran through him came from an uneasiness that, as yet, had no direction.
‘I’ll check the beach,’ he said.
‘Why the beach?’ Justin sounded surprised.
‘If she’s out riding, that’s where she could have taken the horse. She’s just working off some teenage angst. We’ll find her quickly enough.’
After they ended the call he sat on the edge of the bed and checked his texts. Three days since he had last heard from Constance.
Have you got the tickets, Uncle Karl?
I have indeed, he’d texted back.
And backstage passes to meet the band. You owe me, kid. Big time.
What was wrong with Justin and Jenna, he wondered as he pulled on a T-shirt and jeans. Constance had been a fan of Blasted Glass ever since Karl introduced her to their new music. The fact that he could get free concert tickets for her and her friends had been an added bonus. He imagined her disappointment last night, her anger over her parents’ decision.
He heard Sasha’s door opening, the soft patter of her feet on the landing.
‘Daddy… Daddy.’ She ran across the bedroom, two Dora the Explorer heads waggling on her slippers, her Dora dressing gown flaring behind her as she jumped into his arms.
He hoisted her on to his back and they descended the stairs, singing the Dora theme song at the top of their voices. She held his neck in a strangle-like grip until he lowered her into an armchair and put on a DVD.
‘Ten minutes, that’s all,’ he said. ‘Then you have to get dressed for summer camp.’
Sasha ignored his warning, her attention already focused on the screen. Having moved seamlessly from the Teletubbies to Barney then on to Dora, her latest phase showed no signs of abating.
Nicole was still in her nurse’s uniform when he entered the kitchen. She looked tired after her night shift in Emergency.
‘Rough night?’ He kissed the top of her head.
‘Chaotic, as usual,’ she replied. ‘But no dramas.’ She plunged the handle on the cafetière and filled the kitchen with the smell of freshly brewed coffee. ‘What’s new in your world?’
‘Justin just rang.’ He accepted the cup of coffee and drank it standing up. ‘Sounds like Constance is in trouble.’
‘How so?’
‘She’d a row with her parents last night.’
‘Not another one?’
‘This time she’s letting them cool their heels. She wasn’t in her bedroom when Jenna checked earlier.’
‘That’s not like Constance.’ Nicole sat down on a kitchen chair and yawned. Mascara smudged the skin under her eyes and wisps of blonde hair feathered her cheeks.
‘She’s thirteen,’ Karl replied. ‘Testing the waters.’
‘I’m surprised she’s not here. You’re usually her first port of call when there’s trouble on the home front.’
‘That’s what Justin thought,’ he replied. ‘But not on this occasion. I know you’re tired but can you hold the fort for a short while longer? I told Justin I’d drive around, see if I can find her. I’ll be back in time to bring Sasha to summer camp.’
‘Go on, then. I’ll get her dressed. I suppose she’s watching Dora again.’
‘Need you ask?’ He pulled the hall door behind him and glanced across the road towards his brother’s house. Justin had already left for the stables.