“That’s fantastic.”
One of them, I wasn’t sure which, laid a map on the kitchen table. I told them from where Miller may have launched his boat then left them to go and change. I was back in the kitchen in a matter of minutes, still pulling a jumper over my t-shirt.
Peter, or Charlie, was on the phone to the local RNLI station, informing them of the plan to organise a search party. The other one was calling up his friends. From what I could gather, these guys knew what they were doing. According to Mrs. Hampton, they worked in conjunction with the police for search and rescue. I wondered why the police hadn’t notified them.
“Does the RNLI contact you?” I asked one of them, once they’d finished their call.
“Sometimes, but normally only when it’s a walker missing that might have taken a tumble off the cliffs. But your dad said you thought your friend might have sailed into a cove for safety.”
“I’m not sure he has, it was just an idea. He’s not a seasoned sailor, but not a novice either. I just want to do something to help look for him.”
“I can understand that. We’ve got a team of five who know this coastline very well. You’re welcome to join us, but I don’t recommend getting into the coves; the tide is still in and the currents will be running strong.”
I wasn’t sure if that should have been a comfort or not.
“Okay, and yes, I want to come along.”
“And me,” Dad said, pulling on his walking boots.
It was another twenty minutes before we set off. Peter and Charlie were to meet with their friends; before they left I gave them my mobile so we could keep in touch. Dad, Mrs. Hampton, and I drove to the harbour. I thought we’d start there and walk in the opposite direction to the others. Dad unfurled an Ordnance Survey map on the bonnet of the car; he marked out as many coves and inlets as we thought we’d have access to.
“Hello, there. Are you looking for Miller?” I heard. I looked up to see two older men walking towards us.
“We are,” I replied.
“Great, we’ll join you.”
“That’s wonderful, thank you.”
“Most of the village is coming out to help. Oh, I’m Jim, by the way,” he said, extending his hand.
I shook it. “We’re really grateful for your help. We don’t know where he is, he might not even be in danger, and he’ll be so embarrassed he’s caused all this trouble,” I said.
“Well, better to find him safe and embarrassed,” he replied with a smile.
Just before we set off, I checked my phone. I sent two texts, the first to Miller.
Miller, we are all getting really concerned. The lifeboats are out looking for you, some fishermen, and we’re going to walk along the coast. If you get this message, please contact me or your brother. Dani.
The second text was to Daniel, to explain what was happening. He replied.
I’ve just heard. Thank you for all you’re doing and if we hear anything our end, I’ll ring.
It was Miller that I wanted to hear from; I didn’t.
Chapter Twenty-Two
My legs ached, the skin on my face was frozen from the cold, and although the rain had let up, we were all muddy. The going was treacherous in places, and Mrs. Hampton, Dad, and I let the guys do the climbing down to check ridges and inlets in the cliffs. As the hours wore on, the despondency grew. Fear gripped at my heart and I struggled to keep negative thoughts from overwhelming me. I regularly checked in with Daniel, and I could hear the desperation in his voice each time he told me there had been no news. The police had visited again, they, and Daniel, had gone to Miller’s house. It appeared there were two empty whisky bottles in the kitchen, and the consensus was that he had taken the boat out while drunk.
I needed to rest. While the guys kept going, Dad, Colette, and I rested on a bench. For a while we sat in silence and I scanned the ocean in front of me. The sun was up, albeit low in the sky and the sea had calmed. I was at least thankful for that. I wanted to curse Miller, to shout out obscenities and hope he heard how cross I was with him.
“I think we should head back, Dani,” I heard Dad say.
I hadn’t realised how long we’d sat on that bench, but I knew my backside was numb and my body stiff from the chill. I slowly stood, stretching my limbs, and nodded.
The walk back wasn’t with the same amount of enthusiasm we’d been able to muster earlier that day. It seemed to take twice as long, and a couple of times, I had to hold Colette’s arm as she stumbled over the loose rocks and wet earth. We hadn’t heard from anyone, and by the time we made it back to the car, a feeling of dread washed over me.
Dad drove home and I noticed him look at the scratches along the side of the car, he didn’t make mention of it, of course. I slumped in the passenger seat and stared out the side window until we pulled onto our drive and noticed a police car waiting there.
At first, I didn’t want to leave the safety of the car. The presence of the police didn’t bode well at all. Two officers exited their car, different officers to the ones I’d met earlier that morning.
“Mrs. Carlton?” The name threw me. I hadn’t been called by my married name for a while.
“Yes, I’m sorry, I’m not…” I shook my head. “Do you have any news on Miller, I mean, Lincoln?”
“Can we come in?”
Just those four words had me rooted to the spot. I’d seen enough TV shows to know that wasn’t good news.
Dad unlocked the door and they followed me into the living room. I sat; they stood.
“A boat has been found, Mrs…”
“It’s Dani. Miller’s boat?”
“It appears so, the family have confirmed the details.”
“And Miller?”
“There’s no sign of Mr. Copeland, as of yet. The boat was found capsized and heavily damaged. That could actually be good news.”
“How?”
“If the damage was caused by rocks, it could be that Mr. Copeland had moored up somewhere and the mooring broke loose.”
“Okay, so that’s positive, isn’t it? What happens now?” I asked.
“The Coastguard has launched a helicopter and are scanning the cliff faces along the coast, obviously there are search and rescue teams out, and it appears a lot of volunteers, as well.”
“I know, we met some of them. So you’ve spoken to Daniel and Lincoln?”
“Yes, Daniel tried to call you, I said we’d call on you as it’s on our way back.”
I picked up my phone to see a blank screen. “Shit, my battery has died, I think. Miller could have been calling me.”
I ran to the kitchen to retrieve my charger.
“If Mr. Copeland gets in touch, you will let us know, won’t you?”
“Of course I will. And if you find him, I’ll get to know?”
“We have to inform the family first, I hope you understand that.”
“Of course, yes, I’m sorry. I’m sure they’ll let me know.”
The police left and exhaustion overtook me. Colette decided to make a late lunch, although I wasn’t sure I’d be able to push a sandwich past the nausea. I curled on the sofa, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep my eyes open.
The sun had set when I was shaken awake. Lincoln and Daniel stood in the living room and my heart froze.
“What’s happened?” I asked, bolting upright.
“Nothing. Dani, they haven’t found him.” Lincoln’s voice hitched as he spoke, and I noticed the tears in his eyes.
“Why? I mean, they found his boat,” I said, not believing; yet fully understanding, what he’d said.
“They have to call off the search at some point, until the morning.”
“They can’t do that! He could be stranded somewhere, he’d be cold and…”
“They can’t see, it’s getting dark. They’ve been out all day and so far, nothing,” Daniel said.
I angrily wiped at the tears that had formed in my eyes. They couldn’t stop searching, not even if just for overnight. He could be hurt.
“Where did they find the boat? They’ve concentrated on that area, haven’t they?” I knew the questions I was asking were probably stupid, but I wanted the answers.
“Yes. The police told you the boat was damaged, didn’t they?”