Chapter 48
FORTY-EIGHT
Walking helped clear Nancy’s head. She would drop Lara at school, keeping a close eye on Rosie and making sure the other girl stayed clear.
Mia was always waiting in the playground for Lara now, a solitary soul in need of Lara’s friendship as much as the other way around.
It pained Nancy to see them sometimes, the two outcasts, but then she reminded herself there were other children in the class as well.
Children who may not be best friends with Lara and Mia but who rubbed along fine with them.
All this she would talk through in her head as she took off through the countryside that surrounded the village.
Having time off in the day was a luxury Nancy was still getting used to.
She’d never had time to do this sort of stuff before; she’d been working all hours.
Somewhat self-consciously, she’d invested in a pair of proper walking shoes and an ordnance survey map.
Then had tried to fathom out the orange topography lines, the blue streams, the dotted green markings that indicated the next footpath that she accessed over yet another stile.
Her walks had got longer as she’d gained confidence and experience.
Today she would go seven miles without once seeing a car or a shop or barely a soul.
She would bump into the occasional rambler, and they would wish each other a cheery good day, then would pass and after a few minutes, when she looked back across the hill trail, they would have vanished.
Ahead of her she saw a dirty, dark cloud.
It was dumping rain on the land, the grey sheet of hazy water visible.
It looked as if the wind was blowing the cloud in the opposite direction. Or at least she thought so.
She was about three miles into her walk when her phone beeped. She retrieved it from her small backpack and saw she had three missed calls and a voicemail. All from the school.
Service could be patchy out in the hills.
She stood exactly where she had been when the message had come through, telling herself not to panic.
Dialling into her mailbox, she heard Esther, the woman from the office, asking her to call the school as soon as she could.
She didn’t give any other details. Nancy swore.
Fingers fumbling now, she quickly dialled the school’s number. A drop of rain fell onto her face.
‘Hello, it’s Nancy Miller, Lara’s mum,’ she babbled as soon as she got through. ‘I had a message to call as soon as possible. Is everything all right?’
‘Ah, Mrs Miller. I’m afraid not. Lara asked to go to the toilet during lessons this morning and didn’t return to the classroom.’
‘What?’ Nancy couldn’t quite process what Esther was saying. ‘Where is she?’
Esther cleared her throat. ‘I’m afraid we don’t know. We were wondering if she had come home to you?’
‘I’m not there, not at home.’ As she spoke, Nancy had instinctively started to walk back the way she’d come. She had to head home to find her child.
‘Sorry? You’re breaking up,’ said Esther.
Shit. If she moved, she lost service. ‘I said I’m not at home.’ She looked back along the footpath. She was at least forty-five minutes from her house, maybe thirty if she ran. Too long, a nagging voice said in her head. ‘But I’m going back now. I’ll hurry.’
‘OK, well, let’s not panic. We’ve called the police and they’re taking a drive around. Is there anywhere else you think she could have gone?’
‘No. No . . . we don’t really know anyone around here yet.’ The rain was coming down heavier now.
‘We will find her, Mrs Miller, rest assured. I’ll call you again in another twent—’
She didn’t hear the rest. Esther’s voice fractured then disappeared.
Nancy broke into a run.