Chapter Four
Daniel. The day of the kidnapping.
Itake the lift up to our apartment, unlock the door, and call out.
‘Hi, sorry I’m late. I called the restaurant and—’
Joel comes tearing out of the kitchen. ‘Daddy!’ he shouts, flinging himself into my arms.
‘Hey, dude.’
His bright-blue eyes sparkle as I scoop him up in a bear hug.
To my surprise, Nicola, our nanny, appears behind him.
I raise my eyebrows. Wasn’t she leaving early for a friend’s birthday party in London?
We’d even booked a sitter so she could make her coach on time.
Judging by her expression, she’s not happy.
‘Oh, you’re still here?’ I say, confused. ‘I thought you were heading to London.’
Nicola’s great. She fits in well with our chaotic schedules and, thank God, she has her own flat, so we don’t have to tiptoe around half-naked in the mornings with a nanny in the house.
‘Mrs Neal still isn’t home. I’ve tried getting in touch with her. I had to cancel my plans because I missed the coach. I did try calling you,’ she says, clearly annoyed.
‘You did?’ I check my phone. Sure enough, there is a missed call from Nicola. I was in a meeting and had my phone on silent. I glance up at her. It’s the first time I’ve seen her angry. ‘Shit,’ I mutter.
‘Daddy!’ Joel scolds me.
‘Sorry. Daddy shouldn’t swear,’ I say. ‘I’m so sorry, Nicola.
Jo was supposed to be home early. I’m sorry I didn’t see your call.
’ The central intercom buzzes. ‘Maybe that’s her,’ I say hopefully, though I know Jo would use her key.
I open the door to find the babysitter walking down the corridor, all smiles.
‘Hi,’ she chirps.
‘I phoned Mrs Neal’s mobile twice,’ Nicola says, pulling her bag off the hook. ‘Texted her, too. None of them have been read.’
‘I’m so sorry, Nicola. Of course, we’ll pay you extra.’
She looks at me, disappointment etched on her face. ‘It’s not about the money,’ she replies as she walks out.
Great. Now she’s properly offended. Meanwhile, the sitter stands in the doorway, waiting for instructions. ‘One sec,’ I say.
I check Jo’s location on Google Maps and see that she is offline. The message I sent earlier remains unread, and a strange tightness begins to build up in my chest.
I call the hospital. They confirm that Jo’s shift ended at four. It’s only a fifteen-minute walk from the hospital to our apartment. I try her phone again, but it goes straight to voicemail.
I call Gil. Please don’t tell me Jo’s out for drinks.
‘Hello, Mr Romantic,’ she laughs. I hear chatter and the clinking of glasses in the background.
‘Is Jo with you?’ I ask, my tone coming out sharper than I mean it to.
‘No, we split up after our swim. Why?’
‘When was that?’
‘Just before five, I think. Why, Danny?’ Her tone has shifted: she senses something’s wrong.
‘We had dinner plans. She’s not home. The nanny’s pissed off. She was supposed to leave early. Did Jo say where she was going?’
The background noise fades and is replaced by the sound of traffic. Gil must have stepped outside.
‘She must have forgotten the dinner,’ I say.
‘She didn’t forget. She left me at the pool and said she was heading straight home. She was stopping to pick up Joel’s comic on the way.’
I glance at the clock. Seven. She should have been home hours ago.
‘That was two hours ago,’ Gil says, echoing my thoughts.
‘I’ll call her parents. Thanks, Gil.’
‘Keep me posted,’ she says, tension now thick in her voice.
‘No, she’s not here,’ says Jo’s father, Donald, when I call. ‘Probably just got caught up at work. You know what she’s like.’
‘Yeah. Thanks. I’ll try again.’
Joel tugs at my trousers. ‘Mummy?’
‘She’s on her way, sweetheart.’
I glance at the sitter, whose name I still don’t remember. ‘Would you mind?’ I ask, nodding toward Joel.
‘Sure,’ she replies, taking his hand.
‘Snack,’ Joel tells her, leading her to the fridge. I smile. He’s going to be a bolshie little sod when he grows up.
Jo’s phone still goes to voicemail. I leave another message, and then another. In total, I make three calls and send three WhatsApp messages, all of which are left unread. I cancel the reservation, pay the sitter and order a taxi for her.
Then my phone rings. No caller ID. I answer instantly. ‘Jo?’
‘It’s me, Gil. Is she still not home?’
‘No,’ I say, my voice flat.
‘I’ve been trying her phone too, but I just get her voicemail. Have you called the hospitals? In case she’s had an accident?’
My stomach drops. ‘No. I hadn’t thought…’
‘I’ll do it,’ Gil says, then hangs up.
I pace. Minutes crawl by.
She calls back. ‘No one matching her description has been admitted anywhere. Danny, I think you should call the police.’ There’s a tremor in her voice. ‘I’m coming over.’