Page 59 of The Vanished

“At night?” Mia asked, her shock evident.

The children had never been to the cinema in the evening since they usually went to an afternoon showing and then out for pizza afterwards. To go see a film at night was sort of a big deal.

“Why not?” Gabe said. “It’ll be fun. Now go play for a little while so I can speak to your mum. You too, Max.”

Max looked torn between defiance and suppressed excitement, then decided to follow his cousins into the house. They heard the television go on, and the annoying voice of SpongeBob SquarePants drifted through the open door.

Gabe closed the door and sank into the deckchair beside Quinn’s.

“Why did you take them to that island?” she asked accusingly.

“Because they were bored. When was the last time you tried to entertain four children without the use of devices? Taking them to the island was safer than letting them fish. They kept leaning over the side to look for fishies. I was afraid one of them would tumble into the water. So we gave up on fishing and decided to explore. We walked around for a bit, then came right back. No one was ever in any danger.”

Quinn exhaled deeply in exasperation. “Gabe, you were alone on that island with nary a phone between you. What if someone got hurt, or the boat drifted away?”

“Quinn, we’re fine. No one got hurt. And I can be trusted to tie up a boat. And we did have a phone.” Gabe pulled a small black phone from his back pocket.

“Is that a burner?”

He nodded. “I bought it when we stopped at the petrol station to get snacks. Just in case. Sorry, I forgot to tell you. How did the interview with Malone go?”

“Not well. They found Logan’s car,” Quinn whispered, worried Max might overhear. “It was left in some empty lot and burned out.”

“And the owner?” Gabe asked softly.

“No sign of him, thank God. Malone didn’t know much else. He wasn’t even in possession of basic facts. I’m surprised Sean asked him to take the case.”

“I don’t think Sean has much influence anymore,” Gabe replied. “You know how it goes—he was forced to resign after the fiasco with Edie, and now there’s someone new in charge. And the people who were once loyal to him see him as having been put out to pasture. He did what he could to help.”

“I know, and I’m grateful. I rang Drew after I left the police station.”

Gabe nodded. “That was good thinking. He’s bound to find something out.”

“Who’s Drew?” Max asked as he stepped outside. He came to stand before them, his gaze going from one adult to the other as he waited for an answer.

“Drew is my friend,” Quinn said.

“He drew you a picture?” Max asked and cackled at his own joke.

“He drew me several pictures of people I thought I knew,” Quinn replied sadly. “Now how about a snack? I’m starving.”

“Me too,” Max cried.

As they headed into the boathouse, Quinn reflected that thankfully she could still distract three out of the four children with the promise of entertainment and food. And just then, that was the only arsenal she had at her disposal.

THIRTY-SIX

Taking the children to see a film had been a great idea. They were happy and tired by the time they returned to the boathouse, and ready to go to bed. Even Emma went off without complaint. Gabe had just poured Quinn a glass of wine when her mobile vibrated.

“It’s Drew,” she said. “I’m going to take it outside.”

She didn’t answer the call until she was halfway down the dock. Sound tended to carry over the open water, though, so she still spoke softly so the children would not overhear the conversation.

“Do you have something for me already?” she asked urgently.

“Nothing definitive, but I was able to rule out a few possibilities,” Drew said. “Chrissy, whose full name was Kristina Blažek, did not return to the Czech Republic just after Max was born as Logan believed. She remained in the UK, and until January 2021 she lived on a houseboat in Chelsea with her boyfriend and worked at a nail bar nearby.”

“And then?” Quinn asked when Drew suddenly went quiet. She could sense his hesitation. “What happened to her, Drew?”