Page 71 of The Vanished

She nodded. “I’m fine, Max. Thank you. I just have a headache.” And she did. It was throbbing behind her eyes and radiating into her temples, no doubt brought on by stress.

“You should go for a walk,” Max said wisely. “Dad says fresh air is good for a headache.”

“That’s an excellent idea,” Gabe said. “Why don’t you have some breakfast, then take a nice, long walk around the lake. It will help you to clear your mind.”

He poured her a cup of coffee, fixed it the way she liked, and handed her the mug. Quinn took a grateful sip. Fresh air might be good, but caffeine was better.

“And then, before you know it, Jude will be here,” he added, no doubt hoping to cheer her up.

“He just rang. His flight was canceled. There’s a power outage at the airport.”

Gabe’s gaze slid to Max, who was clearly listening, his face set in lines of concentration.

“Is everything all right?” Gabe asked in a tone that was entirely too casual.

That was parent-speak for Should we be worried? And also frustration with his inability to go online and see for himself what was happening. A day without the internet and they both felt completely cut off. It was as if the world beyond the boathouse had gone dark, the people and places they knew suddenly beyond their reach.

“Jude wasn’t concerned. He’ll try again tomorrow.”

“Good. In the meantime, I can take the kids out,” Gabe offered. “Keep them occupied.”

“Out where?”

“Well, fishing turned out to be a terrible idea, but Reggie mentioned that there are several entertainment centers in Barrow-in-Furness. There are arcades, bouncy castles, and maybe even go-karts. That should keep them happy for a few hours.”

“Isn’t that awfully far? And how will you get there if you can’t use your satnav?” Quinn asked.

“I’ll do it the old-fashioned way and use a map.”

“Maybe I should come with you.”

“Or maybe you should work on the new episode of Echoes. It will take your mind off things.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Quinn asked.

“It’s my pleasure.”

She was enormously grateful, but she also knew her husband well enough to understand that he needed to keep busy, and, in the way of alpha males everywhere, he needed to do something to fix the situation. It made him feel better to be able to offer a solution, even if it involved taking the kids to an arcade and giving her the space to work.

“Emma will help me,” Gabe said. “She can keep an eye on Mia and Alex so that I can devote myself to looking after Max.”

“I love you,” Quinn said simply. “And thank you.”

“No thanks required.”

Quinn nodded. She felt a bit guilty, but the prospect of spending a few hours on her own won out. She was worried and, despite a full night of sleep, felt tired and emotionally drained. And she had to ring back Rhys, who’d left several messages. She couldn’t keep putting him off, not when he had to put out a casting call for actors, scout a location, begin the process of designing sets and costumes, and do all the other myriad things that went into the production of an hour-long episode.

She took a quiet, solitary walk after breakfast, but when she got back she popped over to the guesthouse and asked Sam to print out directions to the amusement centers, then made sure Gabe and the children had everything they needed before setting off. Once they were finally on their way, she settled in a deckchair and gazed out over the tranquil surface of the lake. The water sparkled in the midday sun, and even the island that had seemed so dark and menacing last night now looked charming and picturesque. Quinn drank in the peaceful silence, then reluctantly pulled out her mobile and phoned Rhys.

FORTY-TWO

“Where the bloody hell have you been?” Rhys exclaimed as soon as he answered the call. “I’ve been trying to reach you for two days. I was beginning to think something happened to you too.”

“I’m all right. We had to get away for a few days.”

“Why? What’s happened?”

“I’d rather not go into it.”