They went back inside. The crowd had thinned slightly. Kane sensed that a few people now knew of the search and weren’t sure how to respond yet. Maybe they shared the nurse’s insouciance. But people were drinking as if last orders were about to be called. Now Kane tried to remember who had turned up when, who might have been using this as an alibi. He started to think through his options, how to respond without drawing attention to himself.

The band played on. The nurse leaned in close to him. After a moment he realized she was saying, “Do you dance?”

They danced. She took Kane’s hand and he twirled her. While he was twirling her, the police walked in.

Morrogh was accompanied by his shaven-headed deputy, Sean Reid, and a third man in a hi-vis bib that said Ascension Police Volunteer. As the volunteer stepped into the light Kane saw his bruised face and recognized the corporal he’d headbutted last night. The man’s gaze met Kane’s. He held it for a few seconds before scanning the rest of the crowd.

The room became quieter and this ripple of hush attracted attention. The police went to the bar, spoke to the staff. They got Cokes, sipping them as they looked around, as if counting off faces. Morrogh accepted a beer towel from the barman and mopped his sweat. The barman signaled to the band. After another minute the song ended and Morrogh went to the microphone.

“As some of you know we’re currently trying to locate the whereabouts of a girl—Lauren Carter. Fifteen years old. Ran off this afternoon. I’m sure most of you know her: blond, dental braces. At the moment there’s no need to panic, but we’d appreciate people keeping an eye out. Anyone here seen her in the last couple of hours?”

There were shakes of the head.

“Where was she last seen?” one of the RAF men asked.

“Last we’ve got is at her home. That’s Two Boats. There’s a possibility someone entered the home. We don’t want to speculate at this stage. She may have gone to Georgetown, but there’s no sign of her around there at present.”

No one knew anything, or had any suggestions, it seemed. Kane looked around the faces for reactions, got blankness. The police officer moved back into the crowd and people returned to their previous conversations. But there was a self-consciousness now, spreading to the men at the back. The atmosphere had changed. The military bristled, alcohol fueling a new machismo in the face of this challenge. The young Saints stiffened with a dutiful responsibility. One of the musicians packed their guitar away.

The nurse disappeared toward the beach. Kane went to the bar, where the officer who owed him a drink passed him a rum and Coke. Kane found himself amid a group of air support officers.