27

I sit on the wicker chair by the window staring at the spider’s web that has appeared on the glass.

It’s odd to see one in August. Perhaps the rain has made it visible. Yet, with the cool temperature and the brooding grey sky, you could be forgiven for thinking it was autumn out there.

Elspeth loved the autumn. She used to call it ‘cobweb season’. Not only because the shops and houses in the village would be festooned with Halloween paraphernalia but because, unlike them, our windows at Larkfields would be adorned with the real thing. As I sit here looking at the web, the dew and moisture clinging to it like tiny diamonds, I think of Elspeth weaving her dream catcher. Why hadn’t I helped her properly when she asked me to sit with her that night? Why did I always want to be somewhere else?

I look at the web again. Its centre is straining with the weight of the rainwater, but the spider that created this masterpiece is nowhere to be seen. The web is its only legacy.

I’m driven from the memory by a buzzing noise. At first I think it’s the smoke alarm but then I see my new phone on the floor, its screen illuminated. Fully charged.

Seeing as the police won’t help me, this phone is the one tool I have to help me find Sean. My meeting with Grayling left me feeling uneasy and I’ve spent most of the afternoon staring at the wall. Now, as evening approaches, I feel a bit brighter. Maybe the pills are starting to work.

I put the phone down on the table then take the list I made the other day out of my bag. I start with Rob. After typing his name and the name of the company into the search engine I get his office landline number. I type it in and wait. It rings five times then goes to voicemail. Clearing my throat, I start to leave a message, telling him that it’s Sean’s wife and could he please call me back on this number. What number? My brain stalls. I don’t know the number of the new phone. I splutter my apologies to Rob Daniels’ voicemail then quickly end the call, my palms sweating.