The driver shrugged and gave a dismissive wave of his hand by way of an answer.

I wanted to scream. With a shaking hand and hardly daring to look, I pressed the home button on my phone. The time flashed up in giant numbers on the screen: 21.25.

‘Shit!’ I muttered, furiously clicking on Find Friends. My mouth dried as I watched the little green circle that signified Ben’s location move jauntily towards our road, before drawing to a stop as it arrived at our house.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Ben pressed the fob that opened the electric gate and frowned as he pulled onto the empty driveway, unease immediately seeping through him. Where was Bella’s car? The house itself was in darkness, except for the usual security lights that were on a timer. His mind raced wildly and his heart began to pound. There was no sign of any activity. Had she taken herself to hospital after all? It seemed unlikely, given the state she was in when she called. Or had her car been stolen? Whatever the explanation, he knew it was something bad. He could just sense it.

Leaving Elodie asleep in the car, he opened the front door and let himself in, keeping it ajar as he tiptoed into the hallway, adrenaline and fear racing through his veins. He glanced at the alarm system control box and frowned as he realized it was still armed. He tapped in the code and stood very still, listening for any signs of life in the house. Apart from the faint click and whirr of the heating system, there was nothing.

Still not convinced that she wasn’t there, he moved from room to room looking for her, before remembering that she had sounded like she was in the bathroom when she called. He climbed the stairs two at a time and raced into their en-suite bathroom. But, like every other room in the house, it was empty and in darkness. Ben stood with his hands on his hips, looking around him in confusion. None of it made any sense.

When he had searched every room a second time and was satisfied that she wasn’t in the house, Ben walked out into the back garden, straining his eyes and ears for any kind of movement. Suddenly, there was a sharp crack as something moved in the bushes and he jumped with fright.

Not wanting to, but knowing he had no choice, he made his way as noiselessly as he could in the direction of the sound. When he was just a couple of metres away from the bush, something sprang out at him and instinctively, he leaped backwards, losing his balance as he did so and falling in an ungainly heap onto the damp grass. A large fox darted past him, its eyes gleaming eerily in the moonlight and disappeared through the hedge into the garden beyond.

Panting with shock, Ben stood up shakily and brushed himself down, still trying to comprehend what was going on. Bella had definitely been at home when she called him and she had sounded genuinely distressed and in pain. So where the hell had she gone since? She must have taken herself to hospital, but if that was the case, why hadn’t she rung him and asked him to meet her there?