“Not exactly,” Mira interjected. “I came by last night and she’d already messed up the bed.”

“You came by? What time was this?”

Mira paused, trying to think. “It was late. At least an hour after the party ended. I’d gone for a walk and then came up to check on Celine. I wanted to talk with her one last time before the wedding.”

Mira left out the part about Jesse. She wasn’t sure why, but the decision was a reflex. Phillip shook his head again. Seeing him now in the light, he looked much older than he’d appeared last night. His worry made the wrinkles in his face more prominent. The confidence he’d exuded the evening before was replaced with a wearying sense of dread.

“How long has it been?”

“A few hours,” Kristina interrupted. “We were supposed to meet her at eight and it’s past ten now.”

“I don’t know what to do. Should I call the police?” Phillip directed the question at Mira, his voice betraying a pleading for her to tell him yes.

“It’s too early for that, I think,” Mira told him. “She’s probably out on the grounds somewhere and lost track of time.”

“The wedding party has split up and are tackling different areas. The other bridesmaids are asking guests in the cottages if they’ve seen her. The groomsmen are going through the rest of the buildings. Most of the staff know too and they’re keeping an eye out for her. We’ve got everyone looking,” Kristina said.

“Then I’ll go look too,” Mira offered. “Okay, Phillip? I’ll see if I can find her. There are all kinds of places she could be.”

“Has anyone told her father?” Kristina piped up.

Mira tensed up thinking about Mr. Tatum. “Has anyone seen him?” she asked, and both Kristina and Phillip shook their heads.

“Someone should try and find him. To let him know.”

“I’ll go look,” Phillip said, his voice sounding calmer now that he was faced with a task.

“No, Phillip. I think you should stay and wait here in case she comes back. After last night, Mr. Tatum is probably passed out drunk in his room, or he probably went home. We should focus on finding Celine first.”

“You’re right,” Kristina agreed. “Somebody needs to be here, and, Phillip, if you go outside everyone will see you and it’ll make things worse. Right now, all they have is rumors, but if they see you they’ll know something’s up. This way we can keep everything contained until we can figure out what’s going on.”

Mira appreciated Kristina’s help, although she disagreed with her reasoning. Still, Phillip decided to stay, keeping watch inside the hotel suite in case Celine came back.