Annabel scoffed. ‘Not without trying to locate him first, I’m not. I’m hoping I’ll be able to see him through thewindow.’
‘I’m coming with you,’ said Rebecca. She opened her cardoortoo.
‘So am I,’ said Dan, doingthesame.
Fantastic, thought Annabel. With her rocking her PJs, her sister doing a great panda impression, and Dan all suited and booted, they had to look like the weirdest search party on theplanet.
Once out of the vehicle, Annabel scanned the car park, just hoping no one was watching. She led the way as the three of them headed towards the building and approached one of the pub windows. ‘Can either of you see him?’ she asked, peering inside. ‘Because Ican’t.’
‘It’s too busy,’ said Rebecca. ‘He could be anywhere amongstthatlot.’
Annabel turned to Dan, who simply shrugged. ‘I wouldn’t know him if I bumped into him,’hesaid.
Understandably so, she supposed, considering he’d never actually met her brother-in-law.
She turned and slouched against the wall. ‘Blast,’ she said. Annabel pictured herself having to go from room to room until she found Gavin, she could only imagine the comments about to come her way. She closed her eyes, cringing at the very idea. ‘This is going to be so embarrassing,’shesaid.
‘It doesn’t have to be,’repliedDan.
Annabel opened her eyes again. ‘What are you talkingabout?’
‘I can go in for you,’hesaid.
‘But you’ve just admitted you haven’t a clue whoheis.’
‘I haven’t. But one of you must have a photo. Everyone carries pictures of their nearest and dearest, don’t they? Look.’ He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. ‘Evenme.’
He offered it to Annabel who took in the picture of him and his mother. Seeing him at such a tender age she couldn’t help but giggle. ‘Wow,’ she said, causing him to suddenly snatch thewalletback.
‘That’s enough of that,’ he said, tucking it safely away again. ‘It was the nineties. Every young boy had hairlikethat.’
Rebecca’s coughing interrupted the banter. Purse in one hand and photo in the other, Annabel took the snapshot from her and, after a quick peek, handed it to Dan. She watched him smile as he took in the photographic scene – Rebecca, Gavin, and their three children in happiertimes.
‘Good looking family,’ he said, readytogo.
‘Thank you,’ her sister curtlyreplied.
‘We’ll wait in the car,’ Annabel informed him. ‘Come and get us the minute youspothim.’
‘I will,’ he said. ‘I better take this with me though, if youdon’tmind.’
Rebecca nodded her consent and, as Dan headed inside, Annabel took her sister’s arm and led her back to their vehicle. ‘Everything’s going to be okay,’ she said. ‘You’llsee.’
After getting into the car, they seemed to sit there for ages; and as time ticked on Annabel’s confidence began to wane. She wondered if she should be worried. After all, if the pub’s exterior was anything to go by, its clientele had to be equally as suspect. In an environment like that, she knew poor Dan wouldn’t stand a chance and, continuing to clock watch, she couldn’t help but think they were going to have to send in a search party to locate the searchparty.
‘What do you think’s happening?’ asked Rebecca. The woman was obviously thinking the same thing. ‘Surely he should be backbynow.’
‘Maybe, but we both saw how packed it is in there.’ Annabel tried to reassure herself as much as anyone else. ‘It’s probably just taking a while to get through thecrowds.’
Dan finally re-appeared. ‘Thank God,’ said Annabel as she and Rebecca jumped out of the car. ‘And he’s still in onepiece.’
She tried to read Dan’s face as he approached, hoping for some sort of clue as to what he’d found, but there wasnothing.
‘Well?’ saidRebecca.
He looked her sister directly in the eye. ‘I think you need to come with me,’hesaid.
19
