* * *
The hotel is on the Royal Mile, right in the centre of Edinburgh, and despite me constantly expecting to be asked to leave because they’ve realised I don’t belong there, I love it. Rose has booked a suite, and we both have our own bedrooms, in addition to a lounge area. I didn’t even know hotels had rooms like this. And though I’d hoped the hotel would have facilities I could use, the pool and spa are even more gorgeous than I could possibly have imagined.
Following a fancy dinner in our suite, I decide to head to bed early. The antics of the day’s travel and the champagne bubbles making me feel tired. I leave Matt and Rose curled up watching a romcom, with Sean half-watching from a chair near the door. I fall asleep quickly, until an annoying buzz from my phone by the bed wakes me from a deep sleep. The room is pitch-black when I open my eyes, and my mouth is still dry and tastes gross, despite the fact I didn’t drink much last night. I debate switching it off and going back to sleep, but something makes me answer.
‘Hello?’ I murmur.
‘Is this Niamh Whyte?’
‘Erm, who’s calling?’
‘This is Sergeant Nevin calling from Ayr Police Station.’
‘What?’ I sit up and for a moment, my heart stops and I wonder what sort of trouble Rose has got herself into.
‘We’ve tried your house, but you weren’t there. Can you tell us your location and we’ll send our officers to come and speak to you?’
‘Erm, yes, but… Why?’ My mind runs through a very short list of possibilities and lands on the most likely. ‘Has something happened?’ Then I realise that Ayr is the largest town near where my parents were headed.
‘This isn’t really a conversation for over the phone. Can you tell us where you are, please?’
I then think about all the things you’re warned to do if scammers call you asking for information like this. But I don’t do any of them. For some reason, I know this is genuine. I give the woman on the phone the name of the hotel.
‘I’ll come downstairs and meet you out the front. I don’t want… I don’t want to make a fuss in the hotel.’
She’s quiet for a moment. ‘You haven’t done anything wrong, Miss Whyte.’
‘I’d still prefer to come downstairs. I’ll be outside in ten minutes.’
I quickly get dressed but don’t even make it to the door of the suite when I realise Sean is sitting on the sofa, reading something on his phone.
‘Going somewhere?’
I swallow, not sure what to say.
‘What’s happened, Niamh?’
‘The police called. They want to speak to me. Outside.’
He stands up and takes a step towards me, all trace of friendliness wiped from his features.
‘Why?’
‘They didn’t say. Just that it wasn’t something to discuss over the phone.’
His brow furrows, eyes narrowing as his gaze sharpens, lingering on me a moment too long. ‘Is this something that happens often?’
‘No, I don’t… I don’t know what it’s about. I should go.’
He nods slowly, his lips pressing into a thin line, and a flicker of something cold glints in his expression. ‘Text me once you find out.’
‘Yeah, sure, okay.’ I hurry from the room, wincing when the door slams behind me.
The sky is pitch-black, and the early-morning air is chilly. I hover inside the entrance to keep warm until I see a police car pull up outside.
A uniformed police officer gets out the passenger side.
‘Miss Whyte?’ she says as she moves towards me, and I nod, rubbing my arms against the cold. I’m dressed warmly, but the chill is coming from inside me. She smiles at me, and the sympathy in that smile is so clear that I know before she tells me that it’s bad. She holds up her warrant card as she introduces herself. ‘I’m Constable MacDonald. Sergeant Nevin asked us to come and pick you up and drive you through to Ayr. Why don’t you take a seat in the car for a minute while we have a word. Do you have anyone with you right now?’
