Sorrell looked at the phone. She hadn’t seen Lena for days. She hadn’t heard from her. She could well be with her parents who possibly didn’t approve of modern technology. She could be somewhere she wasn’t safe.
Sorrell unlocked the phone.
“Shelley might not want the New Year’s Eve shift or the New Year’s Day shift, but it’s one or the other. Do you want to tell her that or shall I?” Zack looked at the new shift manager he’d appointed a couple of weeks previously, hoping she’d choose to do it and thereby instil confidence in him that he’d made the right appointment.
“I can tell her. I just wanted to double check. I think she was planning on a heavy night.”
Zack breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head. “I get it’s New Year’s and she probably wants to get rabid drunk but if that’s the case she needed to apply for leave three weeks ago, not try to sort something out three days before.” He shook his head. He didn’t get some people, especially today.
He was missing Sorrell, which was ridiculous. He’d called her just after lunch to tell her about the latest alpaca incident when they’d found one in the dancing hall. The animal hadn’t been alone. Two of the residents were there with it, trying to dress it up with a top hat while coaxing it with May’s Christmas flowers from her nephew. She hadn’t answered, the only thing he’d had from her all day had been a text to say she was going for a walk.
There was a brief knock at his door before it opened and Alex entered with both dogs. He’d put in a couple of fairly solid shifts and looked tired, something that occasionally worried him about his younger brother.
“I’ll leave you to it,” his shift manager said, giving Alex an appreciative eye fuck before she left the room.
“Don’t consider ever going there,” he said, a low growl. “She’ll be the type to stick pins in your condoms.”
“You don’t half employ them,” Alex said, sitting down. The dogs automatically sat down next to him, long tongues lolling. “What are you doing for dinner? Mum’s headed back early—someone’s ill or something so they needed her back for the matinee tomorrow—so I was thinking about grabbing something in town before the hilarity starts with the Mummers.”
The Mummers’ Plays were an old tradition, where groups of locals would band together to act out a traditional story that always involved a fight, a near death and a doctor bringing someone back to life. The ending would change with each performance, the play never having a script. At the end, the actors would pass round a hat or another object for donations that would be given to the charity chosen for the year. There were three groups of Mummers scheduled for tonight, made up of the Morris dancers and members of the ever-present choir. Thankfully, no one had ever suggested any of the Maynards participate, although Jake had nearly volunteered one year.
“I’ll ask Sorrell,” was Zack’s automatic response.
Alex cocked his head to one side and eyed Zack. “You can do stuff without her. You know, she might feel a bit suffocated if you don’t have your own space.”
“What would you know about having a girlfriend?” He wasn’t feeling the love for his brother now, no matter how exhausted he looked.
Alex shrugged. “Plenty. Look, I thought it’d be good tonight if me, you, Scott and Jake ate together, without the girls. We can meet them after an early dinner, then you still get your Sorrell fix.”
Zack sat back. There was some logic to what he said. He wasn’t enough of a dick to not see that he’d spent very little time with his brothers this holiday. “Sure. I didn’t have plans to eat with Ells tonight, so I’ll just give her the heads up. Are Scott and Jake on board with this?”
“I haven’t asked them yet. It would’ve been weird to organise something only for you to say you couldn’t make it because Sorrell was…” Alex shook his head. “I really like her, Zack. She’s exactly the sort of woman I always wanted you to end up with.”
Zack grinned. “I really like her. I just hope she feels the same way.”
“Just use the Maynard talents and you’ll be fine.”
Zack laughed. It was the only thing he could do.
Sorrell didn’t like to pry but she also understood that sometimes people wanted to be pried. The clothes scattered around the room were out of character. The lack of communication was odd.
She unlocked her phone and went straight to Lena’s messages. There were several from Cam, friendly texts asking how she was, did she want to meet up; very interested texts that suggested he was interested in being more than friends but Sorrell would bet her month’s ration of chocolate that Lena hadn’t figured that out. There were the texts from her and then her aunt, one from each unread. And then there were texts from a number with no name.
Get fucking back where you belong. Whore.
You should be on your knees before me.
Bitch. I should take your sister before she turns into you.
Lena hadn’t responded. Not at first. Then Sorrell read the texts between her and her sister.
The weird guy who watched you, he’s been here. Mum and Dad don’t believe me.
Take photos on your phone.
Why? They don’t know I have a phone. If I show them, they’ll go sick at me for the phone and won’t be bothered about the weirdo. You need to get rid of him Lena, he’s scaring me.
I’m on it.
