“You know what, it sounds like it might’ve meant more to you than him.” Lara lacked tact sometimes, but that wasn’t always a bad thing. “Maybe he just wasn’t feeling it.”
“Maybe. I just want to know he’s okay.” She sniffled again but the sobs had stopped.
“Do you have any reason to think he might not be?” We’d seen this before; we’d been this before. I remembered Lala out of her mind thinking that Carl had met an end somewhere because he hadn’t returned her calls for a couple of days.
She shrugged. “He was on the phone a lot after we’d, you know, hooked up, and he sounded stressed about something. I need to go. Maybe you’re right, and he’s just not into it. If you see him, and he mentions the name Carmel, that’s me. Tell him I was looking for him.”
“We don’t actually know him.” Lala followed her out of the door. “But if we meet him, we will.”
Carmel smiled, rubbing her face of tears again. “Thanks. Tell Marcus I’m sorry for bothering him. I can find my way out.”
We didn’t follow her, just watched as she left, heading down the drive to the gates.
“What the fuck?” Lara turned to me. “What the fuck is going on? Why’s she turned up here? Marcus!” She ran back into the house, towards the stairs.
I knew she was headed to the room Marcus used when he stayed, one at the opposite side of the finca to mine. She yelled his name again, sounding just the same as she had when we were teenagers and she’d found out about what he’d told the boy who came to our dorm.
“Lara, stop.”
His voice bellowed down the stairs.
I sat down, not needing to hear him, or be involved in this. Something felt sour, off.
“Why was there some strange woman downstairs asking about a friend of yours? What the fuck do you have to do with Ashley Kelly?” Lara hadn’t applied volume control.
“I thought she’d gone.” I could just about hear what he was saying. “She’s trying everyone who knows Ash.”
“How did she get in?”
“I let her. Hang on. Let me get a T-shirt on.”
Footsteps pounded back down the stairs and my sister sat down on the sofa, more tightly wound than a faulty spring.
She didn’t say anything to me, just kept looking up the staircase, waiting for Marcus. He appeared a minute later, hair mussed and freshly shaven. He was good-looking in a non-model way, tall and muscular through going to the gym, with a dimple when he smiled. I’d had enough friends who’d been keen to go on a date with him, only after what happened, he stayed away.
“Hey.” He gave me a smile as soon as he saw me. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you arrived the other day.”
“It’s okay.” It really was.
“Carmel’s been trying to find Ash Kelly – she was a one-night stand and she’s after a second go. Seems like he got himself caught up with a stalker.” He pushed a hand through his hair. “I thought she’d left. I walked her half-way down the drive then my phone went, so I left her to leave the rest by herself.”
“She said he was missing.” Lala stared at Marcus. “Is he?”
“I’ve no idea. I don’t know him that well. Probably only ever met him half a dozen times.” He checked his phone. “He’s not the sort you want anything to do with.” Marcus’ eyes landed on me, the expression on his face one I’d seen before, a few times since the boy in the dorms.
I thought there was embarrassment there, even sorrow maybe. Only for a second before his expression changed to unreadable.
“In fact, stay away from his family. They’re trouble.” He walked down the stairs, still doing up his belt buckle. “I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”
“The party weekend?” Lala had frozen, the frown on her face making her look troubled.
Marcus nodded. “I’ll be back for that.”
He left without a suitcase, without glancing back at us, his phone already to his ear and his words lost to the warm air.
Lala looked at me, shaking her head. “This doesn’t feel right anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
