Hannah opened hereyes and lay listening to the waves crashing against the rocks.The house here at Jacobsbaai was close to the sea, and the noise was deafening.But she loved it.
Ever since she was a little girl, the sea had called out to her.Everything about it enchanted her—the color, the movement, the unpredictability, the power, the gentleness, the smell, the touch of the water against her skin.As a little girl, she’d sometimes wondered if she was a mermaid.Her mother used to tease her and said she could swim before she could walk.
She wished Darryn could be here with her.They would have a breakfast picnic on the beach, swim later on, and would come back here to make love…
Jumping up, she wiped her eyes.Thinking about what she couldn’t have was not helping.The bigger the distance between her and Darryn, the safer he would be.Something had to happen; she couldn’t go on like this.
But for now, she was going for a swim.She rummaged through her suitcase to find her wet suit.It was one of the items she got from her apartment in Sea Point.She figured she had about half a day before Stephen White would realize she’d left Paris, so she took the chance to go to her apartment to pack extra clothes.
She hated the fact she couldn’t contact any of her sisters or her mother, but she didn’t want to take the chance Stephen had somehow gotten hold of the number of her new phone.She had no idea what he was capable of doing.
The water of the Atlantic was freezing, even in summer, and this time of year it would be very cold.But that wasn’t going to deter her from spending time in the waves.
Coffee would have to wait until she got back.
The sea was calling her.Minutes later, she crashed into the first wave.The cold knocked the breath out of her, and she laughed.There was no one else on the beach and, for the first time in a long time, she was able to relax.
Turning her back on the sea, she looked out over the tiny village.At least if Stephen bloody White came for her, she would see him coming.
Her headache was gone this morning, and she could think more clearly.Somehow, over the course of the day, she would have to come up with some sort of plan.
She turned around and dove under the next wave.
And she had to find a way to not think of Darryn every single second.But after the night they’d spent together, she didn’t know how that would be possible.
He would probably never speak to her again after her disappearing act.But that was fine.At least he was safe.
*
“She’ll be somewhereclose to the sea,” Hannah’s mother said.
“She’s been to her apartment; Zoe and I went there early this morning.Her flat is neat as usual, but there were telltale signs she was there very recently.Her mailbox is empty, for one.”
They were all sitting around Caitlin and Don’s dining room table and making a list of places Hannah might have gone.
“She won’t go to Hermanus, because you live there, Mom.And she is keeping far away from us,” Zoe said.
Dana sat forward.“Her agent knows about Stephen White, by the way.I called her this morning.I was wondering how she would get in touch with Hannah, and she said Hannah had promised to call her once a week.She’ll let me know when she hears from her.”
Caitlin got up.“I thought of calling her friends, but I’m worried some of them may know this Stephen guy.I’ve also realized she will stay away from everyone she knows, because she’s afraid he’ll hurt them.”She inhaled on a shudder and put her face in her hands.“I can’t believe this is happening, to Hannah of all people,” she ended with a sob.
Don pulled her into his arms.“We’ll find her, sweetheart, we’ll find her,” he soothed her.Tucking his wife close to him, he looked at his mother-in-law.“So, Brenda, you think she’ll choose to be close to the sea.We’ve established that she didn’t fly to Johannesburg.”He pointed at Zoe.“And Zoe doesn’t think she’ll go to Hermanus.She could, of course, have gone to one of the smaller towns on the other side of Hermanus or even to one of the other suburbs in Cape Town, but if she wants to stay far away from us, I don’t think so.So that leaves…”
“The West Coast,” Darryn exclaimed and, pushing his chair back, got up.For the first time since they started talking, he had a glimmer of hope that they might find out where Hannah was hiding.“Any particular place you think she may be?”he asked, looking at Zoe and Caitlin.
They were both frowning, obviously trying to think of something.
“Hannah didn’t talk much about her work over the last two years, and we’ve all been so busy falling in love and getting married, and though we all knew something was wrong, we didn’t insist she tells us.”Zoe sighed.“We’re wasting time.Let’s have a look at a map, divide the West Coast into parts, and start phoning every single hotel and bed and breakfast.”
“Why don’t you ladies let us handle this?”Don asked.
Darryn held his breath.What he knew of women, especially the women around this table, told him they were not going to accept Don’s suggestion without a fight.
But to his amazement, they all looked at one another and nodded.
“Whatever you feel is best, my dear,” his mother said.
He didn’t quite trust the light in her eyes, but before he could say anything, she cast her eyes downward.
