Page 24 of The Christmas Star

Theo was right behind me as I raced, as best as I could in high heels, out of his front door and back into Mum’s house. ‘She’s been reminiscing about Gisèle a lot lately,’ I said. ‘Talking about how sad it was they’d lost touch and how she wished they’d got to meet all those years ago.’

Heading straight through to the dining room, I rummaged through the mountain of paperwork left over from my previous search. ‘I’d put money on that being where she and Jackson are headed.’ Sifting through each item, I found numerous electricity, gas and phone bills, along with bank statements and condolence cards from Dad’s passing. There was even a dental appointment card. ‘I don’t understand. I saw her put them in with this lot myself.’ After another root through, I’d no choice but to concede Mum’s letters weren’t there. I put a hand up to my chest and looked to Theo. ‘She must have taken them with her.’

‘Can you remember what was on the envelopes?’ he asked. ‘Part of the address if not all of it?’

Scolding myself for not paying more attention, I tried and failed to picture them. ‘Nope. None of it.’

‘So we’re back to square one?’

I frowned in disappointment. ‘So that’s it? You’re just quitting?’

‘Look, I get where you’re coming from. But it’s not like Maeve and Jackson are runaways. They’ve gone on a trip. A badly timed one, granted. But they are coming back.’

As much as I wanted to accept Mum and Jackson had simply gone on a great adventure to see Gisèle, Theo’s lack of urgency grated. Mum hadn’t been herself since Dad died and not only did the fact she’d disappeared without warning prove she wasn’t thinking straight, I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her. ‘But we can’t just sit here and do nothing.’ I swept all the paperwork back into the drawers. ‘That might work for you, but I’ll drive myself mad with worry.’ As I closed the drawers altogether a second realisation hit. ‘What if that’s it? What if they haven’t flown to France at all but have driven?’ My spirits lifted. ‘That could mean they’re still this side of the channel and we have a fighting chance of catching them up.’

‘It’s a possibility, I suppose,’ Theo said. ‘Depending on how much of a head start they’ve got.’

I wrinkled my nose, hopeful. ‘Does Jackson have a licence?’

‘A provisional, yes. But he’s only had a couple of lessons. He’d never be able to drive abroad.’

My optimism vanished.

‘What about Maeve?’ Theo asked.

‘She’s passed her test. Before I was born, although I don’t know why she bothered.’ Deflated, I plonked myself down on a dining chair. ‘Apparently, Dad was a horrendous backseat driver. Mum warned him if he didn’t shut up, she’d never get behind the wheel again, but did he listen? After one criticism too many, Mum slammed on the brakes, took the keys from the ignition and threw them into the roadside bushes.’

Theo laughed. ‘Did your dad find them?’

‘Eventually. Leaving him to it, Mum got the bus home. True to her word, she never drove from that day forward.’ I sighed. ‘Not that any of that helps us with our current problem.’

‘Well they’d need a car for a start,’ Theo said. ‘Which Jackson doesn’t have.’

An image of Jackson tinkering with Dad’s old Volvo popped into my head. ‘Oh no.’

‘What?’

‘Violet!’ I raced to the front door, grabbing a key from a bowl on the hall console table as I went.

‘Where are you going?’ Theo asked following me. ‘And who’s Violet?’

With Theo close behind, I skidded to the side of the house and Dad’s garage. Fumbling with the padlock, my hands shook as I struggled to unlock it.

‘Here, let me,’ Theo said.

As he stepped in to help, I tried to ignore the dread building up in my chest.

Theo pulled open the huge wooden garage door, and we both stared into the empty space where Dad’s car once sat.

‘I’m gonna kill her,’ I said. ‘If she doesn’t kill herself first.’

‘Don’t forget about Jackson. He’s in the vehicle with her.’

We looked at each other direct. ‘Time to get packing,’ we both said.

CHAPTER 18

Wearing a pair of Mum’s beige slacks and one of her many cream, cable-knitted sweaters, I sat humiliated at the bottom of her stairs, coat on ready to go. With my elbows on my knees and chin resting in my hands, I looked down at the black anti-slip fur-lined boots I’d also had to borrow. ‘I can’t believe this is happening to me,’ I said cursing the ground Mum and Jackson walked on.