with the person who abducted my friend? Terror seizes hold of me, gripping me tight so I can’t draw breath. I glance at the door. It’s not locked. I glance back at Konstandin. Stop it, I tell myself, calm down. He’s helping you, that’s all. And you couldn’t have got this far without him. He has his uses. I’m a stranger in a strange city; having someone who speaks the language and knows his way around could be useful.
I watch him switch on the radio to some obscure station and start singing along under his breath to some kind of Turkish or maybe Albanian pop song.
My phone buzzes and I pull it out of my pocket with the same desperate hope springing awake in me as earlier. But it’s not Kate. It’s Rob FaceTiming.
‘Hi,’ I say, answering.
‘Where are you?’ he asks.
‘I’m in an … Uber,’ I say, angling the camera lens away from Konstandin. I can’t really explain to Rob why I’m driving around with someone I don’t really know and that now I’m going to dinner with him. Rob would call me crazy and he’d probably be right too.
‘Where are you going?’ Rob asks. ‘Are you with Kate? Did she show up? Was she shopping?’
‘No,’ I say. ‘She’s not shown up. I’m trying to look for her.’
‘Did you go back to the bar?’
‘Yes,’ I say. ‘They haven’t seen her. She never went back there.’
There’s silence on the end of the phone and silence in the car too – Konstandin must be listening. He’s probably wondering why I’m not telling my husband about the clue we just found out, but how can I tell him that I went home with two male prostitutes last night and I can’t actually remember what happened after that?
‘Can I do anything?’ Rob finally asks. ‘Is there anyone I can call?’
I shake my head, tears stinging my eyes. I really wish he was here. He’s always so good in a crisis, so calm. ‘No. I don’t think so. I’m going to wait until the morning and report her missing to the police if she still hasn’t shown up.’
‘God,’ Rob whispers under his breath, as the seriousness finally hits him. ‘I wonder where she is.’
‘Me too.’
There’s a beat then: ‘Look, I’m sure she’s fine,’ he says, forcing a lighter tone into his voice. ‘Don’t worry.’
‘Hard not to.’
‘I know, but best not to go down that path. She’ll be OK. I’m sure.’
I don’t reply. The words get stuck in my throat like dry twigs, because I’m not sure. I’m not at all sure that she’s OK. And it’s impossible not to worry.
‘Call me later, before you go to bed,’ Rob says. ‘Or anytime you need me. I’m right here.’
I choke down the lump in my throat. ‘Thanks, darling, I will. And give Marlow a kiss for me.’
‘I will. Love you,’ Rob says.
‘Love you too.’
I hang up. Konstandin glances at me. ‘Your husband?’
I nod. ‘His name’s Rob. I’ve got a baby too. Marlow. She’s nine months old and she’s just got her first tooth.’ Why am I telling him this? I don’t know. I just feel enormously sad and depressed right now. I don’t know what’s happening and I miss my family. I don’t want to be in a strange city with a strange man trying to look for my friend and trying, too, to ignore the increasing panic that’s crawling through my veins. I want to be with Rob and Marlow, back home, where everything is familiar and everything is fine.
‘You will get to see them soon,’ Konstandin says.
‘Yeah,’ I mumble, blinking away a few tears. Hold it together, I warn myself.
Chapter Twelve
We’re in a neighbourhood away from the hustle and bustle, somewhere I doubt tourists venture. There are several ethnic-looking shops selling fruit and veg and phone credit, I’m guessing from all the signage, and there are women in headscarves and people of all nationalities going about their business. It reminds me of Hackney a bit.
Konstandin gestures down the street. ‘Come,’ he says, and strides off.
I follow him, irritated at the way he’s giving me orders but also relieved that someone is making decisions for me when I feel incapable of doing so myself. And he is right. I do need to eat. Nothing has passed my lips since that custard tart earlier. Perhaps if I consume some calories my brain will kick into gear and I’ll be able to formulate a plan. Right now I’m falling into a melancholic depression caused by tiredness and fuelled