‘There she is, the love of my life,’ said Joe. He wiped his hands on a rag and greeted his family. Kisses all round. The greeting extended to Kerry as Bex came over and gave him a peck on the cheek. Skip trotted out from the office and wagged his tail madly as Bex and Storm made a fuss of him.
‘How you doing, Bex?’ said Kerry. He dipped a kiss onto Breeze’s head. ‘And how’s our little princess?’
‘And me. I’m a prince.’ Storm pulled on Kerry’s trouser leg.
Kerry picked up Storm. ‘Hey there, buddy. I mean, Prince Buddy.’
‘I’ve brought some lunch,’ said Bex, lifting the bag she was carrying. ‘Sandwiches, beer and cake. Thought we could sit on the beach.’
‘Give us five minutes,’ said Joe.
‘What’s this, then? A tea party?’ Max came out onto the landing from the upstairs office. ‘Hello, Bex, sweetheart. How are you?’ Max came down and made a fuss of his grandchildren. ‘So, I expect you’re wanting a lunch break, Joe?’
‘And Kerry,’ said Bex.
‘Oh, I see how it is,’ said Max. He winked at his daughter-in-law. ‘No invite for me.’
‘You’re more than welcome to come too,’ said Bex.
Max shook his head and smiled at his family. ‘Nah, I’m only teasing. I’ll stay here and man the fort.’ He looked at Joe and Kerry. ‘Well, go on then, before I change my mind.’
The beach was quiet and the Wright family settled themselves on the blanket Kerry had grabbed from his flat, along with a golf umbrella from the corner of the workshop. He opened it out and stuck it in the sand, wedging some stones around the base. ‘There, that should keep the sun off the little ones,’ he said. He pulled out a tennis ball from his pocket and threw it for Skip to chase after.
‘Cheers, cuz,’ said Joe, cradling his daughter in the crook of his arm.
‘Oh, look,’ said Bex. She squinted against the sun, holding her hand up to shield her eyes. ‘It’s Sean Keane. He’s coming this way.’
Kerry glanced up. Sure enough, Fiona’s husband was yomping through the sand, heading directly towards them. Kerry felt himself bristle. An automatic response to the blue uniform of the Guards; a reaction left over from his wilder teenage years.
Kerry exchanged a look with Joe, who shrugged in response.
‘No idea,’ he said.
‘Likewise,’ muttered Kerry.
Sean Keane reached the Wrights.
‘Kerry. Joe. Bex.’ Sean nodded at each in turn and gave a smile towards Storm.
‘Everything okay, Sean?’ said Joe, his voice wary.
‘Have any of you seen or heard from Roisin Marshall at all today?’
The three looked blankly at each other. Bex spoke first. ‘No. I’m afraid not. To be honest, I don’t see much of her these days anyway.’
‘Me neither,’ said Joe. ‘Is something up?’
Sean looked at Kerry, waiting for a response.
‘No, I haven’t seen her either,’ said Kerry. He looked away to where Skip, having lost interest in the tennis ball, was bounding in and out of the water.
‘When did you last see her?’ pressed Sean.
Kerry looked back. ‘The other day, maybe. I think I saw her walking through the village. Couldn’t swear to what day exactly.’
‘What’s happened?’ said Bex, standing up.
‘Don’t be getting yourself all worked up, now,’ said Sean. ‘She didn’t come home last night. Her mother phoned the station this morning to report her missing.’
‘Oh, no!’ said Bex.
‘Her phone’s off. No one can get hold of her,’ said Sean.
‘I hope she’s all right,’ said Joe, standing up next to Bex and putting an arm around his wife’s shoulder. ‘Who have you asked so far?’
‘We’re doing the rounds now,’ said Sean. ‘I called by the bike shop. Your dad said I’d find you here.’
‘When was she last seen?’ asked Bex.
‘Around suppertime last night. Her mam and dad thought she had gone to bed, but when she didn’t come down for breakfast, they realised something was wrong. Her bed hasn’t been slept in. Diana has been phoning around. No one has seen Roisin at all. Anyway, I’d better get on. If you see or hear anything, let me know.’
‘Yeah, sure.’
‘Of course. Bye, Sean.’
‘Sure, that’s awful if anything has happened to Roisin,’ said Bex sitting back down on the blanket. ‘That family are blighted.’
‘Nothing’s happened to Roisin,’ said Joe. He passed Storm a juice carton. ‘Sit down there, Storm. That’s a good lad.’