Chapter 1 — Day 1

The heat was easing off. The sand no longer felt as hot when Simon McAllister woke from his mid-afternoon nap on Playa del Caballero, a quaint beach in the touristy town of Belmar in southern Spain.

“Well, thanks for joining us.”

Simon looked to his left and saw his wife, Erica, smiling at him.

“How long was I out?”

“Oh, I’d say a good hour.” She then pointed at the calm sea in front of them. “Did you hear the ferry a while ago, blowing its loud horn?”

Simon adjusted himself in his low beach chair, feeling his back ache. “No, I don’t think I did.”

He felt a slight burning on his right foot. Had it stuck out from under the umbrella’s shade, he wondered.

“Well, you deserve it. You’ve been working so hard for the past several years.” She turned towards the sea. “Really, this holiday is for you.”

She adjusted herself in her seat and turned back to Simon. “You need to show me the vacation home your parents rented when you used to come here. You guys call it a holiday home, right?” A pause. “Was it really every summer?”

He nodded. “I’m quite sure it was every summer. I don’t remember spending our holidays anywhere else but here.” He buried his foot in the sand, trying to protect it from the sun. “We

walked by it yesterday and I was about to show it to you, but that’s when Oliver’s flip-flops snapped, and finding a new pair took us off course,” Simon said. “I’ll take you there, I promise.”

He leaned back in his seat. “James and I spent great summers here.” A smirk appeared on his face. “Mischief doesn’t begin to describe what we got up to back then.” He ran his hands through his hair as if trying to remember the details of those years.“Mum was always cross with us, but Dad was more laid-back about it.” He turned to Erica. “After all, what can you do? Two

boys, loads of energy, and three weeks of summer holidays at the beach.”

Erica smiled. “Well, you Brits have way too much vacation time. My parents could only afford to take us to the Jersey Shore for maybe one week, if we were lucky.” A pause as she remembered it all. “Time flew by and we had to pack and go back to godforsaken Langdon, Pennsylvania." She shook her head, remembering. “The only silver lining for our drive back was going through Philly.” She turned to Simon and smiled. “The three of us always begged to get cheesesteak.” A pause. “Easy to convince Dad to stop for it.”

Simon had heard that story many times. “Growing up in London wasn’t so bad. Plenty to do, loads of places to eat.” He paused for a moment. “But I must say, I do enjoy living in the suburbs after so long in London and New York.” Another pause. “Ottawa’s a great city to live near.”

“Yeah, if it weren’t for New York, we would have never met,” Erica said.

She took a deep breath. “I must admit, I really did not enjoy those pageant competitions.” She looked down and continued. “My mom really wanted me to compete, but I hated all those grown-ass people examining every inch of my body.” A pause, “I had to wear ridiculous makeup and have my hair done by my mom. And for what?”

Simon listened in silence, letting Erica unload some old wounds. Again, he had heard it all many times before.

“Well, at least it got me into modelling and moved me to New York. All my friends stayed in Langdon or moved not too far and not to mention, they didn’t do anything with their lives.” She ended her thoughts on a high note. “So I can’t really complain.”

Simon turned to her. “Do you ever think that if we’d never met, you’d have stayed in the modelling world?”

Erica took a deep breath. “I don’t know,” she added. “I really don’t know.” She looked towards the sea, though she was really looking beyond it. “I’m really happy now, so I’m not sure what my life would’ve been if I’d stayed in New York.”

She continued, “The modelling life is short anyway, so I eventually had to move to the business side of things.”

“Fair enough,” Simon said, wiping his face with his hand. The grogginess was gradually dissipating.

“What time is dinner?” he asked.

“Eight,” she replied. “It’ll give us enough time to get home, clean up, put the kids to bed, and head out.”

“Speaking of which, where are they?” Simon asked.

She pointed into the distance. “Do you see that lonely sandcastle that looks more like a mound of sand? Right behind it.” A pause, “Oh, I think I see Chloe’s hand going up and down. I guess she’s still digging.” She took a breath. “She was fighting with Oliver the whole time. I had to keep separating them.”

Simon laughed. “What else is new?”

“Well, I’m glad your brother and his family arrived today, so from now on these two will have cousins to play with and stay clear of each other.”

“Certainly.” Simon nodded. “How long has it been since we’ve seen James and the family?” A pause. “Two? Three years?”

“Yeah, at least two,” she thought. “Well, MotionTech has kept you so busy. This is our first real vacation in God knows how long.”

Simon did not respond right away, staring into the distance.

“Reorg after reorg, then having to revamp the whole supply chain — it was bloody horrendous,” Simon said. “Remember those days when I was shuttling back and forth between Ottawa, China and Taiwan?”

“Ugh, of course,” Erica responded. “The kids forgot what you looked like.”

Simon shook his head. “But that’s all behind me now. The company’s practically running itself, and I can ease off a bit until the next market shift hits us again.”

“I hope it never does,” Erica said.

“Yeah, me too,” Simon replied.

“He took a deep breath and rhythmically tapped the armrests of the beach chair. ‘Do you mind if I go back to the house? I’m still so groggy from the nap I can barely think straight.’ Then he looked up at the umbrella shielding them from the late-afternoon sun. ‘And this heat isn’t helping either.’”

Erica smiled. “Of course, honey, you go right ahead. I’ll get the kids in a bit and join you.”

“Thanks, honey, I’m not as spry as I used to be.” Simon smiled. “You’re the young and energetic one.”

Erica smiled. “Yeah, but I’m not going to be young forever, you know.”

Simon smiled as he slowly got out of his seat. He straightened his back carefully so as not to hurt himself, then bent down to give Erica a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you all later. I’ll send Guillermo to come and give you a hand.”

He then walked away towards a beach house not too far from where they were sitting. He thought to himself, I really missed this place. Maybe we’ll move here soon. Sell MotionTech and get it over with.

At El Mirador that evening, Erica and Simon were joined for dinner by his brother James and his wife, Lana. The restaurant was almost full, and the sound of loud laughter echoed throughout the space. The McAllisters’ table was on the balcony, where more than a dozen tables lined the terrace. The patrons all seemed to be enjoying themselves, caressed by the gentle sea breeze, gusty at times, which made it a quintessential summer holiday restaurant for tourists who came to Belmar from all over the world, but mainly the U.K. and Germany. Both couples had plenty of catching up to do, as the two families had not seen each other for several years, and there was no better place for it than this one under the star-studded sky.

“It took us a while to get here, but the meal was quite delicious,” James said. “It was certainly worth the wait.”

He smiled and continued, “I just realized we barely spoke during dinner. I guess we were all very hungry.”

Lana added, “That’s very true, but I expected the children to hold us up for a while. They’re so excited to see each other, who can blame them?”

Erica said, “Well, multiply the usual sibling banter by seeing cousins and getting super excited. Truely, who could blame them?”

Simon added, “I hope they finally settled the important matters like who had the better pillow, or who was supposed to sleep next to the window, because I couldn’t take it any more.”

“Yeah, I saw you leave the room. Right after that, they all started screaming and jumping on the top bunks. I figured you were going to wait outside,” Erica said, pointing at Simon playfully.

“I certainly did,” Simon said with a big grin.

Simon put his hand on Erica’s shoulder. “Well, if you two have forgotten, Erica has the patience of Job when it comes to the children. Gently resolving conflicts so everybody can have a nice evening.”

“Of course we remember. After all, who could put up with your antics all these years?” James said jokingly as he picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

“Don’t you start that, little brother,” Simon said with a big smile on his face. He too picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

Erica jumped in, clasping her hands together, and asked excitedly, “So guys, tell us what you’ve been up to. What’s going on with you two? How’s London? We miss visiting you guys so much.”

“Yes, James, tell us, what’s going on in good, jolly London? Still with the same firm?”

“Yes, of course,” James replied. “I’ve paid far too much into the partnership to just walk away from it all, and I doubt any other law firm would be willing to compensate me at this age.”

“Of course.” Simon nodded. “And how are Theo, Ethan and Holly? Are they all out of university? Working?”

“Well, Theo and Holly are, but Ethan’s still got a year left. Or perhaps two. He’s still figuring out what he wants to do,” James replied. “Who knows.”

Changing the subject to his younger children, whom he shared with Lana, he said, “But Henry and Sophie are doing great at school and have been asking for weeks about Chloe and Oliver.” He continued, “They spent the first part of the summer with Lana, since I had to work, so they’re really looking forward to spending some time with their cousins.”

Lana added, “What a shame we don’t live closer. They’d have been best friends, being so close in age and all.”

Erica agreed. “Yeah, I think about it all the time. My cousins were my best friends growing up, so I wished our kids had the same thing.”

“Well, Simon, just move back to London. Not that Ottawa has better weather anyway.” He laughed.

“Ain’t that the truth?” Simon said jokingly.

“Listen to your Yankee expression,” James said. “What are you really? American, Canadian, or an Englishman?”

Erica answered instead. “Who knows? I don’t even know where I’m from.” She took a sip from her wine glass. “I still root for Team USA, but I really like Canadians and how much they care for one another.”

“Before I forget,” Simon said. “We should take our ladies to see our holiday home. Erica keeps asking about it.”

James laughed out loud. “Yeah, maybe we can even ask to walk through the house. I don’t know if they ever managed to fix all the damage we did to that house.”

Simon took a big sip from his wine glass. “Well, even though I was the older one, you led the charge when it came to destruction. I just got in trouble because I was older and Mum and Dad thought I was always the instigator.”

James laughed again. “Well, as a seasoned lawyer, I can neither confirm nor deny the allegations.”

All four laughed.

“Speaking of childhood and children,” Simon said, “let me go and check on the kids, make sure they’re asleep.”

James said, “No, let me go. I need to get a jumper. Didn’t realize the temperature was going to drop like this.”

He then turned to Lana, then Simon and Erica. “Do you need anything from the house? Anything at all?”

All three shook their heads.

“Okay, I shall return shortly.”

As James walked to the beach house, just a few hundred feet from the restaurant, he could not help reminiscing about his childhood in Belmar. He had vacationed in Spain, Portugal, and Greece quite often since then, but it had been a long time since he had last been in Belmar. He chuckled as he approached the house.

He punched in the door code and entered. The smell of the house was exactly the same as that of his childhood vacation home. Humidity from the sea lingered inside, trapped among the wooden furniture, mixed with beach sand thinly scattered here and there throughout the house, all of it a reminder of the good old days.

He walked down the hallway toward the bedroom he shared with his wife, grabbed a light sweater, and headed to the kids’ room to check on them.

He turned the knob and slowly opened the door. Inside were two bunk beds, the girls’ on the left and the boys’ on the right, beside the large sliding glass door. A night light near the boys’ bed cast a soft glow across the room. There was still enough space for a couple of dressers and a loveseat strewn with the children’s things: a Nintendo Switch, books, and some clothes. He

could hear the children breathing calmly, but something did not feel right. He stepped a bit closer. His heart sank. He saw only three bodies in four beds. One of the beds on the girls’ side was empty.

Chloe? he thought. Or was it Sophie’s bed?

His heart sank further.

He stepped closer to the empty bed and touched the cover. It was, in fact, empty.

He quickly checked the bed above. In the faint light, he could see Sophie’s long brown hair, very different from Chloe’s shorter, dirty-blonde hair. Still, he pulled his phone from his pocket and turned on the flashlight to make sure. He aimed the beam at the top bunk. Only Sophie, sleeping soundly.

Stunned and anxious, James quickly and quietly backed out of the room, shutting the door behind him. He knew he had to search the house room by room.

The first door next to the children’s room was the bathroom. He pushed the half-open door all the way open and switched on the light. Nothing. The shower had glass doors, and the inside was completely visible. Empty.

He walked towards the kitchen and den, thinking perhaps she had gone to get something to eat. With every step, his pulse rose and his breathing quickened. But all hope vanished as soon as he turned on the lights. The kitchen was empty, the countertop showing no sign that a child had been there, ate something in a hurry, and left behind crumbs or scraps.

He then turned his attention to the sofa in the den, its back to him and the kitchen. Perhaps she had fallen asleep there. But as he approached the sofa and the whole of it came into view, he realized, to his disappointment, that she was not there either.

Panic was setting in. He stopped for a second to take deep breaths, but his heart was racing. He went back to his bedroom, the closest one to the den. Lights on. Empty. He got down on his knees and checked under the bed. Then he rushed to the en suite bathroom. Just like the bathroom next to the children’s room, there was no sign of Chloe.

The last unchecked room was Simon and Erica’s. He turned the knob and swung the door wide open. Switched on the light. The room looked empty. He dropped to his knees to check under the bed. Nothing but a suitcase. He shook it, but it felt empty, and there was nothing behind it either. He rushed to the en suite bathroom, turned on the light, but just like the other bathrooms, there was no sign of Chloe.

The last place left unchecked was the garage, which had a door leading into the kitchen. His fast walk had turned into a series of short runs. Back in the kitchen, he opened the door to the garage. James turned on the light. Nothing but two rental cars parked inside. He quickly went behind the cars. No sign of Chloe. He got on his knees and looked underneath them. Still no sign of Chloe.

He dusted off his hands and started peeking into the cars. With enough light spilling into each one, he did not spot Chloe. Why would she even go into a car and hide? he thought.

As he rushed back into the house, he began calling out in a sharp, urgent voice. “Chloe! Chloe!”

He moved from room to room again, panic now in full force, cold sweat setting in. “Chloe! Chloe!”

He went back to the children’s room, but before opening the door he paused to steady himself. He could not let the children panic and get frightened. He opened the door quietly and walked straight to his son Henry’s bed.

“Henry!” James said in a hushed voice as he put his hand on Henry’s arm, gently shaking it.

Henry gradually opened his eyes, then pulled back, startled. “What’s wrong, Dad?”

“Keep your voice down.” He looked around and continued. “Have you seen Chloe? She’s not in her bed.”

Henry sat up and, over James’s shoulder, looked automatically at Chloe’s bed. “She was right there when I fell asleep.” A pause, “I think.”

James nodded and said calmly, “Okay, let me wake Oliver.”

He stood up and leaned towards Oliver on the top bunk above Henry.

“Oliver,” James whispered. “Oliver!” he whispered again, this time louder. Oliver opened his eyes at once and looked at James in fright.

“It’s me, Uncle James.”

He let that settle for a moment, allowing Oliver’s mind to clear.

“Have you seen your sister?”

Oliver just shook his head. He seemed groggy, not fully awake.

James saw no point in waking Sophie and getting the same answer. The children were clearly asleep and had noticed nothing out of the ordinary.

He turned to the boys and said in a hushed voice, “Okay, I’m going to ring Simon. I’m not going anywhere, but you two stay where you are, alright?”

The boys nodded, their eyes wide with fear.

James slowly backed out of the room and into the hallway, shutting the door behind him. He then took his phone out of his pocket and called his brother.

“Hey, Simon, it’s me. Can you step away from the table for a second?”

Simon, still sounding calm, said, “Yeah, sure. Excuse me, ladies.”

A moment later, he continued. “What’s going on?”

James took a deep breath. “Stay calm, but I came into the house and I can’t seem to find Chloe.”

“Did you look under the beds? She sometimes likes doing that,” Simon asked.

“I did. I looked everywhere, even in the garage and under the cars. I didn’t look inside the boots, but I have a feeling she won’t be there either. Other than that, I looked everywhere. I even shouted her name throughout the house,” James explained.

A pause. Simon was quiet.

“I asked the children, but they didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. They were all asleep,” James continued.

Simon was still quiet. Shocked.

“I think all of you should come home so we can search the house and maybe the neighbourhood,” James suggested.

Simon said, “Yes, okay, we’ll be there soon. But look inside the boot too, just in case.” “Yes, I will,” James said as he hung up.

He walked towards the kids’ room, opened the door, and peeked inside. All three were awake, whispering among themselves. The moment they saw James, they fell silent and stared at him with frightened eyes.

“So… any sign of Chloe?”

All three shook their heads.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find her. She must be hiding somewhere,” James assured them. Henry, older than the others, offered, “Shall we help you look for her?”

“Thank you, Henry, but I think we can manage. You all just stay here. I know it is hard but try to go back to sleep.”

Before he could turn around, something caught his eye beyond the children. The curtain over the large sliding glass door leading to the backyard was moving, flowing gently.

The children watched him rush across the room to the window.

James pulled the curtain aside and saw the sliding door half open, perhaps left that way to let in the sea air. He could not remember whether they had left it open or one of the children had done it after they left.

Is that where Chloe could have wandered off to?

He slid the door open. The screen was already half open. He stepped through and headed into the backyard.

He pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight.

The small yard, with the Mediterranean beyond it, looked deserted and still. Scattered furniture, half-dried towels, and beach toys lay everywhere, forcing him to step around them like an obstacle course. The sound of the waves gave the scene an eerie soundtrack. James moved slowly through the yard, whispering, “Chloe? Chloe?”

Then he raised his voice. “Chloe!… Chloe!”

He walked towards the gate that opened onto the beach and reached for the latch. It was unhooked. He did not think much of it. Plenty of houses around town did the same. He swung the gate open and stepped onto the sand.

James looked to his left, then to his right, then straight ahead, but with so little light, not even much moonlight, it was hard to see anything. No silhouette. Nothing. He took several steps towards the sea, but all he could hear was distant laughter, perhaps some teenagers getting drunk on the beach. It sounded too far away for him to leave the children alone in the house and investigate. And why would Chloe just wander off into the dark and the unknown? That was every child’s worst nightmare.

He headed back into the yard, and that was when he heard several voices coming from inside the house.

“Chloe! Chloe!”

He went to the kids’ room, slid the door open, and stepped inside.

“Oh God, you scared me,” Erica said. She looked frightened, concerned, a dozen emotions mixed together.

“The door was open, so I went outside to see if she’d slipped out this way,” James explained.

“I don’t think she’s in the house. I looked everywhere,” he added.

He looked around and did not see the kids. “Where are the children?”

“They’re in the den. Lana is making them hot chocolate,” Erica replied.

Simon walked into the room. “Ah, where were you?”

“I went out through the sliding door to look for Chloe, but there was no sign of her,” James repeated.

Simon gave Erica a frightened look. “What if she didn’t wander off?” He paused. “What if she was taken?”

Erica screamed. “Don’t say that, Simon. Just don’t.”

“We need to call the police,” Simon said, his face turning stoic. His executive instincts had kicked in, overriding everything else. “We need to prepare for the worst-case scenario.”

Erica sat on the lower bunk, covered her face, and began to cry quietly.

James said, “But none of us speaks fluent Spanish. How are we going to explain to the police what happened?”

Simon nodded. “Let me call Guillermo. He can call the police. I’ll have him come over and translate for us for the time being.”

James nodded. “Sounds like a good idea.”

Simon took out his phone and walked out of the room. All James could hear was Erica’s quiet crying.