Finding Maisie

Finding Maisie: Chapter 17

Finding Maisie

Chapter 17

It took us a while to get back to shore. Harry had driven us quite far out to sea, although we could still see the shore, and we had a row boat. My arms ached from pulling the oars, Callum tried to row the boat the whole way but I could tell he was exhausted and in pain.

We hopped out the boat and onto a beach that we had rowed the boat into. It wasn't the one that Harry had taken me from but I recognised it from our family holiday. If I remembered rightly, it wasn't far at all from the hotel our families stayed at as we often walked by foot there. We would be able to get back to our hotel from here.

Both Callum and I lay on our backs in the sand to get some energy back.

'What was all that about?' Callum asked.

'What d'you mean?'

'I'm just a bit confused. So what happened was by you running away at the hotel they had to change their plan. Then because of that the abductor put me in the boat whilst Harry got you on the beach. If that's so, where was the abductor on the boat?' Callum questioned.

I had been thinking about this on the row back. I had thought what was the point of taking us out to sea if the abductor wasn't with us?

'I'm guessing he was going to meet us out in the sea on a separate boat,' I concluded.

'But why that extra effort? Why couldn't he just stay on the same boat as us?' Callum asked.

'He's probably more conscious about us finding out his identity, the abductors trying to be more careful. And maybe so he had time to move Maisie into a secure location,' I said.

'Yeah, probably,' Callum replied. 'So I'm gathering that the abductor didn't mean for us to find that picture of your family.'

I dropped my head down thinking about more of my family betraying me, 'No.'

Callum scooted over to me, 'Poppy, are you alright?'

'Yeah, it's just I don't know who to trust now. Anyone could be lying to me. I already suspected that he was one of my family because of him lying to Adam, but to see it confirmed makes it all that more real.'

'I know, it's weird. I understand, Poppy, I understand how you feel because your family are practically mine as well. But once we find out who the abductor is it will be over.'

I smiled slightly at Callums attempt to comfort me.

'And this is an advantage,' Callum said.

I raised my eyebrows, 'How so?'

'Because we know them, Poppy. And they know us. I can say that as a child no one was mean to me, with the exception of Adam. That means they have no reason to hate me. And that's the same for you,' Callum said.

'Except my Auntie Melonie,' I informed.

'Aunt Melonie, how was she mean?' Callum questioned.

'She was just always snappy and gave me strange looks, that's all. But she's not a man, she can't be the abductor.'

'She's not, but...' Callum said, thinking. 'Don't worry. Are we getting back to our hotel?'

I nodded and stood up, curious as to how Callum was going to finish that sentence, but I knew that if I needed to know then Callum would've said.

Callum and I stood up from the sitting in the sand and began to make our way back to the hotel.

'What are we supposed to do now?' Callum asked as we walked down the street.