A SMILE IN A WHISTLE

Chapter 34

"Miss Danton!" the boss called out.

Oh god, what now? whined Sarah, walking back to her office on Monday morning after the usual boring meeting. She had barely slept the night before... After staying with Sam for a while after their delicate conversation, she returned to her apartment at one o'clock in the morning and hadn't been able to sleep until four. She was too busy thinking about the hunter. Her brain had fallen into the trap of dwelling on it for hours, and she hadn't been able to put an end to it. The last thing she wanted on Monday morning was an interrogation from John. To her despair, nothing could stop him from questioning her that day... He was panicking.

"Have you seen Rebecca?" he asked Sarah.

"No, but she suffers from nausea early in the day, so I wouldn't worry. She might be here later," she explained expeditiously, stepping into her office.

"I tried to call her this weekend, she didn't answer," John continued, following Sarah without being invited to. "Have you spoken to her lately?"

"No, I got distracted by other matters this weekend."

"Could you please try calling her? Now?" he insisted.

"Why? Are you actually worried about her or do you just need me to check that she's not already talking to a lawyer?"

Sarah immediately regretted her cold-blooded attitude. She didn't mean to be so irritable. The lack of sleep and her own worries were making her noxious. It wasn't fair of her to snap at John like that. After all, she could completely understand his fear... Sam had also expressed his concern regarding people's judgments the night before. A man's reputation will always be one of the main pillars of their pride.

Having said that, John's behaviour had been off-putting over the past weeks. He didn't seem to have any thoughtfulness or compassion for Rebecca whatsoever. In Sarah's eyes, John was being selfish.

"Sorry John," she apologised, nevertheless. "That wasn't very nice of me."

The boss stormed out of her office and slammed the door behind him. Sarah let her head fall straight onto her desk, exhausted from everything.

***

5:00 p.m. Rebecca hadn't shown up all day. It was Sarah's turn to worry. Her colleague usually sent her a message to let her know how she was feeling. Sarah tried to catch her on her mobile throughout the afternoon, but it had been turned off. As all else had failed, she unwillingly returned to the boss...

"Excuse me, John, may I have a word?" Sarah asked, passing her head through the gap between his office door and the wall.

"Yes, Miss Danton, as long as you intend to speak on a different tone than this morning's."

"I'm a little concerned now. Rebecca didn't come to work at all, and she hasn't contacted me. Did you say you spoke to her this weekend?"

"No, I didn't. That's why I came to you this morning. When was the last time you saw her?"

"It was Friday, at the end of the day."

"Was she alright?"

"Yes, she's usually fine in the afternoons. It's the mornings she has trouble with."

John took his office phone off the hook and dialed Rebecca's number one more time. It went straight to voicemail.

"Do you know where she lives?" he asked Sarah.

"No. I don't know her exact address."

"If I write it down for you, could you pay her a visit?"

"Yes, of course."