Losing You by Nicci French Read Free Book Online

getting a bit behind schedule.’
    ‘It’s odd, though.’
    ‘I’ll call you as soon as she turns up.’
    Back in the house, the party showed no sign of coming to a close. Karen was half-way up the stairs now, swaying gently and trying to open another bottle of wine. Beneath her, Renata was being introduced to Sludge by Jackson, who still had the camcorder slung round his neck. Only Rick, coming down the stairs with his thick coat on, was mercifully making his way to the door.
    ‘Escaping to your beloved boat at last?’ I said to him. ‘I don’t blame you.’
    ‘The light starts to fail so early,’ he said. ‘This was a terrible idea of Charlie’s, wasn’t it?’
    ‘Terrible. And she’s not even here.’
    ‘If I see her, I’ll give her an earful.’
    ‘Just tell her to come home. I’m going to chuck everyone out now.’
    ‘That was a quick party!’
    ‘I’ve got things to do, Rick. Pack. Find my daughter. Catch a plane.’
    ‘Right. Well, then, I’ll say –’
    He never got the chance to finish. There was a yowl, and then a flying mass made up of black dog, a human figure or two and a terrible smashing of glass. Pieces fell and shattered on the hard floor. Sludge shot past me and up the stairs, a flash of whining black, and on the floor in front of us lay Karen and Renata, surrounded by a sudden silence.
    ‘Wow,’ said Jackson, and started to pull the camcorder into position, until I slapped down his arm.
    ‘Well,’ said Renata, getting up slowly, pulling her jacket into place, glancing from side to side as if she had wandered by mistake into a staged farce. ‘Well.’
    Karen, however, did not move, not at first. She had fallen from half-way up the staircase, and now lay at its foot, a smashed bottle beside her, and her arm twisted unnaturally at her side. I squatted down to her and smelt the sweet stench of alcohol on her breath. At least she was breathing. She opened an eye and stared glassily at me.
    ‘Fuck,’ said Rick. ‘Fuck fuck fuck. Now what?’
    ‘If she has to get drunk,’ said Eamonn, loudly, slouching over to where his mother lay, ‘she should have more fun.’
    ‘Shut up,’ said Rick.
    All I could think, as I gazed at Karen’s spreadeagled body and blotchy face, was that I had to get hold of Charlie and none of this was going to get in my way.
    ‘Joel!’ I shouted, springing up. ‘Can you find Alix? There’s been an accident. Are you all right, Karen?’
    ‘I don’t think anything’s –’
    ‘Good. Sorry about all of this. Right, everyone, I think you’d all better go now. The party’s over.’
    Alix hurried into the room. Professional, concerned, she was a different person from the baleful presence she’d been earlier. She bent over Karen, who was now her patient. ‘Let’s see,’ she said. Karen was blearily opening her eyes and trying to shift into an upright position. She gave a shout of pain, and then there was another knock at the open door, which swung in on Ben from down the road, his bearded face beaming from behind a great bunch of flowers.
    ‘Sorry I’m late but I… Have I missed something?’
    Alix looked up at me as if I were nominally in charge.‘She’s broken her arm,’ she said, ‘and there’s a nasty gash on her shoulder that needs attention before she loses more blood. I think we’d better call an ambulance.’
    ‘Shit,’ said Rick. ‘Are you sure it’s broken? It might just be – ’
    ‘It’s broken. Look.’
    ‘Ow! That’s agony! The dog jumped on me.’
    ‘You jumped on the dog,’ said Jackson, indignantly. ‘You fell like a tree.’
    ‘Call the ambulance, Rick,’ I said. ‘I’ve got to find Charlie. Renata, can you get rid of everyone?’
    ‘But –’
    ‘I’ve only just arrived,’ said Ben. ‘I thought this was going to go on for ages. Can I at least have a drink?’
    ‘No. Sorry, but no.’
    I ran up the stairs, away from the heat and the noise, the mess and the confusion. I saw the clock radio by my bed.