1. GEORGE HAS A PERFECTLY WRETCHED TIME

Chapter 6 - MISSING

A few days after the Joanna incident Quentin left for work, at 8:30 in the morning, as usual, kissing his wife before he left and dropping the children off at school. That night Fanny got dinner ready as usual and she and the children and Roland sat down to dinner together as usual and Fanny kept on looking at the clock and wondering where Quentin was as he was usually home several hours earlier than this.

''Where is daddy tonight?'' Anne asked eventually ''He seems awfully late home tonight, is he working back late tonight?''

''I have no idea sweetheart'' Fanny told her ''As far as I was aware he was due home at the usual time so I can't work out what could be delaying him''

''Maybe he got stuck in a traffic jam?'' Anne suggested helpfully

''Maybe, but if he had he would call me or send a text to let me know. It is most unusual for him to be so inconsiderate''

Fanny excused herself from the table and went to her bedroom and called Quentin's mobile number but the phone was switched off. She sent a text message saying ''where are you?'' This was so out of character for Quentin, it made her feel uneasy. He was never this late home without calling first to tell her and his phone was switched off. Still, no need to worry right, there is bound to be a perfectly good explanation for this.

Fanny went back downstairs to watch television with Roland and the Children. George and Julian were given permission to take Timmy out for a walk, they were still grounded for another week but the dog needed walking still. Fanny sat there and kept looking at her watch and it got later and later. The children eventually had to go to bed

''This is the first time ever that daddy wasn't here to kiss me goodnight'' Anne said ''he really is awfully late home tonight but I guess I'll see him tomorrow for breakfast as usual''

''Yes dear I am sure you will'' Fanny said forcing a smile and trying to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Fanny sat up until nearly midnight and kept trying to call Quentin, his phone was always switched off. Eventually, she went to bed and hoped he would return home in the night, but he didn't. she lie awake all night waiting for him and getting more and more anxious.

The following morning the children wondered why he wasn't at breakfast

''Did daddy stay at work all night'' Anne asked ''wow he works so hard doesn't he, he deserves some time off soon you know''

''Kids you'd better leave a little earlier today because you will need to catch the bus today'' Fanny told them ''Your father is not here to give you a lift''

''I can drop them off in my car'' Roland said with a cheerful smile ''it really is no bother at all''

''Oh ok thank you'' Fanny said with a weak smile.

She waited until Roland and the children had left the house and then phoned Quentin's office to speak to his boss

''Is my husband there?'' she asked him and he told her no. She then asked ''what time did he leave work yesterday?'' 

''Well Quentin left work at 5 pm yesterday as usual'' his boss told her

''Thank you'' she said and put the phone down. She tried to call his phone, but again and again, it was switched off. She needed to sit down because she felt sick, she knew something, must be terribly wrong now, terribly terribly wrong. Quentin left work at the usual time the previous day and didn't return home and didn't call. Something must have happened to him.

She waited for Roland to return and told him ''I really should have called the police last night'' she said '' I knew something wasn't right, I just knew it but I waited. But I have to call the police now, I have to get help so they can find him''

Fanny started to cry, she couldn't stop it anymore. Roland comforted her ''Just try to keep calm'' he said ''I'll call the police for you, you can't do it in that state. We'll tell them he is missing and they can find him, he is probably fine and there is a logical explanation for this''

''You don't understand'' Fanny said ''we've had problems for months now, we kept it to ourselves and didn't tell anyone else, especially not the children. You see Quentin got into some serious debt which he is trying to pay off but it's too much, the debt is just too big and we are in a lot of trouble. Well Quentin got really depressed a few months ago, he started drinking more than usual and one night he told me that he had thought about suicide but didn't go through with it. Then he had to see a doctor to get some anti-depressants to help him through it. It seemed like he was getting better but I think he was just hiding it and trying to stay strong for my sake and the kids. But when Georgina told us about being a boy I know that didn't help, it stressed him even more. What if it's finally got too much for him, what if he's killed himself?''

''Come on Fan, you mustn't think like that'' Roland said, trying his best to comfort her ''We don't know that anything has happened to him yet do we, he is probably fine''

''Well then where is he then? Why didn't he come home last night? Why didn't he call? Why is his phone switched off?''

Fanny started to get very upset again

''I'll phone the police'' Roland said

The police came promptly after Roland had called them

''We'll need a description  of his car, the number plate and stuff like that'' the police constable told them ''it will help us to find him if we can look for his car''

''Yes of course'' Fanny gave them the details about Quentin's car

''Try not to worry too much Mrs. Kirrin, we'll find your husband. Sometimes these things happen and it turns out there was a perfectly harmless explanation for it''

Fanny wanted to stay positive but she had a very bad feeling about this

A couple of hours later the police returned to the house and what they had to tell Fanny resulted in her screaming in despair and collapsing into Roland's arms. Quentin's car had been found abandoned along a clifftop by the sea which was also a well-known suicide spot. There was no sign of Quentin and if a body went into the water there it would be washed out to sea and potentially never found. Quentin was now ''missing assumed dead'' The police would keep a search going but they were treating his disappearance as a suicide