The Rising Tide: the heart-stopping and addictive thriller from the Richard and Judy author(11)

‘And where’s that?’

‘Locke-Povey Marine, an outfitting company. His workshop’s at the top of Penleith Beach.’

‘He runs it? Owns it?’

‘Runs and part-owns it. His business partner is’ – a crook, a cheat, a destroyer of all things good – ‘Nick Povey. Was Nick Povey.’

‘Was?’

‘They went their separate ways.’

‘Mr Povey’s local to here?’

‘Yes.’

‘You’ve spoken to him?’

‘Not this morning.’

‘You have contact details?’

‘Of course.’

Noakes starts scribbling again. ‘Employees?’

‘Twenty or so. Although not all of them will have been in. He’s … They’re … downsizing.’

‘You know if any of them have seen Daniel today? Or spoken to him since he left the house?’

‘No one’s been answering the work phone. Customers usually go through to Daniel’s mobile. It’s a noisy place. They don’t always pick up.’

‘You haven’t been down?’

‘I only just found out. I came straight to the quay.’

‘We’ll get someone over there to talk to them. And to Mr Povey, too. Mrs Locke – Lucy – was Daniel … Has any aspect of his recent behaviour given you cause for concern?’

The cold kiss. The chilling goodbye. The sensation, all morning, that events are running out of control.

‘Not at all.’

‘I’m sorry to press you – but no indications of depression, anything like that?’

‘Will it affect the search?’

PC Noakes tilts her head. ‘I’m sorry?’

‘I know how these things work. You start thinking this was deliberate – that he sailed out there because he didn’t want to be found, and it lets you stand down the search, gives you a—’

‘Mrs Locke—’

‘—reason to call everyone back, when Daniel is out there, right now, depending on us to find him, depending on—’

‘Mrs Locke—’

‘It’s LUCY!’

She rocks backwards, shocked by her loss of control. The two police officers study her as if she’s just become a lot more interesting. Glancing around, she realizes that half the people inside the Drift Net are staring.

Let them. Never before has Daniel’s reputation needed protection. And now, suddenly, it does; cupped hands around a stuttering flame.

‘Lucy,’ Sean Rowland says. ‘The coastguard is coordinating search and rescue, not the police. No one’s thinking of standing it down – we’re only getting started. These officers are just doing their best to build up a picture of what might have happened.’

Lucy thinks of the Seago life raft, untouched in its locker. She takes a breath and blows it out. To PC Noakes, she says, ‘I’m sorry. I just … It’s hard to believe this is happening.’

Noakes nods, but her smile doesn’t reach her eyes. ‘It’s fine. Believe me, we get it all the time.’

Lucy glances at the clock. ‘School’s finishing. I need to collect my son – arrange for someone to look after him. I’ll be twenty minutes or so.’

‘In that case let me take some contact details.’

Lucy recites her mobile, her landline and her email. She gives out Daniel’s various contact numbers, as well as Nick’s.

‘Do you know your husband’s vehicle registration?’

Lucy relays that too. Standing, she pulls on her borrowed jacket.

‘Are you a volunteer?’ PC Lamb asks.

She shakes her head. ‘My ex is the lead coxswain.’

‘Your ex-husband?’

‘Ex-boyfriend.’

Beside her, Noemie rises. ‘Hon, I’ll tag along. You can leave Fin with me while this plays out.’





2


Before they leave the Drift Net, Lucy returns to the bar. Grabbing the landline handset, she dials Billie. The girl won’t answer – she’ll be halfway through her biology class – and yet when the pre-recorded message ends, Lucy hangs up without speaking. This isn’t news to be learned over voicemail.

Instead, she tries Daniel again: Hi, you’ve reached Daniel Locke of Locke-Povey Marine …

Lucy remembers the day he recorded that message, and the near-fifty failed attempts that preceded it. He’d started while sitting on their bed, only managing to succeed by locking himself in the bathroom. Much of the failure had been down to her – pulling faces, tickling his feet, walking her fingers under his shorts. Finally victorious, he’d emerged from the bathroom and bowed, and she’d led him back to the bedroom for his reward.

The memory shrinks Lucy’s stomach. That Daniel’s been gone a while; she’s been doing everything she can to bring him back. ‘Hey, Goof,’ she says. ‘I don’t know what’s happening. But come home to me, OK? Nothing else matters.’





3


Outside, over the salt and seaweed, the wind carries a sharp tang of ozone. In the last half hour, conditions have worsened considerably. The ocean looks like a gargantuan black lung, expanding and contracting, steadily marshalling its power. Seven miles offshore, a swell that size will hide Daniel from all but the closest boats. While the coastguard helicopter should fare better, its flight time is restricted by the distance to its South Wales base.