Page 117 of Torin

“Of course.”

“If the boys get back, wake me right away. Even if Gunnar tells you not to.”

“I will.”

She squeezes my shoulder as she passes.

“Goodnight, Hannah.”

“Goodnight.”

I listen as her footsteps disappear down the hallway and a bedroom door closes.

The lodge is quiet again. I stare out at the darkness beyond the windows. There’s still no sign of them.

Then I carry our mugs into the kitchen and pour the untouched coffee down the sink. The dishwasher is already half full, so I slot them inside, wipe a few stray drops from the worktop and straighten the tea towel over the oven door.

The kitchen was spotless before I started. I’m just looking for something to do. Anything except think. I wander back into the living room. He’s fine, I tell myself. He promised he’d come back.

My phone is lying where I left it on the coffee table. I know I shouldn’t pick it up. The last thing I need is more bad news. I last almost a full minute.

The moment I unlock the screen, Bennett’s photograph appears.

Two corrections officers are bundling him into the back of a prison transport van. His wrists are shackled in front of him, his shoulders stooped beneath the orange jumpsuit. He looks exhausted. His gray hair is disheveled, his face pale and drawn, with dark shadows beneath his eyes.

My stomach twists. I’ve never seen Professor Bennett wear anything except tweed jackets, wool jumpers and slightly frayed shirts with the sleeves rolled up. Seeing him like this feels grotesque. Like somebody has taken the man I know and dropped him into the wrong life.

I tap the headline.

PROFESSOR REMANDED IN CUSTODY AS SEARCH FOR MISSING WOMAN CONTINUES

My heart begins to pound.

Professor Carson Bennett, 58, appeared before Cedar Falls District Court this afternoon charged with the kidnapping of former student Hannah Hayes.

I keep reading.

Miss Hayes, twenty-four, remains missing five days after disappearing from her home. Prosecutors allege Professor Bennett groomed Miss Hayes over a prolonged period before abducting her and transporting her to an unknown location.

My fingers tighten around the phone.

Investigators believe Miss Hayes may still be being held against her will. During today’s hearing, prosecutors argued Professor Bennett has refused to disclose her whereabouts despite repeated questioning by detectives.

I read the paragraph again. That’s what they’re saying—that Bennett knows exactly where I am. That he’s choosing not to tell them.

I scroll lower.

A spokesperson for Ashbury University confirmed Professor Bennett has been suspended with immediate effect pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings.

Suspended. Already.

Further down, there’s a still from my father’s press conference, his face lined with grief as he pleads for the safe return of his daughter.

The caption beneath reads:

‘POLICE FEAR HANNAH HAYES’S LIFE MAY BE IN IMMINENT DANGER.’

I lower the phone into my lap.