Page 106 of Somewhere Only We Know

And what I wanted – or rather who I wanted – felt more within reach now than for years. No sooner was the thought in my head than I found myself running back to my hotel. I was going to do everything in my power to find him.

I had to find Jackson.

Chapter 38

Bali

The heat from the late afternoon sun was strong and the back of my neck was burning, but I didn’t slow my pace. The turtle sanctuary was an hour away and I had to order a taxi to get me there. I wanted to get there before it closed so I could ask Utt if he knew where I could find Jackson.

The sign for the hotel was in sight. The entrance was tucked away down a slope. I ran down the hill, almost colliding with a minibus pulling out of the car park. The reception desk was swamped with new arrivals; a sea of suitcases blocked my path.

I swore under my breath at being forced to wait. These people would be filling in their registration forms for ages yet. I glanced around for any spare staff, but couldn’t see anyone. My breath was ragged from running and my hair was damp with perspiration. A headache was building in my temples and wished I had some water.

‘Excuse me,’ I shouted over the crowd to the receptionist. ‘Could you order me a taxi?’

‘Can’t she see there’s a queue?’ someone grumbled.

A shrill siren blared out from my bag, startling me. It was such an awful noise that people turned to see where it was coming from. It was the default ring tone on my new phone. I pulled the phone from my bag, anxious to silence it as quickly as possible, and saw that it was Harry calling via Facebook Messenger.

‘Maggie! Finally! I’ve been trying to get hold of you for hours.’ His words tumbled over each other and he sounded relieved. ‘Haven’t you been checking Instagram?’

‘No. A monkey stole my phone. I’ve got a new one, but it’s not completely up and running yet. And then I’ve been in a tarot card reading this afternoon. Is everything okay?’

Beside me, two children started to yell and cry at each other. I jammed a finger into my ear to concentrate on what he was saying.

‘What?’ He gave a laugh of disbelief. ‘No way! That was not what I expected to hear. Yeah, I’m great. Listen, I’ve got some amazing news. Guess what it is?’

‘Oh my word.’ I pressed a hand to my heart, hardly daring to voice my biggest wish. ‘Is it what I think it is?’

‘It is. Someone has found Brontë’s book!’ he exclaimed. ‘You’re going to get it back.’

My chest felt tight with gratitude. ‘I don’t believe it. Thank you, thank you!’

‘It’s in Watson’s Bay near the nudist beach. You must have dropped it when we were trying not to stare at the naked sunbathers.’

‘Oh my God.’ I felt myself sway, my head dizzy from the heat and the running I’d been doing. ‘I feel a bit faint.’

The lobby was making me feel claustrophobic amongst the tangle of tourists with their suitcases and pushing and shoving, and I couldn’t get any air.

‘Isn’t that great?’ Harry continued.

‘It is.’ Tears streamed down my face. ‘I really thought … I really thought …’

Dots swam in front of my eyes and I shook my head to clear them. I needed to sit down.

‘I’m heading into Sydney now to collect it.’

‘Thank you,’ I croaked. I pressed a hand to my mouth. My face felt clammy and cool despite the heat. ‘But there’s no need to rush; it must be getting late in Australia?’

‘The cool thing is that a girl I’ve been talking to is coming to Bali tomorrow, so there isn’t much time to get it organised. I’m going to send her your contact details. You’ve met her actually. Lola? Do you remember?’

‘Excuse me,’ I mumbled, edging past an elderly couple bickering over who’d got the passports. They were blocking the path to a spare seat on a sofa and I needed it. I needed to sit down – now.

‘Maggie? You sound weird, are you okay?’

‘Hot. That’s all.’ I took a couple of breaths as I sat down on the sofa. ‘Harry, I need to know something. Did Brontë plan to come to Bali to trace her dad?’

There was a silence down the line.