The Disappearance of Katie Wren Read Online Free

barely a week ago. She seems foggy and disturbed, as if she's not quite sure where she is or what's happening.
    “You know what?” I say with a smile, trying not to act like I'm too worried. “I think I might hop on a train and visit you. Just for a couple of days. I've always wanted to see London, and the prices are very low. If I book now, I can be there tonight, and then -”
    “No!” she says suddenly.
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “I'm fine, Mum!”
    “I'm sure you are, but I'd like to -”
    “Don't come!”
    “Sweetheart -”
    “Mum do not come here!” she says firmly. “I'm serious! There's nothing wrong except maybe I have flu, and the last thing I need right now is to have you hovering around the place!”
    “I hardly think I'd be hovering,” I reply, feeling a little put out by her resistance. “You said before you left that you'd like it if I visited. I was going to come toward the end of your stay, but now I think I'll -”
    “If you come, I won't let you in!”
    I open my mouth to ask what she means, but it's clear from her defiant stare that she's very firmly against the idea of me showing up.
    “It'd be embarrassing,” she continues. “Everyone else doesn't have their parents showing up to check on them.”
    “I wouldn't be -”
    “Just leave me alone,” she adds. “Mum, I really want to go to bed. I have flu, and I need to sleep it off, and if it's still bad tomorrow I'll go to the pharmacy. I promise. I'll get drugged to the eyeballs on every medication they have. Does that make you feel better?”
    “And you'll call me?”
    She sighs, as if she's talking to an irritating child. “Yes, Mum. I'll call you!”
    “Tonight?”
    “Tomorrow!”
    “I'd rather -”
    “I'll call tomorrow! And now I'm going to bed! Have a nice afternoon, Mum! Bye!”
    “What about -”
    The call suddenly ends. I immediately click to restart, but this time Katie doesn't pick up. Sighing, I sit back on the sofa and try to figure out how quickly I could get to the train station, before realizing that perhaps I should respect Katie's wishes. After all, she's a capable young woman and I certainly wouldn't want to be bothered if I were in her shoes. I can wait one more day, to see if she gets better, but if she still looks so poorly tomorrow I shall immediately book myself onto a train. Flu is one thing, but I'm worried about those cuts on her chest.
    Getting up from the sofa, I head to the kitchen and start opening a bottle of white wine. My hands are trembling a little and I need to calm down.

Chapter Five
    The Fifth Call
     
    “Katie? Are you there? Katie?”
    I wait, but all I hear for a few seconds is a buzz of static. The screen is still blank, but the call appears to be connected and after a moment I realize there's a faint rustling sound on the other end of the line, along with what sounds like heavy breathing. I think I'm hearing the correct audio, even if the video is a little hard to discern.
    I grab my spectacles, which have been resting on this week's Radio Times , in the hope that they might help.
    “Katie?” I say firmly, trying not to panic. “I told you to call me! I waited all evening, but finally I realized you seemed to have forgotten. How are you today? Is your flu a little better?”
    The only response is more static, accompanied by the continued close breathing sound. It's almost as if her mouth is right against her laptop's microphone. Either that, or perhaps there's some kind of wrong connection. I don't know if these computers can get their wires crossed, but I certainly hope that I've accidentally called the wrong person. Still, Katie's username is showing at the top of the screen.
    “Katie?”
    I wait, while telling myself to stay calm and not become one of those awful, stereotypical screeching mothers.
    “Katie, say something,” I continue. “Katie -”
    “Hey Mum,” she replies suddenly, sounding even more tired and weak than before. “It's me.”
    “Why isn't your camera