The Disappearance of Katie Wren Read Online Free Page A

on?” I ask, staring at the blank screen. “Katie, turn your camera on! I want to see you!”
    I hear a bumping sound, barely audible over the continued static.
    “I don't know,” she stammers finally. “Something's wrong with it. I don't know. I can't make it work. Maybe a wire's loose somewhere. The little light's on.”
    “Well, can you fix it?” I ask. “I want to see your face.”
    The bumping resumes, accompanied by a faint clicking, but the screen remains resolutely blank. Just as I'm about to ask if she has a spare camera anywhere, I hear a sudden, brief roaring sound through the static, followed by a set of heavy, thumping footsteps. It sounds like an absolute elephant is thundering through her apartment.
    “Katie?” I continue. “What in the name of God was that?”
    “I can't make the camera go on,” she replies, sounding as if she's on the verge of falling asleep. “I'm sorry, it just won't work.”
    “Who -”
    Before I can finish, I hear glass breaking.
    “Who's with you?” I ask. “What are you doing?”
    “There's no-one with me,” she replies. “I'm all alone. And don't worry, all the doors and windows are locked. I checked a lot of times.”
    “Did you drop a cup?”
    “Huh?”
    “I heard the sound of breaking glass.”
    “Not here,” she mumbles. “Maybe it was on your end.”
    “No,” I say firmly, “I quite distinctly heard -”
    Suddenly I hear a rumbling voice in the background, as if someone is whispering to Katie. The sound is too distorted for me to make out any of the words, but it definitely sounds like a man.
    “There's someone with you,” I continue. “Katie, who is it? Is it that Fernando boy? Is he there with you?”
    “There's no-one here.”
    “I can hear him whispering to you!”
    “Well I don't hear anyone!” she replies, sounding a little exasperated. “Mum, seriously, there's no-one here! Don't you think I'd know if there was? I'm not a complete moron.”
    I pause for a moment, listening as the whispering continues. I can't quite make out the words, but I'm no fool and it's abundantly clear that she has someone with her in the apartment. Katie has never been the kind of girl who hides things from me, and while I'm glad that she seems to be making friends, I can't help thinking that something seems very wrong.
    And still the whispering goes on.
    “Katie?” I say finally. “Listen, this is very important. I need you to fix your webcam. Okay? It can't be that difficult, you've probably just turned it off by accident. Please, fix it immediately. I want to see what's going on there!”
    I wait.
    No reply.
    All I hear is static, and the sound of a voice whispering with ever-increasing urgency.
    “Katie?” I continue. “Katie, I'm serious, if you don't answer me right now and get your webcam fixed so I can see your face, I am going to get on the first available train to London and I am going to come to that apartment. And if I embarrass you, I don't care, but I have to make sure that you're okay!”
    “I'm fine,” she gasps, although she sounds as if she's in pain. “Mum, I'm okay.”
    “Who's with you?”
    “No-one.”
    “I can hear somebody whispering to you! Katie, I can hear it right now, even as I'm speaking. Somebody is whispering, I can't make out the words but I am not a fool! Who is it?”
    “There's no-one here,” she replies, sounding a little desperate now, almost as if she's crying. “Mum, I'm looking around and there's no-one. It's just me and I'm -”
    Her voice stops suddenly.
    I wait, as the whispering continues.
    “It's just you and you're what?” I ask.
    No reply.
    “Oh,” she says after a moment. “Yeah. Sure.”
    “Katie?”
    “I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.”
    I wait, but I think perhaps she isn't talking to me. I think she's talking to whoever is in the apartment with her.
    “Okay,” she adds. “Sure, but I don't know. No, I don't know. I don't know.”
    “Katie! Talk to me!”
    The static surges