Page 53 of You Lied First
‘Oh,’ I say. I don’t know how much the tickets are. But I know it’s a three-course dinner with wine, then there’s outfits for Liv and me. Plus nails and hair, at least for her.
Guy’s voice drops a notch. ‘I think you should come. Margot and I would love to see you. So that’s a yes, then?’
‘Err, well, thank you.’
Guy runs through the details with me. Then I simply can’t help myself.
‘Did you see they’re having storms in Oman?’ I say. We’ve just been there on holiday, I reason. It’s not suspicious for us to talk about the weather in a place we’ve recently been, is it? It isn’t an admission of anything.
‘That’s interesting,’ Guy says. ‘It can happen this time of year. I guess we were lucky with the weather.’
‘I’d say.’
‘Anyway,’ he replies, ‘I’ll put your names down for the fundraiser, and I really look forward to seeing you there.’ That’s the subject closed. But at least I know we both know about the storms.
I wonder if Margot is as worried as I am.
43
MARGOT
Margot’s always had the ability to lose herself in her work. There’s something about focusing on fiddly, physical tasks that enables her to control her thoughts. She spends the morning cutting out the frame of the house she’s making, then fitting the pieces loosely in position, ready to start gluing. All the while, she tells herself a different version of what happened in Oman. A version in which they never set eyes on Celine; one in which they didn’t know her and didn’t see her, didn’t go camping with her and certainly didn’t bury her in the desert. As fast as images from the real holiday flash in front of her eyes, she replaces them with alternatives; ones she can try to believe in – for her own mental well-being.
But her morning is interrupted when Guy steams into the room and slaps a newspaper down on her work bench, causing the tiny beams and boards to scatter every which way, wasting her entire morning’s work.
‘Guy!’ she snaps.
‘Have you seen this?’
‘What is it?’ she asks, but she knows what it will be. Of course she does. The feeling of dread has been in her belly fordays. There’s only one reason Guy would buy a paper copy of a newspaper and bring it to her.
As he picks up Margot’s phone and turns it off, she reads:
Fear for missing expat
Fears are currently growing for the safe return of the ‘fun-loving’ British expatriate who was reported missing in the Sultanate of Oman five days ago. A local police investigation has not drawn any leads in the hunt for Celine Cremorne, and friends of the missing woman have launched an appeal on Facebook. Cremorne was last seen getting into a taxi to go home after a celebration on Christmas Day. The family declined to comment at this stage.
‘Oh,’ Margot says.
‘Turn the page,’ Guy says. ‘There’s more.’
Reluctantly Margot turns the page to be assaulted by a montage of images of Celine. She’s pictured in skimpy shorts, dresses and even swimwear. She’s on the beach, on a yacht with her hair flying in the breeze, holding a glass of champagne and cuddling a cat. In one, she’s in running gear wearing a race number and a T-shirt emblazoned with the name of a charity. In another, she’s surrounded by small children. In all of them she’s smiling, tanned, sunlit and happy. Margot looks up at Guy, appalled.
‘Read it,’ he says.
Exclusive: Who is Celine Cremorne?
The Briton missing in Oman is a fun-loving primary school teacher who makes time for everyone, concerned friends told theDaily Maillast night. She moved to Muscat, the capital of Oman, seven years ago, and works in an exclusive private school, teaching the children of wealthy expatriates.
‘We are devastated,’ says Lara Peters, a friend and colleague. ‘You couldn’t find a nicer person. Celine has time for everyone, and is incredibly popular with the children. She’s such a vibrant person. It makes no sense that she’s disappeared. I can’t get my head around it.’
While many expatriates in the Middle East fly home for the Christmas holidays, Cremorne chose to remain in Oman for the school holidays, telling friends she was tired after the autumn term and wanted to enjoy the sunshine. Peters recalls her friend saying she would stay in the luxury three-bedroom villa she shares with friends and make the most of the pool and beach. Average daily temperatures in Muscat at this time of year can be expected to reach a balmy 27°C (80°F) with just one day a month of rain.
Young expatriates living in the sunny Sultanate often share rented villas on private compounds, giving them access to facilities such as a swimming pool. Expatriate teachers in Oman can earn up to £2,600 per month, and there is currently no personal income tax.
Celine is the only child of Howard and Philippa Cremorne of Guildford, Surrey, who are believed to be flying to Oman to help the search.
‘We are deeply concerned, and are assisting police with their enquiries. It is all our hopes that Celine is found soon,’ headmaster Timothy Jackson said last night.
