Read April for Free Online Page A

her.’
    ‘OK, but you can’t drive yourself,’ he replied. ‘I’ll get Tim to take you.’
    Tim lived a few doors down and was a close friend of Paul’s. He was already standing in our garden, eager to do anything he could to help. Like most of the street, he’d come to
     the door as soon as he heard the news.
    ‘Tim, Coral wants to go out looking in the car,’ Paul said. ‘Please take her. I can’t let her drive, she’s too upset.’
    ‘OK,’ Tim said.
    ‘I’m going to stay here and wait for news,’ Paul went on, handing him our car keys. ‘Take her anywhere she wants, just don’t let her drive.’
    Without hesitation, Tim jumped into the driver’s side of our family estate car. A wave of nausea washed over me as I caught sight of April’s booster seat and pushchair in the
     back. I was suddenly gripped by how small and fragile she was. Her little legs would be getting sore and her skin would be hurting without her eczema cream. Oh God, we needed her back.
    The countryside surrounding Machynlleth is vast and remote and it was hard to decide where to search first. It was gut-wrenching knowing that April could already be miles ahead of us, in any
     given direction. To be honest, I can’t remember exactly where we went, just that I kept telling Tim to keep driving. Adrenaline and terror coursing through my body, I was desperate for
     some small clue as to where my precious girl might be. Darkness was setting in and it broke my heart to think of her cold, scared or alone but I had to keep believing she was out there
     somewhere waiting to be found. I tried to tell myself that she’d soon be back in her room where she belonged, cuddling Dolphin and giggling as Paul made up another of his stories for
     her.
    Tim and I stopped almost everyone we passed. We flagged down other drivers and rolled down our windows to ask pedestrians if they’d seen April, or knew anything that might indicate
     where she was. Everyone was keen to help but no one had any information.
    At one point we were driving along a rural road towards the remote hamlet of Ceinws, when I spotted someone parked just off the main drag. It was little more than an hour since April had
     gone, but it felt like days had passed. I jumped out of the car and began thumping on the windows. It was only then I realised they had completely steamed up. It didn’t take a genius to
     work out what the people inside were up to. They evidently didn’t want to be disturbed but, of course, that was the least of my worries. I banged and banged on the door until the window
     rolled down and a sheepish-looking young man popped his head out.
    ‘My daughter’s missing!’ I told him, before quickly describing April and what she’d been wearing. He hadn’t seen her – and neither had his female
     companion – but I wasn’t in the mood to take any chances.
    At that point, we decided to change direction and head back towards Machynlleth. I can’t now remember why we did this, but we had no idea where April was and I was in such a blind
     panic that I wasn’t in a state to carefully plan where we were going.
    I had no idea that we’d been less than a mile from the house where my daughter was being held. In my more rational moments, I know that even if we’d reached Ceinws, the chances
     of us finding April in time to make any real difference were minimal. Ceinws lies less than five miles north of Machynlleth – about a ten-minute drive – and April had already been
     missing for over an hour. We also didn’t have an accurate description of the vehicle or the man who’d been driving it. I don’t want to dwell too much on what must have
     happened in that time, but it’s likely my daughter had already come to significant harm. Still, it doesn’t make it any less agonising knowing I’d got so close to her so early
     on in the search.
    Tim and I had been driving around for over an hour when I decided to return home to see if there was any news. We’d