The Disappearance

The Disappearance
Annabel Kantaria

‘Utterly compelling.’ – Judy FinniganIn a family built on lies, who can you trust?Audrey Bailey will never forget the moment she met Ralph Templeton in the sweltering heat of a Bombay café. Her lonely life over, she was soon married with two small children. But things in the Templeton household were never quite what they seemed.Now approaching 70, and increasingly a burden on the children she’s never felt close to, Audrey plans a once-in-a-lifetime cruise around the Greek isles. Forcing twins Lexi and John along for the ride, the Templetons set sail as a party of three – but only two will return.On the night of her birthday, Audrey goes missing…hours after she breaks the news that the twins stand to inherit a fortune after her death. As the search of the ship widens, so does the list of suspects – and with dark clues emerging about Audrey’s early life, the twins begin to question if they can even trust one another…

ANNABEL KANTARIA is a British journalist who now lives in Dubai with her husband and children. She has edited and contributed to women’s magazines and publications throughout the Middle East. The Disappearance is her second novel.

The Disappearance

Annabel Kantaria

Also by Annabel Kantaria (#ulink_4b290595-cb8c-590e-87dc-5e9d97b6c0c4)

Coming Home

For Maia and Aiman

Acknowledgements (#ulink_eca7fd09-07e7-5d5f-8819-5a3ed5ce599e)

A massive thank you to the wonderful people who helped bring this book to fruition: my inspirational agent Luigi Bonomi, Alison Bonomi, and my brilliant editor, Sally Williamson. Thank you, too, to all those beavering away behind the scenes at Harlequin to get the book produced, printed, marketed, publicised and sold. Thank you, too, to my friend and best beta reader ever, Rachel Hamilton.

A special thank you to all at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature – in particular Isobel Abulhoul and Yvette Judge, and to Charles Nahhas of Montegrappa.

I’d also like to thank my parents-in-law, Natu and Niru Kantaria. It was with them that I first set foot on a cruise ship, and it was on that ship that the idea for this story was born (before you ask: yes, we all made it back to shore). Thank you, too, to all those who read and enjoyed Coming Home; and to all the wonderful book clubs who’ve invited me to join them for an evening of book chat.

Last, but not least, thank you to my cheerleaders: those wonderful friends who stand quietly behind me, cheering me on – you know who you are; thank you to my mum, and to my special little family: Sam, Maia and Aiman.

Table of Contents

Cover (#uc38e8ad7-41a5-555d-90e8-65a2719ece31)

About the Author (#ub3734acb-bf1f-5cf7-9ded-3e8c304a4252)

Title Page (#uc65e8f89-2e34-5e2e-b105-065b15ba4516)

Also by Annabel Kantaria (#ue626673e-4d52-54e4-8ed9-090ca91ef0b0)

Dedication (#ud523cc22-ebbe-57de-9492-5f4b442a738d)

Acknowledgements (#u07d5ee0d-6a99-5bd1-bb50-224a12e33198)

18 July 2013, 10 p.m. (#ua8014719-5f18-553b-8d9a-c74250677a48)

PART I Before (#u85e14904-b408-5aca-b19e-62b7d456c996)

December 1970 Tilbury, England (#u28d59bbb-4901-5c69-8993-2bde410b4d31)

November, 2012 Truro, Cornwall (#u2a78b559-773b-5b58-95b9-3007d073240e)

January 1971 Bombay, India (#uf0d8a917-17d6-51c9-8915-322380fb8571)

March 1971 Bombay, India (#u02ead661-ef7e-5b41-9b61-960e83b63427)

November 2012 Truro (#u419adc19-414b-50a9-b999-fd4f08c9aaab)

March 1971 Bombay, India (#u22a48d1a-29d4-5220-9136-2adf95f27219)

April 1971 Bombay, India (#ua7306f19-5068-5e72-aa0e-b61efa5ed1af)

November, 2012 St Ives, Cornwall (#u4814d5a4-82d5-57ab-96f5-4e9817d588e1)

July 1971 Bombay, India (#u7b0e49e4-3485-5804-b5a3-8bcb5191ee9b)

15 July 1971 Bombay, India (#u8cbcc8b7-93c3-52ec-8d9c-f11cca5f2ca0)

November 2012 Penzance (#u16a005e3-bae8-5a2c-9c80-25256b0ae6f2)

July 1972 Bombay, India (#ud53d93b1-5026-5563-ae7b-c9f3db0f2ce0)

January 2013 St Ives (#u529c0ce8-c97b-51cc-a4e8-d6ae69e925cb)

August 1972 Bombay, India (#uc84fc2df-13b6-54bb-9710-bb3d0f47949f)

February, 2013 Penzance, Cornwall (#u86ea8ef6-e1d8-54ba-8477-5d8a9823a11d)

15 July 1973 Barnes, London (#u55cbb6a0-dbc2-5082-b93f-9f12157eb343)

September 1976 Barnes, London (#litres_trial_promo)

March, 2013 Penzance, Cornwall (#litres_trial_promo)

December 1976 Barnes, London (#litres_trial_promo)

June 1976 Barnes, London (#litres_trial_promo)

April 2013 St Ives, Cornwall (#litres_trial_promo)

December 1976 Barnes, London (#litres_trial_promo)

April, 2013 St Ives, Cornwall (#litres_trial_promo)

April 2013 St Ives, Cornwall (#litres_trial_promo)

December 1976 Barnes, London (#litres_trial_promo)

December 1976 Barnes, London (#litres_trial_promo)

April 2013 Truro, Cornwall (#litres_trial_promo)

15 July 1978 Barnes, London (#litres_trial_promo)