Chapter 21: The Hidden Call

Missy heard the end of the call through the cabin's thin door.

"Yes, ma'am," Hyunjin was saying. "Monday. No, we'll tell them ourselves."

"Not yet," said Jisung, in the small voice he used when he was lying. "We need a day."

She stood on the other side of the planks with her hand on the latch.

Then she opened the door.

They spun around on the porch.

Jisung hid the phone behind his back, which was the most obvious thing he could have done.

"Missy," Hyunjin said. "Hi. You're up."

"I've been up since five. Who was that?"

Neither of them answered, and the sea wind pushed at her coat.

"My café," she said. "The back room. Ten minutes. Bring the phone."

The back room of the Wick held sacks of flour, a stack of spare litter trays and a very old armchair with a cat asleep in it.

She had never raised her voice in there.

She stood with her back against the door and her arms crossed over her ribs, the way she did when she was holding herself together.

"Say it again," she said. "From the beginning. Both of you."

Jisung looked at Hyunjin.

Hyunjin took a long breath and went pale.

"The manager texted us at dawn. We called her back from the porch. She wants us to fly home Monday."

"Both of you?"

"Just us two."

"Why just you two?"

"Because we're the ones who," Hyunjin said, and stopped.

"The ones who what, honey?"

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