Free Can You Keep a Secret? by Caroline Overington Page A

the day that Caitlin had been due to land in New York – and Colby was in his office at the World Trade Center, awaiting her call.
    ‘I sent a car to pick her up,’ he told his assistant, Summer, ‘and they say they’ve been at the airport since the plane touched down, but she hasn’t come out.’
    ‘Maybe she came out and missed the guy with the sign,’ said Summer, bouncing a little on the yoga ball that she had recently rolled into his office, to use while taking notes. ‘Maybe she caught a cab straight to your apartment.’
    ‘Maybe,’ said Colby, but he’d called his own regular doorman, Carlos, three times to ask if anyone had come looking for him.
    ‘I’m afraid not, Mr Colbert,’ Carlos had said. ‘No visitors for you today.’
    Did he have to sound so happy about it? But honestly, where could Caitlin be? Colby had five computer screens in his office, including three on the desk in front of him, one of which was open to the Qantas website. It very clearly showed that Caitlin’s plane – QF 108 – had taken off on time, and it had landed on time. By rights, Caitlin had been on the ground in New York for six hours. That was plenty of time to clear customs. Wait, maybe she hadn’t cleared customs? Maybe she had forgotten to empty all of her mom’s so-called medicinal cigarettes out of her pockets? But no. They’d joked about that. Caitlin had promised to be careful. So, where the hell was she? The plan had been for Colby to go to the office, and for Caitlin to get picked up by the car service he’d organised. The driver would take her to his apartment. Carlos would let her in.
    ‘Have a shower, get undressed,’ Colby had said. ‘Get into bed if you want! I’ll be there as soon as I can.’
    Caitlin had said, ‘Yes, yes, I understand,’ but now he couldn’t find her. He called the car service again (more accurately, he got Summer to again call the car service) while he watched and twisted a paperclip.
    ‘I’m sorry, Colby,’ Summer said, ‘they’re saying that Caitlin never got off the plane.’
    ‘What do you mean, she never got off the plane?’
    ‘That’s what they said.’
    ‘Get them on the line for me, will you, Summer? Jesus Christ. It’s her first time in New York. Are you sure they didn’t lose her?’
    Summer called the service again, and this time Colby took the receiver.
    ‘Our driver waited for two hours,’ the service told him. ‘We were there with the sign. Caitlin Hourigan. She didn’t come out.’
    ‘Jesus,’ said Colby. He strode into Robert’s office, saying, ‘I’m sorry to do this to you, buddy. You know Caitlin was due to touch down today. I think I’ve lost her. Or somebody’s lost her. The plane definitely landed on time. But now the car service is saying she didn’t disembark, and Carlos hasn’t seen her.’
    Robert leaned back in his chair, pen in his mouth. ‘You’ve checked your email?’ he asked.
    ‘Of course I’ve checked my email.’
    ‘Maybe you should go home. She’s probably sitting in the foyer.’
    ‘You don’t think Carlos would have seen her in the foyer?’
    ‘You’ve checked your phone?’
    ‘Of course I’ve checked the phone.’
    ‘Well, I don’t know what else to tell you,’ said Robert, swinging his chair back towards his computer, ‘except what I’ve told you before, which is that Daisy Duke has got you by the balls. Look at your face. You’re beside yourself. Are you sure you’re not a little bit serious about her?’
    ‘Oh, you’re a big help,’ said Colby. He marched out of Robert’s office towards the elevator. It was barely a three-minute walk, over a little footbridge, from Carnegie to hisapartment building in Battery Park City. Colby pushed his way through the revolving door. Carlos was sitting behind the bellman’s desk, but he jumped straight up at Colby’s approach.
    ‘Mr Colbert!’ he said. ‘No sign of your friend?’
    ‘I was hoping you might have seen her. No chance that anyone else