Right. Silent treatment. Nothing she hadn't dealt with before, countless times. "I'll be back in a moment, Calvin," she said calmly.

She opened the door. "Pearl?" Silence. "Pearl, are you there?"

She went through every room and storage closet of the First Aid Station twice, then around the building and through the childcare station next door, and there wasn't a sign of the girl.*

Oh, this was shaping up to be a superb day.

*This took rather longer than one might expect, providing an excellent opportunity for someone else to slip away in the meantime.