‘No, she took Duncan to her parents’ home this evening and decided they should stay over because of the weather.’
The man made no move to ask them in. Through the open door behind him, Joe glimpsed two coffee mugs on a table, the wood-burner still lit.
‘You’re up late. A visitor?’
‘No, not now.’ Karan gave a little laugh. ‘I don’t clear up if Dorothy’s not here to chivvy. I’ll make sure it’s all tidy before she gets back. Cath Heslop was here earlier. I’m coaching her for her exams.’
Joe paused. What else was there to do here? Nothing. Perhaps it was strange that the man was still up in the early hours of the morning, but even if he’d had a guest who wasn’t his student, that was none of their business. ‘Sorry to disturb you.’
Holly was waiting impatiently on the track. ‘Vera’s first text said she was checking out Jinny’s Mill. That’s where she’ll be.’
He nodded. He was still anxious about the more recent voicemail. The words had been blurred, but he’d picked up the panic, the exhaustion. Vera never panicked.
‘Why don’t I go on to the mill?’ Holly said. ‘I’ll run, get there faster. In case she was right and the boy’s there. You check out for Vera on the way.’
He nodded again, because he could feel himself overwhelmed by panic too and he was glad Holly was willing to make a decision. He watched her set off, fleet-footed into the night, wearing a headtorch to light her way. Of course, he thought, she would have come suitably prepared. In comparison, he felt leaden and inadequate.
When Brockburn came into sight, he hesitated. Should he go to the big house to check if Vera was there? It seemed dark and silent and the people who lived in Brockburn intimidated him. He could imagine how angry they’d be if he woke them with no real reason. But this place seemed at the heart of the investigation. Lorna’s body had been found very close to where he was standing. He paused for a moment looking at the bulk of the house, lit by the security lights, then he walked on down the path towards Jinny’s Mill. Vera had said that was where she’d be. All the same, he continued shining his torch through the trees on both sides of the track looking for signs of the boss. Holly might be quick, but he was thorough.
He saw nothing to cause him anxiety when he approached the cottage. Everything was quiet. There was snow on the roof and the window ledges, a candle at the window. A Christmas-card scene of warmth and welcome. He imagined Vera inside, the child awkwardly on her knee, a strange middle-aged Madonna. Then he thought this was all too quiet. Holly should be here by now and if the boy was in the mill, they would want to get him back to his grandparents. They wouldn’t be waiting for Joe before carrying him back through the forest. There was something sinister in the calm and the stillness. It was the stuff of horror movies: the picturesque scene was hiding something monstrous inside. His heart raced and he felt every beat.
He still had his torch as he approached the house. The beam trembled and he held it more firmly. As he got close to the building, he saw something metallic shining dully in the light. He knelt and picked up a few pellets of shot, visible because there was a bare patch of ground in the shelter of the wall. Searching, he collected more.
He waited and listened at the door. Nothing, then a faint cry. He pushed it open and saw Holly, not Vera, holding the baby. He could tell it was her first time with a child that age and that she was terrified she’d drop him. She was standing close to the range and he felt the heat from the fire as he walked through the door.
‘The boss was right. He was here all the time in a cradle in the room next door. Alone. I’ve checked him over. He seems fine.’
‘Have you told the Falstones?’
She shook her head. ‘No reception.’ A pause. ‘There’s no sign of Vera, though.’
He held out his hand and showed her the pellets. ‘Someone’s been here with a shotgun. Recently. I found more that had gone through the snow and left a mark.’
There was a moment of silence. ‘I think you should take Thomas home,’ Holly said, ‘away from danger and back to his grandparents. They’ll be frantic.’
‘You could take him, leave me here.’
She shook her head. ‘There’s a child seat in your car and anyway I don’t do kids. As soon as you get reception, call for backup.’
‘What will you do?’
She looked at him as if the answer was obvious. ‘I’ll see if I can find the boss.’
For the second time that night, Joe did as Holly suggested. He carried a sleeping Thomas in his arms back towards his car. It took longer than he’d expected and he struggled to manage the torch and the child. The dark closed around him as he left the light of Jinny’s Mill and he stopped every few yards to check that he was on the path. All the way he was worrying about Vera, running through scenarios which might explain her absence. He couldn’t see how she would have left the boy behind unless she was in some danger. Even then it would be out of character. Occasionally, he thought he heard noises, footsteps, a distant shout, but when he paused to listen, there was nothing at all.
At last he reached the track behind Brockburn. He shifted the weight of the boy onto his shoulder. Walking past Dorothy Felling’s cottage, he saw that there was a light still on inside. The curtain was pulled aside and Karan Pabla looked out, as if he were waiting for someone. Perhaps he was expecting his partner to return. The curtain dropped back into place immediately, even
