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‘Thank you.’ The woman turned to her husband. ‘Get in the car.’
Taking the chance to escape, Hope hurried the rest of the way along the line, not stopping to address anyone in particular, just repeatedly thanking everyone for being patient and promising an update as soon as she had one. Thankfully, Ziggy was waiting for her at the top of the queue.
‘Problems?’ he asked her with a frown.
‘Nothing I can’t handle,’ she assured him, which earned her a nod and a smile that said he’d expected nothing less. ‘What’s the latest?’
‘Zap’s just called and said they’ve got the herd back on the other side of the fence and they’ve managed to block the hole.’ A deep furrow etched into his brow between his eyes. ‘He reckons the fence was cut and there’s signs of blood. It might be from one of the cows when it escaped as they haven’t checked them all over yet, of course…’
‘The fence was definitely cut?’
‘He reckons there’s no doubt about it, so if the blood isn’t from one of the animals, then whoever is causing all this might have injured themselves in the process.’
‘Good.’ Hope wasn’t the vindictive type, but in this case, she was willing to make an exception.
Ziggy smiled. ‘Fierce little thing, you are. Best the police find whoever it is before you do, eh?’
Hope laughed. ‘I might not go that far. So how much longer before we can release the queue?’
‘Ten minutes or so. I want to give them time to clear the cars and campervans which are already on the road.’
‘That’s a relief. What about the fire?’ Smoke was still billowing from the field behind them.
Her uncle shook his head. ‘The crop is a total loss. All the fire brigade can do is contain it and let it burn out. Luckily, they arrived in time to stop it spreading beyond the one field. There were a few stray sparks, but those were caught and stamped out before they managed to catch. If the wind stays in our favour, this will be the worst of it.’
‘Are you going to give people the opportunity to stay if they wish?’
‘Not on the campsite. Not until we catch whoever it is. The Hall we can protect if we set a perimeter patrol, but I’m going to close public access to the shops at The Old Stable Yard as well.’
Which would mean more lost revenue for the estate on top of the growing number of refunds and cancellations. ‘I’ll call Mum and update her. She’s going to give out spa passes to keep the guests happy.’
‘I’ll call her. You go and find Cam. He’s with his team, helping people to pack up.’ Ziggy hesitated then tucked his hands in his pockets. ‘It’s not my place to tell you what to do, but if it was, I’d say you’ve got a good man there and I hope we’ll see a lot more of him in the future.’
Stepping close, Hope threw her arms around her uncle’s neck. ‘It’s always your place, even when I’m mad at you about everything.’
Ziggy’s arms closed around her. ‘If I could turn back the clock and change the way we’ve handled everything, I’d do it in a heartbeat.’
But they couldn’t. Any more than Hope could wish away the lingering feelings of betrayal. ‘There’s no magic solution for this.’
Her uncle dropped his arms and stepped back. ‘I know. I’m just grateful you and Rhys are giving us a chance to make things right.’
Hope wasn’t sure they’d ever be truly right again. It was still too soon, no matter how much she wished she could give him the words she knew he needed to hear. ‘Let’s get through this mess first and then we’ll have time to talk.’
‘That’s all I’m asking for, Hope, just time.’
By the time she’d tracked down Cam, it looked like most of the campsite had been packed up. She found him and the rest of his team standing next to their tents. His face lit up the moment he spotted her and she walked straight into his open arms. ‘Thank God you are okay.’
‘I’m fine.’ He dropped a quick kiss on her mouth. ‘Are you okay?’
She nodded. ‘Yes. Rhys has got the cows contained, so everyone should be on the move soon.’
‘That’s good news. Does he know what happened?’
Hope led him a little way away from the others. ‘The fence was cut.’
‘Shit. And the fire?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t know yet, but I’m not feeling like it’s a coincidence given everything else that’s happened.’
