Cain pointed to the back door. ‘I’ll take the outbuildings if you want to take the house, Ben?’
He walked out of the door, grabbing the torch Ben had placed on the table – and two biscuits, cramming them both into his mouth at the same time – leaving Ben alone with Amos, and for a moment he realised just how vulnerable he was if Amos wanted to attack him.
‘I’ll wait down here; you can go take a look around. Only thing I’m mighty embarrassed about is the dust. I don’t keep house like my old ma would like me to. It’s not really something I bother about; I do the necessary and keep the kitchen clean, that’s it, not much point when I’m on my own all day and night.’
Ben stood up. ‘I do appreciate your cooperation, Amos, really it’s very kind of you.’
The guy nodded. ‘No bother.’
Ben made his way upstairs feeling a little too uncomfortable, but like he said, it had to be done. There were four wooden doors, all of them closed. He opened the first one to see a tiny bathroom with an old-fashioned clawfoot tub in the middle; it was clean, no blood, no pile of bloodstained clothes in the washing basket, no hairs or fibres in the sink. He shut the door behind him and opened the next. This one was a spare room, full of boxes and an ancient artificial silver Christmas tree still adorned with tinsel and gaudy fuchsia and gold baubles stuffed into one corner. It was seventies kitsch at its best and he would bet that Morgan would love it. He looked in the spaces under the bed and behind the boxes but the only thing in here, like Amos had said, was the dust, and he sneezed three times to confirm it.
The next room was so cold it made a chill run down his spine. There was a double bed, a commode next to it along with a walking frame. It was all very floral, and the smell of disinfectant still lingered in the air. Whoever this room belonged to had been sick, old too and had most likely died in here, which creeped him out more than he’d like to admit.
The last room was clearly Amos’s. There was a double bed, stacks of books filling the bookshelves and in columns on the floor. It was warm in here at least and cosy with the heat from the small wood-burning stove that was lit under the chimney breast. There was a huge dog bed on the floor next to the bed and it smelled of dog and woodsmoke. Ben crossed to the antique triple wardrobe and opened each door, finding nothing inside but clothes and more books that had been shoved into the corners. The relief he hadn’t found a girl either dead or alive and tied up was palpable and he felt his shoulders relax. Closing the door softly he went back downstairs.
Amos nodded at him. ‘Just can’t bring myself to clear out my ma’s room. It’s easier to keep the door closed and ignore it. I also can’t bring myself to get rid of the books that are taking over the place. Reading has been my lifesaver since I left the army.’
Ben smiled at him; he’d struggled to remove Cindy’s clothes and belongings after her death. ‘I know how that feels, it’s a hard thing to face. Some people do it immediately after a loved one dies and rid the house of everything, and others, like you and I, well, we’d rather forget it happened. I suppose I thought I was keeping her alive by not clearing her stuff out.’
Amos was sitting opposite him. He picked up his mug that had yellow daffodils hand-painted around the sides and sipped at his tea. ‘You lost your ma too?’
Ben nodded. ‘A long time ago; it’s my wife I struggled with the most.’
‘Sorry to hear that, life’s tough at times, isn’t it?’
It was Ben’s turn to nod. He sipped his coffee which was strong, hot and sweet.
‘Amos, what do you think happened out there? The girl you found said her friends were attacked. Who would be out there in this weather? Who would want to attack them for no reason? Not just attack them, but in the case of the boy Morgan draggedout of the lake, kill them. Is there anyone around here you know of that is capable of doing something so terrible?’
‘I’ve been pondering that same question, Ben; I don’t know anyone around here who would do something so heinous. I mean how did they know those kids were going to be out here in the first place? Especially in this terrible weather. The mist was so bad I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face and struggled to locate the girl. And I’ve been wandering around here day and night since I could walk. Maybe it’s someone they know or told what their plans were, because as far as I know my nearest neighbour is Mrs Black and she’s a widow in her seventies who lives alone. She didn’t do this and I hope you realise that I didn’t do it. I mean, I have no motive or inclination to do something so horrific. Don’t get me wrong, I get angry with the kids who come up here causing mischief and giving me grief, but not angry enough to hurt or kill them. Worst I’ve done is threaten to set Shep loose on them and, to be fair, he has even less of an inclination to bite someone than I have to hurt them. I mean he’s older than me, tired too. The worst I’ve ever done when I’ve caught them snooping is to try to scare them away by shouting so they don’t come back. All I ever wanted was an easy life, no trouble, no drama and look where that’s got me.’
Cain burst through the back door and shook his head at Ben. ‘All clear.’
Amos nodded. ‘Good, I was kind of scared you’d find something out there that I had nothing to do with and wouldn’t have been able to explain.’
Cain sat down and picked up the mug of coffee, wrapping his huge hands around it. He took a mouthful then asked Ben. ‘So, what next?’
‘Wait for Mountain Rescue to do their thing.’
‘I’m going to leave my door unlocked, you can help yourself to anything you need. All I ask is that you make sure Shepdoesn’t get out. I’ll take him up with me but he’s nosey and may wander back down. He’s too old to be out lost in this weather and roaming around on his own. Back in the day he’d have been out there searching for the lass that’s missing, he’d have found her too, but he’s not too good at that anymore. Bit like me.’
‘Thank you, Amos. That’s very kind of you and I promise you we won’t let him out if we need to come inside for anything.’
Ben drained the last of the coffee and stood up, and he and Cain nodded at Amos and left him there, to go see if there was any news from Mountain Rescue.
EIGHT
Morgan was wrapped in a foil blanket and felt much warmer than she had when Madds had dragged her out of the lake. That still shocked her, though she was grateful beyond belief that he had because she had been struggling and would have gone under if he hadn’t. A nurse slipped through the curtains holding a pair of blue scrubs. ‘Hey, Morgan, these aren’t the prettiest but they’re better than nothing.’
She looked up and smiled to see a young teenage nurse who looked familiar, but surely she couldn’t be, was she even old enough to be working as a nurse?
‘Macy?’
The girl laughed. ‘Yes.’ Then threw her arms around Morgan, hugging her tightly, and Morgan squeezed her back.
‘What happened to you, you’re all grown up.’
Macy’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson and she laughed.
