‘I thought I would be safe, if I made sure Ryan was in front of me all the time,’ said Megan.
Irene sighed. ‘Well I just hope your parents don’t wake up and find you missing, or you’ll have the police to answer to.’
Megan was beginning to feel uncomfortable. The blazing fire was making the small cluttered room hot and stuffy. She pulled off her hat and stuffed it into her coat pocket.
‘There’s only my dad,’ she said. ‘My mum died a few years ago. You won’t tell my dad, will you? If you walk back with me now, I can get home before he wakes up. He’s only got me you see and he’s not been well and…’
Without warning, Irene lurched forward in her chair, staring strangely at Megan’s face.
‘What’s your last name Megan?’
‘It’s Townsend,’ she replied ‘Why?’
Irene’s expression changed. Her lined face furrowed into a scowl. There was panic in her eyes.
‘I need to walk you home now,’ she said abruptly. ‘If anyone finds out you’ve been here, I could get into trouble.’
Rising from her chair, she marched briskly back into the kitchen. Megan followed her. ‘What kind of trouble?’ Megan asked.
Irene seemed flustered as she passed Megan her boots. ‘People could say I kidnapped you or something. You must never tell anyone you’ve been here.’
Megan put on her boots in silence. She was shocked at how Irene had changed and she couldn’t understand why.
Neither of them spoke as they set off back towards the woodyard, but after several minutes Megan broke the silence. ‘What if the big cat sees us?’ she asked.
Irene stopped and turned towards her sharply. ‘There is no big cat. It was probably a large domestic cat you saw, or a fox or something.’
Megan was exasperated. ‘But I saw it,’ she protested. ‘We both saw it. It was looking at us when I fell. It came through the woods after that screeching sound. You must have heard that sound. You must have seen it.’
Irene set off again with ever quickening steps. ‘There are all sorts of animals in these woods Megan,’ she said, ‘and they make all sorts of sounds.’
Megan was defiant. ‘It was definitely a big cat,’ she murmured.
Irene raised her voice. ‘I’m telling you, there is no big cat. I’ve lived here for many years and believe me, if there was a big cat, I would’ve seen it.’
Keeping up with Irene wasn’t easy, but Megan still had another question to ask her. ‘Were you looking for a lost pet in the woods?’ she asked breathlessly.
‘What do you mean?’ said Irene, slowing down a little.
‘I heard you calling for something just before you found me,’ said Megan. There was an awkward pause, before Irene replied. ‘I was just out for a walk. I couldn’t sleep. It was probably an animal you heard.’
Megan felt angry. It was obvious that Irene was lying.
When they reached the wooden bench, where the path forked, Megan quickly shone her torch around it. She wanted to see if Ryan had left anything behind, but there was nothing there. They hurried on in silence, until they finally reached the end of the woodland path and turned into the road, but before they reached the start of the houses, Irene came to a sudden stop. She turned to face Megan. ‘Listen,’ she said firmly. ‘Don’t ever tell anyone you have been to see me, or I will get into trouble. And don’t scare people by telling them there’s a big cat in the woods either. Do you understand? This is important.’
Megan nodded. Irene managed a weak smile. ‘I will have to leave you here Megan, but you’re almost home. I’ll watch you until you get to the street lights.’
Megan tried to smile back, but she just couldn’t make herself do it. Irene had lied to her and she was still feeling angry. ‘Thank you for helping me,’ was all she could bring herself to say.
‘Look after your dad,’ muttered Irene. ‘And take care of yourself.’
It was not yet dawn as Megan ran to the start of the houses on Oakton Road, where the street lights were still on. Then she turned and looked back. Irene was still standing by the roadside. It was when she reached her garden gate that she began to feel uneasy. She wondered how Irene knew she lived on Oakton Road. She was sure she didn’t tell her. She was beginning to think that Irene knew more about her than she was letting on.
Megan glanced up at Ryan’s bedroom. There was a light on, so at least he had got home safely. She turned the key in the door and slipped back into her house as silently as she had left. Once the spare key was safely back on the shelf, she quickly bundled her blood-stained coat and gloves into the washing machine. She pushed them right to the back of the drum and then carefully covered them with a towel to hide the blood. Then she crept upstairs, got undressed and climbed into bed, as if nothing had happened.
2
Red Snow
The next morning was the first day of the school half-term holiday and there was a light dusting of snow on the ground. At 9.30 a.m. Ryan’s grandad Bill set off to a coffee morning at the community centre. Ryan was just getting up when he heard someone knocking. When he eventually opened the door, he was surprised to see that it was Megan.
‘Bill’s out,’ he mumbled sleepily. ‘He won’t be back ‘til lunchtime.’
‘I know,’ she answered. ‘It’s you I want to see. Can I come in?’
Megan had been thinking all night about what she was going to say to Ryan. She wasn’t very good at talking to boys. She usually tried to avoid them at school, but this was an exception. She had to warn Ryan about the big cat and there was no easy way of putting it. Bill would be back in an hour or so. She would just have to tell Ryan the truth about what she saw and she would have to tell it quickly.
‘I know it was stupid, but I followed you last night,’ she blurted out. ‘I don’t know what you were doing in the woods Ryan, but it’s too dangerous. There’s a big cat on the loose. I was lucky to escape. It was looking straight at me.’
There was a stunned look on Ryan’s face as he paused for a moment to take in what Megan had just said. Then he became angry. ‘You’ve got no right to be following me!’ he shouted. ‘I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk that’s all. There’s no law against going for a walk at night is there?’
Megan interrupted him sharply. ‘Don’t pretend this was a one-off thing Ryan, because it wasn’t. I’ve seen you leaving the house every night for the last few nights. If you don’t tell me what’s going on, I’ll tell Bill.’
Ryan’s face reddened with rage. ‘Oh no you won’t,’ he snapped, ‘because if you do, your dad will know you’ve been out alone at night. And he won’t be very pleased to hear that, will he?’
‘Well I wasn’t alone, was I?’ she retorted. ‘You were just in front of me until you ran off.’
Ryan raised his voice in frustration. ‘Well I didn’t know you were there, did I? How can you blame me for running off and leaving you when I didn’t even know you were there?’
Megan was usually a calm person, but Ryan’s attitude was beginning to annoy her. All she was doing was trying to warn him.
‘I’m not blaming you,’ she said curtly. ‘All I said was that I didn’t go out alone, because you were always in my sight.’
There was a brief pause as their eyes momentarily drifted towards the window, where thick snowflakes were gliding softly onto the road outside.
‘If you followed me you must have heard what I heard,’ said Ryan.
Megan sat down on one of Bill’s comfy chairs. At last she felt she was getting somewhere. ‘I did hear it,’ she said. ‘It was a horrible screeching sound. I think it might have been an animal.’
Ryan sat down on the settee and gazed absentmindedly at the fireplace.
Speaking more softly than before, Megan tried again.
‘What were you doing in the woods Ryan?’
He looked at Megan. Hi
s face was tired and drawn. ‘You have to promise not to tell anyone. Not Bill, not your dad, not anyone.’
Megan nodded. ‘I promise.’
‘Last weekend, after we’d had all that snow,’ he said, ‘I took Skippy to Oakton woods. She goes mad when it’s been snowing. She runs about like a puppy, kicking up all the snow ...
Megan was becoming impatient. ‘What happened? Did you see something?’
‘Red snow,’ said Ryan.
Megan sat upright. ‘What?’
Ryan lowered his voice. ‘Bloodstains on the snow,’ he said.
Skippy barked as a key turned in the door.
‘I’m back,’ called Bill from the hallway. ‘The heating’s broken at the community centre.’
Before Ryan and Megan had time to think, Bill was walking into the lounge. ‘Oh, hello Megan. Have you come to visit our Ryan?’ Bill winked mischievously at Megan. ‘He needs a girlfriend to go out with, don’t you Ryan?’
Ryan’s face flushed with embarrassment. ‘I’m OK Grandad,’ he protested.
But Bill was persistent. ‘Megan goes to a swimming club at that new leisure centre at Oakton Hall. Why don’t you get down there and join something, instead of idling around here all day?’
‘I take Skippy out all the time,’ said Ryan indignantly.
‘Yes, and half the time she doesn’t want to go,’ laughed Bill. ‘Dragging her out in all weathers. She’s an old dog like me. She must be the most exhausted Lurcher in Yorkshire.’
Ryan gave Megan a knowing look. Bill had given him an idea. ‘That’s why Megan’s here Grandad. She wants to show me round the leisure centre today. She’s just going to ask her dad if it’s OK.’
This was news to Megan, but she went along with it all the same. Ryan’s strange comment about the blood on the snow had unnerved her and she needed somewhere private where she could talk to him. The leisure centre seemed as good a place as any. She was just hoping her dad would let her go.
‘Why go today?’ murmured Bill. ‘It’s started snowing again.’
‘It’s not like you to be put off by a bit of snow Grandad,’ said Ryan.
Bill groaned as he reached for his newspaper. He was a large, jolly man who had always been active. He was a gifted mechanic and still had a keen interest in fixing cars, but now he was retired he was spending more time in his chair than in his garage. ‘Suit yourself,’ he replied, waving his folded newspaper in the air. ‘Oh, to be young again. I used to love the snow. We used to go sledging on a tin tray. We used to sneak into Oakton Hall grounds and then sledge down that slope to the lake. I remember once when we nearly got caught …’
Bill was always interesting to listen to. He told such funny stories of when he was young. Megan used to love coming to see him with her mum when she was small. But he tended to talk for rather a long time once he got started and today she needed time to speak to Ryan alone.
‘We’ve got to go now Uncle Bill,’ she said gently. ‘We want to get to the Hall this morning in case it shuts early and I have to ask my dad if I can go.’
Bill turned towards Megan with a more serious look. ‘How is your dad by the way? Haven’t seen him for a while.’
Megan turned her eyes to the floor. She hated it when people asked her about her dad. The only way to stop them asking awkward questions was to tell them he was fine. ‘He’s not too bad,’ she murmured.
‘Maybe I’ll look in on him some time soon.’ said Bill kindly.
Megan smiled weakly but said nothing.
‘Well go on then if you’re going!’ shouted Bill, waving them away. ‘Have a good time.’
‘Tell your dad we may be gone for a while,’ said Ryan as he opened the door for Megan to leave.
‘Er… My dad’s not usually keen on letting me go places without him,’ she said awkwardly. ‘But he may let me go if you’re there when I ask him.’
Ryan shrugged his shoulders. ‘OK,’ he said. ‘I’ll just tell Grandad I’m going with you.’
Paul Townsend was sitting in his untidy lounge finishing a mug of tea, when Megan arrived with Ryan. Peering awkwardly into the darkly curtained room, Ryan could just make out the figure of Megan’s dad slumped in an armchair. He had heard his grandad mention Megan’s dad, Paul, but this was the first time they had met.
Megan seemed on edge as she moved some newspapers off the settee and invited Ryan to sit down beside her. Despite the darkness in the room, Ryan could see that, although Paul was fully dressed, he looked disheveled and unshaven, as if he had just got out of bed.
‘This is Ryan,’ said Megan, ‘Bill’s grandson.’ Paul nodded but remained silent.
Ryan sat uncomfortably on the edge of the settee as Megan chatted nervously about the snow and about how Bill’s coffee morning had been cancelled, but Paul just stared vacantly at the floor as if he wasn’t really listening.
‘Uncle Bill wants me to show Ryan round the leisure centre this morning,’ said Megan hesitantly.
Paul raised his head and looked across to Megan. ‘What have you done to your hand?’
Megan jumped. She pulled the sleeve of her jumper over the plaster on her hand. ‘Oh, it’s nothing. … er … I … tripped over yesterday,’ she stammered.
Paul’s eyes flashed. ‘Why can’t you be more careful?’
‘Sorry,’ whispered Megan meekly.
Paul sighed and returned his gaze to the floor.
‘Will it be OK if I go to the leisure centre, Dad?’ asked Megan. ‘I’ll stay with Ryan all the time.’
There was an awkward silence as Paul thought for quite a while before replying.
When he finally did, his voice was slow and grave. ‘I suppose it will be alright. But make sure you look after her Ryan. She’s all I’ve got.’
Now it was Megan’s turn to feel embarrassed, but Ryan just nodded reassuringly.
‘We may be gone for a while Dad,’ said Megan cheerily, as she moved towards the window. ‘I’d like to show Ryan the new swimming pool and all the sports facilities and we may go to the café.’
As she opened the curtains, Megan glanced down the street. ‘There’s a police car outside Mrs Harris’ bungalow,’ she said.
Paul rose laboriously from his chair and wandered across to the window. ‘Not another burglary,’ he sighed.
Ryan joined them to take a look for himself. ‘My grandad’s friend Mary was burgled last week,’ said Ryan. ‘They took all her rings and even her family’s war medals.’
Paul slowly returned to his chair. ‘These criminals don’t care about anyone but themselves,’ he said bitterly. ‘This village is full of scum, Ryan. Do you know that? They’ll rob you of your last penny if they get the chance. What a terrible world we live in.’
Megan was used to her dad having these dark thoughts, but she felt embarrassed when other people had to listen to them. ‘Bill said he might call in to see you some time,’ she said, trying to lighten the mood.
Paul grunted in reply, but as Megan moved towards his chair to pick up the empty mug on his table, he banged his clenched fist violently onto the arm of his chair, knocking the mug onto the floor. ‘Why can’t you just leave things alone?’ he yelled. ‘I was still drinking that. Now look what you’ve made me do!’
There was an uneasy silence as Megan gently put the mug back on the table and then went to get a cloth to wipe up the dregs of tea spattered on the carpet. When she returned, she spoke to her dad without looking at him, wiping the carpet as if nothing had happened. ‘I switched the washing machine on earlier,’ she said. ‘I’ll empty it when I get back.’
Paul made no move, but his voice was now more subdued. ‘I can surely manage to sort out a washing machine myself,’ he muttered. ‘I’m not totally helpless. And anyway, what are you washing now? I never get any peace from the sound of that washing machine.’
Ryan was uneasy. He j
ust wanted to leave. ‘Shall I get my coat then Megan?’ he said.
Paul let out another sigh before turning to face Ryan. ‘Just a minute. Did you say you were going to the café?’ he asked.
‘Only if we have time,’ said Ryan nervously.
Paul stood up and reached into his trouser pocket. ‘Here,’ he said, handing Megan some cash, ‘get yourselves something in the café, but be careful in this snow. I don’t want to end up taking you to hospital if you fall. I’ve got enough to worry about as it is.’
When Ryan finally left to get his coat, Megan went to the kitchen to check her list of jobs on the wall. She had already turned on the washing machine and washed the dishes, but all the other jobs like the ironing and the cleaning would have to wait. She was thankful it was half-term – she would have time to do them later in the week.
Paul came out of the lounge as Megan went into the hallway to get her coat. He watched her as she reached for the waterproof jacket that she wore to school. ‘It’s too cold for that thin thing today!’ he snapped. ‘Where’s your white padded coat?’
‘I told you ages ago Dad; it doesn’t fit me properly anymore.’
‘I find that hard to believe Megan. I only bought it last year. Where is it?’
Megan zipped up her jacket and fished in the pockets for her other gloves. ‘It’s in the washing machine. I got mud on it when I tripped over,’ she said quickly.
Paul frowned ‘I’ll have to get you another one in a bigger size.’
‘No Dad! I don’t like that style anymore.’
Megan was frustrated. Her dad was stuck in a time warp. How she hated wearing the same kind of clothes she had worn when she was a little girl. But this was not the time to start an argument with her father. She knew from past experience that if something upset him he could so easily change his mind about letting her go out.
‘See you later Dad,’ she said quickly, as she closed the door swiftly behind her, before he had chance to call her back.
Red Snow Page 2