‘Who’s trying to catch it?’ asked Megan.
‘I can’t remember what they said on the news,’ said Bill, ‘but if it’s not caught soon they’ll be bringing in the army to hunt it down I expect.’
Megan was becoming more alarmed as the conversation went on, but she tried not to show it. ‘What will they do if they catch it?’ she asked.
‘They’ll probably try shooting it with one of those tranquillizer darts,’ said Bill, ‘but if that doesn’t work and they think it may harm someone, they’ll have to shoot it.’
‘No,’ said Ryan. ‘They can’t do that. It’s not fair. It won’t harm anyone unless it feels threatened.’
Bill looked surprised. ‘I didn’t know you were such a cat lover Ryan,’ he said.
‘I’m not,’ said Ryan quickly. He didn’t want Bill to become suspicious, but the thought of the army hunting down Tom and Zoe made him very angry.
Megan came to his rescue. ‘Thanks for telling us Uncle Bill,’ she said calmly. ‘We’ll be careful.’
‘Good,’ said Bill. ‘Skippy is looking at her lead right now, so I think she’s keen to go out whenever you are.’
Ryan and Megan didn’t need asking again. They couldn’t wait to leave.
Neither of them spoke until they were far enough away from Bill’s house to talk freely.
‘Do you think Irene’s heard the news about the big cat sightings?’ asked Megan.
‘I hope so,’ said Ryan, ‘but if Zoe and Tom are roaming the woods at the moment, there’s not a lot she can do to protect them.’
‘What will she do if they come back?’ said Megan.
Ryan shrugged his shoulders. ‘Try to lock them in the pens I suppose.’
‘But she can’t keep them in the pens forever,’ said Megan. ‘They’re wild. They need to be free.’
Ryan kicked a stone along the pavement as he walked. There was a feeling of foreboding in the air, as if something bad was about to happen and there was nothing they could do about it.
When they reached the turning onto the woodland path they both stopped and stared.
There was a notice on a tree, warning walkers about the sightings of a big cat, along with a number to phone if anyone should see it. ‘Come on,’ said Megan. ‘We’ve got to make sure Irene knows about this. I hope she’s at home.’
‘And let’s hope no-one else sees the cats in the meantime,’ said Ryan. ‘Come on Skippy. Let’s run.’
Skippy was delighted and set off running with great enthusiasm, but by the time they reached the woodyard, the old dog was getting tired. Ryan stroked her head as they slowed down to a walk. ‘Not far now Skippy. Come on old girl.’ But as they approached the gatehouses Skippy’s behaviour suddenly changed. She began to bark furiously and pull on her lead. Ryan hauled her back. ‘Maybe there’s a rabbit or something nearby,’ he said.
‘We’ll have to keep her inside the house if Zoe’s in the pen,’ said Megan. ‘We don’t want either of them to get scared.’
Ryan laughed. ‘I think Skippy is the only one who’ll be scared.’
‘What a surprise,’ smiled Irene on opening the door. ‘I’ve been wondering how you two were getting on.’
‘Have you seen the news?’ asked Ryan as soon as they walked in.
‘You mean about the big cat sightings?’ she said.
They both nodded.
‘Yes, I have,’ she replied gravely. ‘I’ve shut Zoe in her pen for now, but I’m really worried about Tom. He hasn’t been back for food for several days now and it’s not like him.’
As they sat down in the small sitting room, Megan’s eyes automatically checked the shelf for the photo. She was pleased to see that it was still there, along with all the other cat ornaments and the basket of knitted cats.
‘Grandad says they could get the army in, if they get more sightings,’ warned Ryan. ‘Tom could be captured or shot. What are we going to do?’
‘There’s not much we can do at the moment,’ said Irene. ‘But I’m going to see if I can locate Tom today and then try to lure him back to the pen with some meat.’
‘And then what?’ said Ryan.
‘Keep them in the pens until all the excitement dies down I suppose,’ said Irene. ‘But I’ve got to find Tom first.’
As they sat gloomily in the sitting room, Skippy lay down in front of the fire and began to fall asleep. ‘Anyway, how’s Zoe?’ asked Megan.
‘Come and have a look for yourself,’ said Irene. She looked at the sleeping dog and smiled. ‘We can leave Skippy to her dreams for a while,’ she said.
Zoe was in one of the pens. Although she didn’t look ill, Irene was obviously worried about her. Zoe’s stomach was swollen and Irene said she had noticed some white fluid on the cat’s bedding that morning. ‘She wouldn’t eat anything last night,’ said Irene sadly.
‘Why don’t you call the vet?’ asked Ryan, trying to be helpful.
Irene shook her head. ‘With all this scaremongering about big cats on the loose, I don’t want anyone to know I’ve got a sick wild cat. People can be cruel if they feel threatened or scared,’ she added. ‘Goodness knows what would happen if the newspapers got hold of a picture of these pens.’
Megan shuddered at the thought of the wild cats being hunted down, just because people were scared of them. She knew what it would do to Irene if they were harmed.
‘Come on,’ said Irene. ‘We can’t do any more. Let’s go back inside.’
Skippy was still asleep when they returned, so Irene made them a drink. Megan had been distracted by the cat sightings, but she hadn’t forgotten why she wanted to see Irene. She thought maybe this was a good time to get some answers to her questions.
‘Irene,’ she said tentatively as they sipped their drinks, ‘I found an old newspaper cutting the other day.’
Ryan looked taken aback. Megan hadn’t told him anything about a news cutting.
Irene’s lined face twisted into a scowl, as if she sensed what Megan was going to say.
‘It had a photo of the car my mum crashed in and it was here, just outside your house.’ said Megan.
There was no big response from Irene, but she nodded slightly as she looked at the floor.
This small nod made Megan feel a little braver and she decided to carry on.
‘Dad’s Mini was outside your house, but the newspaper report said she was driving a sports car. I don’t understand.’
Irene’s eyes drifted upwards to the photo of Megan and her mother on the shelf. When she started to speak her voice came out in a whisper, but Megan listened hard. Now she had got this far, she wanted to make sure she heard every single word.
‘You and your mum were on the way to York that day in the Mini,’ said Irene still speaking softly, ‘but you called at my house on the way, so I could give you your birthday present.’
There was a pause as Irene sighed heavily. Megan hardly dare move. She realised that Irene could easily change her mind and refuse to tell her any more. Megan was very relieved when she eventually carried on.
‘When it was time for you to leave my house, the Mini wouldn’t start,’ said Irene.
‘Your mum rang Ray at the garage, but he was out at a classic car rally with Bill. He’d left the new apprentice in charge, but he wasn’t a qualified mechanic, so the Mini couldn’t be fixed.’
‘Why didn’t you take them to York in your own car?’ asked Ryan.
‘Because Mike had gone to work in it,’ she answered.
Irene shifted around in her chair, as if she wanted to be somewhere else. Any mention of her husband Mike seemed to upset Irene greatly and Megan felt there was a danger that she would stop talking because of that. Some-how she needed to encourage her to carry on.
‘It’s OK Irene,’ she said reassuringly, ‘I know most of what happened already, but I just need to
know a few more details.’
Ryan raised his eyebrows in amazement at such exaggeration, but Irene didn’t notice. Her face had just visibly relaxed. ‘I’m glad your dad has seen sense at last,’ she said.
Megan didn’t see any harm in letting Irene think her dad had now told her most of the truth, even if he hadn’t. She also decided to take things a little slower.
‘I can’t remember why Mum had to go to York on my birthday,’ said Megan, trying to appear calm. ‘Was she going to buy me a present or something?’
Irene’s face was almost back to normal now, as she began to recall some of the happier moments before the crash. ‘She was going to collect a special birthday cake for you,’ she said. ‘Your dad should’ve picked it up on his way back from work the night before, but he was so busy that he forgot. Your mum wasn’t too pleased about that,’ she laughed.
‘I still have the birthday card she sent me,’ said Megan trying to smile.
Irene got up and walked over to a cupboard. ‘Do you know I think I still have the one I gave you somewhere,’ she said, opening a drawer. ‘You left it behind, so I kept it.’
Irene began to rummage through a drawer in the cupboard. ‘I’m not sure where I put it now. Never mind. I’ll keep looking.’
Skippy growled in her sleep. ‘She’s dreaming of chasing cats,’ said Irene as she closed the drawer.
Ryan was getting frustrated at the slow pace of everything. He was desperate to find out the truth. ‘How come Maggie ended up driving a sports car?’ he asked bluntly.
‘Ray’s apprentice lent it to her,’ said Irene. ‘It was one of those Frog-Eyed Sprites that Ray was so keen on.’
Megan was annoyed at Ryan. She knew he was only trying to help, but she felt that he was maybe pushing Irene too hard for answers.
‘If she drove to York and back in the Sprite,’ asked Ryan again, ‘why didn’t Megan go with her? There are two seats in the car.’
Irene answered quickly. ‘Megan wanted to stay with me and play with her birthday present,’ was her explanation. On the surface, this seemed a perfectly good reason for Maggie to leave Megan behind and travel alone, but there was something in Irene’s manner that made Megan think this was not quite the whole truth. She was becoming more and more flustered. As her expression began to change, she looked directly at Megan. ‘Does your dad know you’re here?’ she asked.
Megan felt a pang of guilt. Not only had she deceived Irene about how much she knew, but she had also deceived her dad. She just didn’t know what to say.
Ryan, however was becoming angry. ‘No,’ he said defiantly, ‘Megan’s dad doesn’t know we are here and neither does my grandad, but Megan needs your help Irene. All she wants to know is the truth. She’s going to find out everything eventually, so why won’t you tell her now?’
The sound of Ryan’s raised voice roused Skippy from her sleep and he bent down to stroke her. There was something comforting about the old dog that soothed him in moments like these.
Megan was close to tears by now. Ryan was right. She would never stop trying to find out exactly what happened to her beloved mother, no matter how long it took.
Irene looked again at Megan’s troubled face. ‘None of this is your fault Megan,’ she said kindly. ‘Your dad just wants to protect you that’s all, but I’m in a difficult position, because I don’t know how much he’s told you.’
Ryan was becoming more and more frustrated the more he heard. ‘Megan knows she wasn’t in the sports car when it crashed,’ he cried, ‘but she needs to know if she actually saw the crash. Why can’t you just tell her that?’
‘The truth is Megan, I don’t know,’ said Irene earnestly. ‘We were playing hide and seek in the house. I didn’t notice the back door was open and whilst I was counting, you went into the garden, opened the gate and went into the woods to hide.’
‘I remember you calling my name,’ said Megan, her voice trembling, as the hidden memories came flooding back. ‘I was hiding when I saw a cat.’
‘What cat?’ asked Ryan.
‘It was Tom wasn’t it Megan?’ said Irene. ‘I saw him too. He was in the woods just before the crash.’
Megan put her hands to her head. Suddenly, she could remember the crashing sound that rang through the woods, but she had no memory of seeing it. Was this what her dad wanted to protect her from? Did he think she might have seen the crash? Did he want to stop her from uncovering a hidden memory that was best left forgotten?
Irene came across and put her arm round Megan. ‘I don’t think you saw it happen Megan. You came from round the back of the garden, when you heard the crash.’
‘Is that why my dad is so angry with you?’ asked Megan, ‘because he thinks you let me go into the woods, where I might have seen the crash.’
Irene wiped away a tear.
Megan took a deep breath. ‘If it wasn’t me who distracted my mum, then could it have been the cat?’
Irene nodded.
‘Did my mum know about Tom?’ said Megan.
‘Yes,’ said Irene. ‘She loved Tom, but like me, she feared for his safety if anyone found out he was a wild cat.’
‘If Tom ran in front of the car, would she swerve to avoid him?’ asked Megan.
‘Yes,’ said Irene, ‘she would.’
It was now Megan’s turn to wipe away a tear.
‘If it was my cat who distracted Maggie,’ said Irene softly, ‘then it was my fault she died wasn’t it?’
Megan suddenly felt sorry for Irene, but there was nothing more she could say.
Ryan had kept quiet during all this, but there was still something that didn’t quite make sense.
‘Was Joe Hawkins the apprentice?’ he asked.
Irene looked surprised. ‘Yes, he was,’ she said hesitantly.
‘Well, why would he lend Maggie the Sprite?’ he continued. ‘It was an expensive classic car from Ray’s Garage. I can’t believe he would lend her a car like that.’
Irene frowned. She seemed irritated. ‘I’ve told you all I dare tell you,’ she said. ‘If you want to know any more, you will have to ask Paul.’ She moved towards the door. ‘You’ll have to go now,’ she said abruptly. ‘I have to get some meat ready, if I’m going to look for Tom.’
‘She’s holding something back,’ muttered Ryan, as Irene closed the door behind them and although she was grateful for everything Irene had told her, Megan had to agree.
12
The Fugitive
Black clouds were beginning to fill the sky, darkening the woods with slanting rain. As they walked away from Irene’s house, Skippy began to growl fiercely and pull on the lead. ‘I think she can sense a storm coming,’ said Ryan. But when she began to pull even more, the lead suddenly slipped out of his hands. Within seconds, the dog darted across the path and disappeared round the back of the empty gatehouse, on the other side of the stone arch.
‘Skippy!’ they both shouted together, but there was no response. ‘It’s the greyhound blood in her,’ said Ryan, as they ran after her. ‘She’s always chasing after something.’
Stepping around the building materials strewn across the front garden, they made their way to the back of the empty gatehouse. The glass in the back door had been smashed, leaving a nice convenient hole for Skippy to jump through.
‘Skippy!’ shouted Ryan through the hole. A noise coming from inside the house startled them. It was a slamming sound, like a door closing, followed by the sound of barking and whining. It sounded like Skippy was scratching frantically at something hard. Ryan lowered his head to step through the broken glass door.
‘Wait,’ said Megan, taking hold of the door handle. She gave a push and the door swung open. ‘The lock’s been broken. Someone’s been here before.’
The blinds in the house were closed. Megan wished she had brought her torch. They stopped and listened. They
could still hear Skippy scratching and whining. They listened again. The sound seemed to be coming from upstairs. With careful steps, they slowly climbed each creaky wooden stair, until they came to a landing, where Skippy was growling and scratching at one of the doors. Ryan made a grab for her lead. ‘What is it Skippy? Is it a rat? He tried to pull Skippy away, but she just didn’t want to move. He put his hand on the door handle. ‘You won’t be satisfied until I let you take a look, will you?’
The minute Ryan opened the door, Skippy dragged him in, followed closely by Megan.
Then a man’s voice came out of the shadows. ‘Get that dog away, before I kick it away!’
Ryan grabbed Skippy by the collar and pulled her back, as the man pushed past them and made for the open door. But then he stopped unexpectedly and turned to face them. In the faint backlight of the open door, Megan saw the outline of a man with thick curly hair.
Sit over there on the floor where I can see you,’ ordered the man, pointing to the window. He took out a small torch and shone it at the cowering pair.
‘Megan!’ he said. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Joe!’ said Megan.
Joe stepped back into the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
‘Don’t be scared,’ he said gently. ‘I won’t hurt the dog if you keep it under control.’
Ryan didn’t believe him. He was afraid for Skippy’s safety. He remembered his grandad’s words about Joe’s quick temper and tried to quieten Skippy by stroking her under her chin.
Joe put his torch on the floor, lighting up the room with an eerie glow. He looked tired and anxious. ‘I’m so sorry to involve you in all this Megan,’ he said, shaking his head.
Then he swung round angrily to face Ryan. ‘If you’d kept that dog on a lead,’ he cried, ‘Megan wouldn’t have got into this situation would she!’
Megan jumped to his defence. ‘He did have her on a lead, but she just pulled away. It wasn’t his fault.’
‘OK, OK,’ said Joe. ‘Just let me think about what to do now.’
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