‘When will you see her then?’ asked Megan again.
‘I’m going to stay with her in the summer holidays,’ said Ryan excitedly. ‘She still has her flat. You can see right across London from the balcony.’
‘Good,’ said Megan. ‘I’m glad.’
They turned and walked away down the path, each absorbed in their own thoughts, until they reached the gatehouses. Irene’s car was outside, but when they knocked on her door there was no answer. ‘Maybe she’s in the garden,’ said Megan. ‘Let’s go round the back.’
Irene heard them coming and opened the gate to let them in. Her face looked red and puffy, as if she’d been crying.
‘Is something wrong Irene?’ asked Megan.
‘I found Tom this morning in his pen,’ she said tearfully. ‘He looked so peaceful. I thought he was asleep but, when I looked closer, I could see he’d been injured and all the life had gone from him.’
It was then that Megan noticed the white blanket covering something on the floor of one of the pens. The edges of the white blanket were tinged with red blood. Megan didn’t know what to say. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she whispered.
‘He came back here to die,’ said Irene.
‘Did something attack him?’ asked Ryan.
‘Yes, but I’m not sure what,’ said Irene. ‘It could have been anything. He was an old cat and not as strong as he used to be.’
There was a long pause, as they both tried to take in the information.
‘His time had come,’ said Irene as she brushed away a tear. ‘That’s just how it is.’
Megan looked again at the blanket. Although she didn’t blame the wild cat for running in front of her mother’s car, it’s death felt like some kind of ending to her search for the truth.
‘I’m going to bury him over there,’ said Irene, pointing to a small grassy area beside the pens. ‘I thought I might plant a small tree next to his grave.’
‘That would be nice,’ said Megan.
‘We can help bury him if you like,’ offered Ryan.
‘Thanks,’ replied Irene, ‘but it’s something I’d like to do on my own. We go back a long way, Tom and I, and it will be the last thing I ever do for him.’
‘Anyway,’ she said, suddenly brightening up, ‘I’m glad you’re here, because I’ve got something really good to show you.’
They followed Irene towards the pen near the shed, where Zoe was sprawled out on some bedding. The cat growled as they approached, but she didn’t move.
‘Come nearer,’ said Irene speaking softly. ‘Look closer. Tell me what you can see.’
Megan peered into the pen. Underneath Zoe, she could just see a tiny tail. It was tawny in colour with thin stripes. Then she saw another tail and something else moved into the light. Ryan gasped as two kittens emerged, making tiny sounds with their bright red mouths and wobbling about. ‘So that’s why her stomach was swollen,’ said Megan.
Irene looked pleased. ‘By the look of them, I think Tom was their father,’ she said proudly.
‘So that makes them pure wild cats,’ said Ryan.
‘Mike would be so proud to have bred these wild cats,’ said Irene, ‘but I’ve decided to take them back to Scotland. To the Highlands where they belong.’
Ryan was shocked. ‘Why?’
‘A woman from the newspaper phoned me yesterday,’ said Irene angrily. ‘An anonymous caller told her they’d seen two large animal pens in my garden and she accused me of putting lives at risk by keeping big cats.’
‘I hope you told her to get lost,’ said Ryan.
‘She threatened to call the police, if I didn’t give her the full story,’ said Irene.
‘But it’s not true that you’re keeping big cats,’ said Ryan indignantly. ‘You said yourself that they’re wild cats, not big cats. Did you tell the journalist that?’
‘Yes, but she said they were still dangerous,’ replied Irene.
Ryan was becoming more and more angry. ‘But they’re not dangerous. They won’t attack for no reason and they wouldn’t kill anyone even if they did.’
Irene sighed. ‘I can’t say for certain that Zoe wouldn’t attack a dog or even livestock,’ she said. ‘After all, they are killers by instinct, but I won’t have Zoe hunted down.’ She paused reflectively. ‘It’ll be lonely for her now anyway. Now she’s lost her mate.’
‘Will you just release them, when you get to the Highlands?’ asked Megan.
Irene smiled. ‘No. I’ve found a zoo park there. They’ll integrate Zoe back into the wild gradually, but her kittens will be truly wild.’
‘I’m glad they’re going to be free,’ said Megan.
As they went out of the gate, Irene called them back. ‘Just a minute Megan. I’ve got something for you. I almost forgot.’ She disappeared into the house and when she came back she was carrying the little basket of knitted cats. She handed the basket to Megan. ‘This belongs to you,’ she said. ‘It was your seventh birthday present. You left it behind.’
Megan took it from her with great care. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.
‘I knitted the little cats myself,’ said Irene.
‘They’re lovely,’ said Megan. Then she reached out her arms and gave Irene a big hug.
By the time Megan got home, she had made a decision about where to put the basket of cats. She would put it on her shelf, next to the birthday card that her mum and dad sent her on her seventh birthday.
Paul was waiting for Megan when she got home. She was worried he might get upset, when he saw the basket of cats, but he just smiled.
‘Sit down Megan,’ he said gently. ‘I have something for you.’
She noticed there was a letter in his hand and she hoped it wasn’t bad news. Paul unfolded the handwritten letter and took out a small card. ‘This is for you,’ he said.
The card was hand-made. It was covered in pink shiny stars. Inside the card was a photograph of a little girl with red curly hair, just like Megan’s. She knew who it was from, even before she read the childish writing inside:
Deer Megan
Plees can you cum and play with me
Love from cusin Alice xxx
She looked at her dad in amazement.
‘I wrote to Sarah,’ said Paul, ‘and she’s written back. This card was inside her letter. I’ve been talking to Kirsty and she convinced me it was the right thing to do. Everyone says Sarah’s a good person and I think it’s about time you met your cousin.’
‘She looks just like me,’ said Megan.
‘And she looks just like Maggie too,’ said Paul smiling.
‘By the way,’ he added, ‘I’m not sure how I feel about you seeing Joe, but Andy told me some news about him today.’
‘What sort of news?’ asked Megan anxiously.
‘It seems we’ve misjudged him,’ said Paul. ‘It was the two youths working at Ray’s carwash who carried out all the burglaries. When they thought the police might search their flat, they hid a bag of stolen goods in an old watchtower in the woods. But the police found it and managed to trace it back to them. It’s amazing what the police can do these days.’
‘I don’t understand,’ said Megan. ‘You caught Joe trying to steal things from Bill’s shed.’
‘Well, that’s where we all jumped to the wrong conclusions,’ said Paul. ‘He was in the shed, but he wasn’t trying to steal anything.’
Megan looked confused. ‘What was he doing in the shed then?’ she asked.
‘It’s a bit complicated,’ said Paul, ‘but as far as I can make out, the loud noise you heard that night was the two youths from the carwash at Ray’s garage, breaking the lock on Bill’s shed. We think they were after the car parts.’
‘So, was it their torches that I saw?’ asked Megan.
‘It was,’ said Paul.
‘But I still
don’t get it,’ said Megan. ‘How come Joe was coming out of the shed when you got there and where were the two youths?’
Paul tried to explain as best he could. ‘Joe was on one of his night-time runs that evening. He was running along the back lane, behind our houses, when he heard a loud bang and went to investigate. When he realised that someone had broken into Bill’s shed, he went in to confront them. The two youths put up a fight, but when Joe collapsed after banging his head, they got scared and ran off empty-handed.’
‘All this must have happened when I was upstairs trying to wake you up,’ said Megan.
‘That’s right,’ said Paul. ‘By the time I got there, the youths had gone and all I saw was Joe staggering out of the shed. I thought he was drunk, but he was still dazed from his fall.’
‘Why didn’t he just tell you what had happened?’ asked Megan.
Paul sighed. ‘He didn’t really get much chance, did he? It all happened so quickly. When I saw it was Joe, I was so angry that I just went for him. Then Bill threatened him with the gun and he ran off.’
‘Maybe he was confused after his fall,’ suggested Megan.
‘Maybe,’ said Paul. ‘But Andy thinks the sight of Bill’s gun might have reminded him of bad times in the army. Maybe that’s why he just pushed Bill away and ran off without saying anything.’
Megan looked relieved. ‘So, Joe isn’t a burglar after all.’
‘It doesn’t look like it.’ said Paul.
Megan thought for a moment. ‘I think I understand what happened that night now Dad,’ she said, ‘but why did Joe hide in the empty gatehouse? Why did he hide at all, if he wasn’t guilty?’
Paul shrugged his shoulders. ‘I’m not sure,’ he said, ‘but according to Bill he often camped out in the woods when things got too much for him. Maybe he was so shaken up after the incident with the gun that he needed to be alone to think it all through.’
‘Well whatever the reason, I’m glad he’s innocent,’ said Megan. ‘I don’t think he’s a bad person really.’
Paul shook his head. ‘He may not be a bad person Megan, but he needs some help with his anger, that’s for sure.’ Megan didn’t say anything, but she suddenly saw a similarity between Joe and her dad and she hoped they would both find peace someday.
‘Night Dad,’ said Megan that evening, as she headed up the stairs.
‘Wait a minute,’ said Paul. ‘I’ve been up in the loft today and I’ve got something for you.’ He handed her a large photograph in a silver frame. It was a photo of her mother, taken when she won a local art competition.
‘It was taken just before she died,’ said Paul. ‘Her painting won first prize.’
Megan took a closer look at the photo. Her mum was standing proudly beside a painting of a little girl with red curly hair. ‘Is that me?’ she said slowly.
Paul nodded. ‘I thought you might like to keep it in your room.’
Megan reached out for her dad’s hand. It was shaking. ‘Thanks Dad,’ she whispered. ‘Do we still have the painting?’
‘It’s probably in the loft with all the others she painted,’ said Paul.
‘Maybe we’ll look at them together some time?’ said Megan hopefully.
‘Yes,’ said Paul, ‘but not just yet.’
‘I understand,’ said Megan and she hugged him tight, just like she used to when she was a little girl.
That night Megan began to think about everything that had happened since she set off to stalk Ryan on that cold February night. It was the end of her search for the truth, but now there were lots of beginnings to look forward to. Her dad was improving, she had got to know Ryan, Irene and Kirsty and she was much happier at school, now Rosa was her best friend. Then there was her newly found uncle Joe and her little cousin Alice.
She took another look at the photo of her mother holding the painting. ‘I think I know what happened now, Mum,’ she whispered, as she placed the photo on her shelf. ‘But it’s taken me a long time to find out.’
She opened a drawer in her bedside table and took out a large notebook. It had a red velvet cover with tiny gold hearts along the spine. It was the one she was saving for something special. ‘You know what I’m going to do now, Mum?’ she said. ‘I’m going to write everything down in a story, so if I have any children of my own, they will know how I discovered the truth about their grandmother.’ She paused to think for a moment. ‘I’m going to call my story Red Snow,’ she said, ‘because everything started to change after Ryan saw Zoe’s red blood on the snow. She took a pen from the drawer and began to write:
RED SNOW
Chapter One: The Stalker
Stalking the boy next door in the middle of the night was not one of my most sensible decisions, but, in the end, it turned out to be one of my best…
Red Snow Page 15