Two Kinds Of Truth(63)

“What are ye saying?”

Ally links her arm through Callum’s.

“I told him it’s time he came home to his son,” Ally states, flatly. “Isaac needs him more than Maddie does.”

Anger bubbles in my throat. “I see. So ye got yourself a job here, close to his family, and just waited for the right moment to destroy his marriage?”

“Don’t make me out to be the bad guy. I just want my child to grow up knowing his father.”

“Does Maddie know about Isaac?”

Callum nods. “Yes, she does now, and as soon as she found out, she ran off. We’ve looked everywhere, but she’s vanished.”

“Everywhere?”

“Pretty much. We’ve searched the whole farm, and most of the outbuildings, but there’s no sign of her. When she left, I tried to chase after her, but she seemed to disappear into thin air. I rushed to the main house, thinking she’d be there, then, when she wasn’t, I went back and tried to follow her tracks. But the snow’s falling so fast they’re gone in a matter of seconds.”

“Aye, well, it’s eased off for now.”

“That may be true, but that doesn’t help us.”

“Where were she headin’ when ye saw her last?”

“Towards the farmhouse.”

“And you’re certain she isnae there?”

Callum’s stare is one of anguish. “Yes; I checked upstairs and down. And she’s not in the garden house, either.”

“How long has she been missin’?”

“No more than thirty minutes tops, I’d say.”

“Then I think I ken where she’s gone.” I zip up my coat. “If I’m not back within the hour, get the Search and Rescue team out.”

“I’ll come with you.” Callum says.

I shake my head. “Nah, I move faster on my own, thanks.”

I shove a hand inside my coat and pull out a thick woollen hat, then rush out of the shed, leaving Ally and Callum standing there. Once in the farmhouse, I grab a rucksack from behind the door, one filled with medical supplies, a reflective heat blanket, maps, and flares. I delve inside to find a headband with a torch attached to it and put it over my hat, then hurry into the kitchen, where I grab a bowl and fill it with water. I bring it to the boil in the microwave and use some of it to fill a hot water bottle, making coffee for a metal flask with the rest.

Once outside, a security light flashes on, illuminating my way as I dash over to the gate, the pack already on my back. When I switch on the torch, the ground opens up in front of me and I jog down the track, scanning for any signs of movement. Inside, I’m afraid. It’s freezing out here and Maddie won’t last long, not if I don’t find her soon. But Callum was right: the blowing snow has certainly filled in her tracks.

I keep going until I reach the woodland, where the trees seem to bend together as though they’re whispering terrible secrets to one another. The wind blows gently through the trees, and as my head-light shines ahead, I see two small globes of white. For a split second I think I’ve found Maddie, but a back arches like a cat and the thing jerks its head, tearing at something small with its teeth. There’s blood on its muzzle, dripping onto the ground.

“Shoo,” I cry at the red fox. It glares at me for my unexpected intrusion, let’s out a high rasping bark and scurries away into the darkness. With my torch’s pool of light on the blood-stained snow, I make my way over. There, I find what’s left of the carcass of a baby rabbit, and a sigh escapes me as I continue my search.

“Maddie, where are ye, lassie?” I cry out, but only the fox’s solitary bark is returned.

I hunt for any obvious signs Maddie may have passed this way, like broken twigs or a tatter of her clothing, something she may have dropped or been caught on a sharp branch, but my despair grows with every step I take. No matter how hard I scour the ground and the foliage, it all appears undisturbed.

But then I hear a noise, a moan in the bushes, and I quickly dive further into the trees.

“Maddie, I’ve heard what’s happened. Come home and we’ll talk about it more there,” and now I’m creeping through the darkness, careful where I tread. I’m off the beaten track, but I know every inch of woodland for miles around, so when I come across a strange bulge in the ground, I’m quick to investigate. It’s covered in a light smattering of snow, but I can see blond hair there, streaked with dried blood.

“Maddie!” I cry in horror and dive onto my knees, snow flicking into my face. I wipe it away with a gloved hand before reaching out and gently turning her over, her face revealed in the light of the torch. I catch my breath. There’s a cut across her forehead, but I’m damned if I can tell how bad it is.

I press my ear to her lips, around which her skin is like blue glass, but am relieved to hear her breathing. Taking off and ripping open the bag, I take out the thermal blanket and quickly wrap it around her, pressing the hot water bottle in between her coat and thin blouse.

“Maddie, wake up,” I beg, shaking her roughly. There’s a noise from her, a low groan, and she slowly opens her eyes.

“Jamie,” she whispers. “Am I dead?”

“Nah. Not today, lassie. Not on my watch.”

She lifts her fingers to my face and gently strokes my cheek. A single tear trickles down her pale face.