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‘But I need my books, Mom,’ Katie wailed, her expression woeful.
‘Yes, I know you do. But you’ll just have to wait for Niall to get home. He’ll go with you. Better still, he’ll run you down to the barn in his pickup. That’ll be the quickest. Fin, go and turn off the stew, please, and I’d better take the bread out of the oven.’
‘It’s Finian, Mom,’ the boy muttered. ‘My name’s Finian, like in Finian’s Rainbow. That’s a musical.’
Maureen stared at him, wondering what he would come out with next.
Chapter Four (#)
Katie kept herself absolutely still, remained quiet as she sat next to her brother in his pickup truck. She felt certain he was annoyed because he had to drive her to the old barn, so that she could retrieve her school books.
When he had arrived home from work a short while ago, he hadn’t appeared to be put out by their mother’s request, and had agreed readily enough to run her to the barn. But he had been totally silent as they had driven away from the house and headed in the direction of the highway.
Several times Katie stole a glance at Niall, wondering whether to start chatting or not. Usually he was talkative, discussed all sorts of things and confided in her, as she did in him. He was only two years older than her and they had always been close when they were growing up, best friends. The two of them had treated Finian as the baby, being either condescending or indifferent. Until he had become too clever by far to ignore. Although they had eventually accepted him, treated Finian amiably enough, they had never really let him in, and he hadn’t seemed to care, much to their surprise.
Katie and Niall knew each other inside out, and now, as she cast another glance at him, she realized how preoccupied he looked. His normally smiling face was set in serious lines as he drove on at a steady speed, and she wondered what was going on in his head. Perhaps he was having trouble with his girlfriend, Jennifer Wilson. Women were attracted to Niall, usually threw themselves at him, and no wonder. He was as handsome as their father with his black hair, green eyes, and angular, masculine face. Niall’s features were well defined, as were their father’s, and their very macho looks harked back to their Byrne ancestors, who had come over from Ireland in the nineteenth century to settle in Connecticut.
It was Niall who finally broke the silence and interrupted her thoughts when he said, ‘You’re very quiet tonight, Katie.’
Startled, she sat up straighter, and exclaimed, with a small laugh, ‘I could say the same about you, Niall! And you’re certainly looking serious. Is there something wrong?’
‘No, no, nothing…I was just thinking…about you.’
‘What about me?’
‘Mostly your plans to go to New York next year. Do you really think Mom and Dad’ll let you?’
‘Of course they will.’ She half turned in her seat, stared at her brother in the dim light, and went on swiftly, ‘Have they said something to you? I mean about not letting me go? Come on, tell me, Niall. We’ve never had any secrets before.’
When he remained silent, she said in a softer, pleading tone, ‘Please tell me.’
‘They haven’t said a word, honest,’ Niall responded truthfully. ‘But I know they’re not too happy about the idea.’
‘Why not?’
‘Come on, Katie, don’t be dumb, that’s not like you. It’s obvious. They think you’re too young to go off by yourself to the big city.’ He sneaked a look at her out of the corner of his eye, then brought his gaze back to the road. ‘I’m sure they want you to put it off for a couple of years.’
‘Mom’s never said anything like that to me, and neither has Dad. And why are you suddenly bringing it up tonight?’ she demanded, sounding heated all of a sudden.
‘I guess I wouldn’t have said anything if you hadn’t asked me if something was wrong. I was just being honest with you, because that’s what I was thinking about…you going off to New York. And I suppose it came into my mind because we’re on our way to the barn, where you spend most of your time playing actress.’
‘I understand. But hey, listen up, Niall…I’ll be with Carly and Denise in New York. And don’t forget that Aunt Bridget’s there, and we’ll be staying with her.’
Niall exclaimed, ‘And for how long? Aunt Bridget’s got a big job in real estate and a life of her own. She’s not going to want the lot of you under her feet…at least not for very long.’
A fast denial sprang to Katie’s lips but she thought better of voicing it. Instead she took a deep breath and settled back in the seat, wondering if her parents had discussed this matter with him. But if they had, why wouldn’t he admit it? He had never held things back in the past. Finally, she asked in a low voice, ‘Tell me the truth, like you always have, Niall. Did Mom and Dad talk to you about my going to New York?’
‘No, they didn’t, Katie. Honest to God they haven’t mentioned it. I’m only telling you what I personally think. I know what they’re like. They’re both very protective of you, and they’re right to be. I feel the same way myself.’
‘Traitor,’ she muttered. ‘You’ve never mentioned that before, and you always said I should go to the academy once I graduate high school. Now, suddenly, you’re singing a different tune. All I’ve ever wanted to do is act, you know it’s my life.’
Niall let out a small sigh. He might have known she would adopt this attitude; he was beginning to wish he’d never said anything to her, never voiced his thoughts. ‘Let’s not quarrel, honey,’ he soothed gently. ‘Look, I’m sorry I brought it up. Forget it. Forget I ever said anything. When the time comes I’m sure they’ll agree, and let you go, especially if Aunt Bridget backs you up. And you’ll be with Denise and Carly, and that’ll help as well. After all, it’s not as if you’re going to New York by yourself.’
‘No, I’m not, and I hope Mom and Dad will agree,’ Katie answered, and began to relax. Also, knowing it was better to let the matter drop, she adroitly changed the subject. ‘How’s Jennifer? You haven’t mentioned her lately.’
‘I’m sort of cooling it,’ he muttered, and then laughed in an odd way. ‘She’s getting to be a bit of a pest, if you want the truth, Katie. Can you believe she wants to get married?’
‘To you?’ Katie asked, her voice rising.
‘Who else?’
‘You’re too young, Niall.’
‘You bet I am. Anyway, Jennifer’s nice enough, don’t get me wrong, I just don’t want to start getting serious with her. She’s not the girl for me. I haven’t found her yet.’
For a split second Katie was silent, and then she murmured, ‘Funny, I thought you had once.’
Niall did not answer her but his hands tensed on the wheel.
Eventually Katie said, ‘I used to think you were crazy about Denise last year. The look on your face was…unmistakable. I was sure you had fallen for her. I was positive you’d finally seen the light, discovered what she was really like, what a special person she is.’
‘I guess I had…The problem was with Denise, not me. She’s hell bent on being an actress, having a career, going to New York with you and Carly. That’s what she wants, not me or any other guy, as far as I can see. When I was taking her out last year, did she ever mention me? Say anything to you?’
Katie shook her head. ‘No, I’ve told you that before. All she said was that you were nice.’ Katie frowned. ‘And I did repeat that to you at the time.’
Niall murmured, ‘I guess you did. Denise doesn’t want a boyfriend, at least not right now. What she wants is fame in capital letters. Her name in lights on a theatre.’
‘I think so,’ Katie agreed. ‘But Denise is so beautiful and sweet, and Jennifer Wilson can’t hold a candle to her…’
‘I know that.’
Niall slowed down as they came to the entrance to Ted Matthews’s land, where the old barn was located. He turned in and headed across the flat barren area, then rolled slowly down the hill to the dell at the bottom. It was here the barn sat nestled against a backdrop of trees.
As the pickup truck drew closer to the barn, Niall said, ‘Denise and Carly must still be here, Katie. The lights are on.’
Katie was not surprised, and she explained, ‘They often stay here long after I’m gone. They like to rehearse, work together, and sometimes they do their homework, Niall. There’s nothing much for them at home, with everyone working.’
‘Yeah, I know.’ Niall brought the pickup truck to a stop in front of the barn, and braked.
Katie opened the door and jumped down to the ground. It was cold and she shivered, huddled into her jacket as she ran forward. When she reached the barn door she was surprised to see it stood open.
Pulling it back, she went in, smiling and exclaiming, ‘Carly! Denise! What’s going on? Why’s the door open on a cold night like this?’
No one answered. The barn was empty.
Taken aback, Katie stood for a moment frozen to the spot. Her eyes scanned the room swiftly, and straight away she noticed the disarray. Two straight-backed chairs had been turned over, lay on their sides. The shade on the old pottery lamp was lopsided, looked as if it had been hit with force, and the blue cloth on the table where they drank their Cokes had been pulled to one side, so that it hung off the edge of the table. As her eyes continued to scan the barn she saw their coats hanging on the wall pegs, and on the floor, nearby, were their school bags. And hers as well, although she didn’t remember putting it there. She was sure she had thrown it in a corner, haphazardly. All three were neatly lined up, side by side. How odd.
Sudden fear clutched at Katie.
She swung her head as Niall came inside.
‘Where’s Denise? Carly?’ he asked, and automatically took hold of her arm, immediately noticing the overturned chairs, and other signs of disruption.
Katie swung to face him. ‘I don’t know.’ She bit her lip. ‘They must be somewhere…outside…’
‘Without their coats?’ he frowned, staring hard at her.
For a moment Katie could not speak. The fear inside her seemed to intensify and her legs suddenly felt weak, as if they would give way beneath her. All of her instincts were alerted to trouble, and in a shaking voice she said slowly, ‘There’s something wrong, Niall.’
‘Yep, there is.’ Her brother took a deep breath, went on: ‘We’d better go outside and look for them. They must be around here somewhere. It’s very dark, but I’ve got a flashlight in the truck.’
‘And there’s one in the drawer of the table. I kept it for emergencies,’ she explained.
‘Then get it, Katie, and let’s go.’
Chapter Five (#)
It was chilly and damp outside and darker than ever. Heavy clouds obscured the opaque moon, and an ominous feeling floated in the air. It was palpable, something Katie felt she could reach out and touch.
She was taut and fearful. Her mind raced; dire thoughts rushed unchecked through her head. Nothing was normal any more, and her instincts told her something bad had happened here. Something evil. A strange sense of doom, a foreboding, persisted even though she tried to push it away.
The dampness seeped through her jacket into her bones, and she shivered as she stood waiting for her brother. Niall had gone to get the flashlight from his pickup, and she was clutching the one she had taken from the barn. Her mother had given it to her a long time ago, and Katie was glad she had thought to replace the batteries recently.
Unexpectedly, Niall’s headlights flashed on and she started in surprise. The area in front of the barn where she was standing was suddenly illuminated, and at least she could see better. Niall ran towards her, waving his flashlight, and when he was by her side he took hold of her arm protectively. In a rush of words he said, ‘Listen to me, Katie. We’re going to stick close together. Real close. I don’t want you wandering around here on your own. Okay?’
‘Yes. And anyway that’s the last thing I’d do,’ she answered, her voice low, and she edged closer to her brother. There was a hesitation on her part, then she ventured, ‘There are only two possibilities, Niall. They either left in a great hurry or they were taken.’
‘Taken,’ he repeated, and frowned, his slate-green eyes suddenly troubled. ‘Who’d take them? And where?’
‘I don’t know. But what we do know is that there was an intruder, or intruders, because things have been moved around, disrupted in there.’ She half turned, nodded her head at the barn. ‘Carly and Denise might not be here at all, you know. They could be far away by now. If they’ve been…taken. Kidnapped.’
‘Jaysus, what’re you saying, Katie?’ Niall muttered, sounding exactly like Grandfather Sean, whom he loved and emulated. ‘Why would anyone take Denise and Carly? What are you getting at?’
‘There’re a lot of weirdos around, you know that as well as I do. Crazed druggies. Sex fiends. Whackos. Serial killers.’
Niall gaped at her, obviously startled by her words; a mixture of concern and fear washed across his face. ‘Let’s not waste any more time. We’ll look at the back of the barn first.’ As he spoke he hurried her towards the stands of trees that shaded the ramshackle building on its north side.
Katie said, ‘They might have made for Ted Matthews’s house, Niall.’
‘Yeah, that’s a possibility.’
Together they walked around the back of the barn, waving their flashlights from side to side, directing the beams of light at the trees and bushes, calling, ‘Carly! Denise!’
No one answered and there was nothing untoward to be seen. No sign of trampled grass, broken twigs, smashed bushes or footprints in the earth. And certainly there was no sign of the girls.
At one moment, Niall paused, swung Katie to face him. He stared at her. ‘We both believe somebody entered the barn. Unexpectedly. Uninvited. Whoever it was either took the girls by force, or frightened them so badly they fled. Correct?’
Katie nodded. ‘And if they ran out, were really scared, they’d probably go to Ted’s farm. It’s not that close, but it is nearer than our house or their own homes.’
Niall was puzzled. ‘Why wouldn’t they run up the hill to the highway?’
‘No, no, they’d never do that,’ Katie responded quickly, shaking her head. ‘It’s tough running uphill. They probably rushed outside and just ran straight ahead, right into the wood facing the barn door. Once they were through the wood they’d be on flat ground all the way to Ted’s farm. It’s easy to run across fields quickly, they’d be there in no time.’
‘You’re right about that, so we’ll search the wood next. It could be that Denise and Carly are hiding in there, afraid to come out. If we don’t find them, we can call Ted from the pay phone on the highway.’
Katie took hold of her brother’s hand. She was nervous, agitated inside. All of a sudden, a surge of apprehension flooded her and she felt slightly sick. She was certain something had gone wrong after she had left, and she prayed that Carly and Denise were all right, that they were safe.
Niall gripped her hand firmly as they made their way to the front of the building, where his pickup was parked, and went into the wood opposite. It was not large, but it was densely packed with trees, and very dark. The path through the trees was cut so narrowly it was necessary to walk single file; Niall insisted Katie went ahead of him so that his eyes were on her at all times. He wasn’t prepared to take any chances.
Once they were moving along the path at a steady pace, Katie called out, ‘Carly! Denise? It’s me, Katie! Are you in here?’
Niall pitched his voice even louder. ‘Denise? Carly? Where are you?’
There was no response.
The two of them kept to the path, waving their flashlights from side to side, peering about in the dim light. Suddenly, Katie stopped and held up her hand. She said quietly, over her shoulder, ‘Did you hear that, Niall?’
‘What?’
‘A rustling sound just ahead of us.’
‘No, I didn’t. It was probably an animal. A deer.’
Katie’s breath caught in her throat, and she held herself absolutely still as she remembered the dark flash caught on the periphery of her vision earlier that day. Near the rhododendron bushes on the hillside when she was going home. I shouldn’t have left them alone in the barn, I should have made them leave with me. But they often stay late, that’s nothing new. As long as they were at the barn they had each other for company, instead of being at home alone.
Had there been someone lurking near the rhododendron bushes? She swallowed hard. Her mouth went dry and she wondered if the intruder had been there on the hill this afternoon. If that was so, she had passed very close to him. Or them. She shivered.
‘I can hear something now,’ Niall muttered, leaning closer, putting his hand on her shoulder.
To Katie, the disturbance, whatever it was, seemed much louder, clearer, and it sounded as though somebody was plunging through the undergrowth, charging forward, and in the process rustling leaves and breaking branches. If it was an animal it was a large one.
‘Who’s there?’ Niall shouted.
‘Carly, Denise, it’s me! And Niall,’ Katie yelled through hands cupped around her mouth.
No one responded but the noise instantly stopped.
There were no sounds at all, only silence.
The two of them did not move for a moment or two. They stood waiting, listening, straining their ears. Nothing moved, not a leaf stirred. The wood was wrapped in total stillness.
Katie took a deep breath – and a step forward.
Niall followed her, even more disturbed. But not wishing to alarm Katie further, he murmured reassuringly, ‘It was a deer, honey. Or a stag. Yes, a stag, that’s more like it, and that’s all it was, Katie. An animal.’ Though he spoke confidently, he wasn’t sure he believed his own words.
Katie certainly didn’t; she had other ideas altogether. Taking several more deep breaths, steadying herself, she stepped out purposefully.
Katie saw Carly first. She was waving her flashlight from side to side when the cold, white beam of light fell across Carly’s body. Her friend was in a small clearing to one side of the path, near a clump of bushes. She was stretched out on her back and lay very still.
