The Silent Ones: Could You Leave A Child Behind? (Chrissy Livingstone Book 3)

by Linda Coles

  He’d obviously made it up, a charade for her sake, and was not intending to contact Ciara at all.

  Why?

  Chapter 32

  By the time Chrissy had returned to her small party, they were ready and waiting to sit down for dinner.

  “There you are,” Adam exclaimed. He slipped his arm around her waist, and Julie handed back her half glass of wine. The sparkling water with its lemon raft still sat on the bar.

  Chrissy was somewhat relieved to find their designated table sat only four, as she wasn’t in a sociable mood, not tonight. Catching Julie’s eye, she willed her sister to wait for the phone number results with a slight shake of her head. Richard, who had not witnessed the subtle exchange, dropped his menu on the table dramatically and announced he was sticking with the steak pie again. Adam concurred. Chrissy went along with them; it was easier than thinking. Julie perused a while longer before choosing the poached salmon. With their food order placed, it was Adam that kicked off the topic of conversation: the following day’s events.

  “Since the weather is now decidedly colder than the last couple of beautiful days have been, perhaps we should do two different activities rather than a whole day affair?” He looked around for approval.

  “And don’t worry about me,” Richard said, “I’m not going to hold your holiday up, I can’t get far, so please, choose around my attendance.” He smiled before taking a sip of his Guinness.

  “Then how’s this for an idea,” Julie started, “how about we go to Father Ted’s for afternoon tea tomorrow, then at least Richard can come. Then afterwards, you two can wander off and I’ll stay and keep him company. So, somebody else choose an activity for the morning.”

  Chrissy felt as if she’d missed a whole day of her holiday already, even her run hadn’t happened, and so she was anxious to get out and do some exercise. “I have to drop into the Gardai tomorrow and give my prints, but I’m heading over early so I can get back early enough. Today vanished on me.”

  Adam gave her a mock pitiful look and pulled her close.

  “Then why don’t those that wish to, take a picnic and finish the rest of the coastal walk, do the other side?” he suggested. “Hags Head back to the information centre, then home in time for a trip over to Father Ted’s. It’s an eight-mile round trip so if we get over there early enough, we should manage everything. Or is that cutting it a bit fine?” The idea of another refreshing cliff walk, with a gusty wind whipping her hair around, sounded ideal to Chrissy’s ears. If she didn’t get out and do some form of exercise during the day, she began to feel restless, like a child with too much sugar inside them.

  “I’m game. Julie?”

  Tilting her head to one side, thinking, she said, “On reflection, I’ll leave you two lovebirds to your walk and stay back with Richard. We’ll be out later for tea, so it’s not as if I won’t have been somewhere.” Julie took Richard’s hand in hers in a rare public display of affection. It wasn’t the first time on the holiday Chrissy had noticed the sentiment; the pair were usually far more restrained. She wondered what had been going on behind their closed doors since Julie was doing a good deal more than simply tolerating her husband as she usually did. “And I might walk into the village again, if I feel like it.”

  “Well that’s settled then,” Chrissy said. “Picnic for two, then afternoon tea for four.” Changing the subject, she asked, “Who wants another drink?” Three empty glasses were offered, and Julie took the opportunity to help. “I’ll give you a hand,” she said, and the two women rose. Chrissy smiled inwardly. For someone who wasn’t particularly interested in using up much of her holiday time, she sure was interested in how things were going with the missing couple. Chrissy felt her sister’s hand on her arm, steering her towards the bar. When they were out of earshot of the table, Julie couldn’t contain herself any longer.

  “What did he say, the barman? I’m going slightly nuts wanting to know.”

  Chrissy quickly filled her in about the nonsensical number.

  “But that makes no sense.”

  “Quite.”

  Julie managed to attract the attention of one of the bar staff, something she was exceptionally good at. As she placed their order, Chrissy scanned the rest of the bar.

  “He’s nowhere to be seen now.”

  “He’ll be on his break, I expect. Or changing a barrel?”

  “Maybe,” said Chrissy absentmindedly. She didn’t sound convinced. The pair returned to their table just in time to see their food arrive. Of course, the man could be in the loo for all they knew and just because he wasn’t behind the bar right there and then didn’t mean there was anything suspicious to think about.

  The small group ate their meal with relish then settled back to listen to the live music. Several deep male voices accompanied a woman on a button accordion and another on a fiddle, which increased the volume as well as the energy in the room. Adam, Richard, Chrissy, and Julie all sat with their feet tapping away to the fast and vibrant Irish tune, a rather different version of ‘Galway Girl’ to Ed’s. When the song eventually came to an end, glasses were raised in celebration and a new song played out in front of them.

  Chrissy glanced across at the bar just in time to spot the blond barman from earlier as he slipped through the rear door, which no doubt led out back. Had he a thick jacket on though? She’d only caught his distinctive hair and part of a shoulder before he’d vanished from sight, but she’d put a glass of wine on it he had. She looked around the pub. The place was heaving still and would be for another couple of hours more to come. Brushing it off as unimportant, she tried to focus on enjoying herself. She was on holiday after all.

  It wasn’t until they were driving back towards their holiday home that Chrissy spotted the man again. This time, however, he was leaving the woollen sweater shop. At gone 11 pm? What on earth was he doing in there at that hour? As she drove the group home, no suitable explanation surfaced, but she added the snippet of information to the rest on the bubble map in the back of her mind. No doubt she’d recall it again later – when the jigsaw piece fitted another.

  Chapter 33

  Even though she’d only drunk two glasses of wine, Chrissy awoke during the night feeling totally dehydrated. Maybe there’d been a good deal more Guinness in the pie than she’d realised, though more likely, with all the excitement, she hadn’t drunk enough water during the day. Her mouth felt like it had a woolly lining. Trying to find moisture and realising she had little spittle to lick her lips with, she slipped out from under the covers, grabbed her robe and quietly headed down the hall to the kitchen. One of the stark differences they’d each discovered between here and Surrey was that when the lights went out in Doolin, it was pitch black – their nearest street lamp a good way away. Feeling with bare feet and her right hand down the hall wall, she managed to steer herself to the right room and fill a glass of water without banging into anything along the way. By the time her eyes had adjusted in the weak moonlight filtering in through the windows, she’d downed half of it. The liquid felt good as is made its way, refreshing her from the inside; like a parched camel might feel at a cool watering hole. Rupert fell in beside her, and she reached down to tickle him behind his ears. He seemed to sense he should stay quiet. She turned towards the ocean and gazed out for a moment while she sipped the rest of her drink. The sky above was almost ink black, the moon only glimpsing through the thinner edges of the clouds as they passed in front of it. Gazing up as it made a brief appearance, Chrissy saw it was almost full. In another couple of nights, it would be whole again. She tipped the remaining water into the sink and placed the glass on the drainer before passing the large patio window on her way back to bed. Something caught her attention, and she stopped, almost mid-step. Had she imagined it? Did something just flicker, off in the distance? She waited, her eyes searching the horizon, for whatever it was to return. A white speck broke through the ink. There was a light, off in the distance somewhere – another ship, perhaps? She’d see
n a light out to sea when she’d been in the castle, it was likely that. It flashed again, and Chrissy realised the light wasn’t coming from directly in front of her, it had come more from her left. Was it on the ocean? She couldn’t be sure. Not wanting to wake the whole house up, she quietly moved to close the door and flicked a wall light on. Richard’s binoculars might be still knocking around. Spotting them on a side table by a chair, she picked them up then turned the light back out. And waited. Before long the light materialised once again and she was ready with the binoculars, searching to lock on to her target and understand what it was. But she wasn’t quick enough and she waited once more. This time she would get it. When it finally came, Chrissy gasped out loud as realisation struck her. It wasn’t a ship in the distance out on the ocean, it was in fact much closer than that. With the power of the strong lenses in her hands, Chrissy could see she was looking at the castle. There was someone inside. Somebody was passing the windows carrying a light of some kind. Who was it and what the hell were they doing there in the middle of the night? Right at that moment, the overhead light flooded the kitchen as Julie walked in.

  “I thought someone was up. Can’t you sleep?” she whispered, tying the belt of her robe at the same time.

  “Turn the light off!” Chrissy hissed urgently and Julie did as she was asked.

  Fumbling in the dark a little, she made her way over to her sister and said, “What are you doing in the dark?”

  Chrissy still had the binoculars up to her eyes as she replied. “There’s someone in the castle, with a torch or something.”

  “But it’s nearly 3 am,” Julie said, as if that was reason enough.

  “All the more reason for it to be suspicious, don’t you think?”

  “Can I take a look, please?”

  Chrissy passed the binoculars over and waited.

  “There’s not a great deal to see, is there? I wonder who it is.”

  “Well, there’s only one way to find out.”

  “What? You surely can’t be serious?” Julie asked. It was a dumb question to have asked her sister.

  “Coming?” said Chrissy as she pulled on someone’s jacket that was hanging by the door. It smelled like it could be Richard’s, it wore his fragrance. She rummaged around on the floor nearby for her trainers.

  “You’re mad.”

  “That’s a no then?”

  It didn’t take Julie long to reconsider. “My walking boots should still be there, can you pass them, please?”

  Chrissy smiled in the semi-darkness. The woman who used to be so stiff and starched was now beginning to bend with the breeze a little more. It hadn’t gone unnoticed with Adam either. Finding what felt like Julie’s boots, she handed them across. “You’ll need a jacket,” she said, taking hers off. “I think this is Richard’s, so you have it.” Fumbling for another, she found her own and put it on. “I need my phone, or yours, just in case and for a torch.”

  “I left mine plugged in to charge by the kettle,” Julie said helpfully, moving to grab it. She slipped it into her pocket. “We must be mad. Walking boots, dressing gown, and a coat over the top. I hope we don’t get stopped by the Gardai,” she added.

  “We won’t be long. Plus we need to get back before the menfolk awaken. If Richard finds you gone, he’ll start to panic.”

  “And Adam, surely.”

  Chrissy didn’t bother replying. He knew about Chrissy’s old occupation, as well as her curiosity, not to mention her bravado in weird PI situations. It was what she’d done for many years. Julie didn’t know the half of what she’d got up to. Her life in HR had all been a ruse for friends and family and she was never likely to correct any of them.

  Rupert stood expectantly. “Sorry, Rupert. You’re not invited on this visit.” He slunk over to a mat and lay back down. She turned to Julie: “Ready? Let’s go.” Opening the back door, the two headed out towards the fields and the castle beyond.

  “The road would have been easier,” Julie grumbled as they half stumbled in the semi-darkness. Their eyes had got used to the lack of light, but it wasn’t easy going.

  “It’s much shorter going this route. I’ve done both, remember?”

  “Well, I hope I don’t get a twisted ankle to match Richard’s,” she grumbled. “Why don’t you shine the torch?” Chrissy was about to tell her to stay home but bit her tongue and answered her question.

  “I don’t want to attract attention to us.”

  “Who’s going to see us? They’re all in bed.”

  “All except the person in the castle that is,” she said, pointing.

  Chapter 34

  The two women carried on their way in silence. When they were almost at the perimeter wall of the castle, Chrissy ushered Julie behind her slightly, for protection. Force of habit. The light inside still flickered, as if someone had a light and was moving from room to room with it. A generic-looking dark transit van sat silently nearby. Chrissy pointed to it and, in the half light, Julie nodded.

  “Now what?” she whispered to the back of Chrissy’s head.

  “I’ll take a look through the window, you stay put.”

  “I don’t think so,” she said. “I may as well have stayed in bed as do that. Why don’t I watch your back, like they always do in the movies?”

  Chrissy turned towards her sister and even though Julie likely couldn’t see her facial expression, she gave her best incredulous look. It was Hollywood quality.

  “Right,” she said, conceding eventually. “You watch my back, but do it from here.” And she left Julie squatting down behind the wall as she deftly ran across the grass towards a ground-floor window. A stiff and cold breeze wrapped itself around her lower legs and she was glad she was wearing pyjamas and not her usual nightie. Finally, she arrived at the side of a lower window and took a moment. She rolled herself away from the wall at one shoulder and took a quick look inside. A small handheld lantern was on the kitchen table and Chrissy could see the rug, which usually covered the trapdoor, had been flung to one side. Someone was down in the cellar. She flipped herself back against the stone as she processed her thoughts then peeled herself forward for another look. As quick as a flash she slammed herself back flat against the wall as the front door opened only a handful of feet along. Surely, she’d be seen standing here? Luckily, the intruder was looking the other way as they headed around the corner to where the van was parked. But how long would they be gone? Was there time to slip inside and hide? Then do what? Chrissy strained to listen for any sounds she could hear, but whatever the person was doing, they were doing it quietly. No, there was no point getting locked in, or confronting them quite yet. After all, they may have a legitimate reason for being there. Perhaps the owners had flown in from overseas? A moment later, the figure returned and from the shadows of her hiding place, she was able to see it was a man. And he was wearing the same jacket she’d seen the barman in earlier. His blond hair confirmed his identification.

  Not the owners of the castle then. That posed the even bigger question of what did he want both in the sweater shop and the castle, all on the same night? And skulking to boot? As he went back inside, oblivious to Chrissy standing nearby, she sprinted past the open door towards the van, hoping to see what was inside it. It appeared even darker round the other side of the building and with no interior light on to help her, all she could make out were what looked like large cartons, like what a removal firm might use when moving someone to a new house. Since the barman, as she now knew it was, didn’t appear to be adding or removing from what she’d seen so far, the boxes weren’t much help to her. Perhaps the contents would. Had she time? She was just about to climb in and squat behind one of them, ready, when Julie appeared by her side from nowhere. She must have been watching and decided to join in. All Chrissy could do was deliver a surprised and outraged look and hope her sister could see it. There was no chance of even an agitated whisper with the barman so close by. If Julie saw the facial message, she ignored it and at the sound of retu
rning footsteps, both women dashed further back around the castle and away from the van. From the shadows, all Chrissy could do was watch as the rear of the van was closed and the man got in the driver’s seat and made a telephone call. It was the light that glowed in doing so that allowed Julie to see his face.

  “That’s the barman!” said Julie, incredulous.

  “I know. But what’s he doing?”

  As the van drove off, the two women slipped out from their hiding place and ventured back around to the front door, which was now closed. Chrissy tried the handle. It was locked.

  “So, he has a key. I wonder if he’ll be coming back, or if he’s done whatever he was doing?”

  “How can we find out?”

  “We’ll have to keep watch.”

  Julie shivered. In the small amount of light available, Chrissy noticed that Julie was only wearing a nightie under her coat; her legs would have been frozen without the draught. “Come on, that’s enough for one night, let’s get back,” she offered. Julie had no complaints to the idea and the two walked back deep in thought, wondering about what they’d just witnessed. When they reached the house, which thankfully was still in darkness, they crept in through the back door and took their coats off. They’d been gone an hour according to the clock on the cooker. Julie slipped into her robe and sat down, rubbing her arms and legs, trying to warm herself.

  “I’ll make you a hot drink to warm you up. If Richard reaches out and you’re ice cold, he’ll think you’ve died in the night. A heart attack, on top of his other injuries, we don’t need.” She busied herself with chocolate and a pan of warm milk, which was a good deal quieter than the kettle. With two mugs ready, Chrissy joined her sister and sat down. At least if Richard or Adam came in, they could legitimately say they were awake and fancied a warm drink. It wasn’t a lie.