by Lucy Daniels
It only took a few moments for them to reach the lead bulldozer. ‘What’s going on?’ she asked, craning her neck to peer up at the huge vehicle in the twilight. She walked a few paces further up the track and looked from Sam to Mandy, then back again. Emma stood beside her, seemingly unworried that her evening walk had been diverted.
‘They’re trying to clear the woodland,’ Mandy began, but Sam spoke louder.
‘There’s a trespasser on my land,’ he said, his voice emphatic. ‘She’s trespassing.’ He glared at Mandy. ‘I’m going to call the police.’
‘But it’s just Mandy.’ Liz sounded confused. ‘What’s going on?’
Mandy spoke, still keeping her voice calm. ‘I believe there are red squirrels living in the woods,’ she said. ‘If there are, it’s illegal for Mr Western to build on the land or destroy the habitat.’
Sam took another step towards her. ‘There are no squirrels.’ He was almost yelling.
Liz frowned and shook her head. ‘There probably are,’ she said. ‘We see them in the garden. They steal peanuts from the bird feeders.’
Mandy felt her jaw drop. Liz had said it with such matter-of-factness. She could have no idea how much it meant to Mandy to hear it – or how foolish Mandy was feeling for not asking the woman who lived right next door to the site if she’d seen the squirrels too. Mandy tried to reel in her surprise and turned to Sam, raising an eyebrow.
Sam folded his arms. He thrust his head forward, his eyes bulging as if he was about to explode. ‘Red squirrels next door doesn’t mean anything and she is still trespassing,’ he spat. ‘I have a permit to build here and you are obstructing. I’m calling the police.’ Turning his back on Mandy, he pulled a mobile from his pocket and dialled.
‘Fine.’ Mandy shrugged and thrust her hands in her pockets.
Liz gave her a sideways look of sympathy. ‘Do you want me to stay with you?’ she asked.
Mandy shook her head.
‘I’ll be fine.’
Liz looked from Mandy to Sam and then shrugged and gave Emma’s lead a gentle tug.
‘Well, I’ll give you my phone number,’ she said. ‘And I’ll be just over there if you need me.’ She nodded towards her bungalow, and then typed her number into Mandy’s phone. Sam shot her a look of irritation, but Mandy gave a grateful smile as the enormous dog got to its feet and bounded back along the track.
It took twenty minutes for the police car to arrive. By the time it came, the lane was in darkness. The driver swung into the gateway and stopped. The headlights shone into the gloom, lighting up the bulldozer and Sam and Mandy, who were still facing one another in the lane. One of the drivers lit a cigarette. The rest were leaning against the track of the bulldozer.
Sergeant Jones climbed out of the car, accompanied by another officer Mandy didn’t recognise. They walked up the track, their faces in shadow. Before they even had time to reach the drivers, Sam Western began speaking.
‘Good evening, officers. Thanks for coming. This young woman,’ he sneered as he indicated Mandy, ‘is trespassing on my land. You!’ he pointed to the driver of the bulldozer. ‘Give me those papers.’ He held out his hand.
The driver pushed himself upright, marched over and wordlessly handed the sheaf of papers to Sam.
Sam held out the paper at Sergeant Jones. ‘I have permission to build on this land,’ he announced. ‘I want to continue. Please do your job and remove her.’
To his credit, Dan Jones made no move, other than to take the papers. ‘What’s your version, Miss Hope?’ He looked at Mandy. His tone was merely interested. He was not taking sides until he’d heard what she had to say.
‘I think Mr Western is trying to break the law,’ she said. ‘He should have had a wildlife survey done. I have reason to believe he didn’t get one.’
It was a stretch. Despite what Harriet had told her, despite his discussion with Mandy in the Fox and Goose, she had no proof that Sam had not had the survey done. Not being able to find evidence it existed was not proof that it didn’t.
‘You have the permission there.’ Sam’s tone was sneering. ‘No survey, no permission. Simple as that.’
‘I know you have planning permission,’ Mandy said, ‘but can you show us papers for the survey itself? I’ve tried to see them. Nobody’s been able to find them. That’s all I want. Proof the survey was done.’
Dan Jones turned to Sam, his eyebrows raised. ‘What about it, Mr Western?’ he asked. His tone seemed deliberately unprovocative. Mandy couldn’t help but be impressed by the way he was handling the situation. ‘Can you produce that for us?’
‘I don’t have to show you anything.’ Sam’s voice was louder, more threatening than ever. Mandy saw Sergeant Jones’s colleague straightening up. ‘I have followed the legal processes. Everything has been done to the letter.’
‘Why are you bringing your workmen up here at this time of night? None of them were showing any lights,’ Mandy objected. ‘Why would you do that if everything is above board as you say?’
Sam drew his chin back, his mouth a disparaging line. ‘This was the only time they were available,’ he snapped.
For the first time in the exchange, Mandy came close to laughing. ‘You could only get workers who work in the middle of the night?’ she said. She turned to the police officers. ‘When I asked Mr Western about this matter a few days ago, he offered me money for my rescue centre,’ she stated, keeping her voice factual, ‘and I understand he’s been socialising with members of the council in a restaurant in Walton. Now he’s saying he’s done a survey, but can’t produce any evidence.’
‘Okay.’ Sergeant Jones had been watching Mandy’s face as she spoke. He turned to Mr Western. ‘Miss Hope has made some allegations against you and you’ve made some about her,’ he said. ‘If Miss Hope’s main concern is that there’s an endangered species living here, and you cannot produce the wildlife survey, then we should allow the correct authorities …’ his gaze flickered to Mandy, and she filled in the blank smoothly.
‘The National Wildlife Crime Unit.’
‘… onto the land to make certain everything’s in order. If you can provide the papers to me, then you have permission to go ahead straight away. If Miss Hope doesn’t find any evidence, you can go ahead with your work on Sunday. Does that seem an acceptable compromise?’
He looked first to Sam, who nodded, though he looked as though he was struggling to hold back his rage.
‘Miss Hope?’ Sergeant Jones had been calm throughout. Mandy was very grateful to him.
‘Thank you,’ she said.
It took her only two minutes to drive home. The lights in the cottage were off. Her parents must be in bed.
Sky greeted her as she came in the door and Mandy sank down for a cuddle, taking comfort from the collie’s warmth and solidity. She had to make a plan for the morning, there was nothing for it but to search the forest by hand for signs of the squirrels – but how could she do it? Everyone would be in bed. Pulling out her phone she shot off messages to Gran and Grandad, to Rachel and Helen, James and Susan. Lifting her phone one last time, she dialled Marissa Bowie’s number. It went straight to voicemail, so Mandy left a message, pouring out everything about the red squirrels and her investigations and all her doubts about Sam Western and his interactions with the council. Perhaps she was wasting her time and Ms Bowie was hand-in-glove with Sam. Perhaps she knew exactly what was going on. But if not, Mandy wanted her to know.
Bone weary, Mandy stood up after she’d made the call. There was nothing more she wanted than to go to bed, but she really must check on Zoe. Would Mum have taken her upstairs? She didn’t want to disturb them if so. She went out to the kennel in the clinic where Zoe was being looked after during the day, but the cage was empty. Wandering back into the cottage, she walked up the stairs and to her relief, Adam met her on the landing.
‘Good! You’re home,’ he said. ‘Is everything okay?’ His face looked rumpled, his hair greyer than usual in the dim light
.
‘Do you have Zoe?’ Mandy asked.
‘Yes.’ Even Dad’s voice sounded tired. ‘Can you have her? I’ve got to go out early.’ Between them they lifted Zoe to her feet and supported her as she made her way into Mandy’s bedroom. She flopped into the bed that Mandy had set out. Would she be better at home? Mandy wondered. But she didn’t want to send her home when she was still so weak. Mandy set the puppy down beside her and the tiny creature snuggled in under Zoe’s flank and went to sleep.
Mandy thought for a moment about telling Adam about the squirrel hunt, but he looked worn out. The last thing he needed was any additional worry. Maybe Mum could look after Zoe again tomorrow, while she went out to search? ‘Night, Dad,’ she said.
‘Night, Mandy.’ With a half-salute, he stumbled back into the bedroom.
It was already getting light by four thirty. Mandy knew she had to get Hope Meadows organised before she could go out, so she opened up and began the feed rounds early. But to her amazement and delight, there was a knock on the glass door and Gran and Grandad appeared, only a few minutes after her. ‘I got your message,’ Gran announced. ‘We came as soon as it was light. We’ve sent messages to a few people as well. Hopefully they’ll come.’
‘The more the merrier.’ Mandy hugged her, then Grandad.
‘I thought I could stay here and finish off,’ Grandad told her. ‘That way you and your Gran can go and make a start looking for those squirrels. What do you think?’
‘That sounds great,’ Mandy confessed. She really didn’t want to leave the animals she’d rescued uncared-for, while she went out to find others, no matter how right the cause.
It was beautiful as Mandy and her gran walked down the lane as the light dawned. They were bundled up in thick coats and gloves. Even though it was spring, they needed them in the early morning chill. The floor of the valley was swathed in mist. Trees stood clear of the white blanket, drinking in the first rays of the sun. The woodland itself seemed tranquil as it dozed in the golden light. The thought of bulldozers crashing through the ancient trees made Mandy more determined than ever to find the red squirrels that lived in their mossy grey branches.
They started off the hunt alone, treading slowly and carefully along the path, phones at the ready to capture any evidence of squirrel activity.
Twigs cracked behind them and Mandy jumped, expecting Sam Western and his men. But it was just Rachel and her fiancé, Brandon Gill.
‘Thanks for coming,’ Mandy whispered. She directed them to another part of the land to begin their search.
A few minutes later, Susan Collins arrived with a very serious-looking little Jack. He was walking with his finger pressed to his lips the entire time and Mandy had to stifle a giggle. After Susan and Jack came Helen and Seb. To Mandy’s delight, Mr Chadwick turned up too, then Mrs Jackson, who lived just up the road from Gran and Grandad. Then James arrived, then Raj.
‘James called me,’ Raj whispered to Mandy. ‘I wanted to give something back for all the help you’ve given Frank.’ She was touched that he’d come.
James had brought a tripod and camera. ‘In case you need to set up a stakeout,’ he murmured with a grin.
Despite their numbers, everyone seemed determined to search quietly, even as the sun rose and the faint rumble of road traffic from the main village started up. Bev and Gary Parsons arrived at ten, carrying an extremely welcome gift of filled bread rolls and hot flasks of coffee. Gathered together, the group chatted quietly. Mandy listened to the half-whispered conversations. They were filled with optimism.
Mandy was standing on the edge of the wood with James when a car drew up and stopped at the end of the track. A woman climbed out. She had iron grey hair, short and neatly styled, and was wearing a smart blue jacket. She walked up the path. Mr Chadwick was standing closest to the gate and she stopped to speak to him. ‘Is Amanda Hope here?’ she asked. ‘I need to talk to her. I was told at the surgery I could find her here.’
Mr Chadwick smiled, charming as ever. ‘She’s over there,’ he said, pointing. ‘But we’re trying to keep our voices down, I’m afraid. We’re looking for red squirrels, you see.’
‘Ah, so I have heard,’ said the lady, lowering her voice.
Marissa Bowie! Mandy steeled herself for another showdown like the one she’d had with Sam, but her nerves faded as the woman approached: slightly shy, but with a lovely smile, and real warmth in her serious blue eyes. ‘Hello,’ she whispered, holding out her hand. ‘I’m Marissa Bowie. You left a message.’
‘I did.’
‘And who is this?’ Marissa was looking from Mandy to James.
‘This is my friend James,’ she replied.
‘Pleased to meet you, James.’
For a moment, Mandy didn’t know how to begin. Marissa Bowie seemed nothing like Sam Western, but she might still have come to try to persuade them to call off their hunt. Before she could find her voice, Marissa spoke. ‘I came straight away. I had no idea there were any problems with the wildlife survey. Do you really think there might be red squirrels?’ She was staring at Mandy, and there was a light of excitement in her eyes as she glanced up at the trees that reminded Mandy of Abi and Max when they’d looked at the little creature in its cardboard home.
Could we be so lucky? she wondered. Could Sam Western’s business partner be an animal lover?
‘I do.’ Mandy said. ‘James and I saw one of them.’ She stopped. She wasn’t going to go into the details of where they had seen the baby squirrel. ‘Liz Butler, who lives there,’ Mandy pointed to the bungalow, ‘she’s seen them too. They come into her garden.’
Marissa looked at the bungalow, then at the group of searchers setting off back into the woods. She looked sad. ‘It was my idea to start a new venture in Welford,’ she said. ‘My father left me a furniture business over near Ripon when he passed away three years ago.’ She looked down at her feet for a moment, then sighed as she raised her eyes again. ‘I’ve been looking for somewhere to expand. I met Sam Western through my brother-in-law. He had some land, he said, which was no use for farming. I hadn’t even been here until today. Sam’s been handling everything …’ She stopped and looked around again, taking in the venerable trees and the beauty of the valley around them. ‘I’m really sorry,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘I should have come, but I had no idea there was a problem.’
She broke off, her eyes arrested by something over Mandy’s shoulder. Footsteps sounded on the track. ‘Mandy?’ She turned. It was Susan Collins. Her dark hair was tied back in a band. Beside her, Jack was gazing up earnestly, his huge brown eyes serious, his finger still firmly on his lips. ‘I think we’ve found something,’ Susan said. ‘It looks like a nest, but there was a flash of brown fur. Can you come and have a look?’
She led them along a narrow track, then stopped in a clearing. ‘Up there,’ she said, pointing her finger at the tallest of the fir trees. Mandy, James and Marissa peered up into the branches. There, close to the trunk of the tree was a round nest-like structure built of twigs.
‘It does look like a drey,’ James whispered.
‘It does,’ Mandy murmured. She moved closer, her eyes on the ground. A moment later, she swooped to pick something up from the ground. ‘Look,’ she said, holding up a small woody object.
‘What is it?’ Susan frowned.
‘It’s the centre of a pine cone that’s been chewed,’ Mandy announced softly. ‘Lots of animals eat the seeds, but only squirrels leave the middle like this.’
‘So what should we do?’ Marissa asked. She too was gazing up into the tree as if hoping for a miracle.
‘We need to try to get some evidence,’ James said. He held out his camera to Mandy. ‘I’ll get it set up.’
Mandy knew they might have to wait quite a while before they were sure if the drey was occupied. James set up his tripod with the camera focussed on the rounded cluster of twigs that was close to invisible near the trunk of a sturdy Norwegian spruce. Susan and Marissa went back to
gather the rest of the group. It was important they weren’t disturbed.
James and Mandy sat down on the grass. Mandy leaned her head against a tree trunk. They would have to sit very still. It was oddly peaceful. A rabbit lolloped out of the undergrowth, hopped across the clearing and disappeared. A large black beetle walked right up James’s arm, then turned and marched back down again. Mandy’s feet had gone numb by the time the flash of red fur came. Mandy stiffened. She had to be still. She caught her breath as the squirrel appeared and stood for a moment on the branch. It was so close she could see the tufts of fur on its ears and the brightness of the intense black eyes. It paused a moment longer, then scampered head first down the tree.
‘Did you get it?’ she whispered to James a minute later.
He was fiddling with his camera, lost in concentration. He unscrewed it from its tripod, then grinned as he handed it to her. ‘There you go,’ he said.
It was the most wonderful picture. He had caught the squirrel as it stood on the branch. Its reddish-brown fur, white chest and tufty ears were crystal clear. ‘That’s wonderful,’ Mandy breathed. Reaching out her arms, she hugged James. Pulling out her mobile, she made a call to the police and asked to be put through to the National Wildlife Crime Unit. She would go right to the top, she thought. She wanted to make the strongest case possible before Sam Western could interfere any more.
If she had felt the triumph of discovery when she saw the photo, she couldn’t help but feel a bit sad as they walked back and saw Marissa standing with all the lovely people of Welford who’d turned out to help them. The squirrels would be saved, but the factory would no longer go ahead. The business would have provided useful jobs for the village.
But Marissa seemed satisfied when they showed her the photograph. ‘It is sad about the factory,’ she said, ‘but there’s no way we can build here now.’ She looked at Mandy’s downcast face. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I’m sure we can find somewhere else.’
Mandy wished she could share Marissa’s optimism. Sam Western owned so much of the land round Welford. It wasn’t likely she’d find anywhere, no matter how good her intentions. ‘Do you think the police will tell Sam?’ Mandy asked.
