Vanished by James Delargy (free novel 24 TXT) 📕

sense? But it gave her an idea of her own.

‘What if we announce our presence here?’

Lorcan looked at her as if she was the one who had taken leave of her senses.

‘We let them know we know that they are here,’ she continued.

‘I don’t know about that, Nee—’

‘They knew about us long before we knew about them. If they were going to murder us, or attack us, they would have done so already.’

The mention of murder didn’t seem to give her husband much comfort. In honesty it didn’t give her much either.

54

Emmaline

Emmaline made it back to Kallayee by eleven. An overnight in Perth, in her own bed, had seemed the logical decision but she had wedded herself to this caravan until the case was solved. Plus, the journey had left her exhausted enough to sleep, even on the thin, uncomfortable pull-out bed. She intended to get six hours at least, determined not to beat the sunrise this morning.

As she pulled up to the caravan she saw the door ajar. Not how she had left it. Drawing her gun she slid out of the vehicle and checked for any sign of movement from the nearby structures. There was none. Sneaking up to the back window she peeked inside. Nothing but darkness. If they had been attempting to rob her – the dropkicks from the pub came to mind – they would be seriously disappointed at the very least. Putting her back to the thin aluminium, she swung around to the far side. Sitting in the dirt, leaning up against the side was a dark, huddled figure. Naiyana. She hoped. Had she escaped and come back to where she knew? But why here and not Hurton or Wisbech? Had she been imprisoned somewhere close? And why would she not make her presence known to the cops holding the perimeter of the town?

After another check that the coast was clear she inched forward and nudged the figure. There was an unladylike snort. The figure raised its head and she met the flashing blue eyes of Matty. Emmaline lowered her gun. But not all the way.

‘How did you get in here? This is a crime scene.’

‘Parked the quad a little outside town and walked. It was easy. Security is lax,’ he said with a smile.

‘And the door?’

‘That caravan needed to be aired out.’

That Emmaline couldn’t disagree with. She made a note to tighten security. For town as a whole, her caravan included.

‘What are you doing out here? I thought you lived close to the pub.’

‘I took a wrong turn,’ he smiled.

‘You nearly did,’ she answered, holstering her gun. ‘Why are you here?’

‘It’s nice to see you too.’

‘That doesn’t answer my question.’

‘I have information. Tracy Marley’s son said he saw that woman – Naiyana Maguire – with a man.’

‘In Hurton?’

‘Outside.’

‘Right, let’s go see him!’

‘In the morning. Bobby Marley –’ Matty nodded in agreement as Emmaline screwed her face up, ‘– is only twelve.’

Emmaline went to step inside the opened door. She turned to find him watching her. There was a moment’s pause. ‘Are you coming in?’

Emmaline didn’t feel so tired anymore.

55

Emmaline

She woke to find the caravan stifling hot. The sun was burning through the paper-thin curtains and there was someone squeezed into the narrow bed beside her. Where she should have felt drowsy she felt invigorated. Nothing like a reminder of the pleasures of the flesh to appreciate a new day and a chance to do it all over again.

Sitting up in bed she began to drag her clothes on as Matty slowly stirred.

‘Morning,’ he said, groggily.

‘Get fixed up,’ she answered. ‘We’re going to see Bobby Marley.’

‘Breakfast?’

‘After. I’ll treat you if this turns out to be a solid lead.’

As he dragged his shirt over a hairy torso that was beginning to sag around the gut, she asked him a question.

‘You said you had a quad. Did you sell another one? To Lorcan Maguire?’

He shook his head. ‘I’d never sell Betsy.’

‘Betsy?’

‘’Cause it’s always a gamble if it will make it from A to B,’ he said and flashed a smile, his eyes glowing in the rising sun.

‘Anyone you know sell one recently?’

He shook his head, as she tucked the gun into her side-holster. ‘Why do you ask?’

It was her turn to shake her head. ‘Let’s go, otherwise we’ll be having lunch, not breakfast.’

Taking her 4x4 – she wasn’t about to ride shotgun on the back of his quad – and following his directions, they made it to the near side of Hurton and up an unmarked lane leading to a building that reminded her of a typical prairie house from a TV Western, wooden pillars and a wide porch, cracked steps leading up to the front door.

Matty performed the introductions, getting Tracy Marley to bring a zombie-like Bobby to the door, bleary-eyed from being woken up early during his school holidays.

‘Tell her what you told me, Bobby.’

Bobby blinked sleep from his eyes then told a story of being out on his mountain bike – an early Christmas present from his uncle – and seeing Naiyana Maguire with a man, off the main road, near to the gorge that ran east to west out the back of town and contained numerous abandoned mine openings.

‘What did he look like, Bobby?’

He shrugged. ‘I could only really see her. She was pretty. Very pretty.’

‘Nothing on him?’ asked Emmaline.

‘They were sitting in a white Toyota. He had a beard. But it was too dark to see inside.’

A white Toyota. Which matched the Maguire’s vehicle. And Chester Grant’s.

‘Nothing else? You didn’t get closer?’

The boy shook his head. ‘I didn’t wanna get in trouble. Mum says if I get in trouble I’ll lose the bike.’

The description might have been vague but it seemed to confirm that Naiyana Maguire had met someone. With a beard. Lorcan Maguire didn’t have a beard. Neither did the almost baby-faced – and chested – Nikos Iannis.

Chester Grant did.

56

Naiyana

Naiyana held up the piece of paper. ‘We’ll