The days were passing and Madeleine needed to run.
Placing the diary under her pillow, she walked down the stairs. She smiled and looked out to where both Jack and Jess ran around on the ha-ha with Poppy, playing a game of catch. A police officer stood on the terrace right next to them, in the same place that he’d stood for the past few weeks. Always alert, always watching. At least the police had taken their security seriously and at one point had even offered to put the whole family into a witness protection programme, but to do that, they would have to leave Wrea Head Hall and every other single person and part of their life behind. She couldn’t imagine leaving Bandit behind. Nor could she ever imagine not seeing Jack, Bernie or Nomsa ever again. She could have insisted that Bandit came with them, but again he would have had to cut all ties with his past and that would mean never again seeing his father. It would be asking him to choose between the two of them. And to do that would be unfair.
Christmas was almost upon them, and Madeleine felt excited that on Christmas Eve the new owners of the hall would be announced. Until then, the restoration continued and the beauty of the hall was beginning to return to its original state.
She closed her eyes and thought of Bandit. Of how hard he’d worked these grounds, of all the gardening, gamekeeping and general maintenance he’d done, just as his father and grandfather had done before him. She thought of all the weathers he’d worked in, the storms that were followed by rainbows and then sunshine.
‘Come on, Buddy. Let’s go.’
She’d long since stopped putting Buddy on a lead in the grounds of Wrea Head, there simply didn’t seem much point. The nearest road was around half a mile away, and Buddy had now learnt where he could and couldn’t go. Besides, he’d saved their lives, so freedom was the least he could expect.
Running over the grass, Madeleine caught her breath and purposely slowed her pace. She looked over her shoulder to the gatehouse, where Eddie had lived and Edward Arthur had been left so many years before.
‘Again, do it again, Aunty Jess. Again,’ Poppy’s voice came through the trees and Madeleine grinned from ear to ear. She knew exactly what Emily had meant by living for every smile; it’s what she’d done with Poppy for years and she thought of the many times she’d watched her sleep, especially the months when she’d lived in Liam’s house, and the new knowledge of what secrets that house had held made her shake. The police were now sure that Liam had been responsible for Michael’s death and the inquest had proved that he’d drugged her father.
A nationwide manhunt was in place and each night Madeleine switched on the television in the hope that she’d see news of his capture, although she felt sure that if he had been caught, the police would inform her and the security around the house would probably be dropped.
Her lungs burned with adrenaline. It was a while since she’d last run and the exertion on her body was taking its toll. Slowing down, she picked up a stick, threw it into the trees and watched Buddy as he ran after it through the dried winter leaves. He picked it up, brought it back and dropped it at her feet, and now barked at her to throw it again.
Kneeling down on the grass she laughed as Buddy jumped up, knocking her to the floor. He wagged his tail as his whole body bent in two, backwards and forwards, licking in mid-air, taking in every stroke and tickle that Madeleine gave.
‘Here, fetch the stick!’ she shouted as once again she picked up the stick and threw it into the trees. Buddy ran off, ignored the stick and kept on running. ‘Hey, Buddy. Come here.’
She looked at the tree line; the police had asked her not to go in the woods. She looked back at the house to see if she could indicate to someone where she was going but all Madeleine could make out was Poppy running off towards the ha-ha and Jess running after her.
‘Buddy, get here now. Buddy, Buddy, come back!’ She tried to shout, hoping that the sternness of her voice would bring him running with his stick in his mouth and tail between his legs. She couldn’t hear him, which was strange and she walked into the tree line, checking the floor for holes as she began to wonder if the earth had opened up and swallowed him whole.
‘Buddy, where the hell are you? Buddy, come here, boy.’
Again she looked over her shoulder. The house was now beyond the skeletal trees. She inched deeper and deeper into the woods. Her heart began beating loudly in her chest as worry took over her mind.
Buddy always came back. He never ran off. So where had he gone?
Spotting him between the trees, she breathed a sigh of relief. ‘There you are, boy, come here.’ He sat, looked at her, tail wagging. But he didn’t move.
‘Buddy, for God’s sake. Come here.’
Something wasn’t right and Madeleine slowed her steps until she stood perfectly still. Buddy still sat in the distance, which disturbed her. She’d never known him to sit for so long, not in the same position, not when he didn’t have to. She listened and waited before turning to the house in the hope that Nomsa or the police would now have realised that she’d disappeared. But no one looked in her direction. No one appeared to have noticed she’d left the path and it occurred to her that she hadn’t told anyone where she was going.
A twig snapped underfoot, but she hadn’t moved. She knew someone else was in the woods with her, but who?
‘Bandit, is that you?’
Silence.
Again, she looked at the house. She knew someone was there. She’d heard the footstep and they hadn’t replied when she’d shouted out. Every instinct she had within her body told her to run, but Buddy wailed and yapped.
She couldn’t leave him.
She began to walk slowly in his direction. A tether could clearly be seen and Madeleine looked over her shoulder. Someone must be there, someone must have tethered him and it must have been someone he’d have known and run to.
Kneeling down, she began to untie the rope as quickly as she could while she constantly looked around her. Buddy bounced up and down, making a fuss. But his eyes were firmly placed looking over her shoulder making Madeleine tense up with fear.
Then darkness over took her mind.