Meanwhile, the rest of the groups had arrived back at the hotel and were in a spin trying to one-up each other with tales of their sightings. No one, however, had actually managed to capture the elusive beast. To say they were excited was something of an understatement. Davina Stuart was checking off the teams as they poured into the conference room. Outside it was almost dark, and the earlier blue skies had clouded over with the growing threat of a storm.
Barclay Ferguson ducked his head into the room. ‘They’ve all arrived,’ he said, rubbing his hands together.
Davina turned to the man and grinned. ‘When’s the big reveal?’
‘I think now is as good a time as any,’ he said, and dashed away before she could say another word. A couple of minutes later, the man returned. ‘Children, I have a big surprise and I canna wait a second longer.’ He was practically frothing as he pushed back the double doors. ‘Look who’s here!’
Millie spotted her mother first. She let out a squeal and leapt up off the floor, running straight into the woman’s arms. ‘Mum! Dad! What are you doing here?’
Pippa’s blonde curls swished as she scooped up her daughter and twirled her around. ‘Mr Ferguson wanted to surprise you all,’ she explained, gently returning Millie to the ground. ‘Apparently, there are some Highland games tomorrow and you know your father wouldn’t miss that for the world.’
Millie hugged both her parents tightly. She missed them terribly during the school term, but that made time with them all the sweeter.
There were reunions taking place all over the room, with lots of hugs and even some tears. Chessie was thrilled to see her mother and stepfather and couldn’t wait to tell them every detail of her amazing week, although she would save any mention of Madagascar Slewt for when they were in private.
Barclay Ferguson was thrilled that so many of the parents had been able to come along, but now he needed to get back to Edinburgh to meet Her Majesty’s plane and escort her to the village. ‘Davina, take care of things until I get back,’ he whispered, then tapped the side of his nose. ‘And make sure that everyone’s ready and in place.’
‘Of course, sir, it will be my absolute pleasure,’ Davina said, smiling from ear to ear.
Hugh Kennington-Jones stood in the middle of the milieu with his hands in his pockets. He had cast his eyes across the crowd several times, but there was no sign of his daughter. He frowned and made his way over to Benitha Wall, tapping the woman on the shoulder. ‘Hello Miss Wall. I was wondering if you’ve seen Alice-Miranda?’
‘Oh, hello Mr Kennington-Jones,’ Benitha greeted the man. ‘Let’s see. She should be around here somewhere.’ Benitha surveyed the group for the girl and the other members of Nessie’s Monsters and realised that, curiously, none of the children were present.
She wasn’t the only one who was perturbed. September Sykes and her husband were standing in the corner of the room looking visibly peeved.
‘We’ve come all this way and neither of our children could be bothered to say hello,’ September said tetchily. She bit her bee-stung bottom lip and tried with all her might to frown. ‘It’s very disappointing. I thought they were training to be leaders, not brats.’
Over by the scones, another parent was grumbling about his daughter’s absence. He was standing beside an impeccably dressed woman who appeared equally uncomfortable.
‘Well, where is she?’ Hutton Slewt muttered through gritted teeth. He bit fiercely into a scone, spraying the carpet around them with crumbs.
‘Who knows, darling? Madagascar is a law unto herself at the best of times.’ Pamela Slewt patted her husband’s back and willed her daughter to appear in the next minute, otherwise things would decidedly get worse.
Pippa McNoughton-McGill had been shocked to see her cousin and his wife when they’d first arrived, and had been doing her utmost to avoid them. The fellow made her skin crawl. To think that poor Millie had had to put up with their brat of a child for a whole week.
Benitha strode over to Miss Stuart. ‘Excuse me, Davina, have Nessie’s Monsters returned?’
Davina looked up from her clipboard and pushed her glasses onto the bridge of her nose. ‘Oh, I thought they had,’ she said, and glanced down again at her list of names, ‘but I see now I haven’t ticked them off.’
Caroline Clinch had spotted a few of the childless parents too and walked over to speak with Benitha just as Morag entered the room, having spent an hour on the phone. There was much chatter and excitement as the children and their parents swapped stories. The catering staff had brought in trays of tea and coffee and some delicious scones. Things seemed calm again for now, although she immediately noticed Miss Wall’s furrowed brow and the dark look hovering beneath Caroline Clinch’s too-long fringe.
Benitha hurried over to Morag. She could hear raindrops begin to splatter against the windows and was well aware that the children’s coats were not entirely waterproof. ‘Miss Cranna, have you seen Alice-Miranda or the rest of her team?’
Morag’s stomach dropped. ‘They should have been back half an hour ago. Has anyone checked their rooms?’
‘I’ll go now,’ Benitha said, and bounded away.
Mrs Clinch made her way over to Hugh Kennington-Jones. She tamed her nerves and put on a brave face so as not to alarm the man. ‘Miss Wall’s just gone to see if the children went straight to their rooms after the last activity. Your arrival was a complete surprise, so they’re probably upstairs playing games.’
‘Thank you very much. If I know my daughter, she’s likely got a tournament in full swing,’ Hugh said with a nod. He walked across the room to greet Morrie and Gerda Finkelstein, who had flown in from New York and were also wondering where Lucinda was.
Mrs Clinch decided to check with Millie, who was standing with her team and their parents laughing about their escapades. She was also quite keen to say hello to that dreamy Lawrence Ridley. She hadn’t imagined he would be able to attend, but there he was in all his movie-star glory.
‘We were so close,’ Lucas said as the woman joined their circle. ‘If only you hadn’t scared it off, Caprice.’
The girl folded her arms across her chest. ‘Why do I always get the blame when something goes wrong?’
Caprice’s mother, Venetia Baldini, arched an eyebrow. ‘Sweetheart, do you really have to ask?’ she said, to everyone’s amusement. Venetia grinned and wrapped her arms around the girl. Caprice may be a nightmare more often than not, but she was still Venetia’s baby.
‘Excuse me, Millie, have you seen Alice-Miranda?’ Caroline asked with a smile. Lucas thought that was the most teeth he’d seen from the woman all week.
Millie shook her head. ‘No. But they should have been back by now.’
‘Maybe they’ll lose some points,’ Caprice said brightly. ‘It is neck and neck.’
‘I’m afraid points are the last thing on my mind, Caprice,’ Mrs Clinch replied. The rain was getting harder and the wind was whistling through the window frames.
The colour drained from Neville’s cheeks as he realised the woman’s meaning. ‘Can we help?’ he asked. ‘We need to do something. It’s horrible out there and I heard the lady on reception say that it might even snow.’
On the other side of the room, Morag Cranna held her breath, waiting for the children to charge through the doors at any minute. She spotted Benitha Wall making her way towards her through the maze of parents and children. The woman reported that she had checked every student’s room and there had been no sign of Nessie’s Monsters.
‘Have you tried calling Mr Pienaar?’ Benitha asked.
‘Of course! I should have done that first,’ Morag said, plunging her hand into her pocket. She didn’t dare let out a breath just yet, though. She waited while the line clicked through, but it went straight to voicemail. She tried a second time and then a third. Morag thought she was going to be sick. This wasn’t happening. Not again. Not on her watch.
Hugh Kennington-Jones walked over to Benitha. ‘Any luck?’ he asked with a winning smile.
‘Um, no,’ the woman replied, wringing her hands and finding it hard to meet the man’s eyes. ‘I imagine they’ve been caught in the storm and sought shelter in the village. Not to worry – they’re with a teacher and he’s very reliable.’
There was a huge clap of thunder overhead. The lights flickered and went out altogether, sending a hush through the room. Jacinta whimpered and held tight to Lucas. The sound of the rain was deafening.
Britt Fox gasped as the lights came back on and she spied a figure in the doorway. ‘Mr Pienaar!’
The man was dripping all over the carpet and was completely out of breath. She ran to him with Miss Wall and Mrs Clinch hot on her heels.
‘Where are the children?’ Morag yelled over the noise of the storm.
‘I don’t know,’ the man cried out. He shook his head, sending droplets flying every which way. He looked at her with pleading eyes. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Morag blinked as the room began to spin. The last thing she remembered before she hit the ground was the look of horror on Hansie Pienaar’s face.
Hugh Kennington-Jones swiftly rounded up the parents of the missing students and took them to another room across the hall. He rightly assumed that September Sykes would be hysterical and he didn’t want her creating any more angst than was present already. Gerda Finkelstein took it upon herself to console the woman and had sent Morrie to fetch her and Mrs Slewt a strong cup of tea.
Hutton Slewt’s lip wrinkled. ‘Never thought I’d be suing the Queen.’
‘I think we’ve got more on our minds than that at the moment,’ Smedley Sykes said. He could hardly believe that was the man’s first thought given the current situation, but people did react to bad news in odd ways. ‘We need to do something.’
Hugh nodded, his face etched with concern. ‘I couldn’t agree more. My mother-in-law’s cousin and his wife live on the other side of the river. I’ll call them and see if they can loan us some vehicles. I’m keen to get out and start looking.’
‘Have you seen the weather? We’ll all drown,’ Hutton Slewt said, recoiling at such a suggestion. ‘I refuse to step foot outside this hotel.’
Morrie Finkelstein, having returned with a tray of tea, shook his head. ‘Suit yourself, but I for one am joining Hugh. I’ll go out of my mind if I stay here.’
Over in the conference room, Mrs Clinch had taken charge of the situation while Miss Cranna had been carted off to bed. Britt Fox and Millie had organised soup and a blanket for Mr Pienaar and anyone else who was feeling a bit wobbly. Within ten minutes, Caroline had the teachers and a number of parent volunteers ready to head out. Venetia Baldini had put up her hand to help, along with Lawrence Ridley, Hamish McLoughlin-McTavish and his wife, Pippa. Len and Sylvia Nordstrom had also volunteered as well as, surprisingly, Alethea’s mother. Hugh, Morrie and Smedley had joined them too. There was no way they were going to be left out of any search party.
Millie felt sick thinking about her friends out in the storm and begged Mrs Clinch to let her help, but the teacher said it was far too dangerous for the children, particularly as conditions were worsening. Feeling equally frustrated, Neville, Chessie, Jacinta and Lucas watched on helplessly as Mrs Clinch rallied the adults.
‘Right,’ the woman said. ‘The children are to stay here with Mr Pienaar. Teachers and parents, meet me in the foyer in five minutes. Bring raincoats and boots, if you have them, and torches. As many as we can find.’
‘What would you like me to do?’ Davina asked. The poor woman looked as though she was at her wit’s end.
Mrs Clinch scratched her head. ‘What about the maps? Can you supply us with copies of the map that was given to Nessie’s Monsters?’
‘Yes, of course, I’ll be back in a moment,’ Davina said, and hurried away.
Caroline Clinch nodded. At least the children would be in good hands while the rest of them were out searching. Davina Stuart really was the loveliest woman.