Page 8

Jock then nodded over Steph’s shoulder. She turned to see the two men in the corner she had clocked earlier. The surly one noticed her looking again and held her gaze until she turned away.

Steph tried to ascertain from Jock and his friend exactly what they thought the two men did, but neither man seemed certain. They kept themselves to themselves. They weren’t oblivious to the locals’ dislike of the freedom of the land being taken from them – dislike from those old enough to remember the fencing not being there. They didn’t need to get involved in the dislike.

Jock and Harry’s thoughts on their jobs ranged from tree surgeons to general handymen. Essentially, Steph gained very little in that department from them.

Jock and Harry finished their drinks, and Steph accompaniedthem towards the bar as they headed to the exit and their wives who would be “likely to take away their drinking privileges if they were too late”. It was only nine.

“Well?” asked Jackie.

“They knew a bit.”

“Thought they might,” Jackie smiled. “Hey, you haven’t drunk your drink! Come on. Your body will thank you for it.”

Steph grimaced as she put the peaty liquid to her lips. It was then that she realised the two men from the corner were leaving. The slightly older one smiled at her as he walked past, whilst the other, despite his earlier looks, ignored her as he left. Steph considered following them, but the rain was still hammering outside, and she had rather little thought about what she would achieve by following them then.

“Do you know anything about those two?” Steph asked.

“Which two?”

“The two that just left. The older-looking one with the smile and the other who looks like he doesn’t know what a smile is.”

“Ah, those two. Not really. I know they both work on the land on the other side of the fence, but everything they do seems to be a secret. That or it’s really as boring as they make out it is.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, on the odd occasion I have spoken to them, they just claim that they look after the land. Just like any forestry commission. They don’t come here often so it’s hard to strike up any sort of relationship.”

“Do you believe them?”

Jackie shrugged.

“They haven’t really given me a reason not to. People tried to ask them about the death of the boy though. They seemed as upset as anyone else but were as full of questions themselves about it all. That was probably the most I have heard them talk to me in actual fact. They didn’t know anything themselvesthough and it was not like I knew anything, so it was hardly a conversation destined to go anywhere.”

Steph nodded again and, her mind distracted, sipped her whiskey. She took too big a sip and coughed. Jackie laughed.

“So where do they get in?” Steph asked.

“What do you mean?” Jackie frowned.

“To the fenced-off area. There must be some sort of gate or entrance or something.”

“Oh, I see what you mean. There is meant to be some sort of gate thing – I am only going on what others have said – about five miles from here. If you take the main road south out of the village, you will see a road to your right after a few minutes of driving. It has no signs or anything because it just leads to the gate, or so people tell me. I obviously pass the road if I drive out, but I’ve never bothered going down it. Others have though. Curiosity and all that. They say they always get turned away at the gate.”

“What kind of gate.”

“Some big metal security gate with cameras and whatnot, where deliveries come in and out.”

“Deliveries?”

Jackie laughed.

“Yes, deliveries! I’m not sure people that live in there go and sweep their local supermarket for their weekly shop.”

Steph nodded. That made sense at least. Although much of what she had gathered so far did not make sense. Even the stuff that did, did not really join together in any succinct way.

She decided that she had two potential options going forward. She could get someone to drive her out to the gate to investigate it. Or she could find some way of getting past the fence. One way would see her definitely turned away. The other could see her done for trespassing as well as, in a roundabout way, turned away. She knocked back her whiskey and sucked it in betweenher teeth. She was getting the hang of this drink.

SIX