you?’
Katie shook her head. ‘No, I’ve told you that before. All she said was that you were nice.’ Katie frowned. ‘And I did repeat that to you at the time.’
Niall murmured, ‘I guess you did. Denise doesn’t want a boyfriend, at least not right now. What she wants is fame in capital letters. Her name in lights on a theatre.’
‘I think so,’ Katie agreed. ‘But Denise is so beautiful and sweet, and Jennifer Wilson can’t hold a candle to her…’
‘I know that.’
Niall slowed down as they came to the entrance to Ted Matthews’s land, where the old barn was located. He turned in and headed across the flat barren area, then rolled slowly down the hill to the dell at the bottom. It was here the barn sat nestled against a backdrop of trees.
As the pickup truck drew closer to the barn, Niallsaid, ‘Denise and Carly must still be here, Katie. The lights are on.’
Katie was not surprised, and she explained, ‘They often stay here long after I’m gone. They like to rehearse, work together, and sometimes they do their homework, Niall. There’s nothing much for them at home, with everyone working.’
‘Yeah, I know.’ Niall brought the pickup truck to a stop in front of the barn, and braked.
Katie opened the door and jumped down to the ground. It was cold and she shivered, huddled into her jacket as she ran forward. When she reached the barn door she was surprised to see it stood open.
Pulling it back, she went in, smiling and exclaiming, ‘Carly! Denise! What’s going on? Why’s the door open on a cold night like this?’
No one answered. The barn was empty.
Taken aback, Katie stood for a moment frozen to the spot. Her eyes scanned the room swiftly, and straight away she noticed the disarray. Two straight-backed chairs had been turned over, lay on their sides. The shade on the old pottery lamp was lopsided, looked as if it had been hit with force, and the blue cloth on the table where they drank their Cokes had been pulled to one side, so that it hung off the edge of the table. As her eyes continued to scan the barn she saw their coats hanging on the wall pegs, and on the floor, nearby, were their school bags. And hers as well, although she didn’tremember putting it there. She was sure she had thrown it in a corner, haphazardly. All three were neatly lined up, side by side. How odd.
Sudden fear clutched at Katie.
She swung her head as Niall came inside.
‘Where’s Denise? Carly?’ he asked, and automatically took hold of her arm, immediately noticing the overturned chairs, and other signs of disruption.
Katie swung to face him. ‘I don’t know.’ She bit her lip. ‘They must be somewhere…outside…’
‘Without their coats?’ he frowned, staring hard at her.
For a moment Katie could not speak. The fear inside her seemed to intensify and her legs suddenly felt weak, as if they would give way beneath her. All of her instincts were alerted to trouble, and in a shaking voice she said slowly, ‘There’s something wrong, Niall.’
‘Yep, there is.’ Her brother took a deep breath, went on: ‘We’d better go outside and look for them. They must be around here somewhere. It’s very dark, but I’ve got a flashlight in the truck.’
‘And there’s one in the drawer of the table. I kept it for emergencies,’ she explained.
‘Then get it, Katie, and let’s go.’
Chapter Five
It was chilly and damp outside and darker than ever. Heavy clouds obscured the opaque moon, and an ominous feeling floated in the air. It was palpable, something Katie felt she could reach out and touch.
She was taut and fearful. Her mind raced; dire thoughts rushed unchecked through her head. Nothing was normal any more, and her instincts told her something bad had happened here. Something evil. A strange sense of doom, a foreboding, persisted even though she tried to push it away.
The dampness seeped through her jacket into her bones, and she shivered as she stood waiting for her brother.
Katie shook her head. ‘No, I’ve told you that before. All she said was that you were nice.’ Katie frowned. ‘And I did repeat that to you at the time.’
Niall murmured, ‘I guess you did. Denise doesn’t want a boyfriend, at least not right now. What she wants is fame in capital letters. Her name in lights on a theatre.’
‘I think so,’ Katie agreed. ‘But Denise is so beautiful and sweet, and Jennifer Wilson can’t hold a candle to her…’
‘I know that.’
Niall slowed down as they came to the entrance to Ted Matthews’s land, where the old barn was located. He turned in and headed across the flat barren area, then rolled slowly down the hill to the dell at the bottom. It was here the barn sat nestled against a backdrop of trees.
As the pickup truck drew closer to the barn, Niallsaid, ‘Denise and Carly must still be here, Katie. The lights are on.’
Katie was not surprised, and she explained, ‘They often stay here long after I’m gone. They like to rehearse, work together, and sometimes they do their homework, Niall. There’s nothing much for them at home, with everyone working.’
‘Yeah, I know.’ Niall brought the pickup truck to a stop in front of the barn, and braked.
Katie opened the door and jumped down to the ground. It was cold and she shivered, huddled into her jacket as she ran forward. When she reached the barn door she was surprised to see it stood open.
Pulling it back, she went in, smiling and exclaiming, ‘Carly! Denise! What’s going on? Why’s the door open on a cold night like this?’
No one answered. The barn was empty.
Taken aback, Katie stood for a moment frozen to the spot. Her eyes scanned the room swiftly, and straight away she noticed the disarray. Two straight-backed chairs had been turned over, lay on their sides. The shade on the old pottery lamp was lopsided, looked as if it had been hit with force, and the blue cloth on the table where they drank their Cokes had been pulled to one side, so that it hung off the edge of the table. As her eyes continued to scan the barn she saw their coats hanging on the wall pegs, and on the floor, nearby, were their school bags. And hers as well, although she didn’tremember putting it there. She was sure she had thrown it in a corner, haphazardly. All three were neatly lined up, side by side. How odd.
Sudden fear clutched at Katie.
She swung her head as Niall came inside.
‘Where’s Denise? Carly?’ he asked, and automatically took hold of her arm, immediately noticing the overturned chairs, and other signs of disruption.
Katie swung to face him. ‘I don’t know.’ She bit her lip. ‘They must be somewhere…outside…’
‘Without their coats?’ he frowned, staring hard at her.
For a moment Katie could not speak. The fear inside her seemed to intensify and her legs suddenly felt weak, as if they would give way beneath her. All of her instincts were alerted to trouble, and in a shaking voice she said slowly, ‘There’s something wrong, Niall.’
‘Yep, there is.’ Her brother took a deep breath, went on: ‘We’d better go outside and look for them. They must be around here somewhere. It’s very dark, but I’ve got a flashlight in the truck.’
‘And there’s one in the drawer of the table. I kept it for emergencies,’ she explained.
‘Then get it, Katie, and let’s go.’
Chapter Five
It was chilly and damp outside and darker than ever. Heavy clouds obscured the opaque moon, and an ominous feeling floated in the air. It was palpable, something Katie felt she could reach out and touch.
She was taut and fearful. Her mind raced; dire thoughts rushed unchecked through her head. Nothing was normal any more, and her instincts told her something bad had happened here. Something evil. A strange sense of doom, a foreboding, persisted even though she tried to push it away.
The dampness seeped through her jacket into her bones, and she shivered as she stood waiting for her brother.