‘What you lookin’ for?’ Angus growled.
‘I’m looking for my daughter and that young Lothario that you’re supposed to be overseeing,’ Patti said loudly.
Angus took a slurp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. ‘Why’s that?’ he asked. Then he grinned. ‘Are ye lonely already?’
‘Don’t be so bloody offensive!’ Patti exploded. ‘That boy is cavorting around here somewhere withmy daughter!’
‘Ah, yer daughter,’ said Angus. He still had a smirk on his face. ‘So what? She obviously takes after her mother.’ He cackled with laughter.
Ally had to replace a restraining hand on Patti’s arm because she could see that Patti was ready to do damage, her face reddening in fury.
‘We just want to find her,’ Ally interjected quickly.
Angus turned to Gordon. ‘Where was it ye found himlast time?’
‘At the back of the wee barn, just up the hill there,’ Gordon replied, pointing upwards vaguely. ‘That’s very likely where he’ll be!’
Ally knew that there was a big barn and a wee barn, but, to her anyway, they seemed to be similar in size, although she’d never had reason to venture into either of them. Now, in spite of Patti shouting at the top of her voice, there was no sign of them in the first barn.
‘Julie Armstrong, whereareyou?’ Patti thundered.
As they entered the second barn, Ally was aware of a solitary figure among the hay bales piled up at the rear and, the next thing they knew, Julie was emerging alone and sobbing.
‘Where is he?’ shouted Patti, looking around.
‘I don’t know,’ wept Julie. ‘He left suddenly a few minutes ago because?—’
‘Because ofwhat?’ Patti yelled, looking behind the bales. ‘Because he’d had his wicked way with you?’
Julie turned on her mother. ‘Of course he bloody well didn’t! It was just something hesaid.’
‘Do you expect me to believe that?’ Patti ranted.
Ally knew she had to mediate somehow or other. ‘Look,’ she said, ‘we all need to calm down, go back home, have a cup of tea, and then you two can sort yourselves out!’
‘Thanks, Ally,’ said Julie. Then, turning to glare again at her mother: ‘Thank Godsomeone’sbeing reasonable!’
Ally could only hope that Patti’s still-burning fury might lessen as they made their way back down the rough path to Ally’s car in total silence. She could still recall similar scenes with her own errant daughter in the past. But, when they got back, Patti stomped straight upstairs to her bedroom and slammed the door, leaving both Ally and Julie open-mouthed in the hall.
‘Typical of her,’ Julie said witheringly. ‘Thank God for Auntie Wendy.’
Ally felt desperately sorry for the girl. ‘Look,’ she said, ‘would it help if you came into the kitchen with Flora and myself? I can offer you a Coke?’
Julie smiled through her tears. ‘Thanks, Ally, I’d like that.’
It helped, of course, that Flora made a great fuss of Julie as she lowered herself into one of Ally’s comfortable armchairs.
‘Your mum just needs time to calm down,’ Ally said. ‘It was only because she was so worried about you, and she’ll soon come round, I’m sure.’
Julie shook her head. ‘You don’t know Mom! She’s been real peculiar since Dad was killed, and I can understand that. He was my dad, and I loved him dearly.’ She looked around for a tissue, which Ally supplied from a box on the table.
‘Had Tom upset you in some way?’ Ally asked casually as she made herselfsome coffee.
Julie shook her head. ‘He’s real cute, and I enjoyed kissing him, but then…’
‘But then what?’ Ally prompted.
‘He said that I was so lovely that he couldn’t believe I had a mother “like that”.’
