Joyce stepped back. ‘Of course, but I would like to think I’d have known if two strangers were in my house, hiding some place.’
Morgan smiled at her. ‘I know you would, but it’s protocol when we have high risk missing persons to search the nearest properties and outbuildings. Is that okay?’
‘Of course, I have nothing and nobody to hide. Oh dear, I’m so sorry there are two missing women. That is dreadful, such a worry.’
‘It really is, would you like to show us around, Joyce?’
She shook her head. ‘No, you help yourselves. I’ll wait down here for you.’
Cain, who was nearest to the stairs, had to duck his head to go up them they were so low. His heavy steps vibrated the wooden treads.
Morgan pointed to the rooms with closed doors. ‘Are you okay if I look in these? How many outbuildings do you have, Joyce?’
‘Just an old barn that’s falling down and a shed full of my husband’s rusted tools that haven’t been used in years, well except for the lawnmower. In the summer, I try and keep the front neat, but I let the sheep come in and graze on the back garden. It’s too big to mow at my age.’
‘Does your grandson not help out?’
She laughed. ‘Daley does not do manual work. He’s a city boy, works in a fancy office in Carlisle. He would pay for someone to come in, but what’s the point? It’s not as if I’m going to enter the best garden in the street competition. It’s just me and Amos up here, and as far as I know he lets the sheep do his grazing too.’
Morgan smiled at her. ‘Where does Daley work?’
‘You know, I couldn’t tell you. How awful is that? All I know is that he gets paid a lot of money to be some kind of fancy consultant. Gets to work his own hours and be his own boss. He’s done good for himself. I’m very proud of him.’
‘That’s nice, could we get his address and date of birth just to add to our notes.’
Joyce nodded. ‘I’ll get them for you, before you go. I have them written down.’ She pointed to her temple. ‘My memory isn’t as good as it used to be, forget my head if it was loose.’
She opened the door to the first room and felt for the light switch. It was a living room with a sofa, TV and coffee table covered in magazines, and aStranger Thingsmug full of cold tea. The other room was a dining room and empty too. She went back to the kitchen, where Joyce was sitting at the small table nursing a mug of tea.
‘Would you like a drink?’
‘No, thanks. We’ve got to get back.’
‘Busy, you haven’t stopped all day, have you?’
Morgan shook her head. ‘Is it okay to check your outbuildings, Joyce? Have you been out there lately?’
‘No, I don’t really know the last time I went out there. I used to keep my wood for the log burner out there, but Daley had a little log store put next to the back door, so I didn’t have to traipse around in the dark.’
‘Daley is a good lad.’
Joyce laughed. ‘He really is, so was my son, his dad. I miss him terribly; he drowned in a lake after drunkenly thinking it was a good idea to go swimming after a few too many pints on a night out with his friends.’
Morgan could see the grief in Joyce’s eyes. ‘That’s so sad, what about Daley’s mum? Is she still around?’
‘She moved to Benidorm, and as far as I know she’s okay. She couldn’t handle being here in the cold and damp. We sometimes go visit her; she’s a good woman. I love her a lot for a daughter-in-law. She loved my son, so I loved her, it’s all I ever wanted for him.’
Morgan smiled at her. ‘That’s a lovely way to look at it. Do I need a key for the barn or shed?’
‘No, there’s nothing in there worth stealing and, if they did, they’d be doing me a favour.’
Cain thundered back down the stairs. ‘I’ll come with you.’
They went out into the vast darkness, the shape of the barn and shed two silhouettes against the black sky. There were no stars or moon to illuminate the side of the fell and it was creepy; no wonder Joyce didn’t come out here in the dark.
‘It’s so dark out here, the lights from the cottage don’t shine very far,’ said Cain.
They didn’t. Morgan switched on the torch she’d brought along with her.
