Sage waggled her mobile at him, ‘No, it’s got some charge, for once!’ There had been no more messages from Santiago, at least. ‘I’ll be quick.’
‘No rush at all. I’ll go and say hi to my parents while you talk to Casper.’ He smiled at her, relieved to see that colour was returning to her face. He stepped through the heavy front door and left her alone in the gentle morning sunlight. Sage dialled Casper who answered immediately.
‘Are you really going to see our father? Is Hal OK? Are you OK? Are you with Rafe?’
Sage let out a long breath. ‘Hi, Cas.’ She was quiet for a moment, wondering which question to address first.
‘Hi. Sorry. I’m bombarding you.’ He was smiling down the phone – she could hear it in the soft timbre of his voice.
‘That’s OK. I know, it’s a lot.’ She paused again. ‘I’m fine.So is Hal. We are at Rafe’s parents’ at the moment, so I can’t be too long. We’ve only just arrived.’
‘You’re going to see Dad?’
‘Yes, Rafe is taking us down to Cornwall today.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes, I need to, Cas. I think he’s trying to come back to us. If there’s a way, I want to find it. You know he went to Panama to confront Santiago? That’s got to mean something.’ Sage waited, willing Casper not to be angry. There was so much pain and resentment in the past.
‘I think you’re right. It’s time.’ Casper trailed off, then he said gently, his voice still full of concern, ‘Do you want me to come with you? I can ditch racing if you need me.’
Sage could hear how heartfelt her brother was and she would have dearly loved him to go with her, but it would mean letting his owners or trainers down. He couldn’t miss a race meeting, but the offer to go with her meant a great deal.
‘No, but I do truly appreciate it, Cas. I will be fine. If it goes well, then we can see him together another time. I’ll come with you whenever you want.’ She was surprised to hear that her voice was steady and hoped that she sounded convincingly positive.
‘OK. I’ve been to North Place. Everything was quiet this morning, no sign of Santiago. I’ll go back after racing though. I’m going to stay the night there, just in case.’
‘Oh, Cas. Thank you.’ Sage felt a rush of affection for him. She had really hated leaving her grandparents with the looming threat of Santiago, despite all the lads in the yard.
‘I’ll stay for as long as I’m needed.’
‘Thank you. I love you.’
‘Love you too.’
Sage ended the call, feeling a bit more upbeat. She sat on a bench under a cedar tree and while she waited, another message bleeped at her:
I know what you’re up to.
Then immediately came another:
Hal is my son. I will find him.
Suppressing the urge to hurl the phone at a tree, she put it down carefully on the bench next to her and dug the new SIM card out of her handbag to swap it in. Would he ever leave her alone? She doubted Santiago knew where she was – how could he? But she could not be entirely certain. She could still feel the terrible sensation that she was being watched. She shook herself, she was being silly. Wanting to check on Hal, she walked towards the imposing front door. As she was about to enter, Rafe came out, the Labradors and Grouse at his heels.
‘All OK?’ he asked, not prying but checking; her face was drawn and he was worried.
‘All OK,’ she nodded, taking his outstretched hand. ‘Is Hal all right?’
‘He’s with Mum in the library. They’ve found the atlas. I’m not sure who’s talking more but they’re deliriously happy – they’ve gone to Peru, I think.’
‘Should we go in? Since we’ve imposed ourselves terribly.’
‘You haven’t at all. If you’re happy, I’d leave them to it. I want to give you a quick tour.’
‘I’m happy.’ Sage discreetly switched her phone off again and then put it back in her pocket, brushing away her outlandish thoughts. No one was watching them. There were high walls surrounding the park and sturdy, ornate gates to keep intruders out.
They walked around the side of the house, through a doorway cut out in a high yew hedge and across a cobbled square where a beautiful golden stone stable yard rested indolently in the pale February sunshine.
