No Place Like Home by Jane Renshaw (the best electronic book reader .TXT) 📗

of your Owen theory, Bram – there’s no way they could determine who would be in the next vehicle over the bridge.’

Bram shook his head. ‘If they were watching the house, they’d have seen me leave, and would know that Kirsty was at home without a vehicle. So they knew I was likely to be the next person over the bridge.’

‘It could just as easily have been Max and David. If they were watching, they’d have seen them leave too. Anyway, I think it might be a good idea to take Linda and David up on their offer and go and stay with them for a few days. I don’t think you’re in any serious danger, but you can’t be too careful.’

‘Oh God,’ said Kirsty. ‘I really want to avoid that if at all possible. I want to keep Max out of Dad’s orbit, at least until he’s started school and has made some friends.’ She was looking at Scott, not Bram, and Scott nodded as something wordless passed between them.

Were they thinking about Owen, who had also, perhaps, been in David’s ‘orbit’ at the boxing club? Was that where the trouble had started?

And now she did turn to Bram. ‘I know you’re covering for him. I know Max wouldn’t have got into that fight if Dad hadn’t been there.’

Bram opened and closed his mouth.

Kirsty, to his surprise, smiled. ‘My glass-half-full idiot,’ she whispered, and hugged him. ‘You’re probably spinning even that as a good thing, a bonding thing for Max and Dad. And you, in covering for them.’

This was so spookily accurate that Bram could only gape at her.

Scott was grinning at them like an indulgent uncle. ‘You could come and stay with us for a few days.’

‘And how would we explain that to Mum and Dad?’ Kirsty grimaced. ‘No – thanks, but we’ll be fine here.’

‘Will we?’ said Bram. ‘As the new glass-half-empty Bram, I feel obliged to point out that we’ve no water and now no access… And the borehole people won’t be able to get their drilling equipment here until the bridge has been repaired.’

‘We’re managing, though, aren’t we, without water? We can get Max’s car from the hotel and use that until the Discovery has been repaired – park it on the other side of the bridge and ford the stream. It’s not deep – we can set up stepping stones.’

‘I guess.’

‘Bram, I really really don’t want to go back to Mum and Dad’s. If we keep the kids inside until this person is caught…’ She turned back to Scott. ‘Hopefully that won’t be too much longer? I know Max will go spare, but after last night, we should probably ground him anyway. He can’t complain.’

‘Okay,’ said Bram. ‘If you think it’s best. Let’s all stay put.’

David dumped a holdall on the floor of the Walton Room and grinned at Phoebe, who ran at him, jumping into his arms. David held her close for a moment, eyes shut. And then Fraser appeared behind him with Bertie, and Phoebe squealed in delight. David released her, grinning. ‘Aye, I’m kidding myself if I’m thinking Grandad can compete with Bertie, eh, princess?’

‘I love you both the same,’ Phoebe assured him, her face pressed into a now cone-less Bertie’s neck, and David smiled down at her fondly.

Bram was glad to see the two of them. He hadn’t been relishing spending the night here alone with Kirsty and the kids, at the mercy of whoever might be out there. It was a good feeling, knowing they had David and Fraser on their team.

‘Right, I’ve put you both in the twin guest room,’ said Kirsty.

‘We’re not going to need a room,’ said Fraser.

‘We’ll be on watch all night,’ added David. ‘Might do a bit of patrolling round the house too.’

‘Oh no, Dad!’ Kirsty turned and glared at him. ‘No!’

David put an arm round her. ‘Relax, princess, I’m not going to touch the wee bugger, although no one could argue that he’s got it coming. We won’t confront him – or them. We’ll call the police if we see anything. Don’t you worry.’

‘Bertie! Come on, Bertie!’ Phoebe danced up the stairs, Bertie’s nails clicking on the stairs as he followed her.

Kirsty waited until Phoebe was out of earshot. ‘You’d better not confront them, Dad, or that could be you going straight to prison.’

‘Aye, I’m the problem here?’ David exchanged a look with Fraser. ‘Let’s bend over backwards to blame everyone but the perpetrator. You blame yourselves for hurting the wee snowflake’s feelings with those notices. You blame Max for defending himself. You blame me for wanting to catch the bugger. But don’t you worry. If we see anything, we’ll call the cops like responsible citizens, and the toe-rag will maybe get hauled into court and given a community service order. That make you happy, eh?’

‘Yes, Dad, it would. When this person or persons are caught, they’ll have a restraining order slapped on them so they won’t be able to come anywhere near us. That’s what we want. That’s all we want. Okay?’

David held up his hands in surrender.

Bertie and Phoebe reappeared, and as David and Fraser pulled on gloves and hats in the Walton Room, Phoebe poured water into Bertie’s dish in the kitchen. ‘Just to make sure he’s hydrated,’ she told Bram, bending over him and fiddling with his collar. It was the petcam, Bram saw, which she was attaching. Unlike the representation in her drawing, it was so small it was barely noticeable.

‘Come on then, boy,’ said David, opening the door, and Bertie plodded obediently after him.

16

Kirsty and the kids had gone to bed, but, if he was to retain any shreds of self-respect, that wasn’t an option for Bram. What sort of a man snuggled up in bed and went to sleep, relying on his sixty-seven-year-old father-in-law to protect his family? David and Fraser were out there in the dark somewhere, ‘on patrol’ with Bertie. The least Bram could do was sit up and keep watch.

He had the