‘What a tragic story,’ Miss Parker commented when he had finished. ‘Poor young man and poor Ruth.’
‘At least now I know that André Vaillant did not abandon the woman he loved and meant to come back to Belthorn, which I suspected all along.’
He finished the coffee, gulped down the mince pies and handed her the empty mug and plate before slapping his false beard back on and patting the pillow stuffed in his costume. ‘I’d better get ready for more visitors…’
Thankfully, Miss Parker was right about the fair winding down. He welcomed a few more excited children into the grotto, then the music stopped and one of the organisers told him that he could call it a day. He decided to wait for Cassie at the pub since she hadn’t paid him a visit as promised. She must have a good reason, but he couldn’t help the uneasy feeling weighing down on his chest, and which had nothing to do with the fat pillow stuck under his tunic.
Back at the pub Tim, Mason and a couple of their friends from the mountain rescue team cheered when he walked in. They all clapped his shoulder in turn and Mason pushed a pint of bitter in front of him. ‘Here, mate, get that down you. You’ve earned it. Nobody guessed you were Santa, and the charity gets to keep all the money collected this year.’
That was great news. At least he hadn’t suffered all afternoon for nothing.
‘You look shattered,’ Tim said. ‘There’s nothing more tiring than dealing with little kids. I should know. I have three!’ He grinned. ‘They may be hard work but they’re worth it. I can’t wait to see their faces when they open their presents Christmas morning. By the way, I don’t know if Cassie told you, but you’re invited for Christmas dinner.’
‘Am I?’ Stefan put his pint down.
Tim’s phone let out a loud jingling sound, and he smiled as he took it out of his pocket. ‘Talking of which… it’s Rachel.’ His smile vanished the moment he put the phone to his ear.
‘You’re sure you looked everywhere? In the loft, and the barn? What about the tractor? He likes to climb in there, even though he’s not allowed.’ He nodded. ‘I’m on my way. Try not to worry, love. We’ll find him. He can’t have gone very far – not with his broken arm.’
‘Any problems?’ Stefan asked as Tim held his phone, a frown creasing his forehead.
‘It’s Louis. He’s nowhere to be found… The thing is, he had a temperature this morning and was left behind at the farm while Rachel took his brothers shopping, but it appears he sneaked out when Joseph was having a nap in front of the TV. Rachel said they’ve looked everywhere but they can’t find him.’
‘I’ll get my car keys from Jim’s flat and meet you back at the farm,’ Stefan offered.
Tim nodded. ‘Thanks. I’ll set off now and wait for you there.’
Stefan ran upstairs, wrenched the pillow from under his top but didn’t bother to get changed. Slipping his parka on, he shoved his fake beard, wig and red hat into the pockets. He had his sturdy army boots on and a pair of jeans under the red nylon trousers, so he would be all right if he had to walk on the hillside looking for Louis.
Tim had already left by the time he came down. Mason and his friends said they would be on standby to help with the search for the boy, and he promised to give them updates as soon as he could. He was held up by a few people wanting to congratulate him for raising funds for the mountain rescue charity, and then he was stuck in a traffic jam and was delayed another twenty minutes.
The dogs barked and jumped at him when he got out of the car in the muddy farmyard. Rachel opened the front door, and her face fell as she saw him.
‘Oh… I thought it was Tim coming back.’
‘Is there any news?’
She shook her head. ‘Tim drove up to the sheepfold on his quad bike. Louis often goes there when he’s sulking.’
‘Have you tried the old quarry?’
She shook her head. ‘Why would Louis go up there when he knows he’s not allowed?’
Stefan was no expert on young boys’ minds but that probably made the quarry even more attractive. ‘I’ll check it out anyway.’ He took a torch out of the glove box and flicked the switch on to make sure it worked.
‘By the way, have you heard from Cassie?’
‘Her mobile is switched off, and she hasn’t replied to my texts. She said she was going shopping this afternoon. Please hurry…’
The path climbed steeply up the hill and stones rolled underfoot, making progress tricky, but he swept the ground with his torchlight to make sure he didn’t veer off the track and quickly got into a rhythm. He soon came across the rusty machinery he had seen before, and took care not to slip on the broken slate or trip on the massive cables discarded by the side of the path.
Finally he reached the fence and paused in front of the ‘Keep Out’ sign. There was nobody around, and no light shone from inside the quarry.
Stefan called and held his breath whilst he waited for a reply.
He called again, and this time a weak voice called back – Louis’s voice!
‘Louis? It’s Stefan. Are you all right?’
‘I slipped and I hurt my leg. Help me, please. It’s dark and it’s cold in here,’ Louis’s voice trailed off, weak and whimpering.
‘Don’t worry. I’m coming. Keep talking so I can locate you.’
‘Hurry, please. I’m scared.’
Stefan remembered the place where the grillage was broken. He lifted the rusty metal up, and crouched down to get to the other side. He kept calling out random questions to keep Louis talking as he scrambled down a narrow path littered with debris and broken slate and entered a cave. He hissed a shocked breath as his boots splashed in freezing cold water that reached up to his shins and shone his light into the back of the cave, where Louis sat, hugging his knees.
‘Don’t move. I’m coming to get you.’
‘I’m so glad you found me.’ Louis’s teeth chattered with cold and in the torchlight’s harsh glare his little face was gaunt, his eyes huge and scared and his lips had a bluish tinge.
Stefan took off his parka and wrapped it around the boy’s shoulders. ‘Show me where you’re hurt.’
Louis pointed to his ripped jeans and the bloodied knee peeping through the tear in the fabric.
‘I knew it was wrong to come here, but I was annoyed with Mum because she didn’t want to take me to town and it just wasn’t fair. So I took my metal detector to go treasure hunting… but instead I fell and I hurt myself. Now Father Christmas will be angry and I won’t get any presents, will I?’ His voice wobbled with sobs.
Stefan gave him a reassuring smile. ‘I’m sure everything will be fine. Can you move your leg at all?’
The boy shook his head. ‘It hurts. I think it’s broken.’
‘Then I’ll carry you out of here. Hang on.’ He carefully lifted the shivering boy into his arms. ‘Hold the torch so I can find the way out,’ he instructed as he started out of the cave.
As soon as they were out into the open, he readjusted his hold on Louis so that he could hold him with one arm whilst pulling his phone out of his jeans pocket and dialling the emergency services number. Luckily he got through straight away, and the operator said that airlifting Louis would be the safest way to get him to hospital.