All of the animals in the room turned to Annabella, awaiting more information. It sounded like there was a drama unfolding and their curiosity was piqued.
‘Maybe we’re just being over-cautious,’ Hugh grumbled. ‘She might just have gone for a walk.’
‘Hugh, she’s been gone for at least fourteen hours now and she doesn’t know her way around this island. You know how unhappy she’s been for the last few days. I’m worried that…’ Annabella trailed off.
Leger and Lily’s eyes sprang wide open, knowing that Annabella and Hugh were referring to Carole. They had not mentioned her by name, but everyone in the house had noticed her blue mood since she arrived.
‘Don’t think things like that, Anna!’ Hugh snapped. ‘She’s fine. She’s gone for a walk and she’ll be back any time.’
Leger smoothed down his whiskers, thinking this over. If Carole was in a negative frame of mind, it was understandable that Annabella would want to keep an eye on her but she couldn’t seriously suspect Carole of doing something foolish, could she?
‘Where’s my mummy?’ Brianna whined. ‘Louis is crying and we need her to make us breakfast.’
‘She’s gone out for a while, my wee lamb. She’ll be back soon,’ Annabella said, stroking the child’s hair out of her face.
‘But we’re hungry,’ Brianna sulked.
‘I’ll give Louis his breakfast,’ Hugh announced.
‘Don’t be silly Uncle Hugh! You need boobies to feed Louis,’ Brianna tutted.
Annabella whooped with laughter and Hugh’s face reddened.
‘Well, that’s the first time I’ve seen you smile today!’ Hugh snorted.
‘Did mummy go back to the loch to see the swans? That was the only time she smiled yesterday. I woke up when she was leaving and she gave me a kiss and said she was going to the loch,’ Brianna related, not pausing for breath as she spoke but taking one huge gasp at the end.
Hugh and Annabella both raised their eyebrows while Leger and Lily nodded to each other. It seemed reasonable that if Carole was preoccupied and wanted some time alone, she would have returned to the one part of the island that she knew had made her smile. The problem was, that place was known to be dangerous and one life had already been lost there that week.
‘I don’t like the sound of this,’ Bob growled. ‘Remember I went to the loch with her yesterday?’
‘Yes?’ Leger and Lily chorused.
‘I thought she was going to jump in at one point,’ Bob growled. ‘I didn’t mention it because I was sure I was mistaken.’
‘This is not sounding good,’ Lily muttered.
‘You have to go down there, Leger. You have to see if she’s there and stop her!’ Bob barked, becoming increasingly agitated.
Leger’s whiskers flattened at the thought of returning to the loch.
‘I can’t,’ he said.
‘Why?’ Lily asked. ‘Surely now that the cygnet is back with his parents, there’s nothing for you to worry about! The swans must have seen how much you cared about their little one.’
‘You would think!’ Leger sneered. ‘Lily, you’ve been on this island much longer than me. Have you ever heard of a local swan with the ability to kill a human?’
Lily narrowed her eyes. ‘Do you suspect this swan of killing Sean Gilbert?’
Leger sighed and sat upright, slicking his fur back from his face and adjusting his collar before he started to relate the story of what had happened. He told Lily and Bob everything while Brianna listened in, pretending to understand what they were saying and Hugh made breakfast in the kitchen.
Lily hissed. ‘I might have known it would be those swans! The male is called Kevin, that I know. I’m pretty sure the female is called Cynthia, although I’ve heard nothing of her for a while.’
‘Obviously, he’s no killer. Either that or you’re a pretty fearsome little furball. You lived to tell the tale,’ Bob noted.
‘Exactly!’ Lily said, dismissing the notion that Kevin was at all dangerous. ‘He is all talk.’
‘It’s a shame we’re not on friendlier terms. The swans might have seen Carole and been able to provide information about her whereabouts or mental state,’ Leger seethed. ‘I was sure Annabella read an article yesterday about Sean Gilbert’s death and the friend said he was pushed, although no mention of a swan was made! Surely the swan couldn’t have killed him.’
‘Leger, we have no choice. We have to face up to these swans and get more information, not just about Carole’s whereabouts, but about Sean Gilbert’s passing too. We can’t have someone going round threatening the cats of the island and killing humans,’ Lily decided.
‘You are, of course, correct,’ Leger said. ‘If any cat or human is in danger, we must protect them. Even cats like Massingham. That doesn’t mean I relish the prospect of visiting the swans again.’
‘It has to be done though. Right?’ Lily said, prodding him with one paw.
Leger emitted a noise that signalled his reluctant commitment to the idea.
‘Great! Well, I’ll be spending the day napping on top of the kitchen cupboards. Give me a shout if you solve this one,’ Lily declared, striding out of the room.
‘Can you believe that, Bob? She’s not even going to come with me!’ Leger hissed.
Bob panted, struggling not to erupt into full-blown hysterical laughter. ‘Just do what you can, Leger. I’m sure if there’s anything to be uncovered, you’ll manage it.’
*****
Leger couldn’t remember the last time he felt this nervous about something. He flicked through the various investigations he had carried out in his mind and came to the conclusion that coming face to face with this evil swan again was far more terrifying than any of the human criminals he had encountered during his time as a sleuth.
He padded across the grass, his eyes peeled for any sign of swans or cygnets. He knew if he came across Iain again, the young cygnet would probably be happy to share some information with him, if he had any, but talking to the baby would be risky as if he was found by the parents, he would surely not be allowed to leave the loch without a fight.
He spied Kevin, the cob. Leger noted that he seemed to be alone which was very unusual as swans usually swan in pairs and never left their partner’s side. He climbed into the reeds and observed for a short time from his hiding place. Iain was waddling by his father’s side.
‘Come on, Iain. Hurry up. You ate too much at breakfast time, didn’t you?’ Kevin tutted.
‘Sorry Dad,’ Iain groaned.
‘You will be when you’re too heavy to swim!’ Kevin shot.
Leger narrowed his eyes. He knew if he could just get Iain on his own, he would help Leger and provide all the answers he needed. He watched as the little grey bird toddled along, dragging his feet and completely lacking in enthusiasm for whatever his father had planned. When enough distance was between Iain and hisfather, Leger hissed at him.
‘Psst! Iain!’
The little grey bird turned around and looked for the source of the voice.
‘Iain! Over here in the reeds,’ Leger whispered.
Iain waddled to where Leger was and hid in the long grass along with him.
‘Kitty! I’m so sorry about my Dad. He’s really over-protective,’ Iain said.
‘It’s quite alright, and my name is Leger. Will it be safe for us to talk here?’ he asked.
‘It should be,’ Iain replied, shrugging his wings. It was only then that Leger noticed he had one wing shorter than the other. Of course his father would be protective of him, given that he was differently abled to most of his peers.
‘I had some questions I wanted to ask you. You see, I’m a detective and I think you might be able to help with my investigation,’ Leger advised.
‘A detective? You mean, you solve mysteries?’ Iain squawked, getting a little over-excited.
‘Yes, that’s correct. Would you like that, Iain? Would you like to help me solve a mystery or two?’ he smiled down at his new friend.