day.’
Karl smiled, but Jerry could see the concern in his eyes.
‘Have you seen him since?’ Karl asked hopefully.
‘No, but I hope you find him,’ Jerry said, handing back the photograph, which he tucked into his pocket.
‘Thanks for your help,’ Karl said, shaking Jerry’s hand once again. ‘If you do see him, or remember anything he said that might help, please let me know.’ He handed him a card with his name and mobile number on. Jerry took it and put it in his coat pocket.
‘I doubt I will,’ Jerry said honestly, ‘but okay.’
They said farewell and Karl walked back to his car. As he watched him drive away Jerry felt incredibly sorry for him. It must be awful when someone you loved just disappeared without a trace. He couldn’t begin to imagine what that poor young man and the rest of his family must be going through, but guessed that this was how people latched onto these ridiculous theories. When you were that desperate for answers, even the most fantastical ones offered some comfort.
Jerry shook his head and then carried on walking towards his tractor. A loud thud coming from one of his outbuildings stopped him dead. He knew that Sue, his wife, was in the house, and their kids were at school. There should have been no one else in the farmyard.
‘Hello?’ he shouted over towards the corrugated iron doors of the shed.
He waited for a few moments, but no reply was forthcoming. It could have been one of the cats knocking something over in there. He would have to check it out when he got back later.
He turned back towards the tractor, but there was no time for him to start walking to it, as another thud emanated from within the outbuilding. Jerry was starting to worry that someone was in there, trying to steal something. There was nothing of any real value in that particular shed, they mainly used it to keep junk they no longer wanted in the house, but that was not the point.
Jerry set his lunch box down on the wall at his side and walked over towards the shed and put his ear next to the metal of the door. He heard low growls, scuffling sounds, and the wet, slapping sounds that were undeniably something eating.
‘Hello?’ Jerry repeated. ‘Who’s in there?’
A loud and aggressive growl came from within the shed as a reply. The sound made him jump away from the door in shock. He wasn’t sure what had made the sound, a fox maybe, possibly even a badger; more than likely, though, it was a wild dog. A voice at the back of his mind was screaming at him that it was the big cat everyone was talking about. Jerry did his best to suppress the voice, knowing that he was just being paranoid. Whatever it was in his shed, though, it sounded pissed off at his interruption. Badgers could be vicious little bastards when riled, and a fox could give a nasty nip when threatened, and a wild dog was capable of real damage. He was not going to face the trespassing creature unarmed, that was for sure.
He quickly walked back to the house. He entered the farmhouse kitchen. Sue was baking and the warm sweet aromas hit him as he stepped through the door. Sue looked at him.
‘What did you forget?’ she said, smiling.
‘What?’ he asked, his mind preoccupied with the noises in the shed.
‘You just left,’ she said, she was regarding him with a look of concern. ‘Are you all right? Who was that you were talking to out there?’
Jerry walked over to one of the kitchen drawers and began searching through its mass of contents, scissors, pens, nails, spanners and an abundance of keys. He was searching for one key in particular.
‘Jerry?’ Sue asked. ‘Who was that?’
‘Some bloke looking for his missing brother,’ Jerry snapped at her. ‘It’s not important at the minute.’
He finally found the key he was looking for. He walked to the metal cabinet at the back of the kitchen and unlocked it. He pulled out his shotgun, and looked for cartridges. He rarely used the gun; he wasn’t the best shot in
Karl smiled, but Jerry could see the concern in his eyes.
‘Have you seen him since?’ Karl asked hopefully.
‘No, but I hope you find him,’ Jerry said, handing back the photograph, which he tucked into his pocket.
‘Thanks for your help,’ Karl said, shaking Jerry’s hand once again. ‘If you do see him, or remember anything he said that might help, please let me know.’ He handed him a card with his name and mobile number on. Jerry took it and put it in his coat pocket.
‘I doubt I will,’ Jerry said honestly, ‘but okay.’
They said farewell and Karl walked back to his car. As he watched him drive away Jerry felt incredibly sorry for him. It must be awful when someone you loved just disappeared without a trace. He couldn’t begin to imagine what that poor young man and the rest of his family must be going through, but guessed that this was how people latched onto these ridiculous theories. When you were that desperate for answers, even the most fantastical ones offered some comfort.
Jerry shook his head and then carried on walking towards his tractor. A loud thud coming from one of his outbuildings stopped him dead. He knew that Sue, his wife, was in the house, and their kids were at school. There should have been no one else in the farmyard.
‘Hello?’ he shouted over towards the corrugated iron doors of the shed.
He waited for a few moments, but no reply was forthcoming. It could have been one of the cats knocking something over in there. He would have to check it out when he got back later.
He turned back towards the tractor, but there was no time for him to start walking to it, as another thud emanated from within the outbuilding. Jerry was starting to worry that someone was in there, trying to steal something. There was nothing of any real value in that particular shed, they mainly used it to keep junk they no longer wanted in the house, but that was not the point.
Jerry set his lunch box down on the wall at his side and walked over towards the shed and put his ear next to the metal of the door. He heard low growls, scuffling sounds, and the wet, slapping sounds that were undeniably something eating.
‘Hello?’ Jerry repeated. ‘Who’s in there?’
A loud and aggressive growl came from within the shed as a reply. The sound made him jump away from the door in shock. He wasn’t sure what had made the sound, a fox maybe, possibly even a badger; more than likely, though, it was a wild dog. A voice at the back of his mind was screaming at him that it was the big cat everyone was talking about. Jerry did his best to suppress the voice, knowing that he was just being paranoid. Whatever it was in his shed, though, it sounded pissed off at his interruption. Badgers could be vicious little bastards when riled, and a fox could give a nasty nip when threatened, and a wild dog was capable of real damage. He was not going to face the trespassing creature unarmed, that was for sure.
He quickly walked back to the house. He entered the farmhouse kitchen. Sue was baking and the warm sweet aromas hit him as he stepped through the door. Sue looked at him.
‘What did you forget?’ she said, smiling.
‘What?’ he asked, his mind preoccupied with the noises in the shed.
‘You just left,’ she said, she was regarding him with a look of concern. ‘Are you all right? Who was that you were talking to out there?’
Jerry walked over to one of the kitchen drawers and began searching through its mass of contents, scissors, pens, nails, spanners and an abundance of keys. He was searching for one key in particular.
‘Jerry?’ Sue asked. ‘Who was that?’
‘Some bloke looking for his missing brother,’ Jerry snapped at her. ‘It’s not important at the minute.’
He finally found the key he was looking for. He walked to the metal cabinet at the back of the kitchen and unlocked it. He pulled out his shotgun, and looked for cartridges. He rarely used the gun; he wasn’t the best shot in
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