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Saturday, about ten minutes to midnight.


"I'm going to meet Tommy outside." she said standing in the doorframe to the salon with a pretended shy smile. Deep inside she was worrying. She already had put on her coat and scarf and decided to lie to them. The men grinned slightly suggestive but Barbara ignored it. She was aware that she had said his Lordship's given name aloud and it felt strange and not at all enjoyable to say it under those circumstances and not even directed to him. She had said it for the first time ever in front of his family. Couldn't it be just once under undramatical circumstances?!

Judith understood her facial expression immediately and gave her a knowing nod.

About ten minutes later, Barbara had finished her short search around the house, the yard and the stables without success, she told herself that she had not expected to find him there anyway. Now that she was driving the Land Rover to the little police station in Nanrunnel without having asked for permission to use it this time, she received a text message from Tommy's sister.

[ Keep me informed. I distract them here they don't have to know. He's not at Ash. View. P. Try Northern Nose ]

Barbara noticed the time on her mobile. It was one minute past midnight. It was his birthday now. She stood at an empty junction for longer than she needed, closing her eyes for a few seconds and swallowing down her panic before she drove on. She dearly hoped that the constable on duty would know of that 'Northern Nose'. She also hoped that the constable on duty was Victor.


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