Thanks to Jess for your review! Sorry for the delay in chapter 28!

Donny's words jolted everyone awake instantly and they hurried to dress in warm clothes, layering up against the chill, even in late March, being far too bitter to be suitable for a child to be out. Her heart in her mouth, Andrea walked with Smithy and her parents back to the hotel, Smithy's hand in hers, firm, strong and comforting. The lights at the hotel were on, an unusual sight, and Kirsty's family were in the pub lounge, Eric and Joanna with them, along with Phin and his partner, Darius, and some of the other villagers. That was one thing Andrea liked about her hometown; they might be a bunch of gossips, but when they were needed, they were all there. Elsie saw Andrea come in and ran to her, throwing her arms around her.

"Andrea! Oh, darling, I'm so sorry we didn't get a chance to talk today! I told Donny he shouldn't bother you, I know you're still not very well, but Margot said Olly was talking to you at the wake…"

"He wanted Kirsty," Andrea said as Elsie let go of her. "He was asking me to take him to her."

"And you said…?" Donny challenged.

"Donny!" Fergus said, shooting his eldest son a look. "Andrea's come to help us, she isn't on trial here."

Not yet anyway, Andrea thought ruefully.

"I told him to remember what you'd said, that she'd gone to sleep," Andrea said, leaving out how uncomfortable it made her to go along with that, even a child of Olly's age would question why she couldn't wake up, and he had. "He kept asking me why she couldn't wake up. I said that sometimes you can't and that's when Margot came out."

There was a silence as everyone stared at her, as if she had something else to say, and she felt distinctly uncomfortable. Smithy's hand slid around her shoulders, feeling her unease.

"I…I didn't know what else to say," she said uncertainly. "I didn't want to go against what you'd told him."

"I told you we should have told him she's in heaven," Elsie hissed at Fergus, whose lips tightened. Andrea remembered how Kirsty had told her how against religion he was; he'd grown up with parents who constantly used it as a means to control, to dominate, to punish, to instil fear and he'd sworn not to raise his children the same way, and much like her parents had put no emphasis on religion at all.

"We can discuss that later," he said. "The important thing now is finding Olly. It's below freezing out there, he's never been to this village and if he's wandered to the Loch…"

He let the words hang but there was no need to finish them. The Loch, though mostly calm, was deep and immersion in it could incapacitate even the strongest swimmer if they were unprepared, but to a small child, it was dangerous. Then there was the woods, and, god forbid if he wandered far enough, the main road, and who knew who would come along there. Sickness washed over her and her eyes burnt. Ailsa put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure it was nothing you said," she assured, eyeing Donny angrily. "But Fergus is right, finding Olly is the priority."

"Darius and I are meeting Tom and Davie at the pier," said Phin. "They're bringing their torches, so we'll have some light. We'll search the front of the Loch and around the village. If we don't find him, we'll widen the search."

"I'll come," Smithy said, taking his arm from Andrea's shoulders to zip his coat up.

"I will too," Andrea started to say and Ailsa fixed her with a stern stare.

"Not with that head injury, you won't," she said. "You heard what the consultant said, no exhorting yourself. You're not wandering around in the cold and dark like that."

"But I…"

Smithy put a hand on her shoulder. "Your mum's right," he said gently. "We don't need anything happening to you out there. You should stay here, where it's warm. He might come back here. It'll be nice for him to see a friendly face if he does."

His words were reasonable and she relented, nodding. The door crashed open and everyone turned as Marc stumbled into the room.

"Tom came to find me, he said Olly's missing, why didn't any of you come and get me?"

He seemed frantic, but nonetheless, the animosity in the room was evident. Donny's lips thinned until they were barely visible.

"Got you out of bed with your schoolgirl, did he?"

"Look, I know what you all think of me, but Olly is my son! I want him back safe!"

"Then you can come and help us search," Donny said acidly. "But don't think it gets you into anyone's good books." He looked over his shoulder at his two brothers, then at Phin, Darius and Smithy. "Let's go."

Smithy gave Andrea a kiss on her head and left with the men.

"Ailsa, Lachlan, I thought we could each take our cars, search around the village," Elsie said. "I can't see Olly wandering that far, he's a timid little thing really, but if anyone was hanging around…"

She didn't need to finish that sentence, Glendarroch might be a small village, but it wasn't immune to evil predators. Residents like Peter Odell had proven that.

"Yes, good idea," Lachlan said and glanced at his daughter. "Andrea, please stay here. Like mum says, your health is important too."

Andrea nodded, her eyes on the floor under her dad's unusually stern gaze.

"I'll look after her," Jo said, putting a hand on Andrea's shoulder. "We'll stay here, in case he comes back."

"Thanks Jo, I appreciate it," Lachlan said and gave his daughter a quick kiss. "We'll call if we find anything."

Andrea watched the four leave, trembling. Jo went behind the bar and poured a generous measure of brandy, pushing the glass into Andrea's hands. She'd always been the motherly sort, even when Andrea had worked there as a teenager, she'd always had time for her staff.

"There now," she said. "I'm sure they'll find the little one safe. Come on, come and sit by the fire."

"Did I say something, Jo?"

"No, I'm sure you didn't," Joanna said, getting her own drink and returning to sit with Andrea. "He's a sad, confused little boy missing his mummy. It's hard for anyone to lose a parent, but when you're only a child and it's a sudden, horrible accident…"

Andrea closed her eyes at Joanna's last words, and the older woman trailed off.

"It was an accident, right?"

"You'll hear soon enough, Jo," Andrea said, staring into her glass. "Sorry. I wish I could say more, but I can't. You'll hear though. And believe me, the village gossips will have a field day."

She saw Jo stare at her, mouth agape, then took her glass to refill it. Andrea blinked, she hadn't even realised she'd finished it. She gave herself a shake. She needed a clear head, so had better go easy on the brandy. Olly didn't need to come back to her drunk.

Two hours had gone by. Smithy had called to say they hadn't found any trace of Olly at the Loch, so had proceeded to the woods. Andrea felt nauseous at even the thought of Olly alone in there, even to someone who knew them well, it was easy to get lost. She and Joanna had moved to drinking coffee, evidently Joanna shared her feelings at not wanting Olly to come back to two intoxicated women, but at this rate, he'd come back to two buzzing ones, she could already feel herself buzzing. Joanna excused herself to go to the bathroom. Andrea put her full mug on the table and rubbed her neck, almost sick with worry. Where could he be? He was a little boy.

She then opened her eyes, staring into the fire. He'd wanted his mummy. That's what he'd said. He'd asked her to take him to Kirsty, and who knew how many other people he'd asked the same question. But the last place he'd known her to be; in the church, in the coffin. The church was only yards away from where she sat. Surely it would do no harm to go and check, as far as she knew, the search party hadn't gone there. Why would they think to look there? She pushed her arms into her coat and hurried outside before Joanna got back. The chill hit her face like knives stabbing her face. She hoped she was right. It wasn't like the church was particularly warm, but it was warmer than out here.

The church looked sinister all lit up. She'd always thought that, even when she used to work at the hotel, passing by had given her the creeps. She'd been glad back then of Kirsty's company. She walked into the churchyard and went first to the fresh mound of earth where Kirsty had been laid to rest. She stood over it for a minute, staring at the wooden cross serving as a grave marker until a headstone could be put in place. Her hands balled into fists as she realised this was the first time she'd been alone with Kirsty, even though she couldn't hear her now.

"Why'd you do it, Kirst?" she said. "Any of it? Taking that poison, dealing it, sleeping with him, stealing from him. Why did you do any of it?"

She glared at the cross as if expecting it to answer her, but the only sound she heard was the wind blowing around her. She looked around her. No sign of Olly. She jumped as her phone rang and pulled it from her pocket. Smithy. Joanna had probably raised the alarm of her disappearance. Or had they found Olly, and she was completely wrong? She looked uncertainly at the screen and accepted the call before it could ring off.

"Smithy?"

"Where are you?" he demanded.

Obviously it was the former. She sighed.

"I haven't gone far, I promise. I just…I had a hunch that he might have gone to the churchyard. That's where I am."

"And has he?"

"No. I can't see him anywhere. Have you found anything?"

"No," he said heavily. "We've split into a few groups. Marc, Donny and I are heading towards the big house."

He was searching with Marc? She went quiet and it was almost as if he read her thoughts.

"I've contained myself, I promise," he said. "Anyway, he's mostly kept his mouth shut. I think he's a bit scared of Donny."

After today, she wasn't surprised. She'd never had a reason to be wary of Donny, but then, she'd never seen him under such pressure. Smithy read her thoughts again.

"He's sorry," he said. "He wanted me to tell you that."

"No need," she said, but relieved. "Thank you."

"Good. Now, will you get back in the warm, please? I don't want to be worrying about you as well."

"Yeah. Of course," she said. "Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."

"I get it," he said "I know it's hard for you to feel like you're doing nothing, but you're not. He might come back. Someone needs to be there when he does."

"Yeah. I will. Be careful. I love you."

"I love you too," he said. "Speak soon."

He rang off and she held her phone in her clenched hand, to her mouth, staring at Kirsty's grave.

"I'll never get my answers," she said. "That's what I'll always struggle with. None of us will. Neither will your son. What was so bad, Kirsty? What was so bad in your life you had to turn to that poison?"

The only answer she got was leaves blowing around the wooden cross. Anger burning her throat, she turned away and went to do as she promised, then stopped, turning back to what had caught her eye. She walked closer, her eyes widening, and picked the object up. It was a monkey stuffed toy, the one she remembered seeing Olly with the first time she'd met him. She looked about her, her heart pounding.

"Olly?" she called. "Olly! If you can hear me, come out!"

There was nothing but the sounds of nature; wind, rustling trees and every now and then, the cry of the foxes roaming the area. She walked around the church slowly looking for anywhere he might be hiding. He might think he was in trouble.

"Olly?" she said softly. "Where are you, honey?"

A creak made her start and whip around and she saw it; the back door of the church blowing back and forth in the wind. Swallowing hard, she walked to it and pulled it open, poking her head inside.

"Olly?"

Silence. Holding the monkey toy as if it was her own comfort teddy, she walked through the rear corridor of the church, past the small room where church events used to be held and through to the main area. It was still, silent and looked just as it has when they'd left the previous day. She walked up and down the pews, eyes adjusting to the dark. There were shadows everywhere, and the stained glass windows made it even more unnerving. She felt as if all eyes were on her, even though she knew it was only paintings. She came to the end, finding nothing and sighed, looking at the monkey in her arms. She'd better call Smithy, anyway. Clearly Olly had come this way, even if he wasn't here anymore, he still might be nearby, he could have just gotten lost or was maybe hiding somewhere. She didn't want to think about other alternatives. Andrea pulled her phone out and was scrolling to Smithy's number when she heard it. A shuffling coming from the confession box. Holding her breath, she stepped towards it, and with trembling hands, parted the curtains. She took a sharp intake of breath when Kirsty's eyes met hers in the face of a little boy. He blinked at her, totally calm, then held up a packet of the nuts she recognised as the ones sold in the hotel.

"I had this," he said. "Are you going to tell me off?"

"No," she said. "What're you doing here, Olly? Everyone's looking for you. We've got to get you back."

He shook his head and said; "I made granddad sad."

"Well, he won't be now. I promise."

"He said mummy did bad things. He said I'm like her."

Hearing such adult words from a child's voice made her burn inside, but with what, she wasn't sure; hurt, rage, sympathy, maybe all. Fergus wouldn't have meant Olly was like her in a bad way, she knew that.

"Everyone does bad things sometimes, Olly. But it doesn't mean they're bad people. And mummy wasn't bad. Neither are you."

He held the packet of nuts out to her, and she shook her head with a smile. She thought she might choke if she tried to eat any. Olly looked up at her.

"Have you seen my mummy yet?"

"No," Andrea said, the word coming out tight.

"Will you tell her to come home? I won't ever be naughty again."

She wouldn't cry in front of him. She couldn't. Andrea looked at the toy in her hands and held it out to Olly.

"This was outside. It's yours, isn't it?"

"I wanted to give it to mummy when she was sleeping," he said. "Nanny said she was sleeping here, but I can't find her. Can you help me find her?"

Andrea turned to wipe her watering eyes, fury at Kirsty making her shake. But this wasn't Olly's fault. He was a child, little more than a baby and was struggling with this more than anyone.

"No, Olly. Come on. We have to get you back."

He gave her a defiant glare that was all his mother, and crossed his arms. "I thought you were her friend."

Funny, that, she'd said more or less the same thing to Kirsty when she'd caught her with Marc.

"Olly, come on. We'll go back to the hotel. Joanna can make you a nice hot chocolate. It's too cold to be here."

He shook his head, clutching his monkey hard as he spoke. "I want to find mummy. I want her to have Coco, so she won't get scared."

What a gorgeous little boy. Andrea sniffed, as it triggered a memory. She'd stayed with Kirsty's family at one particular occasion, when they were kids, when her father had been on a business trip and her mother working nights. That arrangement had worked a lot when that type of occurrence arisen; Fergus and Elsie were only too happy to look after her, as they said, they had five kids, one more wouldn't make a difference, and, as they said, she was like family to them anyway. She'd stayed so many times, that most memories blurred into one, but on this occasion, she'd gotten sick and had been miserable, had only wanted her mummy and daddy, and Kirsty had given her their favourite Barbie to cuddle, so she'd feel better, and cuddled up with her as well until she'd gone to sleep. Where had that little girl, cuddling up with her sick friend, gone? When did she turn into a stealing, cheating, drug taking and stealing lowlife, who stood back and let someone die? She swallowed and sniffed, sliding down in the confession box until she was at Olly's level.

"Grandad was right Olly. You are like your mummy. She was kind, too, and thoughtful. She gave me her favourite toy when we were little and I was feeling sick, to make me feel better."

She remembered something else then. One night, when they'd been out, and Kirsty drinking, she'd stumbled into the churchyard and curled up against the church doors, muttering that she'd sleep there against Andrea's insistence that she get up. She'd had to run and get Donny, who hadn't been best pleased at his sister's drinking, especially as they'd been underage at the time.

"She even wanted to sleep here once, but she knew it wasn't sensible."

That was a stretch of the truth, but Olly didn't need to know that. Kirsty had always wanted to be old before her time, even though she never acted like it when she did get older. Olly was watching her silently, eating the nuts, but she knew he was listening.

"I think granddad meant that, Olly. He didn't mean you were bad. Just that you reminded him of mummy. That wouldn't made him sad. Just that you're six going on sixteen. Like he used to say to her."

Olly gave her another of his adult looks and said; "I'm five."

"What do you think mummy would say, Olly? If she knew you were out this late, hiding in the church? Would she be happy or cross?"

"Cross."

"Exactly. Because you were her number one. You know that? And she'd hate the thought of you being miserable and hiding from nanny and granddad."

"Don't tell her!" he said, that little face aghast. "She'll get sad, she cries sometimes. She cried all the time when daddy went away. I don't want to make her sad, too."

"Don't think like that. You'd never make her sad."

"Say you won't tell her."

"I won't," Andrea said. "Of course I won't."

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart," Andrea said, motioning the cross across her heart, like she and Kirsty used to do when they swore each other to secrecy.

He slid his little legs off the bench and held his arms out to her. She pulled him onto her lap, holding him close. She let the tears fall then, her body trembling. She stroked Olly's soft hair and pushed herself to herself to her feet, holding the boy's body close. He had his little arms wrapped around her neck, his face pushed into her shoulder.

"Come on," she said, trying to keep her voice cheerful. "Let's go and get hot chocolate."

"Don't forget Coco," he said and she picked up the monkey from the bench. Cuddling the little boy to her hip, she walked back though the church and out into the night.

"Where've you…"

Joanna's face was a mask of panic, and Andrea knew she'd probably been frantic with worry, if she'd known Smithy had spoken to her and was expecting her back quickly, but then she saw Olly in her arms, and she trailed off.

"…been…"

She blinked at the little boy and looked back at Andrea. She saw her own relief mirrored in Joanna's face.

"Can you call the others, Jo?" Andrea asked quietly, sitting back in her chair, Olly on her lap. "And can he get a hot chocolate?"

"Yes. Yes, of course," she said, pulling out her phone. "And I'll get you a blanket, you both look frozen."

She left, to, Andrea was sure, to make the call elsewhere, not wanting to alarm Olly. He shuffled on her lap, his head on her shoulder as he quietly played with his monkey.

"Andrea, do you think granddad will let me give mummy Coco?"

"Yeah," she said softly, stroking the boy's hair soothingly. "I'm sure he will."

Andrea eased the half-drunk hot chocolate from Olly's hand. Between the warmth of the blanket, the fire and the hot chocolate, he'd nodded off on her shoulder. Joanna sat watching them, and when they heard cars screeching to a halt outside, Joanna leapt up and rushed to the door to open it before anyone could come crashing through the door as Andrea knew they would in their worry.

"…he's okay," Joanna whispered. "He is. He's just fallen asleep."

She stood back, and Fergus, Elsie and Margot piled through the door together, nearly getting themselves stuck. Elsie looked ready to snatch Olly from Andrea's arms, but restrained herself and settled for crouching down and stroking her grandson's hair.

"Where was he?" she whispered.

"The church," Andrea said. "He was looking for Kirsty. He wanted to give her Coco. He said he didn't want her to be scared and lonely."

Andrea's own lip trembled and Elsie put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks Andrea. Thanks for finding him."

She glanced down to make sure he was still asleep, then looked up at Elsie and Fergus. She needed to tell when what Olly had said, not so they would feel guilty, but so they would decide how best to move forwards.

"He told me he overheard something," she said to Fergus. "Something you said about Kirsty doing bad things. Then he said you'd told him he was like her. He thinks he's made you sad."

Fergus closed his tired eyes, as the tears rolled down his lined face.

"I didn't mean for him to hear that. He doesn't make me sad. He'd never."

"I know. And I told him that. But I thought you should know, so you can decide how to talk to him. I know it's not really my business, but I think he needs to be told. Not everything. Just…something."

"That's where you're wrong," said Elsie and hastened her words when Andrea's eyes widened. "It's very much your business. Kirsty dragged you through her mess with that man." She looked at her husband. "Andrea's right, Fergie. We need to talk to Olly properly."

He nodded, his jaw trembling, Andrea was sure, with the effort of trying not to howl out in misery.

"Yes. But I think he should now be taken to bed."

Andrea nodded her agreement and got up, passing Olly, still wrapped in the blanket, to Fergus. Olly stirred as he was passed to his grandfather, then looked up into his face, lip trembling.

"Sorry, granddad."

"No, I'm sorry," he said, holding the boy tightly. "You make me so happy, Olly. You make all of us so happy. Don't forget that."

"Can I give mummy Coco so she can be happy, too?"

"Yes," Fergus said. "But not tonight. Keep him with you for one more night, and we'll give him to mummy in the morning. Say goodnight to Andrea."

"Night Andrea," he said.

"Night honey," she said, giving him the brightest smile she could manage and as Fergus carried him through the doorway towards the upstairs, he crossed his heart the way she had done. She mimicked the gesture as the door closed.

"Andrea?"

Lachlan had been keeping a respectful distance with Ailsa, but now stepped up to her, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"We should get you home too, darling. I've called Smithy to tell him. Everyone's making their way back

"Well done darling," Ailsa said. "How did you know?"

She shrugged. "He wanted his mum. It made sense to me that he'd go to where he last knew she was. In a manner of speaking anyway."

"Why'd you cross your heart?"

"I promised," Andrea said and turned towards the door. "Come on. Let's go."