Page 59 of The Boathouse By the Loch

When the young woman started her shift, she’d noticed the young girl sitting on her own with an iPad and a backpack. That was when her colleague told her he’d sold her a ticket because her parents had said she could buy it herself.

‘So, where are the parents?’ she’d asked, getting suspicious, wondering if the girl was running away from home. The young woman had told Natty a fib, that the bus was cancelled, and that she’d refund her ticket, and was there someone she could call to collect her from the station because she couldn’t stay there all night until the next bus in the morning.

Jake listened as the young woman said it was quite something for someone so young to plan a journey all the way to Scotland, and she’d found the cheapest route.

A smile flitted across his lips. ‘That’s what I keep telling her mother,’ said Jake, eyeing Faye.

‘What – tell me?’ said Faye, who was still clinging to her father’s arm.

‘That she’s a very smart young lady,’ said Jake, passing the phone to Faye. ‘She’s just finishing eating a hot meal in their staff canteen.’

Faye shook her head. ‘Tell them I’m on my way.’

Jake nodded. ‘All right.’ He did just that and put the phone down. Jake explained, ‘Sounds like she had a plan. She bought a bus ticket to Scotland.’

‘How the hell did she do that?’ said Patrick. ‘They know kids are not allowed to travel alone. I’m going to get hold of the person who issued the ticket to a lone nine-year-old kid and …’

‘Apparently Natty knew about that little rule as well,’ said Jake eyeing Patrick. He could well imagine what Patrick would do to that ticket officer. ‘Somehow she made him think she was travelling with a young couple.’

Patrick raised his eyebrows. ‘How’d she do that?’

Jake told them what the young woman had said. ‘Natty must have been aware she wouldn’t be able to travel alone, so she sat down in the waiting area next to a young couple. Now the man in the ticket booth sees them together, so when Natty comes up to buy her ticket she tells him that her mummy – at this point she makes a show of turning around and waving at the young woman – has let her be all grown-up and buy a ticket all by herself as long as the nice ticket man will let her.’

Jake could imagine those dark, mischievous eyes staring dolefully at the poor man in the ticket booth; he didn’t have a chance.

‘I don’t believe it!’ said Faye.

Patrick chuckled.

Faye turned to her father. ‘This isn’t funny!’

He raised his eyebrows, tempered his smile, and said, ‘Ahem, no, of course not.’

Patrick got out his mobile phoneand dialled the police as he walked to the door. ‘Hello, yes. I’m phoning about a missing child – Natasha Ames. We found her.’

As Faye hurriedly slipped on a coat, Jake followed her to the front door and said, ‘I’m sorry about all this.’ She was right: it was his fault. ‘I should have guessed what she was up to.’

Faye surprised him when she replied, ‘You had no way of knowing she’d do something like this.’

Jake smiled in relief. Was all forgiven? Could they go back to the way things had been? Might he be in with a chance with Faye after all?

‘There’s just one thing that puzzles me,’ mused Faye. ‘Where did she find the money to catch a bus in the first place? She only gets a couple of pounds a week pocket money, and I know for a fact she spends that on sweets.’

Oh, dear. Jake pursed his lips. I think she must have used her GoHenry account.’

‘Her what?’ said Faye.

‘It’s a savings account with a pre-paid debit card for youngsters aged between six and eighteen.’ Jake added, ‘It’s not just parents who can open one for children, grandparents and close family friends can … too.’

The look on Faye’s face said he’d done the wrong thing.

Faye asked, ‘Whose idea was that?’

‘Actually, it was hers.’ Jake wasn’t passing the buck, but it was true. ‘She said all her friends had one and it made her feel grown-up. You can use it to pay for the … bus.’ Jake frowned.

‘Why didn’t she askme?’

Jake would really rather not answer that question.

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