Tynan puts his hands in the air. "No need to worry, lass. We're just looking for a girl. She's pregnant. Strawberry-blonde hair. Tall. Blue eyes."
I add, "Her mum's looking for her. She's sick."
The barmaid continues giving us the same look, as if she doesn't believe us.
"It's true," I lie.
Tynan adds, "We came to tell her that her mum's sick. That's it. Her mum wants to see her before she dies."
The barmaid's eyes widen just a tad. "She really gonna die?"
"Yea, she is," I reiterate.
She scrunches her face. "Well, Meghann's the only one who's pregnant."
"Okay, and where's Meghann?"
"She's home, I assume. She doesn't work until later tonight," she relays.
"Okay, and where is home?"
She bites her lip.
"Listen, lass, her mum's only got maybe a few days. This is important," Tynan states.
"Why don't I call her and see if she can come to the pub? I don't feel comfortable giving ya her address," the barmaid states.
"Well, I'd rather we talk to her in person since this is a delicate matter," I declare.
Tynan blurts out, "Who were these other men that came in?"
I want to smack him for asking that question. My brother never knows when to shut up.
The barmaid turns suspicious again. "This doesn't make sense."
"What doesn't make sense?" I question.
"Why two different sets of men would be looking for Meghann."
So she's calling herself Meghann.
I fib, "Well, I told ya Meghann's mum is really sick. But we were sent to inform her. Just wondering why someone else would be here."
The barmaid swallows hard, looking at both of us.
Tynan interjects, "Listen, lass, we just want to ensure that her mum and her can talk before she passes. Unless Meghann doesn't want to. But at least it would be her choice. Think about if it was your mum."
She keeps her suspicious look on us. "Ya both are making me nervous."
I attempt to reassure her. "Don't be. We told ya why we're here."
Another tense moment passes.
I lean forward. "Times ticking. If her mum dies and she doesn't know—"
The barmaid shakes her head. "Why don't I call her and tell her to come in...that you need to talk to her?"
My pulse skyrockets. "No, don't do that. If ya do that, she might not come in. Look, we know why she left, and we understand."