‘Hmm. I don’t suppose we have much option but to leave them there for now. Just for a little while, until we can get this whole thing sorted.’ Hailey looked worn out, her cares pulling at the corners of her mouth, creating a deep furrow between her eyebrows. Sara wondered what else she’d found out; whether she’d told her everything. ‘The girls have a football match tonight, over in Otley,’ she continued, ‘so I was thinking I could go. I know Matt won’t want me to take them, not now I’ve sneaked Ezra out and won’t be taking him back. But maybe I can find a way to chat with them, see if I can get them to at least talk to you and hear your side of the story.’

Sara glanced at her sister, grateful to have her support. ‘That would be brilliant.’ She frowned then, remembering the girls’ behaviour the time she’d been to football practice with them, like there was a secret they were keeping. ‘I have a feeling there’s something going on at football, you know. They were a bit on edge afterwards when I took them, wanting to rush off.’ She hesitated, reluctant for a moment to ask yet another favour of her sister. ‘I don’t suppose you could try and find out what’s bothering them, could you?’

Hailey was about to speak when Ezra came running up with the ladybird on his finger, a look of delight on his face.

‘Mummy, look! Look what I got. I catched it.’

Sara studied the little insect for a moment as Ezra glowed with pride. ‘We’ll let it fly away home, shall we?’ She helped him put the ladybird back on a bilberry bush, and he skipped off again, on the hunt for more unsuspecting wildlife.

‘Let’s put it all to one side for now,’ Hailey said, putting an arm round Sara’s shoulders and hugging her close before letting her arm drop. ‘Let’s enjoy the afternoon, and maybe our brains will work something out.’