Niall smiles uneasily while he checks his wallet for the next round. Nevertheless, his thoughts wind their way back to Catriona and the pattern of her work trousers stretching taut over her backside. He coughs. Diane looks over at him. It’s the end of her shift and she’s pulling on her coat. He tries to give her a cheery smile, while the next girl takes her place at the bar.

After spaghetti at Billy’s, Lauren watches Sunday-night television with his family. Kirsty and Billy’s father Craig have a glass of white wine. As usual, Craig keeps himself to himself; his pinched mouth has little to say. A couple of times Kirsty and Craig exchange a look. The second time Billy’s father gets up in his seat and says, ‘I’ll go over the way. See where he is.’

‘Give Sandy Ross a call first,’ says Kirsty.

After some time, Craig comes back.

‘The drive’s empty,’ he says, ‘and I gave the door a good chap. No answer.’

‘You know what those two are like – they’ll probably be out together.’

16

Alan Mackie sits on his own now at a corner table, watching a game of darts played by three tourists from out of town. He laughs with one of them about something. The accordion player from Sandy’s band is telling a story to a couple of older men, their heavy bodies wedged on to rickety, Draylon-cushioned bar stools. Niall is never able to make friends in that way.

People in nearby villages used to probe him about Christine’s vanishing in less sensitive ways than Alan Mackie. He knows people want to ask him about what happened.

He’s sure there must be rumours too. Because she was always a maddie, always a strange one. Her disappearance was the last strange thing she did. These thoughts hurt more than remembering her as she was, or how he saw her. There is a word that he knows must float behind his back and it creeps to his mind, shamefully. Witch. He once found a book about familiars lying by her bed. He insisted they didn’t have any pets. The dog came after she disappeared.

He takes a while to warm up to anyone new in the bar and is used to regulars giving him sad or wary nods, and asking after Lauren, which makes him talk even less. He likes the quiet company of the old boys who never ask questions that are too intrusive, like Alan. He finishes his pint and steadies himself to get out, saying goodbye to no one.