‘Sure, sure.’ He leans back on the work bench.

‘It seems some odd things have been happening while we’ve been away, don’t you think?’

Niall adjusts his position a little. ‘How?’

‘I ran into Angela. Well, she was on her way to see me actually, when I was taking the horse out.’

‘Uh-huh.’ He starts to make the tea.

‘And … she was a wee bit shaken up. She says that there was a strange sort of … something strange has happened to their house.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘She showed me. It’s … it’s like there has been a storm, I suppose. Can you remember? Was there a storm last night? We were straight to our beds and dead to the world. There was a circle – and I mean a perfect circle – of debris. And quite large rocks actually. Around the outside of their house.’

‘Debris? I didn’t hear a storm.’

‘Yes. You know when it’s low tide and there’s a line of seaweed and that on the shore? The debris? The same thing has happened in a circle around their house—’

‘Seaweed?’

‘With leaves and sticks and rocks. Around the house. No seaweed.’

Niall sips from the hot mug, frowning.

‘I don’t know,’ says Kirsty, to herself more than Niall.

He crosses one free arm over his chest, tucking his left hand under his right armpit thoughtfully. ‘Is this someone having a laugh?’

‘No – well, I don’t know, it looks too kind of natural for that. I was wondering if there was something in the ground. The way the rocks were in a circle like that. And the ground was burnt.’

‘The ground?’

‘Just the way it had formed. And burnt like, you know, when you’ve had a bonfire, but in a circle. Big. I went and saw it myself earlier. It was weird.’

‘Maybe there was a storm, or a wind of some sort, aye. I don’t remember last night.’

‘I … I don’t know. I didn’t hear anything, to be honest.’

‘So, what are they doing about it?’ He scratches behind his ear and runs a hand over his long hair.

‘Well, I think … I think she mentioned calling the police.’

‘The police.’

She folds her hands on the table. ‘I think maybe someone broke into their house.’

‘Huh?’

‘Well. She doesn’t remember a thing, but apparently Ann-Marie heard things breaking in the house, she said. This was before she saw the circle.’

‘Things were breaking?’

‘Plates and dishes,’ she says. ‘Downstairs. When they were up in bed. Well. Ann-Marie told her this, this morning. And loud noises. Screaming, apparently.’

‘Screaming.’ He looks up at her. ‘And the plates were broken?’

‘Yes, but only Ann-Marie heard them breaking. Maybe those two had had a big nightcap.’ She laughs hopefully, before becoming serious. ‘Ann-Marie thought someone was in her room. It was dark, but she says she heard her desk being dragged around, towards her door.’

‘What?’