‘We’re sorry too. We put Stephen oot when his mum found needles in his room.’

We aw pause tae digest this.

‘So Stephen bolted after he found oot?’

‘As far as we know, aye.’

‘Where did it happen?’

‘Down the big woods behind the golf course. Any ideas where he could be, Alan son?’

Any wan ae numerous doss hooses that junkies frequent tae score n shoot up. Places A huv nae knowledge ae. Chances ir he wid be local. Yi irnae thinkin right at times like these. No enough fur a man ae his means tae git taxi fares the-gither and make phone calls. Even a few quid fur heroin addicts is precious. A know where A wid be.

‘A’m no sure. But A’ll head oot the noo n see if A kin find him fur yees.’

‘Would yi, son? We’ve phoned roon the rest ae the boys but couldnae reach anyone. We dunno where tae start n his poor maw is frantic here.’

‘Aye, that’s nae bother, Connor. A’ll head oot the noo.’

A jump back up the stairs n stick ma eld trainers n a hoody on. Ma mouth is still stuck the-gither n A feel fuckin starvin but sick in ma stomach anaw. It cramps at times like these n makes us feel like A’ve git an ulcer. Stress, the doctor doon there said. Understandable really, on days like this. Yi could eat ome-prazole like Smarties n it wouldnae make a fuckin bit ae difference tae that gnawin feelin buried within yi. Ma convictions hold but it takes a physical toll aw this, n the elder yi ir the worse it is, body and mind. It’s aw trauma, whether it’s happnin tae yi, or if yi bear witness tae it. Yi huv tae work n earn money in a stressful job n try tae be an adult n huv prospects n relationships n run a hoose. This shite piles on top n makes it too much tae handle. It’s aw a matter ae time n compression. Hard-boiled aye … but how long kin yi resist n keep intact, before the cracks start tae appear? A’m past that point ae no return. This is a salvage operation noo.

A wee burn trickles right doon past the Mansion, the eld stables n through the woods. The further yi go, the deeper the embankments git, until they’re at least twenty foot, cut intae the soil banks wae the burn flowin between them. The only thing that keeps it fae aw crumblin intae the tricklin burn is the massive roots fae the thick trees on either side. Their branches grow across and meet in the middle tae form a twisted archway in the canopy. A see a polis motor parked at the top ae the road, so A cut doon the estate n jump a back garden tae git intae the main body ae woods. A’m headin up towards the Mansion. If A wis him n A wanted tae run away, that’s where A wid go. It’s the beatin heart ae these woods where aw these arterial paths lead. A sacred young team sanctuary ae the past.