Grabbing a torch and locking the barn door, I turned up the collar of my coat, swore a bit and tramped off after him. I hadn’t made it far when I realised he’d stopped running and switched his efforts to barking madly. I quickly followed the sound. He’d got surprisingly far, and I was out of breath when I finally reached him.

‘What on earth are you playing at?’ I scolded, but Bandit was not alone.

Cowering behind the tree he was guarding was someone that I first assumed was a man, but it turned out, when I shone my torch in his face, was a tall teenager.

‘Jesus,’ he winced, screwing his eyes up against the glare.

‘Who the hell are you?’ I scowled.

‘No one,’ he flinched as Bandit took a step closer, further buoyed up by my presence. ‘I’m no one. Call this bloody dog off, will you?’

‘Not until you tell me what you’re doing here.’

‘I’m not doing anything!’

‘You most certainly are,’ I retaliated. ‘You’re trespassing on private property.’

Bandit let out another bark and lunged forward.

‘Bandit,’ I said sharply. ‘Here.’

To my astonishment, he stopped barking and sat down. With no lead to hand, I was relieved he was willing to do as he was told. I wondered if the same could be said for the sulky looking lad I had no idea what to do with.

‘I know I shouldn’t be here,’ he said, sounding mulish, ‘but I’m not doing any harm.’

‘I’ll be the one to decide that. Come out from behind that tree and bring anything you’ve got, or taken, with you.’

He did as I asked, in spite of Bandit’s low growl and I shone my torch around the tree. I couldn’t see anything that shouldn’t be there.

‘I haven’t pinched anything, if that’s what you’re thinking,’ he quietly said. ‘I’ve just come here to walk.’

‘Walk?’

I didn’t believe that for a second. I wondered if this was the culprit who had been responsible for the increased security around the farm.

‘Yeah,’ he sniffed, burying his hands which were gloveless, into his jacket pockets. ‘Walk.’

‘But you must have walked miles just to get here,’ I pointed out, as another thought occurred. ‘Unless you’re not alone?’

If he’d got a lift, and they’d parked a vehicle out of sight then the trees could be harbouring an accomplice, or even two, that I hadn’t seen. I quickly shone the torch around, but then realised that Bandit would still be in guard dog mode if there were more people hanging about.

‘I am alone,’ the lad said, ‘and it’s not all that far cross-country from the village.’

‘Which village?’ I frowned.

‘Wynmouth,’ he sniffed again. ‘I walked from Wynmouth.’

‘But why?’ I gaped. ‘That is far. Really far. It’s literally miles away.’