Ted arrived back at the farm in the early hours of the morning, exhausted but exhilarated, adrenaline still pumping round his body. It had all been surprisingly easy, he thought as he pulled up in the yard. But then he’d planned it properly, because he could always be depended upon to do whatever was needed to look after his family. Unlike Luke, but at least he was out of the way for good now; Ted had made certain of that.

He crept upstairs to bed, careful to be quiet so as not to wake Ceri’s children, and quickly fell asleep.

When he woke, groggy and thick-headed, the day was far too bright for it to be his usual getting up time and he sat up, in a rush, grasping for his watch. He jumped out of bed when he saw that it was already after eight, a couple of hours later than he normally rose. Sleep fogged his brain and it was only when he got out of the shower that he realised something wasn’t right. He stopped towelling his hair dry and listened.

He cocked his head. Nothing.

None of the usual banging and clattering that signalled his mother was in the kitchen. No squeaks and squeals from the children, the patter of their feet as they scurried around, or the putter of the tractor engine, signalling that Phil was pottering outside, moving things from here to there. All he could hear was the dogs barking from their pen, faint but frantic, wanting their breakfast, no doubt. They didn’t normally bark in the morning, but then he didn’t normally go away. Ever. So their routine would be all messed up. He hoped Ceri had remembered his feeding instructions. He’d had to rely on her because his uncle’s memory wasn’t wholly reliable these days and he didn’t want to burden his aunt with an additional task when she struggled through every day as it was.

He dressed quickly and ran downstairs. The kitchen was empty. So was the living room, children’s toys scattered over the carpet where they’d been left. He scowled. He’d told Ceri about this a million times. You could tread on all sorts and go flying. Little bits of Lego, cars, trains; they were all dangerous when they were left lying on the floor like this.

Where are they all?

He rubbed at his chin, then his eyes widened. Christ, has Ma had a fall? Her legs weren’t good with her MS and it would be so easy for her to trip. Or is it Da? Maybe he’d had an accident on the tractor. In which case, they could be at the hospital.

He ran round the farm, checking all the outbuildings, but there was still no sign of anyone. And the bungalow, where his aunt and uncle lived these days, was empty. He went back to the yard, let the dogs out and fed them, then did his rounds, feeding the rest of the livestock, all of them starving hungry, almost knocking him over in their haste to get to the feed troughs. Unease swilled around his stomach.

It was a long time since his parents, or Ceri for that matter, had been away from the farm. All their groceries and clothes were bought online and delivered. Ella and Finn were home-schooled for now, so there was no school run to be done. Ceri had been a bit reticent about that at first, but she’d seen sense in the end and Ted knew it was the right thing because he’d hated school with a passion and didn’t want his nephew and niece to go through the horrors he’d been through.

He tried to think when his aunt and uncle had last been out on their own. It was years ago. Years. There was no need, and Ted took them to hospital appointments and to the doctor’s because they required a bit of supervision and an interpreter, as it were, to make sure whichever health professional they were seeing got the proper story. Otherwise they were likely to ramble on about all sorts of things that they really shouldn’t be talking about.

They’ve got to be at the hospital.

An emergency. It was the only answer. His heart started to race and he stopped pouring sheep nuts into the troughs, oblivious to the animals hustling around him, pushing past him to get at the food. Maybe one of the children has been hurt? He blew out a breath, couldn’t bear to think about it, and went back to pouring feed to stop himself dwelling on all the possibilities. He’d been so careful with the children, ever since they were born, making sure Ceri kept them away from all the dangers present on a farm. He would never forgive himself for not being here, if anything had happened to them.

A sense of urgency speeded up his movements as he hurried to finish his jobs. He put the dogs away again and headed to the hospital in Bangor. They had to be there. There was no other possible scenario.

It took him almost an hour to get to the hospital, with one hold-up after another on the journey; tractors and lorries and road works all slowing him down. By the time he got there he was in a foul mood, frustrated and annoyed, a headache pounding at the base of his skull. But when he went to reception, they could find no record of any of them being admitted. So he went round to the A & E department to double-check, but they weren’t there either. He walked back to his car, completely flummoxed. It made no sense. No sense at all.

By the time he got back to the farm, he thought his head was going to burst. All the energy he’d put into looking after his family and he went away for a couple of days and… this happened, whatever this was. They were gone and he had no idea where they might be. Or even how they’d gone anywhere given that the spare car was still there in the yard. His heart was hammering in his chest, panic rising up to form a lump up his throat.

What if I never see them again?

What if I’m alone?

That was his worst nightmare, ever since his parents had died so suddenly; just him alone with his thoughts. It didn’t bear thinking about. What purpose would he have without his family? He’d built his life around looking after them all, and was the only one who knew how everything worked, how the mechanics of their lives fitted together. He kept everything running sweetly, kept the money flowing and decided which direction to take the business in. All down to him. If he didn’t have them, then he’d be nothing. His life would be nothing.

Where the fuck are they?

A sudden realisation stopped him in his tracks, a thought so horrible it rooted him to the spot.

Maybe Mel said something and the police have arrested them.