The Iron in Blood

As I drove, I realised that it was going to be difficult for me to keep a kitten in a hotel room. I thought of Mark, and of his obvious compassion for the little animal. I decided to ask him if he would watch the cat overnight. I could always smuggle it into the hotel, but I had something I needed to do tonight, and I didn't know how long it would take. I didn't want to leave the small feline invalid unattended in some empty hotel room. I phoned Fergus' mobile.

"What?" Fergus answered. "We're busy here, you know."

"Yeah, yeah. I need the names of those people who lived in that house you just bought for me, and their current whereabouts."

Fergus was suspicious. "Why?"

"They left something behind."

"OK, I'll do some checking up and send you the details in a few. Bye!" He was gone. I guess not being talkative must run in families.

Rebecca

The doorbell rang at half past seven that evening. I was going to get up to answer it, but my cast got in the way, and anyway Mum got there first. It was a bit of a novelty to have someone ring the doorbell of the Harding house. It sounded weirdly unfamiliar.

"Hello," said a deep velvety voice from the darkness outside. "Is Mark here?"

"Yes, of course," breathed my mother, apparently hypnotised. "Come in," she continued, stepping back into our little crowded sitting room. "Mark?" she called, just loud enough to be heard upstairs. Mark spent a lot of time in his bedroom, reading books and contemplating the world around him. I guess he liked his own company. I know he didn't like football, which was what Joe was watching tonight. I was here as a kind of moral support for my mother, who also disliked football, but who disliked being on her own even more.

The stranger stepped inside our house. He was tall and dark, and dressed in dark trousers and a white cotton shirt with the cuffs rolled up to the elbows. He held a brand new pet carrier in his left hand, and he extended his right.

"Hello," he said again. "My name is Angus, and I believe I'm your newest neighbour."

Mum shook his hand, and gushed, "Pleased to meet you, Angus. My name is Rose. I am Mark's mother. These are my two other children, Joe and Rebecca." She indicated us with a sweep of her free hand.