THE GIRL WHO DISAPPEARED

The following afternoon to her astonishment, Walter arrived unannounced in an army jeep driven by an attractive blond sergeant in her twenties, the first time she had seen or heard from her husband since visiting him in the Isle of Man. Emily and Richard were having tea; the boy jumped up from the table, spilling the milk in his excitement, and rushed over to hug his father with shouts of: ‘Daddy, daddy’. Walter wore battle dress and Emily noticed that the revolver in a holster was tied to his wrist by a lanyard. ’Don’t you touch that gun,’ he warned his son as he gave him a quick hug and Emily a peck on the cheek. ’It’s loaded. I’m not on leave; I’m here on army business. My sergeant is out in the lane looking for any sign of suspicious activity in the village.’ He questioned them about what they had seen the previous evening. ’So it’s true, Emily; we suspected that it might be a silly rumour. The Home Guard will have to cope initially, but we’ll reinforce them when we know what we’re up against.’