Chapter FifteenIt was a few days before Christmas Eve. Arama had disappeared again and Kerry went with Lara to a local Christmas tree supplier on the edge of town. “Is our grumpy neighbour still being a pain?” Kerry asked as she struggled to put the back seats down in the Fiesta to fit the tree into the boot.
“No. And I should have got a smaller tree,” Lara whinged. “It won’t go in!”
“You’re such a pessimist!” Kerry chided. She hauled her long coat and skirt beneath her elbows and climbed into the boot to battle with the tree. The rest of the sentence sounded muffled. Lara tilted her head to watch, seeing Kerry’s bottom wiggling around in the small space.
“Hi Mrs Christmas.” The shrill, sing-song voice held a trace of joviality. When Lara looked down, she saw the girl with the ponytails
