I couldn’t believe it. I’d stumbled across the whole story that Allan had been investigating. For a second I imagined how pleased he was going to be when I told him what I’d found out. That editor he was working for at The Examiner – Matthew Flint – would surely be impressed too. Maybe my efforts would even help me get some kind of work placement there. No. I shook myself. It was selfish of me to focus on what I could get out of Natalia’s suffering. My main priority should be to help her.
‘So you agreed to carry a baby before you were pregnant, but now you’d give up all the money if you could keep your baby?’
‘Yes.’ Natalia looked around her. ‘I know this place is all designer and everything, but I’ve been forced to live in flats like this since I was four months pregnant,’ she went on. ‘There was another girl with me for a while, Lana, but they took her away and she promised she would call me, but I haven’t heard a thing. I don’t know what’s happened to her.’
A shiver snaked down my back. ‘Why don’t you just walk out?’ I said.
Natalia rolled up her leggings to reveal a thick black ankle bracelet on her left leg. ‘Baxter put a tracker on me. If I leave the house, he’ll know. He’ll find me. Then he’ll take the baby anyway. Maybe . . . maybe worse.’
‘Worse?’
‘At first he said if I ran away or talked to anyone, I’d lose the baby and all my money, but now that I can’t get hold of Lana, I . . . I . . . think maybe he killed her for trying to escape.’ Natalia leaned forward, her head in her hands. Tears leaked out from between her fingers. ‘I’m so scared. Whichever way I look, I’m so scared.’
I looked at her. My heart was beating fast. ‘Come on.’ I held out my hand. ‘I know someone who can help you.’
‘Who?’ Natalia peered up at me from between her fingers.
‘His name’s Allan Faraday. He’s . . . well, he’s actually my dad . . .’ The words sounded strange as I spoke them. ‘He’s the one who suspected Baxter was doing something illegal.’
Natalia gulped. She suddenly seemed much younger than before. I felt older . . . responsible . . .
‘But . . . but . . . the tracker . . . Mr Baxter will know where I am.’
‘Allan will know what to do about that.’ As I spoke, I remembered Allan was out of the country until tomorrow. I hesitated.
‘I can’t,’ Natalia said. ‘I can’t leave here if he can trace me. Lana tried to do that. She didn’t get as far as the end of the road.’
‘OK.’ I thought fast. ‘I’ll call the police.’ Yes. I should have thought of that in the first place. If Baxter was conning girls into giving up their babies, he was clearly acting against the law. The police would rescue Natalia and arrest him.
But Natalia shook her head. ‘If Mr Baxter knows I’ve gone to the police, then he’ll come after me, take my baby and kill me.’
‘But the police will arrest him before he can do any of that,’ I insisted.
‘No.’ Natalia’s eyes welled with tears again. ‘Don’t you see, he’s kept himself out of anything illegal. Lana told me before she ran off. There’s no money in his name. It’s all done through different accounts. It’d be years before the lawyers sorted it all out and in the mean time he’d be free to take revenge on me for talking to the police.’
‘But we’ll explain what really happened,’ I insisted.
‘Don’t you see? Baxter has covered his tracks too well for that. There’s no proof. Everyone will think I’m just trying to put the blame on him, but the money I took will be easy to find,’ Natalia sobbed. ‘Didn’t you hear what I said before? There’s nothing illegal about surrogacy except accepting lots of money to do it. And I’ve already taken thousands of pounds. I’ll be sent to jail before Mr Baxter even goes to trial. And then I’ll never see my baby.’ She dissolved into tears again.
I stared at her, feeling helpless.
Natalia wiped her eyes. Her fingers trembled as they brushed over her cheek. I suddenly saw how completely and utterly terrified she was.
She looked up at me with a wan smile. ‘You should go,’ she said. ‘The nurse will be here soon.’
‘Right.’ I tried to pull my thoughts together. ‘So . . . so if I could find some way of getting the tracker off you here, so Baxter won’t know you’ve left, that’s the only chance of you getting away from him. No police. No lawyers. Just escape.’
‘Yes, but you’d need proper equipment to do it, and . . . and there’s nothing in the whole flat I can use.’ Her voice cracked. ‘It’s hopeless. There’s no scissors, no sharp knives – not that they’d be strong enough – this plastic is tough.’ She paused, clearly trying to calm herself. ‘Anyway, even if I could buy some time by getting rid of the tracker, I’d need more money than I can get my hands on to get out of the country.’
‘OK,’ I said. I thought it through. Surely Allan would help me, if I could just get hold of him. ‘What if I could bring tools to get the tracker off and some money? What if I came back tomorrow with all that?’
Natalia stared uncertainly at me. ‘Would you really go that far to help me? I don’t understand. Why would you do all that? You don’t know me.’
I shrugged, feeling awkward. To be honest, I didn’t really know the answer to that question. All I knew was that Natalia needed help and that Allan and I appeared to be the only ones who could help her.
‘What time will your nurse leave in the morning?’ I asked.
‘Ten am,’ Natalia said. ‘There’s an hour’s gap between shifts at the moment. It used to be longer, but now the baby’s due . . .’ She looked at me hopefully, her tears glistening on her cheeks. ‘Will you really come back? Will you really help get me out?’
‘Yes.’ I took a deep breath. ‘Yes, I promise.’
‘Thank you.’ Natalia gripped my hand and squeezed it tight. ‘Thank you.’
I said goodbye and stumbled down the steps of the apartment building and out onto the pavement. The sun was still shining, low in the sky. I looked up and down the street. No sign of Natalia’s nurse. There was only one other person on the road – a shapeless figure with a cap pulled low over his face, half hidden by a tree further along the street. He looked kind of out of place – suspicious even – but I wasn’t worried. He was staring in the opposite direction and didn’t seem to have noticed me.
I walked along the street, my stomach churning with anxiety.
Why had I gone inside? What had I been thinking? And what on earth had I done, promising to help like that? Part of me just wanted to run away and pretend I’d never heard of Miriam 21 or found that memory stick or visited Natalia. But how could I? The poor girl was trapped and terrified.
I had to get hold of Allan. He would surely know what to do. I dug my hand into my pocket, took out my phone and called him. He still wasn’t answering and I didn’t want to leave a message about something so important, so I rang off without speaking. I was nearly at the end of Burnside Road – just a couple of minutes from the tube station.
Suppose I couldn’t get hold of Allan before tomorrow morning? What would I do? Somehow I still had to help Natalia. I thought of Lauren – less pregnant, but just as attached to her baby – and how meanly I’d reacted when she made her announcement. Maybe helping Natalia was a way of making up for being selfish with Lauren.
I turned the corner and headed for the High Street. Money didn’t have to be a problem. Annie kept some emergency cash in a jar in the kitchen – only a hundred pounds or so, but it would at least help Natalia get out of London. But how could I get rid of that tracker? That was the priority. Yes. Unless I could find some way of removing it, Natalia would be as trapped as ever.
A shiver ran down my spine. I had the sudden sense I was being watched. I glanced over my shoulder. The guy in the cap was walking a few metres behind me. Was he following me? I shook myself. Surely I was just being paranoid.
I turned onto the next road. I was close to the High Street now. I looked around. Jeez, he was still there.
I sped up. Glance
d backwards again. The man was speeding up too, his face hidden under his cap. Panic swirled inside me. I broke into a run. Faster. I was almost at the High Street. Footsteps pounded behind me. He was following. Chasing me.
And then I felt his hand on my shoulder. I opened my mouth to scream as he spun me round.
We were face to face.
‘What the hell are you doing here?’ he said.
16
Tracker
It was Wolf.
The scream died in my throat as I gazed into his eyes. He looked totally bewildered, his forehead creased with a frown.
‘What are you doing here?’ he repeated, taking off his cap.
‘Nothing,’ I stammered. ‘I’m not doing anything.’
Wolf shook his head. ‘You were snooping about in Mr Baxter’s office for a start, then you acted all weird afterwards. And then you said you were going straight to the tube, but you came here instead.’ His eyes bored into me.
‘You think I was acting weird?’ I said, desperately trying to think up a cover for my actions.
‘I was watching you,’ Wolf said. His eyes softened as he spoke next and his voice lost its accusatory tone. ‘Actually, I couldn’t stop watching you.’
My heart thudded.
Wolf sighed. ‘You have absolutely no idea how beautiful you are, do you?’ he said.
What? I stared at him. Today had already been surreal enough without Wolf making bizarre comments like that out of nowhere.
‘I don’t understand,’ I stammered.
Wolf looked away. All the force he’d spoken with before seemed to evaporate . . . all the confidence. He stared down at the pavement.
‘I know you’re out of my league,’ he mumbled. ‘Look, let’s forget it. Just tell me what you were doing in Mr Baxter’s office. You stole something, didn’t you? Was it money?’
‘No.’ I stared at him, my head whirling with confusion and outrage. I couldn’t make sense of anything he was saying. In the same breath he was accusing me of being a thief and virtually telling me he had a massive crush on me. Except that last thing had to be a joke. Wolf might not be obviously good-looking with his thick fringe and his skinny arms, but he was rich and stylish and he hung out with Esme for goodness’ sake. She was way more beautiful than me. I decided to ignore this part of what he’d said.
‘I didn’t steal anything.’ I blushed, thinking of the M21 memory stick. Still, I’d only borrowed that to read. I’d put it back afterwards. I turned on my heel and set off for the tube station, hoping Wolf would go away, but he followed me.
‘So what were you doing?’ he persisted.
‘It wasn’t anything.’ I kept walking, not looking at him. ‘I was just checking something out. My . . . my dad’s a journalist and he’d heard a rumour. Well, more than a rumour really . . . to do with Mr Baxter . . . I was just looking into it for him.’ I stopped. Jeez, I was probably making my situation here far worse by admitting to spying, yet only hinting that Baxter had done anything wrong.
I expected Wolf to demand more information – or to accuse me of using him and Esme – but, to my surprise, he just made a face. ‘Baxter is into some really dodgy stuff, isn’t he?’
‘Yes.’ I didn’t know what else to say. My head spun. Why couldn’t I ever think quickly, like Lauren always did?
Wolf glanced over his shoulder, back towards Burnside Road and the flat where I’d found Natalia.
‘Is he doing something illegal in that flat you just left?’
I bit my lip. ‘I’m not sure how illegal it is, but I know it’s wrong.’
We reached the High Street. The tube station was just a few metres away now. Wolf stopped and turned me to face him. He tilted his head a little to one side. ‘Wrong?’ he said. ‘How?’
God, he was persistent. And I didn’t have any clever explanations or excuses up my sleeve. In fact, I had nothing . . . no idea what to say now . . . no idea what to do to help Natalia . . . and – with Allan still not answering his phone – no-one to turn to . . .
I looked away, along the High Street. Traffic was whooshing up and down the road, shoppers and commuters bustling along the pavement.
‘You can trust me, Madison,’ Wolf said, his voice suddenly much gentler. ‘I’m sorry if I sounded rude before, it’s just I really thought you might have stolen something from Esme’s house.’
‘OK.’ I took a deep breath and turned back to face him. There was genuine kindness in his eyes. ‘It’s about some girls who’ve gone missing. Mr Baxter is keeping the latest one in that flat. He’s paying her to have a baby, but she’s changed her mind and now she—’
‘What? Slow down.’ Wolf’s eyes widened with horror.
‘Listen,’ I said. I explained everything. I told Wolf all about the Miriam Project and how Natalia was Miriam 21. I even told him how I’d tracked Allan down and how he had brought me to Baxter’s party.
Wolf stood completely still, listening while I spoke. After I finished, he let out a long, slow breath. ‘Whoa, this is serious,’ he said.
‘I know,’ I said miserably. ‘I’m kind of in over my head here. I can’t get hold of Allan, but I’ve promised to help Natalia. But Natalia says she can’t get away or go to the police because of the tracker . . . that Baxter will trace her. She thinks he’ll punish her if she goes against him and he’ll take her baby away.’
‘So we need to get rid of the tracker around her ankle?’ Wolf asked.
‘Yes, but . . .’ I hesitated. ‘Are you saying you’ll help?’
‘Of course.’ Wolf took my arm and started leading me towards the tube. ‘I don’t think it should be too difficult to get rid of this tracker thing. We just need the right tools. My dad has got loads at home. I can go and get something now. Shall I meet you back here in thirty minutes?’
My heartbeat quickened. ‘No, wait,’ I said. ‘Natalia said her nurse was coming over. She’s probably arrived by now. Natalia said she’ll be there until tomorrow morning at ten. We’ll have to come back then.’
‘OK, well, describe the tracker so I know what I need to bring.’
I told him exactly what the plastic bracelet around Natalia’s ankle had looked like. ‘It’ll need a saw or something,’ I suggested. ‘And Natalia will also need lots of money. I’m sure Allan will help her, but he’s not back in the country until tomorrow so . . .’
‘No problem,’ Wolf said. ‘I’ve got plenty of money. Let’s swap numbers. I’ll call you later to arrange a time to meet.’
Feeling stunned, I handed over my number. This was all happening so fast. Could I really trust Wolf? Still, what option did I have? I had no access to any tools myself – and wouldn’t know how to use them if I did. Anyway, tomorrow Allan would be here. Surely if Wolf and I could take Natalia to him he would know what to do from there?
Wolf walked me down to the tube station. ‘I’ll call you in a few hours, Madison,’ he said.
‘Thanks, er . . .’ I hesitated. ‘Er, why are you helping like this?’ I asked. ‘I mean, you don’t know this girl, Natalia . . .’
‘No.’ Wolf smiled. ‘But I know you.’ He turned and walked away.
I went into the tube station, more confused than ever. Was he saying he was helping in order to be with me? A thrill wriggled through me at the thought. I pushed it away. I couldn’t be sure Wolf really meant what he said. Anyway, he was the least of my worries. I was more concerned that my getting involved hadn’t got Natalia into any greater danger than she was already facing.
It was all down to tomorrow.
I was back in Hampstead, as arranged, at 9.30 the next morning. I’d made yet another excuse to Annie to spend time away from home. I didn’t like lying to her about where I was going, but it was really her own fault. If she didn’t push me so much about everything, I wouldn’t be forced into concealing the truth from her. At least – thanks to Wolf’s generosity – I hadn’t had to take the emergency money from the kitchen jar.
Wolf was waiting for me outside the tub
e station. He had a small canvas bag in his hand.
‘What’s in that?’ I asked.
‘A Stanley knife and a hacksaw.’ He grinned. ‘If the first doesn’t work, we’ll get the tracker off with the second.’
‘Right.’ Now we were here, I could feel my anxieties building inside me. Natalia might have given birth during the night and no longer be in the flat. Even if she were still there, our plan might not work. What if we couldn’t get the tracker off after all? What if we couldn’t get Natalia safely to Allan? I’d called and left a message for him saying I needed to speak to him urgently, but he still hadn’t called back. At least I knew he’d be back in England today. He’d told me before he left that his plan was to go straight from the airport to The Examiner offices in west London. I was planning to take Natalia to him there.
We walked round to Burnside Road. Natalia had said the nurse who stayed overnight would leave at ten, giving us an hour before the next nurse arrived.
We stood at the end of the road and waited. At 10 am precisely, a woman in a dark coat left number 30. Wolf squeezed my arm.
‘Is that her?’ he said.
‘I think so.’ We crept closer to the house. I looked up. Natalia was peering out of the window. When she saw me, her eyes lit up.
Seconds later, we were inside the flat.
‘This is Wolf,’ I said as Wolf shyly followed me inside. ‘He’s got the stuff we need to get your tracker off.’
Natalia trembled as she thanked us. Her eyes looked red and sore from crying.
‘Don’t thank me yet,’ Wolf said sheepishly. ‘Let’s see if this works first.’
Natalia sat down and hitched up her leggings again. She peered anxiously down, over her bump.
Wolf crouched beside her ankle. He took his Stanley knife in one hand and Natalia’s leg in the other.
‘OK, now keep very, very still.’ Wolf shot me a nervous glance.
I nodded back encouragingly.
Wolf placed the knife over the tracker. Natalia flinched.
‘Hold still,’ Wolf warned.
Natalia screwed up her face, closing her eyes tight shut. Wolf applied the knife to the plastic. He made a stroke. Then another. He looked up. ‘The knife isn’t sharp enough,’ he said. ‘I’m going to have to use the saw.’
Missing Me Page 9