Wren looked up. ‘She’s the same lady from Badbury platform, right, Jack?’
He nodded, remembering the old poster – it was for a film called Some Like It Hot.
After a minute, Wren clambered to her feet and rushed around the other handprints.
Most were from way before any of them were born, but there were some Jack recognised, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Carrey, Bruce Willis and Tom Cruise.
• • •
Ten minutes later, Jack, Charlie, Slink, Wren and Lux were back in the car and Drake was driving up a hill just off Hollywood Boulevard.
The road was winding and narrow and, as they climbed, the houses got bigger, as if they were expanding in the thinning atmosphere.
‘Where are we going?’ Charlie asked.
‘Burbank.’ Drake checked the GPS. ‘We’ve got to go through the Hollywood hills to get there.’
• • •
Finally they came to a giant studio building.
‘OK,’ Jack said, turning to the others. ‘Lux and I looked at this place and there’s no way in without getting caught.’
Slink glanced up at the building. ‘Bet I could climb it.’
‘Not without being seen,’ Jack said. ‘We’ve got to do this stealth.’
Slink frowned at him. ‘I’m the king of stealth.’
Charlie laughed. ‘Yeah, not so much.’
Slink crossed his arms.
‘So we’re looking for a laptop?’ Wren asked Jack.
‘Yeah. The Shepherd wants us to go in, find it and take it back home with us.’
‘Their security is tight,’ Lux said. ‘Guards and security barriers on every entrance. So . . . we’re going on a studio tour.’
Wren’s mouth fell open. ‘We are?’
‘Yep,’ Jack said.
Wren bounced in her seat. ‘Yes, yes, yes!’
They all laughed.
All except Slink – he frowned and looked sullen.
‘I got us all tickets online,’ Lux said.
Wren grinned. ‘This is awesome.’
‘It’s going to be risky too,’ Jack said. ‘We need to get it right.’ He quickly explained the plan that he and Lux had come up with, then looked at Drake. ‘Do you mind waiting for us?’
‘No problem,’ Drake said. ‘I’ll park down the street and keep the motor running.’
‘Thank you.’ Jack opened the door. ‘Come on, guys. And remember – no bags.’ As he climbed out, the heat of the day hit him like a blast furnace.
Wren sprang from the car and Jack, Charlie and Slink followed her up the path and around the corner.
They entered through a set of sliding glass doors and a security guard waved them through a metal detector.
Wren beamed as Lux got their tickets and they stood in line outside a set of double doors.
‘Try to look like tourists,’ Jack whispered.
‘I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,’ Charlie said, nodding at Wren.
She was now bouncing from foot to foot.
After a few minutes, the door opened and a tour guide led the group outside to a waiting tram.
The Outlaws and Lux climbed into the back.
The tour guide drove into the main studio lot, narrating as he went, and stopped outside a large door. Everyone climbed out and followed the guide on foot into a hangar.
Inside were twenty or so cars and motorcycles, from sports models to superbikes. The tour guide explained what film each one had been in.
Jack and the others stayed at the back of the group.
Jack nudged Charlie’s arm and nodded at a side door. She nodded back.
Jack stepped over to Wren. ‘Now keep the guide busy, yeah?’
‘OK.’ She hurried over to the man, who was taking pictures of a couple of members of the group stood in front of a green screen. On the monitor was a picture of a red steam train at a platform with a glass roof.
Once Jack was sure Wren was keeping the tour guide distracted, asking him a million questions, he stepped over to the side door with the others.
Charlie pulled a purse from her pocket and peeled part of the seam back, revealing a secret compartment with several ceramic lock picks. She slid two out, quickly unlocked the door and straightened up. ‘OK.’
‘See you in the museum part of the tour in half an hour,’ Jack whispered.
He backed through the door with Slink and Lux and closed it behind them.
Hopefully, if all went to plan, Wren and Charlie would keep the tour guide busy enough not to realise he’d just lost three young members of his group.
Jack, Slink and Lux jogged down a corridor, opened a door at the end and stepped outside.
There was another giant warehouse in front of them.
Lux looked at her phone, consulting the map from the Shepherd, then pointed. ‘That way.’
Jack hurried to the corner of the warehouse and peered around it.
There was a short road that ended with a fence. On each side of the road were the backs of buildings with their fire escapes. To his right was a plastic skip on wheels.
‘No one’s here,’ Jack whispered. He checked for cameras, then motioned for the others to follow him.
Keeping close to the wall of the left-hand warehouse, they jogged along until they reached a side door.
Jack glanced about, double-checking they weren’t being watched, then tried the handle, but it was locked. ‘What?’ He glanced at Lux.
She examined the map and shrugged. ‘It says to go through there. Should be unlocked.’
‘Great.’ Jack looked up at the fire escape. Several storeys above them was another door.
Perhaps they could get in that way.
Jack turned to Slink. ‘Can you get the ladder down?’
‘Yeah. Help me with this.’
They ran over to the skip and wheeled it under the fire escape. Slink then leapt on top, and as he pulled the ladder down, it let out a deafening squeak.
Slink winced, paused for a moment, then yanked the ladder down the rest of the way in one swift movement. It let out another squeak – higher-pitched this time – and clattered to a stop on the concrete below. He jumped on to the ladder and raced up the fire escape.
Jack grabbed one of the lower rungs. ‘Keep an eye out,’ he whispered to Lux. ‘We’ll check it out.’
She nodded.
Jack climbed the ladder after Slink and reached the first landing of the fire escape.
He looked down and even though he can’t have been more than three or four metres above the ground, his stomach lurched and he grabbed the railing for support.
‘Hurry up,’ Slink hissed down to him. ‘We ain’t got all day.’
Jack took a deep breath, edged along the landing – with his back as close to the wall as possible – and made it to the next metal ladder.
He climbed up to the second landing, repeated the process and continued up. All the while his stomach clenched tighter and tighter.
On the third landing, Jack edged his way over to Slink.
Slink smirked. ‘Having fun?’
‘No.’
‘Good.’
Jack called down to Lux in a low voice: ‘You sure this is the right way?’
She consulted her phone. ‘Positive.’
They looked at the door – it was riveted shut with a metal plate. Jack examined the edges, but it was no use. If they had a crowbar, they might’ve been able to force it open, but without one –
‘What about that?’ Slink whispered.
A couple of metres along the wall from the fire escape was a small window. They tried to peer through it, but they were too far away – the warehouse appeared to be dark inside.
Jack sighed. The climb up there had been a waste of time.
‘I think I can make it,’ Slink said.
Jack glanced at him. ‘Make what?’
Slink pointed at the window. ‘That. Then I can climb down and open the door from the inside.’
&
nbsp; The window was a long way from the fire escape and at least ten metres to the ground.
Jack shook his head. ‘Too dangerous.’
Slink snorted, and before Jack could stop him, he’d climbed up on to the railing and leapt for the window.
For a split second Jack thought Slink was going to miss, but somehow he managed to grip the bottom of the window frame with just his fingertips.
He looked over at Jack and grinned. Then he hauled himself up and peered through the glass. ‘Still can’t see anyone. Looks clear.’ He shifted his weight, let go with one hand and tried tugging the window frame with the other. ‘It’s loose.’ He braced his feet against the wall, leant back and yanked.
Jack wanted to close his eyes, to order Slink back on to the fire escape, but he knew it was useless. Besides, there was no way Slink could jump back to safety now, it was too far and his feet had nothing but brickwork to support his weight.
Slink pulled a few more times, there was a cracking sound and the window finally hinged up.
He glanced at Jack, then hauled himself through.
After Slink’s feet had disappeared, Jack remained motionless, listening, but all he could hear was the blood pounding in his ears.
No alarms.
No shouting.
Not yet anyway.
Jack shook himself, loosened his grip on the railing and edged back along the fire escape.
It took him several nervous minutes to climb down.
Once he was back on the ground, Jack jogged back over to Lux.
A few minutes went by and the lock finally clicked and the door swung open.
‘Thank God, Slink.’ Jack stepped inside and squinted in the darkness.
There was no one there.
Suddenly a figure dropped in front of him and shouted, ‘Arr, harr!’
Jack scrambled backwards, almost tripping over his own feet.
Slink laughed. He was wearing a huge pirate’s hat and a waistcoat and was waving a plastic sword in front of him. ‘Stay back, ye scurvy dog.’
‘What are you doing?’ Jack hissed, looking around.
‘Relax,’ Slink said, sliding the sword into a large belt. ‘No one’s here. The place is empty.’
Jack took deep breaths, composing himself, trying to slow his heart rate back to a sensible speed. As his eyes adjusted to the gloomy interior, he could see they were standing in a vast warehouse filled with piles of boxes and row upon row of clothes racks.
‘Where did you get that outfit?’ Lux said to Slink, looking more amused than Jack felt.
‘From over there.’ Slink gestured past a stack of boxes. ‘It was on top of a crate.’
‘Props storage,’ Lux said.
‘Come on,’ Jack said, setting off down the gap between the racks.
As they passed hundreds of costumes, Jack caught glimpses of Egyptian dresses, old-fashioned suits, superhero outfits, complete with capes and masks, and a huge variety of hats and shoes. There was even an astronaut’s space suit with helmet and backpack.
Slink reached inside a large bin and pulled out two grey sheets of plastic, each in the shape of a person. He waved their arms about and started laughing.
‘Inflatable extras. They’re used in movies,’ Lux said.
Slink’s eyebrows rose. ‘For what?’
‘They put clothes on them and use them in crowd scenes. Saves paying salaries.’
Slink continued to chuckle as he made the plastic people wave at Jack.
‘Come on,’ Jack said, striding towards the back of the warehouse.
At the end of another row of costumes, they finally found a door.
Lux consulted the map. ‘This should be it.’
Jack took a breath, opened the door a few centimetres and peered out into the sunshine.
He blinked at the new scene before him.
It was an old wooden house, painted dark colours. It reminded Jack of the house where Benito Del Sarto had hidden Proteus. In front of the house was a film crew, and a director sat in a chair talking to a woman with headphones and a clipboard.
Several actors dressed as vampires were standing waiting next to a hearse.
To the right of the film set was a row of five trailers.
Lux consulted her phone again and pointed. ‘Second one from the front.’
‘On it.’
Before Jack could stop him, Slink darted across the road and hid behind the first trailer.
A man carrying a huge light walked past, but he didn’t spot Slink.
‘Careful,’ Jack muttered.
When the guy was gone, Slink hurried to the second trailer. He reached up, gripped the window and lifted himself high enough to peer inside.
Jack held his breath.
A minute later, Slink lowered himself to the ground and darted back over to them.
‘Well?’ Jack whispered. ‘Could you see a laptop?’
‘Nah,’ Slink said. ‘But I could make out the corner of a table and there was a bloke sitting at it. Grey-haired. I bet he’s got it.’
‘What else?’ Jack said.
‘Couldn’t see anyone else in there. I think the guy’s alone, and the other trailers are empty.’
Jack nodded, thinking. He looked at the window at the end of the trailer. ‘You think you can open that without him hearing?’
‘Yeah. Need a piece of flat metal.’ Slink pointed at an air vent sticking out from on top of the trailer. ‘Also need to tie a rope to that.’
‘I’ll get them.’ Lux darted off between the racks of costumes.
Jack returned his attention to the trailer. ‘Did you see any cameras?’
Slink grinned. ‘Of course – four massive ones.’
‘Not the studio ones,’ Jack said, rolling his eyes. ‘I mean did you see any security cameras?’
‘Nope.’
‘Good.’
Lux came back with a coil of rope and a short sword. She handed them to Slink.
‘We move as we originally planned,’ Jack said to Lux. ‘You’re the lookout, I’m the distraction, Slink’s the snatch and grab. Then we make a run for it. Clear?’
Lux nodded.
‘Go.’
Lux ran from the warehouse, stopped at the first trailer and circled round it.
‘OK.’ Slink darted right and vanished behind the second trailer.
After a few moments, Lux reappeared and gave a thumbs-up.
Jack hurried over to her.
‘The crew are all busy filming,’ Lux whispered. ‘I’ll keep an eye out.’
‘Thanks.’ Jack jogged over to the second trailer, glanced around, then opened the door and stepped inside.
The man at the table looked up and rose to his feet when he saw Jack. He wore a tailored suit, had grey hair, a thin face and a pair of round glasses. ‘Who are you?’ He had a German accent.
Slink lowered himself down on a rope outside the main window. He used the sword to flip the catch, then pulled himself silently through.
Jack’s eyes flitted to the laptop on the desk.
‘You can’t have it,’ the grey-haired man said. He took a step forward, blocking Jack’s view.
The bathroom door behind Slink opened and a large figure appeared.
Jack went to cry out, but it was too late – the man grabbed hold of Slink’s arms.
‘Get off me,’ Slink shouted, kicking and squirming.
The grey-haired man removed his glasses and wiped them on his shirt. ‘Nice try.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jack and Slink sat on a sofa in the trailer, while the grey-haired man stood in front of them with his hands in his pockets and a look of mild amusement on his face.
The bodyguard was standing to one side, ready to grab the two Urban Outlaws should they make any sudden moves.
The grey-haired man’s gaze settled on Jack. ‘I assume you’re the leader?’ His German accent was mild. ‘Who are you?’
Jack stared back at him. ‘Who are you?’
‘You may
call me Leon.’ He pursed his lips. ‘Do I need to kill your friend here to get an answer?’ His cold eyes flitted to Slink and back again.
Jack let out a breath. ‘We are . . . freelance.’
Leon stared at him a moment longer. Then he broke into a booming laugh. He glanced at his bodyguard and said something in German.
He laughed too.
Leon composed himself and looked at Jack again. ‘You are saying someone hired you?’
Jack shrugged.
‘How did you get through security?’
Jack crossed his arms.
The man looked at the laptop on the desk and then back again. ‘And what is your price?’
Jack hesitated. What was the point of keeping his mouth shut? If he did that for too long, Leon would probably make good on his threats and kill Slink. ‘Plane tickets,’ he said finally.
Leon’s eyebrows rose. ‘Tickets?’
‘So we can go home.’
‘United Kingdom?’
Jack nodded.
‘Who is your employer?’
‘I don’t know.’
Leon sighed. ‘You don’t know or you don’t want to tell me?’
Jack shrugged again. ‘Bit of both.’
Leon considered him a moment and Jack knew he was trying to work out what to do with them.
It wasn’t every day a couple of kids broke into your trailer and tried to steal a laptop from under you.
‘Let him go and keep me,’ Jack said, gesturing to Slink.
Leon pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed his forehead. ‘I don’t think I can do that.’
‘Who are you?’ Slink said.
‘You don’t know?’ Leon frowned. ‘So, you were going to take from me, but . . .’ His voice trailed off. ‘You don’t even know what is on the laptop, do you?’
‘This is boring.’ Slink stretched and yawned. ‘You could just give it to us and save yourself a whole heap of trouble.’
‘Trouble?’ Leon said, a smile cracking his lips again. ‘I don’t think so.’ He looked at Jack. ‘I shall ask one more time, before things start to turn real nasty. Who. Are. You?’
‘Someone with a lot of powerful friends.’
Leon inclined his head. ‘And powerful enemies, I should guess.’ He let out a long breath. ‘I can see answers are going to be difficult.’ He turned to his bodyguard. ‘Pick one.’
The bodyguard snarled and pointed at Slink.
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