“Hello!” he said with a wave.
The man turned in surprise, his cheeks reddening with rage.
“That’s him, officer!” he snarled, shaking a fist. “That’s the little hooligan who broke the fence!”
By now Echo was on her feet. The policewoman glared, and crooked a finger.
“Over here, you two.”
Jason and Echo stepped over the broken fence and walked warily across. The stern-looking woman was in her late twenties, her blonde hair swept up beneath her cap. The man bristled with anger.
“Don’t bother denying it,” he stormed. “I saw the whole thing!”
The policewoman raised an eyebrow. “Well?”
“It’s true,” said Jason. “I’ve come to own up.”
“What about your little girlfriend? Was she involved?”
Jason shook his head.
“Well, it’s always good to hear a confession,” the policewoman continued. “But there’s something else you might help me with. We’ve had reports about a boy who’s gone missing from a children’s home in Oswaldley. A boy by the name of Jason Fleeting. A boy fitting your description.”
“Jason Fleeting?” he said with an innocent shrug. “Never heard of him. My name’s Dominic Cobalt and this is my sister Camilla. We live at Ravenstone Manor - it’s not far from here. We had an argument with our family so we ran away. But we’re tired and hungry now, and we want to go home.”
The policewoman narrowed her eyes. “Dominic Cobalt, eh? Do you have any identification on you?”
“Sorry, no.”
“What about your sister?”
Echo returned the woman’s stare, but said nothing.
“Our family will pay for the fence,” Jason added helpfully.
“Hmm,” said the officer. “Case solved, I think.”
But this did little to calm the man. “I want this vandal prosecuted!”
“That’s out of my hands,” the policewoman told him. “I’ll speak to the boy’s family, then put in a report.” She glared at Jason again. “I think an apology is in order, don’t you?”
“Sorry,” Jason said, avoiding the fat man’s gaze in an effort to appear shameful.
But inside he felt a deep sense of relief. His plan was working. Hopefully the officer would drive them to Ravenstone Manor then walk them all the way to the front door. One of the Cobalts would answer, giving Jason the chance to say who he really was. He’d tell the policewoman about the murder and kidnap, then she’d have to search the basement.
“Time to go, kids,” the officer said, ushering them towards her patrol car. “I’m taking you home - right now.”
– CHAPTER SIX –
Roof Fall
It wasn’t easy persuading Echo to get into the back of the patrol car.
“Why must I be tethered?” she asked as the policewoman fastened the seat belt around her.
“It’s the law,” the officer replied.
“Never before have I travelled in a big-eyed chariot,” Echo said, white-faced.
By now Jason was sitting next to her, the carrier bag at his feet.
“She means she’s never been in a police car before,” he explained.
“That’s what happens when you vandalise fences,” the policewoman snapped. She made her way around to sit in the driver’s seat, where she eyed them both in the rear view mirror. “My name’s Knaggs, by the way. PC Knaggs to you.”
She started the engine, making Echo jump in her seat. PC Knaggs set off, driving away from the clubhouse to the car park exit where she turned right onto the highway, picking up speed.
“’Tis already too fast,” said Echo, taking quick, shallow breaths. “The air will be sucked from this chariot and we all will suffocate.”
“It’s okay,” Jason told the constable. “My sister gets a bit travel sick, that’s all.”
PC Knaggs came to the crossroads and waited for a gap in the traffic. She took another right turn then began to accelerate along the main road. Jason heard a low moan. He looked to see Echo fighting against her seat belt, rolling her eyes like a drunken pirate. She clasped her hands to her throat.
“I choke! I choke!”
“Chill out,” Jason said, grabbing her arm. “No one’s going to choke.”
PC Knaggs shook her head. “This is all I need. If you’re sick in my car, young lady, you’ll be the one to clear it up.”
It took a few moments before Echo realised she wasn’t going to choke after all. She began to relax, and even enjoy the journey a little. The constable watched them in the mirror again.
“A bit scruffy, aren’t you, for two kids who live in a posh country house?”
“These aren’t our best clothes,” Jason explained.
PC Knaggs pressed a button, opening the driver’s window. “And someone hasn’t had a bath for a while.”
Jason glanced out of his window. Beyond the fields he saw the embankment of the old railway. The main road ran parallel to the disused track, but after a mile the policewoman indicated left and followed a narrow road with high grassy banks at either side. Jason’s stomach was churning now. Soon he would be at Ravenstone Manor, where Lauren had been held captive for three years. He was desperate to see her but couldn’t control his fear at the thought of meeting the Cobalts, his mother’s cold-blooded killers. He began to wonder whether one police officer was enough. How would the Cobalts react? Would they just surrender, and let the constable arrest them? No – more likely they’d put up a fight. He and Echo wouldn’t stand a chance, and neither would PC Knaggs without help.
The car came to a T-junction and the policewoman turned left again. Now they were driving along the narrow road seen by Jason and Echo in the gewita. Beyond the verge was a wire fence, four metres high with rows of barbed wire at the top. Jason realised they were passing the Cobalts’ land now. Echo craned her neck to look out.
“Fie,” she said. “’Tis a well protected fortress.”
Jason had to agree. The car began to slow down as he saw a stone entrance ahead, breaking the line of the fence. He remembered this from the gewita too – the black wrought iron gates, set in the archway. PC Knaggs braked harder then pulled onto the grass verge, just short of the entrance. She switched off the engine.
“Why have we stopped?” Jason asked.
The policewoman got out. “Please don’t tell me my job.”
Jason unfastened both seat belts, then he and Echo climbed out to join PC Knaggs at the roadside. They followed her to the entrance gates where she pointed to a device, fixed to one column of the arch. It looked like an intercom, with a button and speaker.
“I’m familiar with gates like these,” she explained. “They’re automatic – operated from the house. I’ll speak to a member of your family, then they’ll let us in.”
She was about to press the button when Jason pulled her hand away.
“No, not yet,” he said. “There’s something I’ve got to tell you. I lied earlier. We’re not Dominic and Camilla Cobalt and we don’t live here. You were right first time - I really am Jason Fleeting, the boy from Brandsby House.”
PC Knaggs fixed him with her small, steely eyes. “You lied to me?”
“I had to,” Jason protested. “I couldn’t think of another way to get you here. The Cobalts, the people who live at the manor, they killed my mother. They’ve got my sister Lauren, locked in the basement.”
The officer’s face tightened. “How do you know this exactly?”
“Somebody rang me – an anonymous tip-off.”
“And why should I believe any of this? You’ve lied to me once already.”
“You’ve got to search the manor.”
“I can’t do that without a warrant,” the constable said harshly. “Not unless these Cobalts give me permission.”
“Okay, ask them,” said Jason. “See what they say. If they start acting funny, you’ll know I’m right. You’ve got to call the station too - we want this place swarming with police.”
“One thing at a time,” said PC Knaggs. “I’ve no idea what’s going on here, but I’m determined to find out.”
She returned her attention to the intercom, pressing the button. It buzzed, and after a few moments they heard a man’s crackly, grunting voice.
“YEAH?”
Echo looked all around, bewildered. “Who is speaking?”
Jason lifted a finger to his lips, signalling her to be quiet.
The policewoman cleared her throat. “This is PC Knaggs, Oswaldley police. I’m here on official business.”
The man laughed. “What’s this? A wind up?”
PC Knaggs raised her voice. “I repeat, I’m here on official police business. Who am I speaking to?”
He laughed again. “It’s Kevin.”
Jason’s heart was thumping wildly. The constable moved her face closer to the speaker.
“Kevin who?”
After a short silence the man spoke again, his tone more serious now.
“Kevin Cobalt.”
“Very well, Mr Cobalt. I have a couple of young people with me, one of them claiming to be called Jason Fleeting. He wants me to come down and take a look around your property. Can I do that?”
“Er, dunno,” said Kevin.
“Or maybe you could come and meet me at the gates,” the constable suggested. “All of you.”
“Oh, right,” said Kevin slowly. “I get you now. Okay, Maxine, we’ll be right there.”
The words triggered an instant reaction in Jason’s mind. No, he hadn’t imagined it. He let out a sudden gasp, every nerve jangling. Maxine. He’d heard the Cobalts mention that name, in a gewita. The fierce look on the policewoman’s face made him feel suddenly nervous.
“Happy now?” she said.
“How…how did he know your name?” Jason stammered.
“Weren’t you listening? I told him, didn’t I?”
“No, you said This is PC Knaggs. You didn’t tell him your first name.”
Echo clasped her hands and closed her eyes. She came out of the gewita a moment later.
“’Tis a deception!” she said, pointing frantically. “I did see it all. This woman is an enemy. She is a fraud, a friend of the Cobalts. Nay, more than that - she is Scott’s sweetheart!”
Jason remembered something – the warning given by Fenella during the near death experience. Beware the crooked officer. But he had no time to run. Everything seemed to happen in a split-second. PC Knaggs lunged forward, taking hold of him, spinning him around. Now her arm was around his throat, her other hand securing him in a powerful arm-lock. They both faced Echo who took up a fighting stance.
“Let the boy go, thou meddlesome hussy.”
The policewoman twisted harder. Jason cried out. Any more and his arm would break.
“I will give thee one final chance, thou sow-faced drab.”
“Cheeky little brat,” said PC Knaggs. “Think you can fight me, eh? No chance. You’re right about one thing though - I am a friend of the Cobalts, and they’ve taught me plenty of kung fu moves. We do self-defence in the police as well.”
Echo ignored the warning, taking two careful steps backwards before sinking into a low crouch. With a sudden shriek she sprang up in a high-speed, flying kick. Jason ducked his head as Echo’s boot shot above him, the heel slamming into the policewoman’s forehead, sending her cap flying. PC Knaggs yelped, letting go of Jason as she slammed back-first into the nearest pillar. Jason crashed to the ground and began to crawl away. PC Knaggs recovered, her hair dishevelled, and she dusted down her uniform. Swearing and cursing she charged at Echo, fists flying.
Echo avoided the first punch before countering with a quick left to the policewoman’s stomach. The force knocked PC Knaggs to the ground, but she wasn’t finished. Her right leg whipped out in a wide arc to take Echo’s feet from under her. Both combatants were up and facing one other an instant later. The policewoman aimed a snap-kick at Echo who blocked it with a kick of her own. The girl-dryad then attacked in a blur of motion, landing more rapid-fire punches before her open palm struck the policewoman’s chin with a dull crunch. PC Knaggs reeled backwards into the pillar again, her knees sagging before she collapsed to the ground half-dazed. Jason scrambled to his feet and could only stare in horror.
“We’re in big trouble now!” he gasped.
He heard a series of loud barks. He looked through the locked gates and along the narrow lane that led to Ravenstone Manor. In the distance a large, black-and-brown dog appeared from around a corner, yelping and howling as it bounded towards the gates.
“The Rottweiler!” he cried, trembling.
He was about to make a run for it when he heard the sound of an engine. A sleek, silver car appeared from around the same bend, accelerating along the lane, following the dog. A second later, Jason and Echo were sprinting away from the gates. At the other side of the road they saw a gap in the hedge. Quickly they squeezed through into a grazing field. Over to the far left, Jason saw a haystack by the field’s edge.
“That way!”
They hurtled towards the haystack, the howls of the dog growing louder behind them.
“We’re dead,” Jason wheezed. “They’ll have some gismo that opens the gates. That dog’ll be loose now!” He looked over his shoulder then swore loudly.
The Rottweiler had crashed through the gap in the hawthorn and was tearing across the field towards them, gaining ground with every second. Echo stopped and whirled around to face the hound. Jason slid to a halt a few paces behind her.
“What are you doing?” he said, his voice catching in his throat. “Surrendering? That thing’ll tear us to bits!”
“Nay,” said Echo. “’Tis not my way to surrender.”
She strode forward, pointing a finger. The massive dog bounded up but stopped a metre away, yelping and growling, confused by her lack of fear. She stared into his monstrous, hungry eyes, making growling noises herself, mimicking him.
“Lie thee down, foul cur,” she ordered. “Sleep!”
She clicked her fingers. The Rottweiler whined and retreated, sinking to the ground, rolling over onto his side. Echo stepped up to tickle his chin, repeating the word sleep in a soft, lullaby voice. After a few moments the dog was in the land of dreams, one leg sticking up in the air.
Jason stared in admiration. “How…how did you do that?”
“’Tis animal kinship,” she replied. “He will be useless for the rest of this day.”
Jason breathed in deeply, his eyes fixed on the haystack. “We’ve got to keep going.”
They continued their escape, sprinting across the field before dashing around the haystack to a low wooden fence. Beyond it Jason saw a grassy bank, sloping steeply down to the narrow road taken by PC Knaggs earlier. He began to climb the fence and was almost over when he heard the loud roar of an engine. He looked left to see the silver car, tyres screeching as it negotiated the junction before speeding towards him. The sight made him panic and he caught his foot on the top bar of the fence. With a cry he toppled forwards, hitting the bank then tumbling down, unable to stop. He rolled into the road then scrambled to his feet, darting back to the bank as the car loomed up. Its tyres screeched again as it passed him, stopping further down the road. The passenger door opened and out jumped a young woman in a tee-shirt and leggings. Tiffany Cobalt! thought Jason as her brother Kevin emerged from the driver’s side. Jason turned to escape up the bank but Tiffany was too quick. He was halfway to the top when she grabbed the waistband of his trousers, hauling him down to the roadside. She spun him around to face her fierce, ape-like brother.
Echo was already over the fence. She sped halfway down the bank then leapt into the air, her legs scissoring. Jason crouched down, bracing himself. Echo’s right foot thudded into Kevin’s chest, her left boot striking Tiffany, the force sending brother and sister clattering to the ground.
Tiffany was the first to recover, springing to her feet. By now Jason had dodged out of everyone’s way. Tiffany c
lenched her teeth and flexed her fists, dashing at Echo before unleashing a high kick. Echo cartwheeled to one side, avoiding the kick as she flipped over and vaulted back to her feet. She spun around to meet the charging Tiffany, who this time made a grab for Echo’s throat.
At the last moment Echo took hold of Tiffany’s tee-shirt and raised a leg. Tiffany’s momentum carried her forward. She screamed as Echo dropped to her back, planting a foot in her opponent’s stomach and heaving her over her head. Tiffany screamed again as her back hit the road with a sickening crack, the air knocked out of her. Echo flipped up again, and now Kevin was on the attack. He ran at Echo like an enraged gorilla but she shimmied to one side, driving her knee hard into his stomach. His eyes watered and bulged as he hugged his diaphragm, staggering wildly. Echo pivoted on one toe then spun full circle in the air, a leg lashing out, her foot connecting sharply with Kevin’s ribcage. He rocked backwards and fell over Tiffany in a tangle of limbs. Both Cobalts were out for the count.
Jason’s mouth opened in astonishment. His muscles tensed as he heard another car. A blue Land Rover arrived at the junction, wheels spinning before racing along the road towards them. Its driver’s window opened and a hand appeared, one finger on the trigger of a pump-action shotgun.
“It’s Scott!” yelled Jason. “RUN!”
The gun fired in the air with a plume of smoke and a thunderous report.
“THAT WAS A WARNING!” Scott bellowed. “THE NEXT ONE WON’T BE!”
But Jason and Echo were already across the road, dashing up the bank at the other side. At the top they came to a fence and climbed up. Jason glanced behind to see the Land Rover, its tyres squealing to a halt just short of Tiffany and Kevin who were still lying half-conscious on the road. Scott Cobalt leapt out, gun in hand.
“Never before have I seen such a weapon,” gasped Echo.
“It’ll kill you with one shot,” Jason told her. “You don’t stand a chance against a gun.”
Echo McCool, Outlaw Through Time Page 7