by Gina Blaxill
‘Yeah. It’s not broken or anything. Crikey. What a psycho! You really got to him!’
Whether mentioning the failed trial had been a smart move or not was something we’d have to wait to find out. I wished I knew what the side effects were, so I could’ve been more specific.
Not knowing what else to do, we arranged the blankets and cushions into a makeshift bed. It felt like we were just waiting to be killed. What had just happened showed that Patrick had no reservations about hurting us and I wasn’t confident Kyle would stop him if he decided he wanted us dead. If the worst was going to happen, I almost wished they’d just get on with it. I couldn’t take not knowing much longer.
I shifted on to my side, facing Reece, trying to ignore the edge of one of the stones on the floor sticking into my arm through the blanket.
‘Why are they being so indecisive?’ I whispered.
‘Because we’re sweet and innocent and they don’t want to have to kill us?’ Reece’s nose had stopped bleeding by now, but he looked pale. Up close, I could see that his brown eyes had flecks of green in them. How had I never noticed that before? ‘Something’s gotta shift. Even if McIntyre hasn’t called the police, Mum will soon enough.’
I closed my eyes, thinking of all the things in my life that I hadn’t done and probably now never would. Sixteen – it was far too young to die.
Despite everything, I must have fallen asleep. The next thing I knew I was opening my eyes, feeling like my body was bruised all over. Reece was sitting up, eating from a can with his fingers. I groaned and rolled over.
‘What time is it?’
‘About half four. Can’t sleep. Whatever this is, it tastes mega-gross.’
He got to his feet and began shuffling through the cans on the shelves. After half a minute of listening to the clanking of tins, I groaned. ‘How can you think of eating at a time like this?’
‘Easily! How can you think of sleeping? I’m going mad. Reece rattled at one of the shelves. It didn’t shift. He swore and threw the can on the ground. It bounced and rolled uselessly. Reece stepped over it and stood surveying the door. ‘Think there’s any chance of us breaking this down?’
I sat up and pushed my hair back from my face. ‘There are locks top, middle and bottom. Looks pretty sturdy.’
‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’ Reece squared his shoulders, stepping back as far as he could.
‘Hang on, they’ll hear—’ As I was getting to my feet Reece flung himself against the door. It flew open and with a startled cry he disappeared. I rushed over. Reece was picking himself up from the kitchen floor, rubbing at his elbow. I helped him find his feet.
‘What the hell?’ I cried.
‘It wasn’t locked!’ Reece said. We both looked back at the room we’d been in for the last twelve hours, unable to believe our eyes.
Reece came back to reality first. ‘Run,’ he hissed. As I fumbled with the front door, Reece started opening drawers. The scraping of metal sounded very loud in the still of the night. Terrified that Kyle or Patrick would appear any moment I opened the door – it too had not been locked.
‘Reece! Come on. What are you doing?’
‘Seeing if there are any knives worth taking. I’d feel a lot safer if I had some kind of weapon. But there’s nothing.’
Outside I looked around, trying to get my bearings. The cold air tasted delicious after the stale pantry. It crossed my mind that the lantern might be useful, but that would mean going back inside. I heard a sharp intake of breath from Reece. I followed his gaze to where the car was – or rather, where the car had been.
‘They’ve upped and left! Was that the plan?’
A light came on in one of the windows on the upper floor of the cottage. There was no time to think and we took off down the dirt track that led to the road. As we ran I heard a smash and an angry shout – from whom, I couldn’t tell. At the end of the track we hesitated for a second, then turned right and carried on running. Several times I stumbled. Were we being followed? I glanced back, but it was still too dark to tell.
‘Soph!’ Reece was several metres ahead, waiting so I could catch up; he was a faster runner. ‘Up here!’
It was a footpath leading into a wooded area, hedgerow on one side. Realizing that Reece’s intention was to find a hiding place, I jumped over the ditch and followed, ducking to avoid overhanging branches. Heading into the darkness I thought I heard someone yelling, but if there were any words, they were lost to the breeze.
We crashed through the wood, twigs snapping under our feet. After a few minutes I couldn’t take any more and slowed. I took cover behind a pile of logs, bending double and gasping for breath. Reece joined me, craning his neck to see over the top.
‘Don’t think we’re being followed,’ he said. ‘You OK?’
I nodded. When I’d got enough breath back to speak, I said, ‘Let’s wait here a moment. It’s less exposed than the road.’
Reece sat down on the log pile, wiping his hands on his trousers. ‘How long was that door unlocked, d’you think? Come to that, did you even notice Kyle locking it when he went?’
I couldn’t remember – but surely we’d have noticed if he or Patrick had come and unlocked it. Maybe Kyle had wanted us to escape. Why? Then I remembered the conversation we’d overheard and everything began to make sense – Kyle had sounded deeply unhappy about what might happen to us. At some point he must have decided the best thing would be to take the car and get out – and while he hadn’t freed us directly, he’d given us the biggest chance he could. Wherever you are now, Kyle, I thought, thank you.
Patrick was probably still at large though – and he was the one with the gun. For thirty horrible minutes we stayed put, ready to bolt if there was even a hint that he was nearby. But apart from the occasional hooting of owls, the wood was quiet.
‘Let’s scoot,’ Reece whispered. ‘It’s going to start to get light very soon.’
Moving as silently as we could, we crept on through the wood. At one point something swooped close to our heads and we both yelped and then ducked, sure the noise must have given us away. But there was silence. After that we moved more freely, though neither of us let our guard down.
The wood was a lot bigger than we had first thought. I started to worry that we were walking in circles, or heading back the way we had come. But then the faint hum of traffic reached our ears and, sure enough, ten minutes later we were on a minor road. The traffic was coming from our left – a little way up we found a junction leading on to a larger road. And there were cars travelling along it. We were back in the real world!
We chose the direction we thought led away from the cottage and walked facing the oncoming traffic, hailing each car that approached. We’d always been warned against hitching lifts, but today it was a risk we were prepared to take. It certainly beat being stuck in a pantry scared out of our wits.
After ten minutes had passed without a single vehicle even slowing though, my optimism faded. Perhaps we weren’t going to get lucky – anyone driving along this early in the morning might not think picking up passengers was safe – especially ones that looked like us. Reece’s cricket whites weren’t white any longer, his trousers splashed with liquid from at least one of cans, and I could see dust and twigs in his hair. I probably looked just as bad.
‘So much for human kindness!’ Reece shouted as another car zipped past. ‘We’re going to have to walk to the next town at this rate, wherever that might be.’
‘I’m really not liking this,’ I said. ‘What if—’
‘Look!’ A truck was pulling into a lay-by just ahead of us. We ran towards it, shouting and waving our arms. The driver stuck his head out of his window.
‘Where’re you heading?’ he shouted.
‘Anywhere!’ I said. Reece and I clambered inside before he could reconsider. The driver looked at us with a puzzled expression. He was a thickset scary-looking guy with a shaven head, but right now I could’ve hugged him – in fact I mi
ght have done if it wasn’t for the Staffordshire bull terrier sitting next to him. It leaned forward and sniffed us with great interest.
‘Blimey,’ the driver said. ‘What you been doing – running away from home?’
‘You don’t wanna know,’ Reece said expressively. ‘D’you have a phone we can use? We need to speak to the police.’
‘I think you should tell me what’s going on first. I don’t like the sound of police.’
Reece and I filled him in, just saying we’d been kidnapped and keeping it as brief as possible. When we were done, the driver shook his head.
‘Bloody hell! Here.’ Reece nearly snatched his mobile out of his hand. ‘Don’t know whether to believe all this, but you clearly need some kind of help.’
Things happened very quickly after that. The trucker took us to the nearest service station to wait for the police – it turned out we were near Oxford. I didn’t really believe they were coming until I heard the siren wailing. It was only in the back of the police car with Reece, speeding towards London, that I at last allowed myself to accept that we were safe.
By the time we arrived at Hendon it was early morning – on a school day I’d be in my first lesson. It felt surreal to be driving through the streets seeing people start their day when I’d been up all night.
Julie and Reece’s mum were waiting in the police station. Effie let out a gasp when she saw Reece and flung her arms around him, almost crushing him in a tight hug. I felt a pang of jealousy. Slowly, not meeting her eyes, I went up to Julie.
‘Hi,’ I said. ‘Sorry about this.’
It was such a vapid thing to say, but it was what I felt. Julie had looked after a lot of foster-kids, all with various issues, but she’d probably never had a headcase like me. This escapade would be reported to my social worker, and it was quite possible I’d be moved if Julie felt she couldn’t cope. So I was surprised when Julie hugged me. Hesitantly I hugged her back.
‘Sophie,’ she said softly, ‘why on earth did you keep all this to yourself?’
‘Because it was the easiest thing to do.’ I felt a bit choked up. While there was reproach in Julie’s voice, more than anything else she sounded relieved. ‘Thought you’d think I was making trouble. I didn’t want to get booted out.’
‘I’m not going to boot you out, you silly girl.’ Julie pushed me back to look me in the eyes. ‘Compared to what I’ve seen before, the “trouble” you’re referring to is nothing. Watch my lips: what happens when you turn eighteen is in your hands, but until then, you have a home with me.’
I felt my lower lip quiver. I’d stood on my own feet for so long that this shouldn’t matter so much to me . . . but it did. Maybe I shouldn’t have closed myself off to Julie. Maybe I shouldn’t have made so many assumptions. Maybe people cared more than I realized.
‘Thank you,’ I whispered.
I looked at Reece. Effie was brushing him down like a dog, getting rid of the cobwebs and surface dirt. It was ridiculous under the circumstances, and he gave me a thumbs-up. I rolled my eyes at him, but I knew I was smiling too.
Lots happened after that. Even though we hadn’t slept properly for over twenty-four hours, the police wanted to speak to us. I didn’t mind – I wasn’t at all sleepy. I guessed I was still on an adrenalin high.
To my surprise, the police officer was DI Perry. He didn’t refer to how I’d been dismissed before, and I didn’t either. I filled him in – but it turned out he knew quite a bit already. When he told me who his source was, my jaw dropped.
‘Aiden’s been here?’
Apparently Aiden had called the police yesterday in a panic. DI Perry said he’d been terrified for his life and had told them all about stealing the formula, who he’d sold it to and also about us – though by then the police were already on the case after being alerted by Mr McIntyre. Reece and I had worked out most of this already, though there were a few things we didn’t know. Patrick and Aiden had first known each other at university, and Patrick had been at Vaughan-Bayard before returning to the States. Apparently he’d worked for a US pharmaceutical company for a while, before becoming involved with illegal drug production and distribution in Brazil. This was where HJP – a code name for the group – came into it. The cottage we’d been held in was owned by his family. He and Aiden had reconnected at a conference about a year ago, which was where the idea of stealing the formula had come up. The longer-term plan had been to produce it in Brazil and sell it into the USA.
It was now looking like Cherie was off the danger list. I didn’t know how I felt about that. I told Perry exactly what I’d seen in the car park, and how the car that had run her down had belonged to Patrick and Kyle.
‘Talking of them, do you know where they are?’ I asked.
‘We’ll find them,’ Perry said. ‘That’s all we need from you at the moment, Sophie. I’m guessing you’d like some sleep.’
‘What about Danielle?’ I asked. ‘Have I done enough to prove she was killed?’
Perry met my gaze levelly. ‘We’ll take a look at that iPhone backup, and then we’ll see.’
REECE
I was incredibly miffed that the police seemed to know everything already. DI Perry said that the evidence we’d gathered and our testimonies were important, but it was hardly satisfying. Sophie would say the end result was what mattered, but I’d rather wanted my fifteen minutes of fame.
As we drove home Mum kept looking at me as though she couldn’t believe I was really there. As soon as we got in, Neve barrelled down the stairs shrieking happily. I lifted her into a big hug.
‘Where were you?’ she asked.
‘Battling gangsters, armed only with a cricket bat,’ I said. ‘I reckon I deserve a Wikipedia page for that. Bit scary, but I’m fine.’
‘Did you miss me?’
‘Duh,’ I said, giving her a kiss.
‘They weren’t gangsters,’ Mum said. ‘If you’re going to brag, at least get your facts straight.’
The logical thing to do was go to bed. I could feel my eyelids dropping. But I wanted to speak to Mum first. She asked Aunt Meg (who’d been babysitting ever since Mum had reported me missing) to take Neve out so we could have some privacy.
We sat in the front room on the couch. I could see the DVD of The King’s Speech on top of the television. It seemed ages ago that we’d been sitting here watching it. I’d have to catch up on it sometime.
I cleared my throat. ‘I know you’re pleased to see me and all, but—’
‘Pleased?’ Mum interrupted. ‘Pleased doesn’t begin to cover it! I thought I’d never see you again, that you might be dead . . .’ She wiped at her eyes. I winced. I hated seeing my mother cry.
‘Guess you’re mad at me.’
‘I’m mad at you for not telling anyone what you were doing! That was stupid, and dangerous, and you and Sophie are lucky to be alive. And as I understand it, the burglary and Neve going missing at Brent Cross happened because of this too. So yes, I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty mad. But as well as that –’ she squeezed my hand – ‘I’m really proud of you, Reece. And I know your dad would be too.’
I wished she hadn’t brought Dad into it. The last thing I wanted was to feel teary. ‘I was trying to protect you and Neve, y’know. Because I love you both, and if anything ever happened . . .’
‘Oh, God,’ Mum sniffed. ‘You’re setting me off again. I think we’re both too tired to be having this conversation.’
There was one question I still needed to ask, and I had the strangest feeling Mum knew it was coming.
‘D’you blame Sophie for this?’
‘She’s very important to you, isn’t she?’
Crap, she knew. But then even Neve had some idea how I felt about Sophie. I guessed it must be obvious to everyone except Soph.
‘She’s my best friend,’ I said carefully. ‘I know you hate her, but it was out of order to ban her from the house. Brent Cross was my fault, not hers.’
Mum pursed her lips.
‘You make sure that girl appreciates what an amazing friend you are to her. Right now, I don’t think she does.’
‘You haven’t answered the question.’
She sighed. ‘I can’t stop you from doing the things you want to and seeing the people you want to, can I? You’re not my little boy any more.’
I could see it was all I was going to get. I stood up. In the door to the hallway I paused. ‘Hey . . . Mum? Did my team win the match yesterday? I mean, I totally would have been there, but I was a bit preoccupied.’
‘What? I don’t know, Reece! You and your cricket!’
‘I’m going to need a new bat,’ I said, going upstairs. Mentioning cricket had reminded me of those tickets McIntyre had given me. There were two of them. The match wasn’t for a little while, but I knew who I was going to take. I wasn’t just going to ask her as a friend either. The big question was whether or not she’d accept . . .
SOPHIE
‘Wasn’t meant to fricking rain,’ Reece said, for the hundredth time. ‘This has been one of the driest summers on record. So why, I want to know, is this afternoon the exception?’
‘You’re not going to get answers by staring aggressively at that can of Coke,’ I said. I glanced out of the window of the pizza place we were in. Rain droplets were running down the glass, and the pavements were shiny. ‘Lighten up! We only lost an hour’s play. I’d quite happily trade that for the rain dance we saw.’
We’d just come from the Oval. As it turned out, the tickets McIntyre had given Reece were expensive balcony seats. The expression on his face when he’d seen where we were sitting had almost given me a stitch I was laughing so hard. Most of the day the sun had shone and we’d sat back in our seats taking in everything and exchanging light-hearted jibes with some India supporters sitting nearby. But then after the tea break the heavens opened, just as it looked like England were gaining the upper hand. The India supporters had launched into a very enthusiastic and very funny dance in celebration.
It had certainly given us a lot to talk about over dinner. We’d also had a small argument over who was paying. Reece had offered, I’d said I wanted to pay my half, and then he’d accused me of ‘rejecting his attempt at being chivalrous’ and made out he was upset. He wasn’t really, and I was happy enough to let him pick up the bill. It felt strange and somehow grown-up for him to be paying for me. I guessed I would have to get used to all this if I was going to be his girlfriend.