Unhooking the Moon

by Gregory Hughes

  ‘That won’t do any good,’ said Tommy.

  Joey cursed under his breath.

  I wound down the window and had a look. We were way deep in traffic and more was piling up behind us. I felt like yelling. I felt like getting out the car and running as fast as I could. But I didn’t. I sank down in the seat and started to feel sick. It was like we were never going to make it. Like we were already too late.

  Chapter Twenty

  We rolled through the tunnel and, following the road to the other side, we spiralled upwards. The sun had sunk by then and the night was on its way. I watched the West Side of New York slide into view, twice, and then slide away as the car headed off into New Jersey. Then Joey went back to driving crazy. Tommy gave him directions while steadying himself in his seat, but he never told Joey to slow down. As far as I was concerned he couldn’t drive fast enough.

  ‘Oh no,’ said Joey looking at a dial on the dashboard. ‘We’re way into the red. I think we’ll make it but I can’t be sure.’

  ‘There’s a gas station up ahead,’ said Tommy.

  Joey looked in the rear-view mirror. ‘Your call, Bob.’

  My mind went blank.

  ‘Stop for gas,’ said Tommy. ‘Best to be safe.’

  We pulled into the gas station. All the pumps were taken and the driver in front of us was talking on her phone.

  ‘Goddamn New Jersey drivers.’ Joey pushed the horn. ‘Come on, either fill up or move on!’

  ‘Don’t be so rude!’ said the woman looking back. And carried on talking.

  Joey revved the engine and came as close to her as he could. ‘Move your car or I’ll ram you off the road!’

  The flustered woman moved on and we took her place. Joey jumped out and stuck the pump in the tank. I watched the digits crawl higher, the smell of gasoline seeping through the window. When it reached $20 Joey got back in the car and started the engine.

  He screeched out of the gas station like a Ferrari from a pit stop. No one said anything about not paying. Paying wasn’t important.

  The car jerked as Joey changed gears. We were soon flying and everything whizzed past us in a blur. Tommy looked uncomfortable, but I felt better for being at speed.

  I went back to staring at my phone. An hour had past since we had arrived at the tunnel. Eleven minutes since we’d left the gas station. But no messages had come.

  Tommy sat forward. ‘Slow down. We’re gonna turn soon.’

  The car slowed.

  ‘Take the next right.’

  We drove off the turnpike and down a side road.

  ‘At the end of this road take a left … Now take a right.’

  We drove into a long wide road lined with huge houses set in their own grounds.

  ‘Slow down,’ said Tommy. ‘I think this is it.’

  The car ran alongside a stone wall and, pulling up by some iron-barred gates, we looked inside. A long driveway wound up towards a big stone mansion. It had rows of square windows that were three deep and a dozen wide. And at the top was a crow’s nest. How we were going to find her in there I did not know.

  ‘Send her a message, Bob. Tell her the cavalry’s here,’ said Tommy. He got out the car and pushed the gates. ‘Locked.’ Then he got back in. ‘Drive away from the gate. We’ll climb over the wall.’

  Joey drove away from the gate and, parking the car, he switched off the engine. We all sat in silence and stared at my phone. I was desperate for it to beep, but no message came back.

  ‘That’s it,’ said Tommy. ‘We’re going in.’

  As we got out the car, I could feel the butterflies fluttering.

  Joey opened the trunk, taking out the crowbar and two aluminium baseball bats. ‘We might need these.’

  ‘We might at that,’ said Tommy.

  For an old man with bad legs, Tommy moved quickly. He climbed up on the wall and taking the bats from Joey he dropped them on the other side. We heard a soft clunk. Then he disappeared over the wall.

  With a short leap I gripped the top of the wall and I was up and over. I dropped into the darkness and crouched next to Tommy. Then Joey knelt next to me and handed me the crowbar. I’ve never been a violent kid but I felt violent then. We peered over a flowerbed, watching the home and waiting.

  ‘What are we waiting for, Tommy?’ I asked.

  He looked at me and then back at the home. Most of the upstairs lights were out, and only a few of the ground-floor lights were on. He was just about to speak when a car horn sounded at the gate. A light shone from the entranceway and a slim blonde woman came out of the home. She walked down the driveway and opened the gates. A car crept inside and two large men got out.

  ‘If they knew we were coming they could have sent for back-up,’ said Joey.

  ‘How could they know we were coming?’ said Tommy.

  Locking the gates she greeted the men and they talked together in excited whispers. Then the light from the doorway darkened and another man appeared. The others stopped talking. They walked towards the entranceway and, passing him without a word, they made their way inside. The man came forward. It was too dark to see his face, but I could see he was wearing glasses. And he had something in his hand. His head turned left and right as he scanned the grounds. Then he went inside, closed the door, and the light disappeared.

  ‘That guy looked like he had a gun. Suppose it was a gun?’ asked Joey in a jittery voice.

  ‘Then he’s gonna have to shoot me,’ said Tommy. ‘Because I’m going in there to get her out.’

  ‘Maybe we should call the cops.’

  Tommy spoke softly. ‘It’s too late for that, Joe. I know you’re scared, me too. But you don’t want to let Marie Claire down now, do you? Come on, Joey! We’re Italians from the old neighbourhoods. I bet you’ve slugged a few guys in your day, right? Because you know there’s a time when you have to stand up and fight. And for me and you, kid, now is one of those times. Are you with me, Joe?’

  ‘Sure, Tommy. I’m with you.’

  ‘What about you, Bob?’

  I could feel the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. ‘Ready when you are, Tommy.’

  Tommy gripped the baseball bat. ‘Come on then, boys. Let’s show these paedophiles how we do it on the West Side!’

  We ran across the lawn and crouched below a window on the left of the entranceway. Tommy rose slowly and looked inside. Then he went around the side of the building and looked through another window. ‘It’s a storage room,’ he whispered. ‘Pass me the crowbar.’

  I swapped Tommy the crowbar for the baseball bat and, sliding it beneath the window, he pushed it down. There was a lot of creaking and groaning. Then something sprang in the air and the window opened. We froze. All I could hear was my heart pounding.

  Tommy breathed out. ‘Take this,’ he said and handed me the crowbar. He pushed the window up carefully and went to climb inside.

  ‘I’ll go,’ whispered Joey. ‘I’m a little … younger.’

  Tommy put his hand on Joey’s shoulder. ‘It’s all yours, kid.’

  Joey climbed in the window, as nimble as a cat burglar, and disappeared into the darkness. He soon climbed out again. ‘The door’s locked,’ he whispered.

  Then we heard voices and footsteps coming from inside.

  ‘Over here,’ said Tommy.

  We scurried to a wall and hid behind the tall shrubs that were growing in front of it. We heard keys in a lock and a light came on. It lit up the ground in front of the window but it stayed dark where we were.

  The man wearing glasses entered the room. ‘Who left this window open?’ He turned to the woman behind him. ‘Do a head count, and do it quick.’ He came forward and looked straight ahead to where we were standing. ‘Anyone out there?’

  It was like he was looking straight at me. I pushed back against the wall. He put his head out the window and looked left and right. Then slowly he closed it. The light went out and the door closed.

  We stepped out from behind the shrubs.

&n
bsp; ‘You think he saw us?’ said Joey.

  ‘I doubt it,’ said Tommy. ‘But either way we’re still going in.’

  We followed Tommy back towards the front of the home. He checked one window and then another and then he looked inside. ‘This one opens into a hall.’ He slid the crowbar into the window and pushed it down. There was the sound of wood pushing against wood and the window popped open. There wasn’t much noise, but we froze all the same. Then very slowly, and carefully, Tommy pushed it up.

  He took the bat from me and gave me the crowbar. ‘Listen,’ he whispered. ‘What we need is stealth and surprise. We’ll sneak in, grab Marie Claire, and sneak out. We’ll be halfway to Canada before they know she’s gone.’

  Out on the road a car screeched to a halt. It was a long hard screech that echoed around the grounds. We all turned to the main gate. Slowly it crept towards the gate, its headlights lighting up the path. We watched, mesmerized by the murmur of its engine. Was this more of them? But the car reversed away and the grounds of the home grew dark. I was just about to say something when once again its tyres screeched. We heard the car roaring back towards us. Suddenly it rammed the gates with an almighty crash!

  Tommy held out his hand. ‘Or we can let everyone know we’re here, the way Ice has just done.’

  The gates hung off their hinges while the Range Rover, steam pouring from its engine, stopped at the entrance. In all my young life I have never been so glad to see anyone! ‘Ice!’

  Ice jumped out of the Range Rover and marched towards the main entrance mumbling as he went. ‘Telling me what I can and can’t do! Goddamn phoneys!’

  ‘Be careful, Ice!’ said Tommy.

  ‘They could be armed!’ shouted Joey.

  Without stopping, Ice gave the front door one hard kick. Then he kicked it again. Then stepping back he smashed it open with his shoulder. We followed him inside and walking past a dozen children’s drawings we entered a large lobby, stale with that school dinners smell. There was a reception area with several computers, on the right of a wide wooden staircase, and there was a large open room on the left. The room was dark, lit only by what little moonlight came through its windows. And above the entrance were the words COMMON ROOM.

  We heard the sound of feet on floorboards and a young stocky man appeared at the top of the stairs. ‘They’ve rammed the gates, Mr Joshua!’ he shouted, and rushed down the stairs.

  The guy wearing glasses followed, pulling on his dressing gown as he came. The blonde woman came after him and they stood at the bottom of the stairs staring at us in disbelief.

  When Mr Joshua got over the shock of us standing there he looked angry. ‘Call the police, Ben!’

  The stocky guy went behind the reception desk and picked up the phone.

  ‘Go ahead. Call the police,’ said Joey. ‘Goddamn paedophiles.’

  Mr Joshua looked absolutely bewildered. ‘What did you say?’

  ‘You heard me.’

  ‘I heard you. But I don’t understand.’

  ‘We’re friends of Marie Claire’s,’ said Tommy.

  Mr Joshua looked hurt. ‘Is that what she told you? And you came here with baseball bats?’ He turned to the woman. ‘Do you believe this?’

  ‘I don’t care what she believes. I wanna see my sister!’

  The woman came towards me. She had eyes as big and as blue as the Rat’s. ‘I think I understand. You thought Marie Claire was in danger and you were frightened for her.’ She smiled. ‘She missed you, that’s all. I think she was scared she wouldn’t see you again. You’re Bob, right?’

  I never said anything. She touched my shoulder. ‘I have three girls of my own, Bob. I would never allow anyone to harm a child!’

  Mr Joshua looked at the woman. ‘This is the girl who was brought in last night? She spent the whole day running around. And then she taught the smaller kids how to play soccer. I’ve never seen a happier kid!’

  ‘No,’ said the woman. ‘I think she was a little sad towards the end of the day. Is that when she called you?’

  I looked at Mr Joshua’s hand. What we had thought was a gun was an old-fashioned phone. But the Rat had got us so wound up.

  The woman smiled warmly. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I’ve worked in childcare for fifteen years and I know a good kid when I see one. She must have got lonely, that’s all.’

  Could the Rat have made up the whole thing? The woman seemed really nice. And I couldn’t imagine these guys hurting kids. I didn’t know what to believe.

  I turned to Ice and Joey. Ice looked embarrassed and Joey was edging toward the door. It was like they’d already made up their minds.

  But when I turned to Tommy he didn’t look happy. ‘Can we see her?’ he asked.

  The woman frowned. ‘Well, the children are in bed now.’ Then she had a think. ‘I know. Why don’t you come back in the morning? You can have breakfast with her if you like. And then we can sort things out.’

  ‘What shall I do, Mr Joshua?’ said the stocky guy from behind the reception desk. He still had the phone in his hand.

  The woman looked at Mr Joshua. ‘I don’t think we want the police here this time of night. Do we?’

  Mr Joshua looked undecided. ‘What about the gate? It’s going to need repairing.’

  ‘I’ll pay for it,’ said Ice.

  ‘We might not see you again. You might not even have the money.’

  The young stocky guy came from behind the reception desk. ‘I think he’s good for it, Mr Joshua. Right, Ice?’

  Mr Joshua looked more amazed. ‘Ben, you know this guy?’

  ‘This is Ice, the latest star of rap. Love your music, Ice.’ Ben shook hands heartily. ‘If you’re coming for breakfast, Ice, you could sign some autographs for the kids.’

  ‘I’d be more impressed if he’d sign a cheque for the gate.’

  ‘Sure he will,’ said Ben.

  ‘OK,’ said Mr Joshua. ‘As long as he comes back in the morning there’ll be no need to call the police. But if you don’t turn up—’

  ‘I’ll be here. First thing.’

  ‘When you come tomorrow don’t be too hard on her,’ said the woman. ‘She’s only young.’

  And so that was it. We all started heading toward the entrance. Ice looked like he couldn’t wait to get away. I couldn’t blame him after what the Rat had done. I’d punch her in her pointy ears when I saw her. But as we neared the door I started to feel bad. I didn’t want to leave her there. And I knew she’d want to see me. And she wasn’t a liar, not really. And she’d never told a lie as big as that … No. I wanna see my sister! Even if they have to wake her up. I turned to Tommy.

  As I did so Mr Joshua looked in the Common Room. It happened so quickly but I thought I saw him wink. I tried to see inside but it was too dark. But the moon must have moved from behind a cloud because the room became brighter. And there, lurking by the window, was the silhouette of a man.

  ‘Tommy.’

  ‘I see him,’ said Tommy. ‘Come out of there,’ he shouted.

  There was a short pause and a guy came out of the darkness. He was pale and wide-eyed, and he was shaking like a junkie. Then I saw the glow of a cigarette light up someone’s lips. ‘There’s someone else in there!’ I said. ‘They’re sitting in a chair.’

  ‘Come on out,’ said Joey.

  But whoever it was just calmly smoked their cigarette.

  ‘Who is that?’ said Tommy.

  Mr Joshua looked at the floor. ‘I don’t know.’

  Tommy looked amazed. ‘You run this place and you don’t know who that is?’

  Joey looked angry. ‘What the hell’s going on here?’

  I looked at the woman. She stared at me with this cold blank stare. Then I turned to see Ben with his back to a wall. His fists were clenched like he was ready to fight.

  The rage took my breath away at first. Then I found my voice. ‘Where’s my goddamn sister?’ I screamed.

  Before I knew it Ice had pulled two silver Berettas fr
om their side holsters. He aimed them at Mr Joshua. ‘Tell him. Or you won’t believe what happens next!’

  The life drained from Mr Joshua’s face and he swallowed hard. ‘I’m sorry but she ran away,’ he said almost choking on his words. ‘I didn’t want to tell you in case you got upset.’

  ‘You honestly expect us to believe that?’ said Tommy.

  I turned to Ice. ‘She’s here, Ice. I know she is.’

  Ice cocked the Berettas. Once again he aimed the guns at Mr Joshua. ‘Where is she?’

  He looked scared but he tried to smile. ‘You’re not going to shoot.’

  ‘Don’t be so sure!’ said Ice. Then he aimed his guns at the junkie. ‘Where is she?’

  ‘Think about the consequences, Ice,’ said the woman in a harsh tone. ‘If that gun goes off you could be looking at life.’

  ‘I won’t ask you again!’ said Ice.

  The junkie’s shaking got worse.

  Ice’s face hardened. There was a loud bang and a bullet exploded in the banister. The junkie cried out and covered his head.

  The woman cringed and covered her ears. Mr Joshua looked faint. And when I turned to see Ben his hands were almost raised.

  ‘We didn’t do anything to her,’ said the woman lowering her hands. ‘She caused trouble and so we locked her in a cupboard. That’s all.’

  I felt so relieved, my eyes closed. If the Rat had caused trouble, she must be OK. And if she was locked in a cupboard, she was out of harm’s way.

  ‘OK,’ said Mr Joshua breathing heavily. ‘She’s upstairs. You can take her. We’ll just say she ran away.’

  Ice glared at Mr Joshua. ‘If she’s been hurt, there’ll be hell to pay! And you’re the one who’ll pay it! … Go get her, boys.’

  ‘I’ll call the cops,’ said Joey.

  Tommy followed me up the stairs. But he stopped by Mr Joshua who was staring shamefaced at the floor. ‘I don’t like you!’ he said showing him the baseball bat. ‘And if she’s not up there, I’m going to like you a lot less!’ He followed me up the stairs, which led into two separate wings. ‘You go that way, Bob, and I’ll go this. Shout if you need me.’