“Jamie?” he repeated. “Jamie, what are you up to?”
A light came on under Toby’s chin. It lit up his face and that of the pale boy holding it.
“I’m sorry,” said Jamie. “I’m really sorry to have to do this to you but I must go and find my mum.”
“Yeah, well, feel free. I won’t stop you. Be glad to see the back of you quite honestly. Go! And take your dog with you. See if I care. Just let me go!”
“It’s not that simple,” whispered Jamie. “You see, I need the Lucky Lady.”
Toby kicked out and strained against the ropes holding him.
“You can’t do that! That’s the only means we have of getting away from here! We need that boat! How else are we going to get food and fuel and medicine?”
“I’ll leave you the dinghy. You’ll be fine. You’ll be able to sail back to Peterhead harbour and find another boat. There were loads there,” gabbled Jamie.
“Yeah. And loads of pirates too!” retorted Toby. “You’re mad! You can’t even sail that boat by yourself!”
“You don’t understand. I need to find my mum. I know she’s there! I know exactly where she’ll be!”
“You can’t know what’s happened to her — she might not even be there. What if she went back to Newburgh to look for you?”
“We had a plan — a contingency plan for if things went wrong. Maggie and I were to go to a certain place at a certain time, on the same day of every month. Mum said she’d keep going there on that day until we turn up. It’s simple. I need to get to Aberdeen in the next few days, or else I’ll have to wait another month. And she might not sur—”
“So, this plan, you’ve had it a while then?” interrupted Toby.
“Yes, we’ve always had it.”
“No, I mean this plan to steal the Lucky Lady and rush off on some mad rescue mission as if you’re James Bond.”
To Toby’s surprise Jamie collapsed into tears. He let out an almighty blub and dropped the torch.
“I knew I wasn’t brave enough to do this,” he snorted through his tears. “I wish I was like you! You’re always so brave and strong. Even when you had that septic hand, you still rescued me and Belle.”
“Me? Brave?” said Toby. “I’m not brave at all. I thought you were the brave one — you never seem to be affected by anything that’s going on.”
“Ah, that’s the influence of …”
“Oh, just stop blubbing and get these ropes off me now!” ordered Toby.
Jamie picked up the torch and untied the rough rope from Toby’s wrists and ankles.
“That’s better,” said Toby, scratching his legs. “Now, how were you going to get out of the compound anyway? D’you know where Dad keeps the key?”
“No, I don’t, but I found a hole in the wall at the back of this barn. Well, actually Belle found it,” said Jamie.
“What? You found a hole in the wall? Why didn’t you tell me? That changes everything!”
“What d’you mean, changes everything?” sniffed Jamie.
“You don’t understand; I’ll tell you sometime. I’ve got to find Dad.” Toby jumped up and snatched the torch from Jamie.
“No!” said Jamie, snatching it back. “I told you, I must go and meet my mum. If something’s happened to her, I’ll never forgive myself. She might be needing me right now. I’ve got to go!”
“Jamie! You can’t take the Lucky Lady. I won’t let you!”
“Well, how about the dinghy then? Can I have that?” pleaded Jamie.
“No! Do you realise how dangerous it is out there? Especially in Aberdeen, from what your mum’s told you. You wouldn’t last two shakes of a puppy dog’s tail.”
“Please. Please, Toby, you’ve got to help me. It’s my mum — I know she’s in trouble. Please help. And she might be able to help you,” he added. “She’s a doctor; think about it …”
“Stop crying and I’ll think about it,” replied Toby.
This could be it — my way of saving Sylvie — if Jamie’s mum is still alive …
“Let me think,” said Toby, “make a plan, that sort of thing. It takes a lot of planning does a rescue mission, y’know.”
“Yours didn’t when you rescued me and Belle. You just jumped in the dinghy and rowed.”
“Talking of Belle, where is she?” said Toby. His eyes had got used to the darkness and he couldn’t see the big white dog in the barn or out in the yard.
“Belle,” said Jamie anxiously. “Belle, come! Come!”
The boys heard a distant barking.
“That’s not Belle,” cried Jamie. “I know her bark, and that’s not it.”
The two boys raced out into the yard. There was no sign of Belle in the compound at all.
“Oh no!” screamed Jamie. “She’s gone through the hole!”
They raced back into the barn. There, right at the back, hidden by rubbish and rusting car parts, was a small hole in the stonework of the wall. It was only big enough for a dog or a small person to go through. Jamie pushed his way through easily, but Toby had difficulty getting his middle bit through. By the time he had wriggled out on to the sandy ground on the other side, Jamie had disappeared into the night.
“Jamie!” he yelled.
Woof! A softer, sweeter bark than before, replied. Belle came running up from the direction of the jetty path.
“Where’s your dad?” Toby asked the dog.
She whined and licked his hand, then shot off back down the path.
Toby followed hesitantly. The path was slippery in places and he was having difficulty seeing where to put his feet.
“Toby!” came a small voice from beside the path. “Toby, I’ve fallen and twisted my ankle. Can you help me up, please?”
“Ah, you big nana! What were you doing? Making a run for the boat? Didn’t you trust me?” Toby found where the voice was coming from and knelt beside Jamie’s crumpled legs.
“No, I didn’t.”
“Well, I meant it, OK? If I say I’ll do something, I mean it. My mum taught me that — she said it was integrity, or something,” said Toby. “Now, lean on me and we’ll get back quick before Dad wakes up.”
A deep throaty bark came from nearby.
Jamie pulled himself up, leaning on Toby, and flashed the torch out towards the sea.
“Sounded like it was coming from that direction,” he whispered nervously to Toby. The torchlight swept over the dancing waves. The wind was still thrashing the sea into a frenzy.
“There!” shouted Toby. “Look! Their eyes!” The light reflected back from the pale eyes of something in the water. “Quick!” he yelled. “It’s the dogs! They’ve swum around from the beach to get to the headland.”
The torch picked out three sets of gleaming eyes getting closer to the rocky shore that they stood on. Toby half carried, half dragged Jamie up the path.
“Come on! We’ve got to get back to the compound.” They staggered up the path towards the back of the compound wall, where the hole and safety was. Belle was nowhere to be seen.
“Belle!” Jamie cried out frantically, but the words were whipped from his mouth and lost in the wind.
“She’ll have gone back,” gasped Toby through the pain. Most of Jamie’s weight was on his bandaged hand. They slipped and struggled across the sandy scrubland next to the compound.
“Toby, over there!” Jamie swung his torch around to face up towards the barn wall. There were three black dogs. This time, they weren’t wagging their tails at all. Their hackles stood up like giant ruffs around their necks and each was baring his teeth. Toby could see the drools of slobber flecking their dark coats.
The boys stopped and stared.
“What now?” asked Toby. “You’re the dog expert.”
“I don’t think shouting at them’s going to work this time, d’you?” sobbed Jamie.
“No, perhaps not,” Toby hissed.
We’re going to need a miracle to get out of this.
13. Belle to the Rescue
It seemed as if they stood there for hours, staring at each other. All Toby could hear was the intense low vibrating of the dogs’ growls. The wind and the rain had quietened into the background, and Jamie’s whisperings were inaudible to him. His legs were stuck to the floor, and his arms were glued to his sides. This was his nightmare come true — only instead of one dog, there were three.
I bet if I tried to scream, nothing would come out.
Gradually, as if in slow motion, he became aware of a growing pain in his hand. Then he realised that Jamie was gripping on to it very tightly. The pain brought him back to what was happening.
“Keep still,” he muttered under his breath. “I’ll run to the left and distract them, while you go for the hole. It’s right behind them.”
“No,” hissed Jamie, “you’ll never outrun them. I’ll draw them away and you go and get help.”
“There’s no time. Are you ready? One — two — three!”
Toby pushed Jamie forward, and then made to run to the right, stopping in mid-flight to change direction and jumping to the left. But before he could complete his leap, something large and white leapt over the top of him and Jamie.
“Belle,” Jamie sobbed.
Belle was much bigger than the dogs in front of her, but there were three of them and only one of her. She wagged her tail at them and woofed loudly. They closed their gaping mouths and stopped growling. They seemed surprised, and backed up, whining and yelping at her. Belle leapt into the air and bounced away into the darkness. The three dogs stood still for a moment and then leapt after her.
“Come on, let’s get into that hole,” roared Toby into Jamie’s ear. Toby grabbed him, hauled him up to the wall and then shoved him through the hole. He quickly followed.
Once inside the barn again, Toby frantically searched for something to block the hole with. He passed Jamie a plank of wood.
“Here,” he told him, “anything comes through that hole and you bash it on the head. Right?”
“What if it’s Belle?” whined Jamie. But Toby didn’t think Belle would be coming back.
The two boys sat shivering in their wet clothes beside the hole. It was dark and cold in the barn and all they could hear was the occasional barking of dogs coming from outside the compound.
“Toby? Toby? Jamie?” It was Toby’s dad calling them from the yard.
“Here,” said Toby, taking the plank from Jamie. “You go and fetch my dad and I’ll guard the hole. You’ve done enough.”
Actually, I think you couldn’t knock the skin off a rice pudding!
“OK,” said Jamie, looking relieved. He limped out to find Toby’s dad. A few moments later they returned.
“What have you boys been up to?” demanded Toby’s father. “What’s going on?”
At that moment, a large white furry head burst through the hole.
“Ah!” screamed Toby with surprise.
“Belle!” shouted Jamie. “I didn’t think I was going to see you ever again!”
Belle struggled through the hole and licked Jamie’s face.
“Help me,” yelled Toby. He had found an old chest freezer and was busy trying to push it up against the hole in the wall. His dad set his shoulder to the corner of the freezer and heaved. The freezer slid into place.
“You boys go inside. I’ll finish off plugging this hole so nothing can get in,” said his dad. Toby and Jamie limped back to the lighthouse, Belle jumping at their sides, wagging her tail.
Later they sat in the kitchen, slurping hot chocolate and discussing their fate.
“He’s going to be mad with you,” said Toby. “Fancy trying to nick our boat! And after I said I would help you.”
“Don’t tell him, please, Toby,” begged Jamie. “It’ll make it all the harder to go next time.”
Even after their crazy night, Toby knew he was right. They had to go to Aberdeen — for Jamie’s mum and for Sylvie.
“Yeah, well, we’d better not tell my dad everything. Leave it to me.”
When his dad joined them, after a fumbled excuse for being outside in the first place, Toby told him all about Belle finding a hole in the wall of the barn.
“Don’t you see, Dad,” said Toby, “that it could have been there all the time? Monty could have got out through that hole. He was smaller than Belle.”
His dad stared deep into his mug of tea, his shoulders drooped and his hands were shaking.
“I can’t think at the moment, Toby, I’m tired,” he muttered. “We’ll talk about this in the morning. I must go back to bed and get some sleep. Sylvie’s been restless tonight.” He got up and walked slowly up the stairs to his room.
“I’m off to bed too,” said Toby. “I expect Dad won’t mind if you keep Belle in the kitchen with you tonight. She’s earned it after saving our skins.”
Jamie hugged Belle, who wagged her tail and grinned widely.
“She was brill, wasn’t she?” he beamed.
“Yeah, she certainly was.” Toby smiled at the pair of them.
He wearily climbed the stairs. His hand throbbed and his legs felt weak and watery. But he felt good. That hole had been there all the time. It hadn’t been his fault that Monty had got out. And so it wasn’t his fault that his mum had gone out to find him. Maybe his dad would forgive him now, see that he was trustworthy. He had put Monty in the barn that night, and he had checked him before going to bed. But he hadn’t known that hole was there. No one had known, except Monty.
As he climbed the stone steps past his dad’s bedroom, Toby heard a noise. He stopped and listened. It was a low, quiet sobbing. Toby knew it was his dad. Should he go in and comfort him? No, he couldn’t bring his feet to walk to the door and push it open. He would leave his dad to his tears. He couldn’t face it. He went to his bed.
The next morning was bright and breezy. The storm had cleared the stuffy summer air and brought a freshness back. Toby was up early and whistled as he did his chores. He tried to sneak a look in the barn where the hole was, but his dad had boarded up the door and parked an old truck firmly up against the doors. Even if anyone or anything ever found that hole again, that’s as far as they were going.
Toby went in for his breakfast. He looked forward to his porridge, and if he was lucky there might be some jam or tinned fruit to have with it. His dad was sitting at the table with his head in his hands.
“How’s Sylvie this morning?” asked Toby.
“Not good,” mumbled his dad. “Her temperature is very high and she can barely speak for her sore throat.”
This didn’t seem a good time to have a talk with his dad about Monty and his mum’s accident.
“Dad, why don’t you let me go to Aberdeen and find some antibiotics?” he suggested. “Aren’t those what she needs right now?”
“Aberdeen? No way, Toby. We need to be thinking about moving somewhere else, and hope that things will be better there.”
“Where? Where would we go?”
“I don’t know, Tobes,” replied his dad. “Now the dogs have learnt they can get to us by swimming across to the headland, everything is going to be even more difficult. Before, we were at least able to get to the boat safely enough, and go fishing, and look for fuel and food. Now, that’s going to be a nightmare.”
Toby nodded. He had enjoyed the fresh fish and crab they caught on their expeditions. They made a change from tinned stuff and the endless bowls of soup his dad made from the vegetables grown in a plot inside the compound walls.
“Moving isn’t going to help Sylvie right now, Dad,” said Toby. “She’s needs rest and medicine.”
“Maybe Jamie can help?” quavered his dad. “He helped you, didn’t he? Where is he?” The lack of sleep was weakening his dad. Toby could see that he was getting to a point where his responsibilities were all too much for him. And what then?
“He’s outside playing with Belle,” replied Toby. “I’ll call him.”
Jamie and Belle came bounding up the steps into the kitchen. Toby coul
d see a change in Jamie. Toby’s decision to help him find his mum had really cheered him up.
“It’s a lovely day, Mr Tennant,” said Jamie. “You should see what the storm has washed up on the shore. There’s …”
“It’s too dangerous to go and get it now,” Toby’s dad said gloomily. “We can’t take the risk any more.”
“Dad would like you to have a look at Sylvie,” asked Toby. It no longer bothered him that his dad treated Jamie as an adult. Toby knew that Jamie was just as scared as he was, and perhaps not as brave.
Jamie and Toby went up to his dad’s room. Sylvie was lying on his bed, tossing and turning, soaked in sweat. Her breathing came in small wheezy gasps.
“Hi Sylvie,” said Toby gently, bending over her. Her breath smelt stale and unpleasant. She opened her eyes and stared at Toby as if she didn’t know him.
“My throat hurts, Mummy,” she whispered hoarsely.
“Sylvie? It’s Toby.”
“She’s confused, Toby,” said Jamie, placing a comforting hand on Toby’s shoulder. “She’s got such a high fever; it can fog people’s brains.”
No! No! Not Sylvie!
A cold hand of fear came over Toby. Was he going to lose Sylvie too? And with his dad in no state to think, it was up to him now.
“Can’t you help her?”
“I’m really sorry, Toby, I don’t know how. She’s too weak. She needs proper medical care, and fast.”
“But you helped me!”
“You were fit and strong. I didn’t cure you. All I did was give you some herbal medicine to help you mend and relax. Your own body did the rest. Sylvie needs more than that now.”
“That’s it decided then. We’re going to Aberdeen, tonight!” declared Toby. “And don’t mention anything to my dad. He’ll only try to stop us.”
The two boys went back down to the kitchen. It had been decided that Jamie would spend the day secretly collecting provisions for the journey and hiding them in Belle’s shed. Toby’s dad would never look in there. They would need some food and fuel for the outboard motor of the dinghy. Toby had been adamant that they weren’t taking the Lucky Lady. She was too easy for the dogs to spot from the shore, and besides, if they didn’t make it back, his dad and Sylvie would need her to escape and make a new life somewhere else, without him.
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