The Racehorse Who Disappeared

by Clare Balding

  ‘Just one very serious word of advice,’ she said, as she walked out. ‘Leave this to us and do not pay that ransom.’

  Chapter 7

  As the police car disappeared down the drive, Charlie bunched her fists in frustration. Sitting at home doing nothing did not come naturally to her.

  She sat at the kitchen table and looked out of the window. She could see Elvis and Doris snuffling for food in their pigpen. Beyond them, the cows were in their big field, munching grass, and, in the barn, she knew that Percy would soon be back to his greedy ways.

  She wondered what Noble Warrior was doing now, whether the whispering man and the weird, smiling man in the baseball cap were feeding him properly, giving him water and keeping him calm. She knew he would be very unhappy and upset because Percy wasn’t with him, and confused because he wouldn’t know the men who had taken him.

  ‘How are you doing, chicken?’ Bill Bass sat down next to his daughter. ‘Don’t you worry. We will sort this out, I promise you.’

  ‘What if it ends up like Shergar?’ asked Charlie, her voice cracking with fear and sadness. ‘What if we never find him or the kidnappers?’

  A tear slid down her cheek.

  Before her father could answer, Charlie’s mum came into the kitchen, looking shocked.

  ‘Mum, what’s wrong?’ asked Charlie.

  ‘Jasmine Williams just called,’ Caroline said falteringly. ‘That accident the police mentioned – it happened just outside Cherrydown. Polly’s pony was spooked by a truck driving too fast. Munchkin reared up and flipped backwards, trapping Polly underneath her.’

  ‘What happened?’ Charlie gasped. ‘Is Polly hurt? Mum, you have to tell me.’

  Caroline took Charlie’s hand.

  ‘Yes, darling, she is. She’s in the hospital. She was knocked unconscious and it looks as if her injuries could be very serious indeed.’

  ‘Oh, no, poor Polly!’

  ‘Would you like to go and see her?’ asked Bill. ‘We could go to the hospital. At least then you’ll know how she is.’

  Charlie’s throat had tightened up so much she couldn’t speak, but she nodded. Polly had been her best friend since their first day at primary school. They had bonded over their love of horses and Polly was the only one who hadn’t teased Charlie about living on a farm and smelling of cows. She couldn’t bear the thought of her being injured. And if this was all connected with Noble Warrior’s kidnap then it was even worse.

  Charlie didn’t trust the police to find the cattle truck, but she and her family couldn’t start chasing after it on their own. They had no idea where it had gone. The only thing she could do right now was try to offer Polly some support. She would have to trust her brothers to find out more information while she went to the hospital.

  She looked round the door of the library to see the boys sitting cross-legged on the floor among piles of her mother’s books. They had the iPad between them and were writing down the phone number of every garage in the area.

  ‘Broadband’s gone again,’ groaned Larry. ‘It’s useless. This is going to take ages. If only we knew which direction they’re going.’

  Charlie walked quickly back to the kitchen and stared again at the ransom note. The typeface of the letters was different from the newspapers she knew.

  ‘Harry!’ she shouted. ‘Have you still got all those papers from around the country that you collected the day after the Derby?’

  ‘Yup,’ came the reply. ‘Do you want me to get them?’

  ‘Yes,’ called Charlie. ‘I’m wondering if we can match the typeface. It might give us a clue.’

  They laid the papers out on the table and held them next to the ransom demand, one by one.

  ‘That’s a match!’ cried Larry, clutching the Tavistock Times Gazette.

  ‘So is this one!’ Harry waved the Yorkshire Post.

  ‘This one too.’ Granny Pam moved the Lancashire Telegraph into the centre of the table.

  ‘And this one.’ Larry was looking at the Essex Chronicle.

  ‘Well, that doesn’t narrow it down much,’ said Charlie, staring at the newspapers and at the ransom note. ‘They could be heading north or east or west.’

  She sighed long and hard. They didn’t even know where to start looking. It was all she could do not to fall into complete despair.

  ‘I’ll keep thinking,’ Charlie said. ‘But before I do anything else, I need to see Polly, if they’ll let me.’

  ‘Of course you do, my love,’ said Granny Pam. ‘You send her our love and tell her we’re on the case. We’ll find the people who did this to her and, if I have my way, they won’t know what’s HIT them.’

  Granny Pam made a swinging action as if she was wielding a sword.

  ‘I did a bit of stage fighting once when I was with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Never lost it. Swoosh, swoosh and take THAT!’

  Granny Pam lunged forward with her imaginary sword and Charlie jumped backwards.

  ‘Well, they’d better watch out then,’ Charlie said with a small smile, as she headed to the safer territory of her dad’s car.

  When they arrived at the hospital, Charlie approached the reception desk at Accident and Emergency.

  ‘Please could you tell me where I can find Polly Williams? She was brought in this morning after a fall from her pony.’

  The receptionist tapped at a keyboard and looked at her computer.

  ‘Miss Polly Williams? She’s in the ICU. Are you family?’

  ‘Not exactly,’ said Charlie. ‘She’s my best friend. What’s the ICU?’

  ‘Intensive Care Unit,’ replied the receptionist. ‘It’s through those doors behind me, but you won’t be allowed to see her. Family only. Next, please.’

  Intensive Care. It must be bad. Charlie swallowed hard.

  ‘Come on, Charlie,’ said her dad. ‘We’ll come back tomorrow.’

  Just at that moment, a person Charlie recognized came through the doors. It was Jasmine Williams. Her face was blotchy and her eyes looked red.

  ‘Charlie!’ she exclaimed, hugging her tightly. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘Mum told me about Polly’s accident. I had to come and see her.’

  ‘That’s so kind of you, Charlie,’ said Mrs Williams. ‘It’s meant to be family only, but you’re like a sister to her, so you can come in for a minute if your dad says it’s OK.’

  ‘Can I, Dad?’ asked Charlie.

  Her dad nodded. ‘Just for a minute, mind. And you do just what Mrs Williams tells you. I’ll wait here.’

  Mrs Williams led the way into the ICU. There seemed to be different rooms and cubicles with curtains separating them. Charlie glanced into the first one to see an old man attached to a machine. He was asleep and breathing heavily, making a sound like sandpaper being dragged over a piece of wood. A woman who must have been his wife was sitting in a chair next to him. Charlie quickened her step to keep up with Mrs Williams, who led her behind the second set of curtains.

  When she walked into the cubicle, Charlie gasped. Polly was lying on her back in a big hospital bed. Her head was in a brace, holding it still, and there were straps across her body. A tube ran from her arm into a bag hanging from a metal rail above her head. Beside the bed, a machine beeped every couple of seconds and showed a green graph with peaks and troughs like a mountain range.

  Alex Williams was sitting next to his daughter, holding her hand. His face was drawn and pale. Mrs Williams joined him and whispered softly in his ear. Charlie stopped a metre from the bed. She didn’t know what to say or do. She didn’t want to touch Polly in case she hurt her and yet she wanted to let her know she was here. The beeping continued and Charlie felt as if it was the only sign that time was passing. Like everything else in the world had stopped, apart from the beep, beep, beep of the machine.

  Charlie had never seen anyone unconscious before, so she tried to imagine that Polly was just asleep. Yes, just taking a nap while her body repaired itself. Charlie smiled at the comforting th
ought and moved towards the bed. She put her hand on Polly’s arm, just above the bandages that had tubes coming out of them. She felt the warmth of Polly’s body and tried to transmit positive energy from her hand.

  ‘Hello, Polly. You look … lovely. Considering.’ Charlie stopped and let out a nervous laugh. Whatever she said just sounded so stupid. ‘Sorry. Not the right thing to say.’

  Suddenly Polly’s eyelids flickered, then opened.

  ‘Hi, Charlie,’ she said weakly. ‘Hi, Mum and Dad.’

  Mr and Mrs Williams smiled with relief and gripped each other.

  ‘How are you doing, darling?’ Mr Williams asked.

  ‘I’ve felt better,’ said Polly. Her eyes closed again and she smiled.

  Mr Williams let out an enormous breath.

  ‘Well, thank goodness you’re awake,’ he said, patting her hand. ‘I’ll get the nurse.’

  Charlie looked at Mr Williams’s kind face as he stood up. He seemed to have aged since she last saw him and his eyes were bloodshot. He gestured to his seat, and Charlie slid into it and took Polly’s hand.

  ‘You’ll be OK, Polly. I know you will. You’re the toughest and bravest person I’ve ever met. You’ve always stuck up for me and I promise I will do whatever I can to help you get better.’

  ‘Is Munchkin all right?’ Polly mumbled.

  ‘Yes, darling, she’s fine,’ said Jasmine. ‘She has a few cuts and bruises, that’s all. Trust you to be more worried about your pony than yourself.’

  ‘Can you remember what happened?’ asked Charlie gently.

  Polly closed her eyes.

  ‘There was a truck. It was going really fast and there was this noise from the back. I think that’s what spooked Munchkin so much. It was awful.’

  ‘It’s OK. Take your time,’ said Charlie, squeezing Polly’s hand. ‘You don’t have to say it all at once.’

  ‘The doctor’s on her way,’ said Mr Williams, as he came back into the cubicle. ‘Has she said anything else?’

  ‘She’s just trying to remember about the accident,’ Mrs Williams explained.

  ‘Surely she doesn’t need to do that now? It’ll only upset her.’

  ‘I think I might know what happened,’ said Charlie gently.

  ‘What do you mean?’ asked Mr Williams.

  ‘Noble Warrior has been kidnapped,’ Charlie explained. ‘The thieves came in the middle of the night and took him in the cattle truck. But they couldn’t have driven very far at night because the headlights don’t work. So, once the sun came up, they would have been speeding, trying to get away. And Noddy would have been kicking up a fuss in the back.’

  Charlie spoke calmly and she did suddenly feel composed. What had happened to Polly had somehow focused her mind and she knew she must not panic or reveal how terrified she felt for Noble Warrior. She had to be strong for Polly.

  ‘The truck that sped past you, did it look like ours?’ Charlie asked slowly.

  Polly furrowed her brow, trying to remember.

  ‘I’m not sure. I think it was grey and blue though. Munchkin started rearing and I couldn’t see properly. I was trying to hang on. I heard the banging noise from the back of the truck and I knew it was going too fast, but that’s all.’

  Polly closed her eyes. She looked exhausted.

  ‘All right, darling, that’s enough. You just settle down.’ Mrs Williams took Polly’s hand again.

  ‘I think you’d better go, Charlie,’ said Mr Williams. ‘Polly needs to rest and it sounds like you’ve got other things to worry about. I’ll walk you out.’

  Charlie leaned forward again and whispered in Polly’s ear. ‘You stay strong,’ she said. ‘I’ll be back to see you very soon and I promise I’ll find who did this to you. Best friends forever.’

  She touched Polly’s hand again and left the cubicle. Mr Williams came with her.

  ‘Thanks so much for coming, Charlie. I know it will have meant the world to Polly. She’s so fond of you. She’s always talking about how much she admires what you’ve done with Noble Warrior.’ He gulped and Charlie saw his shoulders sink. His clothes seemed to be hanging off him and he seemed weak, like a tree without roots.

  ‘Do the doctors know what’s wrong with her?’ asked Charlie.

  Mr Williams shook his head. ‘Not everything. She has a broken leg and her neck and back are damaged. The doctors say it might be weeks before they know how serious it is.’

  ‘She’ll be OK, Mr Williams. I promise you.’ Charlie tried to reassure him.

  ‘I hope you’re right, Charlie, I really do.’

  In an effort to distract him, Charlie told Mr Williams as much as she knew about Noble Warrior’s kidnap. He listened attentively, as if relieved to have something else to think about.

  ‘We had a few small thefts from Cherrydown a couple of years back,’ he said. ‘I put in the big black gates then and had security cameras installed. The yards have always been padlocked, so it would be very difficult to take a horse, but we had rugs disappear and bits of tack, and then some of the farm machinery went missing. There was one lad who left soon after we put the cameras in and it all stopped after that.’

  ‘Where did he go?’ asked Charlie.

  ‘I’ve no idea,’ said Alex Williams. ‘It’s awful to think there are people out there who are so willing to steal things that aren’t theirs, and to steal a horse – well, that’s just evil.’

  They had reached the doors and Mr Williams pressed the button which released them.

  ‘Now you be careful, Charlie,’ he said. ‘These could be very dangerous people and I don’t want to be worrying about you as well. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. Good luck!’

  Chapter 8

  ‘How’s she doing?’ asked Bill Bass, as Charlie came back into the waiting room.

  ‘She’s trying to be so brave,’ said Charlie quietly. ‘But Mr Williams says she’s hurt her back and her neck. She had a head brace on. I don’t even know if she can move or not.’

  ‘These things always look worse than they are,’ said Bill. ‘Give her a few days and you can come back and visit again.’

  ‘Polly said the truck that spooked Munchkin was grey and blue, just like ours, and she heard banging from the back. I think it was Noddy kicking the sides because he was scared. We’ve got to find them, Dad. It’s not just about getting Noddy back any more: we’ve got to catch the kidnappers for Polly.’

  ‘In that case,’ said her dad, ‘we really can’t pay any ransom. They’ll be off with the money faster than Noble Warrior at top speed. You might get him back, but you’ll never see them again.’

  Charlie sighed. ‘You’re right, Dad. And there really isn’t a moment to lose. If we’re going to find them, we need to do it fast. That policewoman said the best chance of finding Noddy is in the first forty-eight hours. He’s already been missing for more than ten. He could be anywhere in the country. Or even France or Ireland by now.’

  ‘Let’s get back home then,’ said her dad, ‘and plan our next move.’

  By the time Charlie and Bill got back to Folly Farm, the BBC film footage from the Open Day had arrived.

  ‘They’ve sent everything they filmed,’ explained Harry. ‘We can look through it and see if there’s a clear shot of either of the men. Then we can take a screengrab and that’s our Wanted poster.’

  ‘Do you think we should be that obvious?’ said Granny Pam, sweeping into the room in a cape and deerstalker.

  ‘Er, what’s with the hat, Granny?’ asked Charlie.

  ‘You might well ask,’ giggled Larry. ‘She’s been smoking a pipe too.’

  ‘It helps me to get into CHARACTER, darlings. I thought Miss Marple might be a bit soft for this situation so I’m channelling Sherlock.’ Granny Pam pushed a monocle into her right eye and raised her hand to her chin. ‘Anyway, my point is this: do we want the kidnappers to know we’re on their trail? Or do we want to SURPRISE them?’

  ‘We’ve got to find them first,’ said La
rry. ‘I’ve phoned every motorway service station within sixty miles of the farm. None of them have seen a cattle truck today.’

  ‘I’m not surprised,’ said Caroline. ‘There are cameras all along the motorways and the thieves know they’re driving a stolen vehicle. Using minor roads means they’ll be much less likely to be spotted. It’ll take them a lot longer to get to wherever they’re going, of course.’

  ‘But where are they going?’ exclaimed Charlie in frustration. ‘There must be some way to work it out.’

  ‘Wait a minute …’ Harry had started scanning through the BBC footage and now paused it, just as the two suspicious men approached Charlie. It was impossible to see their faces, but their hats were in clear view. ‘I know that badge!’

  He grabbed the Essex Chronicle and turned it over to the back page. There was a picture of the cricketer Alastair Cook hitting a ball to the boundary.

  ‘Look!’ Harry shouted. ‘Look at his helmet!’

  The blue helmet had a red shield on the front, with an eagle over three wide swords, one above the other. Harry grabbed the iPad and tapped in ‘Essex cricket caps’. He showed Charlie the screen and pointed.

  ‘There!’ he yelled triumphantly. ‘That’s the baseball cap our friend was wearing. It’s the T20 badge for Essex Eagles. He must be a cricket fan and that’s his home side.’

  ‘Harry, that’s brilliant!’ Charlie exclaimed, momentarily forgetting that she was angry with her brother.

  At the same instant, the phone rang.

  ‘Folly Farm, this is Pamela speaking,’ declaimed Granny Pam in her poshest voice. She paused, listening. ‘One moment, I’ll see if she’s available.’

  Granny Pam handed the phone to Charlie. ‘It’s for you.’

  Charlie frowned. She wasn’t expecting anyone to call. She hoped it wasn’t Mr Williams ringing with bad news about Polly. She lifted the phone to her ear.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Charlie Bass?’ The man’s voice at the other end of the phone sounded distorted, as if it was coming down a long tube. Charlie felt her stomach tighten. The kidnappers! She put the call on speakerphone.