by R. J. Parker
Maisie watched the figure. ‘He still hasn’t heard.’
Lily ignored the pain shooting through her shoulders and squinted at the man below. He dropped the sledgehammer and gripped the top edge of the freezer with both hands. His body jerked as he tried to yank the frame from under the washing machines.
‘Get down from there.’ Lily held out her hand and helped Maisie off the draining board.
‘Hurry!’ Maisie stood behind her.
Lily didn’t grip the handle of the hammer so tightly but swung her arm harder at the window.
The hammerhead hit it with more force but bounced back at her. Another white dimple was left in the pane.
The figure struggled with the freezer, still oblivious.
‘Look …’ Lily swung the hammer. ‘… up!’
She seized the handle in both hands and repeatedly buffeted the steel head against the middle of the window.
The figure froze.
Lily stopped. Her whole frame trembling.
The man turned in the direction of their building.
He might only look up briefly and, in that split second, Lily had to make sure he saw her. She went to the window and pulled her knees up onto the draining board. She frantically waved her arms. ‘Up here!’
But his gaze was directed along the ground. His head scanned the rubble from left to right.
Lily furiously pummelled the glass. ‘Just look up!’
But the peak of his baseball cap was between them. He’d have to remove it or tilt his head up to see her.
Maisie was beside her; she had a metallic mixing spoon that she’d taken from the utensils pot and joined in.
The figure’s head turned from side to side as if he was trying to pinpoint the noise.
‘Look up, look up!’ Lily’s arm was a blur. It felt like her wrist was about to break.
The figure backed away from the freezer.
‘Where’s he going?’ Maisie rapped the spoon harder.
Lily didn’t answer. It looked like they’d spooked him.
‘Don’t go!’ Maisie screeched.
The figure scuttled back down the pile of bricks and hesitated at the bottom.
Lily and Maisie shouted and assailed the pane but, after his head darted around a few times, the figure headed off to their right.
‘He’s leaving!’ Maisie sounded hysterical.
The figure picked up his pace.
Lily wondered if he was trespassing. Did he think he was being driven off?
He quickly dodged his way through the debris and kept his head low.
‘Help us, please!’ Maisie yelled.
Lily could hear the tremor of desperation in her daughter’s voice. Her arm ached and her buzzing fingers could hardly grip the hammer.
But they both only stopped battering the glass when he’d completely disappeared from sight.
Chapter 22
‘He heard us,’ Maisie said, crestfallen.
Lily’s knees and shins ached against the draining board as she pressed her forehead to the cold window and briefly closed her eyes.
‘Has he gone forever?’
Lily exhaled. ‘Maybe not.’
‘Why did he run away?’
‘Perhaps he wasn’t meant to be here. I think he was trying to steal that freezer.’ Lily straightened. ‘So he might try and come back for it.’
Maisie brightened at that. ‘So … should I watch out the window, like before?’
Lily nodded and put her hand on Maisie’s shoulder. ‘That’s a great idea.’ But even if he did come back would their attempts to attract his attention send him scuttling away again?
They both waited silently at the pane but after fifteen minutes there was still no sign of him.
Lily turned to the camera. Their captor knew what had happened. Would he ensure it didn’t again? She wondered if he might try to intercept the trespasser. How secure was the site and would other scavengers come? If they did, how could they possibly alert them to their presence? The glass of the window was sealed and unbreakable. They’d have to rely on them looking up and spotting them at the pane and that was highly unlikely. Again she speculated about exactly where the building was. In London or were they on the other side of the country?
‘I’ll stay here all night tonight and keep watch while you get some sleep,’ Maisie offered.
Lily felt a surge of affection for her daughter. ‘You don’t need to do that.’
‘I want to.’ She nodded solemnly.
‘There’ll be little point. There’s no lights out there. You won’t be able to see anyone in the dark.’
Maisie turned back to the barren site to confirm it. ‘So, it’ll be black out there?’ There was trepidation in her voice.
‘But we’ll be safely locked away up here.’
Maisie nodded but didn’t seem convinced.
‘If we can’t get out, nobody can get in.’
Maisie nodded again.
Lily could tell from her frown that her brain was turning over. ‘What are you thinking?’
Maisie’s features set in determination. ‘We should leave this light on. All night.’ She pointed to the orange shade above her head.
Lily looked up at it. ‘Yes.’ Her daughter was right. She climbed down, crossed the tiles and switched it on.
‘That way, people will see us. If we hear the noise again, we can wave out of the bright window.’
‘That’s a very good idea.’ It was. Lily looked to the building opposite. It would block anyone from seeing the bulb on from a distance. She didn’t want to point that out to Maisie. But if anyone did come back to help themselves to what was buried in the rubble, they’d have to wonder why there was one solitary light glowing in a derelict housing block.
‘We should never ever switch it off.’
‘Absolutely.’
‘It will be like a star.’
Lily could see how excited Maisie was becoming. ‘A star so people can find us.’
‘Yes.’
Lily didn’t want to deflate the moment. Would the intruder really allow them to use the light to their advantage?
‘Do you know that code? You know, that sailors use?’
‘Morse code?’ But Lily didn’t. She shook her head. ‘But we can still flash the light if we see anyone.’
‘Somebody will have to come when they see it.’
An idea occurred to Lily and she went to the drawer below where she kept the tools and yanked it open. It was more ordered than hers, but the disparate contents were unsettlingly familiar.
Maisie didn’t budge from her position. ‘What are you doing?’
Lily scrabbled through the packets of screws and wall plugs, dusters and sponges and found two new long-life bulbs that would fit. ‘If it goes out, we can change the bulbs; these will last for months.’ She walked into the hallway and confirmed the one there was the same. ‘We can use the bulbs from the other lights too. Even if we just keep this one going.’
Maisie grinned and nodded, pleased to have thought of it first.
It was something to cling to. But again, Lily assumed their captor wouldn’t have overlooked it. Did it matter if they had enough bulbs to keep the light going?
As if to negate the hope, the light went out.
Chapter 23
Lily heard the breath catch in Maisie’s chest then walked to the wall switch and flicked it up and down and up again. Nothing.
‘Is he listening to us?’ Maisie whispered in alarm.
It was the first time it had occurred to Lily. She’d assumed that, because everything else in their prison was identical to what they had at home, the cameras were the same as hers too. They only recorded images and not sound. She looked up at the one over the kitchen door. It was exactly like hers but maybe there were microphones hidden elsewhere. Her eyes shifted to the air vent in the wall above the cooker. Just like in her real kitchen. Was one planted there? Lily grabbed one of the chairs from under the kitchen dining table.
‘What is it?’
Lily didn’t reply but positioned the chair in front of the cooker, stood on it and peered through the thin slats of the metal grid. They were at an angle, so it was impossible to see through to the darkness the other side. Then she considered that maybe there was no reason to conceal a microphone. Perhaps someone was actually hiding there listening in on their conversation.
She got down from her perch, opened the tool drawer and took out a dumpy Phillips screwdriver. It had the same green handle as her trusty one, but there was no ingrained dirt on it. She got back on the chair and quickly removed the four screws holding the grill to the wall.
Maisie clambered down from the draining board and held the back of the chair Lily was standing on. ‘Careful you don’t fall.’
‘That’s it. Hold me steady.’ Lily took out the final screw and then gripped the edges of the plate. It had been fixed so firmly to the wall that, when it came away, she could see the indentation it had made. But there was nothing behind it. No microphone, no fan, no recess. Just plaster wall.
‘What have you found?’
Lily looked down at her daughter’s face squinting hopefully up at her. ‘Nothing.’ She got down, stamped the pedal bin and dropped the plate into it. She looked around at the other walls. Was the cooker fan the only ventilation in the room? She couldn’t see any in evidence. The kitchen window was sealed and so was the cat flap. The room was just a façade and a dangerous one. Again, she considered what would happen if there were a fire. Would they die of smoke inhalation? Would their captor release them?
The phone buzzed in her back pocket.
Lily fumbled it out and answered.
‘He’s gone,’ the male voice said bluntly.
‘Who?’
‘If you see anyone else, I don’t want a repeat of that performance.’
So, the trespasser had clearly been unexpected. ‘Please, I’m ready to do whatever it is you want.’
‘Are you?’ The voice at the other end snapped back. ‘Really?’
Lily moved a step closer to the wall by the cooker. ‘Just tell me what it is.’ Could she hear his voice the other side of the wall as well as in her ear?
‘The only time you can use the light in the kitchen is if you drop the blind.’ He lowered his voice.
Lily edged closer to the wall. Was he standing only feet away?
‘Understand?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then let’s have a little practice.’
Lily sighed and crossed to the kitchen window.
‘That’s it. Just tug the rope.’
She untied the hessian blind and allowed it to fall into place.
‘Good. It has blackout backing. I’d like you to impress upon your daughter how vital it is she doesn’t lift that blind when the light’s on.’
‘I will.’
‘Try the switch now.’
She went to it and flicked it down.
The light came on and buzzed overhead.
‘If you forget to pull down the blind, just once, then I remove privileges.’
The light went out again.
‘Not just the lights but your gas, your water, your heating. I control it all. Do you understand?’
She nodded.
The light came on again.
‘Understand?’
‘You can see me nod through the camera.’
‘I need to hear you say it.’
‘Why over the phone? You can hear me anyway. Where are the microphones?’
‘Let’s just agree that I see and hear everything. But I still need you to say it.’
‘I understand.’
‘I’m afraid I still have to remove privileges though.’
‘What for?’ Lily’s fingers tightened on the handset. ‘You didn’t tell us about the blind.’
‘True but you attempted to attract the attention of our visitor.’ He remained silent as he let her take this in.
She wondered if he’d caught the trespasser. Had he been waiting for him as he’d hurried away from the rubble? ‘I’m sorry.’
‘This is where I say I understand. You want to get out of there. You did what you thought was necessary. But you had to know that the action you took was contrary to the way I expect you to behave.’
‘What is he saying?’ Maisie hissed up at her.
‘Just tell me what you want me to do.’
‘I have done, and I can’t stress how much we both need Maisie to cooperate when it comes to the blind.’
‘I’ll tell her.’
‘Good. Replace the grill where you found it and we’ll overlook that. But privileges will still have to be lost for your conduct.’
Lily looked up at the glowing light and anticipated it going out again.
It remained on.
‘What privileges?’
‘Don’t expect there to be many other visitors, but if anyone else does come then you’re both to ignore them.’
‘I understand,’ she said before she was asked. Perhaps the trespasser had escaped. ‘Which privileges are you taking away?’
He hung up.
Chapter 24
‘Speak to me!’ Lily hit the number that had just called her and listened. It rang.
And as it did, she took a few paces back towards the cooker. Could she hear a phone in the room next door?
Nothing. She strode into the hall and straight into her bedroom. No sound from there either. He was probably watching her via the camera and knew exactly what she was doing.
Maisie followed her in. ‘What did he say?’
‘Ssshhh.’ Lily waited a few moments longer and strained her ears. No muffled ringing. Perhaps he had his phone on silent mode though. The line was cut. When she tried again there was no dial tone. He was blocking the signal again. She hung up and sat on the bed so she was facing Maisie. ‘Listen, that was a really great idea about leaving the light on, but we’re not allowed to do it.’
Maisie nodded forlornly. ‘Because he can turn it on and off?’
‘Yes, but more important than that, we have to put the blind down before we can switch it on.’
‘Was he angry?’
‘Yes, he was. And he said that once the blind is down it has to stay down.’
‘We can’t even lift it if we hear someone?’
Lily shook her head emphatically. ‘Especially if we hear someone.’
‘OK.’ Maisie’s eyes shifted left.
‘Do you understand?’ Lily didn’t like using the same words as he had.
Maisie nodded.
‘I need you to promise.’
‘OK.’ Her gaze eventually returned to Lily’s. ‘I promise.’
‘We have to do everything we’re told.’ She hoped he was listening to this conversation. ‘If we do, the sooner we can get out of here.’
‘Is that what he said?’ Maisie’s deep blue eyes were full of hope.
‘Yes.’ Lily didn’t want to lie to her but knew she had to give her every reason to behave. She wondered if he was enjoying watching her deceit. This was a conversation for the camera now, though, and she had to silence her questions. ‘He knows wrong from right.’
‘But if he knows that, why has he locked us in here?’
Lily considered how to respond. ‘He’ll have his reasons. And I’m sure, when he’s ready, he’ll tell us what they are. In the meantime, we have to show him that we’re thankful for him looking after us and keeping us safe while we’re here.’ Lily wondered if he saw through this. Or was someone capable of doing what he had so delusional that it was exactly what he wanted to hear?
Maisie frowned. ‘But he shouldn’t have taken us away from home.’
Lily gripped Maisie’s wrists where they hung at her sides and gently squeezed. ‘We’re here now though, but I don’t believe he’ll let us come to any harm.’
‘Why?’ Maisie asked.
‘Because we’ve done nothing wrong. How old are you on your next birthday?’
Maisie lo
oked mortified. ‘You know that.’
‘Just remind me.’
‘Six.’
‘But that’s a long way away. You’re still five for a while yet.’ She had to stress to him just how young Maisie was. ‘And where do you want to go for your sixth birthday, when it comes?’
‘I want to go to Ireland,’ Maisie replied, slightly irked that she was being asked to prompt Lily after all the conversations they’d had about it.
Lily had thought that, by now, Maisie would be craving the usual trip to Florida and Disney World, but she didn’t appear interested. ‘And why d’you want to go there?’ But she already knew.
‘To see the Giant’s Causeway.’
‘Yes. There’s so much you want to see. I want to travel with you to those places too.’
Maisie fixed her with confusion.
‘We have to keep looking forward to it. There’s so much we have to do.’
‘I’m really hungry now.’ Maisie turned towards the doorway.
But Lily held her firmly. ‘Remember what we’ve been told about the blind.’
‘I will.’ She tried to pull her right wrist from Lily’s palm.
‘He makes all the rules. We stick to them and he looks after us.’
‘I know. I need something to eat.’ Maisie struggled free.
‘OK.’ Lily watched Maisie disappear through the door. ‘I’ll come and make something for you now.’ She got up off the bed and didn’t acknowledge the camera as she followed her daughter back to the kitchen.
***
‘He’s starving.’ Maisie tipped some more cat biscuits into the bowl.
‘That’s enough.’ Lily took the box from her.
They both watched the cat noisily chomping his way through the food that Lily had just emptied out of a tin.
Lily caught Maisie’s scowl. ‘What shall we call him?’
‘Cat.’ Maisie said flatly.
Her daughter was clearly uncomfortable with the lean replacement pet and so was she. ‘At least he’s fed now. What about you now? How about some fishfingers?’
Maisie nodded and Lily got some out of the freezer and examined the seal. ‘Come and sit at the table.’ Lily didn’t want her anywhere near the blind.