by Ruth Eastham
Emmi twisted a friendship bracelet round and round on her wrist. ‘He was out with his sketchbooks, I bet,’ she said, the words coming out in a rush. ‘Must have been – that’s why he wasn’t answering my messages. He was always looking for new inspiration for his art. Maybe he was into a new drawing and standing too close to a bend and the car didn’t see him in time. He wouldn’t have heard it coming and –’
She stopped talking and stared at her lap.
Jon turned to them, running a hand through his hair. ‘Dunno,’ he said. ‘But why didn’t the driver stop the car and help him? Maybe whoever it was panicked.’
Emmi gave a hard little shake of her head. She was quiet a few moments and then leaned in, lowering her voice.
‘What if the driver was deliberately trying to murder Robbie?’
Aidan and Jon stared at her.
‘I think you must be in shock, Em,’ Jon said nervously. ‘Er … murder?’
Emmi’s hands fluttered about. ‘It’s too much of a coincidence, don’t you think? Robbie’s mystery object gets stolen from the museum, and the next minute there’s a fire.’ Her voice dropped even further, to an anguished whisper. ‘The following day he’s knocked down and left for dead in a hit-and-run.’
Emmi put a hand to her mouth and her eyes went wide. ‘And what if whoever tried to kill him comes back to finish the job?’
Aidan found himself slowly nodding.
‘You definitely watch too much telly, Em,’ said Jon with a shaky laugh, but Aidan thought he looked pretty worried.
‘We have to do something!’ insisted Emmi. ‘Find out what’s going on.’
‘But why Robbie?’ Aidan held the back of Jon’s seat. ‘Everyone likes him. He hasn’t got any enemies. If only we’d taken more notice when he was telling us about his special treasure.’
‘None of us took enough notice,’ said Emmi sadly. ‘But we all know what a hoarder Robbie is, and that his stories can be a bit far-fetched …
‘Oh, Robbie!’
The bus approached the hospital. Emmi leapt up and pressed the stop button. ‘We have to know if he’s OK, that’s the first thing.’ Aidan felt the bus slow. ‘And then we have to ask him exactly what it was that he donated to the museum.’
‘They might not let us see him, you know,’ said Jon as they waited by the door. ‘Even if he is out of intensive care, he might not be conscious.’
They filed out of the bus. It had dropped them right opposite the hospital, a grey high-rise building with a strip of trampled lawn and a token scrubby rose bush, without any flowers.
They told the receptionist at the front desk who they were there to see, and she called over a tall male nurse to talk to them.
‘I’m very sorry, but you can’t see Mr Pickersgill now,’ the nurse said. ‘He’s resting.’
‘But I’m his cousin!’ Emmi pleaded. ‘It would only be for a few minutes.’
The nurse shook his head. ‘Not even family are allowed in. Visiting hours are very strict, and other patients need their peace and quiet.’
‘Robbie’s in a room of his own, though, isn’t he?’ Emmi persisted. ‘Number twenty-nine on the fifth floor, my parents were told. So we wouldn’t be disturbing any other patients if we go and see him.’
‘No,’ the nurse said firmly. ‘I’m sorry. You’ll have to come back tomorrow.’ He went striding off in the direction of the wards, enormous, white plastic Crocs squeaking.
Aidan pulled the others away from the desk and they huddled by a vending machine. ‘What now?’ he hissed.
‘We’ve got to make a dash for it!’ said Emmi. ‘When no one’s looking.’
‘Are you serious?’ said Jon.
A doctor went past, deep in conversation on his mobile, and the three of them pretended to be choosing snacks from the machine.
Aidan sneaked a look along the long corridor the nurse had gone down. Squeaky Shoes had disappeared. ‘Let’s go!’
‘We shouldn’t be doing this, guys,’ said Jon as they rushed towards the lift.
‘Shush!’ hushed Emmi. ‘And keep a look out!’
There was an anxious wait for the lift, before the three could slip inside.
‘Fifth floor,’ muttered Aidan, pressing the button.
The lift travelled upwards and came to a stop. The doors slid open and Aidan peered out. ‘All clear!’
They headed down a corridor, moving quickly and pausing at the junctions.
‘Hostile nurse at three o’ clock!’ Jon hissed.
They sprang back, pressing themselves against the wall.
Squeaky Shoes squeaked past.
‘Where did he come from?’ said Jon shakily.
‘We’ve got to be quick,’ Aidan said, scanning the room numbers above the row of doors. ‘He could be back any time.’ He ran a few paces further on. ‘Here it is!’ he beckoned. ‘Room twenty-nine.’
Aidan hesitated a moment, breathing hard. His fingers curled round the door handle …
Maybe they shouldn’t be doing this after all. Maybe Robbie really did need to rest, and it was wrong to go disturbing him.
But this was urgent.
Aidan pressed the handle and eased the door open … then stood there staring.
He heard Emmi give a little gasp; Jon catch his breath.
Robbie was lying on a bed by the window. Narrow shafts of light came through the slats in the blinds. His face was so bruised, Aidan hardly recognised him. His lips were puffed up and his eyes were closed and ringed by nasty purple bruises. There was a tube taped to his neck, and another one on his arm that went to a drip suspended by the side of the bed. A monitor next to him pulsed in time to his heartbeat, a green line spiking rhythmically.
Aidan swallowed. He quickly closed the door behind them and put the presents – the pad and pencils – on to a chair.
The three friends edged nearer.
‘Robbie?’ Emmi whispered. She took hold of his hand. ‘Robbie. It’s me, Emmi.’
Robbie shifted in his sleep. He murmured fitfully, like he was having a bad dream, and Aidan saw his eyes flicker under their swollen lids.
Aidan took Robbie’s other hand. He decided it might not be the right moment to tell him anything about the museum being burnt to a crisp and his special treasure stolen. ‘This is Aidan, Robbie,’ he began uncertainly. ‘Er, I saw a card with your name in one of the cases … at the museum.’
The word was like some kind of magic trigger.
Robbie’s eyes snapped open. He looked at them with startled eyes that couldn’t seem to focus.
‘Robbie!’ Emmi exclaimed. ‘Thank goodness! We’ve been so worried.’ She clutched his hand. ‘What did you donate to the museum, Robbie? Can you tell us?’
Robbie levered himself up with a grunt, grimacing with pain. He was trying to tell them something, but his swollen mouth was making it too difficult for him to talk. He strained to reach the sketchbook on the chair.
Jon grabbed the pad and tore off the plastic, flipping to the first page and handing it over. ‘Here Robbie – take this, mate.’
Emmi prised the lid off the tin of pencils, pressing one into her cousin’s left hand.
Robbie began to draw.
Aidan saw his fingers shaking, but he was amazingly fast, the pencil almost a blur over the thick cartridge paper as he sketched.
The three of them drew in closer to watch, mesmerised.
Aidan saw a round shape appear on the page, then on it a horse … no, two horses. A pair of horses pulling a chariot, three figures riding inside.
The picture grew in intricacy; it was of an engraved band of some kind. What is it? Aidan asked himself. A piece of jewellery?
‘It looks like an arm bracelet,’ whispered Emmi. ‘It’s amazing.’
Footsteps sounded in the corridor outside and Aidan glanced worriedly at the door.
Robbie continued his drawing, adding detail to the other side of the bracelet. This time it wasn’t horses, but some other kind of animal …
<
br /> The footsteps were getting closer. Shoes squeaking.
‘Hurry!’ hissed Jon, all the colour drained from his face.
A sprinting shape with gem-like eyes materialised on the page.
‘A hare!’ said Emmi quickly. She clasped her hands together, mouth wide with astonishment. ‘But a hare – that’s the symbol of Boudicca!’
Excitement prickled through Aidan. ‘Where did you find it, Robbie?’ he asked urgently. He heard the beeping of Robbie’s heart monitor speed up. ‘Where?’
The footsteps were right outside the room. There were voices now as well. That tall male nurse who’d told them to stay away.
Robbie let go of the pad and pencil and gripped Aidan’s arm, making him cry out in surprise. The heart monitor beeped louder and faster.
‘Our secret …’ Robbie managed with his swollen mouth, his breathing all wheezy. His voice was strangely youthful sounding, as if it was a little boy speaking rather than the Robbie they knew.
‘Tree roots … like snakes …’
Robbie held Aidan’s arm even tighter. He sounded terrified.
‘Bones … through the gaps … Can’t take those bones!
‘Got to leave those kind of bones where you find them. Wouldn’t be right!’
Robbie’s eyelids fluttered as he struggled to keep them open. ‘Someone’s trapped me,’ he whimpered in that childlike voice. ‘Down here in the dark. Can’t … can’t get out!’
Aidan felt Robbie’s grip slacken. ‘Trapped where, Robbie? Where were you when you found the bracelet?’
The door handle was turning.
‘Where?’
The door was opening.
But Robbie had slumped back on the bed, his eyes closed.
The door swung wide with a whine. Jon gave a little yelp.
The nurse filled the doorway.
It took a few seconds for the man to register what he was seeing. First his face went a waxy white like his Crocs, then a stormy shade of red. His chest expanded alarmingly as he filled his lungs with air.
‘OUT!’ he bellowed. ‘OUT!’
‘Sorry!’
‘Sorry!’
‘Sorry!’
Aidan scooped the sketchpad off the bed and the three friends slipped round the nurse and tumbled out into the corridor, breaking into a run.
– CHAPTER 11 –
THE DISCOVERY
‘So much for Mr Pickersgill needs peace and quiet,’ mumbled Jon as he stood back on the little hill with the drone remote control.
‘We were breaking the rules,’ Emmi told him, as she and Aidan stared hard at the laptop screen. ‘What did you expect? We just need Robbie to get better. Oh you have to get better, Robbie!’
The sun was low in the sky, sending out weak light over the landscape. Dark clouds were gathered on the horizon, and a fresher wind had picked up.
‘Storm coming,’ muttered Aidan. He watched the buzzing drone flying in the distance with a tinge of anxiety.
He thought about the sketch. That horse-drawn chariot. That leaping hare.
A hare.
The symbol of Queen Boudicca.
‘We’ll find something this time,’ said Emmi determinedly. ‘The arm bracelet is the best proof we’ve had that Boudicca was at Carrus!’
‘Too right!’ Jon agreed.
‘It’s evidence that Boudicca was buried in this area, I’m sure it is,’ Emmi went on, ‘and that our legend in the Carrus chant is true – we so need to know where Robbie found it!’
‘Well there’s no way we’ll be allowed back into that hospital to ask him any time soon,’ said Jon. ‘We’ll have been banned from that place for life!
‘But why didn’t Robbie tell us about the bracelet sooner?’ he asked, adjusting a dial on the remote control. ‘That’s what I don’t get. Why the big secret when he knew how important it was?’
Emmi shrugged. ‘You know what Robbie’s like. Last-minute surprises are his style. And technically, it’s a torque,’ she added, matter-of-factly as she studied the drone’s-eye view on the screen. ‘That’s what you call that kind of arm bracelet. It would have been worn at the top of the arm.’
‘Those things Robbie told us,’ said Aidan, keeping his eyes fixed on the images that were being projected back. ‘Tree roots like snakes. Bones through the gaps – that was creepy. And about being trapped in the dark … what did he mean, do you think?’
Emmi shook her head. ‘Don’t know. He’s never said anything about that to me before. Mum and Dad have never mentioned anything either, but I don’t want to ask them – they’re worried sick as it is.’
She frowned. ‘It sounds like something happened to Robbie when he was younger; something that really scared him … Head south Jon; we’ve scanned that area already.’
Aidan glanced worriedly at his watch. Those grey storm clouds were moving closer. If it rained, any aerial patterns that were to be found in the dry landscape were going to get messed up.
‘Unusual coloured lines or shapes on the ground,’ recited Emmi. ‘Come on drone! Come on!’
‘Take her higher,’ Aidan said. ‘We need to check the fields by Miss Carter’s house.’
His phone gave a sharp beep and he pulled it out of his pocket to read the text.
From Dad.
His heart sank as he read the message:
Sorry Aidan. On train to city. Last minute issue with the new flat needs sorting. Back first thing tomorrow.
Arranged for you to stay at Emmi’s tonight.
Ring you later.
‘Tomorrow?’ Jon gave a whistle as Aidan told him and Emmi. ‘What if he’s not back in time for the chariot race? When Berryman sees you hitching up Firefly and not Centurion …’ He shook his head. ‘His reaction won’t be pretty.’
‘Don’t remind me,’ Aidan replied. Without Dad around to help him deal with Berryman … he felt sick just thinking about it. He tried to focus his mind on the job in hand.
‘Last area coming up,’ Emmi warned.
‘We are recording all this, aren’t we?’ asked Aidan.
‘It’ll all be there,’ said Jon, ‘stored in the laptop.’
Aidan stayed glued to the screen, willing something to appear.
‘Progress report?’ called Jon after a while.
Emmi shouted at the air in frustration. ‘Nothing! That’s five square kilometres we’ve surveyed now!’
‘The battery on the drone’s only got a few minutes of charge left,’ said Jon. ‘He shifted his thumbs on the controls. ‘I think we need to bring her back to base. Mission abort.’
‘No!’ Aidan protested as the drone came quickly towards them and hovered over their heads with an angry-sounding buzz. ‘Look at that sky – it’s bound to rain!’
‘You can’t stop now, Jon!’ agreed Emmi. ‘Any patterns there might be will get washed away. Send it out one last time,’ she insisted. ‘There’s still some power.’
‘And if she’s a hundred metres in the air when the battery gives up?’ said Jon. ‘You realise that’s goodbye drone, for good?’
‘Just one more time, Jon,’ begged Aidan. ‘Please!’
Jon gave a sigh, then turned back to the control box. ‘I don’t like to say it,’ he mumbled as the drone quickly gained height again, ‘but maybe there’s a simple reason why all the other aerial surveys around Carrus up to now have drawn a blank.’ He glanced at them. ‘It’s because there’s nothing to find.’
‘This is the biggest drought since records began,’ Emmi reminded him defiantly. ‘If there’s something to see, then it’s going to be now.’
‘Energy levels critical,’ Jon said grimly. ‘Back en route to target.’
The drone swept away from them over the landscape and Aidan stared hard at the shots projected back from its camera. The low sun sent the long shadows of trees towards them. Memories pulled at the back of his mind; a strange jumble of images and sounds.
He remembered other shadows; those shadows on the grass in the firelight as
the museum burned. That highpitched wail of dying horses … He saw Centurion lying injured in the meadow … remembered running and running through the woods for help.
Below the drone, a creature made a twilight dash across a field.
Aidan thought about the hare in the museum case and the woman’s face he’d seen overlaid on it. Those grey-green eyes looking straight at him. Her silent stare trying to tell him something …
And in that moment Aidan remembered.
He remembered where he’d seen that woman before.
‘Carrus Woods!’ he cried out, leaping up to grab Jon’s arm.
‘What?’ said Jon. The drone swerved dangerously and he gripped the box to bring it back under control. ‘The battery’s in the danger zone guys.’
‘We’ve not scanned Carrus Woods itself!’ Aidan’s heart hammered as the wild idea came to him.
‘But it’s all trees,’ said Emmi. ‘If the tomb’s in there, we’ll never have a chance to see any markings on the ground and –’
‘It’s not all dense trees though, is it?’ Aidan persisted.
There was no time to tell them about the woman in the clearing who’d disappeared when he got close to her; how it had been her face he’d seen in the museum case as he’d followed the will-o’-the-wisps. All he knew was he was caught up in something he had to be part of now.
‘Out of time, guys,’ said Jon through gritted teeth. ‘I’ve got to bring the drone down right now.’
‘Sweep the woods, Jon!’ cried Aidan.
Emmi caught Aidan’s excitement. ‘Pass over the woods, Jon – that’s an order!’
Jon gave a deep sigh. ‘Commence suicide mission,’ he muttered.
Aidan glanced at the drone as it moved sluggishly out over the trees. The laptop screen filled with branches and leaves. And then …
‘Houston, we have a problem! I’ve a red flashing light, guys,’ said Jon. ‘I won’t be able to land her in that lot. Please tell me you see something!’
The drone wavered. There was a chugging, spitting sound as it dipped dangerously low towards the canopy.