The Sequin Star
Page 18
‘But they may have crept out while you were asleep,’ Claire suggested. ‘They wouldn’t wake you up to advertise the fact that they were about to be involved in a kidnapping.’
‘Well, if you’ve quite finished scooping elephant droppings,’ Rosina said, ‘why don’t we go and have a good look around? It’s obvious the only way we are going to learn anything is by getting inside that department store.’
Claire, Rosina and Jem checked the perimeter of the building again, Jem pushing the wheelbarrow along as though they were doing chores. After their reconnaissance they gathered in the bears’ cage, which had a raised view towards the back of the department store, to make plans. Jem and Claire swept the floor while Rosina changed the bears’ water. The baby bear ambled over to Rosina and wrestled her, licking her on the ear.
‘The lower floor is well secured,’ Jem said, leaning on his broom as he surveyed the building. ‘But we might have a better chance if we could somehow climb up to the second-storey windows at the back. There’s one there on the south corner that is partly open.’
‘It’s a sheer wall,’ Rosina added, tickling the bear on the tummy. ‘If we could secure a rope up on the second storey, we might be able to climb up there.’
‘If they have Kit imprisoned in the building somewhere, surely they’d have someone guarding him,’ Claire said. ‘They might have guns. It could be dangerous.’
‘Then we would need to be quiet and careful,’ Rosina added. ‘And prepared.’
‘The best time to break into the building would be at night,’ Jem said.
‘We should keep a watch on the building to see if anyone goes in or out,’ Claire suggested. ‘Presumably they’d need to take food and water for anybody in the building, or swap over guard duties.’
‘Frank and Roy could be watching the department store to make sure no one goes near it,’ Rosina said.
‘Then we need to keep an eye on them as well,’ Jem replied.
They spent the day fine-tuning a plan, gathering equipment they thought they might need and watching the building. The three took it in turns to watch the front entrance and keep an eye on Frank and Roy as they went about their menagerie work.
During the circus performance that night, Claire was on watch from the park across the road while Rosina and Jem worked, and Frank and Roy were busy helping with the animals. Claire wore dark jodhpurs, a dark shirt, boots, a long black coat and hat to help camouflage her in the darkness.
At about eight-thirty she saw a man walking from the circus lot carrying a bag. He kept to the shadows and looked around, as though checking for passers-by. Claire eased herself further back into the shadows. Could it be Frank or Roy coming from the lot?
The man went to the front door of the department store, unlocked it and slipped inside. Claire waited a few moments then hurried over the road and carefully tried the same door. It was locked. She went back to her hiding spot and waited.
About twenty minutes later the man emerged without the bag. He moved quickly away from the building, heading back towards the circus lot. Claire hesitated, not sure what to do. She waited a couple of minutes, to leave a gap so she wouldn’t be discovered, then crept after him. For a few brief minutes she kept him in sight as he ducked between the tents – then at nine o’clock the performance was over. Crowds of people spilled out onto the midway and the road, talking and laughing about the show. The shadowy man disappeared into the throng. Claire nearly wept with frustration.
She slipped back to Rosina’s caravan to meet the others. Jem and Rosina had already changed out of their costumes and into dark clothes. Claire explained what she had seen.
‘That man is somewhere on this lot,’ said Claire, ‘but we don’t know if someone else is in the building, on guard.’
‘I still think we should strike now,’ Jem replied. ‘All the crowds and noise will provide a distraction. The only way we can learn any more is to break inside that department store and see if Kit is there.’
‘So let’s go,’ Rosina urged. She picked up a bag, already packed with items they thought would be useful – tools, torches, rope, a stockwhip and Jem’s throwing knives.
Claire led the way, creeping through the circus lot towards the elephant enclosure, near the back of the department store. Lula rode on Rosina’s shoulder. Rosina rubbed Elsie on the trunk.
‘Come on, girl,’ Rosina whispered. ‘Time for a little night-time adventure.’
Elsie trumpeted her curiosity and lumbered along next to Rosina, swinging her trunk. Jaspar trotted along beside Jem.
Rosina tied Elsie to a picket stake that Jem had hammered into the ground near the back corner of the building earlier in the day.
‘Let’s hope this works,’ Claire whispered, looking up nervously at the dark building above.
‘Why don’t I give Elsie the orders from down here?’ Rosina suggested. ‘Jem can go up first and tie the rope to help us up, then Claire can go second.’
Claire nodded, her mouth dry with nerves. Jem wound a long length of rope around his waist. In a low voice he ordered Jaspar to stay. At Rosina’s command, Elsie hoisted him up onto her broad shoulders.
‘Hup, girl,’ Rosina ordered. Elsie lifted herself onto her hind legs, leaning her forelegs against the brick side wall. ‘Steady.’
Jem was now just a metre from the partly opened window. Elsie lifted him with her trunk around the corner so he was level with the window. Jem scrabbled onto the window ledge and clung on as he tried to push open the window. It was stuck fast.
Elsie lowered herself to the ground again. Claire hardly dared to breathe as she watched Jem hanging so far above the ground. She leant against Elsie’s thick hide and breathed in the elephant’s calming smell of hay and oil.
Jem squirmed around on the narrow ledge, trying to get a safe purchase. After several attempts to shove open the window, he tried to squeeze through the narrow gap. Slowly, he wriggled his head through on its side.
Claire closed her eyes, too scared to watch. She opened them again, too scared to keep them closed. Jem wriggled and squirmed until he had first one arm then the other – then his whole body – through the aperture and into the room. He slipped through the crack only to reappear a moment later, waving.
‘Phew,’ Claire whispered to Rosina. ‘How on earth did he manage to squeeze through that tiny space?’
‘I’d say he’s been learning tricks from Kali, the contortionist,’ Rosina whispered back.
Standing up inside, Jem was able to get enough leverage to force the window open. It made a loud screech as it flung up. Claire and Rosina froze. Jem unwound the rope from his waist and disappeared for a few moments to tie it to something firm.
He reappeared with a thumbs-up gesture and threw the rope towards Rosina. The rope missed and swung back, but Lula came to the rescue, jumping out to grab it then swinging back to Rosina.
It was now Claire’s turn. She tied the end of the rope around her waist as a safety line in case she fell. Then Elsie lifted her gently with her trunk, placing Claire first on top of her shoulders. At a whispered command from Rosina, Elsie reared up on her hind legs, then lifted Claire even higher towards the window. Claire could feel her heart thudding in her chest as she was carried through the air.
Her legs dangled into darkness as she was passed over the fence, over the yard and up to the window ledge. Claire clung onto the rope to make her feel safer. Jem’s hands reached out the window to help hoist her in.
Claire breathed out slowly as her feet touched the floor. Jem put his finger to his lips to remind her to be silent.
A moment later Rosina handed the bag through the window, then shimmied through herself, followed by Lula.
Claire glanced around. It was difficult to see, but they appeared to be in a small back room lined with empty shelves, probably an old storage room. A door led into a large, open space.
The second floor was largely one area. Filtered streetlight from outside shone through the front windows, helping them make out empty shelves and hanging racks. A number of mannequins were stacked against one wall.
The three spread out and moved cautiously, checking to see if they could find anything suspicious. There was no sign of anyone. On the north wall, a staircase ran up and down. Light spilled from above, together with the sound of the radio.
Jem pointed down the stairs, indicating that they should search the ground floor before going any further. The girls followed. Claire desperately hoped none of the stairs would creak.
Downstairs was pitch black because of the shuttered windows. They listened carefully. From the street they could hear the sounds of people continuing to disperse from the circus. Overexcited children shrieked and chased one another; parents laughed and chattered.
With their arms out to feel for obstacles, they slowly crept forward through the darkness, away from the stairs. Jem risked flashing his torch on. The lower level was similar to the first floor, consisting of a large, open area divided into different sections by counters and shelving. The only thing they discovered was a pile of packing crates stacked by the back door. Rosina carefully tried the handle on the front door. It was firmly locked. There was no way out.
They retraced their footsteps towards the stairs. Jem switched the torch off and they stood still, allowing their eyes to readjust to the low light. Then they crept upstairs, towards the trickling light and the sound of the muted radio.
Near the top of the stairs they paused and peered from floor level to examine the layout. The top floor had a sizeable display area, but it also had a number of offices and storerooms across the back of the building. In front of one of these offices was a desk with a lamp and a wireless, which was playing jazz music. Lying on the desk was a thermos, a coffee cup and a revolver. Sitting in a chair facing the back wall of offices was a man wearing a flat cap, shirt and braces, reading a newspaper.
Claire shrank back against the wall. She looked around carefully. Most of the office doors were standing open, except for the door closest to the desk. It was about ten metres from the top of the stairs and had a key fitted in the lock. That must be where Kit was being held.
Rosina signalled with her hands. She took a chunk of apple from her pocket, where she always kept her animal treats. She showed the treat to Lula then threw it across the room. Lula scampered across the floor after the missile. The three children ducked.
‘What the heck?’ said the man, jumping out of his chair and chasing after the monkey. While the man’s back was turned, the three children raced forward.
Jem darted after Lula then threw himself into a series of cartwheels and somersaults. The man watched, open-mouthed in confusion, as Jem’s body spun over and over. He gathered his wits and dived back towards the desk for the revolver.
Rosina ran forward and flicked her stockwhip. The leather lash snaked through the air, striking the revolver on the desk and sending it spinning across the floor, away from the locked door. Rosina and the man raced for the gun. Jem chased after them both, his slight frame sprinting faster than the older, heavier man.
While the guard was focused on the gun, Claire dashed for the locked door, clutching one of Jem’s throwing knives in her right fist. Her heart pounded with fear. Her legs and arms pumped – it was a race for their lives! She thumped into the door, turned the key in the lock and flung it open. From the corner of her eye she saw Jem leap for the man’s legs, crash tackling him to the ground. The man fell heavily, with Jem on top.
Claire stumbled through the door.
18
Rescue
The office was in darkness. Claire switched on her torch, her breath ragged. Stacked against the wall were numerous paintings and crates, and in the corner was a pile of blankets. The blankets moved as Claire came in. A head stuck up. It was Kit, his mouth gagged.
Claire ran to him. ‘Kit, Kit, are you all right?’ she cried. Kit nodded, struggling to sit up.
The blanket fell away to reveal Kit’s hands tied behind his back. Claire knelt behind him and fumbled with the knots to untie the gag. Her fingers refused to work. Hurry, hurry, she told herself.
Muffled sounds of struggle came through the open door. What was happening? Did Jem manage to keep the guard down? Did Rosina pick up the revolver? Or are they both now prisoners themselves?
The gag finally fell free. Kit gulped in deep breaths of air.
‘Claire.’ Kit’s voice was raspy. ‘What are you doing here? How did you find me?’
She took the throwing knife and began sawing at the ropes that bound his hands and arms. ‘We’re here to rescue you. Rosina and Jem are here too. Even Lula.’
Kit rubbed his arms to restore the circulation. Claire crawled around and began to free his legs.
‘Can you walk?’ Claire whispered. ‘We need to get out of here.’
‘I think so,’ Kit replied, struggling to his feet.
Claire examined him in the light of her torch. There were bloodstains down his white shirt front, from what looked like a bleeding nose. His face was scratched and covered in more dried blood. Dark circles surrounded his sunken eyes. He stumbled, his legs numb from being tied up for so long. Claire took his arm and helped him hobble to the doorway.
She peered around the doorjamb to find the guard still lying on the floor. Rosina stood over him, stockwhip coiled, ready to strike. Jem stood on the other side, pointing the revolver at their prisoner. Lula jumped up and down on the guard’s chest, her fangs bared, screeching wildly.
Claire looked at the man’s face. It was Larry the chauffeur.
‘Larry,’ she gasped. ‘You’re the kidnapper.’
‘Get this rotten monkey off me,’ Larry begged.
‘Kit, are you hurt?’ Rosina cried.
‘I’m fine,’ Kit replied, smiling warmly. Then he turned and glared at Larry. ‘No thanks to you. How could you do such a thing?’
Larry squirmed on the floor.
‘Father took you in when your dad died and gave you a job and somewhere to live,’ said Kit. ‘And this is how you repay him?’
Larry glared at Kit. ‘My father died when a stack of crates fell on him in your father’s warehouse. Mr Hunter’s idea of helping his dead employee’s family was to give me a job that pays a pittance and leave my mother scrubbing floors to feed her children. All the while your father sits in his fancy house counting all his money, and you swan around playing at being Prince Charming.’
Kit flushed. ‘My father . . . I didn’t know. I’m sorry, Larry.’
Jem snorted. ‘Yes – we all have tough-luck stories. But we don’t go around robbing and kidnapping people.’
Claire looked anxiously at the top of the stairs, wondering if Larry’s accomplice in the circus might be on his way. ‘We know you have a helper in the circus. Is it Frank or Roy?’
Larry turned his face away. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Well, whoever it is, they could be coming back at any moment,’ Rosina reminded them. ‘We need to get out of here and get Kit to safety.’
Rosina chittered to Lula and the monkey bounded back to her usual perch on her shoulder.
‘I think this knucklehead could do with a taste of his own nasty medicine,’ Jem proposed, nudging Larry with his boot.
‘Shall we lock him in the office?’ asked Claire.
‘Sterling idea,’ Kit replied.
‘But we need to hurry,’ Claire urged.
As Jem started to tie Larry up they heard a faint noise from below. They decided to simply lock Larry in the office and
run, leaving the revolver on the table.
The four friends tiptoed down the stairs to the first floor. Jem had to help Kit, who was stumbling and light-headed. As they reached the landing they heard hurried footsteps approaching. Jem gestured for them to race back to the storeroom they had first entered. A torch shone in the darkness below, its beam faintly reflected up the stairwell.
As they reached the door to the storeroom, there was a noise from directly behind. Claire swung around just as a man appeared, torch in hand, at the top of the stairs. Recognition dawned on both of them at the same time.
It was Manfred the Magnificent.
‘Run,’ screamed Claire. ‘It’s Manfred.’
Manfred darted towards them, his face twisted with rage. As he ran, he drew his arm back, took aim and threw something. A flash of silver whizzed through the air. Claire swerved just as a razor-sharp dagger flew past her head and buried itself in the timber architrave around the doorway. Claire stumbled through the door right behind Jem and Kit.
‘He tried to kill me,’ gasped Claire.
Rosina slammed the door shut behind her, and Kit helped her hold it firm. Manfred thudded into the closed door.
‘Claire, help me drag this over,’ Jem said. The two of them heaved and puffed as they manoeuvred a desk over to jam the door shut. Manfred pounded against the door, making the desk shudder. Jem and Claire pushed all their weight against the desk, holding it fast.
‘Get out the window,’ ordered Jem, gesturing at Rosina. ‘We won’t be able to hold him off for long.’
‘Kit first,’ Rosina said, her arms crossed.
‘I’m not going until the girls are safe,’ Kit replied.
A loud crash came from the other side of the door as though Manfred had thrown something heavy against it. The desk juddered.
‘Just go!’ shrieked Claire, pushing Rosina towards the window. Rosina scrambled over the ledge and, hand over hand, slithered down the rope to the yard below. Lula followed quickly.
There was now only silence from the other side of the door, as though Manfred had given up. To Claire, the silence was more ominous. What is he up to? she thought as she leant out the window to make sure Rosina had made it safely to the ground.