by Colin Garrow
'What is it?' There was a hint of alarm in Suzi's voice, as if she already knew the answer to her question.
'Give me a hand,' I said, scraping away the remaining moss and weeds from the top of the wrought iron sign.
Stepping back, I shone the torch along the wording. 'That doesn't make sense. How can...?'
There was no getting away from it - the lettering was rusted and worn, but the name was clear: Devilgate Drive.
What was less clear was why the arrow etched on the end of the sign pointed not to where the street would have been, but down, towards the ground.
'Could be wonky?'
I looked at Suzi and shook my head. 'The sign's level. But the arrow isn't. According to that, Devilgate Drive is underneath the graveyard.'
Suzi stood with hands on hips, shaking her head. 'It can't be. It just can't.'
'But why would the sign point downwards?'
She pulled her coat around herself and fastened the buttons. 'I think we should go.'
The wind had picked up and was doing a good job of making scary sound effects, howling across the cemetery. The sky was much darker too, as if it had suddenly dropped on us like a huge black blanket, making the whole place appear very different.
'Yeah, maybe you're right.' I took her hand and made to move back to the central path, but Suzi was standing stock still, staring straight ahead.
Following her gaze I could see nothing but darkness, trees and more darkness. 'What?' It came out sounding husky.
'There's someone there, near the wall.' Her voice was so quiet, for about half a second I thought Suzi was taking the Mickey, but then I saw what she was looking at. Between two large and particularly wonky gravestones a few yards from where we stood, was the shape of a man.
Ten
Whatever this man wanted, I wasn't interested. Grabbing Suzi's hand, I ran, dragging her along behind me. We hit the main path and pelted towards one of the narrower paths that crossed it. Veering right, I could see the wall in front of me. If we could get there before whoever was after us, we might have a chance.
'I...can...hear...him,' hissed Suzi in my ear, her voice a series of grunts. 'He's...'
'I know!' Reaching the wall, I grabbed hold of her waist, hoisting her upwards like a rag doll and pushing her onto and over the wall. A second later, I was astride the top, the rough stone digging into my thighs. Peering through the gloom, I caught sight of our pursuer. He was still a few yards behind and struggling to keep up. Swinging my leg over, I dropped down onto the other side, where Suzi was waiting, eyes wide and panting.
'Quick,' she yelled. I needed no encouragement and we ran across the street and into Lonely Walk Road, where at least some of the streetlights were working.
Halfway along, we stopped and looked back. There was no sign of the man, or anyone else for that matter.
'Think we lost him.' I straightened up, still breathing hard.
Suzi grabbed my arm. 'Wait - what's that?' She was staring down the lane, her head inclined to one side, listening.
There was a grinding of gears and the twin headlights of a car came tearing around the corner. The vehicle accelerated rapidly, veering towards the pavement as if the driver was drunk - or trying to mow us down.
'In here,' I said, pulling Suzi into the nearest garden. We hurtled up the path and were almost at the front door before I realised it was Jimmy Brick's house. 'Oh, cripes.'
'This way,' said Suzi, running around the corner of the house. I pelted after her, across the back garden and up the slope to the railway line. At the top we scrambled through the weeds and up onto the tracks.
I pointed to the right. 'The bridge.' Suzi nodded and we ran along the edge of the line towards the railway bridge. I could feel a pain in my side but knew we had to keep going. If we could get to the bridge, we could climb down onto the wooden joists that extended along the floor right through the insides of the structure. No grown-up in their right mind would follow us.
Feeling in my pocket for the torch, I realised with horror that it was gone. I skidded to a halt and frantically searched my pockets, but it was useless.
'Come on,' shouted Suzi. I caught up after her, cursing my stupidity.
Ahead, I could see the black outline of the railway bridge against the sky. Once we made it onto the bridge itself, it was only twenty yards or so to the hatch that led to the interior. Course, I'd only ever done this in daytime before, and without my torch we might easily miss our footing and fall straight down into the river below. I decided not to think about it.
As we ran onto the bridge, I became aware of how precarious our escape was - and how dangerous. There was only one railway track across the river so the bridge was barely three yards wide, a fact that didn't matter during daylight hours, but in the dark it was impossible to see exactly where the handrail was. Then I remembered something else. The handrail wasn't there anymore - the railway workers we'd seen the other night had been in the process of replacing it. After removing the old rusted one, they hadn't got around to fitting the new one.
Feet sliding on the gravel, I stumbled to a halt, my head filled with visions of the pair of us flying straight over the side of the bridge and plummeting into the cold dark river fifty feet below. 'Wait!' I shouted.
Suzi collided into me. 'What now?'
Looking back down the track, I watched for any sign of our pursuer. For a moment, I thought he'd given up, but then a shape emerged from the bushes and began running along the line towards us.
'Come on, but be careful.' Holding onto Suzi, I walked as slowly as I dared along the middle of the track til we got to the hatchway. It was open. Crouching down beside it, I pointed into the hatch. 'Get down the ladder, but when you reach the bottom, don't move.'
She nodded and slid over the side. Glancing back, I saw the man had made it to the edge of the bridge. We didn't have much time. Sliding myself over the ledge, I fumbled for the ladder, struggling to get a foothold on the top rung. Then clambering down, I thumped onto the planking at the bottom. Suzi was waiting, hanging onto the ladder.
'Straight ahead?' she asked, gazing at the black metal panels that now surrounded us.
'Right,' I said, taking her hand. 'Walk exactly where I walk and don't look down.' I started forward along the first section of walkway. We were in a steel tunnel that ran the whole length of the bridge. Every fifteen or so feet was a sort of junction where the main supports where located. Each one had an opening that led into the joining bit, then another opening into the next long section. With only three thick planks running down the centre of each section, we'd have to take the greatest care, because on either side there was nothing - just fresh air. If either of us lost our footing, we'd drop straight through into the river.
'I can't see,' whispered Suzi, a shudder in her voice.
'Don't worry, 'I said. 'I won't let you fall. Just stay exactly behind me.'
As my eyes adapted to the darkness, I could make out the outline of the planking.
Moving forward, I stretched one hand out to the side so I could feel where we were in the tunnel. As long as we stayed in the middle, we'd be fine.
It took a minute to negotiate the first of the junctions, but as we stepped out onto the next section, I told Suzi to stop. Turning round carefully, I peered back through the tunnel. For a moment, there was no sound, just the wind howling through the girders. Then there was a thump. And another. Then a thumpety-thump.
Suzi squeezed my hand. 'Is that what I think it is?'
I nodded. 'A train.' I pushed her gently towards the junction we'd just come through and guided her hand to one of the metal supports. 'Hold on to this.'
'Why?'
I coughed and strived to keep my voice steady. 'The bridge shakes when trains go over.'
Her eyes went like saucers. 'You mean it could shake us out?'
'No, it's just a precaution.' I was glad she couldn't see the doubt in my face.
The thumpety-thumps were getting closer and louder. The tim
bers beneath our feet began to shudder. Then the whole bridge juddered, the weight of the steam engine above us shaking the structure as if it were a baby's rattle. I held onto Suzi with one hand and the bridge with the other. The pounding above our heads was deafening. The planks shuddered so much my feet were moving by themselves! Any minute now they might slide off and we'd both drop off the bridge like a dog shaking out flies.
Closing my eyes, I willed the train to complete its journey. It seemed an age before the noise began to abate. The vibrations gradually subsided and the thumpety-thumps diminished, like one of my Manic Sabbath records playing to fade. A few seconds later, all was silent again.
'Is this what you call a good night out?' said Suzi.
We looked at each other and laughed.
And then I heard it - footsteps.
'Oh, I don't believe it - he's still there.' Taking her hand, I resumed our escape through the bridge, this time moving faster.
We negotiated our way through the remaining nine sections of the bridge, panting heavily, until the second ladder was just in front of us. If we could get back up onto the track there was a chance we'd be able to fasten the exit hatch so whoever was tailing us would be trapped underneath.
Scrambling upwards, I heaved myself out onto the railway line, then reaching down, helped Suzi up. As soon as she was clear, I pushed the cover back over the hole. Feeling my way around the edge, I let out a low moan. There was no lock - just a simple clasp that slotted over a metal loop.
'Find a bit of wood, metal, anything...' But it was too dark to see and I could already hear the thud of footsteps below us.
Jumping up, we ran towards the end of the bridge and scrambled down the grassy bank. A rough footpath led down to the riverside, but it would've been too obvious to follow it, so we pushed our way into some bushes near the path.
Seconds later, a brawny figure appeared at the side of the track and half ran, half slid down the gravelly trail, past our hiding place.
I counted to ten before checking to see if he'd gone. Sure enough, the man was standing at the riverside underneath the bridge, looking this way and that. Turning right would take him towards the wider part of the river where it opened out into the bay. The other way led back to town. After a moment, he headed off in the direction of the old footbridge that would take him back up towards Haggerty's Park.
'Has he gone?' said Suzi, peering over my shoulder.
'Yes, but I think we should follow him.'
Her mouth dropped open. 'You're joking? What the heck for?'
'To find out who he is, obviously.'
Holding out her hand, she looked at her watch, waving it this way and that to catch the light. 'I dunno - it's well after five now. We should get home.'
She was right, but I didn't want to give up the chance of discovering who our pursuer was. 'Okay, but let's follow him back over the river, and see which way he goes.'
Suzi agreed, so long as we kept our distance.
At the bottom of the path, we hurried along the side of the river, taking care to stay in the shadows of the trees by the riverbank. I could see the outline of the footbridge in the distance. The path curved around in a sort of S shape, so for a few seconds the man was out of sight. But he'd soon reach the footbridge and in doing so, would have to walk underneath the lamps that stood like sentries at either end. With any luck, we'd get a look at his face.
As we drew nearer, the man emerged out of the darkness. As he passed under the first lamp, he pulled his hat further down over his face, making it impossible to even guess at his features.
We waited in the shadows until he reached the other side. Again, he was careful to avoid the light and slipped away towards the main road.
'He's going the other way.'
I nodded, knowing we'd never be able to follow him on the road because of the streetlights. He'd be sure to spot us. 'Never mind, it was worth a try.'
We crossed the bridge and set off across the waste ground that would take us back to Lonely Walk Road.
At the junction of Scarecrow Street, we hurried past The Stabb Inn and then across into Lonely Walk Road. It was as we passed Jimmy Brick's garden gate that I remembered the car.
Grabbing Suzi's arm, I stopped abruptly.
Suzi turned towards me, and as she did so, the black sedan parked across the road flashed its headlights on and a dark figure climbed out of the driver's side door.
'Run!' I shouted, but we were too late. The man who'd come up behind us grabbed our arms and twisted them behind our backs as if he did this sort of thing all the time.
Without a word, we were bundled into the back of the car and pushed onto the floor, where strong hands held us down. The engine roared into life and the car hurtled away.
Eleven
Suzi's face was next to mine and I could feel her breath on my cheek. She was breathing in short panicky bursts and I knew she was really scared.
'Don't worry,' I whispered, 'it'll be fine.'
Something hit the back of my head and a voice rasped out, 'Shut your face, kid, or you'll get it.'
I needed to concentrate on something to take my mind off how frightened I was. What would Dick Barton do in this situation? Of course - it was obvious. Focusing on the movement of the car I realised we had turned right at the end of Lonely Walk Road and then a sharp left. That had to be Bloodletter's Lane, which went round in a semicircle and came out near the brickworks. If we then turned right we'd be heading back into town and it would be easy to work out where we were going, but if we went the other way, along the maze of lanes that crisscrossed the old fishermen's cottages near the bay, it'd be much more difficult.
As it turned out, it didn't matter either way. As the car hurtled along Bloodletter's Lane, I noticed an odd, chemical smell. A moment later, someone clamped a wet cloth over my face. Struggling against the fumes, I tried to shake the hand away but it was no use. I remember being aware of the car turning left, then everything went black.
Something poked me in the ribs. I blinked and tried to lift my head.
'Jeff,' hissed a familiar voice.
Forcing my eyes open, I tried to turn towards her, but something held my arms fast. 'What...?'
'Jeff.' Suzi's voice was low, close to my ear.
Sitting up, I forced my eyelids open. Directly in front of me was an open door and a reddish glow that seemed to be coming from another room. 'Where are we?'
Suzi looked remarkably cheerful. She gave a shrug, or as much of one as she could manage in her captive state. We were tied to two chairs that had thoughtfully been placed next to each other.
'What happened?' I said.
'Chloroform, I expect,' said Suzi, keeping one eye on the open door. 'They obviously didn't want us to see where we were going.' She twisted towards me. 'You okay?'
I nodded and took a minute to study our surroundings. Apart from the chairs and a pile of rubbish in one corner, the room was empty. There were no carpets and the walls were bare, the plaster cracked and falling away in places. There was a smell too - like mould or wet wool.
The doorway opposite my chair led into a passage, which looked equally neglected, but I couldn't see anything of the room beyond. A man's voice was saying something about the time, then another voice replied, but too quietly to hear what they were saying.
'How long you been awake?' I said.
'A few minutes, that's all.' She bit her lip and a crease slid along her forehead. 'I think they're waiting for someone.'
I swallowed hard. 'What sort of someone?'
'Dunno. But I heard one of them say He'll be angry with us.' She licked her lips. 'Thing is, the one that said that...he sounded scared.'
'Scared of what?'
'Well, not us, obviously.'
I looked around the room again. 'We have to escape.'
'There's something else,' she said. 'Listen.'
I turned my head, trying to pick up whatever it was she'd heard. Our captors were still talking in low tones next door
, but there was nothing else. Then I heard it, so faintly I wondered if I imagined it. Moving my head slowly to try and home in on the sound...there! A low shmmaar...shmmaar... 'The sea?'
She nodded. 'But it's a long way off, maybe half a mile.'
I digested this information. 'So we could be in one of the old fishermen's cottages?'
'No, they're right on the shore. Must be further back.' She made a tutting noise. 'Course, we could be fifty miles away from Skeleton Cove, so...'
She was right. Being near the sea didn't mean we were anywhere near home.
Looking down at my bonds, I surveyed the way the ropes were wrapped around us. Like Suzi's, my feet had been tied together and lashed to the chair legs. My hands too were tightly bound. But my chest and arms suggested a possible escape - the ropes used were really long and our captors had simply wound them round and round our chests, binding us to the backs of our chairs.
Leaning forward as far as possible (about an inch), I tested the bonds for leeway. There was some give in them, though not much. Pushing back, I jiggled around. Without being able to see how my hands were tied, I couldn't be sure, but it felt as if they weren't fastened to the chair. Pushing backwards and upwards, I endeavoured to stand up. Amazingly, the ropes slid upwards and away from the chair.
Suzi's eyes went wide. 'Wow - how'd you do that?'
I was now half-standing, half-sitting, with the middle part of my back level with the top of the chair. What I really needed was my prized knife, but being a sensible person (yeah, right), I'd left it at Suzi's house. So, what else could I use to loosen the ropes?