Sally stares through the window, mug of tea clutched to her chest, feeling the warmth through her red corduroy shirt. Shame it can’t penetrate all the way to her heart.
Red cord shirt, new Markie’s jeans, hair brushed, make-up on. Making the effort for Raymond.
He tears another chunk off his croissant and nods at the patio doors. ‘Do you want me to go check on her?’
Sally puts her mug down. ‘No. No, I’ll go. Becky will be hungry.’ OK: a bowl from the cupboard and the Coco Pops. She stops on the way past the fridge for the semi-skimmed milk, and heads for the patio doors.
Raymond holds up a hand. ‘Aren’t you forgetting something?’ Then points to the baseball cap, wig, and sunglasses sitting by the toaster. ‘Don’t want her recognising you.’
Heat blooms in Sally’s cheeks. ‘No. Sorry. Yes.’ She puts on her disguise, slips on her old brown hoodie and pulls up the hood. Slides open the door and steps out into the sunshine.
The rabbits scatter as she picks her way through the wet grass towards the shed, breathing in that heady scent the world has after the rain. Tristan scrabbles at the end of his run, making little yowling noises, wanting out to chase the rabbits. Not that he ever catches any — he’s far too big and slow for that, great hairy lug that he is.
Maybe they should take him to Bennachie this afternoon for a walk up Mither Tap? He’ll like that. Or out to the beach. Or over to the Bin forest... Anywhere but the woods at the back of the house.
A small shudder runs down Sally’s spine and she looks away from the greedy trees, tucks the Coco Pops under her arm so she’s got a hand free, unlocks the shed door, and steps inside.
Lee adjusted his mask, removed the padlock, slid back the bolt, and stepped into the garage. ‘Teddy Bears and Elephants’ bounced out of the speakers, jolly and cheery, raising the spirits.
‘Go up the stairs, you sleepy bears, it’s time to brush your teeth,
Then climb into your cosy beds and snuggle underneath...’
Sobbing came from one of the crates — high pitched and painful. Poor old Lucy Hawkins. She was only three.
Maybe it was time to give the garage another coat of paint? It was getting kind of gloomy in here. That might help?
He placed his tray on the workbench and clapped his hands, voice a touch muffled by the mask, but it was safer for everyone this way. What the children didn’t know, wouldn’t get them killed. ‘How are we all this morning then, did we sleep well? Did we?’
And right away Lucy stopped sobbing. Good girl.
He took the clingfilm off the sandwiches — well, rolls really — and opened the twelve pack of little water bottles. Humming along with the music as he unbolted Stephen MacGuire’s crate.
‘Hey, Champ.’ Lee undid the gag and handed over one egg mayonnaise with salad. Then one ham, cheese, and coleslaw, and two bottles of water. ‘You get those down you.’
He opened the next crate. ‘Here you go, Vernon, got to keep your strength up.’
Poor old Vernon. But maybe he’d get lucky this time?
He thumped the crate lid shut again, slid the bolt home, and moved on to the next one. ‘Lucy! Who wants lovely sandwiches for breakfast?’
Of course she did, and soon as he had her gag off she was wolfing them down like the tiny trouper she was.
Ellie Morton next.
He opened the crate and Ellie blinked up at him with red-rimmed eyes.
‘Good morning, Princess. Egg mayonnaise, your favourite! I even put some cress in there, specially for you.’ He smiled at her — not that she could see it, because of the mask, but she’d hear it in his voice and that’d be nice for her. ‘You’ll be happy to know that even though some other kid’s gone missing, the police are still looking for you. Yes, they are. Yes, they are!’
Ellie shrank away from him, till her back pressed against the crate’s wall. Well, it was all a big change for her. Things would get better when she had a more permanent home. More settled.
He placed the sandwiches and water in her crate.
‘Don’t worry: I know this Rebecca Oliver’s getting a bit of coverage, but you’re still in all the papers and that makes you worth a lot more money. Isn’t that nice?’
He unbuckled Ellie’s gag as the song tinkled to an end, then started up again.
‘Teddy bears and elephants went up the stairs to bed,
They’d had a lovely dinner of tomato soup and bread,’
She snatched up the egg mayonnaise and tore into it, leaving a white smile imprinted on her cheeks as she glowered and chewed.
‘That’s the spirit. Now you eat them all up. Going to be a big day tomorrow!’
‘Good morning, sweetheart, did you sleep well?’ Sally squats down in front of her little guest and has a bash at a reassuring smile as she lays the cereal bowl on the wooden floor between them.
Becky’s face is grimy with dirt, smeared with dried tears. She sits on top of the sleeping bag, clutching Mr Bibble-Bobble tight. Somehow, she’s managed to wriggle out of her gag, but that’s OK. She can shout as loud as she likes, the only one who’ll hear her is Tristan. And at least her hands are still tied together.
‘You like Coco Pops, don’t you, Becky? Course you do.’ She opens the box and pours a generous portion into the bowl. Then adds milk. ‘Everyone likes Coco Pops.’ Holding the bowl out as the semi-skimmed darkens. ‘Here you go, sweetheart.’
Becky shuffles backwards until she’s up against the shed wall, her chain rattling.
‘Shhh... It’s OK, it’s OK. Look,’ Sally scoops up a spoonful and swallows it down. ‘See? Mmmm, it’s yummy. Do you want some, Becky? I bet you’re really hungry and—’
‘RAAAAARGH!’ Becky’s arms flash forwards, something shiny whipping out at the end of them.
It’s the chain, the chain isn’t—
The bracket on the end clatters into Sally’s temple, sending her sunglasses flying as she crashes sideways against the shed floor. Hot orange noise blares inside her head, followed by an avalanche of gravel and nails. The cereal bowl bounces off the boards beside her, spraying out its brown goop.
‘Gnnnn...’
Becky springs to her feet, gathers up the chain, grabs her new teddy, and leaps over Sally — trainers thumping on the shed floor as she lands. ‘Only Daddy calls me Becky, you stupid tit!’ Then the shed door bangs open and she’s gone.
Becca slid to a stop on the soggy grass. It was a garden. A big garden, with swings and a slide and things for climbing on. A big hedge with loads of trees on the other side. A big burned thing. A house...
A man inside stared out at her, eyes getting bigger and bigger as his mouth fell open. Surprise, you tit, Super Becca was free!
She tucked Teddy Orgalorg under her arm — not easy with both wrists tied together — and stuck her middle fingers up at the man — like Daddy did every time Question Time came on the telly — turned and ran.
24
Becca leaped over a big branch, trainers scrunching on the fallen leaves. Running fast as a cat through the gloomy woods. Trees swooshing by on both sides. The chain rattling and clanking in one hand, Orgalorg bouncing along in the other. Ducking under a big spiky bush and out the other side. Arms jiggling in a weird elbows-in way because of the string around her wrists. Legs singing an angry song.
Faster.
Charging through the woods. Grinning. Because she was saving Orgalorg from the Horrid Monster Woman. They were escaping!