untie me?’
‘Don’t be silly, that’s part of the game.’ She skipped her way towards the canteen door. Halfway there she stopped and listened to the whispers of her doll. ‘Oh yes, you’re right, Raggy Maggie, I nearly forgot.’
She turned back and flashed me another smile. ‘I brought some other friends to play too. You’ll have to get past them if you’re going to find us.’ Something menacing glinted behind her eyes. ‘Don’t worry, they’re lots and lots of fun.’
With one final giggle, she skipped on out of the canteen, leaving me alone with the wreckage of my head teacher.
‘It’s OK, Mrs Milton, I’m going to get us out of here,’ I promised, although I didn’t yet know how I was going to manage it. Whatever Caddie had used to tie my wrists was stronger than I was. No matter how hard I pulled I couldn’t get free. For a five-year-old, the girl could tie a serious knot.
From the corner of my eye I saw something move over by one of the canteen’s tall, narrow windows. A long green curtain fluttered as it was pushed aside, and a short little man popped his balding head out.
‘She gone?’ he asked.
I nodded. The man seemed to relax at this, and he stepped out from behind the curtain.
‘Twice I nearly sneezed back there,’ he said, blowing out his cheeks. ‘Dust in the ‘tache.’ He gave his greying moustache a brush with his fingertips. ‘Can you imagine if I had? Disaster.’
‘You were there the whole time?’ I scowled. ‘You just hid there and didn’t do anything to stop her?’
‘Stop her?’ the man snorted. ‘How am I supposed to stop her?’
‘Let me see. Maybe because she’s a little girl and you’re a sixty-year-old man?’
The man’s face lit up. ‘Sixty? Really? Sixty years old? Me?’ He shook his head in delighted disbelief. ‘Sixty. That’s made my day, that has. I’m actually sixty-seven.’
‘I don’t care,’ I hissed, as he took a few steps closer. ‘I still don’t…Hey, wait a minute, don’t I know you?’
Now I could see him properly, there was something very familiar about the man. The balding head. The moustache. The sagging jaw and podgy belly. I’d seen him before, but where?
‘We’ve met,’ he nodded. ‘You wouldn’t pull my cracker with me.’
‘You’re that policeman,’ I gasped. ‘From the station.’
Ameena and I had taken sanctuary in the police station when we were running from Mr Mumbles. Although hedidn’t seem to believe me when I told him we were being chased, the policeman had finally agreed to go outside and see if he could spot anyone acting suspiciously.
A few minutes later he’d come crashing through the door. I could still remember the noise he’d made as he struck the back wall. The sight and smell of his blood was as vivid now as it had been back then. I’d gone back to try to find him, but by the time I returned he had vanished. I had no idea what had happened to him until now.
‘I thought you were dead,’ I told him.
‘I just wished I was,’ he said, wincing at the memory. ‘For a while, at least. Being thrown head-first through a double-glazed door does that to you.’
He crossed to Mrs Milton and knelt by her. I couldn’t see his face from my seat, but the way he sucked his breath in through his teeth told me he was worried.
‘Will she be OK?’
‘Hard to say,’ he replied. ‘Caddie’s hurt her prettybadly. Scrambled her brain right up.’
I paused for a moment, replaying the last couple of sentences in my head, making sure I’d heard him correctly. When I was confident that I had I asked, ‘How do you know her name?’
He turned, still crouching, and looked up at me. ‘Because I’m not really a policeman, Kyle,’ he said. I opened my mouth to ask more, but he silenced me with a wave of his hand. ‘No time for that now. You’ve got to find the boy before it’s too late.’
‘Billy!’ I exclaimed. I’d almost forgotten.
The man gestured down at Mrs Milton. She was
‘Don’t be silly, that’s part of the game.’ She skipped her way towards the canteen door. Halfway there she stopped and listened to the whispers of her doll. ‘Oh yes, you’re right, Raggy Maggie, I nearly forgot.’
She turned back and flashed me another smile. ‘I brought some other friends to play too. You’ll have to get past them if you’re going to find us.’ Something menacing glinted behind her eyes. ‘Don’t worry, they’re lots and lots of fun.’
With one final giggle, she skipped on out of the canteen, leaving me alone with the wreckage of my head teacher.
‘It’s OK, Mrs Milton, I’m going to get us out of here,’ I promised, although I didn’t yet know how I was going to manage it. Whatever Caddie had used to tie my wrists was stronger than I was. No matter how hard I pulled I couldn’t get free. For a five-year-old, the girl could tie a serious knot.
From the corner of my eye I saw something move over by one of the canteen’s tall, narrow windows. A long green curtain fluttered as it was pushed aside, and a short little man popped his balding head out.
‘She gone?’ he asked.
I nodded. The man seemed to relax at this, and he stepped out from behind the curtain.
‘Twice I nearly sneezed back there,’ he said, blowing out his cheeks. ‘Dust in the ‘tache.’ He gave his greying moustache a brush with his fingertips. ‘Can you imagine if I had? Disaster.’
‘You were there the whole time?’ I scowled. ‘You just hid there and didn’t do anything to stop her?’
‘Stop her?’ the man snorted. ‘How am I supposed to stop her?’
‘Let me see. Maybe because she’s a little girl and you’re a sixty-year-old man?’
The man’s face lit up. ‘Sixty? Really? Sixty years old? Me?’ He shook his head in delighted disbelief. ‘Sixty. That’s made my day, that has. I’m actually sixty-seven.’
‘I don’t care,’ I hissed, as he took a few steps closer. ‘I still don’t…Hey, wait a minute, don’t I know you?’
Now I could see him properly, there was something very familiar about the man. The balding head. The moustache. The sagging jaw and podgy belly. I’d seen him before, but where?
‘We’ve met,’ he nodded. ‘You wouldn’t pull my cracker with me.’
‘You’re that policeman,’ I gasped. ‘From the station.’
Ameena and I had taken sanctuary in the police station when we were running from Mr Mumbles. Although hedidn’t seem to believe me when I told him we were being chased, the policeman had finally agreed to go outside and see if he could spot anyone acting suspiciously.
A few minutes later he’d come crashing through the door. I could still remember the noise he’d made as he struck the back wall. The sight and smell of his blood was as vivid now as it had been back then. I’d gone back to try to find him, but by the time I returned he had vanished. I had no idea what had happened to him until now.
‘I thought you were dead,’ I told him.
‘I just wished I was,’ he said, wincing at the memory. ‘For a while, at least. Being thrown head-first through a double-glazed door does that to you.’
He crossed to Mrs Milton and knelt by her. I couldn’t see his face from my seat, but the way he sucked his breath in through his teeth told me he was worried.
‘Will she be OK?’
‘Hard to say,’ he replied. ‘Caddie’s hurt her prettybadly. Scrambled her brain right up.’
I paused for a moment, replaying the last couple of sentences in my head, making sure I’d heard him correctly. When I was confident that I had I asked, ‘How do you know her name?’
He turned, still crouching, and looked up at me. ‘Because I’m not really a policeman, Kyle,’ he said. I opened my mouth to ask more, but he silenced me with a wave of his hand. ‘No time for that now. You’ve got to find the boy before it’s too late.’
‘Billy!’ I exclaimed. I’d almost forgotten.
The man gestured down at Mrs Milton. She was
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