wheel and was smiling grimly.
‘Two-hundred and fifty pounds,’ he said. ‘That’s just the release fee.’
‘They’ve clamped us,’ said Doctor Ellie, quietly. ‘How typical.’
‘College property, madam,’ said the man. ‘Signs up for all to see.’ His radio squawked like a bird and he spoke into the microphone. ‘Unit Foxtrot reporting. Blue
van immobilised, driver and passengers apprehended. Can you send recovery asap – need a ten-tonne flat-bed, couple of crew. Police alerted – she’s about to get nasty, by the look
of it.’
‘Do you have a tool kit?’ said Sanjay, quietly.
‘What for?’ said Doctor Ellie.
‘Get Cuthbertson,’ said the first guard. ‘Might need a bit of muscle.’
‘Miss,’ said Asilah, ‘we don’t really want to meet up with the police right now. It would be best to get out of here.’
‘I don’t either, but I’m not sure we’ve got much choice.’
Even as she spoke, Israel was emerging from the driver’s door with a long metal box in his arms. The wheel-clamper stepped back as the boys pressed in to look at his work. The tyre was
encased in yellow bars and familiar letters were stenciled over their centrepiece:
SSS
.
‘Stay away from that!’ said the guard. ‘Don’t even think about interfering – that’s another offence.’
Seconds later, however, Podma had a crowbar slotted behind the clamp. One quick jerk twisted the main hinge clear of the hubcap.
The guard was outraged. ‘That is vandalism!’ he cried. ‘Come and look at this, Brian! They’re forcing the metal!’
The children took no notice for, once again, they were working together. Podma bent the second part of the mechanism, while Miles added his weight. Vijay moved in under them with a large spanner
and eased it in over one of the wheelnuts. A number of other boys had dragged suitable stones from under the hedge, and Sam and Israel had crawled beneath the chassis on their bellies with a jack.
In half a minute, a large rock had been rolled into position and slid through the mud. The jack was under the axle, and the corner of the van was rising into the air.
‘Do not remove that wheel!’ said the guard. ‘That is forbidden, totally, and there’s a fine of six hundred pounds—’
‘Excuse me,’ said Vijay, adding his weight to the spanner.
Mr Ian could stand it no longer. ‘Give that to me, you little beggar!’ he cried. ‘Give that thing to me!’
He was a big man and he strode into the scrum of children, knocking two to one side. He slammed Vijay against the side of the vehicle and went for Anjoli, who was working on the second nut.
Anjoli ducked, but the man was too quick. He grabbed the boy by the hair and drew him backwards. The next instant, however, his legs had buckled under him, and he was on his back. Asilah crouched
over him, trembling with rage, a finger close to the man’s nose. Sanchez tried to hold him back, but Asilah was bristling.
‘Don’t ever
, ever
do that,’ he hissed.
‘Assault,’ said one of the security guards, backing onto the road in terror. He had a small camera in his hand. ‘Did you all see that? That was a martial arts move, that was!
Did you see what he did?’
Mr Ian lay still, winded and shocked. He had received a sharp kick to the back of his left knee, and it had completely disabled him.
‘You touch one of us again,’ said Asilah, ‘and you’ll get badly hurt.’ He looked up at Vijay. ‘Finish the job. Help him, Miles.’
‘I say, leave this to Cuthbertson,’ said the guard. He was filming everything. ‘This is one of those London schools, isn’t it? Thugs and druggies, that’s what you
lot are.’
Mr Ian managed to sit up, but he still hadn’t caught his breath. There was blood on his beard from where he’d bitten his lip, and he was shaking his head as if to clear it.
‘Miles,’ he said, quietly. ‘You said Miles, didn’t you?’
Anjoli said something in his own language and started to slide the
‘Two-hundred and fifty pounds,’ he said. ‘That’s just the release fee.’
‘They’ve clamped us,’ said Doctor Ellie, quietly. ‘How typical.’
‘College property, madam,’ said the man. ‘Signs up for all to see.’ His radio squawked like a bird and he spoke into the microphone. ‘Unit Foxtrot reporting. Blue
van immobilised, driver and passengers apprehended. Can you send recovery asap – need a ten-tonne flat-bed, couple of crew. Police alerted – she’s about to get nasty, by the look
of it.’
‘Do you have a tool kit?’ said Sanjay, quietly.
‘What for?’ said Doctor Ellie.
‘Get Cuthbertson,’ said the first guard. ‘Might need a bit of muscle.’
‘Miss,’ said Asilah, ‘we don’t really want to meet up with the police right now. It would be best to get out of here.’
‘I don’t either, but I’m not sure we’ve got much choice.’
Even as she spoke, Israel was emerging from the driver’s door with a long metal box in his arms. The wheel-clamper stepped back as the boys pressed in to look at his work. The tyre was
encased in yellow bars and familiar letters were stenciled over their centrepiece:
SSS
.
‘Stay away from that!’ said the guard. ‘Don’t even think about interfering – that’s another offence.’
Seconds later, however, Podma had a crowbar slotted behind the clamp. One quick jerk twisted the main hinge clear of the hubcap.
The guard was outraged. ‘That is vandalism!’ he cried. ‘Come and look at this, Brian! They’re forcing the metal!’
The children took no notice for, once again, they were working together. Podma bent the second part of the mechanism, while Miles added his weight. Vijay moved in under them with a large spanner
and eased it in over one of the wheelnuts. A number of other boys had dragged suitable stones from under the hedge, and Sam and Israel had crawled beneath the chassis on their bellies with a jack.
In half a minute, a large rock had been rolled into position and slid through the mud. The jack was under the axle, and the corner of the van was rising into the air.
‘Do not remove that wheel!’ said the guard. ‘That is forbidden, totally, and there’s a fine of six hundred pounds—’
‘Excuse me,’ said Vijay, adding his weight to the spanner.
Mr Ian could stand it no longer. ‘Give that to me, you little beggar!’ he cried. ‘Give that thing to me!’
He was a big man and he strode into the scrum of children, knocking two to one side. He slammed Vijay against the side of the vehicle and went for Anjoli, who was working on the second nut.
Anjoli ducked, but the man was too quick. He grabbed the boy by the hair and drew him backwards. The next instant, however, his legs had buckled under him, and he was on his back. Asilah crouched
over him, trembling with rage, a finger close to the man’s nose. Sanchez tried to hold him back, but Asilah was bristling.
‘Don’t ever
, ever
do that,’ he hissed.
‘Assault,’ said one of the security guards, backing onto the road in terror. He had a small camera in his hand. ‘Did you all see that? That was a martial arts move, that was!
Did you see what he did?’
Mr Ian lay still, winded and shocked. He had received a sharp kick to the back of his left knee, and it had completely disabled him.
‘You touch one of us again,’ said Asilah, ‘and you’ll get badly hurt.’ He looked up at Vijay. ‘Finish the job. Help him, Miles.’
‘I say, leave this to Cuthbertson,’ said the guard. He was filming everything. ‘This is one of those London schools, isn’t it? Thugs and druggies, that’s what you
lot are.’
Mr Ian managed to sit up, but he still hadn’t caught his breath. There was blood on his beard from where he’d bitten his lip, and he was shaking his head as if to clear it.
‘Miles,’ he said, quietly. ‘You said Miles, didn’t you?’
Anjoli said something in his own language and started to slide the
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