believe you. And anyway, the whole thing was your idea, wasn’t it – keeping watch and that?’
‘All right.’ Fliss nodded. ‘But I still wish we could have talked to Ellie-May first.’
She found Mr Hepworth in the downstairs hallway, handing out packed lunches. There was a queue. Fliss tagged on the end. When she got to the front she took the little packet he offered and said, ‘Sir, can I have a word? It’s about Ellie-May.’
‘What about Ellie-May?’ Kids were waiting in line behind her and he was anxious to give out the rest of the lunches.
‘It’s about what’s wrong with her, Sir.’
‘And what’s that to do with you, Felicity?’
‘Sir, I think I know why she’s ill.’
‘Indeed? It’s Doctor Morgan now, is it? Go on then – why is Ellie-May ill?’
‘She goes in the cupboard on the top floor, Sir. At night. I heard her on Monday night, and David Trotter saw her. And last night four of us kept watch and she went in again.’
Mr Hepworth looked at her. ‘Are you trying to wind me up, Felicity Morgan? Ellie-May Sunderland’s a sensible girl. Why on earth would she be creeping about in the middle of the night, getting into cupboards? I never heard anything so daft in my life.’ He smiled thinly. ‘Just as a matter of interest, who were the three who kept this watch with you?’
‘Lisa Watmough, Sir, And David Trotter and Gary Bazzard.’
‘Ah! I thought Gary Bazzard’s name might crop up. He put you up to this, didn’t he?’
‘No, Sir. We saw her, Sir, honestly. There was a thirteen on the door and it’s not there in the daytime.’
The teacher’s lips twitched. ‘And somebody lives in the cupboard, right? Now let me guess who that might be.’ He looked at the ceiling for a moment, then slapped his hands together. ‘I know – it’s Dracula, isn’t it?’
Fliss gazed at him, appalled. ‘D’you – d’you think it could be, Sir?’
Mr Hepworth looked at her. The smile faded from his eyes. ‘Good heavens, Felicity, I do believe you’re serious. Somebody’s frightened you half to death, haven’t they? Now who’s been telling you stories, eh? Gary Bazzard, was it?’
‘No, Sir. It’s not a story, Sir. Honestly. Will you have a look in the cupboard?’
The teacher sighed, gazing at her now with sympathetic eyes. ‘All right, Felicity. I’ll have a look, and you’d better look too. A cupboard’s just a cupboard, as you’ll see.’ He looked along the line of waiting children. ‘Waseem – come and give out the rest of these lunches, will you?’
‘Sir.’
Together they climbed to the top of the house and crossed the landing. Fliss hung back as Mr Hepworth twisted the doorknob and pulled. Nothing happened. ‘It’s locked,’ he said.
‘You pulled, Sir,’ said Fliss. ‘Try pushing.’
‘There’s no point, Felicity – it opens outwards.’
‘Ellie-May pushed it last night, Sir.’
‘But that’s impossible, Felicity. It’s made to open outwards – you can tell by the hinges.’
‘Get the key, Sir – please.’
He sighed. ‘If it’s locked now, it must have been locked last night. I think you had a nightmare, Felicity. You dreamed you were watching, but you were asleep. Dreams can seem very real sometimes, but if it’ll set your mind at rest I’ll go and ask Mrs Wilkinson for the key. Wait here.’
She waited till he turned on the half-landing and passed from sight, then followed quickly, seizing her chance.
The door of room four was closed. Fliss twisted the knob and pushed gently, praying that neither Mrs Evans nor Mrs Marriott would be in the room.
They weren’t. The room, like her own, contained a double bed and a pair of bunks. Ellie-May was in the bottom bunk. She lay on her back with her eyes closed. Her face was almost as white as the pillow. Fliss knelt down and touched her shoulder.
‘Ellie-May. Are you awake? It’s Fliss.’
Ellie-May’s eyelids fluttered. She rolled her head towards Fliss and mumbled, ‘What?
‘All right.’ Fliss nodded. ‘But I still wish we could have talked to Ellie-May first.’
She found Mr Hepworth in the downstairs hallway, handing out packed lunches. There was a queue. Fliss tagged on the end. When she got to the front she took the little packet he offered and said, ‘Sir, can I have a word? It’s about Ellie-May.’
‘What about Ellie-May?’ Kids were waiting in line behind her and he was anxious to give out the rest of the lunches.
‘It’s about what’s wrong with her, Sir.’
‘And what’s that to do with you, Felicity?’
‘Sir, I think I know why she’s ill.’
‘Indeed? It’s Doctor Morgan now, is it? Go on then – why is Ellie-May ill?’
‘She goes in the cupboard on the top floor, Sir. At night. I heard her on Monday night, and David Trotter saw her. And last night four of us kept watch and she went in again.’
Mr Hepworth looked at her. ‘Are you trying to wind me up, Felicity Morgan? Ellie-May Sunderland’s a sensible girl. Why on earth would she be creeping about in the middle of the night, getting into cupboards? I never heard anything so daft in my life.’ He smiled thinly. ‘Just as a matter of interest, who were the three who kept this watch with you?’
‘Lisa Watmough, Sir, And David Trotter and Gary Bazzard.’
‘Ah! I thought Gary Bazzard’s name might crop up. He put you up to this, didn’t he?’
‘No, Sir. We saw her, Sir, honestly. There was a thirteen on the door and it’s not there in the daytime.’
The teacher’s lips twitched. ‘And somebody lives in the cupboard, right? Now let me guess who that might be.’ He looked at the ceiling for a moment, then slapped his hands together. ‘I know – it’s Dracula, isn’t it?’
Fliss gazed at him, appalled. ‘D’you – d’you think it could be, Sir?’
Mr Hepworth looked at her. The smile faded from his eyes. ‘Good heavens, Felicity, I do believe you’re serious. Somebody’s frightened you half to death, haven’t they? Now who’s been telling you stories, eh? Gary Bazzard, was it?’
‘No, Sir. It’s not a story, Sir. Honestly. Will you have a look in the cupboard?’
The teacher sighed, gazing at her now with sympathetic eyes. ‘All right, Felicity. I’ll have a look, and you’d better look too. A cupboard’s just a cupboard, as you’ll see.’ He looked along the line of waiting children. ‘Waseem – come and give out the rest of these lunches, will you?’
‘Sir.’
Together they climbed to the top of the house and crossed the landing. Fliss hung back as Mr Hepworth twisted the doorknob and pulled. Nothing happened. ‘It’s locked,’ he said.
‘You pulled, Sir,’ said Fliss. ‘Try pushing.’
‘There’s no point, Felicity – it opens outwards.’
‘Ellie-May pushed it last night, Sir.’
‘But that’s impossible, Felicity. It’s made to open outwards – you can tell by the hinges.’
‘Get the key, Sir – please.’
He sighed. ‘If it’s locked now, it must have been locked last night. I think you had a nightmare, Felicity. You dreamed you were watching, but you were asleep. Dreams can seem very real sometimes, but if it’ll set your mind at rest I’ll go and ask Mrs Wilkinson for the key. Wait here.’
She waited till he turned on the half-landing and passed from sight, then followed quickly, seizing her chance.
The door of room four was closed. Fliss twisted the knob and pushed gently, praying that neither Mrs Evans nor Mrs Marriott would be in the room.
They weren’t. The room, like her own, contained a double bed and a pair of bunks. Ellie-May was in the bottom bunk. She lay on her back with her eyes closed. Her face was almost as white as the pillow. Fliss knelt down and touched her shoulder.
‘Ellie-May. Are you awake? It’s Fliss.’
Ellie-May’s eyelids fluttered. She rolled her head towards Fliss and mumbled, ‘What?
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