Charlotte and the Starlet 2 (16 page)

Leila stared down at her legs. Once glamorous, they
were now nicked and swollen.

'Leila!'

She'd remember Charlotte forever. She could hear
her voice even now as if she was right there.

'Leila!'

What? She was right there. Charlotte was coming
towards her out of the shadows. Tears were streaming
down her cheeks. And Leila couldn't help it, she was
tearing up too.

'Charlie, you found me!'

Charlotte hugged her tight. As she untied her, she
saw the welts and cuts on Leila's skin.

'What have they done to you?'

'Sssh. I'm fine. There are five of them. They're
mean. Where are the cops?'

'There are no police. Just me and Todd. He's waiting
back there.' Charlotte jerked her head towards the
shadows.

'You came all the way here? Just you guys?'

'I'd go to the end of the earth for you. You know
that.'

Leila was choking up. What a great kid.

'Same. Well, I'd draw the line at some parts of
Inglewood. I guess you tracked your way in?'

'That's right.'

'You're amazing. You must have eyes like a cat's.
Trip-wire couldn't fool you, heh?'

'What trip-wire?'

'They surrounded the perimeter of the camp with
a booby trap –'

Suddenly the camp was flooded in light. Charlotte
and Leila could see Todd clear as day, a stupefied look
on his face. Leila completed her sentence with no
enthusiasm, '... and there's the booby.'

Charlotte jumped onto Leila and was preparing to
ride off when Pat seized Todd from behind.

'Let me go,' Todd shouted.

'Let go a pair of horse thieves? I don't think so.'

Other men were appearing from the tents. The
bright light had already died and they were back in
darkness.

'This is my horse,' shouted Charlotte.

'No, girl, she's mine. Now get down before your
friend pays for your foolishness.'

'You're not going to the police,' snapped Charlotte.
'We know what you're up to.'

Leila wished the kid hadn't said that.

'Really? What's that?'

Don't say it, prayed Leila.

'Illegal logging.'

Leila sighed. She had to go and say it, didn't she?

'Okay you two. Who else is with you? Don't lie now
or your friend's arm is going to get very sore.'

Too late Charlotte realised she had said too much.

'Nobody. We came alone.'

'I don't believe you,' said Pat.

Todd said, 'It's true. This horse is hers. Somebody
saw it and told her where to look.'

Pat's eyes bore in on Charlotte.

'Who told you?'

'I don't know. Some girl,' lied Charlotte. 'We put
a call out over the radio.'

Jimmy said, 'Must have been the other night when
I thought I heard something, remember?'

Pat marched Todd over to Charlotte.

'This caller, she said we were logging illegally?'

'No. She just said she saw my horse.'

The men swapped looks.

'So what are you kids doing here? Where are your
parents?'

Todd tried a bluff. 'Waiting up by the track for us.'

Pat pulled Todd's wallet from his pocket and looked
through it.

'You kids are lying. Milthorp,' he waved the wallet
to the tall man. 'That's that riding school place. I think
you kids are playing hooky.'

Jimmy grinned, revealing gummy gaps where teeth
should have been.

'That can get you into a whole heap of trouble.'

Jimmy pulled Charlotte off Leila.

Pat said, 'There's a ranger's hut about two k's west.
Lock them in that. We better move out in case
somebody comes looking for them. Let's load the last
of those logs.'

'No, you can't.' Charlotte tried to break free but the
man's arms were like steel bands around her. Her eyes
met Leila's and discovered the same hopelessness she
felt. So near, and now perhaps they were seeing one
another for the last time.

'Get the harness on the horse,' commanded Pat.

Charlotte began to scream but the man's rough
hand clapped over her mouth.

'Leave her alone,' Todd shouted, trying to wriggle
free and come to her assistance.

Pat clamped his mouth too.

Leila watched helplessly as Charlotte and Todd
were lifted up and dragged through the bush. She
reared up in one last desperate effort. But it was no
use. The men holding her were too strong. She was
going nowhere.

Charlotte was dumped on the damp earth floor in the
pitch dark. A shape, which she knew to be Todd,
followed. Against the slightly lighter sky outside she
could see the silhouette of the bald man who seemed
to be in charge.

'Stay there and behave yourselves. Not that you
have any choice.'

Before Charlotte could respond, the heavy door
was pulled shut. They heard a bolt shoot into place
and then the sound of a padlock being snapped on.
There were no windows in the cabin, which Charlotte
had seen from the outside was made of logs.

'You okay?' Todd sounded breathless.

'My knee hurts.'

Charlotte's eyes adjusted to the dark. Up close she
could just make out Todd's outline. The loggers had
taken their phones. Even if they couldn't get a signal,
at least they could have provided some light. The
earthy smell of the floor, overlaid with a faint trace of
oil, permeated the cabin.

'I'm guessing the rangers use this as some storage
shed,' she said.

'Perhaps there are some tools here?' Todd tried to
sound hopeful.

They felt along the rough wooden walls. Charlotte
was certain she would get a massive splinter in her
fingers but had no choice.

'I'm really sorry about tripping that wire.'

'Not your fault. You weren't to know. I shouldn't
have blabbed about them logging illegally. Did
you see poor Leila?'

Charlotte had no faith that the loggers would let
Leila go. 'I don't know how long she can last. I'm
really worried for her.'

'I'm worried for us too. How are we going to get
out? I can't find any tools here.'

'Me neither.'

Charlotte felt something run up her arm. She let
out a shrill squeal before she could stop herself.

'You all right?'

'Sorry.' She felt stupid. 'I think it was a cockroach.'

'I hate cockroaches too.'

She liked that Todd always tried to make her feel
good about herself. But she still felt foolish. Snakes
and rats she could cope with but there was something
about cockroaches. Maybe it was that they reminded
her of lobster! She began to giggle at the memory of
Charmsworth.

'What's so amusing?'

'I'll tell you some day,' she offered mysteriously.
'I just remembered something funny.'

'Well, I'm glad you can laugh.' He didn't say it
as if criticising her, more like it was the truth.
'Dan, my roommate, will let people know we came
here.'

'Same with Hannah but it might be too late for
Leila. She was so thin.'

'The rangers are looking, aren't they?'

'I hope so. But everything is camouflaged. We can't
rely on them.'

'What about the ceiling? Maybe there's a loose
sheet of tin up there.'

Charlotte was doubtful. No light shone through
any cracks and it was too high to reach.

Todd said, 'Why don't you climb on my shoulders?'

'Where are your shoulders?'

Charlotte groped in the dark.

'Ow. That's my ear.'

'Sorry.'

She felt down his neck to his shoulders.

'This is like pin the tail on the donkey and I'm the
donkey,' said Todd good-naturedly. He was squatting.
Charlotte climbed on.

'Ready?' he asked.

'Yep.'

He stood. Charlotte's head hit something hard.

'Yow! My head.'

'Sorry. I'll stoop.'

Todd stooped lower and Charlotte tried to feel
above her head. It was difficult and there seemed to
be no loose joins. Then Todd's foot hit a crack in the
floor, he stumbled and they both fell in a heap.

'You okay?' Charlotte asked.

'Now I know how Warrior feels at the steeple.'
They picked themselves up from the floor, no real
harm done. 'Actually, that gives me an idea.' Todd let
out a long low whistle.

'What are you doing?'

'If Warrior hears, he'll come for us.'

Charlotte knew that was a big if. The walls in the
cabin were very thick. She doubted sound would
make it out.

'Maybe we can kick the door in.'

They had to feel in the dark for each other's hand.
She reached for Todd.

'You just poked me in the eye.'

'Sorry.'

'That's okay, Charlotte, there's nobody else I'd rather
be poked in the eye by.'

He found her hand. It felt really good to have him
there too. They edged forward till they could touch
the door, whose outline was visible through the
thinnest edges of grey.

Todd said, 'Okay, on the count of three we kick.
One, two, three ...'

They kicked hard. The door barely moved. They
tried again with the same result. After another ten
attempts they realised it was hopeless. Todd whistled
again.

'If Warrior hears, he'll kick it in easily.'

Charlotte didn't hold out much hope. They needed
some kind of miracle.

Desperate times called for desperate measures and
Leila had never known a more desperate time. Even
being stuck in traffic on the 501 freeway late for a hoof
pedicure from Consuela's of Culver City didn't come
close. And whatever else they said about Consuela and
her eating habits, her hands with a hoof-pick were the
hands of an angel. But this, this left the traffic jam for
dead. These guys were gangsters. Charlotte and Todd
could identify them. Were they just going to let them
go? Possibly, but Leila couldn't take the chance, she
had to do something. Her opportunity came when
Jimmy moved a short distance away to saw up a trunk,
leaving a squat, muscular guy, Reno, alone with her.
Reno might have been momentarily alone but he was
watchful and he possessed a cattle prod, which gave
him the advantage. He was looking Leila right in the
eye, sipping a flask of coffee.

Leila said, 'You know, Reno, you're not a bad-looking
guy.'

His eyes bugged out of his head.

'Sssh,' Leila whispered. 'You don't want to let
Jimmy know.'

Reno's eyes were darting now.

'Let Jimmy know what?'

'That you realise he drugged you.'

'What?'

'Come on. You know horses can't talk. But right
now, you would swear on a stack of bibles I'm
talking, right? So either you're an out-and-out lunatic,
or Jimmy put something in your coffee. He and Pat
are close. Why do they want to share the profits with
you? Hey, you wake up here tomorrow, them gone.
You going to go to the police? I don't think so.'

Reno tossed the rest of the coffee. He threw a
crazed glance at Jimmy, who was still bent over the
trunk, sawing it.

'Come on, Reno. You know what you got to do.
It's him or you.'

Reno went to say something. Leila went back to
acting like a dumb horse, blowing a little air through
her nostrils. That did it. Reno turned towards Jimmy.
He was almost on him when Jimmy turned and cut
the chainsaw.

'You're supposed to be watching the horse.'

Reno shouted, 'The horse told me!' And zapped
Jimmy with the cattle prod.

As Leila backed quietly away through the
undergrowth, she could hear Jimmy shouting the sort
of rude words at Reno that you only ever heard on
HBO shows. When she was out of sight she galloped
hard in the direction she had seen them take
Charlotte and Todd. Leila didn't know exactly where
she was heading but she figured that if it was a shack
used by the rangers then it must have a path leading
to it. It took her about three minutes to spy the shack.
She reached the door and saw it was padlocked.
Normally a hard kick from her rear hooves would
do the trick but she had the harness blocking her.
She reared up and smashed it front on.

Charlotte and Todd had no time to prepare. They
only heard the approaching hooves at the last second.
The next instant there was a thud and a splintering
as the door caved in. Leila stood there.

'What are you waiting for?' she said.

Todd threw an amazed look at Charlotte, who
covered quickly.

'I think you hit your head.'

'Must have,' he said, dazed.

Charlotte quickly undid the harness as Todd
checked outside. She whispered in Leila's ear.

'How?'

'Crooks are basically insecure. I just played on that.'

Charlotte hauled up, threw out a hand and Todd
jumped up too. Charlotte didn't need to dig her heels
in, Leila was already powering. All she needed was
guidance.

Pat had heard the shouting. He ran into the clearing
to find Reno and Jimmy facing off. Jimmy held
a chainsaw and Reno the cattle prod. They were
swiping and dodging.

'What's going on?' yelled Pat.

Jimmy, not taking his eyes from Reno, yelled,
'He attacked me with the prod.'

Reno swung towards Pat. 'You guys want to
dump me.'

'What?'

'Don't act dumb, the horse told me.'

All three of them were distracted by the sound of
hooves crashing through the undergrowth. The forest
was flooded with light as the wire was tripped again,
revealing the absconders. Pat reached for his two-way
radio.

'Dave, Joe. The kids are escaping. Stop them.'

Leila galloped as hard as she could but the lack of
food, the soreness all through her body and the
weight of two riders were taking their toll.

'Come on, Leila.'

She tried to respond to Charlie's urging but could
go no faster. She became aware of the sound of trail
bikes at the same time as Todd.

'They're going to try to head us off.'

Now Charlotte could see a headlight intermittently
through the undergrowth. It was behind and to the
right but closing in.

'He's trying to aim something at us,' yelled Todd.

Leila knew the men had a net gun like those she
had seen on TV, which were used to capture gorillas.
She wasn't sure why they had it, maybe something to
do with setting up their camouflage canopy. But they
also had shotguns. Either way it was bad news. And if
she hadn't been thinking about it, she might not have
struck the tree root. Fortunately her leg was probably
too tired to be strong and stiff. It went soft like jelly,
which meant it didn't break. But she did knuckle over.
Her breast actually hit the dirt but all those modern
dance classes Joel Gold had sent her to paid off and
she was able to maintain her balance, and somehow,
keep Charlotte and Todd upright too. As Leila
struggled back to her feet, though, she knew the delay
had been fatal, and could see the angry headlight
zooming towards them.