The Taken (11 page)

Well, the thing I guess I’m trying to say is that I’m sure that boy that we saw on the way to the shop this morning was one of the children I researched. His photo was on all the papers with those glasses on, and that sweater. It was a school sweater he had on over jeans, did you notice?” He didn’t wait for a response. “I wish I’d seen it close enough this morning to see the school logo.

But how odd to wear a school sweater on holiday.”

Alex stared at the vicar’s things on the desk, casually abandoned before death, then thought of the message scrawled on the altar.

“I don’t think you’re crazy. I don’t think you’re crazy 103

at all.” She looked up at Simon. “That’s not to say that I think you’re right about the kid, because that’s just not possible, but I do agree that there’s some weird shit going on. When you heard me say something at the altar and I pretended I hadn’t?” He nodded. “Well, what I said was, I couldn’t move my legs.

Look how they move now. The problem is, I don’t know why I said it. It just seemed right.”

They stared at each other for a second, and then Alex smiled. “Maybe it’s the storm. Maybe it’s made us all a little bit crazy.” For a second she thought she might tell him about the little boy from the church gate, her little boy and how she’d seen him in her room the night before, but then stopped herself. Now that really would be crazy.

“You know the library here has a lot of old newspapers on microfiche. Nationals as well as locals. If that kid’s face is really bugging you, then you can always stop by and have a look. No one will mind. And it may help pass the time if the weather leaves you stuck here with us for a couple of days.”

Simon shrugged, looking slightly embarrassed, and once again Alex was relieved that she hadn’t told him about her strange experiences of the night before. If he thought what he’d seen was odd, he’d think she was a freak for what happened to her.

“It was probably nothing, but we’ll see. Maybe I will.” He grinned. “It’s probably just my old eyes and all this talk of missing children making my brain play tricks on me.”

Standing up, Alex nodded sagely. “Yes, you look like you’re getting on a bit.

It’s probably just a touch of dementia setting in.”

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“Great. A touch of dementia. Beautiful. Just what I need.”

Alex laughed aloud. “Well, I think what I need is a glass of wine. It’s got to be lunchtime already, and after the morning we’ve had, I think I’ve earned it.

Let’s go down to The Rock and find that grumpy cousin of mine.”

“Good plan, lady. Good plan.”

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One of the things Laura loved about the Granville house was that it was always messy. Not dirty, but cluttered, and in the kids’ rooms their toys were always out and sometimes their beds weren’t made. Not even Jenny’s or Jimmy’s, and they were the same age as she was. She guessed it came from being part of a big family. There were just too many children to keep track of, and as long as they were all clean, dressed, and fed, then that seemed to be good enough for Mrs.

Granville. It wasn’t like being an only child. Yes, that gave you plenty of attention, but it also meant there was plenty of rule-obeying. Laura would never be allowed out of the house without having made her bed first. Still, that wasn’t such a terrible chore, and her parents were pretty cool most of the time.

Another thing she loved about going to the Granville house was that it always smelled like cakes or cookies were being baked; a hot, sweet mouthwatering scent that hugged you when you stepped through the door.

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And normally, it was because there was a batch of something delicious cooking in the oven.

Sitting on Jimmy’s bed, the England football squad duvet crumpled up to make a cushion, that morning she could smell chocolate in the air.

“Is your mum baking again?”

Jimmy shrugged. “Yeah, but not for us. She’s got some Women’s Institute thing tomorrow, so she’s baking for that.”

Jenny rummaged in the bottom of the closet, yanking out toys in various states of disrepair. “We could play with Barbie and Ken.” She blew a strand of fine, golden to ginger hair out her face, her ponytail untidy down her back.

“Yuk.” Jimmy grimaced. “There is no way we’re playing dolls.” His own matching color hair was short and spiky and looked freshly gelled. The two may have been twins, but Laura could see their own differing personalities emerging as each month passed.

“You didn’t used to mind.”

He glared at his sister. “I used to be a kid and didn’t know any better. Boys don’t play dolls. And anyway, you always want to play stupid romance games with them.”

Laura sighed. This was true. Jimmy didn’t mind playing with the dolls when they were playing serial killers and stuff, but Jenny was growing up into a romantic and always wanted Barbie and Ken to get married. Laura liked both games, but she was glad Jimmy had said no. She wasn’t in the mood for the dolls either.

Outside the sky was still dull gray. “I wish we could play outside. I don’t want to stay in.” However much they could never agree on what games to play inside, 107

outside it seemed that the possibilities were endless and they always found something that they all wanted to do. Her coat was behind her on the bed, where little Peter was playing with an Etch-a-scketch, concentrating furiously on his clumsy scribblings, and she thought about the phone in her pocket.

“When the wind dies down Mum will let us out. And probably even if it doesn’t.

She’ll go mad with us cooped up in here all day.” Jimmy grinned cheekily. “We’ll make sure she lets us out one way or another. If we play cowboys and Indians loudly enough round the house she’ll pay us to leave.”

Laura smiled, but she was still thinking about her phone. “This is going to sound a bit stupid, but have either of you had any texts this morning?”

Jimmy and Jenny both shook their heads. “Nope. My phone isn’t even on. I never turn it on when I’m not at school. Don’t see the point.”

Jenny tilted her head. “Why?”

“Well, I got a few this morning. I didn’t even know my phone was on.”

“Who were they from? Anyone interesting?” Jenny wiggled one eyebrow at Laura, implying maybe one of the boys they had crushes on at school.

“No.” Laura felt herself blush a bit. She didn’t want to talk about the boys at school in front of Jimmy. “Not like that, anyway. They were really odd. From some girl called Melanie. Said she wanted me to play with her ‘cause she was lonely.” The twins stared at her, and she wished she hadn’t said anything. “I ignored them, but I just wondered if you’d had anything like that.”

“Maybe some kid from the campsite pissing around.” Jimmy emphasized the swear word happily.

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Laura had noticed him using more and more bad language now that they had moved up to the senior school. It always made Jenny roll her eyes and Laura thought that secretly made Jimmy enjoy it all the more.

“Yeah, that’s what I figured.”

“Let’s have a look though. Did you bring your phone? Maybe one of us will recognize the number.”

Laura yanked the handset from her coat. “I think the phone’s dying though. I couldn’t see a sender’s number this morning.” The screen was black, and she pushed the On button. Nothing happened. “The battery must have died.” Peering at the small dead screen, Laura decided not to tell her friends that there hadn’t been any battery or signal showing earlier either. She was already wishing she just hadn’t mentioned the whole thing. She felt like she was making something out of nothing. “It doesn’t matter anyway.”

“I seen children playing. New children.” Peter didn’t raise his head but kept drawing.

“Sure you did, Petey.” Jimmy grinned at his baby brother.” ‘Course you did.”

Peter shrugged slightly, as if he didn’t care whether his big brother believed him or not.

Shoving the dolls back into the bottom of the closet, Jenny glanced at her Mickey Mouse watch. “It’s nearly ten. Shall we go and see if Mum’s cookies are done?”

“I thought you said they were for other people.”

Hauling herself to her feet, Jenny looked impatiently at Laura. “This is Mum we’re talking about. She’ll have made thousands. Plenty for us!”

“We might even persuade her to let us go out now,” Jimmy grumbled.

Getting off the bed, Laura looked at Peter. “You 109

coming, or shall I bring you a cookie up?’ At three, Peter’s hair was still very blond, no sign of the red that marked his older siblings, and Laura had a real soft spot for him. She remembered when he was born, and she loved the way he just quietly got on with things, entertaining himself.

“Stayin,’” he mumbled, still bent over his battered toy.

“Okay.” She kissed the top of his head and bounded down the stairs after her friends.

It was only as she disappeared through the doorway that he raised his head and looked out the window, his small blue eyes searching for something amongst the hedgerows of the garden and the trees of the woods beyond. “I want to go and play with the other children, Laura.” His eyes glanced back to the door, disappointed she’d gone before he spoke. He then looked back out at the trees, then down at his toy, then back to the trees again. In his head he could see his bright yellow coat on the floor of his bedroom. All the others were downstairs.

He could put his coat on and go out for just a minute. He wouldn’t go very far.

It was naughty to wander off, he knew that, and he wasn’t a naughty boy, he was a good boy.

He would just go down to the end of the garden. Maybe just the other side of the fence and see if the children were there. And then he’d go back inside. That’s what he’d do. He’d go back inside and have a cookie with Laura and Jenny and Jimmy. Staring out the window, he nodded as if someone had asked him a question, and then carefully put the toy down on the bed and padded toward his room.

The yellow coat was exactly where he remembered it, and his face concentrated, he slipped each arm into

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the appropriate hole, for a moment thinking that the back was going to be at the front; then he’d never figure it out and have to call for Jenny or Mummy. He smiled happily when the gaping opening was where it should be. Leaving it undone, not yet old enough to master the zip, he crept out into the hallway. His small, pudgy hand gripped the rail of each banister as he carefully came down each stair, trying to be quiet. Normally he would slide down on his bottom, but he was scared that might make too much noise. And he could see better through the banisters.

From the kitchen he could hear the others laughing and giggling as they persuaded his mother to hand over the hot baked oatmeal and raisin cookies, and for a second he was tempted to forget all about the other children and join them instead. They were talking about putting a movie on while waiting for the thunder to pass and he heard Laura mention his name and say something about taking some cookies and milk up to him.

Turning his back on the noise, as Mummy was saying that if he was hungry he’d have to come down and get one himself, he wasn’t a baby anymore, Peter wished that Laura would come out and play with the new children too. He was sure that they wanted her to. Especially Melanie. Melanie said she wanted to be friends with everyone and there were some other new children that were three, just like him, to play with.

One eye fearfully focused on the kitchen, he pulled open the downstairs bathroom door and reached in to pull his Wellington boots out from their place with the others under the sink. His breath was coming in fast pants with the concentration of being so careful, and

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tucking himself under the stairs, just in case someone came out into the hallway, he tugged the boots on. He got them on the right feet through accident rather than planning and, ready to go, he peered round the edge of the stairs to make sure the way was clear.

Normally he’d go out to the garden through the back door in the kitchen; in fact, normally that was the only door they ever used, but that way was blocked, so he was going to have to use the front one. Stepping forward, he stretched himself as far on his tiptoes as he could go, small clumsy fingers grasping at the latch. For a second he didn’t think he was going to make it and he’d have to reverse everything he’d done and run back upstairs, but then he felt the cold metal. Letting his feet do the work, he dropped back onto his soles, keeping his finger on the metal, and as he lowered, so did the catch, the door immediately swinging open with the wind from outside.

Smiling, he stepped out into the rain and shut the door as quietly as he could behind him. The water hit his face hard, but he was a country boy and the elements didn’t really bother him, especially when the air was warm, and squinting against it, he trotted around the side of the house and down to the garden. He couldn’t hear anyone coming behind him, but up ahead, just beyond the low back garden gate at the edge of the woods, he could see the children waiting for him. Four or five were peering out from behind the trees, but Melanie was right by the gate, no coat on and smiling at him, as if the weather couldn’t touch her. Raising his arm, he waved excitedly. They wanted to play with him.

Just him. And not because he had to tag along with Jenny or Jimmy or the others.

They were going to be friends of his own.

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The wind seemed to get stronger as he got closer to the gate, but Peter didn’t mind. Melanie was waving him forward, having taken a step back toward the woods, and reaching the gate, Peter hesitated. He’d always promised Mummy that he would never ever wander outside the garden without her. His fingers toyed with the bolt impatiently. But he wouldn’t go very far. And he wouldn’t be alone.

Staring at the others waving him on, he smiled, pushed the metal open, and followed.

They were about halfway through Scary Movie 2 when Laura felt the phone vibrating in her sweatshirt pouch, which was strange because she was pretty sure that she’d left it in her coat pocket on the bed. She was also sure that when it had gone off this morning it was the tone that had been on. Maybe she’d accidentally pressed a button when she was messing with it. She didn’t feel convinced. What she was convinced about was that the phone had been dead when she’d tried to turn it on to show Jimmy and Jenny the earlier messages. So how come it was buzzing now?