The idea of Rosie biting the bottoms of everyone she did not like at school cheered up Little Bad Wolf no end. The three of them then went for a run around the forest and forgot or tried to forget all that had gone on at the school.
Little Bad Wolf went back home at the time the school usually ended. She decided that she would tell her aunts what had happened. However it turned out she did not need to do this. When she got back her aunts were waiting.
“Where have you been today?” asked Martha.
“What do you mean?” asked Little Bad Wolf. “Today was just a normal day.”
“Except you were not at school,” said Matilda. “Your friend Matt was here looking for you and he seems to think that you left school two days ago for ever.”
For the second time that day, Little Bad Wolf was crying. This time it was also because she was ashamed that she had not been brave enough to tell her aunts that she had left school. Her aunts sensed how much she was ashamed and did not want her to dwell on this for too long.
“Do not worry,” said Martha. “You were going to be expelled soon anyway.”
“That boy, Matt,” said Matilda. “He asked that you call to his house when you get back. He wants to talk about something.”
“Do you know what he wants,” asked Little Bad Wolf.
“No. Only, it seemed important,” answered Matilda.
Little Bad Wolf did not feel like eating dinner but she did not want to go before dinner and show any disrespect to her aunts. They saw her waiting and saw also that she wanted to leave and find out what it was that Matt wanted.
“You can go on if you like and we will keep some dinner for you,” said Martha. The two aunts were very amused by how quickly Little Bad Wolf was gone and off to see what had happened.
Louise was at Matt’s house when Little Bad Wolf got there.
“It really is very strange,” said Matt.
“Yeah! I have not heard of anything like this,” said Louise.
Little Bad Wolf had expected them to be asking about her. She was the one who had just walked out of the school and who would have been kicked out on very dubious grounds if she had not. She was the one who put so much effort into just being a pupil to see it all stolen away from her. Now though, her two friends were completely ignoring this as if her leaving school was similar to a light rain shower in the afternoon. They were talking about some storm alright but it was not the one involving Little Bad Wolf. They had barely said “hello” they were so caught up in this latest event.
“Ex-cuse me, what is go-ing on?” asked Little Bad Wolf.
“Who knows!” said Matt. “Some people think she is just playing some stupid game.”
“And you heard what the head was supposed to have said to her father,” said Louise.
“I heard it was the father who said that to the head,” said Matt.
“Sa-id wha-at?” asked Little Bad Wolf.
“Yeah. It’s all hearsay,” said Matt. He then looked at Little Bad Wolf. “You know some people are saying this is all your fault.”
“I sti-ill do not know what you are talk-ing ab-out,” said Little Bad Wolf.
“Samantha,” said Louise.
“What abo-ut Sam-an-tha?” asked Little Bad Wolf.
“She literally just disappeared,” said Matt.
“What do you me-an just dis-app-eared?” asked Little Bad Wolf.
It was only at this point that her two friends realised that Little Bad Wolf had not been in school today and could not know anything of Samantha’s disappearance. They started telling what they knew and by doing this realised how much was rumour and guess work. There was one fact. Yesterday Samantha was in school. She left at the normal time and headed home but no-one has seen her since. The rest was all guesswork. None of the adults were saying publicly that this was some sort of attention seeking prank but this seemed to be most widely believed. The other possibilities were that she had some accident and was lying unconscious somewhere. Matt’s father and both of Louise’s parents had joined the search party which had been very quickly organised and were there now. Matt had heard the rumour that some of those at school believed that Little Bad Wolf had taken her revenge and she was responsible for Samantha’s disappearance.
The other possibility was that someone had kidnapped Samantha. Samantha’s family was very rich and this could be a reason why she might have been kidnapped. Louise’s mother was born in the village and she knew Samantha’s mother since they were at school together. Louise’s mother thought she might have been kidnapped. She said the money came from Samantha’s mother. Apparently Mr Silliman and his wonderful business ideas took from this money rather than contributed anything to it. Louise’s had heard her mother tell her father this and her father replied that he was not surprised.
Chapter 25 The Search
Some people very quickly decided who was responsible for Samantha’s disappearance. Some people always decide things very quickly. When talking about it the following morning they even corrected those they were talking to.
“Not who, what!”
“What do you mean, what?”
“It’s obvious, is it not.”
“Not to me.”
“Well on Tuesday what had to leave the school? On Wednesday Samantha goes missing.”
If the listener did not agree that Little Bad Wolf was responsible they were reminded of who her father was.
By mid-morning of the second day of the disappearance everyone had heard that Little Bad Wolf was the prime suspect in the case of Samantha Silliman. Everyone except Little Bad Wolf. She was spending the morning searching for her former schoolmate. Schoolmate is perhaps the wrong word here as Samantha was never a ‘mate’ of Little Bad Wolf.
After hearing of the disappearance Little Bad Wolf had had a very restless night. She knew that Samantha was not the sort of child to do a prank which would require the effort of running away and staying outside all night. Others had suggested that this might be attention seeking but Little Bad Wolf knew from the very beginning that it was something serious. Either she was hurt somewhere or she had been kidnapped.
She was very glad when the sun started to rise and she could start her search. There were people around who were helping in the official search. Neither Mr Silliman nor any of the people sipping coffee from paper cups outside the police station saw Little Bad Wolf as she headed towards the forest. Little Bad Wolf had come to the conclusion that if Samantha had injured herself she would not be very far from the village. Samantha usually went straight home after school and if something had happened to her on her way home or near there the official search led by her father and the Police Chief would already have found her. Little Bad Wolf also reasoned that there were not many places where kidnappers could hide Samantha. She also knew she would be able to smell the areas where the human search party had already covered and they were unlikely to have missed her.
Little Bad Wolf’s sense of smell was very good but she knew of one dog who also knew Samantha and who had an even better sense of smell. She decided to firstly go and seek the help of that dog, Boubou. He was not at home. Boubou was a dog who loved to wander and he used to regularly climb over the fence which his family hoped would keep him safe in the garden. Last year they realized that part of the reason why Boubou went on his wanders was to search for friends and they got him a pet. This dog who was supposed to stop BouBou from escaping and wandering was called Roamer but everyone whether human or animal knew him as Boubou’s pet. He did a good job of keeping Boubou contented and in his own garden but occasionally the need to wander overcame the dog and he jumped over the fence. This was one of those times.
“Do you have any idea where he is?” asked Little Bad Wolf.
“He just disappeared,” said Boubou’s pet. “I think he was thinking of it for a few days. He spent a lot of time looking at the fence.”
“It’s important. I need his help in tracking.” Little Bad was almos
t crying.
“I am sorry but I can’t help. He would have loved to have gone tracking with you but he just went. Last time he did this he was away for three days.”
She continued on her journey looking for clues as to where Samantha could be. She knew that the people would have already searched the town and were starting on the forest. She also knew that some of them would be searching for her, thinking she was responsible for Samantha’s disappearance. Little Bad Wolf knew the smells of all the pupils in her class very well. Because of this when she went anywhere she would be able to tell if one of them had been there recently. It was also because of this that she knew that Samantha often went to a spot on the river bank. Sometimes Little Bad Wolf could also make out the smells of some of Samantha’s friends but usually Samantha would go there alone.
There were several ways Little Bad Wolf could get to the river. The fastest and most direct way was likely to be searched by the official search party so she avoided the forest paths, finding ways through the undergrowth and paths that were used by deer and other animals. More than once she got the smell of some person but it was not Samantha and she ignored it. On reaching the edge of the river she had to walk by its shore to get to the place where Samantha used to visit. When she got there was no trace indicating that anyone other than wild animals had visited there recently. Little Bad Wolf was not sure what to do next. The people in the official search party seemed to be covering most of the places where Samantha usually went.
It was while she was thinking about what to do next that Little Bad Wolf heard a sharp noise and felt something whizz past her before it exploded in the tree behind her. Although Little Bad Wolf did have much experience of guns, she did not have to be told twice that it was a bullet and it had been aimed at her.
She was already running towards the hill when she heard a voice shout, “I almost got that wolf!! Come on, She’s getting away!!” It was one of search party shouting and he started leading the others in her direction. However, they were slower than Little Bad Wolf.
About halfway up the hill there was a cave. Little Bad Wolf headed for it as she knew it was difficult to find unless you knew where it was. She would stay there until they went away and then resume her search. The main reason why the cave was difficult to reach is that the entrance was very small and you did not notice it until you were beside it. Little Bad Wolf was running towards this very fast. She ignored the smells of people which she thought were from those chasing her. She just kept running.
In the midst of this chase she heard someone whisper. For some reason she did not understand she thought the whisper was meant for her. It was coming from further up the hill and as she headed towards this voice she realised someone was whispering her name.
“Little Bad Wolf, Little Bad Wolf.” She heard it distinctly this time. It was coming from further up the hill, possibly near the cave.
Little Bad Wolf moved quickly but every so often had to stop to check that she was not being followed by the crowd chasing her. She realised that she was now well away from the search party and there was no hope of them finding her. She sat down and rested for a short while catching her breadth and tried to get her bearings as to where exactly she was.
“Little Bad Wolf.” This time she knew who was whispering. It was Samantha. She was in the cave or very near it and for some reason was whispering her name. Little Bad Wolf believed that Samantha must have been hurt and was conserving her energy and that was why she was not shouting. She knew Samantha was near and Little Bad Wolf barked and shouted so that she would know help was on the way and quickly she raced up towards the cave.
Until Today Little Bad Wolf had rarely seen a gun. This was about to change. When she got inside the cave a large dark haired man who did not spend his money on shaving cream or new clothes was pointing a gun at her.
“Well, Well, What have we got here?” he said with a grin and a mocking welcome. “If it is not the famous Wolf. Cedric, come here and tie her up.”
The second man made the first look well groomed and pretty. Quickly and roughly he tied the two front paws then the two back ones. He then dragged Little Bad Wolf further into the cave and put her beside Samantha who was also tied up.
The two men then went outside the cave and were using a mobile phone to talk to someone. Little Bad Wolf had problems hearing all they had said as Samantha started talking as soon as they walked outside.
“I never thought it would be you who would try and come here and rescue me,” said Samantha.
“Shh!, I am try-ing to he-ar what they are say-ing.”
“You can hear them?”
“Yeah, th-ey are on the pho-ne.”
“You can hear the person they are talking to?” asked Samantha.
“Do-n’t be sill-y. Please stop talk-ing though as I will not be ab-le to he-ar.”
It was at this point that Samantha understood she was supposed to stop asking questions and doing this might just help her.
After about five minutes Little Bad Wolf turned to Samantha. “They are smok-ing cig-ar-ettes now and not talk-ing.”
“How do you know that?”
“I can sme-ell them and cig-ar-ette smo-oke is a pret-ty aw-ful smell.”
“So what did they say? When they were on the phone,” asked Samantha.
“They were talk-ing to some-one who was call-ed ‘Boss’. He se-em-ed to thi-ink it was very go-od that they ca-ught me. I did he-ar the one call-ed Ced-ric tell the other that the Boss says I did not come to resc-ue you as we ha-ate each oth-er.”
“How would the Boss know that?” asked Samantha.
“I had not tho-ught of that but I gu-ess it me-ans that the Boss is some-one who kno-ows us.”
Little Bad Wolf did not tell Samantha all of the conversation she had heard. While they were outside the men had been saying how smart the Boss was. One of them had said that he had told him if anything goes wrong and they have to do something to the girl it will be easy to blame the wolf.
Chapter 26 Captured
For Little Bad Wolf it was going to be a very uncomfortable night. She was tied up, tired and hungry. The men had untied Samantha yesterday evening and given her some food. She realized that they were not planning to feed Little Bad Wolf and tried to leave some food for her. She had a slice of meat left over on the side of her plate and was intending to hide it and give it to her companion. However, the man they called Cedric spotted the food. “Well if you don’t want this piece, I’ll have it,” he said as he picked the slice from her plate and ate it before Samantha could object.
Little Bad Wolf was amused that Samantha was so embarrassed at not being able to sneak her some food.
“We ha-ve big-ger prob-lems,” she laughed.
“I know,” said Samantha. “It’s just that I got you into this. I called and you came to help. I never thought you would hear me but you did and you came running to help me. Now look what I have got you into.”
“You did not get me into any-thing,” said Little Bad Wolf. “I knew what might hap-pen. I came be-cause I want-ed to help.”
Samantha just said “Thank you” and the captives laid them down side by side. Samantha had not slept the first night of her capture but tonight she was so tired she could not even talk with her new friend for very long.
Samantha was still asleep when Little Bad Wolf heard their captors talking to someone. She wondered if they had been found as the voice and the smell was very familiar. It took a lot of concentrating to figure out what they were saying and then she knew this person had not come to rescue them.
“The mother has got the note,” said the new man. “She wanted to go to the police but I said that could be dangerous.”
“How much?” said one of the men.
“We agreed a long time ago what to ask for,” said the new man. “Have you forgotten what we agreed, Cedric. Maybe Martin and I could give you 5,000 and say that’s your share.”
“I just wanted to make su
re. That’s all.”
“Don’t trust me? I am the one here with most to lose.”
“I didn’t say that,” said Cedric.
Little Bad Wolf heard the man called Martin ask the other two to calm themselves.
“Look, I have to go,” said the new man. “I have to lead the search party for my daughter.
The man called Martin started to laugh at this but the new man must have given him a nasty look as he soon stopped and apologised.
“Look, one thing before you go,” said Cedric. “What if things go wrong?”
“We stick to plan with one change. Make it look like the wolf got to her. Everybody thinks that animal hates her anyway.”
“OK, see you later.”
When the man had gone Martin said to Cedric, “Ed is some bastard, isn’t he? Fancy, being willing to do that to your own daughter.”
“I know,” said Cedric. “And if he is willing to do that to her, I bet he’s cheating us with the ransom.”
“Maybe, but I just want my 25 and I’m out of here. I don’t like this child kidnapping lark.”
They stopped talking and started working. They avoided the cave and spent the next hour or so outside. Little Bad Wolf was unsure of the time when Martin came in with some breakfast for Samantha. She was still asleep until he woke her.
“What time is it,” she asked.
“After nine, he replied. “Here, I have got you some breakfast.”
Samantha seemed to be in a better mood and almost thanked him but remembered who he was and why she here.
“Have you got something for the wolf?” she asked.
“You are worried about the wolf’s breakfast,” he asked with a very surprised look on his face. “I heard you two don’t get on.” He then went outside. For a minute or two Samantha thought he had gone outside to get some breakfast for Little Bad Wolf. That hope was dashed by his non-appearance. This time she managed to give some of her food to Little Bad Wolf.
Little Bad Wolf wondered for most of the morning whether to tell Samantha that the man behind her kidnapping was her own father. She had decided that she probably would not do this until Samantha herself brought up her father.