Girl, Missing

  ‘Of course I do, but … but it’ll be better if we have more money. I’m due my allowance tomorrow. Maybe I can ask for extra for something. Like an advance.’

  Jam looked away. His eyes rested on the carton of milk I’d left by the fridge. ‘What about me?’

  ‘Come up to my room,’ I said. ‘You can hide there. Eat something. Rest.’

  He nodded.

  I grabbed the carton of milk and a loaf of bread from the kitchen, then led Jam up the stairs.

  I held my breath as we passed Shelby’s room, then Annie and Sam’s. But everyone appeared to be fast asleep.

  We slid inside my room and shut the door. Jam looked round as he pulled off his jacket. ‘Kind of babyish, isn’t it?’ he whispered, stifling a yawn.

  ‘It was mine – when I was little, remember?’

  He nodded, then tore a chunk off the loaf of bread I’d brought up and popped it whole into his mouth.

  I went over to the closet and pulled down a spare blanket off the top shelf. ‘You’d better sleep in here. In case someone comes in in the morning.’

  Jam swallowed his mouthful. ‘I’m not tired.’ He grinned. ‘Hey. What about if I need to pee?’

  I looked round. I grabbed a vase of fresh flowers Annie had put next to the board-books on the shelf. I pulled out the flowers and handed it to him. ‘Use this.’

  He raised his eyes, took the vase and disappeared into the closet. ‘I’ll be back in a sec.’

  I paced up and down the room, my head spinning.

  I wanted to be with Jam. I’d never wanted anything more in my life. Except … it felt wrong to leave Mum and Dad right now, while they must be so worried and scared about their court case. And for all that Annie annoyed me, was it really fair to put her through losing me again? And then there was Sam. And his parents. And, most of all, Madison.

  After a while it occurred to me Jam hadn’t reappeared from the closet. I wandered over. ‘Jam?’ I whispered. ‘Jam?’

  Silence. I peered round the door. Jam was sitting, slumped sideways on one of the cushions, his hand still clutching a chunk of bread.

  I crouched down beside him and smoothed a strand of hair off his forehead. As I gently tugged him round onto the floor, his PSP slipped out of his trouser pocket. I picked it up and turned it over. Still six notches on the back.

  How could his dad not want to see him?

  For a second I filled up with how hurt Jam must feel. It made me sad. And angry.

  I stroked his face again. Then I put a folded jumper under his head, covered him with a blanket and got into bed.

  Madison often came in to see me in the mornings. Sometimes she’d bring me orange juice in a cup, sometimes a book to show me, sometimes a little bangle or earring that she’d made with one of her craft sets.

  Today it was a picture she’d drawn. I could feel it, rustling against my hand as she shook me awake.

  ‘Lauren, Lauren,’ she whispered. ‘Wake up.’

  I opened my eyes.

  Her face was centimetres away from mine. Her eyes like enormous buttons. ‘Lauren, there’s a boy in your closet.’

  I shot up and stared over at the closet. The door was open. I could see Jam’s feet poking out from under the blanket.

  ‘I wasn’t taking anything, just looking at your things,’ Madison said, anxiously. ‘I think he’s asleep. Should we get Mom and Dad?’

  ‘No,’ I whispered. ‘It’s OK. Jam’s a friend of mine. He got here last night. I … I didn’t want to wake everyone up.’

  ‘Is he your boyfriend?’

  I looked down at the picture Madison had brought me. A crayon drawing of her and me standing next to each other in the bow of the Josephine May. ‘Kind of,’ I said. ‘But he lives in England.’ I looked up at her. ‘He and I were thinking of going away. So it’s important you don’t say anything to anyone about him being here.’

  ‘You won’t go away for long, will you?’ Madison’s lip trembled. ‘It’s my birthday just after Thanksgiving and Mom wants me to have this big party, but I just want to go to the movies with you.’ She leaned closer to me and whispered in my ear. ‘You can choose what we see, if you like.’

  I caught a whiff of her sweet, strawberry-jam breath. Fierce, protective love tugged at my heart. For a single, thrilling second I imagined Jam and me taking Madison with us. Then the image crumbled as I came face to face with its impossibility.

  Which left me with one thought.

  No way could I leave her.

  ‘It’s OK,’ I whispered to Madison. ‘We’re just going down to the marina. You can come too.’

  ‘What?’ I hadn’t noticed Jam coming out of the closet. He was standing at the foot of my bed. Madison shifted closer to me as Jam frowned and brushed back his tousled hair. ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Jam, this is Madi,’ I said. ‘She’s my sister.’

  Jam flashed her his big, cute grin. My heart flipped over. For a second I wavered. Was I mad even thinking about turning down the chance to run away with him for ever?

  ‘We can’t talk here.’ I pointed to the clock: 9 am. ‘There won’t be many people down the marina. It’s too cold. It’s a good place to sort everything out.’

  Jam’s eyes lingered on my face, but he didn’t say anything. He nodded. ‘OK.’

  It was easy sneaking out of the house. Madison stood guard at the bottom of the stairs while I led Jam through the living area and out the front door. I could hear Annie in the kitchen as we passed.

  ‘An entire loaf of bread, Sam … You don’t think she’s bulimic?’

  The marina was covered in frost. It crackled under our feet like a gigantic crisp packet. Jam and I walked without speaking.

  As we reached the coffee stand, Madison skipped off by herself along the jetty. I watched her long black hair swaying behind her. There was hardly anyone about. A smart Evanporter walking a fluffy little Scottie dog. And a couple in the distance, both muffled up in hats and scarves. There was something vaguely familiar about the way the woman walked, but I was too preoccupied to give her a second thought.

  The coffee stand was closed, but the iron tables and chairs, being nailed to the ground, were still in position. Jam and I sat at the same table where Glane and I had sat just the day before.

  ‘So what’s going on, Lauren?’ Jam stared at me, his eyes hard. ‘I went with you when you asked me. Why don’t you want to come now?’

  ‘I do,’ I said. ‘I want to be with you. I want that more than anything. It’s just …’

  My phone beeped. I ignored it.

  ‘What then?’

  ‘It’s not that simple,’ I said. ‘Mum and Dad might be sent to prison for something they didn’t do. I have to stay near them.’

  ‘Why?’ Jam frowned. ‘Back in London you never stopped complaining about them. They drove you mad.’

  ‘I know, but it’s different now.’ How could I explain? I didn’t know what it would be like to be taken away from them. ‘It’s not just that. There’s Annie and Sam too. They lost me for eleven years. I can’t walk out on them.’

  ‘But you kept saying how miserable you were here.’ Jam turned away. The sun lit up a strand of hair over his forehead. He was so, so cute. And he wanted to be with me.

  What was I doing?

  My stomach twisted into a knot. ‘Let me think about it.’ I reached out and held his hand. It felt cold. ‘Maybe Annie and Sam will let you stay here. Once they know how we feel about each other.’

  Jam pulled his hand away. ‘Oh, grow up, Lauren. They won’t want me barging in on their happy little family.’ He stood up, just as my phone started beeping again.

  I glanced down at it.

  ‘Who’s that? Your new boyfriend?’ Jam snapped.

  I didn’t answer. I was barely even aware as he turned and walked away.

  I was staring at the text on my cell.

  Boat. Now. Or ur sister dies.

  34

  Finding Madison

 
Was it Shelby? Was this her idea of a sick joke?

  I glanced across the marina. As far as I could see, it was completely deserted. So where was Madison?

  Jam was still walking away from me. He had almost reached the point where the marina ended and the row of stores began. A few early-morning shoppers were strolling along the sidewalk.

  ‘Jam,’ I yelled after him. One of the shoppers stared at me. But Jam didn’t look round. ‘Jam. Please.’

  For a second I stood, torn.

  Jam was disappearing behind the first store: Tackle and Splice. ‘JAM!’ I yelled. ‘PLEASE.’

  My heart sank. I couldn’t run after him. I had to find Madison.

  I turned and raced down the jetty towards the boat. I was sure Shelby had sent the text. Stupid, stupid cow.

  I muttered under my breath as I ran, vowing that when I got home I would personally go into her stupid closet and trample all over her stupid clothes.

  I skidded to a halt beside the boat. It was eerily quiet.

  ‘Madi?’ I called out. ‘Are you here?’

  Silence.

  I stepped on board. There was obviously no one in the stern. Crap. I was in my spiky-heeled brown boots. Sam would kill me for walking on the deck in these. I tiptoed past the saloon, up to the bow. I couldn’t see anything through the windows. My heart thudded. Did Sam usually leave the curtains closed like that?

  No one in the bow.

  I crept back to the stern and over to the saloon door. The wood was splintered where Sam usually put the padlock. Someone had broken in. Would Shelby have done that?

  I hesitated. Maybe I should run. Get help. But then I pictured the sneer on Shelby’s triumphant face when it turned out the whole thing was a big joke.

  Gritting my teeth, I pulled the door open and looked down the steps now in front of me. Immediately below was the place where all the maps and navigating equipment were kept. To the left stood the little galley – with its stove, mini-refrigerator and cupboards. Beyond the galley was the saloon – the main living space on the boat, complete with rugs and a couch and a TV.

  I couldn’t see into its shadowy corners. Not wanting to turn my back on the darkness, I climbed down the steps front first.

  ‘Shelby? Madi?’

  My voice came out in a croaky whisper. There was no sound except for the water splashing gently against the hull and the creaking roll of the boat itself.

  My mouth was dry. I crossed the galley and reached up for the light switch. I flicked it on. No light.

  My heart pounded in my ears.

  ‘If this is your idea of a joke, Shelby, I’ll kill you.’

  I took a step into the living area. At least I could draw back the curtains. Let some light in that way.

  A scuffling noise in the corner. I whipped round. Was that the tip of a shoe? I stared into the darkness.

  A shape loomed out of the shadows. A man. His face clenched with determination.

  I opened my mouth to scream, but his hand, leathergloved, was round my mouth and nose. He pulled me round, forcing my arm behind my back.

  ‘Quiet,’ he ordered.

  He pushed me back through the galley, past the steps to the saloon door and aft, to where the main sleeping areas were. I struggled, but he gripped me tighter, wrenching my arm up. It hurt. I gave a muffled cry.

  We were right at the back of the boat now. The man kicked open the door to the bigger of the two rooms.

  He shoved me. I stumbled forward. Looked up.

  There, slumped on the bed, her mouth covered with masking tape, was Madison.

  Beside her sat Sonia Holtwood.

  35

  Links to a crime

  Sonia’s lips twisted into a cold, sneering smile. She had changed her appearance again – huge red curls tumbled heavily around her face, which somehow looked longer and thinner than before. ‘Hi, Lauren,’ she said.

  I glanced over at Madison. She was struggling to sit up, but Sonia Holtwood kept pushing her back down onto the bed.

  I felt a fury building inside me that completely drowned out my fear. I tried to go to Madi, but the man gripping my arm twisted it up my back again. I flicked my foot up behind me and jabbed the spiky heel of my boot between his legs.

  ‘AAAGH,’ he roared. He loosened his grip on my arm just enough for me to pull free. I raced over to Madison and yanked her to her feet. Then I turned, poised on the balls of my feet, looking for a way out of the room.

  It was at this point that I realised just how hopeless the situation was. We were in the main bedroom, in the very deepest part of the boat. It was only a few metres square, with just enough room for a double bed, a closet and a washbasin. A tiny porthole high up in the wall, to the left of the bed, looked out over open water. Above the bed was a hatch, padlocked from the outside. The only other way out of the room was the door – which the man was standing in front of. He was bent over, clearly in agony from the stab of my high-heel.

  The pulse of satisfaction I felt vanished as he straightened up, a look of total fury on his face. He walked towards me, his fist raised.

  I pushed Madison behind me as he swung his arm back.

  I flinched, closing my eyes, waiting for the blow.

  It didn’t come.

  I looked up. Sonia Holtwood was standing in front of me, her hands on her hips.

  ‘I told you, Frank – we have to make it look like an accident. No rope marks. No bruises.’

  The boat creaked and rolled. Frank’s nostrils flared. Then he dropped his arm. ‘Fine.’ He scowled. ‘I’m going to start the engine.’

  He strode out of the room. I could feel Madison’s hand creeping into mine. I squeezed it, never taking my eyes off Sonia Holtwood.

  She shook her head at me. ‘Sit,’ she said.

  ‘What are you going to do with us?’ I pulled Madison down next to me on the far side of the bed and tugged the masking tape gently away from her mouth.

  ‘Well,’ Sonia said lightly. ‘It’s a question of priorities. As in, my priority of not being sent to jail.’

  Madison huddled up close to me. As her body pressed against my side, I felt my phone through my jeans pocket. I looked up at Sonia. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I can’t be sent to jail if I can’t be identified,’ she went on, ‘and there are only two people who can actually identify me.’

  ‘Me and Jam?’ I shifted slightly, so that Madison was completely blocking Sonia’s view of my pants leg. I reached my fingers into my jeans and felt for the slim edge of the mobile.

  Outside, I could hear Frank’s footsteps and the sound of rope slapping against the deck.

  ‘Yes,’ Sonia said. ‘You and that boy. You see, they’re after me for kidnapping you – twice – but nothing links me to the first abduction except the second, and nothing links me to the second except you two.’

  I gripped the mobile and began easing it gently out of my pocket.

  ‘My texts didn’t seem to bother you,’ Sonia went on. ‘So I figured the next step was a little witness intimidation.’

  My heart thudded. So the BITCH texts had been from Sonia, not Shelby, after all.

  The phone was nearly out of my jeans now. I just had to keep her talking so she didn’t notice it.

  ‘How did you know my cellphone number?’

  Sonia grinned. ‘When you trade in identities, hacking into phone company records is a piece of pie.’

  The mobile slipped in my sweating fingers.

  ‘Identities?’

  Sonia nodded. ‘I make new lives for people. For myself, too. I can be anyone. No one can track me down.’

  ‘What about Taylor Tarsen?’ I gripped the phone more tightly. ‘And all the paperwork on Sonia Holtwood?’

  ‘Taylor’s got nothing on me,’ Sonia sneered. ‘We’ve talked, done business – sure. But he only met me once, eleven years ago. Since then I’ve had a nose job and changed everything about the way I look. I doubt if he could pick me out of a line up. And I haven’t used the
“Sonia Holtwood” identity for years. Like I say, only two people can connect me to the whole thing.’

  I pulled the phone fully out of my jeans just as the engine started to rumble.

  There wasn’t much time.

  ‘Well Jam’s not here.’ I turned the phone round in my hand and felt for the tiny raised bump that I knew marked the number five. ‘He’ll still be able to identify you.’

  ‘We’ll catch up with him easy enough,’ Sonia snorted. ‘Why’d he walk off like that?’

  I froze. She’d seen us earlier? And then it all fell into place. The couple I’d seen all muffled up in hats and coats earlier, on the marina. That was Sonia and the man, Frank.

  ‘No reason,’ I said, shortly.

  The boat was moving now. A steady chug, chug, chug.

  Sonia glanced out of the porthole.

  I looked down at the phone. Bloody, bloody hell. No signal. I needed to get up on deck. Now.

  Madison stiffened beside me. She was staring at the phone. I nudged her, trying to will her to look away.

  ‘I feel sick.’ I covered the phone with my hand. ‘I need air.’

  Sonia turned from the porthole. She pointed to the washbasin in the far corner of the room.

  ‘Use that.’

  Clutching the phone to my stomach I walked over to the washbasin. I bent over and peered down at the phone. Still no signal.

  I made fake retching noises into the sink.

  The boat was moving faster now. I could feel the bob and swell of it, making the floor under my feet sway. Panic rose in my throat. The further away from shore we got, the less chance there was of getting a signal, even on deck.

  ‘I still feel ill,’ I said. ‘Please let me get some air.’

  ‘Stop whining.’

  I stared at the video function on the phone. OK, so I couldn’t dial nine-one-one, but maybe I could get Sonia to say where they were taking us. Then, if I could somehow pass the phone to someone as we got off the boat …

  It was a long shot, but it was all I could think of.

  I bent over the sink again and switched the phone to video mode. I pressed record, then straightened up, leaving the phone on top of the plughole.