A Raucous Time

  Chapter Sixteen

   

  Wren had been wrong. Taffy’s Folly stood on Bodmin Moor, in Cornwall. Not quite the moon, but almost Land’s End. Thank God for Google, Rhyllann thought. A little part of his mind noted the latitude and longitude as he murmured to himself.

  “Taffy’s Folly. This impressive monolith is supposedly haunted by the spirit of a lady in exile. According to legend, she watches from this vantage point, longing for her husband to realise that the whispers against her honour are without truth, and ride to her rescue. Some speculate the lady in question is Gwenivere, awaiting King Arthur.”

  Wren dug him in the ribs. ‘Joan. Waiting for Llwellynn! Finished?’ Without waiting for a reply, he googled travel information.

  ‘Grief – Look at the train fares – We’ve only got eighty quid left. We’ll have to go by coach.’

  ‘Keep your voice down!’ Rhyllann glanced around the library, his gaze skirting the group of pensioners noisily playing cards. The flat screen telly caught his attention. Twenty-four hour news played silently. Rhyllann watched idly, then froze as an image of gran’s swollen face filled the screen.

  ‘Jesus – Wren!’

  ‘If only we had a credit card – ten per cent off for on line bookings.’

  Rhyllann thumped him. ‘Look!’

  Wren’s head jerked up – in time to catch his own face being replaced by Rhyllann looking angelic for once in the annual school photo. He read outloud from the subtitles.

  ‘Police have taken the unusual step of issuing photographs of two school children they are anxious to trace. Oh my god. Annie.’

   

  Earlier, buoyed up by his success, Wren had taken charge again. Using nail scissors he hacked at Rhyllann’s hair, ignoring the protests. Water and dust combined to make their hair spike up in a nod to fashion. Wren’s had turned a reddish blond, Rhyllann’s a dull brown. Wren insisted on cutting through the plaster cast on his foot, and dumping the crutch saying that air cushioned trainers would be just as supportive. Some second hand clothes from Oxfam added to their altered appearance. Taking a tube train to the end of the line, they found themselves in the genteel suburb of Ruislip. Now Wren crumpled. This wasn’t fair. Rhyllann yanked him from the computer station.

  ‘C’mon. Quick.’

  They were on the run again.