In the anxiety of the moment, Lois had forgotten her row with Hazel. “I’m looking for Jamie,” she said. “He’s gone missing. He could have been here.”
Hazel shook her head. “Not a chance, thank God,” she said. “This lot are regulars. Not your Jamie. When’d he go?”
“Not sure.” Lois explained the details briefly to Hazel, then said she must be getting back.
By the time she returned to the house, Derek had made a plan. “I’ll get the van,” he said, “and you take your car, Lois. We’ll go slowly round the villages and see if we spot him. Josie and Douglas can go round likely friends in the village. And stick together, you two. Gran can stay here, in case Jamie comes back, or there are any phone calls or messages.”
“An’ if we don’t find him, we ring Keith Simpson,” repeated Lois. She looked at the clock. It was half past eight. Time was passing, and they still had no idea where Jamie had gone. “Where’s Gran?” she said.
“In the kitchen,” Josie said, putting on her coat. “Tell her to stay here and wait.” Lois fished in her pocket for car keys.
Josie went into the kitchen, and saw Gran sitting there, eyes closed. “Gran?” Poor old thing. Must be upset.
“Yes?”
Eyes still closed.
“Um, we’re all goin’ out looking. Mum says will you stay here and hold the fort?”
Gran nodded. “I’m thinking, dear,” she said. “Off you go.”
? Weeping on Wednesday ?
Twenty-Nine
Jamie sat in the Abraham’s kitchen, a mug of hot milk in his hand, and a cat curled up on his lap.
“Drink that all down,” said Enid. “Then we’ll get you home.”
Walter Abraham had said he was sorry Mother had made such a scene. “Not a good idea, you coming down here,” he added wearily. In a voice Jamie had not heard before, Enid retorted that Mother’d soon get used to it if they didn’t pander to her so much. Walter raised his eyebrows and said when Jamie had finished his milk he’d load the bike into the back of the truck and run him home. “Shouldn’t be out at this hour on your own, anyway,” he said. “I don’t know what your parents are thinking of.”
“Shouldn’t we ring them?” said Enid. “Just to tell them you’re on the way home?”
“No, they won’t worry,” lied Jamie. “I often go out at night on my bike. I got lights. I’ll be OK – no need for you to take me in the truck.” He was not at all keen on arriving home in the care of Mr Abraham. He was planning to say he’d been for a ride around, and hadn’t noticed it was getting dark. Perhaps he’d say Sam had asked him to go round to his house. They wouldn’t mind that. Apart from a bollocking for not telling them, he’d probably get off lightly. But not if he arrived home in Mr Abraham’s truck.
Enid had made light of the storm from inside the locked room. Ushering Jamie back into the kitchen, she had confronted her father’s angry face with a joke about Mother being so stupid that she didn’t know when she was listening to a budding genius. Then she’d insisted on giving him this milk, in spite of him saying he didn’t much like hot milk. “It’ll warm you up,” she said, “before you go home.”
He was certainly warm now. The fire was in a kind of basket in an old black range, and the other cats were as near to it as they could get. The one on his lap was purring loudly, and he felt quite at ease. If he had to go home in the truck, he’d get Mr Abraham to drop him outside the gate, and then wait until he’d gone before he went inside. Yes, that’d do. He downed the last of the milk and carefully set the cat down on the floor. “We got a cat,” he said to Mr Abraham. “He’s called Melvyn, after Josie’s boyfriend. He’s in prison now…well, some sort of prison. You probably heard about it.”
The silence was electric. “Prison?” said Walter finally. “No, we’ve heard nothing about prison in this house.” He was making a great effort to remain normal, pleasant. He had to get this boy out of the house and back home without causing any more upset. “Get his coat, Enid,” he said. “I’ll put the bike in the truck, and we’ll go.”
¦
The yard was very dark, and Jamie could just see the outline of the old truck over by the barn. “Why don’t you have an outside light, Mr Abraham?” he said. “My dad could fix you one of those that comes on if anybody goes by. Warns you of intruders!” Jamie laughed, completely at ease now. He couldn’t see in the darkness that there was no answering smile from Walter Abraham. Jamie climbed into the truck cab, and glanced back through the dusty window. His bike was safely in the back. And so was something else, someone else, hunched into the corner. Jamie looked harder. It wasn’t Mr Abraham, who was fiddling about at the front of the truck. All Jamie could see was a whitish face, and it was looking straight at him. His new-found confidence evaporated at once. Who was it? And why was it staring at him like that?
Walter climbed into the driving seat and turned the key. The engine spluttered and died. “Damn!” he said. He tried again, with the same result.
“There’s a man in the back,” Jamie said, and his voice wobbled.
“Nonsense,” said Walter impatiently. “It’s only shadows. Now let me get this engine started and we’ll be off.” He tried again, but still with no success. “Damn,” he said again. “I’ll have to go and get some stuff…engine’s probably damp. Wait here, boy, I shan’t be long.”
“Don’t leave me!” said Jamie, now very frightened. “There
“You got a good imagination,” said Walter, and climbed out of the cab, disappearing into the darkness.
¦
Lois and Derek arrived back at the house more or less at the same time. “Did you…?” Lois could see that Derek’s van was empty. No Jamie. She had had no luck, either, although she’d knocked up Bill and Rebecca to ask them. Bill had immediately pulled on his jacket and set off to get his bike.
“I’ll be able to use my ears as well as eyes,” he said. “The more of us looking, the quicker we’ll find him.” He was gone before Lois could protest. And anyway, she was glad. There was something so reassuring about Bill.
They went into the kitchen and found Josie and Douglas sitting with Gran at the table. Their faces dropped when they saw that Lois and Derek had no Jamie with them.
“Right,” said Lois. “Time to get Keith Simpson. I’ll go and phone.”
Gran looked up. “Wait a minute, Lois,” she said. “I bin thinking, and I’ve got a suggestion. It’s probably no good, but worth a try.”
“What?” said Lois baldly. She was feeling increasingly panicked, and had a hard job to remain calm in front of the others.
“Well, you know he was upset about missing his piano lesson…”
“So?” Lois was over by the door now, on her way to the telephone.
“Suppose he went to see Enid? He often goes over to fish in that stream with other kids in summer. He knows the way. He might’ve thought she’d be pleased to see him…” Her voice broke. “We’d all be pleased to see him right now,” said Lois, and burst into tears.
“Hey, Gran,” said Douglas. “That’s a good idea! Just the sort of stupid thing he would do. I know!” he said, with sudden inspiration. “Let’s look and see if his piano book’s still there!” He got up quickly and went to the door.
“Wait, Douglas,” said Gran. “I looked. It’s gone.”
Lois collected herself rapidly. “Oh my God,” she said. “Cathanger bloody Mill. Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because you think your precious Enid Abraham could do no wrong!” snapped Derek. “Come on, let’s get going.”
“Mum, why don’t you phone?” said Josie practically. “We’d know straight away, then, and not worry any more…if he
Lois shot out and they were all silent, listening. After a few minutes, she returned, white-faced.
“There’s no reply,” she said. “D’you think they’ve abducted him…gone off somewhere?”
“Course not,” said Douglas stoutly. “Probably can’t hear the phone with Jamie playin’ the piano the way he
