‘Where are we going?’
Meg smiled encouragingly then, the first touch of humanity Sarah had seen in her face. ‘Somewhere safe,’ she said.
FRANK FELT BEN’S PINCH and when he woke he thought he was back at school, in the dormitory, and they were doing something to him. He screamed. Then he saw he was in a strange room, with David and Ben and it all came back; he hadn’t managed to kill himself and now they had him.
David leaned forward and put a hand on his shoulder, making him flinch. He said, ‘It’s all right, Frank, we’ve got you away from the hospital, we’re going to take you somewhere safe.’ Frank stared back at him. Last night, when David came up to him in the road, he had felt a surge of relief for a second and then renewed fear, because his friend had to be part of the conspiracy. He couldn’t remember anything since then. David’s expression now was the same as last night’s, a sort of desperate compassion.
‘Where am I?’ Frank said. His head was thumping, his voice hoarse.
‘In a house some way from the hospital. We’re safe.’ Frank became aware of sounds outside the room, footsteps. David gave him a sickly smile. ‘You’ve startled everybody, yelling like that.’
The door opened and Geoff came in. ‘What happened?’
‘Frank woke up; he shouted, he’s confused. It’s all right.’
Ben asked Frank, ‘How’re ye feeling?’
‘I’ve a headache.’ There were other people in the doorway now; he saw a tall, pretty woman who Frank thought had been there the night before, and a stern-looking old man.
‘What’s going on?’ the old man asked sharply. ‘That yell gave Elsie a shock. What’s the matter with him?’
He gave Frank a worried stare. Frank had seen that look before, on the faces of visitors coming to the asylum, people who were scared of the mad. Ben said, briskly, ‘Leave David and me wi’ him, will you? Every thing’s all right.’
The others went out, the old man giving Frank that look again over his shoulder. Ben asked him some more about his headache, which was fading now, held fingers up in front of his face for him to count, took his pulse. ‘You’ll do,’ he said, looking relieved. ‘Sorry I had tae give you such a big dose last night, but we had to get you out.’ He looked genuinely apologetic.
‘Why have you done this?’
‘We’re all working for the Resistance, pal. We’ re gonna get ye oot the country.’
Frank turned to David, his voice catching. ‘Why?’
‘You remember why you got put in the hospital?’ David hesitated. ‘Because your brother –’ he hesitated – ‘fell out of the window.’
‘I pushed him,’ Frank said bleakly.
‘Well, we know your brother told you something important.’ Frank’s eyes widened with fear, and David raised his hands in a soothing gesture. ‘That’s all we know. Your brother told people in America what he had done, and they asked us to get you out. We don’t know what it is that you know, we don’t want you to tell us. We probably wouldn’t understand anyway,’ he added in an attempt at humour.
‘Where is Edgar?’
‘Still in America. He’s being held somewhere safe. That’s all we’ve been told. You see, the American security services got in touch with us, they asked us to free you.’
‘We’re going across country to the south coast,’ Ben continued. ‘The Americans plan to pick us up in a submarine. What aboot that, eh?’
Frank tried to think. He said, ‘But two policemen came, just before you did. One of them was German. I thought you were all working together.’
‘No.’ David looked hurt. ‘How could you think that?’
‘How would I know any different?’ Frank asked with sudden anger.
Ben said, ‘We think the Germans also know you have important information. That’s why we had to get you out straight away.’
Frank looked between them. It was hard to take in. Ben said, ‘Did you tell the police anything when they came to see you that day?’
‘No! And I’m not saying any more to anyone. Maybe I don’t know anything,’ he added defiantly.
‘All right, Frank,’ David said soothingly. ‘But please, you have to trust us.’
Ben asked, ‘Is that why you tried to kill yourself? Because you were scared someone wid force you to tell what you knew?’
Frank nodded dumbly. His head still ached but he had to concentrate. He still couldn’t quite believe what David and Ben were saying was true, but he was starting to feel flickers of something he hadn’t known in a long time: hope. He said, ‘They’ll be after us.’
‘Yes,’ David agreed heavily. ‘We have to hide out here till our people tell us it’s safe to continue to London.’
A thought struck Frank. ‘What about your wife, David? Your job?’
‘My job’s finished. I’m on the run like you now.’ His eyes were bleak. ‘My wife didn’t know I was working for the Resistance. Our people are trying to get her out, too.’
Ben said, ‘Why don’t we gi’ you a shave, then you can get dressed in some nice new clothes we’ve got for you, and get something to eat.’ He reached out and grasped Frank’s shoulder, making him cringe again. ‘It’s okay, you don’t have to tell us anything, just go along with us. That’s how we’ll stay safe. Will ye dae that, Frank?’
‘They’ll be after us,’ Frank said again. ‘When they find we’ve gone.’
‘They won’t get us, we’re smart.’
‘I don’t want to be drugged again like last night.’
‘All right. I’ll just give you your normal dose. Just to keep you calm.’
‘I’ll behave,’ Frank said bitterly. He hated the way Ben spoke to him sometimes, as though he were a child. He was beginning to believe their story, but even if what they said was true the police and the Germans would be searching already. If the Germans had any inkling of what he knew they would be desperate to find him. He thought,
Ben took him to the bathroom and shaved him, Frank guessed because they didn’t trust him with an open razor. Afterwards he changed his clothes under Ben’s eye. When he had finished dressing he went over and looked out of the bedroom window. He saw a gravel drive, some shrubbery, a dead-looking palm tree, everything covered in frost. Directly below him was the car they had arrived in, the roof glittering with ice crystals. They were only on the first floor. If he jumped out he would land on the car and might break a leg or an arm but that was all. The enormity and horror of what he was thinking, what he had already tried to do, suddenly overwhelmed him and he leaned his head forward, resting it on the cold glass.
Ben came over. ‘What are you doing?’ he asked sharply.
‘Nothing.’
‘Come on. Let’s get some breakfast.’ He took Frank’s arm and led him to the door.
Downstairs, the others had already eaten and were sitting round the table smoking, the old woman he had seen the night before bustling about with plates. Geoff stood up. ‘Morning, Frank. Feeling better?’
‘A bit woozy.’ I’ll pretend to be more dopey than I am, he thought.
The woman brought him a plentiful breakfast, bacon and eggs and porridge, toast and butter. Frank found he was very hungry. As he ate the others all watched him. The foreign woman was there. He saw there was a touch of a slant to her eyes. Her expression as she looked at him was kind but there was a hardness in her face. David had shaved, too, but still looked washed-out, though Geoff seemed like his old self, puffing away on his pipe.
Afterwards Ben gave him his pill – just one small pill, his usual dose, and the foreign woman brought him an identity card with the name Michael Hadleigh on the front. She leaned over him, those slightly slanted eyes staring
