The driver flung a vicious scowl at Robbie. “Now look what you’ve bleeding done. Now she knows your name, stupid.”
“Yeah, well who was stupid enough to let her pull his scarf off then? Bighead Stan, that’s who.”
“Robbie and Stan.” Nellie was fast losing her fear. In fact, she was beginning to enjoy herself. “Now we only have one name to go.” She looked at the boy seated next to Stan. “So what’s your name, love?”
The third boy didn’t answer her, and her apprehension returned as the Jeep swung off the road and came to a halt in front of a gate.
“Open it,” Stan ordered.
Neither of his companions moved.
“Open the bloody gate, Robbie,” Stan yelled.
“Why me? Why can’t Jimmy do it?”
Both boys turned around to glare at him. “If you can’t keep your bloody big mouth shut I’ll shut it for you,” Stan muttered. “Now get out and open the bloody gate.”
“All right, keep your hair on. I’m going.” Robbie climbed out and shoved the gate open. He waited until Stan had driven the Jeep into the field, then closed the gate behind it.
Nellie considered making a run for it, but with her hands tied behind her back she’d never make it. Better to wait until she could free herself and then escape. Her uneasiness increased as the Jeep bumped across the plowed ruts. It was pitch dark now, but she could see the outline of a huge barn in front of them.
They halted when they reached it, and this time Robbie jumped out without being asked. After dragging the huge doors open, he stood back and Stan drove the Jeep inside. Nellie’s spirits dropped as the doors squeaked shut behind her. The barn smelled of manure and dried hay, and the dust tickled her nose, making her sneeze.
A beam of light probed the darkness from a torch in Stan’s hand. He cut the engine and jumped out. “Bring her over here,” he ordered, pointing to a ladder leading up to a high ledge.
Despite her struggles, Nellie was helpless as the two boys grasped her arms and forced her over to the ladder. She was beginning to realize now that though they were much younger than her, she was powerless against them together. Once more her fear was thick in her throat.
Her hands were roughly set free, then Stan ordered, “Get up there!” and gave her a shove.
“Keep your filthy hands off me,” she snarled, managing to sound threatening in spite of the heavy hammering of her heart.
“Or you’ll what?” Stan said nastily.
“You’ll find out.” She decided to do what she was told for now. Until she could work out a way to escape from these three thugs. Then she’d see they got what they deserved. Scrambling up the ladder, she prayed they weren’t staring up her skirt.
Safely on the ledge, she was surprised to see a blanket laid out on the floor of the small loft. An oil lamp sat a few feet away with a box of matches in the saucer. The newspaper crumpled up on the edge of the blanket smelled of fish. Apparently her kidnappers had bought supper from the fish and chip shop in the High Street.
Nellie knew the owners, Ethel and Reg Clements. Once it was reported she was missing, maybe Ethel would remember she’d served three strangers and give George and Sid some idea where to start looking. By now Rita and the others must have told the constables what had happened.
To her immense relief, none of the boys climbed up after her. Instead, they dragged the ladder away from the ledge, so she had no way to get down, then left her in semi-darkness while they huddled below and started discussing what they were going to do next.
“We can’t leave her here all night,” Robbie said, his voice rising almost to a whine. “What are we going to do?”
“Shut up,” Stan ordered. “Let me think.”
“Where are we going to sleep if she’s up there?” Jimmy demanded.
“We’re not going to sleep. We’ve got work to do. We can sleep when we get back. Down here. There’s plenty of straw to sleep on.”
“Well, I’m going to get the blanket,” Robbie said, whining again. “The straw scratches me arms too much to sleep.”
“Too bad. You’ll have to put up with it tonight.”
“Why can’t she sleep down here?”
“ ’Cos she might be able to escape, stupid. If she’s stuck up there, there’s no way she can get past us.”
“I told you this was a lousy idea,” Robbie said, beginning to sound panicky. “I wish I’d never listened to you. I might have known something would go wrong. I think we should just go home and forget about the whole thing.”
“Not on your life!”
“Not bloody likely!”
The other two boys had spoken at once. Robbie started to say something else, then obviously thought better of it.
“Now,” Stan said, “we’ve got to take the Jeep back to the cliffs and push her over. Just like we planned. That way everyone will think it’s the three musketeers what did the rest of it. They’ll never think of looking for anyone else.”
“Until
An ominous silence followed, while Nellie sat above them, holding her breath. Then Stan said brusquely, “We’ll worry about her when we’ve finished what we came to do. Now let’s get on with it.”
The scuffling sounds told Nellie they were climbing back into the Jeep. Then the doors were dragged open, the Jeep roared to life and the light flashed off, leaving her in total darkness. Moments later she heard the doors close again, and the sound of the Jeep’s engine gradually faded into silence.
She was alone. Her and the rats. It was not a pleasant thought.
CHAPTER 9
Elizabeth stared at the telephone, willing it to stop ringing. She didn’t want to answer it. If it was bad news, she didn’t want to hear it. Why else would someone be ringing this late?
When the double ring sounded for the fourth time she could stand it no longer, and she rose to her feet. The jangle cut off abruptly as she lifted the receiver from the hook.
George’s voice answered her, striking terror in her heart. “Is it Violet?” she asked breathlessly. “Has something happened to her?”
George sounded surprised when he answered. “Violet? What makes you think it’s Violet? Isn’t she there?”
Elizabeth slowly let out her breath. It couldn’t be about Earl. If something had happened to him, she wouldn’t know until someone from the base rang her. “Don’t tell me there’s been another murder,” she said, praying that wasn’t it.
“No, m’m. At least not yet.”
George’s enigmatic answer did nothing to relieve her mind. “What’s happened, George?”
“It’s Nellie Smith, m’m. I thought you’d like to know. She’s been kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped?” Elizabeth stared incredulously at the wall in front of her. “Who on earth would want to kidnap Nellie? She doesn’t have any family, and no money to speak off. At least as far as I’m aware-”
“It were the three musketeers, m’m. Apparently they were up to their tricks again, and Nellie went to keep them talking while Florrie came to get me, but by the time we got up there they was gone and so was Nellie.”
“Nellie confronted the three musketeers? By
“Well, it seems that Rita Crumm’s bunch were with her, but standing a ways back. Nellie pulled one of the men’s scarf off and got a look at his face, so I reckon they took off with her so she couldn’t identify the culprits.”
Elizabeth groaned. “Do you have any idea where she might be? Have they asked for a ransom?”
“Haven’t heard a peep out of ’em, m’m.”
“Then we’ll have to organize a search for her.”
