‘Listen carefully,’ the voice at the other end of the line said. ‘Lives depend on what you choose to do next. And there’s one life in particular that I don’t think you’ll want to risk.’
They knew that his son was in the classroom. That confirmed his fears – for some reason this was about him.
‘Let the kids go,’ Cam said. ‘This has nothing to do with them. It’s obviously me you want.’
Around him he noted puzzled expressions. The police inspector, Pearson, was glaring at him and shaking his head and Penny Bainbridge looked like she was about to cry.
‘What makes you think that?’ the voice asked, and Cam could hear from his tone that the man was smiling. ‘There might be any number of reasons why we’re here. Guilty conscience, Cleaver?’
‘Look, if it’s not me you’re after, then tell me what you want.’
‘Well, the first thing we need is some supplies. First aid. I’m afraid there’s been a small… mishap.’
Cam could feel his hand shaking as he stared at the phone as if it might try to bite him. ‘What sort of mishap?’ he croaked, fearing the worst. ‘Is somebody hurt?’
Silence. He felt the tension of everyone around him.
‘Who’s hurt? What’s happened?’ Cam’s emotions were spiralling out of control and he knew that Pearson was angry with him, but he needed to know. His son was in that room.
Silence.
‘Okay. I’ll get the supplies. What do you need?’
Pearson was shaking his head violently. He grabbed the signing-in book from the reception counter and scrawled something across the blank space at the bottom of the open page.
NO! WE NEGOTIATE. WE NEED MORE TIME.
Cam turned his back on the police officer. He wouldn’t be ordered around or manipulated. Not when Tom could be hurt. ‘What do you need?’ he asked again.
‘A first aid kit. Make sure there’s gauze and bandages. Some sort of antiseptic cream or iodine, something like that. And painkillers.’
Gauze and bandages. That suggested blood. Had somebody been shot?
‘I’ll ring back in ten minutes with instructions.’
‘Hang on! What’s happened? Who’s hurt?’
A sigh at the other end of the line. ‘It’s a bit late to be worried now. I don’t know what sort of place you think you’re running but what sort of school allows kids to bring knives in?’
‘What? A knife…’
The line was dead.
‘Now what?’ Cam asked, turning to Pearson. ‘Do we give him what he wants or do you want more time to negotiate? Are you willing to risk it? Somebody’s hurt and if we don’t get some supplies over there in the next few minutes, I know who I’m going to hold responsible.’
Pearson opened his mouth and then closed it again in a gesture that reminded Cam of a hungry carp in a garden pond. And what the hell was going on with Penny? He’d have expected her full support, but she kept disappearing. It was as if she didn’t care about her own kid.
He turned to Ruth Warnesford. ‘First aid cupboard. Check what’s in there. They’re asking for medical supplies. We need to find gauze, bandages, antiseptic, painkillers.’
‘We can’t administer painkillers,’ Ruth whispered. ‘Guidelines state–’
‘Fuck the guidelines!’ Cam yelled. ‘He gets what he wants because he’s got my son. I don’t care if it’s bloody cocaine – he can have all the drugs we can find. Penny – go through your handbag – I know you take codeine, find some! And stop wandering off. Don’t you care that this nutter’s got your daughter?’
For the first time since they’d discovered the intruders, Penny Bainbridge looked him square in the eyes and, if he hadn’t known better, Cam could have sworn that there was the ghost of a smile hovering around the lips that, just moments ago, had been tight with fear. ‘I’m sorry, Cam. I know I’m supposed to set an example, but I didn’t think it would matter so close to Christmas.’
‘What? What the fuck are you talking about?’
‘Annie. I gave her permission to take the day off to go shopping in Carlisle. She’s still got some birthday money and she wanted to get some new clothes for the sixth-form party.’
Cam struggled to process Penny’s words. She’d given her daughter the day off? How could she? She knew how it would look. All staff who had children in the school were told that if they allowed their kids time off for anything other than illness it would be marked as ‘unauthorised’ just like any other student. No exceptions.
‘She’s just been so down lately, after all that business with Tom in the summer.’
‘Hang on.’ Cam raised a hand, palm facing her. ‘We checked the register. You were in my office. There were no absences in Donna Frith’s tutor group.’
‘No that’s–’
‘He’s right,’ Ruth said, dumping an armful of green first aid boxes on the counter. ‘They’re all there.’
‘No, I–’
‘So that’s two of you with children trapped in that classroom,’ Pearson said. ‘Which could mean that either one of you could be the target. I think it’s time to talk about who might want to do this as punishment. God knows there are enough villains out there who’ve got all sorts of grudges, but it takes a lot of organisation to pull off something like his. This is sophisticated. So, think. Any threats from irate parents? Ex-students? I’ll get paramedics on standby.’ Pearson turned away and put his mobile phone to his ear.
Cam stared at Penny Bainbridge who seemed to have aged ten years in ten seconds. Had she believed that her daughter was safe? Was that why she wasn’t concentrating and kept disappearing? Well, hopefully, he could rely on her full attention from this point onwards. They both had the same thing to lose.
‘Sort out the first aid,’ he snapped. ‘Keep yourself busy; that’s what I’ve been trying to do.’
‘I can’t… I don’t…’
Cam was seriously tempted to slap her. He’d have an excuse – she was glazing over, losing focus – but he didn’t trust himself to use an
