‘Penny! Get a grip!’ he said, taking a step back, keeping her out of range. She knew him better than anybody in the school and he didn’t want her to see what was in his eyes. Cam grabbed one of the green packages, unzipped it and dumped the contents on the reception desk.
‘Sort through that lot. We need gauze, bandages and antiseptic cream.’
Penny looked at the pile on the desk and then back at Cam. ‘Okay. I’m okay. You do that, I’ll go and get my handbag. I’ll have some painkillers in there.’
‘You sure?’
Penny nodded. ‘I’m sorry, Cam. I just lost it for a minute. I really thought Annie was safe. I can help.’ She pushed past him, entered the code on the keypad and went through the door into the corridor that led to the staffroom. Cam inclined his head slightly to watch her through the glass in the top panel. She seemed to be walking steadily, no sign of the shakiness that he’d seen earlier but, just as he was about to focus on finding some bandages, he was startled to see Penny take her mobile phone out of her pocket and put it to her ear. Who the fuck was she calling? The police were already here, and the paramedics had been notified. Surely she wouldn’t try to contact her daughter.
He was about to follow her down the corridor and see what was going on when his mobile rang. He glanced at the screen. Jack Raynor.
‘Jack?’ he answered.
‘Cam. The students are on the move. Looks like the message got through without any issues. Year seven were in maths and I think that corridor’s clear now. I’ve seen some year eights and nines in the car park as well. I’m going to head down to the theatre and do a headcount. I’ve printed out attendance info from SIMS so I’ll get form tutors to check their forms. I’ll text when I know everybody’s safe.’
‘Thanks, Jack. Keep in touch.’ He hung up and pushed open the door to the corridor.
‘Mr Cleaver?’ Pearson had put a hand on his arm, stopping him from going any further.
Cam clenched his fist, another sudden spurt of anger overwhelming him. ‘What?’
Pearson looked apologetic. ‘I’m sorry but I need you here. I’ve got a team about to arrive and we’re expecting another call from our mystery hostage taker in…’ he looked at his watch, ‘…six minutes. I’ve also put in a request for an armed response unit. They’ll be coming up from Kendal and I’m expecting them within the hour. You know the school better than anybody. You know how everything works. I need you here and I need you to focus.’
Pearson’s earnest expression cowed Cam. ‘Okay.’ He sighed. ‘Okay. What do you need me to do?’
Pearson visibly straightened as though he’d been shouldering a burden which had just been removed. ‘Wait until this man calls back and do whatever he asks. A medical emergency changes things. We can’t risk any of the students.’ His phone chirped and he snatched it from his pocket studying the screen with a frown. ‘Okay. The ARU might be a while, there’s a problem on the M6. I need somebody to get the library set up so that the negotiation team can get to business as soon as they arrive.’
‘I’ll do that,’ Penny said, emerging from the corridor. She held out two packets of pills. ‘I found some co-codamol in my bag and some paracetamol.’ The make-up around her eyes was slightly less than immaculate and Cam wondered if she’d needed some time alone to have a cry.
‘Who were you phoning?’ he asked, hearing the accusatory tone in his voice but unable to do anything to mitigate it.
‘Annie’s dad. I needed to let him know what’s going on. She’s supposed to be safe with me and I feel like I let him down. I let them both down.’ Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears.
‘What about the other parents? The ones of the kids in Donna’s form?’ Ruth Warnesford asked. ‘Shouldn’t we let them know? As soon as the students start walking into town they’re going to be texting their friends and family.’
‘I– er… I…’ Cam had no idea. He hadn’t thought about other parents in his situation, other than Penny, and couldn’t work out the best course of action. His thoughts were sluggish when he tried to think about anything beyond the immediate situation or of anybody other than his son.
‘Not yet,’ Pearson said. ‘It’s possible that the situation might be resolved. The last thing we need is a crowd of anxious parents at the gates, getting in the way. Ms Bainbridge, please go back to the library and make sure everything’s ready. Mr Cleaver, we need to find out what these men want and our best chance is–’
‘Hang on,’ Cam said. ‘Are you the best qualified person to deal with this? We’ve got a hostage situation here. I watch enough TV to know we should have a trained negotiator with us. Maybe more than one.’
Pearson glared at him. ‘I’ve had specialist training. That’s why I was sent. Do you think that the Cumbria force is big enough for every individual to only do one job? Ever heard of multi-tasking?’ Pearson’s voice was growing louder as he seemed to spit out the strain of the situation directly at Cam. ‘Some of the team who’re on their way also have experience of hostage negotiation. For God’s sake, Cleaver, this isn’t Line of Duty and we’re not the bloody Met.’
Ruth Warnesford looked up from where she was sorting through the contents of the first aid kits. ‘I think we all need to take a breath,’ she said, her tone mild, her eyes concerned, and Cam remembered why she was
