‘So, why didn’t you tell your friend? He’d have come in and marched me back to my form room and you’d have been a hero for finding me.’
‘Hero…’ the man mused. ‘I’m a long way from that.’
They sat in silence, Annie trying to work out what was going on. If this man wasn’t going to send her back then why had he waited for her to come out. Why not just force the door open and drag her back by her hair – or any other convenient part of her anatomy?
‘So, now what?’ Annie prompted. ‘What are you going to do with me?’
The man sighed. ‘I have no idea.’
It was better than being taken back, or assaulted, but the uncertainty brought its own kind of horror. If Annie didn’t know what he was planning, she couldn’t prepare; all she could do was wait.
She turned in her seat, trying to appear casual and unconcerned, and stared out of the window. The morning was brightening up and she could make out a thin layer of snow on the top of Blencathra. The fells looked so close in the clear winter air, but they might as well have been in another country – the sense of freedom they offered was as far out of reach as Antarctica. A glance at the clock on the back wall of the room informed her that it was now nearly forty minutes since the bell had rung for the end of registration and the intruders had burst into her form room.
Oddly, she didn’t feel as frightened as she had when the man had first grabbed her. There was something about his manner which suggested that he was doing this against his will and that he didn’t want to hurt anybody if he could avoid it. He sat on the desk, feet swinging like a naughty student, one hand still on the barrel of his rifle, head thrown back as though seeking inspiration from the gaps in the ceiling tiles.
‘I should take you back,’ he said, eventually. ‘If I let you go and they find out they might take it out on Donna.’
Miss Frith again. What was his connection to her form tutor? He could have been a boyfriend or a relative, that might explain why he was so worried about her. ‘Do you know Miss Frith?’ Annie asked.
‘Who?’
‘Donna Frith, you’ve mentioned her twice now.’
He didn’t respond but she noticed the gloved hand on the barrel of the rifle contract – she’d hit a nerve.
‘She’s my form tutor,’ Annie continued, emboldened by the man’s lack of verbal response. ‘I like her. She’s really kind and she’s helped me a lot.’
The man smiled. ‘Doesn’t surprise me,’ he mumbled. ‘She was always popular even as a kid.’
‘You grew up together?’ Annie pushed.
Too far.
‘None of your fucking business,’ the man snapped, jumping to his feet. ‘Shut up about her.’
Annie stayed in her seat as he began to pace backwards and forwards between two rows of desks. This wasn’t good. She’d formed an impression of him as a reluctant participant in whatever was going on and, if he’d been coerced in some way, that might make him less predictable than any of the other three.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I’m just anxious and I get chatty when I’m worried. I’ll shut up.’ She hung her head so she didn’t have to watch as the tension seemed to build in the air around him.
‘Come on,’ he said. ‘Let’s get out of here. I’m taking you back.’
Annie stared at him but didn’t get up. There was no conviction in his voice. Whatever was going on, this man’s heart wasn’t in it and she needed to see if she could persuade him to let her go.
‘Not yet,’ she said. ‘Please. Just listen to me.’
‘Get up!’ He pointed the rifle at her, but she could see that his hands were trembling.
‘Five minutes,’ she begged. ‘Please.’
The man shook his head.
‘I’ll make it worth your while.’ Annie tried to raise her eyebrows in what she hoped was a suggestive manner as she smiled at him. ‘Please.’
The man threw his head back and exhaled loudly. ‘What? You’re offering me sex? Jesus, that’s disgusting. You’re… what… seventeen? That’s barely legal.’
‘I’m eighteen,’ Annie said. The man shocked her by barking a laugh.
‘Eighteen! Christ! Is this what my life’s turned into. Waving guns and being propositioned by children? Fuck!’
Annie flinched as he snapped the rifle round onto his shoulder and folded his arms across his chest.
‘No. I don’t want to have sex with you. I don’t want to take you back to that classroom and I don’t want to hurt you. I just don’t have a choice.’ He sat back down on the desk opposite Annie and looked directly into her eyes. ‘This isn’t me. I’m in well over my head. I am going to take you back but first you’re going to listen. You’ll be safe with your classmates; nobody wants any of you to get hurt. This isn’t about the kids. To be honest, I’m not sure what it is about, but you’re all just collateral – a bargaining chip at worst. That’s why I was so surprised when you told me about that lad being stabbed.’
As Annie listened, she started to follow the rhythms of his voice, his choice of words, his flat vowels. This man was local. That could be useful information for the police – if the police ever came.
‘Donna’s my sister. I’m scared that, if I don’t do as I’m told, she’ll get hurt. They said that the guns are just for show. Mine’s not even loaded – that’s what he said anyway but I don’t want to have to find out. Supposedly the only gun with live ammunition in it is the handgun that I gave to M– to the other one when we were looking for you.’
Annie listened, feeling like a priest taking confession, trying to ignore the man’s assertion that he was
