chuckled.
Another police car arrived. We waited for the others to appear. After ten minutes Avery was getting agitated.
‘What’s happening?’ he said. ‘The others should be out by now.’
I peered down the road. Why hadn’t Ed made contact?
Ketty gasped. ‘They’re coming . . . Cal and Dylan . . . they’re jumping . . . flying . . . I just saw a flash of it . . . a vision . . . We should see them any second.’
As she finished speaking, the two of them raced round the corner. They were both running hard, Cal slightly in the lead. Dylan’s red hair streamed out behind her. They stopped in front of us, panting.
‘It’s Ed.’ Dylan grabbed my arm. ‘Major meltdown. You’ve got to go back for him, Nico.’
‘What happened?’ Ketty said breathlessly.
‘We got to the office where McMurdo was having his meeting just as the alarm went off,’ Dylan said. ‘Everyone rushed out. No one even noticed us.’
‘What about McMurdo?’ I said.
‘Cal distracted his PA while Ed and I followed him back into his office,’ Dylan went on.
‘Then I kept watch,’ Cal added, ‘while Ed mind-read McMurdo to find out where the film of Geri’s confession is.’
‘And?’ I demanded. ‘What went wrong?’
‘It was when we left the office,’ Dylan said, twisting her hair round her hand. ‘Cal was outside, waiting for us. He said police were coming up the stairs and we had to jump out of the first-storey window. I was cool with that, but Ed totally freaked. Refused to jump with Cal. I have no idea why. He jumped from much higher up from that church tower with you back in Africa.’
‘So you just left him there?’ I turned accusingly from Dylan to Cal.
Cal shrugged. He didn’t look any less sulky than when we’d entered the art gallery twenty minutes ago. ‘We didn’t have a choice. Ed ran away. He won’t be able to leave the building, not with all the security downstairs. If Dylan and I hadn’t jumped, we’d be stuck there, too.’
‘I’ll get him,’ Avery said, locking the jeep.
‘No. If McMurdo sees you, it’ll give everything away,’ I said. ‘I should go. Ed knows exactly what I can do. Maybe he’ll even try contacting me telepathically. I can get him out of wherever they’re holding him.’
‘Why would they hold him?’ Ketty asked.
‘They’re holding everybody,’ Dylan explained. ‘Trying to work out what happened to their stupid painting.’
I broke into a run.
‘Wait for me.’ Ketty was pounding along beside me.
Seconds later we reached the art gallery.
‘Where on earth is he?’ I said, looking along the front of the building. A crowd had gathered now. The alarm was still sounding.
Ketty was silent. I turned to her. Her eyes were glazed over. Was she having a vision or receiving telepathic communication from Ed?
As I watched, she snapped out of it.
‘Ed just made contact . . . says he panicked,’ she reported. ‘He’s in the gallery with the other visitors, waiting to be interviewed by the police. Apparently, McMurdo’s down there, too, and Ed’s all freaked out in case he recognises him from the mind-reading.’
‘ Man . . .’
‘Oh, Nico, suppose he can’t handle it.’ Ketty clasped her hands together. ‘Suppose he blurts everything out to the security guards?’
‘We won’t let that happen,’ I reassured her.
I thought through the plans of the art gallery we’d pored over that morning. There was a disabled toilet at the end of the corridor, to the right of the main gallery.
As I worked this through, Ed appeared in my head.
Ketty says you’re outside , he thought-spoke.
I told him to get to the disabled loo – and to stay telepathically connected – then raced round the corner to where its window was visible from the street. People were crowding nearby, but all of them were watching the gallery entrance.
‘I’m going to get him out through there,’ I explained to Ketty, pointing to the window of the disabled toilet. ‘Stay here and
Another police car arrived. We waited for the others to appear. After ten minutes Avery was getting agitated.
‘What’s happening?’ he said. ‘The others should be out by now.’
I peered down the road. Why hadn’t Ed made contact?
Ketty gasped. ‘They’re coming . . . Cal and Dylan . . . they’re jumping . . . flying . . . I just saw a flash of it . . . a vision . . . We should see them any second.’
As she finished speaking, the two of them raced round the corner. They were both running hard, Cal slightly in the lead. Dylan’s red hair streamed out behind her. They stopped in front of us, panting.
‘It’s Ed.’ Dylan grabbed my arm. ‘Major meltdown. You’ve got to go back for him, Nico.’
‘What happened?’ Ketty said breathlessly.
‘We got to the office where McMurdo was having his meeting just as the alarm went off,’ Dylan said. ‘Everyone rushed out. No one even noticed us.’
‘What about McMurdo?’ I said.
‘Cal distracted his PA while Ed and I followed him back into his office,’ Dylan went on.
‘Then I kept watch,’ Cal added, ‘while Ed mind-read McMurdo to find out where the film of Geri’s confession is.’
‘And?’ I demanded. ‘What went wrong?’
‘It was when we left the office,’ Dylan said, twisting her hair round her hand. ‘Cal was outside, waiting for us. He said police were coming up the stairs and we had to jump out of the first-storey window. I was cool with that, but Ed totally freaked. Refused to jump with Cal. I have no idea why. He jumped from much higher up from that church tower with you back in Africa.’
‘So you just left him there?’ I turned accusingly from Dylan to Cal.
Cal shrugged. He didn’t look any less sulky than when we’d entered the art gallery twenty minutes ago. ‘We didn’t have a choice. Ed ran away. He won’t be able to leave the building, not with all the security downstairs. If Dylan and I hadn’t jumped, we’d be stuck there, too.’
‘I’ll get him,’ Avery said, locking the jeep.
‘No. If McMurdo sees you, it’ll give everything away,’ I said. ‘I should go. Ed knows exactly what I can do. Maybe he’ll even try contacting me telepathically. I can get him out of wherever they’re holding him.’
‘Why would they hold him?’ Ketty asked.
‘They’re holding everybody,’ Dylan explained. ‘Trying to work out what happened to their stupid painting.’
I broke into a run.
‘Wait for me.’ Ketty was pounding along beside me.
Seconds later we reached the art gallery.
‘Where on earth is he?’ I said, looking along the front of the building. A crowd had gathered now. The alarm was still sounding.
Ketty was silent. I turned to her. Her eyes were glazed over. Was she having a vision or receiving telepathic communication from Ed?
As I watched, she snapped out of it.
‘Ed just made contact . . . says he panicked,’ she reported. ‘He’s in the gallery with the other visitors, waiting to be interviewed by the police. Apparently, McMurdo’s down there, too, and Ed’s all freaked out in case he recognises him from the mind-reading.’
‘ Man . . .’
‘Oh, Nico, suppose he can’t handle it.’ Ketty clasped her hands together. ‘Suppose he blurts everything out to the security guards?’
‘We won’t let that happen,’ I reassured her.
I thought through the plans of the art gallery we’d pored over that morning. There was a disabled toilet at the end of the corridor, to the right of the main gallery.
As I worked this through, Ed appeared in my head.
Ketty says you’re outside , he thought-spoke.
I told him to get to the disabled loo – and to stay telepathically connected – then raced round the corner to where its window was visible from the street. People were crowding nearby, but all of them were watching the gallery entrance.
‘I’m going to get him out through there,’ I explained to Ketty, pointing to the window of the disabled toilet. ‘Stay here and
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