really think Madison could be in here?’ he whispered. ‘I can’t believe Holtwood and Frank would dare to keep her so close to the beach.’
‘I know, but we have to check.’ I pointed to the thin wooden slats that made up the beach hut wall. ‘Sound could travel through that.’
I leaned against the wood. It was warm against my cheek. No noises came from inside. ‘I can’t hear anything,’ I whispered.
I turned round as Shelby ran up. I showed her the doll’s shoe.
‘What are you going to do, Lauren?’ she whispered.
‘Find a way in,’ I said.
I ran my palm along the weather-beaten wooden boards. I pressed each one as I passed by, but none of them were loose.
‘That lock looks brand new,’ Shelby whispered.
‘I know,’ I said. ‘Which is weird on such a shabby old hut.’
Jam examined the door carefully. ‘The lock might be new, but the wood around it is rotten,’ he said.
I followed his gaze across the promenade. No-one was watching us. We looked at each other. Jam raised his eyebrows.
I checked my watch. We had ten minutes until Holtwood called again. And nothing to offer her.
This was our best option for finding Madison.
‘Let’s do it,’ I said.
‘Do what?’ Shelby squeaked.
‘Oh, man,’ Jam breathed. He braced himself.
I stood beside him. ‘On three,’ I said. ‘One.’
‘You can’t break the door down,’ Shelby hissed.
‘Yes, we can,’ I said firmly. ‘Two.’
‘But—’
‘Three.’ Together, Jam and I aimed our kicks squarely at the door. It flew open, revealing an apparently empty hut. I glanced quickly round. No-one had seen us.
‘Oh, Lauren, you can’t go in there.’ Shelby hopped from foot to foot, clearly hugely agitated.
For a second I felt irritated with her anxiety. Then I thought about the bombshell news hidden in the letter we’d found earlier. I knew Jam was looking at me. My face burned with
guilt.
‘We have to. There might be more clues to where Madison is,’ I said.
‘But—’
‘Wait here, then, Shelby,’ I said, and I led the way into the hut.
14
The Hut
I could see immediately that there was nothing and no-one inside. The hut was totally empty.
Jam followed me in. ‘We must have been wrong,’ he whispered. ‘There’s no sign that anyone’s been here.’
‘And, by the way, you’re now breaking into someone else’s property,’ Shelby added, peering through the open door. ‘We shouldn’t be here.’
‘Wanna call the police again, Shelbs?’ I hissed.
She scowled at me, her face all shadowy and spooky-looking in the dim light.
I looked round. I was sure we were close to Madison now, but Jam was right. There was absolutely no sign that anyone else had ever been here. Treading carefully, I edged round the room, peering
into the dusty corners. In the distance, the carousel music rose above the shrieks of excited children. It felt like it belonged to a different world.
‘There’s nothing here, Lauren,’ Shelby whispered. ‘We need to go.’
‘Wait.’ Jam’s voice echoed across the hut. He was standing in the far corner, peering down at something. ‘Look at this.’
I scurried over. A scrap of blue cloth was caught between two of the floorboards. It looked like it had been torn off a larger garment.
‘That’s Madison’s,’ I gasped. ‘It’s from the top she was wearing when they took her.’ I examined the ground. ‘Look at the floorboards.
There’re gaps between the planks here.’
Jam sank to his knees and ran the tips of his fingers around the side of one of the boards.
‘There won’t be anything underneath,’ Shelby insisted. ‘Beach huts don’t have cellars or—’
‘Help me, Lauren,’ Jam said.
I squatted beside him and inched my fingers around the opposite side of the board.
‘Ready?’ he whispered.
I nodded.
‘Pull.’
With a creak, the floorboard came away from the floor. Shelby gasped. Jam reached for the next board. I leaned over, helping him move it out of the
‘I know, but we have to check.’ I pointed to the thin wooden slats that made up the beach hut wall. ‘Sound could travel through that.’
I leaned against the wood. It was warm against my cheek. No noises came from inside. ‘I can’t hear anything,’ I whispered.
I turned round as Shelby ran up. I showed her the doll’s shoe.
‘What are you going to do, Lauren?’ she whispered.
‘Find a way in,’ I said.
I ran my palm along the weather-beaten wooden boards. I pressed each one as I passed by, but none of them were loose.
‘That lock looks brand new,’ Shelby whispered.
‘I know,’ I said. ‘Which is weird on such a shabby old hut.’
Jam examined the door carefully. ‘The lock might be new, but the wood around it is rotten,’ he said.
I followed his gaze across the promenade. No-one was watching us. We looked at each other. Jam raised his eyebrows.
I checked my watch. We had ten minutes until Holtwood called again. And nothing to offer her.
This was our best option for finding Madison.
‘Let’s do it,’ I said.
‘Do what?’ Shelby squeaked.
‘Oh, man,’ Jam breathed. He braced himself.
I stood beside him. ‘On three,’ I said. ‘One.’
‘You can’t break the door down,’ Shelby hissed.
‘Yes, we can,’ I said firmly. ‘Two.’
‘But—’
‘Three.’ Together, Jam and I aimed our kicks squarely at the door. It flew open, revealing an apparently empty hut. I glanced quickly round. No-one had seen us.
‘Oh, Lauren, you can’t go in there.’ Shelby hopped from foot to foot, clearly hugely agitated.
For a second I felt irritated with her anxiety. Then I thought about the bombshell news hidden in the letter we’d found earlier. I knew Jam was looking at me. My face burned with
guilt.
‘We have to. There might be more clues to where Madison is,’ I said.
‘But—’
‘Wait here, then, Shelby,’ I said, and I led the way into the hut.
14
The Hut
I could see immediately that there was nothing and no-one inside. The hut was totally empty.
Jam followed me in. ‘We must have been wrong,’ he whispered. ‘There’s no sign that anyone’s been here.’
‘And, by the way, you’re now breaking into someone else’s property,’ Shelby added, peering through the open door. ‘We shouldn’t be here.’
‘Wanna call the police again, Shelbs?’ I hissed.
She scowled at me, her face all shadowy and spooky-looking in the dim light.
I looked round. I was sure we were close to Madison now, but Jam was right. There was absolutely no sign that anyone else had ever been here. Treading carefully, I edged round the room, peering
into the dusty corners. In the distance, the carousel music rose above the shrieks of excited children. It felt like it belonged to a different world.
‘There’s nothing here, Lauren,’ Shelby whispered. ‘We need to go.’
‘Wait.’ Jam’s voice echoed across the hut. He was standing in the far corner, peering down at something. ‘Look at this.’
I scurried over. A scrap of blue cloth was caught between two of the floorboards. It looked like it had been torn off a larger garment.
‘That’s Madison’s,’ I gasped. ‘It’s from the top she was wearing when they took her.’ I examined the ground. ‘Look at the floorboards.
There’re gaps between the planks here.’
Jam sank to his knees and ran the tips of his fingers around the side of one of the boards.
‘There won’t be anything underneath,’ Shelby insisted. ‘Beach huts don’t have cellars or—’
‘Help me, Lauren,’ Jam said.
I squatted beside him and inched my fingers around the opposite side of the board.
‘Ready?’ he whispered.
I nodded.
‘Pull.’
With a creak, the floorboard came away from the floor. Shelby gasped. Jam reached for the next board. I leaned over, helping him move it out of the
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