already?
Jam clutched my arm, horrified. I hesitated a second.
‘I have to bluff her,’ I whispered. ‘Buy some time.’
‘No—’ Jam started.
But I’d already brought the phone to my mouth. I shrank back against the cold, concrete wall, trying hard to minimise the sound of my voice as I spoke. The dim light we were following was
still a long way in the distance, but I couldn’t tell how well sound would travel along the tunnel.
‘Hello?’ I whispered.
‘Did you find the things Sam hid?’ the filtered voice snarled.
‘Yes,’ I lied.
‘What was there?’
I thought of my grandmother – Sam’s mum. I’d always got on well with her and my Gramps. They were both living in a nursing home now in the States. Life there seemed a million
miles away.
‘A diamond necklace and matching earrings,’ I lied. ‘For me and Shelby. They . . . they belonged to Sam’s mother. She wants us to have them. And they’re worth,
like, over a million dollars.’
Jam shook my arm, his hand open in a gesture of dismay.
Why are you telling her that? he mouthed.
I turned away.
‘Right.’ A pause on the other end of the line. ‘You’ve got two hours to get back here. I’ll text the place for the next exchange.’
She rang off.
‘What the hell, Lauren?’ Jam hissed.
I pointed in the direction of the glimmering light. ‘We just needed a bit of time,’ I whispered. ‘We’ve got two more hours.’
‘Then let’s go back and get help,’ Jam whispered.
‘But Holtwood and Madison are right here.’ I started walking, but Jam grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
‘Wait,’ he hissed into my ear. ‘I came down here with you because Holtwood hadn’t called yet and there was a bit of time to see if Madison was down here, without doing
anything stupid – but now you’ve made things worse by inventing jewellery that doesn’t even exist and—’
‘I had to.’
‘If we go any further Holtwood will see us,’ Jam said. ‘That guy, Frank, is probably here too, and—’
‘It’s a chance to rescue Mo.’
‘Rescue her?’ Jam hissed. ‘From people with guns? Anyway, what are you going to say when Holtwood realises you don’t have any diamonds?’
‘Go back then.’ I crept off, my heart pounding. Couldn’t Jam see we had to find Madison? This might be her last chance.
I could feel Jam still behind me, but I didn’t look round. We rounded another curve in the tunnel. Now the low mumble of voices drifted towards us. I squinted into the gloom as the source
of both the light and the voices became clear. A dim glow was shining out through a door, halfway along the tunnel ahead.
Trembling, I tiptoed closer.
Closer.
Sweat beaded on my forehead. The back of my neck prickled as we reached the door.
Low voices drifted towards us again. The door was open a fraction. A man and a woman were talking inside, but so quietly I couldn’t make out what they were saying or even if they were, as
I suspected, Frank and Sonia.
Footsteps sounded inside the room. Jam and I exchanged a terrified look. They were coming towards the door.
We sprang back, against the wall behind the door. It opened, slamming back against us. Jam caught the handle, holding it steady so it didn’t fly shut again.
More footsteps.
‘Come on.’ That was definitely Frank.
I heard a sniff and a stumble. I peered round the edge of the door. Frank had Madison by the arm. He hauled her along the tunnel away from us . . . in the opposite direction from the room that
led up to the beach hut.
Madison was bound at the wrists with rope. Strips of cloth had been wound round her eyes and her mouth.
Anger like I’d never known filled me. How could anyone do that to a little girl? It was inhuman.
Jam yanked me back, behind the cover of the door, as a woman appeared. I froze, my anger transforming into terror. Was that Sonia Holtwood? I could only see her from behind and she was wearing a
long jacket that concealed her body shape, but it had
Jam clutched my arm, horrified. I hesitated a second.
‘I have to bluff her,’ I whispered. ‘Buy some time.’
‘No—’ Jam started.
But I’d already brought the phone to my mouth. I shrank back against the cold, concrete wall, trying hard to minimise the sound of my voice as I spoke. The dim light we were following was
still a long way in the distance, but I couldn’t tell how well sound would travel along the tunnel.
‘Hello?’ I whispered.
‘Did you find the things Sam hid?’ the filtered voice snarled.
‘Yes,’ I lied.
‘What was there?’
I thought of my grandmother – Sam’s mum. I’d always got on well with her and my Gramps. They were both living in a nursing home now in the States. Life there seemed a million
miles away.
‘A diamond necklace and matching earrings,’ I lied. ‘For me and Shelby. They . . . they belonged to Sam’s mother. She wants us to have them. And they’re worth,
like, over a million dollars.’
Jam shook my arm, his hand open in a gesture of dismay.
Why are you telling her that? he mouthed.
I turned away.
‘Right.’ A pause on the other end of the line. ‘You’ve got two hours to get back here. I’ll text the place for the next exchange.’
She rang off.
‘What the hell, Lauren?’ Jam hissed.
I pointed in the direction of the glimmering light. ‘We just needed a bit of time,’ I whispered. ‘We’ve got two more hours.’
‘Then let’s go back and get help,’ Jam whispered.
‘But Holtwood and Madison are right here.’ I started walking, but Jam grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
‘Wait,’ he hissed into my ear. ‘I came down here with you because Holtwood hadn’t called yet and there was a bit of time to see if Madison was down here, without doing
anything stupid – but now you’ve made things worse by inventing jewellery that doesn’t even exist and—’
‘I had to.’
‘If we go any further Holtwood will see us,’ Jam said. ‘That guy, Frank, is probably here too, and—’
‘It’s a chance to rescue Mo.’
‘Rescue her?’ Jam hissed. ‘From people with guns? Anyway, what are you going to say when Holtwood realises you don’t have any diamonds?’
‘Go back then.’ I crept off, my heart pounding. Couldn’t Jam see we had to find Madison? This might be her last chance.
I could feel Jam still behind me, but I didn’t look round. We rounded another curve in the tunnel. Now the low mumble of voices drifted towards us. I squinted into the gloom as the source
of both the light and the voices became clear. A dim glow was shining out through a door, halfway along the tunnel ahead.
Trembling, I tiptoed closer.
Closer.
Sweat beaded on my forehead. The back of my neck prickled as we reached the door.
Low voices drifted towards us again. The door was open a fraction. A man and a woman were talking inside, but so quietly I couldn’t make out what they were saying or even if they were, as
I suspected, Frank and Sonia.
Footsteps sounded inside the room. Jam and I exchanged a terrified look. They were coming towards the door.
We sprang back, against the wall behind the door. It opened, slamming back against us. Jam caught the handle, holding it steady so it didn’t fly shut again.
More footsteps.
‘Come on.’ That was definitely Frank.
I heard a sniff and a stumble. I peered round the edge of the door. Frank had Madison by the arm. He hauled her along the tunnel away from us . . . in the opposite direction from the room that
led up to the beach hut.
Madison was bound at the wrists with rope. Strips of cloth had been wound round her eyes and her mouth.
Anger like I’d never known filled me. How could anyone do that to a little girl? It was inhuman.
Jam yanked me back, behind the cover of the door, as a woman appeared. I froze, my anger transforming into terror. Was that Sonia Holtwood? I could only see her from behind and she was wearing a
long jacket that concealed her body shape, but it had
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