baffled.
‘No,’ said Jake. ‘These were other people.’
Andy let out a low whistle.
‘Like I said, this must really be some special book!’ he said.
‘I’m not happy about staying here tonight,’ announced Jake.
‘Why?’ asked Michelle. ‘If it was those two gaffers we met who did this, they didn’t seem particularly harmful. OK, they tried to threaten us with a gun, but it wasn’t loaded, and when Andy did that thing with his ID card, they backed down.’
‘But say it wasn’t them?’ said Jake. ‘Say someone followed us down from London. The people who slashed Robert’s tyres.’ And who stuck that picture of Lauren on my wall with a knife, thought Jake miserably. ‘Trust me, not everyone who’s after the books is harmless. And if we stay here, who knows what they might do tonight to get hold of the book.’ He gestured at the mess in the rooms. ‘This is nothing. I’ve seen what these people can do.’ And, with a shudder, he remembered finding the body of the ex-SAS soldier in his flat, stabbed to death.
‘Well, I can’t leave,’ said Robert. ‘I’ve had enough wine to stop me driving tonight.’
‘And there’s no way I’m taking a chance of driving anywhere and losing my licence,’ put in Michelle.
Jake sighed. If he stayed here tonight he was in danger, and he knew it.
‘Maybe there’s a train back to London?’ suggested Robert.
Michelle shook her head.
‘No,’ she said. ‘I checked it out before I came down here, just in case I could do it by train. There’s no station at Glastonbury, and I think you’ll have missed the last train from the nearest place.’ She checked her watch, and nodded. ‘Yes. No last train for you.’ She shrugged. ‘Looks like you’re here till the morning.’
‘Oh dear,’ said Andy. They looked at him, and he gave them all a rueful grin. ‘This is where the non-drinker always suffers. A weekend party, a match, an outing, guess who gets to be the designated driver.’ He looked at Jake and asked: ‘How serious is it? This threat you’re talking about?’
‘Very serious,’ said Jake. ‘I’m not joking.’
Andy hesitated, then said, ‘You sure you can’t wait till the morning?’
Robert looked at Andy, shocked.
‘You’re not seriously thinking of driving back to London with Jake tonight?’ he asked, incredulous.
Andy shrugged.
‘Well, you and Michelle can’t do it. And if Jake thinks there’s a real threat . . .’
‘I do,’ said Jake firmly. Then he softened. ‘No, Andy, it’s not fair. After all, you don’t know me, except through Robert . . . and I know it’s asking a bit much for you to drive me all the way back in the middle of the night.’
‘But this book is important, right?’ asked Andy. ‘Getting it safe?’
‘Yes.’ Jake nodded.
‘OK,’ said Andy. ‘Give me time to stuff my things back in my bag and get Woody sorted out, and we’ll go.’
Jake felt a wave of relief wash over him. What a great bloke! But then, he supposed that was the kind of unselfish person you found in search and rescue, someone who thought nothing of putting themselves at risk for others. A pity there aren’t more Andys in this world, thought Jake.
‘Thanks, Andy,’ he said. ‘I promise, some day, I’ll pay you back for doing this. I don’t know how, but I will.’
Chapter 17
Late at night, there was hardly any traffic on the road as they headed east, so they made good time. Jake sat in the passenger seat, feeling the book still taped to his stomach, and relieved to be away from Glastonbury. He had no doubt that whoever was after the book would have struck again that night, and not just ransacking a room.
Behind Jake, Woody lay in the footwell of the back seat. It also gave Jake comfort, that, if they were suddenly overtaken and their car stopped, they had the dog with them to defend them. Jake had already seen the dog prepared to launch an attack when that shotgun had been pointed at them.
As they drove,
‘No,’ said Jake. ‘These were other people.’
Andy let out a low whistle.
‘Like I said, this must really be some special book!’ he said.
‘I’m not happy about staying here tonight,’ announced Jake.
‘Why?’ asked Michelle. ‘If it was those two gaffers we met who did this, they didn’t seem particularly harmful. OK, they tried to threaten us with a gun, but it wasn’t loaded, and when Andy did that thing with his ID card, they backed down.’
‘But say it wasn’t them?’ said Jake. ‘Say someone followed us down from London. The people who slashed Robert’s tyres.’ And who stuck that picture of Lauren on my wall with a knife, thought Jake miserably. ‘Trust me, not everyone who’s after the books is harmless. And if we stay here, who knows what they might do tonight to get hold of the book.’ He gestured at the mess in the rooms. ‘This is nothing. I’ve seen what these people can do.’ And, with a shudder, he remembered finding the body of the ex-SAS soldier in his flat, stabbed to death.
‘Well, I can’t leave,’ said Robert. ‘I’ve had enough wine to stop me driving tonight.’
‘And there’s no way I’m taking a chance of driving anywhere and losing my licence,’ put in Michelle.
Jake sighed. If he stayed here tonight he was in danger, and he knew it.
‘Maybe there’s a train back to London?’ suggested Robert.
Michelle shook her head.
‘No,’ she said. ‘I checked it out before I came down here, just in case I could do it by train. There’s no station at Glastonbury, and I think you’ll have missed the last train from the nearest place.’ She checked her watch, and nodded. ‘Yes. No last train for you.’ She shrugged. ‘Looks like you’re here till the morning.’
‘Oh dear,’ said Andy. They looked at him, and he gave them all a rueful grin. ‘This is where the non-drinker always suffers. A weekend party, a match, an outing, guess who gets to be the designated driver.’ He looked at Jake and asked: ‘How serious is it? This threat you’re talking about?’
‘Very serious,’ said Jake. ‘I’m not joking.’
Andy hesitated, then said, ‘You sure you can’t wait till the morning?’
Robert looked at Andy, shocked.
‘You’re not seriously thinking of driving back to London with Jake tonight?’ he asked, incredulous.
Andy shrugged.
‘Well, you and Michelle can’t do it. And if Jake thinks there’s a real threat . . .’
‘I do,’ said Jake firmly. Then he softened. ‘No, Andy, it’s not fair. After all, you don’t know me, except through Robert . . . and I know it’s asking a bit much for you to drive me all the way back in the middle of the night.’
‘But this book is important, right?’ asked Andy. ‘Getting it safe?’
‘Yes.’ Jake nodded.
‘OK,’ said Andy. ‘Give me time to stuff my things back in my bag and get Woody sorted out, and we’ll go.’
Jake felt a wave of relief wash over him. What a great bloke! But then, he supposed that was the kind of unselfish person you found in search and rescue, someone who thought nothing of putting themselves at risk for others. A pity there aren’t more Andys in this world, thought Jake.
‘Thanks, Andy,’ he said. ‘I promise, some day, I’ll pay you back for doing this. I don’t know how, but I will.’
Chapter 17
Late at night, there was hardly any traffic on the road as they headed east, so they made good time. Jake sat in the passenger seat, feeling the book still taped to his stomach, and relieved to be away from Glastonbury. He had no doubt that whoever was after the book would have struck again that night, and not just ransacking a room.
Behind Jake, Woody lay in the footwell of the back seat. It also gave Jake comfort, that, if they were suddenly overtaken and their car stopped, they had the dog with them to defend them. Jake had already seen the dog prepared to launch an attack when that shotgun had been pointed at them.
As they drove,
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