Regardless of his strength, if the last place he was seen was in the cellar then we need to send someone down into that hole.’
‘I’ll do it. He is my son.’
‘No, sir, I think it’s best if you stay here with your wife.’
Davey stepped forward. ‘I will do it, and I’ve been down there once before, last year when there was a blockage.’
The policeman nodded his head in approval. ‘Thank you; we will help you and watch you to make sure that you’re safe and then we can pull you back out after you’ve checked it out.’
Davey left the room followed by the two policemen and Martha watched as her mother began to crumple in front of her eyes. Mary and Lucy both walked over to her. Taking an arm each, they led her out of the crowded dining room and down towards the kitchen and Martha ran behind them.
‘Should I tell the guests to leave, ma’am?’
‘No. As much as I don’t want them here, if they don’t find Joe down in that hole we will need them to help search the gardens. I don’t want any stone unturned.’
‘Very well, ma’am. Would you like a cup of tea?’
‘No, thank you, Mary. I think this is going to call for something much stronger than tea. Lucy, please will you get a bottle of sherry and pour me the biggest glass you can find.’
Eleanor looked at her daughter for the first time since Martha had told them she couldn’t find her brother and seemed to realise how upset she must be. She opened her arms and Martha ran to them. After clambering onto her knees, she buried her head in her mother’s chest and began to cry.
‘I’m so sorry we can’t find him. I don’t know what to do.’
‘Shh, Martha, come now. None of this is your fault. We’ll find him and when we do he will be in trouble for causing such a fuss.’
Martha felt her eyes getting heavy and before long she was drifting off to sleep and a place where Joe was still hiding in the attic waiting for her, and whatever it was that lived in the cellar hadn’t taken him away to eat him.
***
Davey led the way into the cellar followed by James Beckett, who had insisted on helping, and the two policemen – all of them with lamps burning brightly and illuminating the gloomy room. Which was no longer its usual tidy state because every box and piece of furniture had been pulled out and searched. James couldn’t tell them about the missing monster without Eleanor finding out that he’d disobeyed her wishes, and he didn’t want to upset her any more than she already was. If they didn’t find Joe soon he would tell her and the police, but for now it was far more important to locate his son than a stolen fairground exhibit.
Davey led them to the large drain in the far corner and put his lamp down. James did the same and they both took hold of one end and strained to lift the cover to one side. The policemen looked at each other and nodded. They knew that if the boy was down there, and the cover had been in place, then there was no way he had got down there on his own, which meant some foul play was afoot. The cover dropped to the floor with a heavy clang, narrowly missing Davey’s feet.
Davey walked over to the hole and waved his lamp around. It didn’t look any different to any other time he’d looked into it. He knew there was a tunnel that led out from under the house to the lake, but it wasn’t that big and he would have to slither along on his belly to check the whole length of it, which he was glad to do. He liked the lad and didn’t want any harm to come to him. The thing was that, if by some miracle Joe had managed to get down here and go along the tunnel, it would be highly dangerous. There were rats and a couple of times Davey had seen something much bigger than a rat, but it never stayed in the same place long enough for him to actually see what it was. It moved too fast.
The tunnel eventually led out into the lake and he hoped to God they wouldn’t find the boy’s body in the morning, all dead and floating
‘I’ll do it. He is my son.’
‘No, sir, I think it’s best if you stay here with your wife.’
Davey stepped forward. ‘I will do it, and I’ve been down there once before, last year when there was a blockage.’
The policeman nodded his head in approval. ‘Thank you; we will help you and watch you to make sure that you’re safe and then we can pull you back out after you’ve checked it out.’
Davey left the room followed by the two policemen and Martha watched as her mother began to crumple in front of her eyes. Mary and Lucy both walked over to her. Taking an arm each, they led her out of the crowded dining room and down towards the kitchen and Martha ran behind them.
‘Should I tell the guests to leave, ma’am?’
‘No. As much as I don’t want them here, if they don’t find Joe down in that hole we will need them to help search the gardens. I don’t want any stone unturned.’
‘Very well, ma’am. Would you like a cup of tea?’
‘No, thank you, Mary. I think this is going to call for something much stronger than tea. Lucy, please will you get a bottle of sherry and pour me the biggest glass you can find.’
Eleanor looked at her daughter for the first time since Martha had told them she couldn’t find her brother and seemed to realise how upset she must be. She opened her arms and Martha ran to them. After clambering onto her knees, she buried her head in her mother’s chest and began to cry.
‘I’m so sorry we can’t find him. I don’t know what to do.’
‘Shh, Martha, come now. None of this is your fault. We’ll find him and when we do he will be in trouble for causing such a fuss.’
Martha felt her eyes getting heavy and before long she was drifting off to sleep and a place where Joe was still hiding in the attic waiting for her, and whatever it was that lived in the cellar hadn’t taken him away to eat him.
***
Davey led the way into the cellar followed by James Beckett, who had insisted on helping, and the two policemen – all of them with lamps burning brightly and illuminating the gloomy room. Which was no longer its usual tidy state because every box and piece of furniture had been pulled out and searched. James couldn’t tell them about the missing monster without Eleanor finding out that he’d disobeyed her wishes, and he didn’t want to upset her any more than she already was. If they didn’t find Joe soon he would tell her and the police, but for now it was far more important to locate his son than a stolen fairground exhibit.
Davey led them to the large drain in the far corner and put his lamp down. James did the same and they both took hold of one end and strained to lift the cover to one side. The policemen looked at each other and nodded. They knew that if the boy was down there, and the cover had been in place, then there was no way he had got down there on his own, which meant some foul play was afoot. The cover dropped to the floor with a heavy clang, narrowly missing Davey’s feet.
Davey walked over to the hole and waved his lamp around. It didn’t look any different to any other time he’d looked into it. He knew there was a tunnel that led out from under the house to the lake, but it wasn’t that big and he would have to slither along on his belly to check the whole length of it, which he was glad to do. He liked the lad and didn’t want any harm to come to him. The thing was that, if by some miracle Joe had managed to get down here and go along the tunnel, it would be highly dangerous. There were rats and a couple of times Davey had seen something much bigger than a rat, but it never stayed in the same place long enough for him to actually see what it was. It moved too fast.
The tunnel eventually led out into the lake and he hoped to God they wouldn’t find the boy’s body in the morning, all dead and floating
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