Father Rodney then made small talk and pointed out a pa.s.sing fire engine to Cecilia. "Wha-wha! Wha-wha!" she said dutifully.

For Kate, the journey seemed endless. She desperately wanted to be in her small cottage, safely locked in until Gavin came home. She had decided to risk his wrath and tell him what she had done. At least that would put him on his guard in case Froot decided on violent retaliation. She knew now that the man could do it. The expression on his face as she stormed out of the cafe was scary, and all eyes had been turned on him. She hadn't looked back, but guessed that he would not have followed her. That would have made him too conspicuous, and he was a man who liked to be in the shadows. It would be that villain in the dirty white van. He was the one they should be looking out for.

When they got off the bus, she a.s.sured the vicar that she would be fine walking home. She did not explain that there were plenty of people about, and she meant to walk fast. As she pa.s.sed the Hicksons' house, she heard Paula's voice. For a moment, she wanted to walk on, pretending she had not heard, but in the end slowed up and stopped, looking round.

"Got time for a cuppa?" shouted Paula. "Been shopping in town? Thirsty work," she added hopefully.

Kate sighed. "Oh, well, thanks," she said, turning the pushchair round. "Kind of you. Can't stay long, but a quick cup would be great. Thanks."

"I've been alone with the kids all day," Paula said, as they went into the house. "You get desperate for a bit of adult conversation, don't you?" she added. "I could almost have my husband back, just for that."

"Are you serious?" Kate asked, suddenly aware of a change in her new friend. So this wasn't just a casual invitation. She took her mug of tea and sat down, watching Cecilia and Frankie sparring over a pile of toy bricks.

"Not really," Paula replied slowly. "But yes, I suppose I am. It's Jack Jr. that I'm thinking of. He needs his father. He's a difficult boy-always was-but I thought I could manage him on my own." She gave a rueful smile, and added, "But it's obvious that I can't. O' course, he's bright. Everybody says so. But if I'm not careful, it's all going the wrong way. He'll use his cleverness in bad ways, and end up one of them dropouts outside the town hall in Tresham.

"You might meet some other guy, who'd be a better influence than Jack Sr.," Kate suggested. She could concentrate with only half her mind, her thoughts still whirling round her encounter with Tim Froot. Supposing he got to Gavin before she did? She drank her tea in big gulps, and shifted in her chair, preparing to leave.

"Better the devil you know," Paula answered, with a half smile. "My old man was a good husband and father until he lost his job, you know. It was the disgrace, really. Where he was brought up, losing your job was your own fault. This time it wasn't. But anyway, it was the stigma what really got him down."

Kate subsided back into her chair. This was costing Paula quite a lot, telling her this stuff about her husband. She wanted to say that if all she had to worry about was a depressed husband, she was lucky. Then she reminded herself that Paula had had a terrible few days, and tried again.

"Well, when they find him, why don't you suggest getting together with one of those marriage adviser people. Maybe you could both try hard and make a go of it again?"

"If they find him, Kate. That's the number one problem at the moment. I'm just crossing my fingers that he doesn't do anything stupid. Anyway," she added, making an effort to brighten up, "I mustn't keep you. It was really kind of you to come in for a few minutes. And to offer to meet Frankie and have him for a couple of hours. I'll pay you, of course, the going rate! I shall tell Mrs. M that I can be available extra hours."

"So where's young Jack now?" Kate said, as she and Cecilia walked back down the garden path.

"In his room," Paula said. "He doesn't seem to want to leave it. The social worker said he's probably still a bit shocked."

"Do you think that?"

"No," said Paula. "I think he's plotting something."

GAVIN DROVE BACK IN THE EARLY EVENING THROUGH HIS PEACEFUL village with a feeling of relief. He was tired and looking forwards to seeing Kate and Cecilia. He wouldn't admit to himself that he was anxious for their safety, but all day it had lurked at the back of his mind. Froot was used to getting his own way, and in the past had stopped at nothing to get it. Thank goodness Kate had decided against meeting with him.

He turned the car into their lane, and saw Tony and Irene in her wheelchair outside his gate. Christ! What was happening? He screeched to a halt and leapt out of his car. To his relief, he saw that Tony was smiling. Nothing too bad, then.

He greeted them, and then stood, breathing heavily. Irene stretched out her hand. "Evening, Gavin," she said. "Hasn't it been a beautiful day? We've been having tea in your garden with Kate and Cecilia. Such a treat for we oldies!"

Gavin looked towards his front door, and saw Kate standing there, holding his daughter, both of them waving to him. He said a silent prayer of thanks, and went to meet them. Apparently Tony and Irene had insisted on coming round to keep Kate company, bringing a sponge cake and homemade biscuits, and she hadn't been able to refuse. In fact, they had all enjoyed it, and Cecilia had been thoroughly indulged.

Together, Gavin and Kate put their daughter to bed, and then settled down to a pizza and a bottle of red wine he had bought on the way home.

"Are we celebrating something?" Kate said.

"I suppose we are," he said. "Got a new client, and an offer of a job."

Kate gasped. How had Froot found Gavin already? "Who with?" she stuttered.

"Well, the bloke I went to see, of course. Robin Crossley. He wants me to join his company and take on the side of the business I'm already doing in Tresham. What's the matter, Kate? Are you ill?"

"Not really," she said, "but listen, I've got something important to tell you."

IN HIS MAKESHIFT HOME IN THE WAREHOUSE, JACK HICKSON HAD cleaned a filthy window so that he could see out into the street below. He had spotted the paragraph in the paper saying that the missing boy had been safely at a friend's house all the time. There was some adverse comment about wasting taxpayers' money. Jack could not have explained exactly how, but he knew that his son was lying. The lad had his faults, but he wouldn't have put his mother through all that worry voluntarily. No, he was absolutely certain that he had been abducted, and he knew by whom. No doubt young Jack was too frightened to tell the truth.

He knew there was little likelihood of seeing his quarry by chance. He would have to carry out his plan to pace the streets patiently, keeping his eyes and ears open, until he picked up a clue. Every so often he would slip into a public toilet or a menswear changing room or some such, and change his appearance. It was easy, really. A woolly hat, or heavy-framed gla.s.ses, or the false beard or mustache bought from the joke shop, and there he was, no longer Jack Hickson, but a perfect stranger. Or so, in his inexperience, he thought.

Suddenly his attention was caught by seeing a dirty white van pull up outside the newsagents opposite the warehouse. His heart began to pound. A man got out and scurried into the shop like a frightened rabbit. It was him! Jack could swear that it was the man he was hunting. He turned away from the window and dashed down the stairs, taking them three at a time, but when he emerged onto the street, he saw the van pulling away from the curb. Sod it! He thought of running after it, but that would be stupid, drawing attention to himself. No, it was still close enough for him to read the number plate, and Jack, who had a good memory for such things, stored it in his mind.

But how was he ever going to catch up with it? And what could he do, even if he saw it parked in town? No, he needed wheels. A bike, that's what he needed. An old bike, not easily traceable, and lightweight enough to manhandle up to his warehouse lodging. Should he buy one or appropriate one left carelessly unattended? Not the latter, he told himself. Even the pettiest theft was a bad idea. He decided to go to the town dump. They always had old bikes that n.o.body wanted. He could slip a pound or two to the dump chap and be away in minutes, no questions asked. Then if he saw the van again, he would follow it. With the many traffic light stops, he would be able to keep up.

He returned to his watching position, feeling a lot more cheerful. Progress had definitely been made. And a bike would be good exercise. You can go anywhere on a bike, he said to himself. Even out into the country. Even to Long Farnden, if necessary.

And the best news of all was that his quarry was still around, still local.

FIFTY.

LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, DEREK HAD BEEN RELIEVED WHEN IT became apparent that the only danger threatening Jack Jr. had been catching cold from sleeping in a cold draft on a friend's floor. "No doubt having another try at drawing attention to himself," he had said to Lois, pleased that this time she would have no reason to ferret about trying to find a mythical kidnapper.

To his annoyance, she had raised her eyebrows and said if he believed that story he would believe anything. "The poor kid's the best liar in the county," she had said.

Now, as they sat in silence at the breakfast table, Gran attempted to get a conversation going. "Only five more days to go to blast off," she said cheerfully. "How's it going, Derek? All the entries finished and rarin' to go?"

"Sorry?" said Derek, looking up from opening his post.

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you!" said Gran, thumping the table. "Well, if you two want to carry on this silly business, I don't. So you can stack the breakfast things yourselves. I'm off down the shop to have a civilized talk with Josie, who knows how to behave like an adult. Unlike some people I know."

"Hey, Mum, what's all this-?"

But Gran had stormed out, grabbed a coat from the hall, and was on her way before Lois could reach her.

"Oh, dear," said Derek. "Do you think she's possibly offended?" He looked at Lois with a serious expression, and for a moment she glared at him. Then she began to laugh.

"Looks like it," she said. "Silly old bat. But no, she's not silly. We are. Look, Derek, I know you think Jack Jr.'s explanation is the truth, but the person who knows him best, Paula, thinks otherwise. And if she doesn't believe him, then I don't either. I'm getting to know that young man, and I think he's a good liar and a very scared thirteen-year-old child. What's more, his mum thinks he's planning something, and it could be very dangerous. So I'm working on the probability that he was abducted, and the need to find whoever did it as quickly as possible."

"And Cowgill? Does he think this, too?"

Lois nodded. "And before you ask, he was thinking this before I talked to him."

Derek sighed. "So is this going to be general knowledge? Is the soap box grand prix still to have this hanging over it?"

"b.u.g.g.e.r the soap box grand prix!" retorted Lois. "That boy's life is more important. And for all we know, the lives of other people. Don't forget his father's not been found yet. He didn't go missing again for nothing. And no, it is not going to be general knowledge, so don't worry, nothing will spoil the soap box day."

"I heard that," said Gran, coming silently back into the kitchen. "And I shouldn't bet on it."

"I thought you were-"

"Shop's not open yet. I didn't look at the time. There's a quarter of an hour to go, and I wouldn't knock and be a nuisance at this hour of the morning."

"How thoughtful," said Lois acidly. "Well, as you have obviously heard, we are now talking to one another. Come on in, Mum," she added, relenting. "Let's make some more coffee. We're sorry, aren't we, Derek?"

"Heartbroken," said Derek. He stood up and gave both of them a peck on the cheek. "Must be off now. Last meeting tonight before the final rehearsal on the playing field on Friday."

After he had gone, Lois said she needed a quiet morning in the office. "Can you keep callers at bay, Mum?" she said. "I want a clear run without interruptions this morning."

Gran beamed. Nothing she liked better than keeping callers at bay, but making sure she found out what they wanted first. "Leave it to me," she said. "The only interruption will be when I bring in your coffee."

Within ten minutes, Lois's phone began to ring. Before she could reach out for the receiver, it stopped. Then she heard Gran's loud voice from the kitchen, saying she was sorry, but Mrs. Meade was unavailable this morning. Lois grinned, and turned on her computer.

Time to take stock, she had thought. Priority number one: find Jack's father, and persuade him to give himself up, for the boy's sake. This was supposing he had been the kidnapper. Even if he wasn't, he was needed by Paula and her family.

Priority number two: if he wasn't guilty, then find out who was and bring him to justice. Again, for Jack Jr.'s sake. If he was protecting someone with his lies, then he would never be at peace and stand a chance of being a normal teenager until it was sorted out.

And then she thought of something which was glaringly obvious, but so far she had missed. Why would someone not his father want to kidnap the boy? What was to be got out of it? Certainly not money. Paula Hickson hadn't a spare penny, so that couldn't be it.

The telephone rang again, and this time Gran came to the office door with a resigned expression. "It's him, the inspector," she said. "Won't be put off."

Lois nodded, and lifted up her phone. "Yeah? Lois here."

Cowgill wasted no time. "I think we've got a feud here, Lois," he said. "If Jack Jr.'s father wasn't the one who took him, then the only possible reason for another to have done it is an old score to be settled. What d'you think?"

"Telepathy," said Lois. "I was nearly there. Looks the most likely, I agree. So what next?"

"Find out who has a grudge against Jack Hickson. Speak to Paula, if you can. She respects you, and probably trusts you. She might well have the answer. Can you get down there straightaway?"

"I don't need to," Lois said. "I know who had a grudge. It was at the time Jack was given his cards. Another bloke was taunting him, and Jack fetched him one. It landed in a bad place, and he had to be treated in hospital. Is that grudge enough, d'you reckon?"

There was a silence, and then Cowgill said, "How long have you known this, Lois?"

She didn't give him a straight answer, but muttered something about being sure she had told him at least some of it. Then she said that the urgent thing to do now would be to find out who it was. Paula had not given her the name of Jack Sr.'s tormentor at work. He had apparently refused to tell her, and his other workmates had decided to keep their mouths shut, too, thinking it would all pa.s.s over and be forgotten. That would be the best thing for Jack, they had agreed amongst themselves. The injured man had also been sacked when other redundancies had been necessary. Knowing he had been partly guilty for Jack's attack, he too had said nothing more, but it was known that he had apparently blamed Jack for having to take sick leave and then finding himself out of work.

"Did Paula tell you all this?"

"Some of it," Lois said. "The rest has emerged in dribs and drabs. I have not been idle, Cowgill, whatever you may think."

Cowgill left it there. He said he would now contact the Parks and Gardens Department and see what they could tell him. There must be someone willing to talk.

"I'll keep in touch, Lois," he said. "And well done. All I would say, my dear, is that you could be in a dangerous position, knowing what you know. There is a man on the run somewhere, possibly desperate. If you could bring yourself to let me know any more dribs and drabs that might come your way, I would be most grateful."

"b.o.l.l.o.c.ks," said Lois, and ended the call.

"I love you when you're angry, Lois Meade," Cowgill said to the dialling tone.

"What did you say, sir?" said Chris, coming in for her meeting with the boss.

"Never you mind," said Cowgill. "It was a private call."

FIFTY-ONE.

IN NO TIME AT ALL, THE PARKS AND GARDENS DEPARTMENT OF the local authority had supplied Cowgill with the names and addresses of all those made redundant after Jack Hickson had left the department. No, they answered when he asked about a punch-up in the department, they had no knowledge of any such disturbance. In fact, they were quite put out by the suggestion. Good staff relations were a priority with the authority, they insisted.

Cowgill had handed the list to Chris, filled her in with details of Jack Sr.'s fight with a fellow gardener and asked her to do some legwork. "Go and see them all," he'd instructed, "and don't let them know you're coming. This one will be a slippery eel, I suspect. Even a hint that we're on to him will send him slithering off to a new hideaway. Meanwhile," he added, as she prepared to leave his office with a bundle of papers, "I shall be out for the rest of the day. I need to have a chat with my most useful contact in all of this."

"Of course. I'll find you somewhere in Long Farnden, then?"

"Get going, Chris," Cowgill said.

NEW BROOMS WEEKLY MEETING BROUGHT TO AN END LOIS'S WORK on setting down information and endeavoring to make sense of it. She felt she had cleared up some of the puzzles, but was not a lot nearer solving either of the priorities. We're going round in circles, she had decided. There must be another way in. Who else might be sitting on useful clues without knowing it? After his second disappearance, Jack Hickson Sr. was obviously keeping his distance and was unlikely to reappear in the village. But she was sure he wouldn't be far away. From what Paula had said lately, it was not impossible that she and Jack could get together again.

As for the other man, Lois was not so optimistic. The only hope of him being still around was that the grudge had not been settled. Or, she thought, as the first of her team rang the door bell, maybe it is not wholly his show. Maybe someone else is pulling the strings, and he's just the puppet? Perhaps they should be looking at the whole thing as a network of connected motives?

"Oh, lor, it get's worse!" she said aloud, as the door opened and Andrew looked in.

"Okay to convene, Mrs. M?" he said.

The rest of the team followed, and Lois welcomed them. "Let's hope this week we can concentrate on our jobs, without the distraction of missing kids and the police crawling all over us," she said. "Now, Hazel, shall we start with the list of new potential clients?"

"Twenty of 'em," Hazel said flatly. The others stared at her. This was at least twice as many as usual for a weekly count. "Seems the village being in the news has brought in an influx of helpless housewives. I reckon, and Mrs. M agrees with me, that they're all nosy blighters who think one of us would be good for a juicy gossip. Anyway, Mrs. M and me have been through the list, and sorted out four clients most likely to stay with us, gossip or no gossip."

"Can we cope with that many extras?" Sheila Stratford said. She was now the acknowledged senior cleaner, having been there longer than anyone else, and she usually spoke for the rest.

"Yes, I think so," said Lois. "I've been through schedules carefully, and with Paula being able to do a couple more hours, and Andrew not having any interior decor projects on at the moment, we can work things out. I may have to look for another member of the team later. We'll see. If any of you would like some extra hours, let me know."

Dot Nimmo's hand went up, like the girl at the back of the cla.s.s. "Please, Mrs. M," she said, "I would. I've got time on my hands now. My sister Evelyn has moved away, as you know, and to tell the truth, I'm lost for company." Lois smiled. She tried not to have favourites among her staff, but she could not help having a soft spot for Dot.

Dot Nimmo! Of course! Why hadn't she thought of her before? With her past connections with the underworld of criminal gangs in Tresham, she could well be sitting on information that would be vital! She was not even sure the connections were all in the past. After all, Dot's husband and his entire family had carried on businesses which all sailed close to the wind, and involved the odd mysterious drowning or apparent suicide. Then Dot's husband had died, as had his brother and father, and not all of natural causes, but this did not mean that Dot had lost touch with the rest. The reverse was more likely, Lois was sure.

"Good, that will be helpful, Dot," she said. "Can you stay behind for a few minutes, and we'll go through your schedule with Hazel. Now, any other matters?"

Floss had a breakage in a client's house to report, but said that it had been a pottery figure of a clown that the owner had never liked, so there was no problem. Sheila reported that Edwina Smith was happy to give young Hickson some odd jobs around the farm at weekends, if he was interested. Now that she was a widow, she was having a hard time getting through the work, even with help from Sheila's husband, Sam.

Finally all the details were dealt with, and the meeting broke up. Only Dot and Hazel remained, and in a short time Dot's revised schedules were worked out. Then Hazel went, saying she would see everybody at the soap box grand prix on Sat.u.r.day.

"Next year," said Dot, "can we have a New Brooms soap box, Mrs. M? I know some of my nephews would be really good at getting a speedy one knocked up from odds and ends. Not sure where the odds and ends might come from, but no questions asked!"

This gave Lois the perfect opportunity. "Sit down again, Dot," she said. "I wanted to have a chat about your family."