by Fiona Field
Dodging the raindrops the two sisters raced up the road towards the corner. Ali and his pals were waiting for them.
‘Got the dosh?’ he said by way of a greeting.
Katie held out the twenty. ‘It’s all we’ve got. Can you change it?’
Ali looked at the note with contempt. ‘What do you think I am? A fucking bank?’ He waved the fags at them. ‘Do you want them or not?’
Ella made a grab for them but Ali swished them out of reach. ‘Hand over the cash and they’re yours.’
‘But... this is enough for four packs,’ said Katie.
‘Or,’ said Ali, ‘it’s enough for this pack and something else. Something a bit special.’
‘Like?’ said Ella.
‘Like this.’ Ali produced a tobacco pouch from his pocket and some cigarette papers.
Both girls’ eyes widened. They knew what they were being offered.
‘Wanna try some?’ said Ali.
Katie and Ella looked at each other. This was dodgy, dangerous and illegal. Of course they wanted to try. They nodded.
‘But not here,’ said Ali. ‘If you go past the bus shelter there’s a field on the left. Through the gate is a disused stable. Meet us there, five minutes.’ He twitched the twenty out of Katie’s hand and casually tossed the smokes at her in return. Katie fumbled the catch and they dropped in a puddle at her feet.
‘Butterfingers,’ sneered Ali as he and his mates swaggered down the road, hands in their pockets, strides jaunty, towards the bus stop.
Katie and Ella huddled together, feeling apprehensive and thrilled in equal measure at what they were about to do.
‘What do you think it’ll be like?’ asked Ella.
‘It’ll be... cool, I suppose. We’ll chill out, be relaxed.’ Katie shrugged. ‘It’ll be fun.’ She said it with false bravado and hoped her sister wouldn’t detect it.
‘I suppose.’ Ella wasn’t as good at dissembling as her sister and for once it sounded as if her confidence was deserting her. ‘D’you think Mum’ll be able to tell?’
‘Doubt it. Like she knows anything about drugs.’
‘Yeah, but even so?’
‘You getting cold feet? After I nicked all the money?’
‘No,’ said Ella hastily. ‘Come on, the five minutes must be up.’
They both knew they weren’t but hurried down the road before either of them could change their minds.
Chapter 37
Katie and Ella slipped through the gate into the field and saw the ramshackle shed in the far corner, nestled into an overgrown hawthorn hedge, the branches of which had grown into straggly canopy that spread over the roof. The pair trudged through the knee-high mix of nettles, thistles and dead grass, stumbling over tussocks and avoiding getting stung till they reached the door. They knocked.
‘Who is it?’ asked a wary voice.
‘Us,’ said Katie and Ella in unison.
The door opened and a funny, sweet, smoky smell wafted out into the wet air. The girls slipped inside, into the dank gloom. In the low light they could see the glowing tip of a spliff and then, as their eyes adjusted, they could see the three lads lounging around on some sacks that covered what might have been hay, or straw. It was hardly a comfortable hideout but at least it was dry.
‘Anyone see you coming here?’
The girls looked at each other. They hadn’t thought to check they weren’t being followed although the only person who might have done was their mother and she, as far as they knew, was unaware of their departure.
‘No,’ they said.
‘Good. Only you’re a bit young to be getting in trouble with the pigs,’ said Ali. ‘Your mummy and daddy would be well upset if that happened, wouldn’t they,’ he added with a sneer.
Katie swallowed. She hadn’t thought about the consequences of getting caught by the authorities – only what her mum might think.
‘Well, that’s not going to happen, so why don’t you give us what we’ve paid for.’ She eyed him coolly, despite the fact her heart was pounding.
Ali looked at her with something that almost verged on respect and reached for his tobacco pouch. ‘Here, I rolled a spliff for you and Ella.’ He passed a rough-and-ready rollie to Katie. ‘You know what to do?’
Risking looking foolish Katie decided it was best to come clean. ‘Apart from sparking up, you mean? No.’
‘Take a drag, hold it as long as possible before you exhale and enjoy the ride.’
‘Ride?’ The word slipped out before Katie could help it.
‘Chill, it’s not like Special K or magic mushrooms. It’s cool. You’ll enjoy it.’
Trying to keep her hand steady Katie took the spliff and put it to her lips. Ali flicked his lighter and Katie leant forward to meet the flame. She took a drag. The smoke tasted quite different from the Benson and Hedges she was used to. She took the smoke down into her lungs and passed the cigarette to Ella who followed her example. After half a minute she blew the smoke out. And... and...? And not a lot, if she was honest. She held her hand out and took back the rollie and repeated the process. She wasn’t sure what she expected but it was a bloody sight more than this. But she did feel calmer, more relaxed. She took a third drag. God, this whole set-up was funny; her, her sis and three lads in a stable. It was almost like a scene out of a primary school nativity play. All they needed was a donkey and a manger and they’d be sorted. She started to giggle.
*
Seb got out of his Land Rover and stretched. The journey from the barracks to their exercise on the Plain hadn’t been that far but the suspension on the vehicle wasn’t brilliant and that, coupled with the rain, meant that his driver had been unable to pick his way around the worst of the ruts and bumps once they got off the beaten track. Seb felt as if he’d spent the last hour in the drum of a cement mixer. Around him his soldiers were already digging in, making slit trenches and creating defensive positions. The earth they dug out was more mud than soil and dripped off their spades, splatting wetly onto the ground as they tipped it off their shovels. Their ponchos and waterproof jackets were keeping the worst of the weather off them but even so everyone looked soaked and miserable. A couple of the troops, sheltering under a bivouac made out of waterproof ponchos, had got a brew on and were handing out mugs of hot tea.
‘Want one, sir?’ called the squaddie overseeing the process.
Seb nodded. ‘I’ll get my mug.’ He walked round to the back of the Land Rover and opened his Bergen. He found his mug easily, packed where it always was in one of the side pockets. He trudged back across the sodden grass that was rapidly turning into a bog, feeling a certain amount of empathy with the soldiers on the Western Front. Not that he was being shelled and shot at...
He handed over his mug and the soldier slopped a dark beige liquid into it.
‘And it’s fresh milk, sir. We’ll be on condensed again tomorrow but we might as well make use of fresh rations while we have them.’ He held up a jam jar containing sugar and a teaspoon that had obviously been used to stir numerous cups already. Seb shook his head and slurped gratefully at his drink before walking off to find his platoon commanders and check the deployment of his soldiers before it got dark.
As he wandered round the company lines he sensed that his troops were far from happy. He tried to chivvy them along and cheer them up but they were having none of it. Eventually he turned to his sergeant major.
‘What’s the matter with them? I know the weather sucks but we’ve all been out in worse and they’re not usually this miserable.’
‘No... well.’
‘Sergeant Major?’
Riley shrugged. ‘Morale’s low across the battalion. You know how it’s been since...’
‘Since?’ prompted Seb.
‘Nothing, sir.’
‘Come on, man. Spit it out.’
‘Since the new CO came,’ mumbled Riley.
Seb nodded. ‘And the new RSM isn’t a bundle of laughs, is he.’
Riley shook
his head. ‘At least Jenks had a sense of humour.’
‘What’s it like in the sergeants’ mess?’
‘You don’t want to know, sir. The wife won’t attend functions any more. She says the heart’s gone out of it, now Horrocks is in charge. He’s a right stickler for the rules.’
Seb was saddened. He remembered the time the warrant officers and sergeants had invited officers to Christmas drinks at their mess. Or rather, he remembered some of it. Quite a lot was a blur.
No, thought Seb, the new RSM was a cold fish and as for the CO... It seemed the least transgression got the soldiers on a fizzer. No wonder the troops were fed up and Seb didn’t really blame them.
Once he’d visited as many of his troops as possible – a word of encouragement here, a joke there – and checked everyone was pulling their weight and knuckling down to their allotted tasks, dusk had fallen – although given how gloomy the day had been it was hard to appreciate that the sun had just about set. He still had a couple of hours before he was due to present himself at the CO’s O Group at six that evening, his driver was digging their slit trench and there wasn’t much he could do now till he had to brief his troops once he’d got his orders from Colonel Rayner. Seb pulled up the collar on his multicam jacket and reached into an inside pocket. He checked the connectivity of his phone; two bars – it ought to be enough. He dialled home.
‘Hello, sweetie,’ he said when the phone was answered.
‘Erm... it’s Luke.’
‘Shit. Sorry, Luke. And I’m sorry your weekend with Sam has been trashed.’
‘Yeah, well... Maddy asked me to pick up the phone as she’s changing Rose’s nappy...’ There was a pause. ‘Did you hear that?’
‘No.’
‘Maddy was shouting she’ll be two ticks. Ah, here she comes.’
There was a pause then a muffled clatter as the phone changed hands.
‘Seb!’
‘I didn’t mean to disturb you.’
‘No, it’s fine.’
‘I’ve just called Luke “sweetie”.’
‘Bless. I expect he’ll get over it. I imagine, as he’s in the army, he’s been called worse. How’s things?’
‘Wet, cold, miserable.’
‘I can imagine. Still, you’re the one who joined the infantry not the Tank Regiment. Just think, you could be tucked up in a nice warm Challenger tank if you’d made a different choice.’
‘I tell you, leaving the Hertfordshires and joining some other lot is becoming increasingly tempting.’
‘But you’ll feel differently when the weather perks up. It can’t go on raining like this for ever.’
‘It’s not the weather that’s pissing me off, it’s Rayner. And he and his sidekick Horrocks have pissed off the troops too. I’ve never seen the lads so low. I know they’ve been a bit morose lately, that morale hasn’t been top-notch, but I put it down to the shit weather. Normally they perk up when they get to do proper soldiering like this. But not this time. If anything, being on exercise has made it worse.’
‘That’s a shame.’
‘It’s more than a shame, it’s not right. Anyway, you don’t need my problems. I just rang to have a quick chat, tell you we’ve all made it out to the ranges in one piece, that sort of stuff.’
‘That’s fine. Good to hear from you.’
‘And I need to ask you to say goodbye to Luke from me too. He’ll be long gone by the time we get back...’
‘He’s off after breakfast tomorrow – going to get an early start for the drive back to his barracks. He said that much as he loves our place there’s not much point in hanging around now Sam’s not here.’
‘And then you’ll be all on your own.’
‘Huh,’ said Maddy, ‘like I’m not used to that.’
‘I’ll try and make it up when I get back.’
‘Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry, I know it’s not your fault. But bloody Rayner could hardly have picked a worse weekend weather-wise, could he?’
*
As Mike’s car approached Ashton-cum-Bavant the weather deteriorated markedly. The tarmac was slick, the gutters at the sides of the road were swilling with water, any potholes were hubcap deep and the few pedestrians around were racing to find shelter. Despite the fact that it was supposed to be broad daylight his headlights had automatically come on. It was, thought Mike, the sort of day to be at home, in front of the fire, with the paper, not out in the back of beyond. And, instead of the papers for a bit of reading material, he had with him his laptop from work and a bunch of files. Being relatively new to the job Mike didn’t want to rely on his memory alone for all the emergency procedures so he’d dashed into the office on the way to the RV to collect anything he thought might be relevant or helpful. Well, that was his official excuse for wanting the files – the one he’d given the security chap manning the entrance to the council offices. His other reason for wanting the files was more Machiavellian; those months working for Rayner hadn’t been entirely wasted. Given the cavalier way Rob had dismissed all his assessments of the emergency planning budget, all his plans for flood defences, all his careful evaluations of weather patterns and risks, he did not want anything untoward to happen to any of those papers if any shit hit the fan later. If anyone was going to get the blame for lack of foresight it wasn’t going to be him. No way.
He drove on through the teeming rain, past the cricket pitch and the village green and then past a sensational country house with a ‘Sold’ sign planted in the front garden. He glanced at it – it was the sort of place he might have aspired to if his career hadn’t hit the buffers. All right, he admitted to himself, maybe not on that scale. But it was definitely the sort of place Susie had hankered after; he’d seen her flicking through copies of Country Life in the officers’ mess – in the days when she’d been a member, not an employee – and reading the details of the swanky houses that commanded a double page advert and which had ‘price on application’ written in the copy; code for ‘if you have to ask the price you can’t afford it’.
Mike sighed and turned his attention back to the road, driving on carefully towards the RV with the police and emergency services. A mile outside the village he saw a barrier across the road. Floods. No shit, Sherlock, he thought. And he’d tried to tell that twat Rob about the need for flood defences along the Bavant, he couldn’t have spelt it out more clearly in his report but Rob had dismissed just about every word; they’d had a ‘full and frank exchange of views’, as diplomats were wont to call a stonking great row, finishing with Rob informing him that if he didn’t improve his attitude he might have to ‘take matters further’. Yeah, well, who’s been proved right now? thought Mike. Not that he could feel any satisfaction about the victory – not given the misery that was probably being generated along this stretch of river.
Beside the barrier a police car was parked. Mike drew up alongside and got out to talk to the coppers.
‘Don’t even think of going down that road, sir,’ said the constable behind the wheel. ‘There’s a dip about half a mile along and the water is six foot deep. We’ve already had to get two cars dragged out. That’s why we’re here – to make sure no other muppets try it.’
‘It’s all right, officer,’ said Mike. ‘I’m the emergency planning officer and I have no intention of adding to the chaos. I just wondered if you know the best way to get to the bronze commander’s RV. It’s supposed to be at the pub in Upper Bavant.’
The constable in the car assumed a slightly more deferential attitude. ‘I see, sir. Your best way is back through the village, turn left at the junction and head through Bavant Hinton. Not sure where the pub is in Upper Bavant but I can radio ahead that you’re on the way and get someone to meet you in the village.’
‘No, no, that’s fine. Once I get past Bavant Hinton I’m sure I’ll be able to find my way. Thanks.’
Mike splashed back to his car and slid into the driver’s seat. He didn’t envy the policemen. He thought he was being hard done by but
at least he had something to do – he wasn’t stuck in a car watching the weather chuck it down. He was just about to start the engine when his mobile rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked to see who the caller was. Susie.
‘Hi, hon.’
‘The little buggers have skedaddled.’
‘Who?’
‘Who do you think?’ Her voice was shrill with indignation and annoyance. ‘Ella and Katie, of course.’
Mike sighed. Little minxes. ‘Any idea where they’ve gone?’
‘They’re probably out with those dreadful boys they’ve been hanging around with. Although I doubt if they’re out exactly, in this weather. They must be indoors, somewhere.’
‘Do you know where these lads live?’
‘No. Somewhere around here but I don’t know where exactly. I don’t fancy knocking on random doors in case I strike lucky.’
‘And with no mobiles you can’t order them back home.’
‘As if they’d obey me,’ said Susie. ‘Mike, they’re out of control.’
Well, not completely but they were heading that way. ‘They’re just—’
‘They’re just impossible,’ snapped Susie.
‘Look, I expect they’ll be back soon. And they can’t have gone far.’
‘No. No, you’re right. And you’ve got enough on your plate without me adding to your worries.’
‘Keep me in the picture. By text,’ he added. ‘I may be a bit busy to talk in a while.’
‘Yes, I’m sorry. Hope it’s all sorted soon.’
Fat chance, thought Mike. What the copper had told him about the level of flooding on the Upper Bavant road had been a bit of a facer; things were obviously more dire than he thought. He wondered what else was going to be in store for him – a lot more of the same and possibly worse, he suspected. He put his phone back in his pocket and drove on towards his rendezvous with the bronze commander.
Chapter 38
Maddy and Luke had got back to her quarter at around two and Maddy hoped they could all settle down in front of the gas fire, watch the sport on the TV and enjoy an idle, restful afternoon. But Nathan had had other ideas and Maddy had found that she’d spent the entire time trying to keep him amused. Every time she stopped he threatened to throw a tantrum and Maddy, not wishing to see Luke’s afternoon ruined by screams and tears – and that would just be her – ended up being run ragged. It wasn’t that she didn’t want Luke to think she was a dreadful parent who had a child from hell, she also didn’t want Nate to be some sort of dire aversion therapy designed to put Luke off fatherhood for life. Finally it had been time for the children’s supper and bath and she decided she must have done something right during the preceding hours when Luke offered to read Nathan his bedtime story while Maddy settled Rose. Maddy could hear the shrieks of delight as Luke hammed up the book he was reading. He’d make a great dad, she thought, as she switched off Rose’s light and went downstairs to make supper. She only hoped that the army didn’t make it impossible for Luke and Sam to get together enough to keep their relationship going. One cliché might suggest that distance made the heart grow fonder, but Maddy knew from bitter personal experience that the counterpart – out of sight, out of mind – was just as true.
