Hollow Pike

by James Dawson

  Falling into step with them, Lis hauled Kitty to one side before she could enter her Maths lesson.

  ‘Christ, Lis, what are you trying to do? Pull my arm off?’

  ‘You can’t go to first period – any of you. We need to talk NOW.’

  The library was almost empty, save for Daphne running a feather duster over the bookshelves. The four friends crammed themselves into their usual toasty corner by the pipes.

  ‘And you’re sure it was the same diary?’ Jack asked, tucking into a ham sandwich.

  ‘Dead sure. Same book,’ Lis told him.

  Delilah looked at Kitty, doing that telepathic thing that couples do. ‘Oh my God. That means . . .’

  ‘. . . that she had something to do with Laura’s death!’ Kitty finished. ‘Otherwise, why wouldn’t she have handed it over to the police? She knew they were looking for it; the police file said she’d been contacted about it!’

  Lis spoke in a low whisper. ‘I’m going to say something completely mental now, but just listen for a minute. I think she’s a witch.’

  Jack nearly choked on his lunch.

  Delilah raised a delicate eyebrow. ‘Oh, now you believe in witches?’ she said.

  ‘I know, I know!’ Lis checked to make sure no one in the old library was listening. ‘She has a black cat and the same flowers that I found under my pillow. It’s her.’

  ‘The super-grim way Laura was killed was more like a sacrifice than an attack,’ Kitty admitted thoughtfully.

  ‘And we live in Hollow Pike,’ added Delilah. ‘Maybe the witch trials didn’t get all the witches. Maybe they just drove them underground.’

  Jack finished his sandwich. ‘Can you hear yourselves? Laura was killed by a psycho with a big knife. End of.’

  ‘But, Jack, look at the way Laura was killed . . .’ Delilah spoke with urgency now that the picture was taking shape.

  ‘OK, she was killed by a psycho with a knife who thinks she’s a witch,’ Jack amended. ‘And what’s more psycho than that? Literally nothing!’ Then he looked thoughtful. ‘Ms Dandehunt is kind of crazy. I guess it could have been her . . .’

  Lis had to admit, Jack had a point. She didn’t believe in magical flying witches, but she certainly believed in people losing the plot. At the end of the day, isn’t that why people do terrible things – because of the dark beliefs they harbour? A chill ran up her spine. ‘We have to get that book from Ms Dandehunt’s office. If it’s evidence, we can give it to the police, and . . . ding-dong the witch is dead.’

  ‘How can we get it?’ Delilah asked.

  ‘I don’t care,’ Lis said emphatically, ‘we just have to. And then we can live happily ever after. Me and Danny, you and you, and Jack and . . . whoever the hell he fancies.’

  ‘Gee, thanks, Lis.’ Jack laughed.

  ‘You’re welcome. So, we need a plan . . .’

  All eyes turned to Kitty, their fearless leader.

  ‘What am I? 0800-Dial-A-Plan?’ Kitty groaned. The others nodded and Kitty rolled her eyes. ‘OK. But we are going to be in so much trouble if we get caught!’

  The clock had to be faulty. It was moving at half the speed of a regular clock; every minute seemed to span an hour. Agitated, Lis drummed her pencil on her exercise book, willing the time away. The sooner the bell rang at three, the sooner they could get this deranged scheme over and done with.

  Kitty threw her a dark look from the other side of the Food Technology classroom, signalling her to relax, but Lis couldn’t. She’d been unable to sit still all day and she had purposefully avoided Danny; he didn’t need to see her looking like a wreck.

  She stared at the blank page before her. The recipe for a diabetic dessert was just going to have to wait; she couldn’t focus at all. This was it. This really was her last attempt to solve the mystery. If it didn’t work, all she wanted was to spend her final weeks in Hollow Pike with Danny and then head home to Wales.

  Finally, Miss Cook (yes, the Food Tech teacher was called Miss Cook) announced that any unfinished (or indeed, unstarted) work must be completed at home, and then told them to pack away their things.

  At last! Let’s get this show on the road! Lis thought. She tossed her things carelessly into her bag and rushed to Kitty’s side.

  ‘For Christ’s sake, will you please chill out?’ the taller girl snapped.

  Lis pouted. ‘Would you please become human?’

  Kitty softened and rubbed her arm. ‘Lis, it’s going to be fine, seriously. Let’s go.’

  Wishing she could have even a fraction of Kitty’s bravado, Lis followed her friend out of the cooking room and down the stairs to the courtyard, where Jack was already waiting for them. His expression was much closer to hers than Kitty’s, and Lis found comfort in this fact.

  ‘OK, now I’m really nervous,’ he whispered to them.

  ‘Thank you!’ Lis exclaimed. ‘Me too.’

  Kitty ignored them both. ‘Hurry up, Delilah’s waiting for us.’

  Swimming against the tide of pupils moving down the driveway and out of the gates, the three of them ducked into the library. Sliding straight past Daphne at the counter, they pushed through the interior door that led to the Sixth Form computer suite. During school hours, this was the exclusive domain of Years Twelve and Thirteen but, after school, this smaller ICT room was a dedicated homework area for children who didn’t have computers at home. As most did, it was never busy, especially since October when a Year Nine boy had got into huge trouble for downloading porn.

  Delilah was already there, tinkering away on the internet. ‘You guys, quick, come look at this!’ she called.

  They walked around the little island of computers to see her monitor. She was looking at some sort of etching from the Middle Ages. It depicted a grotesque old man surrounded by cats, leaning over a bubbling cauldron.

  ‘What’s that meant to be?’ asked Jack, frowning at the image.

  ‘It’s called The Mage with Familiars,’ Delilah explained.

  ‘That doesn’t really help!’ Jack said.

  ‘I’ve been thinking about Laura,’ Delilah went on.

  ‘Makes a refreshing change,’ joked Kitty.

  Delilah ignored her. ‘Her heart was removed, right? Well in the sixteenth century, goat or sheep hearts were often left as offerings to the Horned God. Witches believed he’d do their bidding if he accepted a worthy sacrifice.’

  Jack grimaced at the engraving. ‘So, Ms Dandehunt wanted Laura’s heart as a sacrifice!’ he exclaimed. Then he added jokingly, ‘Ms Dandehunt’s a cat person. I’ve never trusted cat people.’

  ‘That’s what I was searching for.’

  ‘Crazy cat people?’

  ‘No!’ Delilah huffed. ‘Familiars. I was trying to work out why Laura and Lis got the crows. I think it has something to do with those birds being witches’ familiars.’

  ‘That’s what Ms Dandehunt said,’ Lis added thoughtfully.

  The school courtyards were now empty and the December sky was turning mauve already. Lis was twitchy, and Dee’s sinister theories weren’t helping. In a short time, they were about to risk everything to retrieve the diaries.

  ‘When can we leave this room?’ Lis asked.

  ‘Rugby practice until five, Spanish club until six and then it’s game on,’ Kitty stated.

  ‘Good.’ Lis bowed her head. ‘Now, who wants to help me write a diabetic recipe while we wait?’

  There was something inherently wrong about the dark, silent school. It was a contradiction. No shouting, no bells, no life. As six o’clock approached, Lis found herself oddly calm, resigned to what they had to do.

  Daphne had long since left the library, instructing ‘you nice Year Elevens’ to drop the latch when they’d finished their homework.

  The four of them noisily made their way past the CCTV cameras trained on the library counter and the exit. They needed to be filmed leaving. Lis had to admit, Kitty’s plan was airtight. She was wasted on schooling; the secret service needed her.
/>   As soon as they stepped beyond the camera’s gaze and into the dagger-sharp winter air, the group stopped.

  ‘Right,’ said Kitty with authority, ‘does everyone know their positions?’

  ‘Aye, aye, captain!’ Jack saluted.

  ‘This should be relatively simple,’ Kitty went on. ‘In and out in ten minutes. If the diary’s not there, game over.’

  Lis nodded, refusing to think about the ten billion things that could go wrong.

  Kitty continued. ‘Stick to your posts and if you see anyone coming, send a group text. Phones on vibrate?’

  They all checked their phones.

  Lis turned to Kitty. ‘Are you sure this’ll work?’

  She nodded. ‘The CCTV is like a normal video machine. Just press Stop.’

  Kitty had invented an errand earlier to take her to the main office. She was, of course, casing the joint, and she’d learned everything she needed to know about the school’s limited security.

  The CCTV was an old style video recorder system; no one would question a ‘malfunction’. The trickier part was the burglar alarms, but ‘Spanish for Adults’ in G2 classroom didn’t finish until eight, so they couldn’t turn the intruder alarms on until then. The plan was to get the diary while the Spanish class was in progress, so they’d have to deal with the cameras but not the alarms.

  ‘Remember,’ said Delilah, ‘don’t go anywhere near G2, or we’ve had it.’

  ‘Cool.’ Lis’s stomach fizzed like it was full of acid. ‘Let’s do it.’

  They gathered at the top of the end staircase and peered cautiously down the corridor. The dark passageway stretched before them, the only light spilling from G2 at the farthest end of the hallway. On this stretch they were vulnerable; if someone came out of Spanish for Adults, they’d be busted.

  ‘Coast’s clear,’ Lis breathed from her vantage point.

  ‘What about the Spanish class?’ hissed Delilah.

  ‘Looks like they’re all in,’ Lis replied.

  ‘OK. Stick to the wall and stay low,’ Kitty instructed.

  Jack had left them already for his role as early-warning look-out. His spot was outside the main entrance to the B corridor – the only access to the G corridor other than the main staircase, which Dee would cover. Lis edged down the corridor, hardly daring to breathe and keeping her eyes fixed on the end classroom. Her rubber soles made only the lightest tapping sound, but she cursed them nonetheless. Three strange girls creeping down a school hall must have looked hilarious, but in the moment it was serious as a funeral. Her heartbeat reverberated through her skull, but Lis ignored it, hastening on till she reached the central junction to the T Block, where the lockers and staffroom were located.

  Turning the corner, she pressed herself in alongside the metal lockers. Kitty and Delilah joined her. From this hideout they couldn’t be seen by anyone in G2.

  ‘Christ!’ The whites of Delilah’s eyes shone. ‘I don’t know if I can handle this.’

  Kitty gave her a slow, steady kiss on the lips. ‘We’re nearly there. Hardest bit’s over – this is your spot. If anyone comes out of G2, let us know.’

  Delilah tucked herself between the rows of lockers, vanishing into the shadows. ‘Please be careful. Love you.’

  ‘Right back at ya!’ Kitty smiled and Lis drew strength from their affection. ‘Lis, the office is just at the bottom of those stairs.’

  ‘OK,’ Lis whispered. She took a last look at the shadows moving within G2 and then started down the stairs to the main entrance hall. The grand old clock ticked louder than she would have thought possible as she reached the last of the stone stairs. Once in the hall, on her right was the exit to the school driveway, and to her left were the boys’ toilets – two escape routes if she needed them. Sticking to the walls, avoiding patches of light on the floor, she tiptoed across the hall and onto the short staircase that led to what was essentially the basement of the school. On this level there was only the deputy head’s office, the bursar’s room and the main school office in which the surveillance equipment was located.

  Although not as vital as Kitty’s role, Lis knew she couldn’t mess up. They shouldn’t be in school at all, and if cameras caught Kitty going into Ms Dandehunt’s office then there would be major hell to pay. It was Lis’s job to make sure the tape from the CCTV didn’t have any footage of them after the point where they were seen leaving the library.

  It shouldn’t be too hard, Lis told herself. It’s a video machine, for crying out loud. Stop, rewind, tape over. Easy! In theory.

  Just as Kitty had predicted, the door to the office stood ajar. Lis pushed the door softly, cursing the shrill creak it gave. Through the gloom she could make out three untidy desks and numerous filing cabinets. On top of one was a simple VCR and TV unit. A light on the VCR indicated that it was recording, but the TV wasn’t on.

  Lis darted over and pushed the On button on the CCTV monitor. The standby light glowed red, but the TV failed to come on. OK, so she needed a remote control. Great. Where was it? She swivelled to the desk behind her and started rummaging through the crap piled all over it: dirty mugs, paperwork, calendars, mouse mats, the phone, a stapler, but no remote! She was starting to lose patience when her hands found the slim plastic device underneath a crumpled copy of Take a Break. Lis switched on the monitor.

  The TV buzzed to life, displaying twelve grainy boxes showing the different camera feeds from around the school. Each was labelled CAM 1, CAM 2 and so on. Jack was visible on CAM 4, waiting by a rubbish bin outside the B corridor entrance, hopping from foot to foot to fight off the cold. Delilah and Kitty were still hiding by the lockers on CAM 6.

  Lis studied the remote and found the stop button for the video recorder. She pointed the remote at the machine and pressed the button. A red LED went out immediately. Job done. The cameras still showed her what was going on around the school, but now none of it was being committed to tape. Lis let out the longest breath of her life.

  Taking her phone from her pocket, she expertly tapped in a text to Kitty: Cameras off. Go go go!!!. A couple of seconds later, Lis saw Kitty look at her phone, say a few words to Dee and prowl out of range of CAM 6. In another few moments, her shadowy form crept onto CAM 5, which filmed the entire length of the G corridor. This was risky because Ms Dandehunt’s office was only two doors down from G2. Lis watched the slender figure edging down the corridor, unable to look away. This was must-see TV. She swallowed, her throat and tongue dry as a desert.

  Wait. Something moved in the final row of cameras. Just for a split second, a dark shape had moved across CAM 9, drawing Lis’s attention. She left her perch on the desk to get a closer look. CAM 9 showed the atrium outside the humanities rooms in the T Block. There shouldn’t be anyone in there, so who could it be? They’d already seen the cleaners go home ages ago.

  There it was again. Underneath the camera, a figure shifted in the darkness. The image was so poor it was as if a spectre moved through the hallway, but there was no mistaking it. There was someone else in the school.

  Lis instinctively reached for her phone as the shape moved out of range of CAM 9. She cursed under her breath. Where would it go next? Should she call Kitty? Call off the search? She slapped the side of her head, trying to knock some logic into her brain. T Block – where did that lead? Middle corridor, staffroom, G corridor. Scanning the cameras, Lis located the staffroom on CAM 7. Sure enough, the mysterious figure emerged in the darkest corner of the screen. Squinting at the image, Lis could now see that the stranger was caped, with a hood over their head. This was not good.

  Suddenly she realised that CAM 7 was right next to CAM 6. Delilah! Her friend was peeking out from the lockers, obviously waiting for Kitty – who, Lis could see from another camera, had now reached the entrance to the head’s office. Dee’s back was to the staffroom, and she clearly had no idea that someone was coming up behind her.

  Lis watched in horror as the shadow glided towards her, a tiger stalking its prey. ‘Delilah!’
Lis bellowed, her shrill voice shattering the silence. Too late. As her scream echoed through the school, the hooded predator clamped a hand over Delilah’s petite face, sealing her in a tight hold. In a single, fluid movement, the attacker swept her friend out of sight.

  She had to help Delilah. Sprinting to the office door, Lis failed to see what was happening on CAM 11: another figure was walking along the bottom corridor right towards the CCTV office.

  ‘Lis?’

  She screamed, dropping her phone and watching it bounce under the desk. Danny Marriott stood in the doorway, blocking her path.

  ‘Danny? What are you doing here?’ She had to get to Dee, but this didn’t make sense. He’d appeared out of the shadows, like something in a horror film.

  ‘I was just about to ask you the same thing! Why are you in school so late?’

  She started to blurt out their cover story, ‘Delilah thinks her house keys are in lost property. Actually, never mind that . . . Why are you still here?’

  He seemed to stiffen, backing away from her. Shadows occluded his handsome features. ‘I asked you first.’

  ‘Danny, I haven’t got time for games, just tell me why you’re here. Delilah’s in trouble! And what are you holding behind your back?’

  ‘Nothing!’ he said far too quickly, stepping further backwards.

  Little alarms started ringing in her head, but she advanced on him anyway. He was by the door and she needed to get out of here and help Delilah. ‘Seriously. What’s in your hands?’

  ‘Lis . . .’ he started, but before he could finish, she pounced. She darted towards him and he instinctively raised his hands in a move to put whatever he was holding out of her reach. Lis had played netball enough times to counter his defence and with a single swipe she knocked the object clear out of his grasp.

  A notebook fell to the floor: hardback, decorated with little apricot-coloured flowers and tied with a yellow ribbon. Lis recognised it at once: Laura’s diary.