There was an audible groan around the room.
Alice-Miranda stood up and the rest of the girls followed suit. ‘Goodnight, Mrs Howard,’ the child said. ‘I’m so excited about tomorrow.’
Mrs Howard smiled. ‘I don’t know if I’m excited or terrified but I’m sure it will be lovely in the end,’ she agreed.
Damon cradled the pup on his lap as they tore along the lane, a cloud of dust billowing behind them. ‘This one’s a cute little fella,’ he said. ‘Nice and clean, not like the others, although I wish he’d sit still.’ The pup wriggled, trying to free himself from the lad’s grip.
‘He’s going to bring a pretty penny, isn’t he?’ Declan said. He clutched the steering wheel and dodged a pothole. ‘Can you believe the price that woman has agreed to pay? We’ve been mugs to have worked so long getting paid a pittance. We should’ve thought about being our own bosses a long time ago.’
Damon snorted. ‘Yeah, we’ve got more brains than that idiot we work for. The old fool couldn’t even remember we’d changed the locks on the gate.’
‘Good thing too, or we’d have been done for,’ Declan said. ‘I still wish we could get rid of this mutt tonight.’
‘What if that pesky little girl and her friend saw us at the school?’ Damon said, stroking the pup’s head.
‘No one saw us apart from that teacher and she was in such a tizz about her wedding I doubt she’ll even remember giving him to us.’ Declan crunched the gears and the van lurched forward. ‘Besides, what could be more perfect than having thousands of people crawling all over the place with dogs?’
‘So what’s the plan now?’ Damon asked.
‘We’ll head over to Pidlington first thing in the morning.’
Damon looked at the pup in his lap. ‘Hey, Dec, I’ve just had a brilliant thought.’
‘You’re full of bright ideas lately, aren’t you?’ Declan turned left, past the ‘Keep Out’ signs and into the overgrown driveway. ‘All right, don’t keep me in suspense, genius.’
Daniel Finchley had tossed and turned for most of the night. When sleep finally overtook his tired body, he’d dreamt about his father. They were building a tree house in the oak tree with the timber his dad had bought before the accident until, like a hologram, the man began to fade away. Daniel desperately tried to reach for him and tumbled out of the tree, freefalling into nothing and waking with a start.
He threw off the covers and pulled on his tracksuit pants and an old T-shirt. Yesterday had been hard. He was happy that his mother and Mrs Bird had done so well, but Daniel had been reminded of his father at every turn. People were kind and wanted to offer their condolences; there were just too many of them. Daniel wiped his eyes. He could hear the patter of raindrops splashing against his window and decided to go for a run. The house wasn’t big enough for him and his head full of memories.
Millie hopped out of bed and walked to the window. She drew back the curtain to reveal a grey sky, which was accompanied by the steady drumbeat of rain thrumming overhead. ‘Poor Miss Reedy,’ she said. ‘Yesterday was such a gorgeous day and now it’s raining cats and dogs.’
Alice-Miranda padded over to join her friend. ‘You know, they say it’s good luck to have rain on your wedding day.’
‘Maybe a bit of drizzle,’ Millie said, shaking her head. ‘Not this.’
The girls got dressed, donned their rain jackets and boots and headed up to the dining room for breakfast. They were surprised to find Sloane was already there and even more surprised to see that she was sitting with Caprice.
Alice-Miranda smiled at the two girls and sat down. ‘Good morning.’
‘I’m not sure that Miss Reedy will think so,’ Sloane replied, gesturing to the window.
Mr Grump and Miss Grimm entered the dining room together and walked towards the girls’ table.
‘Good morning,’ the headmistress and her husband greeted the children. ‘Did Fudge behave himself last night?’
Millie looked at her in alarm and Alice-Miranda’s brow wrinkled. ‘Isn’t he with you?’ they asked.
Ophelia shook her head. ‘No, we left him in the boarding house. We were out at the dog show all day yesterday.’
‘Mrs Howard said there was a note that he’d been picked up. She assumed that it was from you, Miss Grimm,’ Alice-Miranda said.
‘Oh, that’s odd. It wasn’t me. I wonder if one of the other staff members has him.’ The woman looked around to see who was in the room. Over in the corner, Mr Plumpton was having a cup of tea. He looked to be muttering to himself as if he were rehearsing something. ‘Excuse me, Josiah, have you seen Fudge?’ Miss Grimm asked.
The man jumped, startled at the sound of her voice. ‘I thought Miss Reedy would have told you – someone came to claim him yesterday. The young man had one of the girls’ posters and a photograph with the pup, so she really had no choice other than to hand him over.’
‘No!’ Millie wailed. ‘She can’t have! We’ve just named him.’
‘I’m sure that Livinia left a note but, with everything going on for the wedding, and the florist not arriving yesterday afternoon, it must have slipped her mind to tell you herself,’ the man said apologetically. He glanced up at the dining-room clock. ‘Sorry, I have to go. There’s still lots to do.’ He scurried over to the servery and deposited his teacup, then made a beeline for the door.
Miss Grimm’s face fell. ‘How disappointing.’
‘I’ll say,’ her husband added. ‘I was really starting to develop a soft spot for the little guy, even if he has destroyed two pairs of my shoes.’
Ophelia Grimm looked over at the girls, who were similarly crestfallen. ‘Don’t worry, we’ve done the right thing giving him back to his owners. It’s not fair to keep something that isn’t ours.’
‘Can we get another puppy?’ Millie asked.
Just as Miss Grimm opened her mouth to reply, Mrs Howard stampeded into the dining room, her cheeks flushed. ‘Miss Grimm, a word please,’ the woman puffed.
Ophelia spun around. ‘Is something the matter?’
‘I’m afraid I’ve just had a call from Mrs Parker,’ the woman said, gasping for breath. ‘The gutters at the village hall have overflown and flooded the whole place. She needs to move the events here.’
Ophelia Grimm’s shoulders slumped. ‘Oh, heavens, can’t they go to Fayle?’
Mrs Howard shook her head. ‘They have a full program and, besides, she’s already sent word out. There are cars lined up along the driveway and out the front gate.’
Aldous Grump patted his wife’s shoulder reassuringly. ‘I’ll go and find Charlie.’
‘And I’ll get over to the gymnasium,’ Miss Grimm said. ‘Today was always going to be tricky but, honestly, this is the last thing we need.’
‘Wait until Livinia finds out,’ Mrs Howard said as she and the headmistress rushed out the door.
Millie cradled her chin in her hands. ‘I can’t believe Fudge is gone,’ she moped.
‘Me either. I’m going to miss him,’ Sloane said. ‘I hope Miss Grimm lets us get another dog.’ She glanced over and spotted a chew toy Miss Grimm had got for him, poking out from under a table.
‘I think she will,’ Alice-Miranda said. She looked at Caprice, who had remained silent on the subject. ‘What do you think, Caprice?’
The girl looked up. ‘Huh?’
‘What do you think about Fudge?’ Alice-Miranda repeated.
‘I’m sorry he’s gone,’ the girl said softly. She bit her lip and frowned. ‘You know something funny? Mr Plumpton said that the florist didn’t come yesterday but I saw their van when I was helping Miss Reedy set up the chapel at lunchtime.’
Alice-Miranda flinched. ‘What sort of van was it?’
‘It was an old bomb with dents all over it,’ Caprice said. ‘I thought it was rather odd at the time.’
Alice-Miranda, Sloane and Millie exchanged curious glances.
‘What are you all looking like that for?’ Caprice asked.
<
br /> Alice-Miranda leaned forward. ‘Are you sure it was the florist?’
‘Well, I thought so,’ Caprice said, shrugging. ‘Miss Reedy was having a meltdown about the florist not arriving and then later on I saw her talking to the man in the white van. She was in a flap about something, so I assumed it was them.’
‘Did it have any writing on the side?’ Millie asked.
Caprice shook her head.
‘What did the man look like?’ Alice-Miranda said.
Caprice looked at them, bewildered. ‘There were two men. I didn’t really see them up close but the one who was driving had a tattoo on his arm.’
‘A tattoo!’ Sloane exclaimed. ‘What was it of?’
‘A star,’ Caprice said. ‘It was pretty big, which is why I could see it when he was leaning out the van window.’
Alice-Miranda’s eyes widened. ‘That’s the same man we saw in the village with that fellow. The one who said he didn’t know anything about Fudge.’
‘Do you think Fudge has been stolen?’ Sloane gasped.
Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘And I bet I know where they’ve taken him. Sloane, call Constable Derby and tell him what’s happened – we’ll be out on the road past Chesterfield Downs. Millie, come with me.’
The two girls pushed back their chairs and hurried out.
‘Be careful!’ Sloane called after them. She and Caprice looked at one another, wondering exactly where the girls were headed.
Daniel jumped the stile and jogged alongside the fence that led down to the lane. He liked the feeling of the rain on his face, and every now and again he stuck out his tongue to slurp some drops. He ran on and on, counting his footfalls as he dodged puddles along the road. Soon, the wooden fencing morphed into barbed wire, large sections of it overwhelmed by thick, tangled shrubs and tall weeds. As he passed a locked gate, he heard the whine of an engine and the grating sound of worn brake pads on metal. Instinctively, he hid behind a bush. He looked back, thankful that his grey raincoat provided camouflage against the foliage.
Daniel saw a scrawny young man unlock the gate and a white van drive through – the same white van he’d seen tearing up and down the road many times before. But what were they doing coming out of the government land?
‘Hurry up!’ a gruff voice called out.
‘Yeah, all right, keep your hair on,’ yelled the lad who was closing the gate. An explosion of barks rang out from inside the van. ‘Shut it, you lot!’ he shouted, and thumped on the side panel before leaping into the passenger seat.
Daniel blinked, his mind racing. Millie had been right about the dogs. Was it possible the police had missed something?
The van pulled out onto the road and sped away. Daniel waited until it was far enough out of sight and then hurried back to the gate. He climbed over it and ran up the track, which wound its way across the field, down over a creek and then up into the woods. He pushed on from one small rise to another until the foliage cleared and he could see several sheds that looked like long cylinders cut in half. He remembered his father telling him once that that sort of building was called a Nissan hut; they looked as if they were made of concrete and half-buried in the mountain.
The rain was coming down even heavier now as Daniel raced towards the closest shed. There was a huge padlock hanging loose on the door and he could hear something scratching to get out. Daniel turned the handle and pushed. The door scraped across the concrete floor and a pungent stench smacked him in the face. Daniel retched as a bundle of caramel curls leapt up at him. He grabbed the dog in his arms and cuddled him close, then peered into the darkness. ‘Who are you?’ he said as the pup licked his face. ‘And what is this place?’
Cages upon cages were stacked against the walls. Daniel walked further into the shed, holding the pup in his arms. And then he saw her.
‘Molly!’ the boy exclaimed. The dog flinched and lifted her head. ‘What have they done to you?’
Daniel set the pup down on the ground and unlatched the cage, reaching in to touch the cavalier King Charles spaniel. The skin under her belly hung loose and her teats were cracked and raw. The pup nudged his head past Daniel and whimpered, its mother whining in reply.
‘Let’s get you out of here.’ Daniel looked around for something to carry her in. She was far too weak to walk. He lifted her out of the cage and she stared into his eyes. ‘It’s okay, girl, I’m taking you home.’
Alice-Miranda and Millie had the ponies tacked-up and ready to go in record time. The school was crawling with thousands of people and it seemed as though there were that many dogs as well.
‘We’d better go cross country,’ Millie said as she spied the line of cars clogging the front driveway.
They took a left out of the stables and headed for the field and the right of way that cut the school in half. The girls urged their ponies into a trot, then a canter, and soon reached the main road. They crossed into the lane that led to Chesterfield Downs. The rain pelted their backs as they rode as fast as they dared past the emerald fields of Her Majesty’s property and Becca Finchley’s cottage.
‘How much further to the army land?’ Alice-Miranda called to Millie.
‘I don’t remember but, now that I think about it, we should be able to tell by the barbed wire.’ They rode on for at least ten more minutes and, just as Millie said, the fencing changed. ‘Keep your eyes open for a gate,’ she called.
Half a mile further, Alice-Miranda pointed to a break in the wire. ‘Look!’
Sure enough, there was a gate partially hidden by thick overgrowth. It was open and the girls raced through, urging Bony and Chops along the muddy track. They rode on for quite a while before slowing to a walk.
‘I don’t know if we’ve thought this through properly,’ Millie said, suddenly plagued by second thoughts.
‘What do you mean?’ Alice-Miranda replied.
‘If those guys have gone to all that trouble to steal Fudge, I don’t think they’ll want to give him back,’ Millie said.
‘No, probably not. But you can’t just go around taking dogs that don’t belong to you,’ Alice-Miranda replied, wondering if Millie was right.
The girls rounded a corner and the timber cleared, revealing three concrete sheds built into the side of the hill. Parked in front of one of them was the battered white van. The two fellows she had encountered outside Mr Munz’s shop were just getting out of it.
‘Quick, over there.’ Millie pointed to the left of the first shed.
The girls slipped down to the ground and led their ponies to a cluster of thick trees, where they tied them to a low branch. They crept back towards the van, taking care to stay out of sight.
‘You’re such an idiot! How did you not put the pup in the van?’ the taller of the two men yelled.
‘I thought you had!’ the scrawny lad snapped. ‘I was concentrating on getting the rest of them – except that old one.’
‘So much for your bright idea of taking the lot of them – then you forget the one we’ve actually got a buyer for.’
‘I’ll get buyers for all of them – you wait and see, Dec. When we’re rich, you’ll be eating your words.’
The first fellow shook his head. ‘You’re a bigger moron than I first thought.’
The girls inched closer. The rain had eased off to a steady drizzle. Alice-Miranda looked at Millie and put a finger to her lips. She motioned to the van, and they hurried over to it. It had two windows high up in the back and muffled whimpers were coming from inside.
‘What do we do now?’ Millie whispered.
Alice-Miranda peered around at the lads, who were about to enter one of the sheds. ‘We wait,’ she said, her lips set in a grim line.
‘Hey! What’s the door doing open? Did you do that too? Now the pup’ll be gone, you idiot,’ one of the men shouted.
They stalked into the darkness.
‘Who the heck are you?’ the taller of the two silhouettes demanded. ‘And what are you doing with that dog?’
Alice-Miranda and Millie looked at one another in surprise. ‘There’s someone else in there,’ Millie whispered.
Alice-Miranda motioned for Millie to follow her. She dashed to the open door and squinted into the shed, her eyes adjusting to the dim light. ‘It’s Daniel,’ Alice-Miranda gasped. She wondered what he was doing up there.
Millie’s eyes widened as she spotted the familiar bundle of caramel curls skittering around the boy’s legs. ‘And there’s Fudge.’
Daniel’s heart was racing. His mind was too. ‘I … I was just out running and I heard the dogs barking,’ he said.
‘Didn’t you see the signs on the fence?’ the shorter fellow demanded. ‘This is private property.’
‘Hey, I’ve seen you before,’ the first bloke said, his eyes narrowing. ‘You’re that Finchley kid.’
The shorter lad shook his head. ‘Cripes, what are we going to do with him now?’
‘Just let me go home and I won’t tell anyone,’ Daniel begged.
The taller man snorted. ‘As if.’
‘We’ve got to help him,’ Millie said, tugging on Alice-Miranda’s sleeve.
Alice-Miranda shook her head. ‘Wait, let’s see what they’re planning first.’
The brothers looked at one another and the shorter one motioned to Molly’s cage.
‘Righto, get in there,’ the taller fellow ordered, pointing at it. ‘Both of you.’
Daniel felt as if his feet were buried in concrete.
‘Go!’ the shorter lad ordered. ‘Now!’
Daniel walked to the cage and put Molly in first. She whimpered and cried but settled down once the boy climbed in with her. The pup rushed to Daniel but the taller lad snatched him up. The shorter fellow snapped a lock onto the cage door.
‘You’re never going to get away with this!’ Daniel shouted. ‘You’re going to jail.’
‘We’re not going to jail,’ the taller lad scoffed. ‘And I’d pipe down if I were you. I can’t imagine the boss will be quite as understanding as we are. I mean, we could have done away with you good and proper.’
Alice-Miranda to the Rescue Page 18
