CHAPTER 19
Just a little way behind the ruined tower, a small thicket of brambles and rhododendrons grew on the hillside. While James and Rodney were manoevring themselves down the secret stair, Mandy slipped downhill.
"I DID hear someone coming up the path through the wood on the other side," she muttered to herself. "They aren't going to catch me, whoever they are."
She wriggled under the bushes. They were extremely prickly and unwelcoming, pulling at her hair and grabbing her anorak, determined not to let her in. Finally, however, she found a little space within the clump, where the branches grew above and around, but left room in the middle for her to sit fairly comfortably on dry earth. She carefully pushed the stems aside and found she could see out quite well, but almost certainly could not be seen.
Only a few minutes had passed when she saw two figures, one short, one tall, outlined against the sky on top of the hill, beside the tower. Male voices carried down to her on the wind, but she could not hear what was being said.
"Oh no!" she gasped. "I hope the boys pulled their door to behind them! Whoever these two are, they will find the passage for sure!"
As she watched, the figures vanished behind the broken wall of the tower, and she could no longer hear their voices. What was the best thing to do? If she moved, she would be seen, and that, if the men were up to no good, would be a disaster. Even if they were harmless, it would not be a good idea to appear from nowhere and arouse suspicion. Best to wait and see, she thought.
She crouched in her hide for what seemed hours, and no more movement was visible. The remaining daylight faded and vanished, and she realised to her horror that the boys had the only torches. Oh help, I hope they're all right, she thought, or I'll never get out of here, either!
As time passed, her eyes became accustomed to the gloom, and she could see the silhouettes of objects against the grey sky. So when the men reappeared from the tower, she saw their outlines quite clearly. The smaller one was bent as if carrying a heavy weight, and the taller one was carrying something done up in a bundle. Was it her imagination, or did the bundle glow faintly green, like the dial of an alarm-clock in the dark?
The figures advanced down the hillside towards her hiding place. Closer and closer they came, dark patches against the surrounding darkness, until they were just outside her thicket. Then they stood still. Mandy carefully drew back in amongst the rhododendron leaves.
"We'll have to use the torch, Mick," said a voice she recognised. "It will be too dark in the wood itself for us to find our way."
"We could use this light," said the other man.
"No! It's far too bright. Use that lantern we found! You've got a spare hand - I haven't!"
Mandy only just stopped herself gasping out loud. That was Mr Bates's voice! But how on earth could the science master be here, in the woods, in the dark? With a man who was apparently hooded - she couldn't see his face at all. This was really weird.
"Give me a hand, then," said the other man. "I can't get the torch out of me pocket and hold this thing as well! Put that down like you did before when we picked the torches up."
The shorter man bent to lay down the burden he was carrying. His face came within a few inches of Mandy's bush. Even in the gloom, it was obvious. Mr Bates without a doubt! Mandy held her breath.
Mr Bates straightened up and took the glowing bundle from the other man, who then produced an object from the pocket of his overcoat. He must have a poacher's pocket, thought Mandy.
A light came on, and Mandy shrank back into her retreat. However, the light was not directed at her, but down the hill, picking out the scar of a path which led down the grass and into the trees.
Mr Bates handed the strange parcel back to his companion, who tucked it under his free arm. Then Mr Bates heaved up his burden once again, and off they both set down the hill.
Mandy stayed where she was, frozen with shock. What she had just witnessed was impossible. She pinched herself, and it hurt, so she was awake. What should she do? What about James and Rodney - Where were they?
The footsteps died away. Mandy made up her mind. James and Rodney would have to take care of themselves. She would follow Mr Bates and his friend and see where they were going. It would not be a good idea to let them get away. No-one would believe her story without evidence!
She carefully extracted herself from her hiding-place and unhooked the clinging thorns. Creeping on her hands and knees, she made her way round the thicket, and gazed through the gloom in the direction into which the men had gone. She thought she saw the torchlight through the trees, far enough away for them not to hear her coming - she prayed. Finding the path, she scrambled down the hill and into the belt of trees.
This path was as tricky as the one they had come in by all those hours ago, with the added disadvantage of being extremely dark. Several times she nearly fell over a tree root or caught her foot in a bramble, but she plunged on, trying to keep her sights on the light far ahead. Once or twice she lost it when the path turned a corner, but fortunately soon got it into view again. Luckily, the men were mostly too absorbed in negotiating their prizes through the hazards of the woods to notice someone stumbling after them.
An owl hooted. Mandy nearly died of fright. The two men stopped in their tracks and looked all around them.
"Only an owl, you idiot!" she heard Mr Bates say. "Come on, we haven't got all night!"
The men started off again, but the slight delay had given Mandy time to catch up, flitting from tree to tree, and managing somehow not to fall over. The woodland floor was thickly covered with damp fallen leaves and she managed to avoid snapping a twig.
Not long after this, the wood came to an end. Mandy hid behind a tree to see what would happen next. Against the dark grey background of open fields beyond the wood, she watched Mr Bates once again put down his load. He received the luminous bundle from the other man, who then apparently climbed over a stile. The pass-the parcel procedure was then reversed, until the packages were safely over the stile, and Mr Bates followed.
While they were busying themselves sorting out their luggage again, Mandy moved carefully through the trees and came up to the overgrown fence separating the woodland from the fields. Cautiously she peered over into the emptiness beyond.
She could make out a rutted farm track running beside the wood, leading off into the distance (as far as she could see, which wasn't far). A little way ahead, a car was parked against the woodland fence, and the men were standing beside it, with their backs to her. Mr Bates had put his heavy box on the roof of the car and was fishing around in his jacket pockets, presumably for the car keys. Obviously they were busy, so it would not hurt to try to get a little closer.
Snap! This time Mandy did tread on a dry twig. She ducked quickly down behind the hedge.
"What was that?" said the other man. "Someone's following us! Those boys must have got out!"
"Rubbish," said Mr Bates. "There's no-one else about, is there? Anyway, those two can't possibly escape from that passage, can they?"
"Wish I'd shot 'em now," mourned his comrade.
"Oh, do shut up! There, I've found the key, so we will soon be out of here."
There was a sound as if he was opening the boot of the car.
Mandy took the chance of looking over the hedge. The two men were stowing away the parcels. Then Mr Bates shut the boot, went to open the car doors and they both got in. From where Mandy stood, the car's number plate was visible. She peered through the gloom as the car was started up. The lights came on, and were quickly turned off, but she could just make out the letters. "A389 JKL" it looked like. What sort of car was it? She wasn't very good at cars. As it slowly made its way past, she watched from the shelter of the hedge. A Ford saloon, maybe. And it was grey, not a bad camouflage.
Suddenly she remembered the tiny notepad and pencil given to her by Jane in a generous moment. Yes, it was in her pocket. Peering closely at it, she painstakingly wrote down the car number, colour and type. Now what should she do?
It was then that she finally realised what the man had said. Oh no! James and Rodney must be shut up in the passage, if words meant anything! Whatever else she did, she must get them out! What was that about shooting them?
Panic seized her and she took off from a standing start, blundering through the woods, not caring about the thorns that clawed at her legs. More than once she picked herself up after a root or bramble brought her down and raced on, oblivious to painful scratches and bruises.
At last she emerged from trees into the open again and hurled herself up the hillside towards the tower. By this time she was almost exhausted, and totally out of breath. Just a few more yards, she told herself, just a few more yards, I must get there. I must!
Blindly she forced herself onwards, so blindly that she did not see the tall man in front of her until she ran into his arms.
