Chapter 52
Zac closed the shop. Nancy walked Mia home. Since Mia was inconsolable, Nancy took her into number sixty-two, despatched Rennie to make coffee and phoned Connor at the Lazy B.
By the time Zac arrived at six o’clock, everyone was gathered at the house.
‘I still think you should call the police.’ Rose was worried.
‘No.’ Vehemently Zac shook his head. ‘I won’t risk it. Too much could go wrong.’
‘But they could trace the number the man was calling from.’
‘Phone box on the King’s Road,’ Zac said bitterly. ‘I kept ringing back and eventually someone answered. They told me.’
‘But—’
‘And I went over there to double-check.’ With a trace of impatience Zac added, ‘Kidnappers don’t generally call you from their own phones.’ Then he saw the expression on Rose’s face and raised his hands. ‘Sorry, Rose, I didn’t mean to snap. I just want Doreen back safe and well. And we’re not calling the police.’
‘Probably too busy giving out parking tickets,’ said Rennie. ‘Did you get the cash?’
Nodding, Zac patted the inside pocket of his jacket.
‘What a bastard.’ Connor shook his head in disgust.
‘Plural,’ said Zac. ‘He said we and us. I’m pretty sure there’s two of them.’
Rennie raised an eyebrow at Connor. Connor nodded briefly.
‘Just a thought,’ said Rennie, ‘but there’s more than two of us.’
 
The kidnapper phoned at eleven o’clock. Everyone in the room fell silent as Zac answered it.
‘Hey,’ drawled the voice, ‘did you think I wasn’t going to ring?’
‘I’ve got the money.’ Zac’s hand might be trembling but his voice was steady.
‘Then we’re ready to rock and roll, my friend!’
‘Is Doreen all right?’
‘She’s just dandy, can’t wait to see you again. So long as you don’t try anything stupid.’
‘I just want my dog back.’
‘And you’ll be welcome to her. She pissed on my shoe earlier. Had to give her a bit of a kicking for that.’ The man chuckled. ‘I mean, it’s not nice, is it? We’re in another call box, by the way, in case you were wondering. Not the same one as before.’
‘Where d’you want to meet?’ Zac managed to remain outwardly calm.
‘Hey, don’t flatter yourself. This isn’t a dating agency, you know. I don’t want to meet you. I just want my financial reward.’
Zac gritted his teeth. ‘Right.’
‘OK, here we go. The place where Doreen went missing. Fitzallen Square. Put the bag of money in the rubbish bin next to the bench. Then go and wait in Tindall Road, OK? Someone’ll be along to pick up the cash. When they’ve checked it out, made sure it’s all there, you’ll get your dog back.’
‘How do I know that?’
‘You don’t. That’s the beauty of it,’ Doreen’s abductor said smugly. ‘You just have to cross your fingers and hope for the best. Good game, eh? Now, pop along and drop that dosh into the bin, there’s a good chap. Woof, woof!’
 
It was eleven thirty. The Boots bag containing the money was in the waste bin. Zac was waiting two streets away in Tindall Road. Nancy, wearing a black fleece and jeans, lay on her front between two dense bushes in the square and wondered if her racing heart was audible to Rennie, lying ten feet to her left. Further away, ranged around the enclosed garden and similarly concealed by foliage and darkness, lurked Connor, Mia and Carmen.
So far there hadn’t been any sign of Doreen’s abductors. A blade of grass tickled Nancy’s chin and she hoped they wouldn’t have to stay out here all night. Good job she wasn’t bursting for the loo or—
Shit, footsteps.
Nancy held her breath as the gate creaked open on its hinges. The footsteps grew nearer, approaching the bench. The next moment a lighter briefly flared, illuminating the features of the man holding it, and she saw that it was Brigadier Brough-Badham. Returning from a night out, he was sitting on the bench enjoying a cigar before heading home to his wife.
‘Hey. Brigadier.’ Rennie’s voice, low and urgent, cut through the blackness. ‘No questions. Over here.’
Nancy flinched, expecting their neighbour to leap to his feet barking, ‘What? Who’s that? What’s going on?’ But by some miracle - presumably thanks to his military training - the Brigadier rose and moved towards Rennie. It was his turn to flinch when he saw who had called his name.
‘Just leave, OK?’ Rennie murmured. ‘Doreen was abducted. The ransom money’s in the bin. Zac wouldn’t risk getting the police involved.’
Remaining commendably calm, the Brigadier glanced around the square. When he was satisfied he wasn’t being observed he murmured back, ‘What time did they say?’
‘They didn’t. But it should be soon.’
‘Right.’ The Brigadier extinguished the just-lit cigar beneath the toe of his highly polished brogue and lowered himself to the ground alongside Rennie. Nancy prayed Rennie wouldn’t choose this moment to make any Kiss Me Hardy type jokes.
Or to whisper cheerfully that he was dying for a fag.
They heard the faint whirring noise less than ten minutes later, of bicycle tyres on the road beyond the railings. Then the gate creaking again and the bicycle being ridden into the gardens. Her mouth dry, Nancy watched from the shadows as a figure in a hooded jacket plucked the Boots bag from the bin, briefly shone a torch into it then stuffed the bag inside his jacket and headed back to the gate. Pausing to listen and peer up and down the road, he took out a mobile and said, ‘Yeah, got it,’ before cycling off.
Nancy could have wept. Thirty minutes of lying in cold damp undergrowth, all for nothing. And where was Doreen anyway?
Then she heard a sharp intake of breath from either Rennie or the Brigadier and realised that they could see something happening at the far end of the square. Leaping to her feet a split second after them, Nancy realised that their first cyclist had slowed, a second had appeared from the direction of Merivale Street, and that the rider of the second bike was hanging something from one of the railings. Then they all heard a roar of fury, a series of shouts and the metallic clatter of bicycles hitting the ground as Carmen, Mia and Connor leapt over the railings and launched themselves at the two abductors. Tearing after Rennie and the Brigadier, her throat burning and adrenaline surging through her body, Nancy saw one of the two manage to twist free. Unable to reach his bike, he turned and began to race up the road on foot, heading towards their end of the square. Abruptly changing direction, Rennie and the Brigadier veered towards the gate. The man attempted to dart away but Rennie was too fast for him. The next minute he was on the ground swearing and wriggling like an eel whilst the Brigadier efficiently twisted his arms behind his back and Rennie, brushing mud from his jeans, phoned the police.
Zac appeared from the direction of Tindall Road, out of breath and terrified. ‘I heard all the shouting. You actually got them! Where’s Doreen?’
Oh God, where was Doreen? Nancy turned and looked back to where Carmen and Connor had finally managed to bring the first abductor under control on the pavement next to the abandoned bikes. Mia, walking up the road away from them, was carrying something inside her zipped-up jacket. Nancy’s heart began to thud with fear when she saw that Mia was crying.
The front door of number sixty-two burst open and Rose and William - forbidden from joining the stake-out - came rushing down the steps.
‘I’ve got this if they need tying up.’ William brandished what looked like Rose’s washing line.
‘Is Doreen all right?’ cried Rose.
‘Doreen,’ Zac croaked, breaking into a run. ‘Is she dead? Doreen . . .’
Mia carefully unzipped her navy jacket. ‘She’s not dead. She’s OK. Just shaken.’
Zac let out a sob of relief and took Doreen into his arms. As the little dog snuffled and clung to him, her tail began to wag, slowly at first, then gathering speed. Burying his face in her fur, Zac kissed the top of her head and Nancy, watching the reunion from a distance, felt a lump form in her throat.
‘They hung her from the railings in a bag.’ Tears were still pouring down Mia’s cheeks. ‘She was just dangling there. I saw her little eyes looking up at me . . . oh God, the look on her face when she saw—’
A roar of fury from further down the road caused Nancy to jump. Connor, cursing loudly and still hanging on to his abductor, gazed helplessly as a flurry of banknotes escaped from the unfastened carrier bag and swirled like autumn leaves up into the air. ‘If anybody wants to come and give us a hand,’ he shouted, ‘there’s some money that needs to be caught.’
 
The police arrived a couple of minutes later. Most of the escaped banknotes were retrieved, although eighty pounds’ worth was last seen making an exultant bid for freedom down Merivale Street. The abductors, who turned out to be teenagers rather than men, were arrested and carted off to the Brompton police station in Lucan Place.
Zac went with them to make his statement, reluctantly handing Doreen over to the care of Nancy and promising to be back as soon as possible. Aware of his father’s gaze upon them, he had planted a fervent kiss on Nancy’s mouth. When she glanced over Zac’s shoulder and saw Connor grinning broadly, Nancy flicked a quick V sign at him and waited a discreet length of time before wiping her hand across the place where the kiss had landed.
‘Right,’ Rennie announced, rubbing his cold hands. ‘I think we’ve earned ourselves a drink. Last one to down a large Scotch is a cissy.’
Mia said brightly, ‘Even me?’
‘Well, I’ll be off.’ The Brigadier gestured awkwardly as Rennie led the way up the steps to number sixty-two.
Rennie turned to look at him. ‘We’re celebrating getting Doreen back. You could stay for one drink, surely?’
‘Well . . .’
‘Come on, pet . . . er, Geoffrey,’ Rose urged kindly. ‘Bring Marjorie with you if you like.’
‘Marjorie’s away until tomorrow. Visiting an old school-friend in Kent.’
‘Then just bring yourself,’ said Rennie. ‘You know, we couldn’t have managed without you tonight. You did a fine job.’
The Brigadier’s Adam’s apple bobbed with embarrassment. At last he said stiffly, ‘Well, I suppose one drink can’t hurt.’
‘Great. I’ll be on my very best behaviour.’ Ushering him in through the front door, Rennie said cheerfully, ‘And I promise not to bite the heads off any bats.’
 
One drink turned to several. Exhausted by her ordeal but clearly relieved to be back among friends, Doreen wolfed down half a tin of Marks and Spencer steak casserole and seven Maltesers before curling up and falling asleep in the living room on William’s lap. Much to their astonishment, Rennie and the Brigadier discovered a shared passion for Second World War films and military museums. Rose, meanwhile, was in her element rustling up bacon sandwiches and a huge bowl of cheese fondue.
Nancy, halfway down her third glass of wine, did her best to look nonchalant when Connor wandered into the kitchen with Mia in tow. So long as she didn’t blurt out I love you at the top of her voice, she should be all right.
‘I used to do that when my aunties came to visit,’ Connor told her with a grin.
So big, so handsome, so Tabitha’s.
‘Do what?’
He mimed being given a noisy kiss, then grimacing and wiping his mouth with his hand.
‘I know.’ Nancy shook her head. ‘I’m ashamed of myself. Just couldn’t help it.’
‘It’s a reflex.’ Connor’s tone was consoling. ‘If you don’t want someone to kiss you but they go ahead and do it anyway, you have to wipe it off.’
‘Eamonn O’Hara tried to kiss me once, on a school trip,’ said Mia. ‘I wiped it away. Then I punched him so hard he landed on Shona Murphy’s sandwiches.’
‘Nancy didn’t really want to do that to Zac,’ Connor said patiently.
‘Poor Zac. I don’t suppose he enjoyed it much either,’ said Nancy, to be fair. ‘He probably wiped his mouth too, when we weren’t looking.’
‘If Johnny Depp kissed me, I wouldn’t wipe my mouth.’ Mia beamed. ‘Not for weeks.’
‘You might if he dribbled.’
‘He wouldn’t. Johnny would never do that.’
‘Ah, but you don’t know,’ said Nancy. ‘He could be the slobberiest kisser on the planet, but nobody’s ever told him so he just doesn’t realise.’
‘You know, I always thought I liked you.’ Mia looked wounded. ‘But I don’t any more. That’s a terrible thing to say about the love of my life.’
‘Sweetheart, take these through.’ Having assembled another pile of bacon sandwiches, Rose pushed the plate into Mia’s hands. ‘Before that greedy father of yours guzzles the lot.’
‘Rose, do you think Johnny Depp’s a slobbery kisser?’ said Mia.
‘Oh pet, of course he isn’t. He’s always been perfectly lovely when he’s kissed me.’