Chapter Fifty-Six

JULIET DECIDED TO walk round the building again. Maverick reporters didn’t concern her, but she was suspicious that the Bricklayers had some secret way of getting into the school. She was convinced the Bricklayers had information about the two missing girls and agitated by Tim’s failure to bust their meeting.

She turned the corner and saw Verity Tandy walking a few paces in front of her. Verity was moving cautiously, hugging the wall, evidently observing a small man leaning against one of the hall windows. The man stubbed out the cigarette he’d been smoking and let the stub fall to the ground. He stamped on it briefly before scurrying towards the other end of the building. Verity followed him, walking fast but nimbly. Juliet trailed them both, closing the gap between herself and Verity but still leaving a few paces between them. As the man turned the corner, Verity swivelled her head and saw Juliet; at the same instant, the man turned and spotted her. Verity rapidly focused on her quarry, herself cautiously rounding the corner. When Juliet caught up with her, the man had vanished. He was no longer on the path and the car park beyond was deserted.

She and Verity moved forward together silently. It was darker at this side of the building. As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, Juliet noticed a slight movement at the periphery of her vision. A blue door set into a cranny in the building was swinging shut. She sprinted towards it and held it before the latch could close, praying fervently that the person who had just passed through it would not try to pull it from the other side or check to see it had locked. She waited, stock still, for a couple of minutes, Verity equally motionless at her side.

“What now?” Verity mouthed.

“We go in,” Juliet whispered. “Have your baton ready in case someone’s waiting for us.”

She slipped through the door, her heart banging, Verity on her heels. The room they had entered was windowless. Reassured they were alone, Juliet took a small torch from her pocket and shone it around until she spotted a light switch and snapped it on. The low watt bulb barely served its purpose, but she and Verity could see they’d entered a store for lighting equipment. Several large round lamps, packed around with straw in lidless boxes, had been stacked along two of the walls. There were also larger boxes from which a jumble of cables protruded and a number of tripods.

“What do you think all this is for?” said Verity, still keeping her voice down.

“It’s stage lighting. The hall obviously doubles for putting on plays as well as for gym and assemblies.”

“I’m surprised they don’t leave it in there all the time.”

“Probably have to move it when the hall’s hired out. But I wouldn’t mind betting all this stuff is in here because there’s a quick route through to the stage.”

“I can’t see another way out.”

“There certainly isn’t another door.” Juliet turned her torch on again and shone it around, finally arcing the pool of light at her feet. “There’s a panel set into the floor here. Could be a trapdoor.” She knelt down, grabbed the piece of raised wood at one end of the panel, and pushed. It slid back smoothly. Juliet peered into the cavity that she’d opened up and shone the torch into it.

“It’s quite deep,” she said. “Not room height, but almost that, I’d guess. I’m going to climb into it, see if it leads anywhere.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“Stay here for a couple of minutes. If I don’t come back, follow me. Do you think you can manage in the dark if you turn the light off first?”

“Sure. You’re not the only one with a torch!” Verity hissed indignantly.

“Great. If you pull the lid back over after you’re in, no-one will know we’re here.”

Verity hated confined spaces and understood the advantage of invisibility could be two-edged. But Juliet was being so matter-of-fact that she hesitated for only a second.

Juliet disappeared into the cavity. Verity monitored the passing seconds with religious accuracy. After two minutes had elapsed, she switched on her torch, turned off the light and followed.