Just before half-time Danny saw one of the City FC coaches speak to Kofi. Kofi had been warming up and Danny thought it was likely he’d be coming on after the break.
He saw the coach looking at the underside of Kofi’s boots. Then Kofi pointed towards the large building behind Danny. The coach looked at his watch and gestured that Kofi should go.
‘He’s got the wrong boots,’ Danny said to Charlotte.
‘Is that bad?’
‘It could be. They might not let him play,’ Danny explained. ‘If he’s got his soft pitch boots on, for instance. They might have too long studs. He could injure himself, twist his ankle.’
They watched their friend run at half pace towards what Danny assumed was the dressing room.
The burglar heard the footsteps coming quickly down the corridor. He sensed someone was coming towards him. Maybe he’d been spotted on a security camera. But he knew there was no point in panicking. If he was caught, he was caught. All he needed to do was to remain calm.
He moved into the shower area. He looked around for something to defend himself with. The shower fittings were the only things in the space that was otherwise just white tiles. A showerhead? he wondered. No, they were too light. Then he saw the metal rod that was used to hold the showerheads on the wall. He touched one. Steel. Heavy steel. That would do.
Before the footsteps came into the room, he swiftly ripped one off the wall.
It came off easily. It was heavy. Nice and heavy. You could easily knock a grown man out with this. Even kill one if you really wanted to.
Kofi dashed into the dressing room. He went straight to where he had hung his jacket.
His bag was gone.
He spent a minute looking at every coat and bag, to be sure he had not missed his, or to see if his was under another. But it was useless.
It was not in the room. He had no choice but to go back to the coach and tell him. He did not have his hard pitch boots with him. It was likely he would not be able to play. This was his first chance in the under-eighteens. And he had blown it.
Kofi felt terrible.
And then he remembered sometimes the boys hid each other’s bags for a joke. The showers. He’d not checked there.
Danny wondered where Kofi had got to. It was half-time now. Danny could see his coach looking towards the buildings, then at his watch. He could also see a police car, on the edge of the car park.
‘Something’s wrong,’ he said to Charlotte, who was watching the players having their team talks.
‘What?’
‘Kofi should be back. And now the police are here.’
‘He’s coming,’ Charlotte said. ‘Look.’
And Danny saw Kofi running towards him. Faster now.
‘My bag has gone,’ Kofi said, slightly breathless, when he reached them.
‘Where is it?’ Danny asked, feeling stupid for saying something like that.
‘I need my other boots,’ Kofi went on.
‘I’ll help you,’ Danny said.
‘But they’re not there.’
‘We’ll look again,’ Danny insisted.
Kofi nodded and Danny joined him, jogging across the fields again, after Kofi had asked a team-mate to explain to the coach.
Almost as soon as Danny and Kofi had gone, Charlotte sensed someone behind her. She looked round and felt her heart sink. It was the boy from the café. The one who’d been with Kofi. She tried to remember his name, but her mind was blank.
‘Hey,’ he said.
‘Hello,’ Charlotte replied.
‘All alone?’ Ian Mills was smiling. Not a friendly smile. Something predatory about it.
‘No. I’m with Danny,’ Charlotte said.
‘But he’s left you all alone,’ he went on.
‘Don’t worry. He’ll be back soon.’
‘I’d better keep you company,’ Mills insisted, still grinning.
Charlotte grimaced. There was something about everything that Ian Mills said that was creepy. Like he was trying to be clever, or to say one thing and mean another.
She cast her eyes over to where Danny had gone with Kofi, willing him to return.
‘You and me?’ Mills said suddenly. ‘A date tonight? Dinner?’
Charlotte shook her head. ‘Thanks for asking, but no. I’m busy tonight.’
‘Tonight, I said,’ Mills went on. But now the smile had gone from his face.
‘Thank you. But no.’
Charlotte sensed Mills was about to ask again, but was pausing to think. She was used to older boys asking her out. But she had never felt like it. Or never been asked out by someone she wanted to spend more time with than her friends, Sally, Sophie, Danny, Paul and Kofi.
Mills opened his mouth at last. ‘I know the photo fit is Danny,’ he said.
Charlotte caught her breath. She looked for Danny coming across the fields. Then at Mills.
‘What?’
‘I know that the photo fit in the paper is of Danny. And I know that he was at the house that was burgled earlier. And I know that Paul Wire can identify him.’
Mills took a sheet of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it.
Charlotte said nothing. She had no idea what to say. But she knew that if Ian Mills told the police about Danny he could lose everything. So what should she do? Go out with this odious idiot who was a tenth of the person Danny was – or put Danny in danger?
‘So?’ Mills pushed her.
‘What?’ Charlotte said.
‘One date?’ Mills said. ‘A meal. Tonight.’
‘If I don’t?’
‘Your friend Danny,’ Mills said, pointing to the police car, ‘gets a ride in that.’
‘And what if I tell Danny what you just told me?’
‘You don’t. If he knows why you’re coming out with me, I tell the police anyway.’
Danny walked with Kofi back to the pitch. There was no sign of the bag. They were pretty sure that it had been stolen. Someone had been in the dressing rooms. They’d vandalized the showers as well as taking who knew what else?
‘I must speak to the coach,’ Kofi said.
Danny nodded. He wanted to get over to Charlotte and tell her anyway.
He noticed her speaking to someone who was keying something into his phone.
What was this? What was going on?
Then Danny saw the man walking away from Charlotte. Towards him.
He felt even worse when he saw who it was.
Ian Mills.
‘07700 937 444,’ Mills said to Danny.
Danny knew that was Charlotte’s number. But he said nothing.
‘Charlotte’s coming out to dinner with me,’ Mills said, laughter in his voice. ‘To the Flying Pizza. Do you know it?’
Danny still kept silent.
‘Just the two of us,’ Mills said. ‘Jealous?’
Danny said nothing. But he held Mills’ stare until Mills looked away.
‘Anyway, got to go,’ Mills said, ‘I’ve got a job on tonight. Oh, yes, I hope Kofi finds his bag.’