After that things happened very quickly.
The waiting room door opened. A woman in a purple coat rushed in and looked at a monitor with train times on it. Then she rushed out again.
The boys and the dog disappeared after her—with Dani’s phone.
Dani stayed on the floor, afraid the dog would come back.
Then the door of the waiting room opened again, and she heard steps across the floor.
When she dared to look she saw big black shoes coming towards the bench.
They stopped, someone bent down, and a pair of eyes was staring at her.
It was Sadie’s sister Lisette.
“Hello, it is you!”
Dani crawled out.
“What are you doing under the bench?”
Dani brushed herself off without answering.
“I called you,” Lisette went on, “but a boy answered.”
“Yes, he took my cell phone!” Dani muttered. “Him and his friend.”
“What do you mean, took?”
Dani bit her lip.
“Did they take it here at the station?” Lisette persisted.
“Yes…”
“What did they look like?”
“Not very nice. They had a big black dog which jumped on me.”
“Then I know who they are!”
Lisette took hold of Dani.
“Where are we going?”
“To get your phone back.”
“In the police car?”
Anybody else who’d been robbed of their phone would say yes to an offer like that, but Dani resisted.
“I can’t go,” she said. “I have to wait.”
“For Ella?”
“No, not for Ella. She mustn’t know anything.”
Lisette gave her a hard stare.
“Who exactly came with you?” she suddenly asked.
“I came by myself.”
“You were on the train on your own?”
Dani nodded.
“And your father let you?”
“He’s not allowed to know anything either!”
“But Dani!” said Lisette. “What’s all this about?”
Dani tried hard to think what to reply.
“‘A birthday present,” she mumbled at last, pointing to her headband.
When Lisette saw this, she decided to change her interrogation technique.
“How about a hot chocolate?” she asked, looking over to the cafe where the sign had disappeared. Someone was putting out plates of sandwiches and buns.
“I need a coffee,” she added.