The news that the missing child had been found safe and well spread through the city like a tidal wave, bringing relief to everyone and welcome rest for the searchers. But the feeling was soon superseded by anger; anger that anyone in their wonderful city could do such a thing. Rumour soon spread that it was the revenge of one gang leader against another.
‘They’ll have to be stopped. Someone ought to do something,’ was the general consensus of opinion. But who?
The ‘who’ stood in the small back kitchen of their terraced house with her hands on her hips and faced her husband. ‘Are you with me on this, Trip – or against me?’
Trip gazed at the face of his lovely wife, her eyes icy with ill-concealed fury. ‘It’s one thing to attempt to kill Nell and me, but quite another to frighten an innocent child. God only knows what he might have done if we hadn’t found her when we did.’
‘Thanks to your Josh,’ Trip murmured.
‘Well, yes,’ Emily agreed reluctantly. ‘There is that.’ She’d known a little of her brother’s involvement with Mick Dugdale and his gang during the time he’d lived with his family in Sheffield, but not just how deeply he’d been sucked in. If she’d known at the time, she’d have had something to say, but back then she’d been rather naive and trusting. Now, she knew better.
‘What will Nell say if you go to the police?’
‘As long as I don’t mention Steve – and I won’t, because, luckily, he wasn’t involved except in searching for her – then I don’t think she’ll say anything.’ Emily bit her lip. ‘I wish Steve would give it all up. I mean, he doesn’t look like a gangster. And his home was quite a surprise.’
Trip chuckled. ‘What does a gangster look like, love? A crooked nose and a scarred face?
‘Like Mick Dugdale, you mean?’ she laughed wryly. ‘I suppose that’s how I would think of one, but Steve is very good-looking. But of course you know that. No wonder Nell loves him.’
‘She must be very strong-willed to hold out against marrying him.’
‘She is.’
‘Good for her, I say, but that doesn’t answer my question. I still don’t think she’ll be very happy with you if you go to the police.’
Emily’s chin went up defiantly. ‘Then that’s a risk I’ll have to take, because if Ben and that farmer are still holding him, the longer we leave it, the more chance he has of escaping – again!’
Trip rose slowly. ‘Then I’ll come with you.’
‘So you do agree that it’s the right thing to do?’
‘Certainly, but it’s not necessarily the best thing in the circumstances. Anyway, we’d better go, if we’re going. Ben’ll want to be getting home. We can’t leave him out there any longer than necessary.’
The police acted swiftly, as soon as Emily reported to them where Mick was being held. When she arrived at work, Emily was surprised to see Nell there. She told her at once what she and Trip had done. Nell nodded and turned away, but not before Emily had seen the determined set of her chin. Emily touched her arm. ‘We didn’t mention Steve. We kept him out of it, Nell. All we told them was that we’d found where Mick had taken her, but you’d better tell Steve that because it’s likely the police will keep an eye on the barn now.’
Nell nodded, but still did not say anything.
‘I’m sorry,’ Emily said and she was. ‘But we couldn’t let him go, now could we?’
This time Nell shook her head, picked up a bunch of spoons and a handful of sand and moved towards her buffing wheel. The conversation – such as it was – was over. Emily watched her colleague and friend as she began her work but this morning, Nell was not singing at her wheel. Emily sighed and moved away. Despite what Steve Henderson was, she had seen another side to him now; the one Nell loved.
That evening as they were finishing their meal, a knock came at their front door and Emily opened it to see the tall, dark figure of a police sergeant.
‘Come in. Would you like a cup of tea?’
‘That’d be most welcome, missus. Ta.’
As he removed his helmet and followed Emily into their living room, Trip got up from his chair in front of the range and held out his hand. ‘Sergeant Crossland, isn’t it?’
‘It is, sir, yes. I just thought I should come and tell you, so you’re on your guard, like.’
Emily and Trip glanced at each other and then turned back to Joe Crossland.
‘Unfortunately,’ Joe ran his tongue around his lips, ‘we got there too late. He’d given Ben and the farmer, Mr Portas, the slip. I’m sorry to say that Mick Dugdale is at large again.’
‘What!’ Trip and Emily exclaimed together.
‘How could that have happened? They were guarding him with guns.’
Emily covered her mouth fearfully with shaking fingers. ‘He’s not got a gun, has he?’
‘No, no,’ Joe Crossland said swiftly. ‘He didn’t manage that, thank goodness.’
‘How did he get away from them?’ Trip asked.
‘They took him to the farm and he expressed a need to visit the privy. It’s an outside one at Mr Portas’s farm, down the little garden at the back of the house. Well, Ben and the farmer stood by the back door chatting. When they realized he’d been gone a long time, they went to investigate and there he was – gone.’
‘But – how! I mean they must have kept watch on the privy, mustn’t they?’
Joe shrugged. ‘They must have taken their eyes off it and it would only take a second or two for him to slip out and round the back into the bushes and then away across the fields. I don’t think either of them realized just what a slippery character he is.’
‘Didn’t they go after him? They must have known roughly what direction he’d gone in.’
‘Oh aye, but unfortunately, there’s woodland not far from the farmhouse and once he got into it, there was no hope of finding him.’
‘What about a dog? Hasn’t the farmer got a sheepdog?’
‘He had, but the poor old thing died about a month ago. He’s got a young puppy, but it needs training. At the moment, Mr Portas said, he’s less than useless.’
‘D’you think Mick’ll come back to the city?’
‘Not if he’s any sense. I reckon he’ll lose himself in the Smoke. Mind you, if he’s bent on revenge, there’s no knowing what he might do.’ He cleared his throat. ‘We’re gearing ourselves up for street fights. All leave’s been cancelled. I’d warn all your family, friends and work colleagues to stay off the streets at night, just till we get this lot sorted out.’
‘Will you, though? It’s been going on a long time now.’
Joe grinned. ‘Aye it has, far too long. Maybe the general public don’t know, but in May our Chief Constable set up what he calls a Special Duties Squad to deal with the gangs. You mark my words. We’ll soon have our city out of the clutches of these gangsters once and for all. You’ll see.’
As Trip saw him to the door, he murmured, ‘I hope you’re right, sergeant.’
Word spread once more through the city that law-abiding folk should keep to their homes after dark.
‘It’s like being under a curfew,’ Trip grumbled. ‘I hardly dare walk up the road to the pub on the corner.’
‘It’s only for a while,’ Emily said, ‘but I’ve warned Nell. I hope she manages to convince Steve that he should stay out of trouble.’