27

Lily couldn’t stand by and watch as Stew wandered closer to where Tom White was talking to Miss Tibbs. She followed him, keeping close to the tunnel wall in case Tom turned and spotted her. Much to her alarm, she saw Miss Tibbs lift Mary from her lap and hold him out towards the man; whatever was she doing? She moved closer until she could hear young Pearl speak.

‘Why do you want to hold Mary?’

‘She reminds me of my sister’s daughter; we lost them in the Blitz,’ Tom said, putting on a sad voice. ‘Just to hold the little girl for a short while would help heal my broken heart,’ he continued pitifully.

Lily forced herself to hold back. Where on earth were the soldiers who knew he was AWOL from the army? She prayed that Katie would reach them and bring them back soon. She could see that Stew was poised to move in on the scene, and raised her hand to silently restrain him. All the time Tom was within their sight, all was well.

She chewed her bottom lip as he dangled Mary in his arms while he spoke to her. Mary waved one of her little hands and smacked Tom’s face. Lily smiled; Mary was fussy about who held her at the best of times. He flinched but held on to her, ignoring Pearl’s attempt to take her back.

‘Please may I have her; she’s not at all happy with how you’re holding her,’ Pearl begged, looking around for help as Miss Tibbs chatted away about the weather.

Lily couldn’t step in yet, as she had no idea where his accomplice had gone with little Alexsy. She must be somewhere close by, she thought, scanning the busiest area of the tunnel where it began to widen out. Suddenly she heard a child start to cry and recognized the voice as Alexsy’s. Slowly she turned and followed the sound, leaving the main tunnel and heading into one of the smaller ones. The crying became louder with every step she took. Please keep crying, she prayed . . . and then there she was, only a few feet away: the woman Lily had seen at the house. And Alexsy was with her!

‘I’ll take him, thank you very much,’ she said in a loud, authoritative voice, moving swiftly in and lifting Alexsy from the woman’s arms before stepping back. She hoped Stew had seen where she’d gone, as she would need backup very shortly judging by the thunderous glare Deirdre Hope was giving her.

‘Here, what are you doing taking my child?’ Deirdre screamed, making Alexsy cry even louder. ‘Help, help, someone is stealing my child,’ she cried out, attracting attention from people standing nearby.

‘What’s going on?’ an elderly man asked, confronting Lily with his arms crossed. ‘You can’t go pinching kiddies off other women. What’s wrong with you?’

‘I’m not . . . I mean, this is my friend’s son, Alexsy. This woman’s boyfriend stole him from his pram last week and we’ve been searching for him ever since.’

‘A likely story,’ a woman called out, and before she could draw breath Lily found herself surrounded by angry people.

‘Give him back!’ someone shouted.

‘Call the coppers!’

‘Grab her before she legs it!’

Lily felt sick and a little giddy. Where were her friends when she needed them? ‘Look, some of you will know me. I work at the Lyons teashop in Margate. My friend is Flora Neville from Sea View guesthouse. She will vouch for me and confirm I’m telling the truth. Please, you’ve got to believe me,’ she begged.

A few people stepped away, not wishing to get involved any further, but the most vocal couple remained as Alexsy started to grizzle and call out ‘Mama’.

‘Give him back!’ they insisted.

‘Oh, bless him, he wants his mummy,’ an older woman said as she pushed through the crowd and pulled Alexsy from Lily’s arms.

‘Please don’t . . . you have no idea . . .’ Lily gasped as the woman handed the child back to Deirdre, who immediately disappeared into the crowd. ‘Someone help me,’ she cried desperately, helpless as the nightmarish situation unfurled. Her head was swimming as she spun frantically round, seeking a friendly face to help her.

‘Lily, it’s all right. I’m here,’ Peter said as he held her close and soothed her frustration until she could think straight.

‘It’s like a nightmare. I had him in my arms and then the crowd turned on me . . . They’ve helped that woman get away with him.’

‘They thought they were doing the best for the child. I could hear the shouting from where I was.’

‘Excuse me, love. I saw what happened,’ a young woman said as she tugged on Lily’s sleeve. ‘I recognize you from the teashop; I go there regularly for a meal with my mother. Doesn’t that young kiddie belong to the foreign lady who works on the counter selling bread? I’ve seen her with him. Why has that old cow got him? I wouldn’t trust her as far as I could spit. I wondered if she was up to her old tricks when I spotted her with the boy . . .’

‘Old tricks?’ Lily asked, trying to get as much information as possible out of the woman even if they already knew some of what Deirdre had been up to.

‘She was on the game when her husband was around. She’d do anything to earn a few bob. I’ve heard some stories about her selling babies when she wasn’t helping women in trouble get rid of them, like . . .’ the woman said, getting into her stride.

‘Lily!’ Stew and Pearl rushed over to her. ‘Tom White has snatched Mary. We’ve lost them in the crowd,’ Pearl cried.

‘That’s his name,’ the younger woman said. ‘Tom – I thought it was funny her being an old tom, and that being his name,’ she cackled.

The woman’s words buzzed round in Lily’s head. Why was she standing here listening to this woman when Mary was in danger? ‘Look, I must go, but can you come into the teashop tomorrow and have a chat? I’ll stand you a free meal – bring your mum as well,’ she added, as she began to walk away before turning. ‘Sorry, I didn’t catch your name?’

‘Thank you, I’m Liz Friend; I hope you find him. I’ll keep an eye open.’

Lily turned to follow Peter and Stew, but they had disappeared. ‘Pearl, where have they gone?’

The young girl looked white-faced even in the dim lighting. ‘They’ve rushed off after the man who took Mary. What can we do?’

Lily knelt in front of Pearl, even though her every instinct was telling her to follow the others and claw her daughter back from Tom. ‘I want you to be a very brave young lady and first check that Miss Tibbs is all right. Then I want you to fetch your mum and Flora. Have you got that?’

‘I have,’ Pearl said seriously. ‘You’d better hurry after them.’

Lily gave the girl a quick hug and then set off, running as fast as she could and swerving around people taking shelter, praying that she would reach her daughter before Tom White vanished with her completely.

As she ran, ignoring shouts of ‘slow down’ and ‘watch where you’re going’, the wail of the all-clear siren could be heard along with shouts of ‘Everybody out’ from a group of men who’d been sitting around a card table playing poker. Up ahead, she spotted the back of a man in an RAF uniform who was also pushing through the crowd. They all had the same intention of getting out of the safety of the tunnels and back into the fresh air.

‘Peter, Stew, wait for me,’ she shouted above the sound of footsteps and people chattering. Somehow they heard her, turned and waited. Leaning against Peter, she gasped for air, her heart thumping in her breast as she tried to speak.

‘Take your time,’ Stew said, helping to hold her upright.

‘They’ve got both the children,’ she managed to explain. ‘We’ve got to find them before they get out of the tunnels; anything could happen after that. Peter, can you hurry on ahead?’

They watched as he pushed through the crowd, ignoring the grumbles thrown his way. ‘Thank you for helping me,’ Lily gasped.

‘I’d be the same if it was one of my children who’d been taken. It doesn’t bear thinking about.’

Lily wasn’t sure it was the right time to talk to him about Katie, but then, when would it be? ‘You seem to have made friends with Katie.’

He pondered over her words. ‘I like her a lot.’

‘She’s also a married woman; you will be careful, won’t you? Please don’t break her heart.’

‘I would never hurt her,’ he said as they started to push through the crowd. ‘There seems to be a hold-up ahead.’

‘What’s going on?’ Lily called out.

‘They’re saying the coppers have arrested someone up near the entrance,’ an elderly man told her. ‘There again, I was never good at Chinese whispers, so I might’ve heard it wrong.’

‘That sounds promising. Hold tight to my hand; we’re going in,’ Stew said, before dragging Lily firmly through the queue of people held up behind whatever was happening. ‘Make way, please. This lady is wanted by the police,’ he announced in a gravelly Scottish accent that had people stepping back straightaway.

Despite her fear and worry, Lily was impressed at the way he took command and efficiently cleared a path for them. ‘I’d never have got through here without you,’ she said gratefully as they finally reached Katie, Peter and the soldiers, who were standing with the police inspector and several constables.

‘Lily, thank goodness you’re here,’ Katie said, passing a sobbing Mary into her arms. ‘I’ve done my best to soothe her, but that rat has really upset her.’ She glared at Tom White as he was being handcuffed with an army officer overseeing his arrest. ‘He was shouting at her to shut up as he came out of the tunnel and walked straight into us. He is not father material,’ she snarled, as Tom looked beseechingly towards them. Meanwhile, his female accomplice was being led away screaming and blaspheming at the policemen, who held her by the arms to stop her kicking and punching them.

‘Help me, Lily. I don’t know why they are doing this to me,’ Tom called out.

Lily turned her back on him and concentrated on cuddling her little daughter close until Mary’s sobs subsided. ‘Where is Alexsy?’ she asked anxiously.

‘I have him,’ Flora said as she joined them. ‘Young Pearl did a sterling job finding us and explaining what had happened. I’ve never run so fast in my life as I did when I thought Tom White had hurt my girls.’ There were tears in her eyes.

‘Mum, it’s all over now,’ Rose said as she put her arm around Flora. She gave her mother’s shoulders a squeeze and then turned to the senior policeman. ‘Inspector, I’m taking everyone back to Sea View. You do remember where that it is, don’t you? You visited when Alexsy was first snatched by Tom White, but very little was done. You can take our statements once everyone has recovered from this ordeal.’ She fixed him with a look that challenged him to argue. ‘Come along, everyone,’ she called out. ‘I think it’s time we had a hot cup of tea and put our feet up.’

‘What about work?’ Lily asked as she fell into step beside Rose.

‘I’ll put a call through to head office when we get to Mum’s place. I’m sure they will understand if we don’t go into work until tomorrow. It’s not every day we help to round up a couple of criminals, is it?’

‘You can say that again,’ Katie said as she caught up with them. ‘I’m so relieved it is all over. I feared we would never see little Alexsy ever again. Whatever would we have said to Anya when she returned from London?’

Rose drew in a deep breath. For the past few hours, she had actually been able to forget about Anya and the fact her friend was not working in London. Now it looked as though she would have to contact Ruth and give her an update on the latest developments. Perhaps if she pushed enough, Ruth would tell her where Anya really was? The poor woman deserved to know what had been happening with her son. What if something terrible had happened to him? How would they have been able to let her know? Enough was enough. Anya should be home where she was needed, Rose fumed to herself.

‘Rose? Are you all right?’ Katie asked, slipping her arm through her friend’s. ‘You’ve gone very quiet.’

‘I’m fine; it’s just been a bit of a shock,’ she said, forcing a smile onto her face. ‘Thank goodness we’re here. Let’s get inside and put the kettle on for Mum; I reckon everyone will want feeding as well, don’t you?’

‘With all hands to the pump, we can soon have a meal on the table,’ Katie said as she watched Rose put her key into the lock and open up the front door to Sea View. ‘It’s good to be home,’ she sighed. ‘I’ll always think of Sea View as my real home, and Flora has been like a mother to me.’

‘And you girls are like my daughters,’ Flora said as she put her arms around them and ushered them inside.

‘That was tasty,’ Miss Tibbs said as she wiped her mouth with her handkerchief. ‘After all the shenanigans this afternoon, I was ready for a decent meal. Can I help with the washing up, Flora dear?’

Flora shook her head. Dear Miss Tibbs certainly seemed to have bounced back from the events in the tunnel only a few hours earlier. At first she had blamed herself for Tom White taking Mary, after he’d sweet-talked her into letting him hold the child. As she had explained to Flora, he’d seemed like such a charming man. Thank goodness young Pearl had kept her wits about her and alerted everyone when he casually walked off with the child in his arms.

‘There are plenty of helping hands; just sit and rest. It has been a strange afternoon,’ Flora said, patting the old lady’s arm.

‘There’s someone knocking at the door. Shall I see who it is?’ young Pearl offered, knowing that she had to ask permission before allowing anyone into the house.

‘I’ll go,’ Rose said. ‘I want to use the telephone to speak to head office.’ And speak to Ruth, she thought to herself as she ran up the short flight of stairs from the kitchen to the hall and hurried to the door.

‘I apologize for the intrusion if you are still eating,’ the police inspector said as he entered the house, followed by the army sergeant who’d been such a help to them.

‘Not at all, we are eager to hear what has happened since we left the tunnels,’ Rose assured him. ‘I hope you don’t mind but we are all together in the kitchen; it is warmer in there than the front room. Please follow me.’ She led the way down the stairs, glancing longingly at the telephone. She would just have to make her calls later.

Flora made the two men welcome, and chairs were found so they could join everyone around the table. They soon had hot tea in front of them along with slices of an apple pie that Rose had brought home from the teashop the day before.

‘I think it’s safe to say we are all eager to learn what has happened with Tom White, so our children can sleep safely in their beds tonight,’ Flora said once everyone was settled.

The police inspector cleared his throat before speaking; he looked nervous. ‘First, I would like to apologize for not treating the case of missing Master Polinski seriously enough. I would also like to thank you all for your perseverance in finding the child.’

‘It’s a good job we did, young man; otherwise he would still be out there lost and alone,’ Miss Tibbs chipped in, wagging her finger at him before being hushed into silence by Flora.

She urged him, ‘Please continue.’

‘To be honest, I do not have much to say about Mr Thomas White. I will leave that to the army. However, I can confirm that Mrs Deirdre Hope is under arrest for collaborating with the aforementioned gentleman in order to gain money by stealing and selling children.’

‘You mean there are others?’ Katie gasped.

‘I’m afraid so. However, evidence found at her premises has given us a good indication of where these children are now. I can assure you all that they will be recovered and returned to their rightful parents.’

‘Why haven’t you charged Tom White with child abduction?’ Lily demanded.

‘All in good time,’ he said. ‘First, Tom White is being taken to a military prison – perhaps you would like to take over?’ he said, turning to the sergeant.

The sergeant nodded. ‘I can confirm the man in question was absent without leave and we have been looking for him since the end of February. He has committed a number of crimes during that time, and these will all be taken into consideration when he is charged.’

‘Prison is too good for him,’ Joyce said, with Miss Tibbs agreeing wholeheartedly.

‘I just can’t stop thinking about the parents who have had their children stolen; the loss must be so painful.’ Katie pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. ‘If I were in their position, I’d be inconsolable. Please assure me, Inspector, that you will move faster to help them than you did while looking for our Alexsy?’

Flora noticed how Stew placed an arm on Katie’s shoulder to console her. She frowned, and he quickly stepped away.

‘Thank you both for coming here to give us an update,’ she said to the two officials. ‘I for one am greatly relieved to hear that Tom White is out of our lives once and for all.’

‘We can only hope so, madam,’ the inspector said. ‘There is, however, the small problem of young Mary’s parentage. White seems to think he has a right to access to the child, as he is her father. Is that the case, Miss . . .?’

All eyes turned to Lily as she took a deep breath and crossed her fingers behind her back before speaking. ‘He is not the father of my daughter; if he was, I would have his name on Mary’s birth certificate, would I not? I will bring it to your office tomorrow to show you,’ she promised.

‘Thank you. Then we can go ahead and include the abduction of your daughter with his other charges,’ the inspector said, getting to his feet. ‘We will leave you to your evening; thank you again for your help,’ he said, before he and the sergeant were shown out by Flora.

‘Lily?’ Katie said, raising her eyebrows at her friend.

Lily grinned. ‘For once I’ve got my own back on that creep Tom White.’

Miss Tibbs carefully stood up. ‘I for one am going to celebrate. Who else would like a sherry? Rose, get the glasses out, and Joyce, you can pour.’

The rest of the evening was spent in mellow contemplation of the day’s events. It wasn’t until Rose headed to her bed that she remembered she’d yet to make her telephone calls. ‘They can wait until tomorrow,’ she murmured as she laid her head on the pillow, and within seconds she was fast asleep.