“What did the police say?” Tia asked. She’d been hovering by her mum the whole while she’d been on the phone.
“Well, this time they did seem to take it a bit more seriously. They said they’d pass on all the information.”
“They think Milly was stolen, then?” Tia said, her voice eager. “They’ll find her?”
Mum sighed. “Look, Tia, the police will do the best they can. But there isn’t a lot to go on, is there?”
“I suppose not,” Tia sat down at the table, her legs feeling wobbly. Then she frowned. “If they haven’t got much to go on, we have to find them some more evidence, Mum! Lucy said we should put posters up in the shops near her. There’s a newsagent’s with a board – she says loads of people go and read the ads on it. Please!”
“All right. It’s quite a walk, though. Dad’s taken the car to drive round and look for Milly.”
“I don’t mind!” Tia assured her.
Mum sighed. “Have you printed out some more posters?”
Tia picked up a pile from the end of the table and waved them at her.
“Now, you two go into the newsagent’s, and I’ll go and ask if I can put a poster up in the library,” Mum said. She was sounding a bit weary. Christy had whinged most of the way, saying she was sick of walking. Tia had tried to explain that it was all because they were trying to find Milly, but when Christy was tired she wasn’t easy to persuade.
Tia walked up to the counter and the young woman smiled at her. “Are you after some sweets?” she asked.
Tia shook her head. “We came to ask if we could put this up on your board.” She held out a poster. “It’s our kitten, you see. She’s missing.”
“Oh no! Look at her, isn’t she lovely!”
Tia swallowed back tears. “We think she might have been stolen. There was an article about it in the local paper.”
“I remember. Is your cat one of those Bengals, then?”
“Yes. A man was hanging around asking about her, and one day we got back home from school and she was gone.”
The woman nodded. “The board’s over there. You can move a couple of the leaflets around if you need space.”
“Thank you very much!” Tia went over to the board while Christy eyed the sweets hungrily. It was covered in leaflets, some of them curling at the edges as though they’d been there forever. Tia started to unpin a few of them so she could make room for her poster. Most of them were adverts for things people wanted to sell – lawnmowers and pushchairs. Then Tia stopped, staring at the card she’d just taken down.
Pedigree cats for sale. All breeds. Reasonably priced.
And there was a phone number.
How could someone be selling all breeds of cat? Breeders like Helen only bred one sort. No one could have all the different breeds.
Unless they were stealing them.
“What’s the matter?” the woman called to Tia. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Tia walked back over to the counter. “You don’t remember who put this up, do you?” she asked, not very hopefully.
The woman looked down at the card. “Oh, I see. You’re thinking—”
“It could be them, couldn’t it?” Tia gasped. She was desperate for a clue. Anything that might help them track Milly down.
The woman sniffed. “As it happens, I do know who put that up, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a cat thief. He’s rude. I wish he didn’t come in here, but he picks up his motorcycle magazine every week. Some special order.”
Tia stared at her. “So – have you got his address then?” she whispered.
The woman looked uncomfortable. “Well, yes… I mean, I shouldn’t give it out. Just don’t say I gave it to you, will you?” She pulled out a big folder and flicked through. “Here, look. That’s him. But hang on, you can’t go over there on your own! Where’s your mum and dad?”
“It’s all right,” Tia said. “My mum’s just at the library – I’ll get her. Seventeen Emwell Road. Thanks!”
She grabbed Christy’s hand, and hauled her out of the shop. “I think we’re about to get Milly back! We have to find Mum… Come on.”
They raced up the steps to the library and shoved open the door. Mum was in the queue, and there were loads of people in front of her.
“I won’t be too long, Tia,” Mum said, as Tia came up to her.
“But I’ve found them!” Tia cried. “The catnappers!”
“What?” Mum stared at her, and some of the people in the line looked round curiously.
“There was an ad for pedigree cats for sale in the newsagent’s. It has to be them! And I’ve got the address.”
“Oh, Tia, I know you’re desperate to find Milly, but you’re jumping to conclusions.” Mum shook her head.
“Why won’t you ever believe me?” Tia said furiously. “I’m going there now!” She turned and marched out, Christy scampering after her. She didn’t even look back to see if Mum was following. She just had to find Milly.
Milly threaded her way through the overgrown front garden and squeezed under the rickety wooden gate. She darted a glance back to the house, but the man wasn’t chasing her. Still, she wanted to get further away. Then she would find Tia. She set off down the pavement, sniffing at the dandelions and the parked cars. It was when she reached the end of the street, where it met another, larger road, that she realized finding her home was going to be harder than she’d thought. She had expected to somehow know which way to go. But coming here in a van, she had lost her sense of direction.
She set off along one road, but it didn’t feel good. Milly turned uncertainly and hurried back. The other way felt as though it led home.
Milly plodded on, trying to sense the right direction. She wasn’t used to walking so far and the pavements were hard. Her paws hurt. Worst of all, she wasn’t really sure she was getting any closer to Tia.
Wearily, she jumped up on to a low wall for a rest. Another cat had scent-marked the garden beyond the wall, and Milly peered down nervously. The cat didn’t seem to be around. She curled herself into a tense little ball and let her eyes close. She was so tired.
Suddenly, Milly’s eyes shot open, and she nearly fell off the wall. A ginger cat was in the garden below her, hissing furiously. His fur fluffed up so much that he looked four times as big as her.
Milly scrambled backwards, her tail straight up, all the fur sticking out like a brush. She hissed at the ginger cat, but he was much bigger than she was. Milly backed herself up to the end of the wall and then sprang down on to the pavement, racing away as fast as she could.
“It’s this way,” Tia panted, hauling Christy along behind her.
“We should wait for Mum!” Christy wailed. “I can’t see her, Tia! We aren’t supposed to go where we can’t see Mum! We’ll get in trouble!”
“I don’t care! I’m going to find Milly. Look, this is Emwell Road!” Tia stopped, gasping for breath. What if the man who took Milly saw her and Christy? He’d probably recognize them. “Be like spies, all right? We don’t want the catnappers to catch us.”
Tia pulled Christy in close to the wall and they began to creep along, looking for number seventeen.
“This is it,” Tia murmured, a little way up the road. “Oh! The van!” She squeezed Christy’s hand and pointed. “Laura saw a blue van when the man was asking about Charlie.”
“Tia!” Mum was running up the road after them, looking furious. “How could you run off like that? You crossed roads! You know you’re not allowed!”