“You’ll find out.” She decided to do what she was told for now. Until she could work out a way to escape from these three thugs. Then she’d see they got what they deserved. Scrambling up the ladder, she prayed they weren’t staring up her skirt.
Safely on the ledge, she was surprised to see a blanket laid out on the floor of the small loft. An oil lamp sat a few feet away with a box of matches in the saucer. The newspaper crumpled up on the edge of the blanket smelled of fish. Apparently her kidnappers had bought supper from the fish and chip shop in the High Street.
Nellie knew the owners, Ethel and Reg Clements. Once it was reported she was missing, maybe Ethel would remember she’d served three strangers and give George and Sid some idea where to start looking. By now Rita and the others must have told the constables what had happened.
To her immense relief, none of the boys climbed up after her. Instead, they dragged the ladder away from the ledge, so she had no way to get down, then left her in semi-darkness while they huddled below and started discussing what they were going to do next.
“We can’t leave her here all night,” Robbie said, his voice rising almost to a whine. “What are we going to do?”
“Shut up,” Stan ordered. “Let me think.”
“Where are we going to sleep if she’s up there?” Jimmy demanded.
“We’re not going to sleep. We’ve got work to do. We can sleep when we get back. Down here. There’s plenty of straw to sleep on.”
“Well, I’m going to get the blanket,” Robbie said, whining again. “The straw scratches me arms too much to sleep.”
“Too bad. You’ll have to put up with it tonight.”
“Why can’t she sleep down here?”
“ ’Cos she might be able to escape, stupid. If she’s stuck up there, there’s no way she can get past us.”
“I told you this was a lousy idea,” Robbie said, beginning to sound panicky. “I wish I’d never listened to you. I might have known something would go wrong. I think we should just go home and forget about the whole thing.”
“Not on your life!”
“Not bloody likely!”
The other two boys had spoken at once. Robbie started to say something else, then obviously thought better of it.
“Now,” Stan said, “we’ve got to take the Jeep back to the cliffs and push her over. Just like we planned. That way everyone will think it’s the three musketeers what did the rest of it. They’ll never think of looking for anyone else.”
“Until she tells them,” Jimmy said.
An ominous silence followed, while Nellie sat above them, holding her breath. Then Stan said brusquely, “We’ll worry about her when we’ve finished what we came to do. Now let’s get on with it.”
The scuffling sounds told Nellie they were climbing back into the Jeep. Then the doors were dragged open, the Jeep roared to life and the light flashed off, leaving her in total darkness. Moments later she heard the doors close again, and the sound of the Jeep’s engine gradually faded into silence.
She was alone. Her and the rats. It was not a pleasant thought.
CHAPTER 9
Elizabeth stared at the telephone, willing it to stop ringing. She didn’t want to answer it. If it was bad news, she didn’t want to hear it. Why else would someone be ringing this late?
When the double ring sounded for the fourth time she could stand it no longer, and she rose to her feet. The jangle cut off abruptly as she lifted the receiver from the hook.
George’s voice answered her, striking terror in her heart. “Is it Violet?” she asked breathlessly. “Has something happened to her?”
George sounded surprised when he answered. “Violet? What makes you think it’s Violet? Isn’t she there?”
Elizabeth slowly let out her breath. It couldn’t be about Earl. If something had happened to him, she wouldn’t know until someone from the base rang her. “Don’t tell me there’s been another murder,” she said, praying that wasn’t it.
“No, m’m. At least not yet.”
George’s enigmatic answer did nothing to relieve her mind. “What’s happened, George?”
“It’s Nellie Smith, m’m. I thought you’d like to know. She’s been kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped?” Elizabeth stared incredulously at the wall in front of her. “Who on earth would want to kidnap Nellie? She doesn’t have any family, and no money to speak off. At least as far as I’m aware-”
“It were the three musketeers, m’m. Apparently they were up to their tricks again, and Nellie went to keep them talking while Florrie came to get me, but by the time we got up there they was gone and so was Nellie.”
“Nellie confronted the three musketeers? By herself? What was she thinking?”
“Well, it seems that Rita Crumm’s bunch were with her, but standing a ways back. Nellie pulled one of the men’s scarf off and got a look at his face, so I reckon they took off with her so she couldn’t identify the culprits.”
Elizabeth groaned. “Do you have any idea where she might be? Have they asked for a ransom?”
“Haven’t heard a peep out of ’em, m’m.”
“Then we’ll have to organize a search for her.”
“Yes, m’m. That’s what I thought.”
“I’ll get my motorcycle and be right down.” Elizabeth was about to replace the telephone when George’s urgent voice stayed her hand.
“No, your ladyship. Not tonight. Without lights it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. We’ll have to wait for first light tomorrow.”
“She could well be dead by then.”
“I’m sorry, m’m. There’s not much else I can do. It ain’t safe for people to be tramping about in the dark.”
“It isn’t safe for Nellie to be in the clutches of those criminals, either, George.”
“I know that, m’m. But I can’t be responsible for sending unauthorized persons into danger. It’s more than I dare do.”
Elizabeth sighed. He was right. They would have to wait for morning and pray they weren’t too late. Another thought occurred to her, and once more the feeling of panic almost overwhelmed her. “George, Violet seems to have disappeared as well. You don’t think that has anything to do with Nellie’s kidnapping, do you?”
George sounded wary when he answered. “I really couldn’t say, m’m. I wouldn’t think so, but if she doesn’t turn up by the morning give me a ring and we’ll add her to the missing list.”
Elizabeth didn’t often cry, but right then she could have sat down and bawled. There just seemed no end to their troubles lately. If only Earl were there to reassure her. Under the circumstances, the chances of that were extremely unlikely.
She replaced the telephone and at the same moment heard the sound of a key in the back door. It opened, and Violet appeared in the doorway, her face flushed, wearing a print frock that Elizabeth couldn’t remember seeing before. Without giving her housekeeper a chance to open her mouth, Elizabeth demanded, “Where on earth have you been? Why didn’t you let me know you were going out? Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been about you? This really is most inconsiderate of you, Violet, and not like you at all.”
The glow in Violet’s cheeks burned even more. Pursing her lips, she placed her handbag on the kitchen table before saying crisply, “I told that old fool to tell you I was going out. I suppose he forgot. I should have left a note.”
Somewhat mollified, Elizabeth did her best to curb her temper. Her fright, followed by her relief that Violet was not in the hands of some cutthroats, had materialized in a fit of anger, and she had no right to be angry at Violet for taking a night off duty.
“He told me you were going out,” she admitted, slumping onto a chair. “He just didn’t tell me where.”
“That’s because I didn’t tell him where I was going.” Violet peered more closely at her. “I’m sorry I worried you, Lizzie. I didn’t mean to frighten you. You might know I wouldn’t be anywhere where I could come to harm.”