‘I checked the phone when I got here this morning,’ Oluchi said. ‘You can still see muddy water trapped behind the screen when you shake it.’

  Robin nodded. ‘There’s a lady in the market who fixes phones. We’ll have to get her to take it apart and dry everything out properly. If I try to unlock the phone while there’s water inside, the battery could short and fry the whole thing.’

  ‘I’m going to ask around and see if we can track the phone repair lady down before market day,’ Oluchi said.

  Robin checked his own phone for the tenth time, making sure he had a signal and that the ringer volume was at full blast so that he wouldn’t miss Alan trying to contact him. Then he looked at the blurry charging receipt.

  He started his investigation by finding the charging company’s website. Next, he clicked on a map of all their charging stations and realised the only one near the Mile End landfill site was in a service station car park next to Route 24.

  ‘Maybe I can find a CCTV camera on that site,’ Robin said, mostly to himself.

  He was using an online map to get street view images of the charging station when two adults began stomping up the stairs.

  ‘Thought I’d find you hiding up here,’ Will Scarlock snapped furiously.

  Robin made an involuntary shudder as Karma reached the top of the stairs and glowered at him.

  ‘Like I don’t have enough to deal with!’ Karma yelled. ‘Attacking your school principal with a hole punch? Did you lose your tiny mind?’

  ‘You did what?’ Oluchi said, shocked.

  ‘Every staff member in School Zone is a volunteer,’ Will ranted. ‘They work hard with limited resources for no money, and this is how you treat them?’

  ‘I had to take that call,’ Robin said. ‘It was Alan Adale. He’s in danger.’

  ‘If you were expecting an important call, you should have left your phone with an adult,’ Karma said.

  ‘I suppose I could have.’ Robin squirmed as the two grown-ups loomed over his workstation. ‘I just didn’t think about every single detail.’

  ‘You can’t run a school where kids get to pick and choose what rules they follow,’ Will said.

  ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have had my phone,’ Robin admitted. ‘But Mr Khan was still being pig-headed. He should have let me take the call when I said it was urgent and punished me after. And besides, I didn’t throw the hole punch that hard.’

  ‘Really?’ Will quizzed. ‘So why is Mr Khan in the medical unit? He’s waiting for the duty nurse to put stitches in a cut over his eye.’

  Robin bit his bottom lip and looked down at his trainers.

  ‘What will you do all day if Mr Khan doesn’t let you back into School Zone?’ Karma asked. ‘You need education. You need qualifications.’

  Robin folded his arms and went on the defensive. ‘I learn more here in the Nest with the hacking stuff D’Angela sends me than I ever do in class. And what are qualifications going to do for me? If I left the forest, I’d have to serve a million years in prison before I could apply to university or get a straight job.’

  ‘That’s the world we live in now,’ Will said. ‘Things could change for the better in a few years’ time.’

  ‘What, when President Marjorie is running the country?’ Robin scoffed. ‘And I’m sorry I hurt Mr Khan, OK? But he never listens and I couldn’t ignore the call when my oldest friend needed help.’

  Will sighed and took a step back to reduce the tension. ‘We’re all going to have to sit around a table and have a serious discussion about your behaviour and your future education.’

  ‘And your punishment,’ Karma interrupted. ‘Matt and the other lads in School Zone look up to Robin and copy everything he does. You can’t assault the school principal and get off lightly.’

  ‘To be discussed,’ Will said, apparently irritated by Karma’s harsh tone. ‘But right now, it does seem like your friend Alan needs help. Can you carefully explain where Alan is and what’s been happening? Then maybe we can think up a way to help him.’

  19. I HOPE YOU’RE PROUD OF YOURSELF

  Gisborne’s thugs went on a rampage before they left Alan’s house, ripping TVs off the walls, lobbing the toaster through a window, shattering the downstairs toilet with a hammer, flushing Dakota’s goldfish, setting off two fire extinguishers and stealing Nick Adale’s collection of luxury watches.

  The clock beside Alan’s bed said 09:56. Mercifully the thugs hadn’t gone in his room, but he felt sick with nerves and his hands trembled as he stuffed a wheeled case with clothes and sneakers.

  ‘Out of the door in five if you’re gonna make that train!’ his dad shouted up the stairs.

  Alan packed his phone charger, scooped toiletries from the bathroom and found the cash that his nan had sent for his birthday. Then he unlocked his phone and tried to call his mum for the third time, but he kept getting her voicemail.

  After dragging his case and a backpack downstairs, Alan crunched over shards of broken mirror in the hallway. His dad, Nick, was in the kitchen, slugging whisky out of a Pyrex jug because all the regular glassware was broken.

  ‘You’ve got to drive,’ Alan reminded his dad. ‘I’ve called Mum a few times but I can’t get through to tell her I’m coming.’

  Nick poured another huge whisky and blurted, ‘I need this booze to calm my nerves.’ Then as he walked towards the hallway. ‘I guess you’ll be happy when they find me in a layby with a bullet through my skull.’

  ‘If Gisborne was going to kill us, wouldn’t he have done it already?’ Alan asked.

  ‘Gisborne’s a sadist who likes to toy with people before he crushes them,’ Nick said. ‘And he has to be on his best behaviour while he’s running for sheriff.’

  ‘I guess I’ll keep calling Mum while I’m on the train,’ Alan said, feeling a weird cocktail of pity, loathing and love for his dad.

  Nick snorted as he brushed past Alan’s case and stepped up to a coat rack. ‘You’re full of bright ideas, so I’m sure you’ll figure something out before you get to Capital City.’

  As Nick dug his car keys from the pocket of a trench coat, Alan noticed his dad’s laptop on the floor in front of the kitchen island.

  After a quick glance into the hallway, where his dad stared longingly at a studio portrait of a family that no longer existed, Alan made the split-second decision to take the laptop and drop it down the front pocket of his wheelie case. With luck, his dad would assume it had got smashed or stolen by the thugs.

  ‘Get a move on,’ Nick said, slurring and stumbling as he opened the front door.

  Alan noticed a cop car parked across the street as he wheeled his case out onto the drive. A neighbour probably called when she heard the house getting trashed, but the officer did nothing once she realised Gisborne’s thugs were involved. Nor did she stop Nick getting in the driver’s seat of his big Mercedes, though he was obviously drunk.

  Alan slid his case across the back seat and sat next to it, because there’d be less awkward eye contact than being next to his dad up front. Nick drove off fast and scraped the front wheel along a kerb. He looked weak and angry as he sped towards Parkway station on the edge of town, while Alan tried to call his mum for the fourth time.

  ‘Try your mother’s office,’ Nick said. ‘Her personal assistant will know where to find her.’

  ‘Good idea,’ Alan answered. ‘But I don’t have her office number.’

  Alan felt scared as his drunk dad used one hand to steer and the other to find a number stored on his phone. By the time Nick had texted the number to his son, they’d reached the giant, near-deserted car park of Locksley Parkway station.

  ‘Last time having to chauffeur you around, at least,’ Nick slurred resentfully as he parked in a NO STOPPING zone in front of the station’s corrugated metal ticket hall. ‘Time for my son and his brilliant brain to clear off.’

  The 10:24 train could be heard rumbling towards the station as Alan dragged his case off the back seat.

  Saying goodbye to his dad felt huge. Alan wanted to ignore the sarcastic comments and say something like I really hope we can get past this or I hope your meeting with Gisborne goes OK.

  Tears welled as he wondered if he’d ever see his dad again. But the train was close and Alan just said, ‘Drive careful, you’ve had a lot to drink,’ before shutting the car door.

  Nick showed his contempt for his son by lighting up the Mercedes’ back tyres and fishtailing across the empty car park. Alan wheeled his heavy case past a broken ticket machine, jogged up a flight of stairs and ran over a bridge to catch the train slowing into the far side platform.

  The only other soul on the platform was a skinhead student. She had a portable poster tube filled with artwork. For a paranoid moment Alan imagined there was a gun in the tube and that Gisborne had sent her to assassinate him. But two minutes later he was sitting by the filthy window in an empty train carriage, dialling the number for his mum’s assistant.

  ‘Have to talk to my mum as soon as possible,’ Alan told the assistant, as the graffiti-strewn outskirts of Locksley moved by at increasing speed.

  The assistant spoke like he was reading from a script. ‘Mrs Adale will be unable to take calls while she attends the International Public Transit Conference in Berlin. I might be able to schedule a five-minute slot when she returns to her office on Thursday.’

  ‘I’m her son,’ Alan said firmly. ‘I need to speak to my mother now.’

  ‘May I suggest that you discuss any issue with your father?’ the assistant asked. ‘Mrs Adale has made it clear that issues relating to yourself and Dakota should be dealt with by Nick Adale.’

  ‘I need my mum,’ Alan said, then groaned. ‘Why is that so hard for you to understand?’

  ‘Mrs Adale is currently in a closed ITPC conference session. The best I can do is send her an email flagged as urgent with your contact details. But your mother’s diary is very full. She doesn’t usually return calls unless there is a pre-booked appointment.’

  ‘This is nuts,’ Alan said, as he imagined himself rocking up in Capital City in three hours’ time with sixty pounds and nowhere to go.

  The assistant cleared his throat and sounded cross. ‘As I just said, Mrs Adale is attending a conference in Berlin. The best I can do send her an email flagged urg—’

  ‘Hello?’ Alan said, then moved the phone away from his face and saw that the call had dropped out.

  He thought about calling back, but the train had entered a tunnel so there was no point. As Alan stared out the window at brickwork caked in diesel soot, he imagined two possible scenarios.

  The best case was that he got to Capital City and lived with his mum and her new bloke, where he clearly wasn’t wanted. The worst was that his mum never returned his call and he wound up wandering the streets.

  As the train emerged from the tunnel, Alan opened his web browser and typed the IP address of a gaming server from memory. Then he linked to the chat function and poked his oldest friend.

  ‘Alan, thank God!’ Robin said when they connected. ‘I’ve been bricking myself since your last call.’

  Alan managed a slight laugh. ‘Think you were scared? You should see the back of my underwear.’

  20. A MILLION THINGS AT ONCE

  ‘Alan’s on a train to Capital City,’ Robin told Oluchi, ecstatic with relief. ‘Gisborne had their whole house bugged, so they heard him speaking to me. His thugs wrecked their house and ordered Alan to leave town. But his mum is being super weird and he’s got nowhere to go, so I’ve arranged to meet up with him.’

  When Alan called, Robin had been in the middle of typing a message, asking his hacking guru D’Angela for ideas about the best way to trace the owner of the charging receipt. He typed the last line and sent this message before calling Will Scarlock. The rebel leader had only left the Nest minutes earlier, but the call went to his voicemail.

  ‘Gonna run to the security office,’ Robin said. ‘I can be there in three minutes.’

  ‘Where are you meeting Alan?’ Oluchi asked.

  Robin didn’t answer because he jumped the entirety of the Nest’s staircase, then set off across the casino at a sprint.

  ‘I need transport!’ Robin blurted as he charged into the security office. ‘Tuxford station.’

  Security chief Azeem, her sister Lyla and several other security officers were around a big oval conference table having their Monday morning strategy meeting. They didn’t appreciate Robin’s explosive entrance, but changed their tune once they understood what was going on.

  Will Scarlock guessed where Robin would be and caught the end of his frantic explanation.

  ‘Robin’s not riding off on his own,’ Will said. ‘He needs a strong security escort.’

  ‘Hold on,’ Azeem said suspiciously. ‘Isn’t this all too convenient?’

  Robin looked annoyed. ‘What are you on about?’

  ‘First thing this morning you get a call from Alan saying that Gisborne’s people have got him. But somehow he managed to escape so that he could call you. Then Alan called you again, asking for you to meet him at a tiny village railway station halfway between Locksley and Nottingham.’

  Will nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Robin. ‘Who suggested Tuxford, you or Alan?’

  ‘Alan, I guess,’ Robin admitted. ‘He might have nowhere to go when he reaches Capital City, so I asked him where his train was stopping. He read station names off the map inside the carriage. Alan said Tuxford was a good place to get off because he’s been to some restaurant there with his parents and he reckons there’s never anyone around.’

  ‘What if this is a Gisborne ploy to lure Robin out of the forest and catch him?’ Azeem asked.

  ‘It’s not.’ Robin groaned. ‘Alan’s my friend. I trust him and I already promised to meet him at Tuxford. He also nabbed his dad’s laptop. Nick Adale has been working alongside Gisborne for years, so if I can hack that laptop there could be all kinds of evidence about his dodgy dealings.’

  ‘Robin, it’s not a question of whether your friend is a decent person,’ Lyla Masri pointed out firmly. ‘The question is, what would Alan be prepared to do if Gisborne’s thugs threatened to hurt him or a member of his family?’

  ‘Even if it’s not a trap, Gisborne might be having Alan followed to make sure he leaves the area,’ Azeem added.

  ‘So, we leave Alan in the middle of nowhere?’ Robin protested, then spun around towards the exit. ‘If you’re not gonna help, I’ll grab a dirt bike and ride to Tuxford on my own.’

  ‘Stop being so dramatic!’ Will said, grasping Robin’s hoodie and tugging him back. ‘We won’t abandon your friend, but Lyla and Azeem are right. We have to be cautious. We need a plan that enables us to get Alan out of danger, but also take precautions in case Gisborne has set a trap.’

  ‘Does Robin need to go?’ one of the other security officers asked. ‘Gisborne has zero chance of snaring Robin if he’s here at Sherwood Castle.’

  Robin looked like his head was about to explode. ‘No way I’m not going! Alan’s my mate and I am not your prisoner.’

  Will looked conflicted, but made a rapid decision. ‘I think Alan will feel more comfortable if Robin is there, rather than being met by strangers.’

  ‘Exactly,’ Robin said, pleased that Will had taken his side.

  ‘No time to waste,’ Azeem said, standing up and taking charge of her team. ‘I want three quad bikes fuelled and ready to leave in fifteen minutes. We’ll need five experienced and well-armed officers, plus Robin. We’ll need two vans ready when we get to our transit hub on the southern edge of the forest. Bring heat-sensitive cameras and a drone so we can scout the station and spot anyone Gisborne has hiding nearby.’

  Will glanced at Robin as Azeem kept up the stream of orders for her security team. ‘Where’s your bow?’ he asked.

  Robin usually took his bow everywhere, but in School Zone weapons were banned.

  ‘My bedroom in the penthouse.’

  ‘Better go get it then,’ Will urged. ‘And you’ll need boots, water, warm clothes and snacks in case you get stuck overnight.’

  ‘Yes, Mummy,’ Robin said cheekily, then turned back as he was halfway out of the door. ‘Where are we meeting?’

  ‘Rear courtyard by the fuel tanks,’ Azeem said. ‘Thirteen minutes.’

  Robin gave Azeem a thumbs up before shooting out. He had to pass near School Zone to get to the stairs, and a bunch of kids, including Matt Maid, were in the hallway between classrooms. They were supposed to be doing pastel drawings, but were mostly messing around.

  ‘Hood baby!’ Matt blurted, then cracked a huge smile as he ran after Robin. ‘Is it true you threw the big hole punch at Mr Khan?’

  ‘It’s so cool that you got expelled,’ a girl running behind added. ‘I heard there’s blood all over the carpet in Khan’s office.’

  ‘You’re a legend,’ Matt continued. ‘But I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes when my mums find out.’

  ‘Karma and Indio already found out,’ Robin said irritably, as he dodged Matt and kept running.

  Twelve floors up to the penthouse left Robin breathless, and he was grateful there were no adults he needed to explain himself to when he got there. He took water, M&Ms and beef jerky from the kitchen, went to his bedroom for his bow, packed his grubby forest pack with plenty of arrows and buzzed with excitement as he donned thick clothes, hiking boots and a crash helmet for the muddy ride through the forest.

  Robin considered Azeem’s theory that Alan was the bait in a trap as he ran back downstairs. After making a diversion and crossing the third floor to avoid another encounter with School Zone, Robin felt his phone vibrate inside his thick combat trousers as he headed for the courtyard out back.

  ‘This is Tybalt Bull,’ the guy on the other end said. ‘Is it safe to talk?’

  Robin was thinking of six things at once and took a second to remember who Tybalt even was.

  ‘You’re my dad’s lawyer,’ Robin said, as he jogged. ‘This call is untraceable and encrypted at my end, but I’m in a massive hurry right now.’

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19