Page 58 of Sun, Sea & Strawberry Shortcake
Hudson’s Alpha Romeo is parked round the corner, in thespace allotted to our cottage, and when I get there, I notice to my alarm thatthe sinister black car – usually parked in the lane – is right there, next toHudson’s.
But the man with the dark glasses isn’t inside.
My heart lurches as I dive into the car and start theengine.
Could he be the plague doctor? The one who’s abductedJodie? Was he watching them all this time, just waiting for his chance?
I drive away, and within minutes, I’m parking at the end ofthe promenade, near the path that leads uphill through the woods to the clifftops and past the pet cemetery, before snaking down to the deserted cove below.
I get out of the car, lock it and dive into the treesnearby, my heart beating frantically, running cautiously at first, terrified abramble snaking across the woodland path might trip me up and delay me gettingto Bee, Jodie and her kidnapper.
There’s neither sight nor sound of them but I scramble on,pushing myself harder and brushing away the sweat that’s trickling into myeyes. But the uphill gradient is starting to take its toll and I need to stop.Gasping and bending down, hands pressing into my thighs, I try to control mybreathing but my heart is thundering too hard.
And then I hear it.
The thin scream of a child. High-pitched. Terrified.
Jodie!
Straightening up, filled with a new determination, I race onin the direction of the sound, feeling sick with the effort and the thought ofwhat might happen to her at the hands of the plague doctor...
I thunder through the pet cemetery. But then the path forksand I stand for a moment in a panic, wondering which way to go. Then I hearshouts to my left. They’re on the path Hudson and I took – the one that ranparallel with the cliff top.
Running on, my breath coming in ragged gasps now, I’mterrified I might not get there in time.
Another scream reaches me through the gloom, much closerthis time.
And then, as the woods open out into a clearing on my left,I recognise where I am. It’s the place where Hudson and I paused for a while tosit on the bench with its view over the bay from the top of the cliffs.
Bee’s voice reaches me. She sounds desperate, although Ican’t make out what she’s saying. Cautiously, the blood pounding in my veins, Imove into the clearing, and my heart lurches with horror at the sight beforeme.
Bee is standing by the bench, her arm outstretched towardsthe two figures standing close to the edge of the cliff. The plague doctor hasJodie in its grasp and the silhouette of its terrifying bird beak mask againstthe darkening sky causes a shiver of revulsion to run along my spine. It’sstanding behind its prey, gloved hands grasping Jodie more firmly each time shewriggles and whimpers in her desperation to get free. She keeps calling out forher mummy, but poor Bee is standing like a statue, terrified to move an inchcloser in case the worst happens...
I creep nearer, dreading the crack of a twig that would giveme away, and noticing to my horror how very close they are to the edge of thecliff.
Jodie must be terrified.
Bee is trembling and pleading. ‘Please don’t hurt her. Idon’t know why you’re doing this but surely we can talk about it?’
The figure, motionless up till now, turns its head slowlytowards Bee.
‘She’s just achild!’ Bee pleads. ‘Pleaselether go.’
CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT
Time seems to stand still for a second.
Then, from the bushes to the left, a man emerges, roaringlike a lion into the silence. Startled, the plague doctor turns towards him,letting go of its victim, and the man grabs hold of Jodie, wrapping his armsaround her and pulling her away from the edge. They land in a heap on the grassand Bee gives a little cry and runs over. She falls to her knees and sweeps Jodieinto her arms, hugging her tightly, as the heroic rescuer sits back, pantingand looking stunned.
For a moment, the atmosphere is charged with relief.
Bee turns and sees me standing there, and both she and Jodieare crying softly, clinging onto each other as if they’ll never let go again.
And then I see the plague doctor slipping away and escaping throughthe trees.
‘We need to go after it!’ I yell in a panic, and the manturns and is instantly on high alert, leaping to his feet. His sunglasses falloff but he ignores them and pounds after the plague doctor. And that’s when Irealise with a shock that it’s actually the person in the black car...the man who’s been lurking in the lane all week!
I glance back at Bee and Jodie. ‘Are you okay?’
