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Authors: Anne Cassidy
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updates of your escapade!’
‘It’s not an escapade , Rosie. This is serious stuff,’ Joshua said, looking mildly hurt.
‘’Course it is,’ Rose said.
‘And,’ Skeggsie said, ‘we’ve started to try and fathom the secret code in the book.’
Rose stood up. Secret codes and escapades. It was like something out of an old-fashioned adventure story. While they were playing around with all this she had the weight of knowledge that someone had asked for her help and she had done nothing. Even if that someone was Rachel Bliss.
She went out into the hall and got her coat and bag.
‘See you, guys,’ she shouted and headed for the stairs.
On Thursday morning, before getting ready for college, she rang Martha Harewood. Her next phone call was to Joshua. He answered immediately.
‘When are you going to Norfolk?’ she asked bluntly.
‘Tomorrow morning. But there’s a slight change of plan. Skeggsie can’t come. His asthma’s flared up. Temperature, wheezing. He’s in bed sucking on his nebuliser.’
‘Oh! Is it serious?’
‘He’s like this every now and again. He just has to drop everything, take the steroids and antibiotics and wait till his peak flow gets better. He should be OK in a few days.’
‘Peak flow?’ Rose said.
‘It’s an asthma thing. Not known to us regular people with working lungs.’
‘Right.’
‘I’ve seen him like this a lot. Believe me, he’ll bounce back.’
‘So what about Norfolk?’
‘I’m going on my own.’
‘How will you get there?’
‘Skeggsie says I can take his car.’
‘You can drive?’
‘Yes, Rosie, I can drive.’
‘I didn’t know.’
‘There’s lots you don’t know about me.’
‘Can I come? I want to go to my old school. I’ve looked on Google Maps. It’s about twelve miles from Stiffkey. That’s where you’re going, isn’t it? You could drop me off. I’ve spoken to my old housemistress and she says that I can stay there for a couple of nights. You can come back for me on Sunday.’
‘What about your gran?’
‘She’s going away for the weekend.’
‘Why are you going to your old school?’
‘I want to find out what happened to Rachel. Also I want to give the police some letters that she wrote me. I feel I want to be there, where it happened, even just for a short time.’
‘To get it out of your system?’
‘Maybe.’
‘OK, I’ll pick you up tomorrow about nine.’
‘Thanks.’
She sat back on her bed, Rachel’s letters beside her. The trip would mean missing college the next day but it couldn’t be helped. She was finally going back to Mary Linton.
Even though it was too late to do any good.
NINE
Rose sat in the front of Skeggsie’s Mini. Her rucksack was on the back seat. She’d packed the minimum of things that she would need: a change of clothes and her laptop. Her mobile was on her knee.
They went at a steady pace, Rose watching Joshua drive the car competently. How could she not have known that he drove? She must have had amazement written all over her face because he glanced at her and started to explain.
‘My Uncle Stu taught me to drive,’ he said, ‘when I was sixteen. He used to take me to this disused airfield that he knew. And he let me drive the car round and round. He sat back and got his tin of tobacco out and made ten roll-ups while I drove. Then, when I was seventeen, he put in for my theory and my test and I passed first time.’
Rose pictured Joshua sitting nervously at the wheel of his uncle’s car, driving in circles around an airfield.
‘He’s mad about cars. He’s got this MG Roadster in his garage that he’s been renovating for years.’
‘Has he been in touch lately?’
‘Yes, he’s got a girlfriend at long last. Her name’s Susie. I think it’s love . He mentions her in his emails a lot.’
They were heading off the M25 towards the M11 and Joshua swore under his breath when he saw the traffic queuing.
Rose had seen a couple of photos of Stuart in
‘It’s not an escapade , Rosie. This is serious stuff,’ Joshua said, looking mildly hurt.
‘’Course it is,’ Rose said.
‘And,’ Skeggsie said, ‘we’ve started to try and fathom the secret code in the book.’
Rose stood up. Secret codes and escapades. It was like something out of an old-fashioned adventure story. While they were playing around with all this she had the weight of knowledge that someone had asked for her help and she had done nothing. Even if that someone was Rachel Bliss.
She went out into the hall and got her coat and bag.
‘See you, guys,’ she shouted and headed for the stairs.
On Thursday morning, before getting ready for college, she rang Martha Harewood. Her next phone call was to Joshua. He answered immediately.
‘When are you going to Norfolk?’ she asked bluntly.
‘Tomorrow morning. But there’s a slight change of plan. Skeggsie can’t come. His asthma’s flared up. Temperature, wheezing. He’s in bed sucking on his nebuliser.’
‘Oh! Is it serious?’
‘He’s like this every now and again. He just has to drop everything, take the steroids and antibiotics and wait till his peak flow gets better. He should be OK in a few days.’
‘Peak flow?’ Rose said.
‘It’s an asthma thing. Not known to us regular people with working lungs.’
‘Right.’
‘I’ve seen him like this a lot. Believe me, he’ll bounce back.’
‘So what about Norfolk?’
‘I’m going on my own.’
‘How will you get there?’
‘Skeggsie says I can take his car.’
‘You can drive?’
‘Yes, Rosie, I can drive.’
‘I didn’t know.’
‘There’s lots you don’t know about me.’
‘Can I come? I want to go to my old school. I’ve looked on Google Maps. It’s about twelve miles from Stiffkey. That’s where you’re going, isn’t it? You could drop me off. I’ve spoken to my old housemistress and she says that I can stay there for a couple of nights. You can come back for me on Sunday.’
‘What about your gran?’
‘She’s going away for the weekend.’
‘Why are you going to your old school?’
‘I want to find out what happened to Rachel. Also I want to give the police some letters that she wrote me. I feel I want to be there, where it happened, even just for a short time.’
‘To get it out of your system?’
‘Maybe.’
‘OK, I’ll pick you up tomorrow about nine.’
‘Thanks.’
She sat back on her bed, Rachel’s letters beside her. The trip would mean missing college the next day but it couldn’t be helped. She was finally going back to Mary Linton.
Even though it was too late to do any good.
NINE
Rose sat in the front of Skeggsie’s Mini. Her rucksack was on the back seat. She’d packed the minimum of things that she would need: a change of clothes and her laptop. Her mobile was on her knee.
They went at a steady pace, Rose watching Joshua drive the car competently. How could she not have known that he drove? She must have had amazement written all over her face because he glanced at her and started to explain.
‘My Uncle Stu taught me to drive,’ he said, ‘when I was sixteen. He used to take me to this disused airfield that he knew. And he let me drive the car round and round. He sat back and got his tin of tobacco out and made ten roll-ups while I drove. Then, when I was seventeen, he put in for my theory and my test and I passed first time.’
Rose pictured Joshua sitting nervously at the wheel of his uncle’s car, driving in circles around an airfield.
‘He’s mad about cars. He’s got this MG Roadster in his garage that he’s been renovating for years.’
‘Has he been in touch lately?’
‘Yes, he’s got a girlfriend at long last. Her name’s Susie. I think it’s love . He mentions her in his emails a lot.’
They were heading off the M25 towards the M11 and Joshua swore under his breath when he saw the traffic queuing.
Rose had seen a couple of photos of Stuart in
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