disconnected.
Immediately, Jake dialled Robert’s number.
‘Hi, Robert,’ he said. ‘You called. All ready for the trip?’
‘No I am not!’ snarled Robert.
He was angry. No, he was more than angry, he was absolutely furious.
‘Do you know what those swines have done!’ he bellowed. ‘They’ve attacked Lizzie!’
For one horrible moment, Jake thought that Robert’s fiancée had been attacked. Then he remembered her name was Gemma. He also just managed to recall in time that Lizzie was the name Robert gave to his van.
‘What?!’ he said, shocked. ‘How?’
‘They’ve slashed all her tyres, and they’ve put sugar in her petrol tank. So the old girl’s not going anywhere!’
Chapter 12
They were an hour later than planned in setting off for Glastonbury. Robert had hired a car for the weekend, telling Jake determinedly when he’d pulled up outside Jake’s flat: ‘If they think they can stop me, they’ve got another thing coming!’
Robert’s anger and his desire for revenge for the attack on his beloved old van occupied the first half-hour of the journey. For Jake, the big question was: who had done it?
‘Could it have been the Watchers?’ he asked.
‘But I thought you said they weren’t violent types,’ Robert said.
‘Well, not as far as I know.’ Then Jake remembered Carl Parsons, a Watcher, and secretly very violent. But Parsons had been a renegade, a mercenary, so maybe he didn’t really count as a Watcher at all.
‘Anyway, doing it to a van isn’t the same as doing it to a person,’ said Jake, trying to make himself feel less threatened if it had been the Watchers.
‘It feels the same,’ said Robert angrily. ‘I love my old van. And if it was them, and I catch hold of them, they’re going to find out what physical violence really is!’
‘We’d better tell the others about the Watchers,’ said Jake. ‘Your pal, Andy, and this reporter. So they know what we’re up against.’ He fell into a thoughtful silence, then added: ‘Of course, it needn’t have been the Watchers. It could have been someone trying to stop the competition.’
‘We’re supposed to be looking for King Arthur,’ pointed out Robert.
‘Yes, but the opposition may not believe our cover story,’ put in Jake.
‘I think we’ll find out soon enough who it is,’ grunted Robert. ‘I bet you they’ll be watching for us in Glastonbury.’
Which wasn’t a pleasant prospect, Jake reflected.
‘So what’s this reporter like?’ asked Robert.
‘She’s young, about the same age as me,’ said Jake. ‘Very ambitious, which is why I thought she’d be ideal. And also, she doesn’t scare easily.’ He told him about Michelle coming to look for him in the timber store. ‘Plenty of people would have ignored it. Or maybe phoned the police and reported it.’
‘But she didn’t,’ mused Robert. ‘Suspicious?’
Jake thought it over.
‘Yes and no,’ he said. ‘Yes, her getting the phone call. But no, because — like I say — she’s ambitious, and if she thinks there’s a chance to further her career, she’ll go for it. Even if it could be a bit . . .’
‘Dangerous?’ queried Robert.
‘I was going to say “chancy”,’ said Jake. ‘But it could have been dangerous. So, yes.’
‘She sounds interesting,’ said Robert. ‘I look forward to meeting her.’
As they drove, Jake couldn’t help turning round every so often to check on the cars behind them.
‘Why do you keep turning round?’ asked Robert irritably, after Jake had twisted round in his seat for the fourth time.
‘Seeing if anyone’s following us,’ replied Jake.
‘They don’t need to,’ said Robert. ‘Anyone who’s been keeping tabs on us already knows we’re going to Glastonbury. It makes more sense for them to be waiting for us there.’
Which was true, Jake had to admit.
The journey was uneventful, and it was midday when they finally pulled into the car park of the Grail and Thorn. After
Immediately, Jake dialled Robert’s number.
‘Hi, Robert,’ he said. ‘You called. All ready for the trip?’
‘No I am not!’ snarled Robert.
He was angry. No, he was more than angry, he was absolutely furious.
‘Do you know what those swines have done!’ he bellowed. ‘They’ve attacked Lizzie!’
For one horrible moment, Jake thought that Robert’s fiancée had been attacked. Then he remembered her name was Gemma. He also just managed to recall in time that Lizzie was the name Robert gave to his van.
‘What?!’ he said, shocked. ‘How?’
‘They’ve slashed all her tyres, and they’ve put sugar in her petrol tank. So the old girl’s not going anywhere!’
Chapter 12
They were an hour later than planned in setting off for Glastonbury. Robert had hired a car for the weekend, telling Jake determinedly when he’d pulled up outside Jake’s flat: ‘If they think they can stop me, they’ve got another thing coming!’
Robert’s anger and his desire for revenge for the attack on his beloved old van occupied the first half-hour of the journey. For Jake, the big question was: who had done it?
‘Could it have been the Watchers?’ he asked.
‘But I thought you said they weren’t violent types,’ Robert said.
‘Well, not as far as I know.’ Then Jake remembered Carl Parsons, a Watcher, and secretly very violent. But Parsons had been a renegade, a mercenary, so maybe he didn’t really count as a Watcher at all.
‘Anyway, doing it to a van isn’t the same as doing it to a person,’ said Jake, trying to make himself feel less threatened if it had been the Watchers.
‘It feels the same,’ said Robert angrily. ‘I love my old van. And if it was them, and I catch hold of them, they’re going to find out what physical violence really is!’
‘We’d better tell the others about the Watchers,’ said Jake. ‘Your pal, Andy, and this reporter. So they know what we’re up against.’ He fell into a thoughtful silence, then added: ‘Of course, it needn’t have been the Watchers. It could have been someone trying to stop the competition.’
‘We’re supposed to be looking for King Arthur,’ pointed out Robert.
‘Yes, but the opposition may not believe our cover story,’ put in Jake.
‘I think we’ll find out soon enough who it is,’ grunted Robert. ‘I bet you they’ll be watching for us in Glastonbury.’
Which wasn’t a pleasant prospect, Jake reflected.
‘So what’s this reporter like?’ asked Robert.
‘She’s young, about the same age as me,’ said Jake. ‘Very ambitious, which is why I thought she’d be ideal. And also, she doesn’t scare easily.’ He told him about Michelle coming to look for him in the timber store. ‘Plenty of people would have ignored it. Or maybe phoned the police and reported it.’
‘But she didn’t,’ mused Robert. ‘Suspicious?’
Jake thought it over.
‘Yes and no,’ he said. ‘Yes, her getting the phone call. But no, because — like I say — she’s ambitious, and if she thinks there’s a chance to further her career, she’ll go for it. Even if it could be a bit . . .’
‘Dangerous?’ queried Robert.
‘I was going to say “chancy”,’ said Jake. ‘But it could have been dangerous. So, yes.’
‘She sounds interesting,’ said Robert. ‘I look forward to meeting her.’
As they drove, Jake couldn’t help turning round every so often to check on the cars behind them.
‘Why do you keep turning round?’ asked Robert irritably, after Jake had twisted round in his seat for the fourth time.
‘Seeing if anyone’s following us,’ replied Jake.
‘They don’t need to,’ said Robert. ‘Anyone who’s been keeping tabs on us already knows we’re going to Glastonbury. It makes more sense for them to be waiting for us there.’
Which was true, Jake had to admit.
The journey was uneventful, and it was midday when they finally pulled into the car park of the Grail and Thorn. After
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