CHERUB: Man vs Beast (15 page)

Even so, it was nearly six when James came through the door and he expected a blasting from Zara. But she wasn’t back from campus and instead he found Ryan and Lauren working on the evening meal in the kitchen. Ryan was telling some of his old Zebra 84 anecdotes and Lauren lapped them up as she chopped onions and dropped them into sizzling oil.

‘I called your mobile about six times,’ Lauren said. ‘Miss Hunter came to my class and asked if I knew why you weren’t in PE.’

The truth was obvious, so James didn’t even attempt a lie. ‘My head was killing me so I bunked it.’

‘Zara’s gonna
love
you. You’re getting a letter home and you’ve got to go to the head of year’s office tomorrow.’

‘Fabulous,’ James said wearily, as he slumped at the dining table. ‘Mind you, with a bit of luck I’ll get suspended for a few days.’

‘What about your mobile?’ Lauren asked.

‘It was panic stations getting ready this morning,’ James said. ‘I think it’s still upstairs in my jeans from last night.’

‘We need to talk to Zara but we can’t get through,’ Lauren explained.

‘What’s up?’

Ryan took over. ‘I got a call from one of my few sympathisers in the Alliance. Anna and I go way back, even before Zebra eighty-four.’

‘She’s the one I was helping out with the buffet at the university last night,’ Lauren explained.

James nodded. ‘I remember – nice friendly lady.’

‘So, Anna called me this morning,’ Ryan continued. ‘The vast majority of experiments at Malarek are on mice, rats and rabbits, but they’re still using a couple of hundred dogs per month and the Alliance has spent years looking for where they’re bred. Anna received a tip-off about a kennel down in Trowbridge, thirty miles south of here.’

‘Is the information solid?’ James asked.

Ryan nodded. ‘She’s sent people down there to sniff around and it looks real enough. They have cages and sheds where they breed dogs for pets, but there’s a special kennel where pups are grown in isolation for experimentation.’

‘Why in isolation?’ James asked.

‘Scientists don’t want puppies that have been rolling around on the grass picking up diseases and parasites that might spoil their experiments. They want dogs that are separated from their mothers at birth and kept in single cages.’

‘Anna is leading a mission to rescue as many of the dogs as possible and it’s on for tonight,’ Lauren explained, as she added chopped courgettes to the pan of onions.

‘Turn the heat down or they’ll burn,’ Ryan said urgently. ‘The thing is, I’ve been invited along. But I really need Zara’s say-so before I can go along with something like this.’

‘Why?’ James asked.

Ryan suddenly sounded narked. ‘Zara and I had a chat last night and she made it clear that I’d find myself back in prison if I stepped out of line.’

‘When did you last ring Zara?’ James asked.

‘Just before you got in the door,’ Lauren said. ‘I’ve left her loads of voicemails.’

‘Did you try speaking to someone on the switchboard in mission preparation?’

‘Yes,’ Lauren sighed. ‘They said Zara couldn’t be disturbed unless we had an emergency. I asked if there was anyone other than Zara who knew about our mission. The dude asked around, but nobody knew a thing.’

‘Well it’s down to us then,’ James said. ‘What does Kyle say?’

‘He’s not here,’ Lauren said. ‘Tom came over in his MG after school and they’ve gone into town for a curry.’

‘Great,’ James tutted, realising that he couldn’t ring Kyle to discuss the mission while he was with Tom. ‘The decision’s down to us then. And if you ask me, Ryan, we want you as involved in the Alliance as possible.’

‘That’s what I said,’ Lauren nodded, as she grabbed three dinner plates out of the cupboard.

Meanwhile, Ryan was pulling a nut roast out of the oven.

‘But one of us should go with you,’ James said. ‘You might meet some interesting activists.’

Ryan and Lauren both looked surprised at this suggestion. ‘I can’t just turn up with a kid in tow,’ he said.

‘Suppose you’re right,’ James said, feeling a little stupid. ‘Just thinking out loud.’

‘It would be good though,’ Lauren said. ‘Anna’s a really nice person and she’s got four daughters. Maybe you could say that Zara’s away and I’m too young to be left on my own. Then I could sleep in the car or something.’

Ryan thought for a second as he split the nut roast between three plates. ‘Or,’ he said, waggling his finger excitedly, ‘do you like dogs, Lauren?’

Lauren smiled. ‘I love dogs. I always wanted one when I was little but you weren’t allowed them round our flats.’

‘Not that it stopped all the local villains from owning Rottweilers and pit bulls,’ James added.

‘Right,’ Ryan grinned. ‘Then I’ve got a way for Lauren to come along and help out. Are you both sure this is going to be OK with Zara?’

‘I’ll take responsibility,’ James said. ‘It’s bloody ridiculous Zara disappearing like this in the middle of a mission. What’s she playing it?’

‘Don’t knock her until you know why,’ Lauren said sharply. ‘For all we know there’s an emergency on another mission or something.’

Meanwhile, Ryan had grabbed his mobile. ‘Anna, I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that I’m in for tonight if you still want me. The bad news is that Zara’s not around and I’ve got a little childcare problem. How would you feel about having young Lauren as an extra pair of hands at the stables?’

*

Zara had the only car, so Ryan called a mini-cab which took them on the fifteen-kilometre trip to a multi-storey car park in the centre of Bristol.

They headed up to the fifth floor, using a concrete staircase that reeked of urine, then along a corridor where Ryan knocked on a door with SANITATION written on it. It was opened by a dreadlocked man called Lou and they joined him in a gloomy room, with mops standing in metal buckets along one wall and shelves stacked with cleaning solutions.

‘You know the rules,’ Lou said. ‘Everyone has to be checked for bugs.’

‘I
made
the rules,’ Ryan grinned, as he was padded down. Next, he pulled his T-shirt off, stepped out of his trainers and dropped his trousers down to his ankles. Once Lou finished inspecting Ryan’s trainers, he looked uneasily at Lauren.

‘I have to do the same for the little lady,’ he said, clearly uncomfortable at the idea of asking an eleven-year-old to strip off in front of him.

‘It’s OK,’ Lauren smiled, as she pulled her T-shirt over her head. Ryan had told her not to bring her mobile phone and all she had in her pockets were door keys and a few pounds in change.

Once the formalities were over, Ryan and Lou pulled each other into a hug.

‘Long time no see,’ Lou grinned. ‘Sorry I didn’t visit you inside, but I’ve never been one for showing my face.’

‘Don’t worry about that,’ Ryan said. ‘I appreciated people making the effort, but to be honest the company only made me feel worse.’

Lauren was intrigued by Lou as she slid her trainers back on. She thought she’d seen surveillance pictures of all Ryan’s close associates, but this distinctive black man would have stuck out and she’d definitely never seen a picture of him.

They headed back out into the car park and found a shabby Vauxhall Astra. Ryan joined Lou in the front and Lauren slid in the back.

‘Cars are a problem nowadays,’ Lou explained, as he backed out of the parking spot. ‘There’s speed cameras everywhere that can read your number plate. We never go anywhere near a raid in our own cars. I pick up cheap, nondescript motors at auctions and put false plates on them.’

Ryan nodded. ‘Sounds expensive.’

‘It is that. I know you’re no fan of Madeline Laing, but we’re never left wanting for money. And as the police get their hands on better surveillance technology, our operations get more expensive.’

‘We’re slowly turning into a police state,’ Ryan said.

‘You said it,’ Lou nodded, as the car pulled out of the multi-storey and into daylight.

‘So, you and Anna keep it tight?’

‘Very tight,’ Lou said. ‘It’s basically us two and a few others from the old days. We’re part of the Alliance, but we keep out of anything that takes place within five clicks of Malarek and stick to special operations. The only people we use regularly who you might not know are Anna’s eldest two daughters.’

‘I’m their godfather, as a matter of fact,’ Ryan grinned. ‘If I had two pennies to rub together, I’d have bought them an eighteenth birthday present.’

‘I’m told you’ve got a nice cottage back at Corbyn Copse.’

‘That’s Zara’s money talking: her husband was something in the oil industry and she got a juicy divorce settlement.’

‘Funny,’ Lou smiled, ‘I never saw you settling into a house with kids and that.’

‘Me neither,’ Ryan said, as Lauren caught a glimpse of his face in the mirror. She could see how uncomfortable Ryan felt lying to his friend.

It was turning dark when the Astra pulled into a lay-by close to the junction of two busy A-roads. Lauren stepped out of the car as Lou gave her directions.

‘I’d take you up there, but we’re running late. Just walk straight for about a kilometre. It’s safe, there’s a grass verge all the way. The first building you’ll come to is a modern house: red brick, plastic windows and a stable block out back. They know you’re coming.’

‘What time should you be back?’

‘Hard to say,’ Lou shrugged. ‘Depending on the breaks it could be any time between midnight and three in the morning.’

‘Or not at all if we get nicked,’ Ryan added.

‘Right,’ Lauren said, as she leaned into the car and gave Ryan a kiss on the cheek. ‘Good luck, guys. I hope everything goes to plan.’

‘Thank you,’ Ryan grinned, startled by Lauren’s apparently genuine burst of affection.

Once the car set off, Lauren began a slow trek towards the house. As she walked, she realised that she wanted Ryan, Lou and Anna to succeed in rescuing the dogs. She wished she’d been able to go with them, because her espionage training might have come in useful.

‘You must be Lauren,’ a young woman dressed in wellies and jeans said a few minutes later, as Lauren stepped through the front gate. The woman moved awkwardly because she had a large drum of disinfectant hanging off each arm.

‘You must be Anna’s daughter,’ Lauren smiled. ‘You look just like her.’

The twenty-year-old nodded. ‘I’m Miranda. My sister Adelaide is in the house, putting the two little ones to bed.’

‘Little ones?’ Lauren asked.

‘Our half sisters, Polly and Cat. They’re three and five.’

‘You don’t live here, do you?’ Lauren asked.

Miranda shook her head. ‘The house belongs to a supporter. It’s usually let out, but the location is perfect for tonight. Do you want to come around to the stables and see what we’re setting up?’

‘Sure,’ Lauren said. ‘Do you want a hand with one of those drums?’

‘I can just about manage,’ Miranda said as she waddled awkwardly around the side of the house.

The stable block had berths for ten horses and was in pristine condition. It came complete with a grass paddock, enclosed by a neat wooden fence, but there were no horses to be seen anywhere. Most of the stable doors had been swung open and inside each one was a trestle table with several plastic bowls lined up on it.

‘What’s all this in aid of?’ Lauren asked. ‘I thought the dogs were already kept in isolation.’

‘None of our people has been inside the isolation unit, but our source reckons the dogs are kept in filthy conditions. Young dogs are extremely playful and if you separate them from their siblings and put them in a tiny cage without any toys, the only thing they’re left to play with is their own filth.’

‘You mean wee and poo,’ Lauren gawped, screwing up her nose at the thought.

‘Afraid so. Our tip-off claimed that the cages are hosed out a couple of times a week, but the dogs themselves only get disinfected immediately before they’re shipped off to Malarek.’

‘That’s
so
disgusting,’ Lauren said. ‘How can anyone let an animal live like that?’

‘I know – it’s beyond belief, isn’t it? I’d really appreciate it if you could help out. I’ve dealt with similar situations before and cleaning the animals takes a strong stomach, but you can make yourself useful even if you just run back and forth with the hot water.’

‘I’ll do whatever I can to help,’ Lauren said. ‘What will happen to the puppies afterwards?’

‘We can’t keep them here for long. But over the years we’ve built up a network of unofficial sanctuaries for animals we’ve rescued, so they’ll all go to good homes.’

*

By the time everything was set up inside the stables, Anna’s youngest daughters were asleep. The house wasn’t huge, but seemed so to Lauren after the pokey cottage in Corbyn Copse. She ended up in the living-room, sandwiched between Adelaide and Miranda, with her socked feet resting on a coffee table and communal bowls of tortilla chips and salsa in her lap.

The TV was going, but they weren’t really watching. Mostly, Lauren listened to stories told by the two sisters. It sounded like they’d had an amazing childhood. Their dad had left home when they were toddlers and Anna’s full-time commitment to animal liberation meant that she survived on donations and state benefits. The sisters had even spent eighteen months in foster care while their mother was in prison.

But the girls didn’t seem to resent any of the hardships. They clearly adored their mother, even if they weren’t so keen on their stepfather, and they told fantastic adventure stories. As ten-year-olds, they’d run into the woods in the middle of the night in their dressing gowns, holding rabbit cages while the police searched their home. As teenagers they’d been smuggled out of Romania in the boot of a car after taking part in a protest against blood sports and they’d each spent three months in a young offenders’ institution following an arson attack on a meat market.

Lauren was a natural born cynic, but she was impressed by these two resourceful and intelligent young women. As interesting as their stories were, however, she’d been up past midnight the evening before and eventually lost the battle with her eyelids.

*