Storm and Stone (14 page)

Nat slapped him round the head. ‘It’s Key we’re talking about here. He could break in to the Pentagon; I don’t think your current account is going to be much of a challenge. So, guys, how’s the mission going?’ He pushed the trolley laden with snacks nearer so Kieran and Joe could help themselves.

‘It’s coming together.’ Joe chose a sandwich and rocked back on his stool. ‘We’ve found a link between the students and the parents—the pupils are being sent on character building courses and coming back changed. Kieran thinks there has to be something happening to them when they go away—some kind of brainwashing or maybe bribery or threats to reform their behaviour.’

‘Or a combination of all three,’ added Kieran.

‘Bribed to be good kids?’ asked Nat.

‘I’m not sure about good. One of them came back totally poisonous.’

‘Surely they wouldn’t crumble so easily, so quickly?’ Daimon had great faith in his own strength of mind and assumed everyone else was the same.

‘Minds are clay not diamonds, Daimon.’

Daimon’s expression hardened. ‘So, not knowing the details, you think the students are being manipulated?’

‘Something along those lines. We need more evidence before we know for sure.’

‘There’s nothing like that going on at the school, so it’s got to be happening at the manor,’ said Joe.

‘The manor?’ asked Nat.

‘The school has this plush annex—a kind of health club which they use for training courses and vacation camps.’

‘Already I’m suspicious. “Plush” and “school” sound weird together,’ said Daimon.

Joe nodded. ‘Yeah, you’re right. During term, old boys and girls of the UIS network come there for conferences, bringing their colleagues from their places of work and their money. I thought it was a kind of fundraising wing, exploiting the contacts the school’s graduates make, but there has to be something more. All the students who have gone through the personality change have been there.’

‘And not everyone has come back,’ Kieran pointed out. ‘Some may still be there.’

‘And that might just be the key to this puzzle. We’ll have to get in.’

‘What is less obvious is how the scheme at the manor relates to the wider problem that brought us into the case in the first place. I’m trying to find a pattern but nothing has leapt out so far. I suppose it’ll end up as a game of hunt the money.’

‘They give you money for doing them a favour, or you pay them money for brainwashing your kids?’ Nat asked shrewdly.

‘Not sure yet. I’m thinking it’s not a one-way street. This much is clear: it all goes through the Union of International Schools and is nearly undetectable.’

‘But not for Kieran Storm.’

‘No, not for me. If the trail’s there, I’ll find it.’

‘Cool.’ Daimon took a pack of cards from his pocket. ‘Game?’

‘You finished here, Key?’ asked Joe, gesturing to the work bench.

‘Yes. I’ve sent in our report.’

Daimon shuffled, arcing cards from hand to hand. The circus skill he had picked was magic tricks and sleight of hand—not that he had needed much help in that department, being a natural at deception.

‘So we’re off duty. Perfect.’ Joe closed down the mission file on the screen. ‘Where do you want do this?’

‘The common room isn’t safe right now,’ admitted Nat, glancing over his shoulder.

‘I thought here would be good.’ Daimon cut the pack. ‘That’s why we brought food.’

‘Don’t tell me: the girls have kicked you out? They have, haven’t they?’

Daimon nodded.

‘They’ve really got you worried, haven’t they?’ Joe stretched his arms above his head, revelling in his friends’ discomfort. ‘OK, let’s stay here. I wonder if you can beat Kieran this time, Daimon?’

‘We’re about even so far in our encounters. He’s the toughest of the tough—his computer of a brain versus my cunning and all-round cheating mind.’ Daimon fanned the cards on the counter.

Joe rolled his eyes at Nat. ‘That kinda makes us the cannon fodder in this battle, doesn’t it?’

Nat rubbed his palms together. ‘But I always live in the hope that I can sneak past both while they are engaged in the clash of the Titans.’

‘Hey, Nat, good plan.’ Joe slapped him on the arm approvingly. ‘Deal the cards.’

The YDA’s driver dropped the two boys off at reception late Sunday afternoon. Joe looked up at the castle then across at Kieran. ‘Ready?’

Kieran’s answer was to walk in. Both of them had returned energized by their weekend away. Isaac had spent a lot of time with them talking over their findings, helped them fine-tune their goals for the next few days. Kieran couldn’t wait to get started, but first there was something he had to do.

‘I’m just going to check on someone.’

‘Raven, by any chance?’ Joe was smirking.

Kieran gave him a stony look. ‘Just returning the jewellery box.’

‘Yeah, yeah. Keep hiding the truth from yourself, bro, but you are so lost. You need to be very careful you don’t break mission rules. I’ll take your bag to our room.’ Joe spied the bullwhip. ‘Really? This for driving the enemy off or lassoing Raven nearer?’

Now there was a picture to savour.

‘Just take my bags, Jeeves.’

‘Yeah, yeah—tugging my forelock right now, sir.’ Joe opted for another, less respectful hand gesture. Kieran grinned and took out the jewellery box.

When Kieran reached the infirmary wing, he was surprised to find the door of her room standing wide open.

‘Raven?’ Kieran ventured inside, but she wasn’t there. He stood in the corridor and listened, wondering if she had nipped out to the bathroom or kitchenette, but it was silent. Instinct tugged him back inside. His gaze swept the scene. This was not right. The bedding was dragged off the mattress and on to the floor, a rubbish bin kicked over. He counted the pairs of shoes: he knew how many she had—four—and they were all here, including her slippers, just how they’d been when he’d called round to say goodbye. She had left the room unwillingly and barefoot.

Possibilities tumbled through his mind. Her grandfather. He was most likely to know where she was. Kieran pushed past the students on the stairs and dashed outside, long strides eating up the path. He hoped Mr Bates was at home.

Fortunately, when he tapped on the front door of the caretaker’s cottage, Raven’s granddad answered immediately. The television burbled in the background and Kieran could smell shepherd’s pie in the oven.

‘Yes? Oh, hello. Kieran, isn’t it?’

‘That’s right, Mr Bates. I just called by to ask if you’ve seen Raven?’

‘No. I actually thought she was with you when I didn’t see her about this weekend.’

‘With me?’

Mr Bates looked down. ‘Well, she did tell me she was spending a lot of time with you and I thought that maybe … ’

‘I’ve been away. She isn’t in her room.’

‘Ah, I see. She won’t have left the grounds as she has to have my permission to do that, but I haven’t seen her since yesterday dinnertime.’

‘OK, thanks. I’ll search for her around the school then.’

The fact that Kieran thought something might be wrong reached Mr Bates. ‘Let me know the instant you find her or I’ll have to go looking myself.’

‘Of course. I’ll track her down—don’t worry, sir.’

Kieran sprinted back to his room. His partner was lying on his bed, head buried in
Forbes,
reading up on the quartet of rich men who were the school trustees. ‘Joe, we’ve a problem.’

Joe threw his magazine aside, all business. ‘What kind?’

‘Raven’s missing. There are signs of a struggle in her room. No shoes taken so she went unwillingly—I’m discounting sleepwalking as she would’ve turned up by now. Spread of the bedding and disturbance on the carpet suggest she was carried by at least four people. That kind of scene doesn’t go unnoticed in daylight so I’m guessing it was likely to be at night.’

‘Last sighting?’

Kieran paced, running his hands through his hair. ‘Her grandfather mentioned he saw her Saturday supper. He assumed she was spending the day with me so didn’t think it odd when she missed lunch.’

‘Dammit.’ Joe shoved his feet into his trainers. ‘We should’ve guessed something might happen; things were getting so ugly last week.’

‘And she mentioned threatening notes too—I should’ve listened harder.’

Joe checked his set of lock picks as Kieran retrieved a pencil flashlight from his bag. ‘Where should we search first?’ Joe asked.

‘Outbuildings. Not within earshot of the school and you are less likely to meet staff there, especially at the weekend.’

Joe grabbed a blanket off the bed. Kieran took some thick socks from his drawer.

‘I’ve a really bad feeling about this,’ Kieran admitted. ‘Let’s go.’

So cold. Raven huddled in the leaves, unable to believe that she had been left for so long. Her mind had stopped functioning properly, stuck on bewilderment. Why was no one coming for her? Had they not noticed she was missing? She had managed to get out of the knots on the wet bandages, sacrificing the skin of her wrists to do so, but that hadn’t got her much further. Her shouts and thumps on the door had not been heard—or if they had, had been ignored. She had dropped to sleep a few times but was worried that she would slip into hypothermia. She guessed she only avoided this fate thanks to the warm spring day taking the chill from the changing block. She dreaded what would happen overnight if she was still here. She had made a flag of the bandages and stuffed it out of the barred window, hoping the flutter would attract someone to rescue her, but so far her hook had caught no fish.

‘Raven?’

She heard scraping at the door. It took a moment to realize it was her name being called. She tried to speak but nothing came out.
Don’t go away—please, don’t give up!

‘The door’s padlocked. Can you pick the lock, Joe?’
Kieran.

‘I’m on it.’

‘Raven, if you’re in there, we’re coming. We’ve seen your sign. You saved us hours of searching.’

Never had she been more grateful to hear Kieran’s voice. She began to shake. Perfect—she was cracking up after having held it together for so long.

Light poured into the room.

‘Is she still in there?’

A torch beam swept the corners of the room, passed her then reversed. ‘Yes.’ Kieran crossed the floor, expression thunderous. ‘Blanket!’

Raven held out her hands. Kieran took them and rubbed them vigorously in his. ‘She’s freezing. Bastards.’

Joe wrapped a blanket round her shoulders. Kieran picked her up. ‘I’m sorry, Raven.’

It felt so wonderful to be warming up again, but painful too as blood began to move about her extremities. He sat, cradling her on his lap.

‘Sorry?’ She sneezed. ‘Why you sorry?’

‘Sorry this happened to you. We’ll make them pay.’

She let her head drop on his chest. ‘I don’t even know who “they” were.’

‘First task, get you warmed up. Second, report this.’ Joe, equally terse, tucked the blanket more tightly around her. Both boys were wearing very formidable expressions. Her avenging angels.

‘What’s the best treatment for suspected hypothermia? Do we need to take her to hospital?’ Joe asked Kieran.

‘I’m OK.’

But they weren’t listening. ‘We’ll put her in bed in dry clothes and use body heat—that’s the quickest way.’ Kieran rapped his words out like a commanding officer. ‘Find a hot water bottle from somewhere. I’ve not noticed one in the stores but Mr Bates is likely to have one—right age demographic.’

‘Still here you know.’

Kieran rubbed her arm. ‘I know—and thank God you are.’

The two were unstoppable. Joe ran off to get a hot water bottle. Kieran carried Raven to his room, past the whispering groups of students enjoying their Sunday evening. If looks could kill, there would have been mass murder as Kieran glared at them. He helped her out of her damp night clothes (Kieran’s eyes kept shut throughout that particular manoeuvre). The T-shirt he lent her (slogan
Sure it works in practice, but does it work in theory?
) hung to her knees. Hurrying her into the bed, Raven was a little shocked when he then got under the duvet with her and hugged her to his chest. She hadn’t anticipated that.

‘Sorry—no choice.’ Like her, he clearly felt awkward at the sudden ramping up of the contact between them. ‘You need to warm up quickly.’

‘You could get expelled for doing this,’ she said through chattering teeth, hands pressed flat against the furnace of his rib cage. She could feel the steady thump of his heart.

‘Don’t care. This is the most reliable way of restoring your core temperature.’

‘My feet are the worst.’

Dipping out of the covers, he whipped a pair of socks out of his pocket and pulled them over her frozen toes, rubbing her soles briskly as he did so. He then went back to full body contact, his warm chest and long legs pressed against her.

‘Why me?’ she asked quietly.

He knew what she meant. ‘Because they’re sick and twisted. For some insane reason they’ve decided to pick on you and feel they can get away with it.’

‘I’m not going to let them get away with it.’

Kieran smiled. ‘That’s my girl: don’t get angry, get even.’