It was a disappointment to find Randy wasn’t waiting for them on their return. In some ways that was to his benefit because Olive would likely have thumped him for the worry he’d caused her. Instead it left them with no idea where he was or what was going on.
We’re back. Where are you?
Olive barely waited until they’d closed the door to send the message and she really hoped he would reply. She didn’t like the sense of unease was washing over her.
Fortunately, because of the intrusive nature of modern technology, Olive was able to tell he was responding. All they had to do was wait and hope his answer made things a little bit clearer this time.
I need you to do a few things for me, girls. Olive, can you contact your son and get him to arrive as soon as possible? Meet up with him somewhere away from here and The Gin Shack.
‘Gah.’ Olive let out a shriek of frustration. ‘He still hasn’t told us where he is.’
Are you hurt?
Olive could well imagine Randy dishing out a list of instructions even if he was on his deathbed.
I’m not hurt. I don’t want you two to worry, but I’m trapped.
Of course they were going to worry if he was trapped. Olive had been right to panic all along. The three grey spots continued to flicker so Randy was still typing and Olive was bloody glad because they really did need a bit more information. They should be calling the fire services, not hiding in their bedroom.
Something illegal is definitely happening here, but if they find me before we get the police to check it out, they might destroy all the evidence.
This time Olive wanted to shout out “Arghhhhh”, but didn’t dare. What kind of trouble was Randy in?
I’m safe. I just need to remain hidden until you can get the police here.
‘Why aren’t we calling them now? He’s gone nuts.’ Veronica was busy reading the same messages on her phone and her gobsmacked expression meant she’d finally caught up with Olive on the concerned front.
We’re going to call them now.
Veronica typed the response with her speedy fingers.
It might be the early hours of the morning, but if Randy was in any kind of trouble, and it seemed very much like he was, then they needed to get the police here as soon as possible.
Okay. And call Richard. I think we’re going to need his legal advice.
Ringing her son before four in the morning was always going to make him worry, but he’d be up early to head here anyway. Getting him up earlier wouldn’t hurt and, given the circumstances, they really did need all the help they could get. Olive also wanted to ring Tony. Even though Randy hadn’t told them to, she decided he needed to know what was going on, so she would contact him as soon as she felt it wasn’t too early.
On opposite sides of the room, Olive and Veronica took their respective calls and tried to relay the oddest set of facts they’d ever had to divulge:
Their friend was missing within the building.
They didn’t know where he was.
He didn’t feel it was safe to leave until the police were here.
He thought something illegal was going on, but they weren’t sure what it was.
Undoubtedly they sounded entirely dotty, but they were the facts and all they were worried about was getting their friend back.
Having made the calls, they did the only thing they could and that was wait. It would take Richard just over an hour to get there and they’d agreed meeting at Oakley West might attract attention, so they were set to meet at the beach hut.
It just meant slipping out one more time without getting caught.
Because they’d become so highly skilled at escaping Oakley West, Olive and Veronica managed to do so with relative ease. They went for Veronica’s Tuesday-morning exit and did so without a hiccup. At least something had gone right.
The best neutral ground they could think of was Olive’s beach hut and, as fortune would have it, Olive had forgotten to put the key back where it belonged.
They were heading there at the time of day Olive used to go down to the beach. Strictly speaking, it was ahead of the hours the beach huts should be in use, but as she was an older lady keeping herself to herself and only making a cuppa, she’d never been pulled up about being there that early.
The bay was perfection at that time of morning, when the only marks breeching the gloss of sand were the seagulls’ prints from their early jaunts. No dog-walkers or dawn risers were up disturbing the peace. It was before the rest of the world was awake and a slice of life she missed. Especially when she compared it to now, when life had never been so complicated.
‘What do we do now?’ Veronica asked when they reached the beach hut.
Olive shrugged. They faced another session of more waiting. Randy had switched his phone off to save the battery and they were on tenterhooks over when they would next hear from him. Hopefully, they would again before Richard arrived. Opening up the hut, there was only one thing to do. ‘Time to have a cuppa, I guess?’
It was the best option. When all else failed, have a brew. Mugs in hand, it was oddly surreal to be parked up on deckchairs enjoying the view when their friend was trapped. As they drank in silence, it felt very much like the calm before the storm.