The gang laughed sycophantically. I shuddered.
They were coming out. I had to hide. But poor Johnny . . . I couldn’t leave him to this! First things first: I had to get myself out of sight. I would be no use to Johnny if Billy had the chance to carry out any of his threats against me. Trying to make no noise, I ran down the corridor and on to the scenery lot at the back of the stage. There, stacked against the wall, was the enchanter’s laboratory Mr Bishop’s carpenter had been fixing. I clambered on to the set and groped in the dark for the catch to release the hidden compartment. There! A small hole, not much bigger than Mrs Reid’s sewing cupboard, opened before me, in the wooden fireplace to the left of the cauldron. I slid the door closed, but as I did so, one of the glass bottles fell from its shelf and smashed on the floor.
‘Did you ’ear that?’ said Ferret-features, running on to the stage.
‘It came from over there,’ said Billy. ‘Check it out.’
‘Could it be that old man from the door?’ asked Pox-face.
‘Nah, ’e’s out cold. I tied ’im up,’ said Ferret-features.
Lanterns flared in the dark as Pox and Ferret searched for the source of the disturbance. I could hear a dragging noise and, through the crack in the compartment, saw Meatpie pulling Johnny out of the wings. Billy was standing centre stage, torch raised above his head, looking up at row upon row of empty seating. Above his head the basket of the balloon from that evening’s farce swung gently in the draught. He gave a deep sigh of satisfaction.
‘You know, boys, I always wanted to be on stage, and now’s me chance.’
Footsteps approached my hiding place; the enchanter’s laboratory rattled as Pox-face jumped on to it.
‘Billy, over ’ere!’ he shouted, only feet from my position. ‘Broken glass all over the shop.’
‘It could’ve been the wind,’ suggested Ferret-features feebly.
‘What wind, you dung brain?’ snapped Billy. ‘No, I smell a rat . . . or should I say Cat? Find ’er!’
Pox-face began to look amongst the scenery leaning up against the back wall. Ferret-features, displaying more intelligence than I had expected, started to thump on the hollow walls of the battlements and buildings. I murmured a quick prayer that the carpenter had managed to fix the fault with the compartment: the last thing I needed was for it to spring open now.
Thump, thump, thump! Ferret was right by me. Crash, smash, crash! Bottle after bottle fell from the shelf, exploding as they hit the floor. They made so much noise that he missed the strange echo as he rapped on the door of the compartment.
‘Nothink, Billy,’ Ferret called over to his leader. ‘If she was ’ere, she must ’ave done a runner.’
‘Leave it then. Let’s get on with the show.’
Ferret-features and Pox-face moved to the front of the stage, taking their lanterns with them. Now was my chance to slip away.
‘So, Pistol-man,’ Billy was saying. I could see him holding Johnny by the hair. ‘Are you goin’ to give me the pleasure of a long and painful beatin’ or are you goin’ to tell me now where the diamond’s ’idden?’
‘Diamond? What diamond?’ replied Johnny fiercely. ‘There is no diamond.’
Billy let go of Johnny’s hair. He took a step back and laced his fingers together, bending them backwards so they cracked like pistol shots.
‘Good. I ’oped you’d say that.’
I turned my eyes away but could tell by the sickening sound of knuckle on bone that the beating had begun.
I must delay no longer: I had to get help. I slipped out of my hiding place and tiptoed to the stage door without attracting the attention of any of Billy’s gang. On the threshold, cudgel clutched in his hand, lay Caleb. I knelt down beside him, feeling for signs of life. He was still breathing . . . but out cold.
Suddenly, I heard a noise behind me. A hand clapped on my shoulder. I twisted round and bit hard into it, giving rise to a sharp exclamation behind me.
‘Dammit, Cat!’ hissed Pedro, shaking his hand in agony. ‘Why did you do that? What’s going on? Why’s Caleb on the floor?’
I had too much to tell him to berate him for frightening me like that. I decided the bite would be punishment enough.
‘Billy’s gang’s here. They’ve got Johnny. They’re trying to make him talk . . . to make him tell them where the diamond is.’ I didn’t have time to explain that the diamond had been a figment of my imagination for an alarming thought had just struck me. I looked over Pedro’s shoulder into the dark corridor. What was he doing here? He wasn’t in league with Billy and his gang, was he? I moved away from him. ‘Why are you here? Is Syd with you, or any of the others?’ I asked suspiciously.
‘No, I’ve come from Frank. He’s sorted out a passage for Johnny . . . if we can get him out of here.’
My suspicions subsided a little but I was left with the unpleasant truth that we were still only two against four.
‘Shall we go for Syd?’ I asked.
Pedro hovered indecisively. There was a shout from the stage and the snap of something breaking . . . I prayed it wasn’t Johnny’s legs.
‘No time,’ said Pedro, his hand shaking slightly as he helped me to my feet. He looked as terrified as I felt. ‘Any ideas?’
I thought for a moment. Was he trying to trap me? There was a cry of pain from the stage. I couldn’t afford to think like this. I had to help Johnny and to do this I needed to trust Pedro. Surely on my home ground I should be able to beat those pea-brained thugs? At least with Pedro’s help it should be possible.
‘One, but it’s going to be tricky.’ I told him what I had in mind.
He smiled, his white teeth gleaming in the shadows of his face. ‘Brilliant . . . just show me the ropes.’