‘Quiet!’ breathed Elinor, pulling her into her bedroom. Meggie saw that her fingers were shaking as she locked the door.
‘Don’t!’ Meggie dragged Elinor’s hand away, and tried to turn the key. She wanted to shout that she must help her father, but Elinor put a hand over her mouth and pulled her away from the door, hard as Meggie struggled, hitting and kicking. Elinor was strong, much stronger than Meggie.
‘There are too many of them!’ Elinor whispered as Meggie tried to bite her fingers. ‘About four or five, big strong men, and they’re armed.’ She hauled the struggling Meggie over to the wall by the bed. ‘I’ve told myself a hundred times – oh, a thousand times! – I ought to buy a revolver!’ she muttered, pressing her ear to the wall.
‘Of course it’s here!’ The voice carried through the wall without Meggie’s having to strain to hear it, rasping like a cat’s tongue. ‘Shall we fetch your little daughter from the garden to show us just where? Or would you rather find it for us yourself?’
Meggie tried to pull Elinor’s hand away from her mouth. ‘Stop it, for goodness’ sake!’ Elinor hissed in her ear. ‘You’ll only put him in more danger, do you understand?’
‘My daughter! What do you know about my daughter?’ That was Mo’s voice.
Meggie sobbed aloud, and Elinor’s fingers were instantly back over her face. ‘I tried to call the police,’ she whispered in Meggie’s ear. ‘But the lines are all down.’
‘Oh, we know all we need to know.’ The other voice again. ‘So where’s the book?’
‘I’ll give it to you!’ Mo’s voice sounded weary. ‘But I’m going with you, because I want that book back as soon as Capricorn has finished with it.’
Going with them? What did he mean? He couldn’t leave just like that! Meggie tried making for the door again, but Elinor held her fast. Meggie did her best to push her away, but Elinor simply wrapped her strong arms around her and pressed her fingers to Meggie’s lips once more.
‘All the better. We were told to bring you anyway,’ said a second voice. It had a broad, coarse accent. ‘You’ve no idea how Capricorn longs to hear your voice. He’s got great faith in your abilities, Capricorn has.’
‘That’s right – the replacement Capricorn found for you makes a terrible hash of it.’ The rasping voice again. ‘Look at Cockerell there.’ Meggie heard feet scraping on the floor. ‘He’s limping, and Flatnose’s face has seen better days. Not that he was ever much of a beauty.’
‘Don’t just stand there talking, Basta, we haven’t got for ever. How about it – do we take the kid as well?’ Another voice. That one sounded as if the speaker’s nose were being pinched.
‘No!’ Mo snapped at him. ‘My daughter stays here or I won’t give you the book!’
One of the men laughed. ‘Oh yes, Silvertongue, you’d give it to us all right, but don’t worry. We weren’t told to bring her. A child would just slow us down, and Capricorn’s been waiting for you long enough already. So where’s that book?’
Meggie pressed her ear against the wall so hard that it hurt. She heard footsteps, and then a sound like something being pushed aside. Elinor, beside her, held her breath.
‘Not a bad hiding-place!’ said the cat-like voice. ‘Wrap it up, Cockerell, and take good care of it. After you, Silvertongue. Let’s go.’
They left the library. Meggie tried desperately to wriggle out of Elinor’s arms. She heard the sound of the library door closing, and then steps moving away, getting fainter and fainter. After that, all was still. Quite suddenly, Elinor let go of her. Meggie rushed to the door, unlocked it, sobbing, and ran down the corridor to the library. It was deserted. No Mo. The books stood ranged tidily on their shelves, except in one place where there was a wide, dark gap. Meggie thought she saw a hinged flap, well hidden, standing open among the books.
‘Incredible!’ she heard Elinor saying behind her. ‘They really were after just that one book.’ But Meggie pushed her aside and ran along the corridor.