Devil's Rock - Chris Speyer [81]
Zaki’s route to the harbour took him close to Anusha’s place. He decided to make a short detour. He was going to need help.
It was Mrs Dalal who opened the door and she ushered him in with a big friendly smile.
‘We’re all having breakfast. Come and join us.’ Then she called, ‘Anusha! It’s Zaki!’
Anusha looked up, in surprise, from her breakfast, but Mr Dalal jumped to his feet as Zaki entered the kitchen, as though Zaki were an honoured guest.
‘Zaki! What brings you out so early? Take a seat! Take a seat! What will you have? Tea? Coffee? Some toast?’
‘Thanks, Mr Dalal, but I’ve already had breakfast.’
‘My! What a very early bird you are!’
‘I was wondering if Anusha could help me.’
All looked at Anusha.
‘What’s happened?’ she asked, her eyes searching Zaki’s face.
‘We have to find Michael. It’s quite urgent.’
‘Michael?’ asked Mrs Dalal.
‘My brother.’
‘I’ll just get my trainers.’ Anusha was gone and back in a matter of seconds.
‘Is something wrong?’ enquired Mrs Dalal, looking concerned.
‘He’s supposed to be helping my grandad in Salcombe, but he hasn’t turned up,’ Zaki lied.
‘Is there anything we can do to help?’ asked Mr Dalal.
‘You couldn’t give us a lift to Salcombe, could you? He’s probably there, but he’s met up with some mates, or something.’ Grandad’s launch, Zaki thought. They could borrow Grandad’s launch.
‘No problem. Do you want to go now?’
‘Yes please.’
They bundled into Mr Dalal’s car and fifteen minutes later he dropped them off by the boat shed.
‘If you need a lift back, just call me.’
As soon as her father had driven off, Anusha seized Zaki by the arm. ‘What’s happened? What’s going on? Why are we looking for Michael?’
As briefly as he could, Zaki told her about the mask, the bracelet and Maunder, and the fact that the bracelet was gone when he woke up. ‘We need to find Michael and we need to warn Rhiannon. I thought we’d take Grandad’s launch and see if Curlew is still in Frogmore Creek.’
The boat shed was locked and Grandad’s car was missing from its parking place.
‘He’s gone somewhere. Probably taken Jenna up to Bolt Head for a walk.’
‘So, what do we do?’
‘He never locks the back. Dad keeps telling him he ought to.’
They squeezed down the narrow passage between the boat shed and the shed next door and let themselves in. Zaki got the lifejackets and helped himself to Grandad’s bunch of boat keys. He scrawled Taken the launch, Zaki on a scrap of paper and left it on the workbench.
The old launch’s engine kicked over twice then juddered into life. They cast off and headed out through the moorings, setting the small craft rocking as the launch’s wake fanned out behind them. There was a stiff southerly breeze blowing up the estuary from the sea and Zaki wished he’d put some more clothes on. He looked at Anusha sitting in Jenna’s favourite spot in the bow. He was impressed by the way she hopped in and out of boats as if she’d been doing it all her life. Should he have brought her? Should he have got her mixed up in all this?
They swung round Snapes Point and into The Bag. Ahead, the mudbanks were already appearing as the ebbing tide drained the shallow upper reaches of the estuary. As they passed Queen of the Dart, Frogmore Creek opened up to starboard. There was no sign of Curlew.
‘She’s gone!’ shouted Anusha over the throb of the engine.
Zaki turned into the mouth of the creek, just to make sure she hadn’t moved the boat. The bottom was mud and weed here and no good for anchoring, she might have moved upstream. He continued round the next bend but there was no sign of her. Any further up would be too shallow for Curlew.
‘What now?’ asked Anusha, coming astern so that they could talk more easily.
Zaki put the engine into neutral and let the launch drift downstream on the tide. Now the engine was quieter, Zaki could hear the calls of the waders feeding on the mudbanks, the oystercatchers