Whiteout - Ken Follett [133]
“Thank God for that.” Nigel looked around the hall. Daisy had Miranda face down on the floor with her arm bent behind her back. Elton stood in the kitchen doorway. Nigel said, “Elton, get some more rope so Daisy can tie up this fat cow.” He turned back to Kit. “Your sisters are a right bloody pair.”
“Never mind that,” Kit said. “We can get away now, can’t we? We don’t have to wait for daylight or fetch the four-wheel drive. We can use any car, and take the path cleared by the snowplow.”
“Your man said there were coppers in that snowplow.”
“The one place they won’t look for us is right behind them.”
Nigel nodded. “Clever. But the snowplow’s not going all the way to . . . where we need to be. What do we do when it turns off our route?”
Kit suppressed his impatience. They had to get away from Steepfall at any cost, but Nigel had not yet figured that out. “Look out of the window,” he said. “The snow has stopped. It will start to thaw soon, the forecast said.”
“We could still get stuck.”
“We’re in worse danger here, now that the road has been cleared. Toni Gallo might not be the only visitor to show up.”
Elton returned with a length of electric cable. “Kit’s right,” he said. “We can easily get there by ten o’clock, barring accidents.” He handed the cable to Daisy, who tied Miranda’s hands behind her back.
“Okay,” Nigel said. “But first we have to round everyone up, including kids, and make sure they can’t call for help for the next few hours.”
Daisy dragged Miranda through the kitchen and shoved her into the pantry.
Kit said, “Miranda’s phone must be in the cottage, otherwise she would have used it by now. Her boyfriend, Ned, is there.”
Nigel said, “Elton, go to the cottage.”
Kit went on: “There’s a phone in the Ferrari. I suggest Daisy goes to the garage to make sure no one is trying to use it.”
“What about the barn?”
“Leave it till last. Caroline, Craig, and Tom don’t have phones. I’m not sure about Sophie, but she’s only fourteen.”
“All right,” Nigel said. “Let’s get it done as fast as possible.”
The bathroom door opened and Toni Gallo’s mother came out, still wearing her hat.
Kit and Nigel stared at her for a moment. Kit had forgotten she was in there.
Then Nigel said, “Stick her in the pantry with the others.”
“Oh, no,” the old woman said. “I think I’d rather sit by the Christmas tree.” She crossed the hall and went into the living room.
Kit looked at Nigel, who shrugged.
***
CRAIG opened the door of the boot cupboard a crack. Peeping out, he saw that the lobby was empty. He was about to step out when one of the gangsters, Elton, came in from the kitchen. Craig pulled the door an inch toward himself and held his breath.
It had been like this for a quarter of an hour.
One of the gang was always in view. The cupboard smelled mustily of damp anoraks and old boots. He worried about Sophie, sitting in Luke’s Ford in the garage, getting cold. He tried to wait patiently. His chance would surely come soon.
A few minutes ago Nellie had barked, which must have meant someone at the door. Craig’s heart had lifted in hope; but Nigel and Elton had stood inches away from Craig, talking in whispers that he could not quite make out. They must have been hiding from the visitor, Craig decided. He wanted to burst out of the cupboard and run to the door yelling for help, but he knew he would be seized and silenced the instant he revealed himself. It was maddeningly frustrating.
There was a banging from upstairs, as if someone was trying to bash a door down. Then there was a different bang, more like a firework—or a gun going off. It was followed instantly by the sound of breaking glass. Craig was dismayed and frightened. Until this moment, the gang had used guns only to threaten. Now that they had started shooting, where would it end? The family was in terrible danger.