Chapter 42
Life might have been hectic on the fourteenth floor but it was pretty hectic here at Corrybank too, especially now it was the day for Reception’s farm trip with Puddleducks.
Joe and Gemma had gone over the arrangements again and again. Parental consent slips had been signed. Five parents had volunteered to come with them, so they were over and above the required adult/child ratio. The coach was due any second. And Gemma wasn’t here.
‘Haven’t you heard?’ said Bella, checking her cuticles.
Joe was getting a bit fed up with this ‘Haven’t you heard?’ phrase. It always signified trouble. ‘Now what?’
‘Gemma can’t come so Miriam is taking her place.’
‘Miriam?’
‘I forgot.’ Bella was opening her handbag now, producing a bottle and dabbing something on a nail as though she was in a beauty salon instead of at work. ‘You haven’t met, have you? She used to run the playgroup and Gemma’s covering for her now she’s on maternity leave. Her mother’s looking after the kid so she can help us.’
‘Yes, yes, yes. But why isn’t Gemma here?’ Joe couldn’t help feeling cross. If she’d taken a day off to be with lover boy while he was on leave, he’d have something to say.
‘That’s what I was trying to tell you.’ Bella, now seemingly satisfied with the nail, was putting the bottle back in her bag. ‘Gemma got a text on Saturday night at the disco. It seems that her bone marrow is a perfect match. She’s in hospital right now.’
Joe tried to keep calm and rational on the coach journey. People donated bone marrow every day of the year. It had to be safe, otherwise they wouldn’t do it. On the other hand, all surgery carried a certain risk. Gemma must know that. She was a good woman. And brave, too.
‘Mr Balls, Mr Balls, Billy is kicking the back of my seat!’
‘Mr Balls, are you going to marry the princess from the disco and have babies?’
‘Mr Balls, will there be elephants cos my mum thinks I’m allergic to them.’
‘Mr Balls, I’ve forgotten my packed lunch.’
‘Mr Balls, where’s Mrs Merryfield?’
‘Mr Balls, I want to buy something for Danny from the gift shop.’
This last was from the lovely daughter of that stunning singer Dilly Dalung. Lily was one of Danny’s friends: he knew that from one of the early joint assemblies, where they had sat hand in hand. Even then, it had struck him as being sweet. It was so hard for children when their friends got ill, or worse.
‘I’m sure you can, Lily,’ he said, getting up as the coach stopped to make sure that he was out first to do the head count. He nodded at Bella and a woman he took to be Miriam, who was, astoundingly, carrying her baby in one of those stripy slings. ‘Who’s this?’
Miriam flushed. ‘This is Nicolas. That’s Nicolas without an “h”, by the way. Sorry, I tell everyone that as people keep getting it wrong. Mum was meant to be having him but she’s got this bug that’s going around, so I thought it would be all right if I brought him.’ She beamed as though expecting him to fawn over this incredibly ugly, square-faced baby with three chins and a distinct smell emanating from a brown patch on the sling.
No, it wasn’t all right, but it was a bit late now. ‘OK, everyone,’ said Joe to the adults. ‘You know which children you are in charge of. Follow me, please.’
The day had been planned carefully. First they were to have a short tour round the hen house, and then visit the shed where eggs were incubated.
‘Mr Balls, how does the chicken get the sperm through the shell?’
That one came from a boy in his own year. He’d explain later in biology.
Then Miriam flustered up, still in her maternity dress despite having given birth three months ago. ‘Has anyone seen Lily?’
‘What?’
‘Oh dear.’ She was handing him her list. ‘I thought Lily was on your list of children to look after but I’ve just realised that she’s actually on mine. I’m so sorry. My mind’s all over the place after having this one.’
Joe snatched the list, which stated quite clearly that Lily was in the group headed by Miriam. ‘When did you last see her?’ he asked quietly.
Miriam bit her lip. ‘Not since the chicken house. Nearly an hour ago. I know it was then because I had to stop off for a bit and feed this one.’
His first thought was that Lily had gone to the gift shop to find a present for Danny. But no. She wasn’t there. An exhaustive search by staff, parents and children revealed that Lily had completely vanished.
Joe felt sicker than he had on the day that one of his team had lost twenty million pounds on the stock exchange. Money was one thing, but a child was irreplaceable.
‘We’ll have to phone the police.’ Numbly, he felt in his pocket for his mobile. ‘And her mother.’