Chapter 61

I was deeply engrossed in the novel again when Hurricane Janey erupted through the front door. She tracked me down to the lounge, where I was lying reading on the sofa. She stood in the doorway, panting, having presumably rushed home from school to interrogate me. “Well?” she demanded, hands on hips and scowling.

“Well what?” I deadpanned.

“Have you saved your girlfriend yet?”

“Squeak, I can’t even talk to girls. How could I possibly have a girlfriend?”

“You’re an absolutely infuriating dork at times,” Janey growled.

“I shouldn’t even be talking to you about it: the less you know the better. Our parents would go apeshit if they found out you knew something and didn’t tell them. But since you’ve always had my back, if you bribe me with a fresh mug of tea, I’ll give you an update.”

“Dumbass Dork!” growled Janey as she flounced out of the room. However the subsequent tea-making noises from the kitchen indicated that Janey’s curiosity had triumphed.

A few minutes later Janey returned to the lounge with two mugs of tea. She handed me one and sat in a chair facing me nursing the other.

“How many times did you spit in this, Squeak?” I asked, feigning suspicion.

Janey’s bottom lip trembled, as it did when she was an infant and about to start crying. I realised I had pushed her too far.

“I’m sorry, Squeak. I feel like I’m trapped on a runaway roller coaster and the stress is affecting my judgement. I know you didn’t spit in this and it wouldn’t matter anyway.” I made a big show of gulping and swallowing a mouthful of hot tea, and scalded my mouth in the process. Karma; I deserved the pain.

“I’ve got your back, Dork, but you can be a jerk at times,” said Janey, but she looked a bit happier as she said it.

“I said I’d update you. Well, this morning I went for a ride on my bike...”

I told Janey everything that had transpired. She recoiled with horror when I told her about the bad cop being at the Fergusons’ house and still being a cop, laughed when I explained how I’d made him cuff himself to a radiator, then more horror when I mentioned that Hector had been to our house to deliver the police equipment.

“You let let him in the house?” she asked incredulously.

“I don’t think he’s totally a bad guy: he’s another victim of Norris Ferguson. And he fulfilled his promise. I think he could go to prison if anyone found out he gave me police equipment.”

Janey didn’t seem convinced, but didn’t press the issue any further. “So you haven’t done the deed yet,” she said.

“No. I think tonight will be better, after everyone’s gone to bed. Hopefully the kidnappers will be asleep.”

“I won’t be able to sleep because I’ll be worried about you,” said Janey.

“You have to act absolutely normally. If our parents suspect anything, they might try to put the kibosh on it.”

“Okay,” said Janey doubtfully. “I’d better tease you over dinner, Dork.”

“Thanks Squeak.”

“You will be careful, won’t you!”

“I’ll have the taser. I should be fine,” I said, mainly to reassure Janey, even though butterflies were gathering in my stomach. I never told her her about the knife.

Janey left to do her homework and I returned to my novel.

The next interruption was Dex arriving with more catch-up schoolwork. He seemed to be in a hurry and he didn’t stay long but, before he left, I reaffirmed my intention, albeit while crossing my fingers behind my back, to competitively eviscerate more demon spawn with him and Phil the next afternoon.

Mum was home in time to cook dinner, which made a welcome change from takeaways. Dad was taciturn during the meal, which worried me. I suspected he was fretting over the Ferguson family intruding in our lives again. I think Janey and I overdid the teasing to compensate.