Invisible! (9 page)

She nodded. ‘I just bet there are, and I can imagine what some of them would be, too.' She shook her head. ‘Sorry, Lee. You're just not ready for that sort of responsibility. See you later.'

‘Good day, sweetheart?'

Rosie stowed her bag in the miniature cupboard under her bed. When your home's that small you've got to be tidy. She smiled up at Mummy Bear. ‘Not bad. You?'

‘Terrific. Sold a dozen belts and took orders for another dozen, didn't we, Daddy?'

‘Sure did.' Daddy Bear grinned. ‘Inchlake's crazy for hand-crafted leather.'

‘Does this mean we can afford some Chinese takeaway for supper, Dad?'

‘Oh, I think we might stretch to it … but only if you talked to Lee Kippax.'

Rosie nodded. ‘I did. Told him to stop worrying.'

‘And what did he say?'

‘Oh, he tried to pretend he wasn't bothered but he was
really
relieved. You could tell.'

‘I'm not surprised, sweetheart. It can't be much fun, wondering if you're losing your marbles. So you're friends now, are you?'

‘I wouldn't say that, no.' She grinned. ‘He wanted me to teach him the trick. Said there were a million ways he could use it.'

‘And what did you say?'

‘I told him he wasn't ready for the responsibility.'

Daddy Bear gazed at his daughter. ‘And what about yourself, Rosie? Will
you
be a little more responsible from now on? No more driving bullies bonkers as a way of getting even?'

The girl blushed. ‘I won't do that again, Daddy Bear. Promise.'

‘Even when they call you thief or gipsy?'

‘Even when they call me thief or gipsy.'

He nodded. ‘Good. So, who fancies what from the Chinese chippy?'

They'd polished off their chicken fried rice and were munching prawn crackers when they heard a car.

‘Hey up.' Daddy Bear got to his feet, looking towards the sound. ‘Police I expect, stepping up their inquiries.'

It wasn't the police. It was a man in a suit, looking pretty upset. Daddy Bear gazed at him. He'd never seen him before.

‘Can I help you?'

The man was glancing this way and that, as though looking for somebody. He saw Rosie by the fire. ‘Are you at the local school – Miss Blackburn's class?'

Rosie swallowed a cheekful of cracker and nodded. ‘Yes I am.'

‘So you'll know Peter – Peter Rabbit?'

She nodded again. ‘He's my friend.'

Mummy Bear stood up. ‘What's this about, Mr …?'

‘Rabbit. I'm Peter's father. He didn't come home after school today. His mother's frantic. We wondered if he was here.'

‘Well no, Mr Rabbit, I'm afraid we've not seen him. Have you told the police?'

‘It was the first thing we did, but you know what they're like.
Shouldn't worry, sir, he'll show up at bedtime. They usually do.
It's all right for them. They don't have Mrs Rabbit to cope with.'

‘No.' Mummy Bear looked at Rosie. ‘Did you talk to Peter at school today, sweetheart?'

‘Yes, of course.'

‘And did he seem OK? I mean, not worried or anything?'

‘He was a bit quieter than usual, I suppose.'

‘But he didn't mention going anywhere after school?'

‘No.'

Daddy Bear looked at Mr Rabbit. ‘Why don't you sit down a minute, have a cup of tea? You
look just about jiggered. We'll clear away, then take the van out and help you search. How's that sound?'

The man nodded. ‘I could murder a cuppa now you come to mention it, and I don't suppose a few minutes'll make much difference. Thanks.' He sat down on the grass. Daddy Bear poured tea from the billie into a mug and handed it to him. Mr Rabbit sipped gratefully as the three travellers cleared up the remains of their supper and damped down the fire. It was seven o'clock and quite dark when the two vehicles swung out onto the road and growled off in opposite directions, going slowly.

Rosie pressed her face to the glass, peering out, thinking,
I hope the daft beggar's not gone invisible or there's no chance.
She turned to Mummy Bear. ‘Go towards Inchlake Ring, Mum. I want to check something out.'

Peter wasn't invisible, but tramping a country lane between high hedges at two in the morning he was pretty hard to see. Not that there was anyone to see him. The road from Inchlake to Sowerby isn't used much at night, and if he heard a vehicle he'd duck down in the ditch till it passed.

Sowerby was where Peter's grandma lived. Grandma Fox, not Grandma Rabbit. There was this family joke about Mum and Dad. Something about a rabbit catching a fox. The grown-ups laughed about it at parties but Peter thought it was daft, and he certainly wasn't in the mood for it tonight.
Shame the rabbit didn't
miss
the flipping fox
, he thought savagely,
then I'd never have been born and everybody'd be better off.
He was feeling really really sorry for himself.

It'll be OK at Grandma's. She likes me if nobody else does. She'll do me hot milk and biscuits and I'll tell her what they said. I'll ask her to let me sleep over, and not to phone Mum and Dad till tomorrow. That'll teach ‘em. They'll be worried sick, even though they don't care about me really. They've always been funny about me being out after dark.
He smiled to himself.
Two o'clock and they won't even be in bed. They'll stay up all night and be shattered tomorrow and it'll serve ‘em right.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that when a van came nosing out of a gateway he was crossing, he had to fling himself backwards to keep from being hit. He hadn't noticed the gateway or heard the van, which was travelling without lights. His violent evasive action dumped him on the seat of his pants and he sat dazed as the vehicle swung left and roared away, still without lights.
Didn't even see me
, he thought, picking himself up.
Good mind to report him, except I'd need his number and I didn't get it.
He'd noticed
something
though. Something familiar. As he knocked dirt off the seat of his
jeans with both hands he realized he'd seen the van before, loads of times, but what the heck was it doing coming out of someone's driveway without lights at two o'clock in the morning? He shook his head, too tired to think about it now. Sowerby seemed pretty close when you went by car, but it was turning out to be quite a hike. He yawned and plodded on.

‘Peter Rabbit.' Miss Blackburn glanced up from her register. ‘Anybody know where Peter is?'

‘Miss.' Rosie held up her hand. ‘He went missing, miss. Last night. His dad came to where we're parked and we went looking, but we didn't find him. I think Mr Beecroft knows about it, miss.'

A buzz went round the classroom. Lee Kippax scribbled something on a bit of paper and slipped it to Carl Foxcroft. The note passed from hand to hand till it reached Rosie. She smoothed it out and read:
What happened, gipsy? Trick go wrong, did it? What if I grass you up?
She turned the paper over and wrote,
One word from you, and
stuff will happen that'll make the laughing ball seem normal. Keep it zipped, apple-thief.
She watched the boy's face turn pale as he read. He wasn't going to say a single word.

The twins found her at break-time.

‘When did he
go
, Rosie? He was with us, walking home.'

‘I know, but he never arrived. Must've gone off after we split up.'

‘D'you think it's got something to do with … you know?'

Rosie shrugged. ‘Maybe. His stuff wasn't up the Ring though – I checked.'

‘What about
there?
' Carrie nodded towards the far corner of the field.

‘No. I looked before school.'

‘That leaves the ice house.'

Rosie shook her head. ‘I don't think he's gone invisible. He's run off, that's all.'

Conrad pulled a face. ‘Or someone's taken him. It happens.'

‘Yes well … we've just got to hope it didn't happen this time.'

Halfway through lunch, Peter walked into the yard. Rosie and the twins ran to him. ‘What
happened
, Pete? Where've you
been?
' He looked pale, but otherwise fine.

‘I … I've been at my gran's. Bit of hassle at home. Ran off.'

‘What sort of hassle?'

‘I don't feel like talking about it, OK?'

‘Sure. Sorted now, though?'

Peter shrugged. ‘I guess. Listen.' He looked at Rosie. ‘I saw something funny last night.'

‘What?'

‘Lee's dad's van, coming out of a driveway on the Sowerby road.'

‘What's funny about
that
, Pete?'

‘Two in the morning, no lights. Practically ran me over.'

‘Hmm.' Rosie grinned. ‘Maybe old Kippax has a girlfriend out that way.'

‘Maybe. I thought I'd mention it, that's all.'

She nodded. ‘Glad you did. Good to have you back, too. We thought you'd been murdered.'

Peter smiled wanly. ‘I nearly was, by my gran. Half two, I got to her place. She goes,
Do your parents know where you are?
I say,
No, I want them to worry
, and she goes mental. Yells at me, phones them. I get to sleep over, but Mum comes for me at half eight. Nice as pie in front of
Gran but goes ape-shape in the car. Can't say I feel like school.'

Rosie shook her head. ‘Don't blame you. Take it easy, that's all. Don't do too much, and it'll be half three before you know it.'

‘Oh goody, then I can go home and have Dad yell at me. Can't wait.'

‘Could be worse though, Pete. Could be floating face-down in the canal or lying somewhere with a broken leg.'

Peter stared at her. ‘That's exactly what … you weren't at
my
place last night, were you? Invisible, I mean. Around eight?'

‘What are you,
crazy?
Why would I … ?'

‘I dunno.' He shook his head. ‘Maybe I
am crazy.
I
feel
it. Everything seems …' His face crumpled. He bowed his head into cupped hands and cried so hard his body shook.