The Broken Man (38 page)

Thinking of Phil made him think of Alice and the family, and as always the sadness crept over him. ‘I ran away,’ he whispered, ‘so now I have to pretend I’m older than I really am. I can’t wait until I’m sixteen, when I’ll be free to go and see Phil and the others.’

That particular birthday could not come soon enough for him, because he so wanted to see his dear friend. Phil had been with him through all his trials, and Adam sorely missed him.

Listening from outside, Amy was surprised to hear that he’d run away, and that he was not yet sixteen, and now she was unsure whether or not she should make her presence known. Wanting to be with him, she pushed everything she’d heard to the back of her mind, and stepped back a few paces, calling his name as though she had just arrived.

‘Adam … it’s me … Amy.’ She shuffled her feet as though she was coming along the path, and when she got to the door, she stood outside looking in. ‘Grandmother’s off on one of her rampages, so I thought it best to get out of her way.’

‘Hello, Amy.’ Adam was pleased to see her. ‘I’m just finishing off here,’ he said. ‘Come in, if you want.’ He hoped she would, because he really liked her.

Amy went inside. ‘You really love these horses, don’t you, Adam?’ Reaching out, she stroked the neck of the stallion. ‘They seem to trust you, and you’re so natural and easy with them. Did you ever have a horse, Adam?’ she asked.

‘No.’ Visions of his father dampened his spirit. ‘My father would never have approved.’

‘Oh, that’s a shame.’ Noting the bitterness when he spoke of his father, she wisely changed the subject. ‘So, did you never have a pet?’

‘I once had a cat, but my friend Phil has a dog, and we used to take it on long walks through the woods.’ He cautioned himself not to talk about anything connected to his background. ‘But that was a while ago now.’ He made an effort to close that particular subject.

Amy sensed his concern and changed tack. ‘Do you like it here, Adam?’

Adam’s face lit up. ‘Oh, yes, I really do. I’m earning money and I’m kept busy, and, oh, I do love to be with the horses.’

Amy smiled. ‘Did you know that, apart from me, you’re the only person grandfather allows to be in here, with his precious horses?’

‘Really?’ Adam felt a surge of pride. ‘He never said.’

‘Ah, well, I’m telling you now. These horses are his pride and joy. He bred them, raised them, broke and backed them, and they’ve both won him championships.’

Adam was in awe. ‘Wow! No wonder he doesn’t want anyone else near them. But why does he trust me to feed and bed them? I mean … I know nothing about horses.’

Amy smiled. ‘You don’t have to know anything about horses,’ she explained, ‘because the horses will know whether or not you’re safe to be with. I was ten years old when Grandfather first took me to see these horses, and I remember when I stroked this stallion I was really nervous. But he stood tall and let me stroke him, and he even nuzzled me. I was not afraid after that. Granddad told me that a horse has a sense about you. On first meeting, he’ll either back off and refuse to come to you, or he’ll let you touch him. If he responds like that, it means he feels safe with you, and that you would never harm him.’

Adam was amazed. ‘But that’s exactly what happened to me. On my second day here, your grandfather brought me to see the horses. He told me to approach the mare and raise the back of my hand near her face. I had to wait until the mare came up to sniff my hand, and then I was to very gently stroke her nose and move away, to see if she would come to me. And she did. It was amazing.’

Amy smiled. ‘Grandfather told me that the back of the hand does not represent a threat. If you had gone straight up to the mare with your hand flat out, and she didn’t like your scent, she might have bitten your fingers off. Granddad was introducing you to her, like he did with me. The horses obviously liked you. That’s why he lets you feed and bed them down.’

‘Well I’m so glad he did, because I really like being with them.’

From a short distance away, Grandmother Langdon spied on them. She could not hear their conversation, but she heard them laughing together. She inched closer. Enraged by the sight of Amy leaning in to the horse, with her hair touching Adam’s face, she made her way back to the caravan, where she sat by the window, impatiently waiting for Amy to come home.
I should go and get her
, she thought,
but then she would only defy me even more
.

It was half an hour before Amy came back; her face warm with pleasure at having spent time with Adam.

‘What have you been up to?’ Grandmother Langdon assumed the worst.

‘What do you mean?’ Amy was angry. ‘I haven’t been up to anything. For your information, I’ve been in the stables with Adam and the horses. We just talked, and I helped him so he could finish early.’

The older woman gave no reply. But she was determined to finish this relationship. Maybe Amy was telling the truth and nothing happened this time, but there would surely be another time, when things would not be so innocent. She had never wanted that boy on site. She neither liked, nor trusted him.

When it came down to it, that boy would have Amy, take his pleasure and then he would move on, leaving her with child. They were all the same; only ever after one thing, and then they were gone in the night. She knew about these things.

She also knew she had to do something about it, before these events came to pass.

Retiring to her bedroom, she could not get the idea out of her head. She began pacing back and forth, her mind alive with plans.
If he stays here, before you know it, he’ll have her in the sack and there’ll be a young ’un to care for
, she thought.
And who would end up being expected to look after the little bastard? Me, that’s who! Well, they’re wrong. I’ve done my baby-raising, and there’ll be no more of it!

Soon, her plan was hatched in her mind and she could not wait to put it into action.

The following afternoon a horse-trader, Bob, called in on Jack Langdon, telling him there was a young thoroughbred up for sale in the village some fifteen miles away. ‘I heard you were on the lookout for a high-class filly, being as your one isn’t as young as she used to be. As you know, the best filly thoroughbreds are not only hard to come by, but they fetch such prices as might put anyone off. But being as you can swing a bargain, I reckon you might fetch the price down to suit.’

Jack was excited. ‘What made you think of me?’

‘That’s easy, Jack. You helped me out once, so I thought it was time to return the favour. The filly is out of a top thoroughbred, so you don’t want to hang about if you’re interested.’

Jack could hardly hide his excitement. ‘I’ve already had three foals from the mare I have now, and sold them on at a tidy profit. And you’re right, I’ve been looking for a filly to bring up alongside her; get it ready for breeding, so to speak. So, what d’you reckon, Bob? Should I go tonight?’

‘Well, that’s up to you, but if it were me, I would not leave it till tomorrow, that’s for sure.’

Before he left, Bob gave Jack the name and address of the breeder, and left him to think about it.

As the visitor left, he looked up to see Grandmother Langdon at the caravan window. They exchanged a knowing smile. These two were long-time buddies.

Adam had just finished his day’s work, when Jack approached him. ‘I’ve to go out for an hour or two this evening,’ he told Adam. ‘The other blokes are already off, and Pete’s been called away unexpectedly – there’s a spot of trouble with family, or something of the sort. It means I’m one security man short, though. So d’you think you’re man enough to fill the breach?’

Adam was thrilled. ‘Yes, Mr Langdon. I already know Pete’s routine. I walked round with him the other night, and I can do it, no bother.’

‘Good! So, after you’ve seen to the horses, go and check with Seamus. He’ll put you right. Just make sure everything is as it should be. If there’s the slightest sniff of trouble, you must call Seamus. He won’t be far away, but you probably won’t need him. I’m counting on you, young Adam. Don’t let me down.’

‘I won’t let you down. Thank you, Mr Langdon.’ Adam was pleased to be trusted alongside Seamus.

A short time later, after Adam had seen to the horses, he went to his caravan and hurriedly cleaned himself up. He then made himself a sandwich, but he was so excited he couldn’t eat it. He put the sandwich aside, collected his torch and went off to find Seamus.

Seamus had already been briefed by the boss-man and he showed Adam the ropes. ‘Every half-hour, you check all the locks. You look for anything suspicious, like a flap of tarpaulin turned back, or a light on somewhere, or some little thing that doesn’t seem right. You check everything, however insignificant it might seem, but if you do find anything untoward, don’t take any chances, just call me and I’ll be there in a jiffy. Have you got that?’

‘Yes, I’ve got that.’ Every word was emblazoned on Adam’s mind.

Some hour and a half later, he and Seamus had done the rounds three times, and the only misdemeanour they could find was that one of the workers had left a bucket across the walkway. In the gloom, Seamus accidentally knocked it over, startling both himself and Adam. Other than that, everything appeared to be normal.

‘I’d best go and tell the women not to worry.’ Seamus thought the clatter of the bucket might have made them nervous. ‘I’ll not be a minute,’ he told Adam. ‘You just hang on here.’ He left him by the caterpillar ride.

Adam did as he was instructed. Keeping his eyes and ears open, he waited for Seamus to come back. Everything was quiet. There seemed nothing untoward.

He almost jumped out of his skin when Seamus came up behind him. ‘It’s all right. Young Amy is safely locked in the caravan, listening to her music. Apparently, the grandmother’s in her bedroom having a nap.

Seamus was relaxed. ‘Look, Adam, I’ll go round and check the rides. You have another walk round the stalls. We’ll meet up at the candyfloss stall. Oh, and we should swap torches. Yours looks a bit low on battery, I reckon. I’d much rather it died on me than you.’

Adam thanked him. ‘It’s all right, Seamus.’ He gave the torch a shake. ‘I’m used to this one. It’s never let me down yet.’

Seamus took him at his word, and each went his way.

Halfway round the site, Seamus thought he heard a noise. Standing still and quiet as a mouse, he listened a while. ‘Damned cats!’

Taking out his cigarette packet, he plucked one out and pressed it to his lips, then he struck a match and lit the cigarette. Relaxing, he sat on the steps of the carousel and took a few puffs, blowing the smoke out in perfect circles.

Leaning back, he thought of his girlfriend at home and enjoyed the cigarette all the more.
Adam’s a good boy
, he thought, his mind now back on his responsibilities.
Not many young boys actually listen to what you say … at least not some o’ these chaps we often hire through the summer. Think they know it all … lazy little sods!

On the other side of the fairground, Adam was investigating the very same noise that Seamus thought he had heard.

When a cat ran out from under the tarpaulin, Adam breathed a sigh of relief. But the relief was ended when suddenly he was spun round and before he could shout for Seamus, his mouth was taped and a sack was thrown over his head. Propelled forward, he had no idea what was happening, or who the men were that held him in such a lock-hold he thought his arms would break.