A. N. T. I. D. O. T. E. (3 page)

‘Hi! I’m just coming down for some water,’ I said.

‘And then straight to bed – OK?’

I nodded, noting the sheet of paper in Mum’s hand, the serious look on both the grown-ups’ faces.

‘So when are you coming to see us next, Uncle?’ I asked.

‘On Sunday, bright and early. You can both spend the day with me,’ Uncle Robert replied.

‘Brill!’ I started up the stairs again.

‘I thought you wanted a drink of water?’ said Mum.

‘Oh, yeah.’ I could feel my face growing hot. What a giveaway!

Ignoring the slight yet knowing smile on Mum’s face, I went into the kitchen. I poured myself half a glass of ice-cold water from the fridge and downed it in one. Then I headed back to my bedroom. Mum and Uncle Robert stood in the hall watching me go up the stairs.

‘Elliot, you’re cute, but if I catch you eavesdropping at this door, you’re in big trouble!’ said Mum.

‘As if!’ I called down from the landing.

‘Yeah, right!’ Mum followed Uncle Robert back into the living room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

‘
WHY’VE YOU GOT
a face like a handful of mince?’ Nosh frowned. ‘Anyone would think it was Monday morning instead of Friday evening. School’s over for the next three weeks. We’re on holiday. What more do you want? Blood?’

I sat back on Nosh’s sofa, but I couldn’t relax. It was past nine and we’d had a brilliant dinner of pepperoni pizza because Nosh’s mum was at the cinema with her friends so Nosh’s dad had sent out for a meal. Here I was, next door at Nosh’s house playing one of my favourite computer games, and was I enjoying it? No, not much! All I had on my mind was Mum and the strange conversation I’d heard the night before.

When I’d got home earlier, Mum told me I was spending the night at Nosh’s house. She didn’t ask if I wanted to, she just told me. Mind you, usually I couldn’t wait to stay over with Nosh. We’d spend all night reading comics or playing games by torchlight – but I didn’t want to do it, not this time. This time, I was sure it was
just
a ploy on Mum’s part to get me out of the way. When I’d asked Mum where she was going, all she said was, ‘Your Uncle Robert and I have some things to sort out – that’s why I can’t be here. And I’m not leaving you on your own.’

‘Why can’t you sort out whatever it is from here?’ I asked.

‘It’s not that simple,’ Mum sighed. ‘Don’t argue with me, Elliot – not tonight. Please?’

Mum looked tired and kind of worried, so I shut up. Against my better judgement, I packed up my stuff and headed next door to Nosh’s house.

The only trouble was, I’d spent every minute since then thinking about what Mum and Uncle Robert might be up to.

I looked at Nosh, wondering if I should confide in my best friend. I sighed for the umpteenth time in ten minutes. I couldn’t help it! All this wondering and worrying was driving me crazy.

‘What’s the matter, Elliot?’ Nosh asked impatiently. ‘Tell me before I have to kill you! All your sighing and moping about is really starting to cheese me off.’

‘It’s about Uncle Robert and Mum,’ I began slowly. ‘I think Uncle Robert is trying to get Mum to do something that’ll get her into trouble.’

‘What kind of trouble?’ Nosh’s ears pricked up at once. That’s the thing about Nosh. He loves to know everyone’s business.

‘I’m not sure,’ I admitted.

‘This isn’t another of your worry-wart ideas, is it?’ Nosh asked suspiciously.

‘What d’you mean?’

‘Well, you must admit,’ Nosh said, ‘sometimes you’ll get an idea in your head and worry it to death.’

‘Rubbish!’ I said indignantly. ‘My mum’s up to something – or at least she might be.’

‘I’m still waiting for you to tell me what kind of something,’ said Nosh.

I took a deep breath. ‘Well, it’s like this …’ I began.

And I relayed the whole of the conversation I’d heard between Mum and Uncle Robert the night before. By the time I’d finished, Nosh looked just as perplexed as I felt – which, I must admit, did make me feel a bit better.

‘Is that all true?’ Nosh asked.

‘Of course it’s true,’ I snapped. ‘I wouldn’t make up something like that.’

‘ANTIDOTE … Halle’s always going on about them,’ Nosh mused. ‘So what does it mean?’

‘I wish I knew. But I’m worried. I don’t know what went on after I had to go to bed. Maybe Uncle Robert managed to persuade Mum to help him get into the Shelby building and film the experiments on those animals, after all?’

‘Wow! Your mum?!’ Nosh was as stunned by the idea as I was.

‘Maybe I’m worrying about nothing,’ I said hopefully.

‘It wouldn’t be the first time,’ Nosh pointed out.

Before I could argue, the doorbell rang. At my look of query, Nosh sniffed with disgust. ‘It’s probably one of Halle’s butt-ugly boyfriends!’

I’d heard all about Nosh’s sister’s boyfriends. According to Nosh, his sister Halle always chose to go out with boys who Nosh was guaranteed to loathe! Halle’s current one scored zero out of ten for patting Nosh on his head the first time they’d met!

‘Elliot, could you come here for a moment?’ Nosh’s dad called out from the hall moments later. It’s strange but looking back, that was the moment that changed my life. I can see that now. I only wish I could’ve seen it then, but I didn’t.

I did as requested, followed by Nosh. I thought it was Mum, back already from wherever it was that she’d had to go. I was wrong.

It was the police.

A man and a woman stood at the door, both of them in uniform. The man had light-brown hair and the woman was a blonde who looked past Nosh’s dad straight at me.

‘Elliot Gaines?’ said the blonde policewoman.

I nodded, swallowing hard. My mind went blank – completely and totally blank.

‘Mrs Carlisle, your other next-door neighbour, told us we might find you here. Can we talk to you for a moment, son?’ the woman continued.

I walked forward slowly, my legs suddenly filled with lead weights.

‘Do you know where your mother is, Elliot?’ asked the policeman seriously.

I shook my head.

‘Has there been an accident?’ asked Nosh’s dad.

My head snapped round. Even though I’d been thinking the exact same thing, it was still shocking to hear it put into words like that. At that moment, I almost hated Nosh’s dad.

‘Do you know where your mum is?’ the policeman asked me again, ignoring Nosh’s dad completely.

‘No, I don’t.’ My voice was little more than a squeak.

‘What’s this all about, officer?’ asked Nosh’s dad.

I’ll say one thing for him, he was persistent.

‘Can I talk to you alone for a moment, sir?’ said the policewoman.

Nosh’s dad frowned. He stepped out into the front path, pulling the door partially to behind him. Nosh and I immediately moved forward to have a listen.

‘Are you any relation to Lisa Gaines?’ asked the policewoman.

‘No, but we’re the best of friends. Elliot’s staying here with us until she gets back,’ Nosh’s dad answered.

‘I see.’ Now it was the turn of the policeman to speak. In hushed tones, he said, ‘Well, Mrs Lisa Gaines and her brother-in-law Robert Gaines were filmed breaking into Shelby and Pardela Pharmaceuticals
earlier
tonight. Robert Gaines has now been apprehended, but Mrs Gaines is still on the run.’

‘Excuse me? I … I don’t b-believe it. There must be some mistake,’ spluttered Nosh’s dad.

‘No mistake, sir,’ the policeman said. ‘Mrs Gaines can be seen clearly on the company’s security surveillance recording. She’s already been identified.’

Nosh turned towards me. I think he said something but I could only see his lips move. No sound came out – at least, none that I could hear. I couldn’t understand where that roaring noise in my head was coming from. It was as if I was drowning – floundering in a nightmare, sinking beneath his stare of disbelief and sympathy and suspicion.

As the police and Nosh’s dad stepped back into the house, Nosh and I bounded back. I don’t know about Nosh but I was functioning on auto-pilot.

‘If your mum does phone you, Elliot, or if she tries to get in touch, please let us know,’ the policewoman said. ‘She’s in trouble and you must tell her to give herself up. She’s not doing herself any good by going on the run like this and sooner or later we’re going to catch her. It would look better for her in the long run if she gave herself up to us first before that happens.’

‘My mum didn’t break into Shelby and Whatsit or anywhere else,’ I shouted. The words exploded from me in a burst of white-hot anger. ‘I heard what you said to Nosh’s dad and it’s a
lie
.’

The policewoman opened her mouth to argue, only to snap it shut again. ‘Just tell her to give herself up if she tries to get in touch with you,’ she repeated. ‘OK, Elliot?’

No, it wasn’t OK. What a stupid thing to say.
The police were after Mum
. For something she hadn’t done. For something she
couldn’t
have done. It was ridiculous, outrageous. But here they were knocking on the door and asking for her.

‘What’s going to happen to my uncle?’ I asked.

‘He’ll be remanded on bail, then allowed to go back home, I suppose,’ the policeman said. ‘It’s really up to the magistrate, though.’

As Nosh’s dad closed the door behind the two police officers, Nosh turned to me, his eyes huge with delighted disbelief.

‘Your mum’s not really on the run, is she?’ he asked. ‘Did she really break into Shelby’s?’

I scowled at him.

‘Nosh, that’s enough,’ Nosh’s dad said firmly. ‘Leave him alone. Elliot, you’re welcome to stay with us until your mother comes home and this business is all cleared up. I’m sure the police have just made a stupid mistake.’

‘They didn’t seem to think so,’ Nosh muttered.

‘Nosh, you’re not helping,’ his dad pointed out impatiently.

Nosh took a quick look at my stormy face and he had the grace to look contrite. ‘Sorry!’ he muttered again.

‘Elliot, d’you know anything about this?’ Nosh’s dad questioned.

After a quick glance at Nosh, I shook my head. It was the truth in a way. I hadn’t a clue. What did the policeman say? Uncle Robert had been arrested? Was he the one who’d identified Mum on the CCTV recording? OK, so they’d talked about getting into the Shelby building – but Mum wouldn’t have done that. She
couldn’t
. She was just a secretary. What did she know about all that ‘James Bond’ stuff? My head was swimming with questions and one thing was for sure, I wouldn’t find any answers in Nosh’s house.

‘I’d better go home now,’ I said.

‘I don’t think that’s a very good idea …’ Nosh’s dad began.

‘I’m only going to get some more clothes – if I’m going to stay here for a while …’ I said quickly.

‘Of course you are. You can’t stay in your house all by yourself, can you?’ said Nosh’s dad.

Actually, that was exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew Nosh’s dad would cut up rough about it if I argued.

‘I won’t be long,’ I said, heading for the front door.

‘You’ll be right back?’ asked Nosh’s dad.

‘I’ll be right back.’

‘D’you want me to come with you?’ asked Nosh’s dad.

I shook my head. I wanted to be alone. I had a lot to think about.

‘Hang on a sec, Elliot,’ said Nosh. ‘I’ll come with you.’

‘No, that’s all right …’

‘No problem,’ Nosh insisted.

I glared at Nosh, irritated. Nosh could be just as stubborn as his dad. Why wouldn’t either of them take the broad hint and leave me alone? I didn’t want to be around them or anyone else for that matter. I opened the front door and headed down the garden path as quickly as I could. It wasn’t quick enough. Nosh was right behind me.

‘You don’t have to come with me, you know. I think I can make it from your house to mine without getting lost,’ I snapped.

‘It’s no trouble,’ Nosh shrugged.

With a deep, obvious sigh, I made my way up my own garden path. I opened the front door without a word and walked in, choosing to ignore Nosh completely. I’d barely taken a step when I stopped abruptly and listened. The house felt so strange, so
empty
. There were often times when I was in the house by myself, when Mum was late from work or was out shopping, but the house had never felt like this before. I supposed it was because I always knew that Mum was safe and coming back home soon. But not this time. This time, she was in trouble.

‘Your mum will be all right, Elliot. I know she will.’

I started at Nosh’s voice behind me. To be honest, I’d forgotten that he was there.

‘I’d better go and get my stuff,’ I said quietly.

I made my way upstairs to my bedroom. The envelope containing the disc my uncle had given me sat conspicuously on my bedside table. I hadn’t even had the chance to upload it onto Mum’s PC and see what was on it yet. It was almost as if I’d been given it in another lifetime, another world – a sane, normal world where Uncle Robert was just an ordinary uncle and Mum … Mum wasn’t on the run from the police … I picked up the envelope and fingered it absentmindedly. I had to do something. I had to find out what was happening. But where should I start? Just at that moment, the phone downstairs rang. I spun round, almost knocking Nosh flying, and raced out of the room down the stairs, stuffing the envelope into my trouser pocket as I ran.