‘You can only get to it at low tide,’ explained Rona. She indicated the barnacle-encrusted timber. ‘I’m going to need help,’ she said.
Jake and Lauren joined her, and the three of them working together pushed the timber to one side, and revealed a small opening. It was obvious that the piece of timber hadn’t been moved in a very long time.
Rona pulled a small torch from her pocket, switched it on, and crawled through the opening, which was a long low tunnel. Jake and Lauren followed her. At the end, they came out into a much bigger cave, one high enough for them to be able to stand up in.
‘There,’ said Rona, pointing the torch to one side of the cave.
Jake and Lauren looked, and saw that a series of steps had been cut into the rock, disappearing upwards into another tunnel.
‘It goes up and comes out at the back of a store cupboard in the kitchen,’ said Rona.
‘Right,’ said Jake. He looked at Lauren. ‘You up for this?’ he asked.
‘Of course,’ said Lauren.
‘I’ll help as well,’ said Rona.
Jake and Lauren exchanged doubtful looks.
‘These people are dangerous,’ said Jake. ‘Remember what happened to your uncle.’
‘I am a Watcher,’ Rona reminded them firmly. ‘It’s my job.’
Jake saw Lauren hesitate, then she said to Rona, ‘OK.’
Rona shone her torch on her watch.
‘We’d better be getting back,’ she said. ‘Have a word with Robbie before he starts doing anything silly.’
They crawled back through the low tunnel, pushed the timber cover back into place over the entrance to the inner cave, and then made their way out into the sunlight again.
‘It must have been hard work being a smuggler,’ commented Jake, wiping the rock dust and wet sand off his clothes.
The sound of Rona’s mobile ringing startled them. Rona checked the number. ‘It’s Mum,’ she said. She clicked on, and listened for a few moments, then said, ‘Yes, they’re with me. I’ll tell her. Thanks, Mum.’
She hung up, and Jake could tell it was bad news.
‘Robbie?’ he asked.
Rona shook her head.
‘Some people from the Department of Immigration have just arrived,’ she said. She turned to Lauren. ‘They’re looking for you.’
Jake and Lauren looked at one another, shocked.
‘They know!’ said Jake.
‘Know what?’ asked Rona.
Lauren hesitated, then she said, ‘I’m here illegally.’
Rona laughed.
‘You and half the workers in Glasgow and Edinburgh,’ she said.
‘No, I mean really illegally,’ said Lauren. ‘I was sent into exile in New Zealand.’
‘Why?’ asked Rona.
‘Because of the books,’ said Lauren. ‘The ones from the Order of Malichea.’
‘We found one,’ added Jake. ‘We lost it. The government took it off us, and they sent Laur . . . Helen away to stop us finding any more.’
Rona turned to Lauren.
‘He called you Laur,’ she said.
Lauren nodded.
‘My real name. Lauren.’
‘Lauren Cooper?’
Lauren shook her head.
‘No,’ she said. ‘But it won’t be fair to tell you more about me, otherwise you could be charged with being an accomplice. The less you know, the better for you.’
‘What will happen to you now? With the Immigration people?’
‘If I’m lucky, they’ll send me back to New Zealand,’ said Lauren.
‘If she’s not, she’ll go to jail on some false charge,’ said Jake with a groan.
‘You can’t go back,’ said Rona. ‘Not just yet. We need to work out how to get you off the island. Until then, you’re going to have to hide somewhere.’
‘In the cave?’ suggested Jake, pointing at the cave they’d just come out of.
‘No.’ Rona shook her head. ‘There’s always a chance you might be found. The best place would be Uncle Dougie’s boat shed. It’s got a lock on it and you’ll be comfortable there.’ She patted her pocket. ‘I’ve got a key. So has Robbie.’ She smiled. ‘Uncle Dougie let us use it as a hidey-hole.’
‘Is that the place near where Dougie was painting his boats?’ asked Jake.
‘That’s the one.’ Rona nodded. ‘No one ever goes in it. You should be safe there until we can get you away.’
‘Thank you,’ said Lauren.
Rona smiled.
‘It looks like we’re all in this together,’ she said. ‘So we’ve got to help one another.’
‘I’d better get back to the guest house and keep these people talking, while you two go off to the hut,’ said Jake. ‘We don’t want them roaming around the island looking for you until Rona’s got you safely hidden.’