Dory's Avengers (11 page)

However, there
was
someone hammering on the front door. Thoroughly fed up at having been interrupted so abruptly just as things with his imaginary Abi were getting interesting, Louis got up from the sofa without even bothering to tidy his unruly hair and answered the door to the real Abi.

‘Can I come in?' asked Abi as Louis stood silent, eyes blinking in surprise behind their protective dark glasses. ‘I need to talk to you.'

‘Yes of course, come in,' stuttered Louis, making a vain attempt to tidy his hair with his fingers, and wishing he were wearing something a little more fetching than an ancient tracksuit.

‘Do you want something to eat? Drink?' asked Louis, thoroughly confused at having the beautiful Abi in his home.

‘Just a glass of water, please, Louis,' said Abi, settling herself on the very same spot where his head had lain a few minutes before. When Louis returned with two glasses of water, he hovered nervously in front of Abi until she patted the seat next to her.

‘Sit down Louis, make yourself at home,' she joked, succeeding in making Louis smile and relax a bit. As Louis sat, she said once again, ‘I have to talk to you.'

Preparing himself for Abi to tell him to back off, that she would never love him, that her heart belonged to Max, Louis was totally unprepared for what she really wanted to say.

‘You want to find Theo, don't you?'

‘What did you say?'

‘Theo. My cousin. He's been making contact with you, hasn't he?'

‘Who told you?' gasped Louis eventually.

‘Sarah,' replied Abi. ‘She's making plans.'

‘For what?'

‘For getting you out of Applethwaite without dimwit Max and his Sponsor masters knowing, what do you think?'

Louis was silent for some time, taking in the things Abi had just said. She knew he'd been seeing visions of Theo. She didn't appear to think he was mad. She seemed to know more about Sarah's plans than he did – was Abi a part of them? Finally, and this one lifted Louis's spirits no end, Abi's tone of voice when she mentioned Max didn't sound overly impressed. Eventually, Abi asked, ‘Are you sure you want to go through with this? Do you really know how dangerous the Sponsors are?'

‘Yes and yes,' said Louis, now on sure ground. ‘Theo and I were once best friends. He obviously considers us still to be so, and I'm not about to disagree. He's in big trouble, Abi, and he's appealed to me for help. What sort of friend would I be if I were to let him down? No friend at all!'

Leaning back into the comfortable sofa, the Trevelyans' safe and friendly family room contrasting starkly with the danger she knew Louis would soon be in, Abi said quietly, ‘They murdered my dad, you know. The Sponsors. They killed him. Oh there's no proof, but they did. Gideon's told you about Dad, has he?'

When Louis nodded his head, Abi continued.

‘My dad was passionately opposed to the St Benedict Scheme. I was aware of that from a very early age, although I never understood why. Mam's filled in the gaps for me since Dad died. He saw the lack of freedom that Sponsorship brought. People were being rescued from poverty and given what looked like wonderful opportunities, but at what cost? Decisions were taken from them; simple freedoms such as where to shop, eat or take holidays were denied them. Bad things happened to anyone who questioned the Sponsors, yet no one dared accuse them.

‘Until Dad. He dared, and for a long time it looked as
though the Sponsors actually had an adversary capable of keeping them in line. They knew they couldn't be seen to discipline Dad with threats and violence as they could with the poor, terrified people they Sponsored. They certainly couldn't make him disappear; he was far too much in the focus of the international football world. I can remember the way people used to react to us, even though I was only young at the time. At school, other kids held me in some kind of awe. Looking back, I think they wanted to be friends, they wanted to know more about Dad, but they were equally scared of their parents' Sponsors.

‘Then, not long before my eighth birthday, Dad changed. He started to become quieter, more worried. He wasn't so quick to question everything the Sponsors did. He was still at the peak of his football career and so still very much followed by the world's press, but something had managed to knock his confidence. Again it's been Mam who's filled the gaps for me. It was at this time that he started receiving threatening letters, getting increasingly nasty until the final one pretty much broke him. It arrived a week or so after my eighth birthday and was just a picture of a gravestone with Dad's name and two dates. One was Dad's date of birth; the other was obviously meant to depict his date of death.

‘It was the date of the following Saturday, only four days away when Dad received the letter.'

Abi paused, tears in her eyes giving away how much the memories still hurt.

‘We were at home that day,' she continued, referring to the football team her father had played for with so much success. ‘Security was stepped up to the maximum for the match; nothing was going to hurt Dad, not during the game anyway. Afterwards, we'd be heading straight back to Applethwaite so Dad could surround himself with his family until the fateful day was over. That was the plan.

‘In the final ten minutes of the game we were awarded a
throw-in.' Abi stopped to compose herself – the next words were going to be very difficult to speak as she recalled the worst day of her life.

‘We got a throw-in directly in front of the hospitality box that I was in. Grandad was there too, and Mam, and Cameron. Thank God he was too young to remember. Dad went over to pick up the ball. He didn't take throw-ins; he was just nearest…'

Again Abi stopped, and Louis wondered whether he should offer her some comfort. Still painfully unsure of himself, he decided she wouldn't welcome any physical contact from him and kept his hands pressed between his legs as he waited for Abi to continue. Taking a deep breath, Abi spoke.

‘As he picked up the ball one of the stewards, who I now know was called Stephen Dyer,' Abi spat out the name, ‘stood up and stabbed my dad repeatedly in the chest. In front of all those people watching the game. In front of the television cameras recording the action for the highlights programme later, and in front of me. Right in front of me!

‘Louis, I had to watch my dad die. He was only twenty-seven. He was my daddy…'

Finally Abi gave way to the tears that had been threatening, and finally Louis overcame his shyness and wrapped his arms round her as she sobbed on to his chest.

Arriving home, Sarah quickly realised who was in the family room with Louis when she saw Abi's distinctive jacket draped over a chair in the hallway. Torn between curiosity and feeling she should leave the youngsters to their conversation, Sarah contented herself with slipping silently into the kitchen where their words would still reach her.

In the family room Abi's sobs were subsiding, and Louis handed her a tatty but unopened pack of tissues from his tracksuit pocket.

‘Thanks, Lou,' she said, blowing her nose while Louis
marvelled at her ability to still look beautiful even with eyes swollen from crying. Reluctant to let her out of his arms, Louis was disappointed when she wriggled free and sat back to face him once more. For a split second he found himself wishing she'd cry some more so he could hold her again, then immediately he chastised himself silently for being so selfish.

‘The Sponsors made all the right noises following Dad's murder. What a terrible tragedy; how awful for the country to lose such a sporting talent in the prime of his life. If only he'd accepted Sponsorship, he would have been nurtured, he would have been protected. As spectators at the match realised what had happened to Dad, even as they were crying at the awful scene they were witnessing, they started bleating like the sheep they were that it wouldn't have happened if he'd accepted Sponsorship – he shouldn't have been so stubborn, he shouldn't have criticised the wonderful Scheme; it made people angry, he got what he deserved. Stupid MORONS!'

Abi leapt from the sofa, her sudden fury making her restless as she paced round the room, pounding one small fist into her other hand as she spoke.

‘They were pretty much implying it was Dad's own fault he was murdered. The cretins actually believed that those who didn't tow the Sponsors' line got all that was coming to them. The Sponsors must have been delighted! And Dyer? He got off with fucking manslaughter! He took a knife to a football match with the sole aim of sticking it into my dad's heart and they call it MANSLAUGHTER! How fucking premeditated do you want it? Once again the Sponsors denied all involvement, and the sheep they Sponsored were either too stupid or too scared, or both, to question it. Dyer was paraded to the world's press as being a lone maverick, loyal to the Sponsors but acting on his own, and without my dad around to keep them interested they bought that crap
and soon found something else to fill their newspapers. The Sponsors moved on to new heights of suppression and intimidation unchallenged, their one public adversary silenced for ever. Dyer, I believe, now works as part of their security team. Hell, he probably heads it! After all, what's the need to cover up that he's in their employ now there's no one left to challenge them?

‘
That
, Louis, is why I hate the Scheme so much.'

Looking back at Abi's passionate face, Louis said, ‘Are you sure?'

‘Sure of what?' asked Abi, frowning as she thought for a moment he was questioning her hatred for the Sponsorship Scheme.

‘Are you sure there's no one left who'll challenge them?'

Getting Louis's drift, Abi returned to the sofa and grabbed hold of his hands.

‘Louis!' she said urgently. ‘These people are so dangerous.'

‘That didn't stop your dad, did it?' replied Louis. ‘So why should it stop me?'

‘I'm scared for you, Louis,' said Abi, then smiled as she added, ‘Proud too.'

‘I'm scared for me too,' replied Louis, glowing at Abi's pride in him. ‘But I'm not about to let Theo down. I'm going to find him whether anyone helps me or not.'

‘In that case I will help you, Louis. I will do as Sarah asked,' said Abi, looking into Louis's determined face. ‘Although you're not going to like it.'

‘Like what?'

‘Sarah's idea to get you out of Applethwaite without the Sponsors finding out. You're going to need a decoy, someone to get Max off your case for long enough for you to get well on your way. Guess who's the decoy!'

‘What are you going to do to distract him?' asked Louis, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

‘Oh,' said Abi lightly, ‘he's been asking all kinds of questions about you. I'll indulge him with some answers. Purely fictional answers, of course.'

‘And if he gets bored? Or twigs that you're taking the piss?'

‘Then I'll have to try something else,' said Abi, still keeping her tone light, but Louis immediately guessed what the something else would be.

‘You're quite right. I don't like it. Is there really no other way?' Before Abi could reply, Sarah burst into the room.

‘Think about it, Louis,' she said angrily. ‘We're all making sacrifices here. Someone's got to get Max off your case if this crackpot venture of yours has any hope of succeeding. Abi's the most likely to make it work.'

‘Have you been eavesdropping?' asked Louis, a little taken aback by Sarah's rare show of temper.

‘Yes,' she replied, unashamed. ‘Don't worry; I didn't hear anything I didn't already know.'

The three looked at each other for a while as the enormity of the task ahead of them dawned simultaneously on their minds.

‘When do you think we should go?' asked Louis.

‘As soon as possible,' replied Abi immediately. ‘Tomorrow? We've not really got any time to lose. It won't be long before the Sponsors realise that Max is incompetent and replace him with a watchman who will do his job properly.'

‘Tomorrow it is then,' said Sarah. ‘We can get things together tonight without Jenny getting curious, then pick her up on the way out in the morning. She won't have time to alert anyone with her chatter then. I'm afraid your mother's going to have to look after herself, Louis.'

‘I can look in on her,' ventured Abi, but Sarah shook her head.

‘You'll be busy, dear,' she replied, while Louis shuddered with revulsion at the thought of Abi keeping Max occupied.
‘I'll have a word with your Uncle Chris before we go, ask him to tie up loose ends.'

‘Someone's got to let Gideon know,' said Louis. ‘I wish it could be me; I don't want to send him a message via someone else, but do you know what? I don't even know where he lives!'

‘Not a problem, my love,' replied Sarah, ‘I do. Now, we haven't much time so we'd better press on. Abi, you know what you have to do?'

‘I do indeed. Keep Max out of the way for as long as possible,' said Abi, leaping to her feet. Sensitive to Louis's desire for a few moments alone with Abi before she left to embark on her unpleasant task, Sarah told the youngsters she was going to make a start on the packing and hurried out of the room. Facing Abi alone once more, Louis felt all at once helpless and exhilarated.

‘I'm so sorry you've got to do this, Abi,' he said. ‘You don't actually like Max, do you?'

‘No, I think he's a conceited toad. This is all more important than what I think though, Louis. Anything I can do to help piss off the Sponsors, anything at all, I'll do it gladly.'

‘Not too gladly, I hope,' said Louis, jealously.

‘I'm not going to enjoy it, Louis. In fact, I can't bear him touching me.' Abi paused, then added, ‘I'll get through it by pretending he's you every time he touches me.'

It took a second or two for Abi's words to penetrate Louis's brain.

‘Really?' was all he could think of to say.

‘Really!' she replied. ‘I ought to get going.'