Jo danced on in front, a good way ahead. She took no notice of the others behind, and they followed steadily.

Then suddenly something happened. A dark figure strode out from the hedge, stood in front of Jo, and said something to her. She screamed and tried to dodge away. But the man caught hold of her and firmly pulled her into the hedge.

“It was Jake!” said Dick. “I’m sure it was Jake. He was watching out for her. Now what do we do?”

Chapter Fourteen

Simmy’s caravan

They all hurried up to the place where Jake had caught hold of Jo. There was absolutely nothing to be seen except a few broken twigs in the hedge there. No Jake, no Jo. There was not a sound to be heard, either. Not a scream from Jo, not a shout from Jake. It was as if both had faded into the hedge and disappeared.

Dick squeezed through the hedge and into the field beyond. Nobody was there either, except a few cows who looked at him in surprise, their tails whisking.

“There’s a little copse at the end of the field,” called back Dick. “I bet they’re there. I’ll go and see.”

He ran across the field to the copse. But there was nobody there either. Beyond the copse was a row of huddled-up cottages. Dick looked along the untidy row, exasperated.

“I suppose Jake’s taken her to one of those,” he thought, angrily. “Probably lives there! Well, he won’t let her go, that’s certain. He most likely guesses that she’s in with us now. Poor Jo!”

He went back to the others and they had a low-voiced conference in the lane. “Let’s tell the police now,” begged Anne.

“No. Let’s go to Ravens Wood ourselves,” said Dick. “We know where it is. We wouldn’t be able to go the way Jo would have taken us — but at least we can go by the map.”

“Yes. I think we will,” said Julian. “Come on, then. Quick march!”

They went on up the lane, took a field path and came out eventually on to a road. A bus passed them in the opposite direction to which they were going.

“When we come to a bus stop we’ll find out if one goes anywhere near Raven’s Wood,” said Julian. “It would save a lot of time if we caught a bus. We’d be there long before Jake, if he thinks of going to warn Jo’s father we’re on the way! I bet Jo will tell him. You might as well trust a snake as that slippery little thing.”

“I hate Jo!” said Anne, almost in tears. “I don’t trust her a bit. Do you, Dick?”

“I don’t know,” said Dick. “I can’t make up my mind. She hasn’t really proved whether she’s trustable or not yet. Anyway, she came back to tell us all she knew last night, didn’t she?”

“I don’t believe she did come back for that,” said Anne obstinately. “I believe she was coming back to pry and snoop.”