Delia Wickham studied the paper. ‘That’s my sister’s handwriting. I’d recognise it anywhere. She had the most perfect script – it was always so tiny – as if she was hiding something.’ She began to read the letter and gasped again.

  ‘Oh, my word!’ Delia’s hand flew to her mouth. ‘Surely she didn’t . . . swap the babies.’

  ‘We can’t make out all of it,’ Alice-Miranda said. But those last letters – do you have any idea what they mean?’

  ‘Aster – it’s my niece’s name. Is that the name of the woman you know in the village?’ Delia asked.

  Alice-Miranda shook her head. ‘Her name is Juliette.’

  Delia Wickham looked as if she was going to faint.

  Britt pulled over a chair and she sat down.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Alice-Miranda asked.

  ‘That was the name of Mr and Mrs Turner’s beautiful girl. The one who died not long after Mrs Turner fell down the stairs,’ Delia said, cradling her head in her hands. ‘But why would Aster have changed her name to Juliette? Do you think she knows?’

  Alice-Miranda shook her head. ‘I don’t think she has any idea.’

  Delia Wickham looked up at the girls. ‘What on earth did my sister do?’

  Griffin Hendrix stood on the patio at the back of Hoxton Manor considering his options. He couldn’t just leave Venetia Baldini at the mercy of Sergei Koloff and his thugs. And – he wasn’t sure exactly what they had on Bobby Lambert, but as far as Griff was concerned, whatever it was, it didn’t warrant the man disappearing. Griffin’s temples began to throb. He was surprised to see a delivery van, the same as the one his son drove for work, fly around the corner to the parking area behind the mansion. But what he saw next was even more perplexing.

  What were his children and that little ferret, Liam, doing dressed as security guards? They were supposed to be at home watching Christmas movies. He was shocked to see Hazel’s friend Ellie emerge from the back of the van with a woman in tow.

  ‘Oi, you lot!’ Griffin called out, hurrying over to the group. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘Looking for my son,’ the woman said. ‘Have you seen Myles? He’s about this tall,’ she held her hand at about the one metre mark, ‘and he’s wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt and he’s probably carrying a tin.’ She was talking a million miles a minute.

  ‘What’s she on about?’ Griffin asked. ‘Is that your mother, Ellie?’

  The girl nodded. ‘My brother’s missing and we think he might have come here.’

  ‘Why?’ Griffin asked.

  ‘It’s a long story, Dad,’ Hazel said.

  Ellie looked at Hazel. ‘Are you coming, or have you still got more important things to do? I mean, finding a lost nine-year-old would seem to trump your other plans, wouldn’t it?’

  Hazel narrowed her eyes. ‘I thought you were my friend,’ she snapped.

  ‘Friends don’t ask people to steal things to prove their worth,’ Ellie retorted. While a showdown had been brewing in the van, Ellie had held her tongue until now. She didn’t need them turfing her and her mother out before they got to their destination.

  Juliette looked at Ellie. ‘What are you talking about, darling?’

  ‘I’ll tell you everything later, Mum – and I’m sorry. I really am.’ She grabbed Juliette’s hand and the pair raced away to the mansion.

  Griffin glared at the teens.

  ‘What did Ellie mean? And why are you dressed like that?’ he asked. Then he remembered something he’d heard on the radio on his way home from work about the robberies of all the Christmas decorations. Finally, the police had a lead on a black van.

  ‘Oh, for the love of everything good in this world, tell me you’re not the Bauble Bandits?’ Griffin said.

  Hazel smiled. ‘How did you know, Dad? Are you proud of us? We’re like Robin Hood and his Merry Men – we’re going to nick those wreaths from the front gates tonight. Then we’re going to decorate all the poor houses round the village that never get any love.’

  Griffin felt sick. ‘Why would I be proud? You’re nothing but common criminals.’

  Hazel recoiled.

  ‘But you’re always banging on about rich people and how life isn’t fair and that we need to level the playing field,’ Jake said.

  ‘I didn’t mean you should steal things,’ Griffin said, the weight of his words almost causing his legs to buckle beneath him given his own sordid track record. ‘You’re not taking anything from this place and you’re going to return everything you’ve nicked and then you can use your own money to buy decorations for all the houses you decided needed cheering up.’

  ‘But Dad,’ Kane griped. ‘That’s, like, heaps of money and it will take us hours to give everything back – and then what if someone sees us?’

  ‘You’ll be lucky I don’t give you away to the police,’ the man said. ‘But then again, your mother won’t be impressed if the whole family is locked up at the same time.’

  Hazel frowned at her father.

  ‘What are you talking about, Dad?’ she asked.

  ‘Nothing – but you need to come with me. There are some people in trouble and we’re going to help them – no questions asked.’

  He glared at the four youngsters. ‘You’ve obviously got your thieving ways from someone, and I need to make things right.’ He pulled his phone out and made the call he should have when he’d overheard those girls talking. For the first time in his life, he needed to be smart about what he did next. He only hoped that he hadn’t left things too late.

  Sep looked around and spotted Neville with Lucas, Jacinta, Sloane and Chessie at the other end of the hall.

  ‘Hey,’ he called.

  The five friends looked up and hurried towards him.

  ‘There’s something weird going on. Millie and Caprice have just bolted outside. I think we need to go after them,’ Sep said.

  ‘Did they say anything?’ Sloane asked.

  Sep shook his head. He was still trying to work out where to put the drinks – fortunately, a waiter walked past, and he deposited the glasses back onto the man’s tray.

  ‘Do you know where they were going?’ Chessie asked.

  ‘No – but they were in a hurry,’ Sep said.

  ‘Come on, then,’ Lucas said, and the group dashed out through the rear doors into the darkness. Problem was, they really had no idea where to look.

  They asked a couple of the valet drivers who’d been parking cars if they’d seen the girls, and some security guards too, but without any luck.

  Snowflakes whirled on an icy wind. ‘Maybe they’ve gone back inside,’ Jacinta suggested. Her teeth were chattering and she was shivering uncontrollably.

  ‘Yeah,’ Lucas agreed. ‘It’s freezing out here. Come on.’

  It didn’t take much to convince the others. Lucas wrapped his arms around Jacinta and Neville, Chessie and Sloane hurried after them. Sep bit his lip. He had more clothes on than the girls and wasn’t feeling the cold quite as much.

  ‘Sep!’ Sloane called from where she was standing further up the driveway.

  ‘Be there in a minute,’ he shouted after her.

  Sep spun around and saw lights over by the fence that separated Hoxton Manor from the neighbours. He wondered if it was Millie and Caprice and, if it was, what they were doing there. He called out but his voice was carried away by a sudden gust of wind. He’d go and take a look just in case. He hurried across the driveway and down a path towards the boundary, but was disappointed to see it was only some more security guards. Though he might as well ask them too.

  ‘Excuse me, I’m wondering if you’ve seen my friends. Millie is kind of short with fiery red hair and freckles, and Caprice is tall with long copper hair and blue eyes.’

  ‘No, we haven’t,’ a young girl snapped, spinning around. He was surprised that she only looked about the same age as him. The boys she was with were young teens too – although one was older. ‘Go back to the party.’

  He noticed that she was holding a pair of binoculars looking towards the mansion next door.

  ‘Is there a problem?’ Sep asked.

  ‘There’s Dad,’ the older boy said, snatching the binoculars from the girl. ‘He’s going inside.’

  ‘What’s happening?’ Sep asked.

  ‘None of your business,’ one of the younger boys spat. ‘Now, get lost.’

  ‘Are you really security guards?’ Sep asked. It didn’t seem likely.

  ‘We told you, nick off,’ the other boy, who reminded Sep of a ferret, barked.

  But Sep wasn’t going anywhere. Especially not after what he saw next.

  ‘Millie!’ Sep shouted, before being punched in the stomach. He doubled over and lay in the grass gasping for breath. ‘What did you do that for?’

  He’d just caught sight of Millie and Caprice being manhandled by a pair of men and it looked like they were heading inside the mansion too.

  ‘Shut your trap!’ the older boy hissed.

  ‘But those are my friends,’ Sep said, clambering to his feet. ‘We’ve got to help them.’

  ‘What do you think we’re doing?’ the girl said. ‘Our father’s in there too and so’s Venetia Baldini.’

  ‘Venetia!’ Sep gasped. ‘She’s Caprice’s mother. Have you called the police?’

  ‘No – Dad says these guys aren’t your everyday criminals,’ one of the boys said.

  But Sep didn’t care. His friends were in danger and he needed to help. Without another word he took off, hurdling the fence and sprinting towards the house.

  ‘Are you kidding me?’ the girl said. ‘Come on! We have to go after him before he gets everyone killed.’

  Millie was opposite Caprice, both tied to the chairs they were sat on. At least the thugs hadn’t covered their eyes. The men who had grabbed them were gone. The girls were alone in a room that looked like a cellar – though there wasn’t any wine in this section of it. Millie couldn’t help thinking what a cliché that was – the bad guys always took their victims to the cellar. There had been more than one occasion when she and Alice-Miranda had found themselves in a bit of bother in similar surrounds. Although what this lot were up to and why they’d grabbed Venetia – especially after she said that she was working for the man who owned the house, and he was supposedly paying her a fortune – was anyone’s guess. It must have had something to do with the fellow on the telephone – what was his name? Millie racked her brain thinking of it. Then she remembered. Bronson. Millie realised she’d heard that name only this morning. Juliette’s husband was called Bronson. It wasn’t very common. And Venetia had said Bronson Bye before she’d been cut off – it had to be Bronson Byers. But what on earth was he doing here? Caprice was wriggling about when suddenly she rocked her chair forward. Her feet touched the floor and much to Millie’s amazement she managed to hop over and position herself back-to-back with Millie, close enough that the girls’ hands could touch, which hopefully meant that with a lot of pulling and fiddling they’d be able to undo each other’s ropes.

  Without a word – only because they were gagged – the pair set to work. Sometimes being stubborn paid off and, though neither of them could say it, they were both hoping that what was often their worst attribute was about to become one of their most valuable.

  Sep had almost reached the back of the mansion before the others caught up.

  ‘Stop!’ the older boy hissed.

  Sep slid under a hedge and lay on his stomach, relieved to have got this far without being intercepted.

  They all lay down beside him like soldiers in a row, trying to catch their breaths and wondering what was going to happen next.

  ‘You shouldn’t have come here,’ the girl said.

  ‘Fine – probably wasn’t my best plan,’ Sep mumbled, wondering how he was ever going to find Millie and Caprice and Venetia inside the huge modern house. But he hadn’t really been thinking straight.

  ‘We have to wait and hear from Dad,’ the older boy said. ‘Until then, no one moves, okay?’

  Sep wasn’t keen on that idea, especially now that the snow was coming down in fat flakes. It wouldn’t take long before they were buried with a dose of hypothermia.

  Meanwhile inside, Millie had managed to get her fingers through the knot and with one last tug she freed Caprice, who quickly pulled the gag from her mouth and took a deep breath.

  She undid the ropes from her legs and quickly finished untying Millie.

  ‘They’re not very smart,’ Millie whispered. ‘Cable ties would have been far harder to get out of.’

  Caprice nodded, then did something completely unexpected, wrapping her arms around Millie tightly.

  ‘Thank you,’ she mumbled. ‘Now we have to find Mum and get out of here.’

  The girls didn’t have to look far before they found someone. They peered around into the main part of the cellar and at the end of the room, among thousands and thousands of bottles of wine, a man was tied to his chair just as they had been.

  At the sound of their footsteps, he looked up. It was clear he’d taken a beating, with two black eyes and a nasty cut to the side of his face. Millie pressed her finger to her lips and the girls crept towards him, their footfalls silent on the stone floor.

  Working together, they quickly released him from his bonds.

  ‘I’m Millie and this is Caprice – she’s Venetia’s daughter,’ the girl whispered.

  He nodded.

  ‘Are you Bronson?’ the girl asked. ‘Bronson Byers? Myles and Ellie’s dad?’

  ‘Yes, you know my children?’ he said.

  Millie nodded.

  ‘Are they okay?’ Bronson asked.

  ‘Yes, they’re fine,’ Millie said. Although she had to wonder if Ellie was still going through with the plan the girls had hatched to bring down Hazel and the boys. It wasn’t exactly the right time to bring that up now.

  ‘Good,’ Bronson said with a tight smile. ‘You mustn’t say my real name if we happen upon any of the thugs who are guarding this place. I’m an undercover police officer – I don’t know how they found out, but I’ve been on this case for over a year now. My cover is Bobby,’ he said.

  ‘That explains a lot,’ Millie said. The police are on their way. I called Detective Inspector Freeman before we got here. But they’re coming quietly. No sirens.’

  Bronson’s eyebrows jumped up. ‘How do you know her?’

  ‘It’s a long story,’ Millie replied. ‘Has this got anything to do with the grocery thefts from Kennington’s and all the others?’

  Bronson nodded.

  ‘No wonder Detective Freeman sounded excited when I told her what was going on. She’s been trying to crack this case for ages,’ Millie said.

  ‘Do you know where my mother is?’ Caprice asked.

  He nodded. ‘Sergey is hosting a party – it’s only small, but his nearest and dearest are upstairs in the dining room. Your mother is cooking. I managed to convince them she knew nothing about any of this before they dragged me back down here.’

  The girls nodded. This was good news – but now they had to get out of there and make sure that DI Freeman and her team got their man.

  The unexpected arrival of Griffin Hendrix at his boss’s exclusive Christmas party was clearly not welcome. But, when Griffin said he’d received some information he needed to deliver in person and in private, Sergey Koloff took leave of his guests, leading the man to his study – which is exactly what Griffin had hoped he would do.

  During the construction of the mansion, Griffin had made many deliveries here – and not grocery items. Everything in the house was hot – as in stolen – from the tiles and taps to the ovens, sinks, furniture and floor coverings. Another sideline that the trucking company had been involved in. His boss would have been surprised at how familiar Griffin was with the house and its quirks – something he was about to use to his advantage.

  Sergey Koloff closed the door. He ran a hand over the top of his bald head, then cracked his knuckles. Yet neither action made him seem any taller than his five-foot-three stature. Two henchmen stood either side of the man. Tactical but good. Now Griffin just had to get the other two he’d seen downstairs inside. As far as he knew, Sergey’s security team was only four.

  ‘So, what is it that could not wait?’ Sergey demanded.

  ‘I’ve got news about Bobby,’ Griffin said. He wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but he had to make something up and knowing that Bobby was somewhere in the house might actually help him to find the man once he had taken care of Sergey and his thugs.

  ‘We have dealt with him already,’ Sergey said. ‘And next time you employ someone, make sure that your background checks are more thorough. Perhaps it is time we dealt with you as well.’

  ‘What are you talking about? I’ve been nothing but loyal to you, Sergey. I organise those deliveries and make sure that everything gets where it needs to go,’ Griffin said with a gulp.

  ‘That may be true, but I know that you take a little bit for yourself. You think I don’t have someone else keeping an eye on you?’ Sergey said, his stare drilling into Griffin. ‘Enough of this cat and mouse. Get rid of him.’

  The men standing beside Sergey moved towards Griffin, whose hands balled into fists. He looked around for something to defend himself, snatching a silver letter opener from the desk and holding it in the air.

  ‘Don’t come any closer,’ Griffin threatened, but a loud bang and shouts from downstairs caught everyone off guard.

  ‘Don’t tell me those idiots have allowed him to escape again!’ Sergey bellowed. ‘Find out what is going on!’

  The first of Sergey’s henchmen hurried to the door and out into the hallway. There was the sound of a scuffle.

  ‘Don’t just stand there, you idiot!’ Sergey yelled. The second man raced out and before long the pair had both been silenced.

  ‘What the heck is going on?’ Sergey yelled as Griffin charged towards the door, hitting the small button on the panel that activated the safe room’s capabilities. As a steel panel slid across the exit, he turned sideways and wriggled through, grateful he’d recently started back at the gym.