The Fox of Richmond Park Page 25

  As the rest of the creatures filed in, Edward himself emerged from the trees, six of the largest stags spread out behind him along the straight edge of the semi-circle. Wry smiles crept onto the stags’ muzzles as they saw the quiet congregation expanded across the grass, but Edward remained cool, his lips pursed and chin high.

  The Head Stag cleared his throat. All whispering ceased and silence fell over the crowd.

  His voice boomed over the animals. ‘Good morning, everyone. I have called this emergency meeting for three reasons. The first is that I have distressing news. Vince the fox, who left this park of his own accord, has sadly been killed. I asked Kara to send a message, informing him that he was welcome to return, but unfortunately she found him dead in the city. The cause of death is unknown, but a vicious animal or a car accident seems most likely. The city is a dangerous place, and I hope this unfortunate loss serves as a reminder to you all that leaving the safety of our boundary is not something we recommend.’

  Sophie rolled her eyes. The crowd murmured, confused. Many had heard Sophie’s story, and now clearly didn’t know whom to trust.

  Edward continued, ‘The second reason for this meeting is that I have become aware of a recent decline in standards of behaviour. Some animals have wilfully disregarded rules – rules that are in place to protect you – and, as I’m sure you’ll agree, this kind of behaviour is unacceptable.’

  Small gasps rose from the animals as they looked around at one another. But Sophie had a pretty good idea who he was talking about.

  ‘One animal in particular believes she is better than the rest of you. She believes the rules don’t apply to her.’

  The crowd burst into frenzied chatter. Sophie clenched her teeth. She wanted to run, but that would be admitting guilt. That was what Edward wanted.

  Jake shot Sophie a worried look. Edward stamped a hoof and a hush fell over the crowd.

  ‘This animal has been reported to be giving our resources to outside animals. Domestic cats, in particular, spreading vicious rumours, and being abusive to other residents.’

  The last part’s true, at least.

  Disapproving murmurs spread across the mass of animals like fire. On cue, the deer behind the foxes sidestepped together, closing the gaps in the barrier and blocking any escape. A trembling Marge looked at Sophie, her eyes wide. ‘Don’t worry, he’s after me,’ Sophie whispered.

  ‘But that’s not all, I’m afraid,’ Edward boomed again, his eyes scanning the sea of residents, settling on Sophie for an almost imperceptible moment. ‘Two non-resident foxes from the city were found to be living in the cemetery. They have since been dealt with and no longer pose a risk to you. However, they were invited inside our boundary by the animal in question. Mother knows how long they have been living here, eating your food, murdering your families…’

  Sophie flinched as gasps split the air around her. Her mind went to Vince. His dead body out in the city somewhere. If he were here…

  ‘Lies!’ Sophie yelled without thinking.

  Countless tiny heads painted with anger turned to stare at her. Whispers of her name filled the air, followed by shouts, the noise quickly becoming deafening.

  ‘Sophie!’ Jake’s shout was only just audible. He started to push his way through the crowd but a deer stepped in front of him and lowered its antlers.

  Edward’s mouth curled into a smile. ‘I wasn’t going to name the perpetrator, but it seems she is keen for you all to know who she is.’

  ‘Stop lying!’ Sophie shouted. ‘The foxes were nothing to do with me. You sent Kara to find them and promised them a home in return for killing Vince. Tell them the truth! Tell them you ordered Vince dead!’

  The animals around her only grew angrier at her protest, shaking their heads in disgust. The squirrels backed away, shielding their children from the threat of the rogue fox. The other foxes didn’t move, but whispered to one another, eyes on Sophie. Marge shot her a desperate look.

  ‘I admit…’ Edward ignored Sophie and carried on, everyone quickly turning back to face him, ‘…I assumed that Vince was the main cause of unease within this park and that his leaving would solve our problems, but it seems he passed his despicable behaviour on to his mate.’ He looked directly at Sophie.

  The entire park seemed to be on Edward’s side. Did they actually believe his lies, or were they just scared of him? She knew the foxes’ answers, at least; they’d seen the state of Alice’s den. Her instinct to run kicked in. She was faster than most of the animals, but not the deer. It would make her look guilty, but if everyone already thought she was to blame, she had nothing to lose. If she could make it to the boundary, she would be safe.

  She went to turn, but one of the deer dealt a swift kick to her side with a front hoof. Sophie cried out and Jake leapt into the crowd, the deer not quick enough to stop him.

  ‘Don’t even try it,’ the doe said to Sophie. She collapsed onto the grass, dizzy from the pain exploding through her ribs. Jake pushed his way through the protesting animals.

  ‘Leave him,’ Edward shouted to the does. ‘Let him comfort his mate while he still has the chance.’

  Sophie lifted her head. Her blurry vision masked Edward’s expression, but she had little doubt there was a smirk plastered across his stupid snout. Jake arrived at her side. ‘Mother Nature, are you okay, Soph?’

  ‘Fine,’ she breathed. ‘But everyone… believes him.’ She set her feelings towards Jake aside; she needed all the help she could get.

  Edward shushed the animals. ‘It goes without saying that she will be dealt with appropriately later, but I will come back to that, after I tell you the third reason I called this meeting. I hope it will reassure you all to know that we, the deer, as the strongest animals here, vow always to bear the great responsibility of protecting the park and all the residents within it. It is truly an honour to serve as your protectors, and to uphold the rules and values of this place we call home.’

  Nods spread through the sea of animals. A few cheers even rose up from some small groups.

  Sophie dragged herself to her feet, wincing through the pain in her side.

  ‘As you all know,’ Edward continued, ‘these rules and values form Park Watch, which was put in place many seasons ago to maintain safety and harmony, and to ensure that any animal who is chosen to take on additional duties could be fairly rewarded.’

  ‘Additional duties my backside,’ Sophie muttered under her breath.

  Edward’s voice grew louder. ‘Building on the continued success of Park Watch, I am pleased to announce an exciting new opportunity for you all.’ He paused for effect, and many animals responded predictably with excited whispers. Edward carried on. ‘From now on, every resident in Richmond Park – not just those with officially designated duties – will be eligible for rewards.’

  More cheers erupted, louder this time. Smiles spread across faces, tails waved back and forth and hind legs stamped on the grass.

  Edward opened his mouth to speak again and the noise died down. ‘The nature of the rewards themselves will be decided on a case-by-case basis, but they can be earned simply by reporting any rule infraction – large or small – directly to me…’

  ‘This is madness,’ Sophie said. ‘Can’t they see what he’s doing?’

  ‘…I hope this new system will encourage everyone to work just a little bit harder for the greater good of the park. Together, we can keep this park safe, peaceful and productive!’

  Some animals – those with the least critical thinking skills – cheered again, but many stayed silent. Sophie felt a pang of hope.

  A short way from Sophie, a squirrel whispered to another, ‘He wants us to tell on each other.’

  ‘Yes, yes!’ Sophie hissed at them, ‘He wants everyone to be his spies… Tell him you won’t do it! All of you!’

  The squirrels looked at Sophie with their jet-black eyes. ‘But he’s in charge. He’ll kick us out…’

  ‘He can’t kick you all out, can he? C
ome on, we have to all stand up to him together.’

  ‘Sophie, you’re going to get yourself killed,’ Jake said.

  ‘Wait, you’re the fox that did all those bad things…’ the other squirrel said.

  Before she could reply, the air disappeared from her lungs as an antler struck her already bruised ribs. A silent yelp escaped her jaws and she fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

  ‘Sophie!’ Jake scrabbled towards her and inspected the gash where the tip of the antler had impaled her. He licked the wound to stem the blood flow.

  ‘The fox has something else to say, apparently,’ Edward shouted. ‘Excellent timing. We shall move on to the business of her punishment. Consider this, everybody, your first infraction report. You all know what she did. You’ve seen her try to undermine me and disrupt this meeting. What should her punishment be?’

  The crowd was silent. Sophie coughed as she tried to get up again. The doe moved to stop her but Jake bared his teeth and thrashed his tail to keep her away.

  ‘No one wants to make a suggestion?’ Edward began to pace back and forth along the front row of the crowd. ‘There I was, thinking a bit of democratic debate might help improve morale…’

  ‘Kick her out!’ a tiny voice yelled out. A rabbit. One of the larger males.

  ‘Ah!’ Edward stopped pacing. ‘Good, good… Any more? Don’t be shy, there are no wrong answers…’

  ‘I say kick her out too!’ another rabbit shouted from the crowd. More quickly joined in. ‘Yeah, kick her out! We don’t want her here!’

  Sophie summoned her energy and shouted back. ‘Are you serious? Can’t you see that he’s manipulating you? I haven’t even done anything. It’s all lies.’

  ‘Listen to her!’ Jake joined in. ‘Edward is just using you! Sophie did nothing wrong, and Edward’s the one who had Vince killed!’

  ‘Residents, who do you trust more?’ Edward started pacing again. ‘Me, the one who keeps order, who keeps you safe, who is standing up here telling you facts in a calm and rational manner? Or the foxes? The foxes who spread vicious gossip, who refuse to cooperate, who invite strangers into your home, who try to convince you of their innocence by suggesting that you are stupid, somehow, for trusting me.’

  ‘When did I call anyone stupid? You’re twisting my words…’ She trailed off and locked eyes with Jake. He may have been foolish and naive to trust Edward, but she could see now how his good intentions could have spiralled out of control. She had let herself be manipulated by Edward, as the rabbits were being now.

  Edward addressed the crowd again. ‘Now, if the vermin are quite finished—’

  ‘VERMIN?’ A voice, low and hoarse, called from deep in the trees. Sophie didn’t recognise it, and, judging by the rest of the animals’ puzzled expressions, neither did they.

  Edward’s smile dropped from his face as the creature lumbered its way into view.

  Kara emerged from the shadow of the tree above. ‘You…?’ she said.

  The creature pointed his long, black-and-white snout towards the branch above him. ‘Ah, the moon-faced bird. A pleasure to see you, it is not.’

  *

  Rita tried to keep her balance as the train lurched to a halt again. This was stop number four, and it looked like it would be the final one as Del lifted Laurie from between his feet and stood up. He smiled at Rita. ‘You comin’ with me, bird?’ He laughed.

  He left the train and Rita followed, flapping up to the roof of the station. ‘Well, look at that, Scarlett. I’m Snow White!’ He laughed again, this time louder, with his head tipped right back. ‘Or maybe Doctor Dolittle, eh? Hey, bird! Can you understand me?’

  ‘Yes!’ Rita yelled from the roof. ‘But you can’t understand me, can you?’

  ‘Nope.’ Del shook his head. ‘I got nothin’. Just Snow White, then, I guess.’ He carried Laurie out of the station and Rita followed, watching from high above.

  ‘It’s a bit of a walk, Scarlett, my dear, but I prefer the fresh air, you know? Well, as fresh as it gets around ’ere. Better than bein’ squished on the underground trains, especially as I got you with me. Don’t think you’d like it down there.’ He walked north along a straight road for a short while, before heading east. Rita took to the lamp posts again. Another turn to the left, straight up again, then right, and Del finally arrived at the next place. Another station. This one was busier, with a vast paved area outside where cars and buses hummed in and out. A murder of crows mingled around a rubbish bin, squabbling over the remnants of a bag of chips.

  Del stopped for a quick stretch – carrying Laurie seemed to be hard on his arms – then pulled the small object from his pocket again. Rita kept one eye on him, but took the opportunity to ask the crows where exactly she was. After informing her the station was called Tottenham Hale, Rita thanked them and left them to their chips. She scanned the area, but Del was gone. She flew over the station roof and searched the platforms below. He was seated, Laurie between his feet again, on a bench on the west of the train tracks.

  Thank Mother.

  But where was he going? If she got the next train with him too, who knew how far away she’d end up. Could she follow him all the way back as well? It didn’t look like she had much choice…

  There was no doubt that Del wouldn’t harm her, so she swooped down next to Laurie’s carrier. The front mesh door was facing Del, away from the bustle of the platform. ‘Hello, Mister Magpie, you been followin’ me?’ he said.

  Rita ignored him. ‘Laurie, it’s Rita. Are you okay?’ She didn’t know how much time they had before the train arrived.

  Laurie’s voice was muffled through the sides of the box. ‘Rita! You’re here! Oh, Mother, I knew I heard your voice before but when he got on the train I thought I’d lost you… Where are we?’

  ‘Somewhere called Tottenham Hale. It looks like you’re getting another train. I’m going to come with you, then follow him all the way back so I can bring Vince and Arthur.’

  ‘No, Rita, it’s too far. What if something happens to you? Vince will never make it all the way, anyway. Not on one train, let alone two. Don’t risk getting lost.’

  ‘I won’t, and I’m not leaving you alone.’

  ‘Rita—’

  ‘You can’t stop me, Laurie, so you might as well accept the fact.’

  Del laughed and clapped his hands together. ‘You ’ear this, everyone? The bird and the fox be talkin’ to each other! It’s true! Come and listen!’

  The people around them looked up from their phones, frowned at Del, then went back to their screens, a wide circle of empty space forming around him. Rita looked up at him. He seemed to understand them better than the other humans, even if he didn’t know what they were saying.

  Rita hopped on top of Laurie’s box and faced Del. ‘Where are you taking her?’ she said.

  ‘One for sorrow… That’s what they say, don’t they? But you don’t look sad, Mister Magpie,’ Del said.

  ‘Where are you taking her?’ Rita turned her head and pointed her beak to the train tracks.

  ‘You comin’ on the train with me again? All the way to Broxbourne?’

  ‘Broxbourne? Is that it?’ Rita said.

  ‘Oh, you’d love it there. Nice and green. That’s why I’m takin’ Scarlett. It’s a long way, but it’s got biiig fields and trees and rivers and the air is…’ He made a circle with his thumb and finger and clicked his tongue against his teeth again. ‘Plus, it’s as far as you can get with your travel card. Not a lot of people know that.’ He winked at her.

  A stilted voice echoed over them. ‘The next train calling at platform two will be the six-ten to Cambridge. Calling at Cheshunt, Broxbourne, Roydon…’

  That’s the one he said. Broxbourne. Two stops.

  ‘Laurie, I know where he’s taking you. He says it’s a long way,’ Rita said.

  ‘Listen, Rita, don’t worry about me, okay? Just tell Vince to go back to Hampstead Heath and look after Arthur. There’s no way they can make it this far.
’

  ‘Laurie, can you do one thing for me?’ Rita said, ignoring Laurie’s pleas. ‘Remember those symbols you left in Hyde Park for Socks to follow? If you can, make some more of those. If I can get Vince and Arthur to this Broxbourne place, make sure we can find you, okay?’

  Laurie’s voice grew more panicked. ‘Oh, Socks… Mother Nature… Can you get a message to him? A cat. Find a cat. They all know each other. Tell him thank you for everything, and that I’ll always remember him, okay?’

  ‘I will, I promise, but you’ll see him again, Laurie. I’ll make sure of it. Will you leave us the symbols?’

  ‘Yes, I’ll try, but… It’s too far… Tell Vince to—’

  ‘Excuse me, Mister Magpie, but Scarlett and I gotta be going now.’ Del waved a hand at Rita.

  ‘I think your train is here. I’ll see you soon, Laurie. Don’t forget the symbols…’

  ‘I won’t…’

  Rita flapped away and the train pulled into the station. It was different from the last one. Bigger, and all white. Del looked up at her as she settled on the station roof to watch them leave. ‘This is where we say goodbye, eh, Mister Magpie?’ he called to her.

  ‘Bye!’ Rita yelled to him. ‘Look after Laurie, please!’

  ‘And a scrack-ack-ack to you too!’ The doors opened and he disappeared into the carriage, Laurie in hand.

  Rita watched the train roll away, until it was completely out of sight.

  ‘Okay,’ she whispered to herself. ‘Tottenham Hale. Broxbourne. That’s all. Easy. Get them here first. Worry about the train later. Good plan. How hard can it be?’