Free Red by Libby Gleeson Page A

leant forward and stared at Jazz, who nodded and put the phone back in her pocket.
    Kate looked from one to the other and appeared to be about to say something. She closed her eyes instead and leant against the window frame.
    They were in open country now, dry paddocks of grass, more yellow in colour than green. Sheep and cattle gathered tightly together in the shade of the odd gum tree. Red pressed her face against the window glass.
    â€˜You look like you’re dreaming,’ said Jazz.
    â€˜I’ve got a weird feeling that I’ve been here before,’ said Red. ‘I’m not sure though. Maybe somewhere like this.’
    â€˜Maybe when you left with your dad.’
    â€˜Maybe …’
    A beeping sound.
    Jazz pulled the phone from her pocket again. ‘Message,’ she said, holding the phone for the others to see.
    Where r u, ur folks keep calling me. They thnk I kno. Txt me .
    â€˜It’s from Lisa. She’s my best friend at school.’
    â€˜Text her back. Tell her we’re fine.’
    Jazz’s thumbs danced across the pad. Red kept her face against the glass.
    â€¢ • • • •
    The sun rose higher and higher. Jazz kept texting. Red drifted into sleep.
    She was woken up by a cry from Jazz. ‘My God. It’s from Mum. She knows we’re on the train.’
    â€˜What?’ Peri grabbed the phone from her. ‘Speak to her and tell her we’re OK.’
    Then the phone rang. On the second ring Jazz pressed the button to take the call. ‘Yes, it’s me. We’re fine. We know what we’re doing.’ There was a long pause. ‘No. They can’t do that. No.’ Jazz was shaking her head. ‘Please, Mum. You have to stop them. It’s important. I don’t care if he’s made his mind up.’
    Another pause. ‘I can’t tell you …yes, I know, I love you too.’ She hung up.
    â€˜What was all that about?’ said Peri.
    â€˜God, you’re not going to believe this. They know we’re on the train. Dad got into my computer, don’t ask me how. They found the stuff about the tickets and they just worked it out. He’s talked to his mates and Mum says that they are going to be at the station at Albury and take us off.’
    â€˜They can’t.’ Red was sitting forward, hands clenched.
    â€˜Don’t worry,’ Peri said. ‘The cops are too busy with all the people who are missing and the looters and everything like that. They won’t worry about us.’
    Jazz shook her head. ‘No, you’re wrong. You don’t realise. Dad’s really senior now. He’s got mates in all kinds of places, guys he’s worked with. He can just boss them around, tell them what to do. He’ll have put our names in those databases already. You can bet on that. When we stop at Albury there’ll be the local cops on the platform and that will be that. He could even be there himself. We’ll have to tell them why we want to go to Melbourne. I should call Mum back.’
    â€˜No. There’s another way.’ Red spoke quietly. ‘When the train gets to Albury, we won’t be on it. We’ll get off where she gets off, at Wagga.’ She nodded towards Kate.
    â€˜And then how do we get to Melbourne, smartypants?’ said Jazz.
    â€˜We’ll work that out when we get there,’ said Red. She settled back on her seat. They shouldn’t be talking like this in front of Kate. They didn’t know who she was. Trust no one.
    Kate was staring at them. ‘I don’t want to be a stickybeak but are you kids running away or something?’
    Jazz shook her head. ‘No. It might look like that but we have to get to Melbourne to see this judge. We’ve got—’
    â€˜Shhh,’ Red frowned at her.
    Kate screwed up her face. ‘Hey, are you in some danger?’
    â€˜No,’ said Red. ‘Well, maybe. But it could get complicated