how? Why?”
“For money. People pay to subscribe to the site.”
“P-pay to watch us? No... n-no!”
“Just like you and Christa, those being filmed are probably unaware. I guess that gives the voyeurs a bigger thrill.” He clicked on the camera in Nicola’s bedroom; a man was upturning her room right here and now. “People bathing, having sex, arguments... There’ll be kids on here too. It’s outrageous.”
Nicola’s heart clenched at the thought of Sarah being filmed.
“You name it, and they’ve probably watched it. It’s a voyeur’s paradise. Even I’ll be on there, peeing behind the—”
“What?”
“Shush. Someone’s coming.”
Footsteps rapped down the hall. Several doors banged open and closed. Lights clicked on and off. “Can’t see ‘em. Where the hell did they go?” a man rasped, then opened the coat cupboard. Light pooled on the row of boots shielding their feet.
John clutched the tablet to his chest to dull the bright screen.
Nicola huddled on her knees against John in the shadow of the coats, digging her nails into his wrist. A hand came through the rack of coats, blindly sweeping the air an inch from the top of her head. She dipped lower and leaned sideways, held her breath and bit her lip to lock in a whimper. The man’s fingers brushed the sloping roof. Some seconds later, he closed the cupboard and raced upstairs.
“Sick bastards.” Nicola gulped air, heart thundering. “We have to tell the cops.”
“Absolutely,” John whispered. “I’ll email the police on this, if I can work out what to press. It must be 3G seeing as the phone line’s out. Or cut.” He fumbled with the screen. Eventually several rows of apps appeared. “Safari. That’s the internet, right?” He opened the app and Nicola watched him type ‘police’ into the search bar. Just as the results page loaded, the screen blacked. “Oh, crap!”
“Idiot. What did you do?” she whispered.
“I don’t know. Nothing. It’s locked! I’m frozen out.” A passcode entry box showed in the centre of the screen. “Double crap. It’s timed out or...”
“No, it can’t have done, you were just using it.”
He stared at her. “Well then, someone’s locked us out. Remotely.”
Nicola swallowed. “Can they do that?”
He shrugged. “I think you can on smart phones, so maybe you can on this. But without the passcode this computer’s no use to us. We’re blind now.” John ditched it and crept through the hanging coats in the cupboard. “But there was no one in this part of the house on the footage a minute ago.”
“I can hear someone moving around upstairs, but not in the hall.”
“We’d better get out while we can.”
“No.” Nicola grabbed his arm. “Let’s stay here.”
“And what about Christa or Sarah? What if they come back? We have to get out and call the police.”
Nicola bit her lip. Yes, Christa could be on her way. Oh, crap.
“Besides, if they phone more people to help them search then we won’t stand a chance.”
Nicola’s mind hopped back a couple of sentences. She tugged his sleeve. “Why would you be in the footage? Peeing?”
“Not now. We don’t have time,” he said, suspicious undertones to his voice.
Hmmm... “What are you hiding?”
“Come on.” He grabbed Nicola’s elbow, opened the door and poked his head out. “All clear.” He signalled Nicola and together, they dashed down the hall.
“We can’t open the front door without a key.” she whispered.
“And mine won’t work since Christa changed the lock.”
The lock? He knew that too? It was starting to sound like he had been watching them on the website himself.
John hurried her into the downstairs toilet and slid the little bolt in place. “I watched them look here a minute ago. We should be safe for now. There isn’t a camera in
“For money. People pay to subscribe to the site.”
“P-pay to watch us? No... n-no!”
“Just like you and Christa, those being filmed are probably unaware. I guess that gives the voyeurs a bigger thrill.” He clicked on the camera in Nicola’s bedroom; a man was upturning her room right here and now. “People bathing, having sex, arguments... There’ll be kids on here too. It’s outrageous.”
Nicola’s heart clenched at the thought of Sarah being filmed.
“You name it, and they’ve probably watched it. It’s a voyeur’s paradise. Even I’ll be on there, peeing behind the—”
“What?”
“Shush. Someone’s coming.”
Footsteps rapped down the hall. Several doors banged open and closed. Lights clicked on and off. “Can’t see ‘em. Where the hell did they go?” a man rasped, then opened the coat cupboard. Light pooled on the row of boots shielding their feet.
John clutched the tablet to his chest to dull the bright screen.
Nicola huddled on her knees against John in the shadow of the coats, digging her nails into his wrist. A hand came through the rack of coats, blindly sweeping the air an inch from the top of her head. She dipped lower and leaned sideways, held her breath and bit her lip to lock in a whimper. The man’s fingers brushed the sloping roof. Some seconds later, he closed the cupboard and raced upstairs.
“Sick bastards.” Nicola gulped air, heart thundering. “We have to tell the cops.”
“Absolutely,” John whispered. “I’ll email the police on this, if I can work out what to press. It must be 3G seeing as the phone line’s out. Or cut.” He fumbled with the screen. Eventually several rows of apps appeared. “Safari. That’s the internet, right?” He opened the app and Nicola watched him type ‘police’ into the search bar. Just as the results page loaded, the screen blacked. “Oh, crap!”
“Idiot. What did you do?” she whispered.
“I don’t know. Nothing. It’s locked! I’m frozen out.” A passcode entry box showed in the centre of the screen. “Double crap. It’s timed out or...”
“No, it can’t have done, you were just using it.”
He stared at her. “Well then, someone’s locked us out. Remotely.”
Nicola swallowed. “Can they do that?”
He shrugged. “I think you can on smart phones, so maybe you can on this. But without the passcode this computer’s no use to us. We’re blind now.” John ditched it and crept through the hanging coats in the cupboard. “But there was no one in this part of the house on the footage a minute ago.”
“I can hear someone moving around upstairs, but not in the hall.”
“We’d better get out while we can.”
“No.” Nicola grabbed his arm. “Let’s stay here.”
“And what about Christa or Sarah? What if they come back? We have to get out and call the police.”
Nicola bit her lip. Yes, Christa could be on her way. Oh, crap.
“Besides, if they phone more people to help them search then we won’t stand a chance.”
Nicola’s mind hopped back a couple of sentences. She tugged his sleeve. “Why would you be in the footage? Peeing?”
“Not now. We don’t have time,” he said, suspicious undertones to his voice.
Hmmm... “What are you hiding?”
“Come on.” He grabbed Nicola’s elbow, opened the door and poked his head out. “All clear.” He signalled Nicola and together, they dashed down the hall.
“We can’t open the front door without a key.” she whispered.
“And mine won’t work since Christa changed the lock.”
The lock? He knew that too? It was starting to sound like he had been watching them on the website himself.
John hurried her into the downstairs toilet and slid the little bolt in place. “I watched them look here a minute ago. We should be safe for now. There isn’t a camera in
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