by Jude Watson
“What happened?” Amy asked. “I mean, we know that Krakatau erupted, but where was he?”
“Ah, the Krakatau eruption. Who knows what triggered it? Some Ekats believed the Madrigals blew up Henderson’s lab, which started a deadly geothermal chain of explosions. But Henderson? He was lucky. He was on his way to collect a shipment he had ordered for the lab. He knew that the volcano was active. There had been considerable activity on the island, earthquakes, steam … he knew very well the danger he faced. But he was close. So agonizingly close that he left the island at the last possible second — the night before the main eruption. He barely made it out alive, and his laboratory blew up in one of the first eruptions. That’s when he got burned. That next morning he was across the strait in the coastal town of Anjer when the tsunami came. He ran up into the hills to escape it. The population tried to outrun this gigantic, overpowering wave a hundred feet tall … can you imagine the terror? Hundreds were sucked back into the sea or pummeled against the rocks. He saw horror and suffering and he made it out alive. We know he went to Jakarta. We know weeks later he booked passage to Sydney. We lost track of him after that. We think his mind was broken. He just … disappeared.” Alistair turned to them. “So. Did you find him?”
“We found out that he was in jail,” Amy said. “They called him Bob Troppo. We traced him to a place called Coober Pedy, where he became an opal miner called Fossie. He died in the 1950s. But he never said another word. Or left a hint. Just a bunch of gibberish on the walls of a mine.”
“But he did leave a hint,” Alistair said. “I know because I have it.”
“Where did you get it?”
“Ah,” Alistair said. His gaze slid away from them. “Perhaps that revelation should be left for another time.”
“Can we see it?”
Alistair took an old paper out of his shirt pocket. “If you figure it out, we share the clue. Agreed?” After they nodded, he handed it to Dan and Amy.
“Well, that clears everything up,” Dan said.
“I think I get part of it,” Amy said. “He left everything behind, risked his life, in order to put together the thirty-nine clues. And he almost got the answer — he was missing one only clue. By merely one, cruel fate/Left for me to calculate.”
“He was wrong about that,” Alistair said. “We know he didn’t actually have thirty-eight clues. But he was close. Very close.”
“But what does it mean that the waves sang a song and he knew it but he didn’t know it?”
“It means he’d already gone troppo,” Dan said. He groaned. “I’m flashing back to Mrs. Malarkey’s English class, and it’s not pretty. What’s rue?”
“It means sadness,” Alistair said. “He tried so hard and for so long, and he came so close, but he lost. But here’s the part I can’t figure out. He’s in despair, so he comes and throws himself on the strand — a fancy word for beach. Then all of a sudden he’s talking about Newton. Was there something that Newton discovered that he needed? I know he figured out gravity, but what does it have to do with the thirty-nine clues?”
“The price? A sodden crown,” Amy repeated. “What does that mean? That he was almost king of the world or something?”
“Crown can mean ‘head,’ too,” Alistair said. “As in ‘Jack fell down and broke his crown’ but it still doesn’t make sense to me. I believe the reference is to the story of Newton — that he thought of gravity when he was lying under a tree and an apple fell on his head. So he could be saying that he had a sudden revelation. But why doesn’t he say what it is?” Alistair sighed. “Maybe he was already losing his mind.”
“Ya think?” Dan asked.
A strong breeze rattled the paper. It had grown suddenly dark. The palm trees were bending with the gusts.
“It’s going to storm,” Alistair said. “We’d better get inside. Don’t worry, these tropical storms blow themselves out quickly. I can call for a launch and get you home in time for dinner.”
CHAPTER 25
Hours later, Dan stared out at the pounding rain. The palm trees were bending like dancers. From here he could just make out the white line of the surf. The sun had set long ago. They were trapped for the night.
“Not exactly blowing over,” he said. “More like blowing.”
“Who knew?” Alistair said sheepishly. “I haven’t been watching the weather. As soon as I get a clear signal, you can call Nellie. There’s plenty of room here for you to spend the night.”
Alistair was staying in the only finished house on the island, on the edge of the construction site. It had been planned as a resort, but the Ekaterinas had bought it as a site for a possible stronghold. They were still deciding whether to finish it, but, in the meantime, Alistair came now and then.
The house had one large room downstairs that was open on all sides and had a double-height ceiling. Alistair had closed sturdy wooden shutters when they had come up from the beach. Upstairs was a complete living area, with two bedrooms, a sitting room, and a small kitchen.
The rain was still pattering lightly while they finished a meal of vegetables and rice. Alistair tried Nellie on his phone and she answered. He put her on speaker.
“Who is this?” she barked.
“It’s Alistair Oh, Ms. Gomez. I’m calling to tell you that Dan and Amy are here with me and—”
“Are they safe?”
“We’re safe, Nellie!” Amy called.
“I’ll come and get them.”
“No need. The weather—”
“I don’t care about the weather! Where are you?”
“Nellie, we’re on an island. We’ll be back in the morning,” Amy said. She could hear real concern in Nellie’s voice. “We’re sorry we didn’t leave a note.”
“We can talk about the fact that you totally freaked me out for an entire day another time. Right now I’m coming to get you.”
“Ms. Gomez — Nellie — I’m afraid you will have to wait until morning,” Alistair said reluctantly. “I swear I will deliver the children to you myself.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll be there tomorrow morning.”
After Alistair gave her directions and assurances that he’d fed them dinner and Dan had chimed in about the sad lack of dessert, Nellie said a reluctant good night and she’d see them tomorrow. Early.
“Now, I think it’s been a long day and we should all retire,” Alistair said in his formal way. “You’ll be safe here tonight.”
A few minutes later, Amy did feel safe as she snuggled under the cotton quilt. Alistair had loaned them each one of his soft white cotton T-shirts to wear to bed because their clothes still smelled like fish and saltwater. The wind and rain had stopped, and a fresh breeze wafted through the window. Amy fell asleep listening to the faint rustling of the palms. Far away, a motor softly purred out on the dark sea. She was so tired that she hoped she wouldn’t dream.
At first she thought she was still hearing the whisper of the leaves outside. The noise was so soft. She turned over and felt herself slipping back into sleep. She could still smell the smoky trace of their dinner….
She sat up. She could smell it now. She could see the wisps of smoke curling in the moonlight.
Panic shot through her. But she couldn’t seem to move. She was seeing another night, another time.
Fire. Amy holds her mother’s hand. She cries as they run down the stairs to the first floor. “Get the children out!” her father shouts. He’s in the den, pulling books down off the shelves. Looking for something … “Daddy!” she screams. She holds out her arms and he stops for a second. “Angel,” he says, “go with Mommy.”
“No!” She sobs as her mother pulls her away. “No! Daddy!”
“Arthur!” her mother shouts. But she continues on with Amy and Dan.
Cool night air, damp grass against her bare legs. Her mother leans over her. She takes Amy’s face in her hands. “Look at me,” her mother says, the way she always does when she wants Amy to listen hard. “Take care of your br
other. I love you.” Amy screams, begs her to come back even as her mother races back into the burning house….
She was so intensely part of the memory that it wasn’t until she started to cough that she realized fully this wasn’t a dream. The house was on fire!
Alistair appeared in the doorway. She saw the shadows of flames flickering on his face, and it sent a jolt through her body.
Alistair was there that night, too.
He had damp towels in his hands, just like her mother had on that night so long ago. He closed the bedroom door and put the wet towel against the crack. Then he bent over double, coughing.
He was standing next to the fireplace, his face in shadow. Pants ironed to a knife-crease. Gray suit, bright yellow tie. He coughed politely. “Let’s calm down. We are only here to take what is ours.”
Dan sat up in bed, coughing. The sound of his distress helped Amy to move.
She threw off the sheet.
Alistair rushed toward Dan. He pressed the wet towel against Dan’s face. He put an arm around him and started to lead him to the window. “Hurry!” he called over his shoulder to Amy.
When she got to the window, she saw smoke rolling out from below. She looked behind and saw the eerie sight of smoke blasting through the cracks surrounding the closed door. There would be no escape that way.
“The ledge,” Alistair said.
Outside the window was a ledge wide enough to stand on. She heard the sound of shattering glass as the window blew out in the room next door. Alistair stepped out on the ledge and held out a hand to Dan. “Come on. The wind is blowing the smoke the other way. You can breathe out here.”
Dan stepped out onto the ledge. He gulped in the fresh air. Amy stepped out next. The wall behind her back was hot.
She looked down. Far below was the construction debris. Twisted coils of wire, concrete, nails, tangles of rusty rebar. There was no clear place to land. Even if they could survive the jump, they could be impaled on the sharp objects. Dan’s breathing was heavy and constricted. Alistair kept his arm around him. The flames roared. No help was coming. No sirens.
“I’ll jump,” Alistair said. “Maybe I can find a ladder or something. I’ll find a way to get you down.”
“You can’t jump!” Amy cried. “You’ll be killed!”
He smiled as he touched her cheek briefly. “It’s our only chance.”
Alistair braced himself against the wall. He looked down, searching for a clear spot to land. There was none.
“Wait!” Amy hung on to his sleeve. “Look!”
“Irina,” Dan said.
The smoke rolled and cleared, and they saw her running below, fast and strong, her legs pumping. She had a bamboo pole in her hand. As they watched in astonishment, she dug the pole into the ground and made a spectacular vault up to the roof.
They heard the soft thump as she landed. Amy leaned out. She could just make out Irina above. Irina slid the pole down and steadied it against the lip of the roof.
“What is the word?” she called to them. “Shimmy? Shimmy down the pole! One at a time, it’s not very strong.”
“Can we trust her?” Alistair asked Dan and Amy.
It was Amy who spoke. She kept her eyes on Irina’s intent face.
“Yes,” she said.
Dan went first. He wrapped his legs around the pole and half slid, half shimmied down. As soon as he hit the ground, Amy took a deep breath of relief.
“Go, Amy,” Alistair said.
Amy turned and put her hands on the pole. She looked up at Irina, who was lying flat on the roof, steadying the pole with both hands. Irina winced, and Amy saw a red and swollen finger.
“Wait. Before you go,” Irina said. “Take this.”
She held out one hand. Amy reached up. Grace’s necklace dropped into her palm.
“Isabel did it again,” Irina said. “The first time, I walked away. Not this time. This time, I will not let her succeed. Now … everything is up to you and Dan. Go!”
The force of Irina’s words propelled Amy into action. She grabbed the bamboo pole. It felt hot against her hands, but she slid down.
She looked up at Alistair. He saluted Irina, then grabbed the pole and winced. Amy saw smoke curling up. The pole was starting to burn. Alistair quickly shimmied down, jumping off the last few feet.
The pole burst into flame. Slowly, it toppled down. Amy, Dan, and Alistair leaped out of the way as it crashed inches away from them.
“We need to find another pole!” Alistair shouted.
They wrenched their eyes from the burning building. They scanned the area frantically, moving through the debris. Dan headed to search in the grove. Somewhere, they had to find something to save her.
From high above, Irina watched them. The roof was so hot now it was agony to stand on it. The smoke rolled across her and cleared. She felt so far away from them. How hopeful they were. They didn’t know yet that it was too late.
Half the roof collapsed in a shower of sparks. Fire was roaring, eating up the wood beams. She inched away.
She had only seconds. That was all right. She’d saved him. She’d saved her beloved boy.
No, not Nikolai. Dan. Dan and Amy.
She struggled to keep her mind clear. The smoke was burning her eyes, her throat. It was a great effort to keep standing. She would keep standing.
She would die a better person than she’d lived. That wasn’t too bad, for an ex-KGB spy, not to mention a Cahill.
Look, they are still searching for a pole, hoping to save me. How nice to see that. Poor Alistair, he never liked me, but there was that one night in Seoul when he let down his guard and I let down mine, and we shared a bowl of bibim-bap. One bowl, two spoons. Every time I clinked against his spoon by accident he would accuse me of flirting with him. Finally, he got me to laugh….
Sudden panic seized her. Was she really ready to let go of life? There was a way to live that was not her way—she’d had glimpses of it. With Nikolai and … a few others. What agony it was to let it go! It was letting go of possibility. Of a dream.
I hope they know it was worth it to me, she thought, staring at the Cahill children. Remember what I said, children. Fear her. In your hands it all lies now.
The roof gave a great crack and roar — and collapsed. Irina cried out as she felt herself fall, and she looked up. She wanted her last sight to be the stars.
CHAPTER 26
Amy and Dan sat on the beach the next morning, looking out at the calm tropical waters. They had spent the longest night of their lives, unable to sleep, just sitting, waiting for dawn. Now they stared with bloodshot eyes out at the horizon. Their white T-shirts were gray from smoke and soot, and their throats still felt dry and scratchy despite the water they’d drunk.
They knew Nellie would be here soon on a launch. It was important they leave before the authorities arrived. Alistair had ordered them to stay on the beach. He didn’t want them to see what remained at the house. They didn’t want to think about it.
He had wandered off, and they knew he wanted to be alone. Irina had been his enemy, but he’d known her a long time. Maybe he wanted to mourn her.
Irina had been their enemy, too. Last night, she had saved their lives.
Amy touched the jade dragon on her necklace. Why? How could someone she’d thought of as pure evil have the goodness inside to sacrifice her life for them?
Last night someone had stolen the poem. Alistair knew that much. He had awakened, smelled smoke, and immediately checked for the paper. They all knew it had to be Isabel. Alistair had heard the sound of a motor out on the water, but he hadn’t been able to see anything.
This morning they’d found the vessel that no doubt Irina had used, a small fishing boat she’d probably paid someone to borrow back at the harbor.
They had the facts, or most of them. What they couldn’t sift through was their feelings.
The only thing Amy knew for sure was that it was time to tell Dan. She had to tell him now, before Ne
llie showed up. She couldn’t go through another day like yesterday. She could face anything, but she couldn’t face it without Dan.
She’d been so wrong, and he’d been so right. He’d been so scared last night, but he’d never lost his nerve. He’d been like that all along. Times when she was frozen with fear, he’d kept on moving. In so many ways, he was braver than she was.
He could face anything.
“There’s a reason I didn’t tell you about Mom and Dad being murdered,” she said haltingly. “And it wasn’t because I didn’t trust you. It was because I remembered something I did. I didn’t want you to know. I-I didn’t want you to blame me.”
He shot her a questioning look.
“That night … the night of the fire … I was still awake when the strangers came. I heard them downstairs. I listened at the door. They were asking Mom and Dad where they’d been. They asked over and over.” Amy paused, and then the words rushed out. “I was scared. S-so I ran inside the room. A woman picked me up. Isabel. She talked about the teddy bears on my nightgown and I corrected her. I said they were koalas. So that’s how they all knew.”
Dan shook his head. “Knew what?”
“That Mom and Dad had gone to Australia in search of Robert Cahill Henderson. And they must have figured that they’d brought something back. Because later, when they were outside, Isabel said, They traced him to Australia, didn’t they? This has to be taken care of tonight.”
“Do you think that they did bring something back? And that’s what Dad was looking for?”
“What do you do when your house is on fire?” Amy asked.
“You run for the most valuable thing. So Mom ran for us, and Dad ran for whatever it was.”
“Maybe somebody set the fire so they could watch what happened. Maybe things went wrong. But the fire wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t told them that Mom and Dad were in Australia! If I hadn’t been such a … know-it-all!” Amy buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook with sobs. She felt as though she could cry forever. She could cry out her grief and her shame but it would keep welling back up, and it would never stop.
