Disappearing Act

by Jacqueline Harvey

  ‘By the end of our session, I expect you to take a lap at almost twice that speed,’ Esmerelda said. ‘And don’t take your eyes off the road. You never know what might jump out at you.’

  Kensy fidgeted in her seat, itching for her turn behind the wheel. She felt a rush of excitement and desperately wanted to show Esmerelda and Mrs Vanden Boom that, out of the two of them, she was the better driver. Of course, she didn’t actually know if that was the case, but she couldn’t wait to give it a whirl.

  Max tentatively increased speed just as they rounded a blind bend. Without warning, a flock of sheep filled their view.

  ‘Max, look out!’ Kensy screamed, throwing up her hands to shield herself.

  Max swerved to the right, managing to miss the sheep that had appeared out of nowhere. Esmerelda talked him through the gear changes and how to avoid spinning out.

  ‘Were they real?’ Kensy asked, her nerves jangling as Max pressed his foot to the floor on the long straight. He watched the speedometer climb until it hovered at one hundred and twenty. It felt like they were flying.

  ‘Well done, Master Maxim,’ Esmerelda said. ‘Please drive into the pits and change over. I am looking forward to seeing what your sister can do. As for the sheep, yes, of course they were real. Where do you think I got all these dents from? And I’m afraid those red marks on the tarmac aren’t tomato sauce.’

  Kensy’s prediction was right and she soon proved herself, setting a cracking pace around the track and earning great praise from Esmerelda and Mrs Vanden Boom.

  ‘Last lap,’ Esmerelda reminded her. ‘Now, I really want you to go for it!’

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Kensy slammed the pedal to the floor, changing through the gears as she reached the top of the long straight. She braked hard as they neared the first set of chicanes, successfully negotiating the bends, then rapidly increased her speed as they crested up and over the hill. The Fiesta shot across the finish line.

  ‘Told you I’d beat your time!’ Kensy said triumphantly. ‘Ha!’

  ‘Keep you hair on, Kens. I noticed there were no stray flocks of sheep on any of your laps,’ Max retorted.

  Kensy eased her foot off the accelerator and gently pressed the brake. When the Fiesta failed to respond, she pressed the pedal harder. Again, nothing happened. ‘Um, Max,’ she said, fighting the panic rising in her throat, ‘the brakes . . . aren’t working.’

  In fact, despite pumping her foot up and down on the pedal, the car was only getting faster. It was then that the twins realised Esmerelda had been strangely silent since they’d started the last lap.

  ‘Mrs Vanden Boom!’ Max shouted into his headset. ‘We have no brakes and Esmerelda’s not answering!’

  There was no reply from their teacher either.

  Kensy held tight to the steering wheel as the hatchback flew over the top of the hill. When they landed with a jolting thud, the car swerved sharply to the left. Kensy tugged at the wheel with all her might, trying to correct it, but it jerked away from her, as if possessed. The Fiesta veered left and right so violently that the twins were thrown against the doors.

  ‘Pull the handbrake!’ Max shouted as they were flung from side to side. The boy’s helmet smacked against the window.

  Kensy reached for the lever between them. She didn’t know what to expect, but, given they were heading straight for a concrete barrier, she had little choice. ‘Here goes nothing!’ she yelled, yanking the handbrake as hard as she could.

  The car was thrown into a spin. Around and around and around it went, like an out-of-control carousel, before slamming sideways into one of the barriers, teetering on two wheels and then crashing back down onto the track.

  For a moment, the whole world fell silent. It was as if they were in a state of suspended animation.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Kensy panted.

  Max nodded. A blanket of white steam poured from under Esmerelda’s bonnet. Through the cracked wind screen, Kensy spotted the Land Rover hurtling down the hill towards them. Romilly pulled up beside Esmerelda and leapt from the car.

  ‘Thank goodness you’re alive!’ she gasped, wrenching Kensy’s door open. She released the girl’s harness and dragged her from the wreckage.

  Max unbuckled his seatbelt and crawled across to the driver’s side. His own door was jammed against the barrier. As he clambered onto the ground, he felt a splash against his right hand. He raised it to his nose and coughed, the pungent odour immediately recognisable. Max pushed himself to his feet and took off towards Romilly and Kensy, who was now in the back seat of the Land Rover.

  ‘Mrs Vanden Boom! The fuel tank is leaking!’ he called, pointing to the pool of liquid that was slowly trickling closer to her and Kensy.

  Romilly ran around to the front of the car just in time to see a spark ignite at the rear of the Fiesta.

  The flame flickered to life, licking at Esmerelda’s battered panels. ‘She’s going to blow,’ Max said in horror.

  Kensy opened the back door of the Land Rover. ‘Max! My watch – it’s gone. It must have fallen off in the car when we crashed.’

  Tears fell onto the tops of the girl’s cheeks. Max’s mind raced.

  ‘Oh, no, you don’t!’ Romilly yelled, but the boy wasn’t to be stopped.

  He ran back across the tarmac and dove into the car as the flames danced around it. Romilly Vanden Boom ripped an extinguisher from under the dashboard of the Land Rover and raced towards the burning Fiesta, spraying it with foam. Still, the flames intensified.

  ‘Max!’ Kensy screamed as the fire took hold. ‘Get out of there!’

  Her chest tightened as she spied her brother’s silhouette surrounded by fire and then, finally, he was running at them. His suit was intact, and he was holding something in his hand. Romilly doused Max with foam and grabbed his arm, the pair charging towards the Land Rover. She bundled him into the front and jumped into the driver’s seat, turning the ignition and planting her foot on the accelerator as Esmerelda exploded, sending a fireball hurtling into the sky.

  Perched on the edge of the topmost diving board, Autumn was willing herself to remain calm. She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath and was about to launch into the air, when there was a loud bang. The diving board shook beneath her feet, throwing the girl off balance. Autumn managed to steady herself and looked out in time to see a burst of red in the sky. She scurried back to the railing and gripped it, seized by a fear that stemmed beyond her phobia of heights.

  At the archery range, Carlos saw it too. His breath caught in his throat as he lowered his weapon. If he was right, the plume of black smoke was coming from the racetrack.

  Kensy reached forward from the back seat to touch her brother’s arm. ‘You could have been killed,’ she said.

  Max squeezed her hand and smiled. ‘But I wasn’t and, here, I got your watch,’ he said, passing it back to her.

  She received it with shaking hands and held on to it tightly, not trusting herself to put it on again just yet.

  ‘Well, thank heavens for those suits is all I can say,’ Romilly Vanden Boom declared as she drove them to the pits while the inferno that was Esmerelda raged unchallenged.

  A garage door opened and she steered inside what appeared at first glance to be a mobile medical centre. Romilly hopped out of the car and retrieved a device that resembled a torch from a locked cupboard. ‘You’ll need to hop out and put this on so you’re not affected by the light,’ the woman instructed, handing Kensy an eye mask.

  Once Kensy did as she was bid, Mrs Vanden Boom told her to hold out her arms as she flicked a switch on the cylindrical instrument and pointed it at the girl. A hologram of Kensy appeared beside her. The teacher examined the image, bringing up the statistics on Kensy’s heart rate, blood pressure, brain function and various other faculties. When she was satisfied that nothing was amiss, Romilly switched it off and the image disappeared back into the tube.

  ‘Whoa – that’s incredible. I just saw your heart beating and the blo
od flowing through your veins,’ Max said.

  ‘Yes, we find the RUOK 4.0 very handy, particularly when assessing injuries in the field,’ Romilly said, handing Max his own mask and giving him the once-over. When the woman was finished, she stepped back. ‘You’re both fine, although, Kensington, you’ve suffered quite a shock. And, Max, what were you thinking? It’s only a watch. I know it’s special, but we could have got Kensy another – perhaps not exactly the same but close.’

  ‘No, we couldn’t!’ Kensy blurted. She glanced away from the quizzical look on their teacher’s face. ‘Mum and Dad gave it to me for my birthday,’ she added softly.

  ‘Ah, I see.’ Romilly punched a couple of buttons on the side of the device. She peered at the screen intently.

  ‘Has Esmerelda ever done anything like that before?’ Max asked.

  Romilly shook her head. ‘Not to my knowledge. There will be a full investigation, and we should be able to get the data from the black-box recorder. Hopefully we’ll find out exactly what happened. Kensington, you did an amazing job – the speed you were going . . . Well, let’s just say there could have been a very different outcome.’

  A few sips of water and a honey sandwich procured from a chiller box in the Land Rover seemed to have a restorative effect on the girl. Kensy’s mind went from numb to churning in seconds.

  ‘I think Esmerelda tried to kill us,’ Kensy stated. ‘Lucky we got her first.’

  ‘That isn’t possible,’ Mrs Vanden Boom said firmly. ‘Her technology is state of the art. I suspect there has been human intervention.’

  ‘So, someone else tried to kill us,’ the girl said, reeling at the prospect. ‘Great.’

  Romilly thought for a moment. It certainly did appear that way. She directed the children back into the car and returned the RUOK 4.0 to its drawer.

  Kensy looked at her brother. ‘I wish Fitz was here.’

  ‘Me too,’ the boy replied. Maybe, by some miracle, Fitz would find their parents and they’d all be home for Christmas. Even Max wasn’t immune to the odd fanciful notion.

  ‘Do you think this could have had anything to do with those headlights we saw going over the hill before dawn?’ Kensy whispered. ‘When I ended up in Miss Witherbee’s room last night, she was talking on the phone and told whoever it was not to worry and that Shugs was on it first thing. What if it was him – again?’

  ‘We have no proof that it was Shugs in the first place. Whoever did this must have known we were on driver training today,’ Max said. ‘We can’t go around accusing Miss Witherbee or Shugs until we have some evidence.’

  Kensy slumped in her seat and folded her arms. ‘I hate that you’re right,’ she said, much to her brother’s surprise.

  The children hushed as Romilly hopped in behind the wheel.

  Kensy leaned forward in her seat. ‘Mrs Vanden Boom, do you think we could keep this quiet for now – at least the bit about the sabotage? I know you have to tell Granny, but the kids don’t need to know, do they?’

  Romilly started the engine. ‘Of course. I’m sure your grandmother will leave no stone unturned looking for the culprit.’

  ‘You can just tell everyone Kensy’s a terrible driver and that poor old Esmerelda came off second best,’ Max said, garnering a glare from his sister.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Romilly said, ‘I’ll get Esmerelda – or whatever’s left of her – locked up tight. Perhaps you’re right about a cover – although Kensy is a magnificent driver.’

  Kensy grinned at Max. ‘Yeah, we might have to tell everyone it was you driving. It’ll be more believable.’

  Romilly drove the children to the house, where they were met by Song at the back door. He’d cleared the decks, making sure they could get upstairs without any questions. As was to be expected, the explosion had caused a fuss and there had already been quite a bit of speculation.

  ‘Miss Kensington, Master Maxim, I am pleased to see that you are both in one piece,’ the man said as he helped Kensy from the car. ‘Confucius says by three methods we may learn wisdom. First by reflection, which is the noblest; second by imitation, which is the easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. It sounds as though you have experienced number three.’

  The poor girl was still shaking. Song led the way upstairs but instead of turning left towards their bedrooms he turned right.

  ‘Where are we going?’ Max asked.

  ‘Dame Spencer has requested you use her suite to get some rest. The house is getting busier and her wing is very quiet. I have organised some clothes for you both, and may I suggest a bath? It might help settle your nerves.’ The man continued to the end of the hall and gave a perfunctory knock on the door before pushing it open.

  The trio was greeted by Wellie and Mac, who danced excitedly at their feet. Sitting in front of the window was a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, the smell of its pine needles filling the room.

  Dame Spencer was downstairs greeting the guests with the assistance of Song’s twin brother, Sidney, her city butler. He had arrived earlier from London.

  ‘I will be back shortly with some soup.’ Song bowed and exited.

  ‘Bags having a bath first,’ Kensy said, and promptly disappeared.

  Max sunk down onto one of the couches, exhausted by his mind replaying the lead-up to the accident in an infernal loop. ‘There has to be a double agent – someone working for Pharos who, for whatever reason, wants us dead,’ he mumbled to himself. ‘But why? What have we done?’

  The events of the morning sat like a brick on his chest. He closed his eyes for just a moment. When he opened them, his nostrils twitched at the smell of pumpkin soup. There was a steaming bowl sitting in front of him on the coffee table. Kensy was on the other couch, dressed in a tracksuit, her hair wrapped in a white towel atop her head.

  ‘How long have I been asleep?’ Max asked, sitting up and discreetly wiping the trickle of drool that had collected on his chin.

  ‘Half an hour,’ she said, and pointed to the left side of her mouth. ‘I think you missed a bit.’

  Max stretched and stood up, walking to the window where a steady stream of black cabs was puttering up the driveway, delivering the rest of the guests. Mr Nutting was back in PE-teacher mode, refereeing a vigorous game of football on the lower lawn beyond the Atlas fountain. Every now and then one of the children would peel off to greet their parents.

  Max turned away from the scene. ‘What do you make of that headline about our grandparents?’

  Kensy shrugged and slurped her soup. ‘Mum never said anything about her parents being murdered. I suppose she might’ve been trying to protect us – if it’s true.’

  ‘We should do some research.’ Max glanced around the room, wondering if by any chance his grandmother had a laptop lying about.

  ‘Or ask Song or Mim – they might tell us,’ Kensy said.

  There was a knock on the door and Mim poked her head inside. Unusually for her, the woman’s grey hair was pulled back into a loose bun instead of snaking down her back in a long plait. She’d swapped her customary overalls and wellington boots for a pretty floral dress. ‘Hello,’ she said, walking in. ‘I hear you two have had quite the adventure this morning. Are you all right?’

  The twins nodded. When she’d had her bath earlier, Kensy had noticed some red marks that were likely to turn into bruises on her right shoulder, and she imagined her brother would be black and blue on his left arm given how hard he’d smashed against the side of the car, but at least there was nothing on their faces. For all intents and purposes, they both looked perfectly fine.

  ‘Have you heard from Fitz?’ Kensy asked.

  ‘No, but I’m sure he’ll check in later,’ the woman said. She perched on the arm of the chair beside the girl.

  ‘Mim, can we ask you something?’ Max said.

  ‘Yes, of course,’ Mim replied, ‘but that doesn’t mean I’ll know the answer.’

  ‘Were Mum’s parents really murdered in a botched robbery?’r />
  Mim brushed her hair off her face. ‘Who told you that?’

  ‘We saw something – and we don’t know if it’s true because Mum never said anything to us about it,’ the boy explained.

  Mim nodded slowly. ‘It was a terrible business. They were wonderful people.’

  Kensington felt her stomach drop. She left the last spoonful of her soup and put the bowl down on the coffee table. ‘You knew them?’

  Mim stared ahead as if thinking about something. ‘Only a little.’

  ‘What were they like?’ Kensy asked.

  ‘Lovely. Terribly clever and both very funny. Your grandfather, Hector, was a gifted storyteller and your grandmother, Marisol, was quite possibly the most elegant woman I’ve ever known. She could make a lab coat look like couture,’ Mim mused.

  ‘Were they part of this too?’ Max asked. He waved his hands around the room.

  ‘Oh, no, your mother wasn’t born into Pharos – she married into the organisation, same as Cordelia,’ Mim said. ‘Cordelia was a young cadet journalist working at the paper. She was a feisty girl – so determined to succeed in what was back then very much a man’s world. You remind me a lot of her, Kensy. She’d earned herself a scholarship to study at Oxford and had made quite the journey from her home in Sydney all the way to England. Anyway, she and my brother fell madly in love and the rest is history.’

  Max frowned as he remembered something. ‘Mrs Grigsby at the newsagency in London told us that Granny Cordelia’s parents were killed – run over by a bus, I think she said. Is that true?’

  Mim paused before answering. ‘I’m afraid we never really got to the bottom of it. It was a terrible tragedy and just so unlikely.’

  The twins looked at each other in alarm. There was so much about their family they didn’t yet know, and surely that was one too many accidents for it to be mere coincidence.

  ‘Did Mum’s parents know about Dad and what he did?’ Kensy asked.

  ‘As far as your grandparents were concerned, your father was a newspaper man, like my brother had been.’