‘No, Mrs Swann. Thanks, Mrs Swann.’ Kat was relieved. Alicia was a good person after all.
All the same, she felt uneasy about being out on the cliffs, in such an isolated place, with a mega star she didn’t entirely trust. The gale was moving in faster than expected, and nobody knew where she was. So she did the only thing she could think of.
‘Any chance you could autograph my notebook very quickly, Mrs Swann? My friends at school are huge fans, but they’ll never believe I was your pet-sitter if I don’t have something to prove it.’
‘Love to, darling,’ said Alicia unenthusiastically, ‘but I don’t have a pen.’
‘I do!’ Kat took the Pi-Craft recorder from her rucksack and surreptitiously pressed record.
‘Cool pen,’ commented Alicia, scrawling in Kat’s notebook: Thanks, Kat Wolfe, World’s Best Pet-Sitter. Love, Alicia Swann xx
‘Keep it.’ Kat said airily, knowing that the recording would automatically upload to a cloud account. ‘Where did you last see Xena?’
‘I’m not sure. I’ve been wondering around in a daze. To be truthful, Ethan and I had words. I came here to clear my head before the long drive back to London. I didn’t think it would hurt to let Xena off the lead, but she was gone in the blink of an eye. She’s just so darn independent . . . Did you just hear a yelp? I think that might have been her.’
Still clutching the pen and notebook, Alicia hurtled away down the high-sided path. Kat followed rather resentfully. She loathed being separated from the case notes – the lists of suspects and lines of enquiry – she’d detailed in her notebook.
And something else was bothering her. If the Swanns had the money to rent the best horse Animal Actors had to offer, while staying in an ocean-view suite and driving a silver Aston Martin, why couldn’t they pay their pet-sitter nine measly pounds each time she walked their dog or groomed their horse? Why had they left it till the last minute to settle their bill? She only had Alicia’s word that they’d left any money at all.
Was it because the Swanns, like the Queen, never carried cash? Or were they actually broke? Had they run up huge debts hiring sports cars and staying in luxury spas around the world? Or did their money go somewhere else? Somewhere more sinister.
A salty gust of wind almost knocked her off her feet. Far below, the sea was snake-green and streaked with foam. It was beautiful, in a frightening sort of way. Above the roar of waves, Kat heard a faint whimper.
‘There she is!’ she cried, spotting the tiny Pomeranian.
Xena was shivering on the edge of the cliff, just metres from the path. Her collar was caught on a twisted root. A nearby pillar of sandstone had shielded her from the worst of the wind. Kat’s stomach gave a lurch. Eerily, the Pomeranian was in an almost identical position to that of Pax on the day of the cliff collapse.
‘Xena, how do you get yourself into these scrapes?’ scolded Alicia in a loving tone. ‘We’re going to rescue you – aren’t we, Kat?’ As she looked round, the light caught her eyes.
The whites were mustard-yellow.
‘There’s cosmetic stuff they can do to hide it in the early stages,’ Kai had said about Patient X’s condition. ‘But it won’t last long.’
Time slowed. Kat felt as if she were watching herself from a great height. If there was even a one in a million chance that Alicia was a member of the Order of Dragons and knew that she and Harper had been investigating their secret empire, Kat’s survival would depend on what she did next. She had to outact an Oscar-winning actress.
She’d passed only two tourists on the way, and they’d been taking a selfie so hadn’t noticed her. Rather than lock her bike, she’d shoved it under a bush to save time. If she never made it back, it could be days before anyone found it.
She remembered Ethan standing in the flowerbed at Paradise House, prattling on about the ‘magic’ dinosaur. Kat hadn’t heard his Aston Martin arrive because nobody was meant to. She supposed he must have turned off the engine and pushed the car down the sloping lane. Could the actor have been staking the place out – perhaps planning a smash-and-grab raid of what he’d thought was the real Jurassic Dragon skeleton on the table?
Film stars lived and died on their looks. If anyone was likely to pay any price or try any snake oil for the promise of health and eternal youth, it was the Swanns. But would they go so far as to be members of the Orders of Dragons? Was it really possible that Alicia Swann, who, just a week ago, had looked traffic-stoppingly beautiful, was Patient X?
‘I’m going to run for help,’ she told Alicia. ‘The cliff edges around here crumble easily, especially if it’s been raining. It’s too risky for us to try to reach Xena. We’re going to need the fire department or coastguard. I won’t be long.’
‘Help? We don’t need any help, not with Xena practically within touching distance. You’re as light as a feather. Just pick her up and you’ll be back on the path in a flash. That cliff’s been standing for millennia. Why would it fall today?’
Kat felt ill. She’d blithely thought the exact same thing as she clambered down to rescue Pax. Moments later, they had been in a fight for their lives. She really didn’t want a repeat of that little adventure.
Xena let out a heartrending whine.
‘Hang in there, my little warrior princess,’ cooed Alicia, casting a tearful look at Kat. ‘I hope we’ll be able to save you.’
Kat wanted more than anything to sprint away as fast as her legs could carry her, but she could never leave an animal in trouble and she knew that Alicia knew that.
The ground the Pomeranian was standing on looked firm enough. The quicker she rescued Xena, the quicker she could escape.
‘All right, I’ll go.’
Alicia clapped her hands like a child. ‘Kat, you’re a superstar. Careful now.’
No one in history had ever untangled a lead from a twisted root faster than Kat. Snatching up Xena, she picked her way through the scrub to solid ground. She was halfway back before she realized that Alicia wasn’t watching them. She was reading Kat’s notebook.
Wind ruffled the pages. Mario Rossi’s key card fell out. The actress caught it in mid-air. ‘What’s this?’
‘The entry key for Mario’s motorhome.’
Kat put down the dog and reached for it, but the actress shoved it into her pocket. ‘Is this your journal? Do you keep a diary of your adventures, or write down poems, or dreams? That’s what I did when I was your age.’ She began to flick through Kat’s case notes.
‘Hey, that’s private!’
Kat made a grab for the notebook, but Alicia held it out of range. ‘The Mystery of Why the Swanns Are in Bluebell Bay? The Order of Dragons Mystery? My, you’ve been busy, Kat Wolfe. Lucian told me that you and your little friend fancied yourselves as junior private eyes, but I didn’t believe him. He’d heard about a spy whose mission you ruined. So, what did you come up with? Why are Ethan and I in Bluebell Bay?’
She took a step in Kat’s direction. Kat moved back.
‘We were just playing around – playing at being detectives. I’m sorry. It doesn’t mean anything. Please give it to me.’
‘Playing around? You really think you can get off that easily?’
Rain speckled Kat’s upturned face. The storm was almost upon them. ‘Mrs Swann – Alicia – Xena’s been through a lot. We should get her back to the hotel before we all get drenched. We can talk there. As long as you pay the Lambs for the horse feed and bridle, I don’t care about my fee.’
Alicia laughed. ‘There is no fee because there is no money. Have you any clue how much it costs to look this good? Finding the rarest fossils from the remotest corners of China, or Bluebell Bay, or wherever doesn’t come cheap. That’s why our society – I see you know about the Order of Dragons – that’s why we’re banking on extinction. We’re filling bank vaults with tiger skins, rhino horn and ivory. When wild tigers, rhinos and elephants are gone, we’ll be rich beyond our wildest dreams.’
Banking on extinction.
In that second, Kat knew why Johnny had kept the stories on bluefin tuna. He’d been planning to tell the world about the ‘monsters’ who saw wild creatures as gold.
At Hamilton Park, Lucian Rigley wasn’t trading in rhino horn because he believed it could help arthritis. He was helping the Order of Dragons push endangered animals towards extinction so that their skins and bones shot up in value. The Dragons would then use that fortune to pay for the dinosaur tonics that they hoped would cure their illnesses and extend their own lives.
Kat was shivering with shock. ‘But what about me and my generation? Don’t you care about us? We want to grow up and see elephants and tigers in the wild. We want oceans to be alive with whales and dolphins and tuna.’
‘That’s because you’re young and healthy,’ said Alicia wearily. ‘One day, you’ll realize that youth and beauty are more important than any number of tigers.’
The gale was moaning like a beast in pain and the afternoon sky had darkened to violet. Xena whined. Kat longed to pick her up but didn’t dare. Alicia advanced, forcing Kat backwards.
Kat knew she was perilously close to the edge of the cliff. She had to keep talking in the hope of bringing Alicia to her senses.
‘Has it been worth it, Mrs Swann – or should I call you Patient X? That is you, isn’t it? After all the lying and stealing, the dragon’s teeth tonic has failed. Admit it. You’re sick. Let’s get to the hotel and they can call you an ambulance. You should be in hospital.’
Alicia’s eyes filled with tears, and for a moment Kat thought she’d touched a nerve. But that, like everything else, was an act.
‘Sorry, Kat – there’s too much at stake. This was never meant to happen. We only wanted to take what was ours – our piece of the Jurassic Dragon. But you couldn’t let it go, could you? You and Harper had to keep digging. You’re almost as bad as the Minister of Defence. Someday soon, we’ll be rid of him too.’
Perhaps it was the menace in her voice, or the threatening move she made towards Kat. Either way, it was too much for the Pomeranian. She flew at her mistress and bit her on the ankle. Alicia lashed out, but Xena was already bounding into Kat’s arms.
There was a shout. Kat and Alicia looked up. Harper and Orkaan were leaning over a precipice above them, a blur in the quickening rain. As fate would have it, at that exact moment, a jagged line appeared in the sandstone at Kat’s feet. The cliff was beginning to collapse.
Not again, thought Kat, hurriedly tucking the Pomeranian into her backpack. But before she could panic, a rope came tumbling down towards her.
‘Tie this around you!’ yelled Harper. ‘Don’t worry – we’ll pull you up.’
When Robyn – code name V – came racing through the gale on Charming Outlaw, Harper was already directing the black mare to raise Kat to safety.
‘Back, Orkaan,’ Harper was saying authoritatively as the Friesian’s muscles bunched and strained. ‘Good girl. Back. Easy now.’
Robyn was just in time to grab Kat’s arms and help haul her to safety. She removed her long wig, revealing short, spiky hair underneath. ‘After I found the dragon card in the stables, your grandfather sent me to Bluebell Bay to watch over and protect you. But it looks as if Harper’s already got it covered. Now that you’re OK, would you mind holding my – your – horse? I have an appointment with a dragon.’
She sprinted back along the coastal path. The racehorse had clipped Alicia with his shoulder as she’d veered out of the rain, her skin jaundiced, her ankle bloody. Frantic to reach Kat before it was too late, V had left the actress lying on the ground. Now, she headed back towards her. A black baseball cap and designer tracksuit top were still on the path – crumpled and sodden in the downpour – but their owner was nowhere to be seen.
Like a dragon throwing off its plumage or a snake shedding its skin, Alicia Swann had gone.
In the decade he’d worked for Cannes’ most legendary hotel, François Boursier had seen everything. Billionaires by the dozen. So many dazzling award-winning actresses that his pulse barely stirred at the sight of them. Singers, sportsmen and supermodels. Presidents and reality stars. Sooner or later, they all checked into the Carlton.
Then there were the lesser-known guests, such as the widow who was signing the hotel register now, with a liver-spotted hand, clumsy with jewels. Beneath the broad brim of her hat, she had a faded glamour, as if she’d once had Hollywood looks, before too much sun and rich food had caught up with her.
‘Merci, Madame Pemberton. Here is your key. Eduardo will show you to your room.’
The bellman lifted her leopard-print tote bag and was startled by the weight of it. It clinked as he heaved it on to the trolley.
‘Careful!’ she said sharply.
The glare she shot him caused the joke he was about to make about the bag containing a crate of champagne or a baby elephant to shrivel in his throat. After showing her to her suite, Eduardo left without waiting for a tip.
Once he’d gone, Madame Pemberton, alias Alicia Swann, went to the window. The Mediterranean Sea was a peacock blue. She’d driven through the night, from the Jurassic Coast to France’s Côte d’Azur, stopping only to collect a fake passport and change into one of the many disguises she’d left in a luggage-storage facility.
It was boiling in the ‘rich widow’ costume, especially on a forty-degree day. She’d have done anything to go down to the Beach Club for a dip, but that wouldn’t be possible for a while. But someday soon, she’d build a new empire. Extinction would always be profitable.
Later, she planned to have a glass of fizz in Le Grand Salon to celebrate getting away with it. It had been a close-run thing. She’d underestimated that pet-sitter brat and her friend. And who could have foreseen that the homeless woman would come bearing down on her like a Valkyrie? It was a pity she’d never again see Xena or Ethan, who she’d glimpsed being pushed into a police car in handcuffs – perhaps due to the unpaid hotel bill – but neither of them were worth a spell in a jail cell. She was free as a bird and intended to remain that way.
First, though, she needed a nap.
As she settled into the inviting white sheets of the queen-size bed, she noticed a python-skin cushion propped against the pillows. It was an odd choice for such an elegant hotel, but Alicia heartily approved of wild animal skins as home accessories. Another creature wiped from the earth could only be a good thing for her bank balance. Collapsing on to the bed, she shut her eyes and flung out her arms.
Until that moment, Mr B had enjoyed his adventure. Before fleeing Bluebell Bay, Alicia had used the tiger key card taken from Kat to sneak into Mario’s motorhome and steal his Chinese tonics.
While she was helping herself to a bottle of sparkling water from his fridge, Mr B had slithered into her tote bag. He’d dozed contentedly among her jars and soft scarves as Alicia had raced from Dorset to Dover, and from Calais to the Côte d’Azur. Apart from a bout of queasiness during the ferry crossing, he’d had fun.
But he hadn’t appreciated being booted in the belly by the bellman (who’d given the bag a kick out of spite), and he certainly didn’t like being clouted in the head by Alicia Swann as she lay down beside him. Enraged, he flung a cool tail over her stomach.
When she screeched at the top of her lungs and began bashing him with her fists, he had no option but to bind her wrists together with his coils. At that stage, she’d fainted.
During the struggle, a chunk of her rubbery mask came loose and the bedside lamp smashed to the ground. Hearing the commotion, hotel security burst into the room, followed by a chambermaid. When the maid caught sight of the python, she promptly passed out beside Alicia.
The gendarme who attended the exotic scene shortly afterwards said it was the first time he’d ever heard of a snake performing a citizen’s arrest.
‘Is everyone comfortable?’ asked Lord Hamilton-Crosse. ‘Does anyone need a blanket? Have you had enough to eat? If not, I’ve brought—’
‘Please, no more food,’ begged Kat. ‘
The wild mushroom stew at the lodge was so yummy that I had two portions with the hot tattie scones before anyone told me we’d be toasting vegan coconut marshmallows . . .’
‘At least you didn’t eat ten,’ groaned Harper, clutching her stomach.
‘This is the first time I’ve heard either of you complain about too much food,’ remarked Dr Wolfe. ‘Too little, on the other hand . . .’
Kat laughed and turned to the man on the bench beside her. ‘We’re definitely not complaining. Thanks, Grandfather. It’s been perfect.’
‘It has,’ agreed Harper. ‘Thanks for organizing it, sir.’
‘It’s been unforgettable, Lord Hamilton-Crosse,’ added Kai.
To which His Lordship responded, ‘Dirk would be fine, thanks, Kai.’
Two nights earlier, Dr Wolfe, Kat, Harper and Kai had boarded the Caledonian Sleeper bound for the Highlands of Scotland. Kat had fallen asleep to a click-clack of rails and woken as the train wound past a mountain wreathed in pink, candyfloss cloud. She and Harper had lain on their bunks, watching storybook forests slide by.
At Gleneagles, they’d been met by Angus, a flame-bearded man in a kilt. He’d whisked them along nerve-shredding bends to Saorsa Wilderness Lodge, where Kat’s grandfather was waiting. ‘Saorsa is Gaelic for “freedom” or “liberty”,’ Angus told them. ‘We feel quite strongly about that here in the Land of the Brave.’
One breath of the mint-fresh air had supercharged Kat’s lungs. Hiking across moors ablaze with purple heather and yellow gorse had done the same for her spirit. And this evening, they’d exchanged a log fire at the lodge for a pine-scented wildlife hide.
Kai was staring dreamily out at a silver loch ringed by pines. Kat knew he was wishing that his father were with him. Dr Liu had stayed behind to give evidence to Scotland Yard detectives, who were working with MI5 to round up the leaders of the Order of Dragons.
Professor Lamb, meanwhile, was working with Natural History Museum experts to move the dracoraptor from Dorset to London, where it would be safe from bone thieves. The Jurassic Dragon was going to be officially named Dracoraptor agnus (Dragon lamb) after the professor’s discovery.
Kat Wolfe Takes the Case Page 18
