Alice-Miranda in the Alps

by Jacqueline Harvey

  ‘It’s coming from in there,’ Alice-Miranda said, pointing to the goods carriage. It sounded as if someone was kicking the wall from the inside.

  ‘Let’s check it out,’ Lucas said.

  The only way to get there was through the passenger car, so the children piled back onto the train. As she hopped on board, Millie spotted her parents walking along the platform and gave them a wave.

  The children moved through the carriage and the gangway connection, then came to a door. In the distance, they could hear the conductor blow his whistle to indicate that the train was about to leave.

  ‘Can you get through?’ Millie asked.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ Alice-Miranda said. She turned the handle but it wouldn’t budge.

  Sep pressed his ear against the door. ‘There’s someone in there,’ he said, his eyes widening. ‘I think they’re shouting for help.’

  He pushed the handle, harder this time, and the door flew open. Inside, the car was filled with stacks of the Fanger’s Chocolate containers.

  ‘Wow – that’s a lot of boxes,’ Millie said, licking her lips.

  ‘Herr Dettwiller!’ Alice-Miranda gasped. The other children gasped too. Alice-Miranda ran over to the old man, who was writhing around in the far corner of the carriage. She whipped off his gag while Lucas and Millie untied the ropes around his arms and legs.

  ‘Oh, my dear children, you are a sight for sore eyes,’ the man breathed. ‘But we cannot tarry. We must get to the front of the train.’

  The floor beneath their feet jerked suddenly. Everyone grabbed onto each other to keep their balance. Alice-Miranda and Lucas helped Herr Dettwiller to his feet and they shuffled towards the carriage door.

  ‘It’s splitting apart!’ Caprice shouted from the entrance.

  ‘Jump then,’ Millie called.

  Caprice watched as the Glacier Express surged away. ‘It’s too far.’

  The children came up behind her and peered out through the gangway connection. Their train was fast becoming a speck in the distance.

  ‘It’s gone,’ Sep said. ‘They’ve split the train apart. There’s just us, two goods carriages and the engine.’

  ‘And Rotten Marius,’ Millie said glumly.

  ‘There is another man too – Andreas,’ Herr Dettwiller said, his voice hoarse from yelling.

  ‘What are they up to?’ Caprice demanded. ‘Surely chocolate is not that valuable – especially in Switzerland.’

  Lucas unclasped the lid on one of the Fanger’s Chocolate boxes. It was full of chocolate bars the same as the one he had seen in the loading dock at Fanger’s Palace. ‘At least we’ve got something to eat,’ he said, trying to lighten the mood.

  He picked one up and was astonished at the weight. He quickly unwrapped the block and held it up for everyone to see.

  ‘Gold!’ Caprice exclaimed.

  There was a loud crunch followed by another jolt.

  ‘What was that?’ Millie said, holding onto Herr Dettwiller.

  ‘I think they have moved the engine so that we can keep going in the same direction as the other part of the train,’ Herr Dettwiller surmised.

  ‘But why? I don’t understand any of this,’ Caprice huffed. She was beginning to wish she had stayed in Cervinia.

  The door between the engine and the goods carriage opened. Marius stepped inside and stopped dead in his tracks. ‘What are you lot doing here?’ he barked, looking set to explode.

  ‘What is going on back there?’ someone yelled from behind him.

  Marius sucked in a deep breath and was about to say something when Andreas appeared next to him.

  ‘How did they get in here?’ he roared. ‘This door was supposed to be locked.’

  ‘I unlocked it so that we could get through once the train was turned around,’ Marius hissed.

  ‘Imbecile! I have a key.’ Andreas glared at his colleague.

  Having had enough of listening to the two crooks, Millie drew herself up to her full height. ‘We know what you’re up to and as soon as we get off this train, we’re going straight to the police,’ she said.

  Andreas narrowed his eyes at her. They were the colour of coals. ‘As soon as you get off this train, my dear,’ he said menacingly, ‘you are going to spend days in the wilderness trying to find your way home. By then we will be long gone.’

  Jacinta shuddered and tears welled in Caprice’s eyes.

  ‘Our parents will realise we’re missing any minute now and then you’re done for,’ Alice-Miranda said with her hands on her hips.

  Millie shook her head. ‘I don’t think that’s going to happen for a while,’ she whispered.

  ‘Why not?’ Caprice sniffed.

  ‘Mummy and Daddy saw us getting onto the train,’ Millie replied.

  ‘They’ll know we’re not in our seats,’ Jacinta said.

  Alice-Miranda gulped. ‘Mummy said that the adults were all going for a late lunch in the dining car, so they won’t realise for a while.’

  ‘And by then, you will be long gone,’ Andreas threatened.

  ‘Hadn’t you better get back and drive?’ Marius said. ‘The last thing we need is a crash.’

  ‘Fine. Stay here and make sure they don’t try anything,’ Andreas spat, then stormed off.

  Marius pulled the door shut. ‘All of you, on the floor now!’ he shouted.

  The train was gathering speed, rollicking along the tracks. Millie slipped and fell, landing on her bottom with a thud.

  ‘Ow!’ she yelped, grimacing. ‘Not another bruise.’

  ‘I think that’s the least of our worries,’ Jacinta whispered, lowering herself onto the ground.

  The rest of the children and Herr Dettwiller sank to the floor as the train bumped and swayed.

  Marius Roten took a step closer and reached into his coat.

  ‘Please don’t shoot us,’ Jacinta whimpered. She grabbed hold of Lucas, who shielded the girl’s face. But Marius did not pull out a gun. It was a badge.

  Alice-Miranda leaned closer to read the words. ‘Interpol.’

  Caprice’s face lit up. ‘Yes! We’re saved.’

  ‘You’re an awesome actor,’ Millie blurted. ‘But what about your twin? How come he’s a bad guy?’

  ‘Andreas is not my twin. It’s just an unfortunate coincidence that we look so much alike,’ the man’s words spilled quickly.

  ‘Is Roten really your name?’ Millie asked, thinking it had to be a cover.

  ‘Yes, it is,’ Marius said, narrowing his eyes.

  Millie flinched. ‘Sorry, it just sounded made … Never mind.’

  ‘Shush! You must be quiet!’ The man held up his hands to quell the children, who were firing questions over the top of one another. If Andreas realised what was going on, they were all done for. He could derail the train at any time, and Marius knew the man was capable of exactly such a thing.

  ‘Is it all gold?’ Alice-Miranda asked, gesturing to the stacks of Fanger’s Chocolate boxes.

  Marius nodded. ‘Stolen in Italy and smuggled over the border into Switzerland,’ he whispered.

  Alice-Miranda’s eyes widened with the dawning of a realisation. ‘The Black Diamonds!’ she gasped. ‘They’ve been moving the gold, haven’t they?’

  ‘No wonder that guy was so worried about his backpack,’ Sep said.

  ‘But why haven’t you arrested anyone?’ Millie asked.

  ‘We have been biding our time to catch Signor Grande, the man responsible for all this,’ Marius explained. ‘My associates and I have received intel that he will be present at the delivery of the shipment tonight.’

  ‘Why did you and Andreas meet Frau Doerflinger at the restaurant near the ice rink?’ Alice-Miranda asked. ‘Is she part of this too?’

  Marius looked at her in surprise, then shook his head. ‘She is a mere pawn in this criminal operation – a greedy woman who made a deal with some very bad people.’ Marius handed Herr Dettwiller a bottle of water. ‘I am sorry that you have been caught up in all of th
is, sir.’

  The old man took a sip. ‘Thank you,’ he said gratefully.

  ‘What about Herr Fanger?’ Alice-Miranda asked. She couldn’t imagine the man as a crook.

  ‘No, from what I can tell, he knows nothing of his wife’s dealings,’ Marius replied.

  Alice-Miranda stared at the ground then suddenly looked up. ‘I know where I saw Andreas before. He was the man making the delivery when we were in the docks at Fanger’s Palace,’ she said, pleased to have finally remembered.

  Marius nodded.

  Millie reached into her pocket and pulled out the little gold disc she’d found at Fanger’s Palace. She fidgeted with it, turning it over in her fingers.

  ‘What is that?’ Marius asked.

  Millie handed it to him. ‘I found it on the floor at Fanger’s Palace.’

  He examined it closely, relief washing over his face. ‘It’s a key to the Fanger’s vault,’ he laughed, unable to believe his luck. ‘We have been trying to get one for ages. As far as we know there are only two in existence. Frau Doerflinger keeps one on her at all times and the spare is in the safe in her office, for which only she knows the combination.’

  ‘What?’ Millie screwed up her nose. ‘I tried to hand it in, but the concierge said that it wasn’t worth anything.’

  ‘It is worth everything,’ Marius replied. ‘May I keep this?’

  Millie nodded.

  ‘What do we do now?’ Alice-Miranda asked.

  ‘Andreas had planned to leave Herr Dettwiller behind in the second goods carriage, in a siding high in the mountains off the main line,’ Marius replied. ‘There are some empty Fanger’s boxes in the second car – I want you to find them and bring them here. When the time comes, you will hide inside those until I let you out again.’

  Caprice’s bottom lip trembled. She imagined all the things that could go wrong – Marius tricking them, their becoming stranded and freezing to death or being eaten by bears. She tried to remember if there were any bears in Switzerland.

  ‘Can we breathe in those boxes?’ Millie asked doubtfully.

  ‘They are climate-controlled and well ventilated. You will be fine,’ Marius assured her. ‘And I will get word to Anton to notify your parents that you are safe.’

  ‘Is he an Interpol agent as well?’ Sep asked. ‘Because he’s a really convincing train conductor.’

  Marius nodded. ‘Trains are his hobby. This was the perfect assignment for him.’

  Sep raised his eyebrows. ‘Whoa, I want to be an agent when I grow up – imagine getting to catch bad guys and ride the Glacier Express for months on end.’

  ‘Seriously, we’re in mortal danger and that’s all you can think about?’ Sloane shook her head in disgust.

  ‘Now, make sure you cry out every so often, otherwise Andreas will become suspicious. Listen for my directions.’ Marius closed the door, and the children heard a key turn in the lock.

  The train pushed on through the mountains for hours. When Marius returned to their carriage, the children and Herr Dettwiller did exactly as they were asked, curling themselves into the empty Fanger’s boxes. It was lucky the old man was quite small and that the boxes were so large. Just as Marius had told them, the train stopped in the mountain siding and he unhitched the second wagon, leaving behind nothing but fruit and vegetables which had been bound for some Alpine restaurants.

  As the train came to a halt at St Moritz station, an army of workers began to unload the cargo. A dozen men heaved the boxes into the back of two waiting vans that were headed directly to Fanger’s Palace Hotel to be deposited into the vault. Remarkably, the children kept as quiet as church mice. Not so much as a whimper escaped their lips.

  The vans travelled the short distance to the hotel and soon the familiar beeping of a reversing vehicle signalled their arrival at their destination.

  ‘Good evening, Frau Doerflinger,’ Andreas said, jumping out of the first van.

  Marius got out of the other van, which contained the children and Nina’s grandfather.

  ‘You have the entire shipment?’ the woman asked stiffly. ‘No thanks to your investigative skills, Roten. I can’t believe in all this time you couldn’t locate the entrance to that underground station and yet my niece knew it all along.’

  Marius grunted in response and began to unload the boxes onto several large trolleys.

  ‘Ouch,’ Millie yelped as her bottom was bumped.

  The rest of the children and Herr Dettwiller winced, hoping the smugglers wouldn’t notice. Caprice was about to tell the girl off for making a noise when she realised doing so would give them all away. She clamped her hand over her mouth just in time.

  ‘What was that?’ Delphine barked.

  Marius held up a finger. ‘Jammed it between the boxes.’

  The woman rolled her eyes. ‘Hurry up. My associates are waiting to receive their goods.’

  Millie, who had been holding her breath, exhaled with relief.

  Delphine followed Andreas to the lift with the first trolley of boxes. ‘We will be back soon. No slacking off,’ she ordered, glaring at Marius.

  As the lift doors closed Marius heaved the top box back to the ground and unsnapped the locks.

  Alice-Miranda looked up at him. ‘What do you want me to do?’ she asked.

  ‘We need to get everyone out,’ Marius instructed. ‘Quickly!’

  Alice-Miranda clambered onto the side of the trolley and released the locks on the box that contained Millie. Marius staggered under the weight of another, which he placed gently on the floor. Sloane almost leapt out of hers like a jack-in-the-box. A minute later all of the children and Herr Dettwiller were free.

  ‘What do we do now?’ Millie asked, her green eyes darting all over the storeroom.

  ‘I have to get to the vault. Anton is coordinating backup around the hotel,’ Marius said, leading them all to the lifts. ‘Do you know the way upstairs?’

  Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘We accidentally came down here the other day. You should go. I assume the vault is in the basement.’

  ‘Yes,’ Marius said, checking his watch.

  He reached out to press the button for the lift just as the bell dinged and the doors slid open. Andreas stood there facing them.

  For a moment no one said a word.

  ‘What is this?! Liar!’ Andreas screamed, charging at Marius’s middle. The two men went flying into a pile of green linen sacks. A struggle ensued, with Andreas throwing punches and mostly missing his target.

  ‘Alice-Miranda, Millie, get downstairs and lock them in before it’s too late,’ Marius shouted. He threw the token to Alice-Miranda while fending off Andreas with his other hand. ‘Use the key to scramble the code!’

  Alice-Miranda nodded and ran into the lift, with Millie by her side. She pressed the button and the doors closed.

  Meanwhile, Sep had spotted a net among the bric-a-brac in the corner of the storeroom. He pointed at it and called to his sister. Sloane and Caprice raced to get it while Lucas and Jacinta launched themselves at Andreas, who had pinned Marius to the ground.

  ‘Get off him!’ Lucas yelled, wrestling Andreas to the floor.

  Jacinta catapulted herself backwards out of harm’s way as Marius rolled out from underneath the scuffle and leapt to his feet. Lucas jumped up too just as Sep and the girls threw the net over Andreas.

  ‘Let me out of here!’ the man demanded.

  Andreas struggled and kicked, landing a blow against one of the trolleys with its tower of Fanger’s Chocolate boxes. They wobbled and swayed.

  ‘Look out!’ Herr Dettwiller shouted as the boxes toppled. One smashed open and a stray bar of gold flew through the air, striking Andreas on the head and knocking him out cold.

  Without so much as a whisper, the elevator doors slid open to reveal a room with a steel ceiling and walls. A couple of metres in front of Millie and Alice-Miranda was a giant round door, at least fifty centimetres thick. It was wide open, and the girls could see that Delphine Doerflinger was
standing inside it next to a man and woman.

  ‘It’s the couple from the ski lift,’ Millie whispered.

  The man’s head snapped in their direction. ‘Who is there?’ he called.

  The two girls scurried behind the door.

  ‘Marius?’ Delphine stalked over to the entrance. ‘Where is that stupid good-for-nothing –’

  ‘Vincenzo, how much longer do we have to stay down here? Gold is so boring unless I can wear it,’ Sancia whined.

  Alice-Miranda nodded to Millie. ‘That’s her, all right.’

  Delphine walked back to resume her conversation with the man, discussing weights and quantities.

  ‘Where is the rest of it?’ he demanded.

  Deciding that the coast was clear, Alice-Miranda and Millie leaned against the door. They pushed and shoved with all their might but it refused to budge. Just as Millie gave one last heave, she lost her footing and skidded across the marble floor. Vincenzo looked up again and this time he locked eyes with her.

  Millie froze. ‘Oops.’

  ‘Get her!’ the man shouted, running to the vault door.

  Delphine’s head swivelled around to face the girl, who was sprawled in front of them. ‘What! How did she get in here?’ she squawked, charging after Vincenzo.

  ‘Not so fast, you two!’ Sancia somersaulted past Delphine and, with one swift kick, knocked the old woman back inside the vault.

  Alice-Miranda pulled Millie out of reach as the woman grabbed Vincenzo’s arm and launched him backwards.

  ‘Who is she?’ Millie gasped.

  ‘I don’t know but I think she’s on our side,’ Alice-Miranda said, her eyes the size of dinner plates.

  ‘Sancia, what are you doing?’ Vincenzo shouted.

  ‘Quickly, girls, help me,’ Sancia ordered, the characteristic whine gone from her voice. She put her back against the vault door and began to push. Slowly, it started to move.

  ‘Don’t do this! You know who I am!’ Vincenzo’s voice echoed through the vault as the door clanged shut. Alice-Miranda grabbed the token from her pocket and pressed it into the coin-sized slot on the keypad, then pushed every button. Delphine’s face appeared close up on the video monitor beside it. ‘You cannot lock us in. I have the key.’