‘So ... what now?’ asked Alice eventually, glancing at Grandma. ‘Where will poor Ingrid live?’
‘Here, for now. Heinrich wants her to stay with them for as long as it takes to get back to normal.’
‘I’m afraid that could be a very long time,’ said Thomas gloomily. ‘Do you think that house will ever be habitable again?’
‘Of course,’ replied Brigitte. ‘In Germany we can fix anything.’
As Alice raised an eyebrow at that comment, she noticed that Brigitte was smiling. Perhaps she did have a sense of humour after all. Funny time to show it, though.
Heinrich’s wife and son rushed around preparing beds and sofas for their guests, and would not hear of Brigitte and the Parkers leaving that evening. Thomas would sleep on a camp-bed in their son’s room, Grandma and Alice share the double bed in the spare bedroom, and Ingrid and Brigitte would have a sofa each in the living room.
Finally Heinrich persuaded Ingrid to leave the smoking remains of her house and come home with him. Brigitte was attempting to cover herself with a blanket on the sofa and was fighting off Maxi and Morritz when they ran to the back door barking. A dazed Ingrid, reeking of smoke, wandered in to the kitchen. At the sight of her friends around the table she put on a brave face, but underneath it she looked shell-shocked. Alice felt desperately sorry for her but had no idea what to say. What could anyone say in these circumstances?
Fortunately Heinrich’s wife suggested that she had a hot bath while she found some fresh clothes for her. Ingrid nodded gratefully. Before she left the room, she spoke to Grandma in a low voice. When she trudged up the stairs, Grandma rested her head in her hands in despair.
‘What’s wrong? What did she just say?’ asked Alice.
‘She said ... she said she’s not stupid. There was only a light breeze this evening, so wind was not responsible for moving her shed. And her truck key was in the pocket of her trousers all along – not in the ignition.’
Chapter 10
Interrogations and Revelations
Alice hardly slept for horrific images of the fire flashing through her mind, and though she hated to admit it, concern for Isabella and Lukas out in the cold. Early the next morning she and Thomas crept out of the house and headed across the fields to check on them. Ingrid had beaten them to it and was waiting for them, sitting on the fallen elm. Parked nearby was her tractor, towing a large trailer full of earth. Alice and Thomas hesitated before approaching her.
Staring in to space, Ingrid began to speak with her back to them. ‘I do not understand what is happened last night. Or why. But I know something is not normal here.’
Alice sat down next to her, waving Ingrid’s cigarette smoke away from her face. ‘I thought you didn’t smoke.’
Ingrid pulled a face.
Hearing voices, Isabella called out in a hoarse voice. ‘Get us out! Please! We’re sorry. Thomas! Are you there?’
‘We’re sorry too, Ingrid,’ said Alice quietly. ‘We should never have come here. It’s not safe to be around us. Wherever we go we bring chaos, lately.’
‘Das stimmt,’ agreed Ingrid. ‘You two are not normal. I saw that easy before the fire.’
‘Really?’ asked Thomas, wondering how they had slipped up.
Ingrid smiled to herself and stubbed out her cigarette in the frosty soil. ‘You are like my husband. He was one also. You are Vingel. I see it in your eyes.’
Alice gulped. She wasn’t expecting that. She looked at Thomas for help but he shrugged his shoulders. ‘Um ... well, yes. We are. Finwips in English.’
‘Sooo,’ replied Ingrid slowly. ‘On this ground I help you. My husband would wish that.’ She stood up, climbed on to the tractor and reversed the trailer to the edge of the hole.
‘She’s going to tip the load!’ screeched Alice. ‘She’ll bury them alive!’
‘Wait!’ called Thomas, running over to the tractor. ‘One minute, please!’
Ingrid tutted in annoyance as he called to Isabella.
‘I trust you slept well?’
In the chilly air steam was rising from the pit. Isabella didn’t answer. She had kept herself and her companion warm by heating up the manure to an even higher temperature and using it as a radiator. They were still sitting down in the dirt, their backs resting against the steaming pile.
‘What now, then?’ she asked, looking up at him. ‘You can’t just leave us down here.’
‘Can’t I?’ replied Thomas. ‘You tell me once and for all what your problem is, then I’ll decide your fate.’
Alice snorted. ‘You’ll be lucky. If only it was that simple!’
‘It’s perfectly simple,’ said Thomas coldly. ‘If Isabella doesn’t come clean, this hole will be filled in and no one will be any the wiser.’
Ingrid revved the engine of the tractor and tipped the trailer just enough for a few clods of earth to tumble down – just enough to scare Isabella.
She wasn’t the only one beginning to feel afraid. ‘You’re actually serious, aren’t you?’ yelled Alice. ‘Both of you!’
Perfectly calm and composed, Ingrid nodded, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel impatiently.
‘Listen to me, Isabella!’ ordered Alice. ‘For goodness sake, just tell him the truth! I can’t be responsible for his actions otherwise. It’s out of my hands.’
Once again Ingrid jolted the trailer, sending more earth tumbling down. Lukas grabbed Isabella and shook her roughly, shouting in temper.
‘All right, all right!’ she sulked, pushing him away and attempting to brush some manure from her coat. ‘I’ll tell them.’
‘Wise decision,’ said Thomas. ‘Now, why are you still hunting us down after all this time?’
‘Someone kindly refreshed my recent memories after my stupid, interfering cousin erased them.’
‘I assume that someone was a statue called Lionel.’
Isabella nodded. ‘Partly. Lionel wants you dead, Thomas. He wants revenge for what you did to him. You’re a murderer, Thomas Parker.’
‘You will be too, if you carry out his orders.’
‘Ah, but I’m being paid well for my services.’
‘Oh, that’s priceless! How does he pay you? Does he nip to the bank or write you a cheque with his stone fingers?’
‘Lionel had some unfinished business,’ said Isabella smugly. ‘Several stashes of cash and valuables needed to be distributed to his colleagues. He tells me where to find them, then I get my cut. It seems he’d had a successful few months before his life ended unexpectedly thanks to you.’
‘Pff! A successful few months of crime, you mean, with the help of his cronies!’ scoffed Thomas.
‘He must have been a very busy man,’ emphasised Isabella.
‘He wasn’t a man,’ snarled Alice. ‘He was part Sinwip, part Aquatrox.’
‘All the best people are! You’re just jealous!’
‘Actually I wouldn’t want to stink or have scaly skin. And I’m told you leave a slimy residue in the water when you swim. It sounds disgusting.’
Throughout this peculiar exchange Ingrid had been listening with a bemused expression. Now she was losing her patience and revved the engine again.
‘So what’s the price on our heads?’ demanded Thomas. ‘And how does Lionel know he can trust you?’
Isabella smirked. ‘The price on your head is over a quarter of a million. You made things very difficult, Thomas. As far as the police and Lionel’s solicitor are concerned, he’s not dead because no corpse has been found. He’s a missing person. Lionel never made a will, but if I carry out all of his wishes, including removing you from society, he’ll tell me where I can find a particularly large sum of cash. Plus a set of keys to his house in Arcanum Cove. At least I can enjoy it as a holiday home until someone claims it.’
Thomas’s jaw dropped. That was some reward. ‘Have you seen that cottage? It’s painted pink! I think the ‘farmyard brown’ you’re wearing now is more your colour.’
‘The fragranc
e suits you perfectly,’ added Alice.
‘Very funny,’ remarked Isabella. ‘But before you plan a career as a comedian, you should know that the price on your head is even greater.’
‘How ... why am I worth more to Lionel?’
‘Oh, it’s nothing to do with Lionel,’ replied Isabella with a sly grin. ‘The motivation for me is personal satisfaction. But don’t worry. We can still have these nice little chats when you’re dead, can’t we? It was so kind of Fabian to remind me of your little faux-pas in the future, Alice. Especially considering I only dropped by to kill him. Lionel was really upset, you know, when Fabian sold him to the British Museum.’
Full of rage, Alice looked around for a stone to hurl at her, but found nothing suitable. Thomas put his hand on her shoulder for reassurance.
‘Talking of personal satisfaction,’ he said in a loud voice, ‘tip the load please, Ingrid! Goodbye, Isabella. Nice to have met you, Lukas.’
Delighted to oblige, Ingrid held her finger on the button to tip the trailer. This time Alice didn’t argue. Instead she ran a short distance away and held her hands over her ears to drown out the shouting. Nothing Isabella could say would change her mind. She’d had enough. Trembling she waited for the screaming to stop – until one word from Isabella penetrated her muffled ears.
‘RALPH!’
Stunned, Alice stumbled over to the edge of the pit to find Isabella desperately trying to clamber out of knee-deep soil. Lukas was groping around in it, searching for his glasses.
‘WHAT DID YOU SAY?’ she bellowed.
Isabella looked up at her, wiping her face with a filthy hand. ‘What about Ralph? Whatever will he think of you? Nice boys don’t date murderers.’
Instantly Alice felt sick. How did she know about Ralph? What if he and his family were in danger? Aargh! Now she was thinking about him again and he would know. Thank goodness he couldn’t see what she was doing at that moment – even if he could tell where she was.
‘You don’t think Alice is interested in him, do you?’ sneered Thomas. ‘He’s not good enough. Alice is aiming high.’
Tears of mirth created clean streaks down Isabella’s grubby face. She was in stitches. Alice found it extremely unnerving. Even Lukas seemed disturbed by Isabella’s uncontrollable cackling.
‘Oh, you are so funny, Thomas! You’d be quite cute if you weren’t so pathetic. You’ve no idea what the future holds for your darling little sister! If only you knew!’
‘Don’t worry,’ snarled Alice, ‘we’ll read up on it when we get home.’
‘Brace yourself! It’s more a horror story than a fairy tale!’
‘Tip the rest, Ingrid!’ shouted Thomas.
‘No!’ called Alice. She lowered her voice. ‘I’m sorry, Thomas. I do want rid of her, but I don’t want to be a murderer.’
‘Like me, you mean?’
‘That was different. It was self-defence. I know you didn’t mean to kill Lionel.’
‘This is self-defence.’
‘Yes, but ... remember how Hugh changed after I saved his life? This could be an opportunity to change her.’
‘Oh for pity’s sake, Alice! This one will never change!’ yelled Thomas in frustration.
‘I will!’ screamed Isabella, pressing herself flat against the side of the pit as earth piled in at an alarming speed. ‘I don’t want to die!’
‘Me also!’ shouted Lukas. ‘I am not deserving this. She pays me – that is all. I meet her last week only.’
‘Where?’ demanded Thomas.
‘In the village.’
‘And where’s that?’
Lukas hesitated.
‘Under the Brandenburg Gate,’ replied Ingrid. ‘I know, you see.’
Lukas scowled. Clearly Ingrid was right. ‘Lass uns bitte raus!’ he growled.
‘I will change. I’ll leave you alone, I promise,’ wailed Isabella. ‘Don’t kill me, please!’
Ingrid had lowered the trailer slightly, slowing the flow of earth in to the hole. She looked at Thomas expectantly, her finger hovering over the hydraulic control.
‘Aaargh!’ he growled. ‘Have it your way, Alice. But be warned; it’s on your shoulders if she doesn’t keep her word. I for one don’t believe her for a second.’
Ingrid climbed down from her seat and produced a ladder from behind a nearby tree. Swiftly she extended it down in to the hole.
‘Hold on! Why ... how did you know we’d need that?’ asked Thomas.
Ingrid smiled. ‘You are Finwips.’
Thomas mumbled something inaudibly and positioned himself at the top of the ladder. ‘Give me your phones, or you’re going nowhere.’
Grudgingly they threw them up to him. Lukas had to be helped out of the hole – he could hardly see without his glasses.’
‘I wondered why you didn’t stop the trailer from tipping. You couldn’t focus on it because you couldn’t see it clearly!’
Lukas responded to Thomas with a rude gesture. Isabella simply stood with her arms folded, as if waiting for something.
‘What?’ asked Alice.
Isabella gawped at her. ‘A change of clothes? A taxi?’
‘You must be joking!’ snorted Thomas. ‘Clear off, both of you! It will do you good, a long walk through the countryside, stinking of ...’
‘Train station there,’ said Ingrid, pointing far in to the distance. Alice and Thomas climbed on to the trailer as she started the engine.
‘You could try and hitch a ride on the main road,’ sniggered Alice. ‘But no one will take you in that state.’
She couldn’t resist waving goodbye as they left their pungent-smelling foes shivering in the middle of the field.
Chapter 11
The Fall of a Warrior
‘Where have you been?’ asked Grandma when they entered the kitchen. She and Brigitte were having breakfast with Heinrich and his family.
Alice glanced at Ingrid. ‘We went for an early morning walk. To clear our heads, you know.’
‘Did it help?’
Ingrid smiled. ‘Yes. I think so. What are your plans for today? Something nice?’
‘Of course not! How can we even think about enjoying ourselves after what happened last night? We can’t leave you here in this mess! We want to help,’ protested Grandma.
‘Ach, nein! What can you do? I must speak to the ... er ... Versicherungsgesellschaft.’
‘Insurance company,’ said Alice without thinking.
‘Yes! That is all I can do. So go! Have fun! Enjoy your holiday. You go home when?’
‘Tomorrow,’ replied Brigitte promptly, as if she had been counting the days.
‘Not long to go,’ said Alice, wondering if her aunt would celebrate when they left.
‘You’re sure you’ll be all right, Ingrid? I feel terrible leaving you like this when you were so kind to invite us,’ said Grandma. ‘I just can’t imagine how you must be feeling.’
‘I am fine,’ declared Ingrid. ‘We are all living and healthy, are we not? That is important.’
‘Very true,’ agreed Thomas. ‘So, are we going to see the Externsteine before we go back to Berlin, then?’
‘What’s that?’ asked Alice.
‘They’re huge rocks. You can climb on them. The views are supposed to be magnificent.’
‘Not a chance! That place is too dangerous for you two. I’ve been there many times. I can imagine you falling off a walkway and plunging down to the ground,’ said Grandma, shuddering at the thought of it.
‘I wouldn’t!’ whispered Alice. ‘But Thomas might.’
‘Hermannsdenkmal, perhaps?’ suggested Brigitte.
‘I’ve heard of that at school. It’s a huge statue of Arminius, isn’t it? Let’s go there! I’d like to see it.’
‘I think you must go quick,’ advised Ingrid, looking out of the window at the sky. ‘More snow comes. We call him Hermann, his German name. He defeated the Romans, you know.’
Alice and Thomas ate a hurried breakfast of warm crust
y bread with cheese and ham while Brigitte and Grandma said their goodbyes to Ingrid and Heinrich. Brigitte never took long over such things, and carried their bags out to the car while Ingrid spoke to Grandma in hushed tones, holding her hands tightly.
‘Thank you, Erika, for this visit. Your grandchildren are very special and always welcome. When my house is better, you return, OK?’ She winked at Grandma knowingly.
Surprised, Grandma looked at Alice and Thomas for an explanation, but they just grinned. Brigitte was back in the room.
‘One visit to the bathroom and I am ready to go,’ she announced, heading upstairs.
Alice hugged Ingrid and the dogs before she went out to the car.
‘Don’t worry, Grandma,’ she said in a low voice. ‘About Isabella, I mean. Everything will be all right now – I can feel it in my stomach.’
Thomas shook his head in despair. ‘I’m afraid you’re wrong, Alice. You’ve eaten too much cheese, that’s all.’
*
In less than half an hour they arrived in the visitors’ car park at Hermannsdenkmal. The only other vehicles there were a builder’s van and an old, pale blue and white VW campervan. Perhaps the weather had put visitors off. Ingrid was right; snow was beginning to fall already.
‘We should have gone straight home. It’s too cold to wander around a tourist attraction,’ Grandma moaned.
‘We can stay in the car,’ said Brigitte. ‘We have seen it before, after all.’
‘No. It will be warmer in the cafe. I’ll pay for the coffees, don’t worry.’
‘I am not worried. The cafe is closed,’ Brigitte pointed out.
‘Oh, that’s just wonderful.’
Braving the bitterly cold wind Alice and Thomas hurried along the footpath winding through the trees to find the immense monument. From the car park it was hidden from sight by the forest.
‘I wish I’d worn my hat,’ said Alice, shivering. ‘Don’t you?’
‘Er, I’m afraid they went up in smoke. We left them on the radiator in Ingrid’s kitchen.’
Alice sighed loudly, still wracked with guilt about the fire. After a few minutes of walking in silence, they reached the end of the path and emerged on to a circular area at the foot of an enormous flight of steps. At the top of the steps was a grand stone plinth. Poised on top of that, pointing his sword up to the sky, was Hermann.
Alice Parker & the Curse of Fate Page 8
