“Have you found out who it was yet?” she called.
Curtis saw that she no longer wore her mittens and appeared quite at ease showing her hands. Each of them had two index fingers plus the thumb and other normal digits.
“Not yet but I’ve spoken to Mistle Onyx. Her husband was out.”
“The bugger would be, wouldn’t he? Come and tell me all about it then.”
They both went inside and she led him into a sunny room which faced the sea.
“I told Mistle I wanted to attend the Changeover Day celebrations at their place. She said I must be screened before entrance to the fete.”
“You’ve nothing to worry about then. Mistle’s an obedient simpleton, so I’m told. Apparently she’s spent her entire married life serving that bully in every way. What did she seem like to you?”
Curtis thought for a while. “She seemed okay. She said I must call him Master. He likes people to be subservient.”
“Huh, I’m not surprised.”
“Want to come along tomorrow? We can both be screened.”
“My God, I don’t know if I can stand to be that close to the creep. As for Mistle, I’ve never even seen her. He never lets her out.”
“I’ll take that as a yes, then. Oh, I forgot to say - she’s rather beautiful.”
Curtis saw Janux flinch. “Maybe that’s why she’s kept like a trophy,” she said turning away.
While Janux went off to make them coffee, Curtis admired the view. Toetoe bushes, a couple of pohutukawa trees and plenty of driftwood were all that kept the beach from being totally bare.
“Was this beach named after Roscoe’s family?” Curtis asked, sipping the black coffee she handed him.
“Yeah, his grandparents were the first people to settle here. They were Humans. After they died Roscoe’s mother, Scheren carried on the beekeeping business. She sold honey round the island just as her parents had. Then somewhere along the line she met a Ryxin guy. Together they produced Roscoe. But she would never tell him who his father was.”
“So how did you meet Roscoe?”
“I wanted to get away from the mainland and find peace and quiet. Mum and Dad were moving back to Ireland, but I chose to come to Muritai. I met Roscoe one day in the village. He was selling honey in the square and we got talking. He knew almost nothing about his Ryxin background. His mother didn’t tell him much and he wasn’t allowed to know who his father was.”
“How long were you together?”
“Just over twelve years. Can you please find his bastard killer? I won’t rest until I know who it is.”
“I’ll do everything possible.” He noticed her face looked less drawn. “Can you be ready about ten tomorrow?”
“Sure - and yes, I’ll have my papers with me. I know the bugger will ask for them.”
As Curtis was about to get into his car he thought he heard a question being asked of him. And he also knew it was a thought question. He looked back. Women weren’t supposed to have the gift of telepathy. But there was no mistaking the sensation. It was the same he’d had dozens of times in the past, when a male Ryxin had sent him a thought. Then if he sent one back both minds opened, allowing a telepathic conversation to begin. But there were no other Ryxin males here.
Another thought came, stronger this time. “Can I speak to you later today?”
He knew she meant mind-to-mind and he mentally answered “yes” although part of him still doubted if it was really Janux asking.
CHAPTER 4
Later that evening, Curtis mulled over his visit with Janux. There was something about her that brought to mind thoughts about his ex-wife, whom he’d fallen in love with when he was twenty-five. Curtis seethed with fury every time he thought about the creep who was her new husband. He had obviously fulfilled his side of the bargain since Marzy was already pregnant.
To take his mind off these gloomy thoughts, he got out his family photo album. He and his sister, Brigit, were fourth-generation Ryxins. Their great-grandparents had settled in County Cork, Ireland, and their grandparents and parents had all lived their whole lives there. Looking at their photos helped Curtis feel connected to his real roots although his parents were now deceased. Brigit lived in Sydney with a fully Human Australian guy from Alice Springs. They had already produced three children - all girls, who had inherited her genetic makeup of extra digits.
Brigit was the only female Ryxin known to have been born with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot and yet have a Human parent. Her features were a drawcard for Ryxin men. But Brigit would have none of this and refused to date any of them. Instead she went to Australia and found a Human who could give her the children she longed for. As it turned out, her new husband considered her physical differences sexy.
Later that night the message from Janux came. “I want to tell you about the day Roscoe died,” she said. “That morning he’d told me he wanted us to have a baby. He said he’d been thinking about it for some time and he had a plan so that the authorities would think we had adopted the child. It was scorching hot and Roscoe was going down to the village. He asked me if I would go with him and we could discuss it further while we were out, but I was going to help a friend prepare a room for the arrival of their new genuinely adopted Human baby. Although I would never want to adopt a Human baby, every now and then I felt the longing for a child of our own. That’s why I was excited by what Roscoe had said. We’d discussed having a baby before, but he’d said there was no way round it. Just look at the screening machines they use to test babies, both in and out of the womb, he said. I said I wished we could live on another planet. I usually didn’t say anything about being childless but with my friend making preparations for their baby it stirred up my maternal instincts. Anyway, in the end Roscoe said he’d go by himself and off he went. Later the police came to tell me he was dead. He obviously didn’t even have time to send me a message, although I think he might have tried. Some people who were out fishing in the bay saw his van come crashing down onto the rocks.”
CHAPTER 5
Siegfried Plante was the Mayor of Muritai Island and this was his eleventh year in office. But he’d started receiving disturbing mail concerning his grandson. Jack, now sitting in front of the computer in his bedroom, was staying with him for six months while his parents were on an overseas holiday.
“Hey, Poppa, this game is cool,” he said as Siegfried set down a glass of milk and some cake on the table beside him.
Back in the kitchen, Siegfried picked up the bundle of letters again. It seemed that a certain Ryxin couple were keen for Jack to attend their upcoming Changeover Day celebrations.
“Have Mum and Dad sent any more postcards?” Jack called from the study.
“Not today,” he replied. Siegfried’s daughter had married a Ryxin and Jack was their only son. He was now fifteen and nearing the end of his schooling. Siegfried opened the latest letter and read it again. He knew the celebrations were strictly for Ryxins, so the invitation for him to accompany Jack was strange. Usually Humans were totally banned and all attendees had to be screened before they went in.
“Can we go out in the boat tomorrow, Poppa?”
“We’ll see what the weather’s like.” Siegfried thought about what they had both seen last time they were out fishing in Moa Bay - on the day Roscoe Chamonix had died.
Siegfried put the letters back into the kitchen drawer. He had no intention of allowing Jack to go to the Changeover party. For one thing he was too young and some of those parties were known to end up as drunken brawls. Siegfried was no longer young and he knew he might not be able to protect Jack. Besides he had an aversion to fighting with anyone, be they alien or Human.
On Sunday morning when Siegfried awoke, Jack was already up, playing games on the computer again.
“Where’d you get this new game, Poppa?”
“I bought it for you, just enjoy. Okay?”
“Sure, Poppa, I will, don’t you worry.”
Then as Siegf
ried was about to step into the shower there was a crashing sound outside - as if one of the drainpipes had fallen off the house. He quickly threw on his bathrobe and ran to the front door which was still locked. He turned the key and looked out but could see nothing unusual. Leaving the door ajar, he walked around the house and then went as far as the letterbox and looked up and down the quiet street. Nothing seemed amiss.
When he turned to enter the house again he felt sick. The door was wide open.
“Jack,” he shouted. There was no answer. He ran to the bedroom. Jack was gone.
Siegfried’s heart thudded loud and fast as he realised the aliens had outwitted him. They had taken his precious grandson - but why? And where to? Maybe it had something to do with what he and Jack saw at Moa Bay.
He tried to calm himself and think. That strange guy, Sly Onyx, who’d been sending him letters. What did he want with Jack? Sure, many Ryxins would be going to the celebrations in Ngahere Road. It would be a grand affair. Siegfried suspected there was something about Jack that made him special in the Ryxin world but he wasn’t sure what that was. Though the Ryxin hierarchy had been remarkably cross when his daughter married Oro Garvey.
At the time he’d been astonished at their attitude. After all there were plenty of Ryxins both male and female, who had married Humans. It was what the government wanted - to assimilate the aliens into the Human race. The hope was that this would weaken their innate powers so they were less of a threat to Earth and its inhabitants. Earth’s fearful leaders had therefore come down hard on Ryxins and having done so hoped to rest easy in their beds at night. But Oro had once told Siegfried that he was a high-born Ryxin without elaborating any further. He had told Siegfried not to worry about his daughter. He’d promised to look after her and keep her safe as well as give her the children she wanted.
Then there was that other strange occurrence when he’d seen Sly Onyx’s eyes change colour and glow a fiery red. He’d known then that Sly was Ryxin and suspected he was part of a growing number of their race becoming disenchanted with their lot on Earth. The talk was that a few had gone bad and that trouble was brewing. What sort of trouble no one knew. But Siegfried was mortally afraid. He knew how clever these people were.
He sat down at the kitchen table and pulled out the bunch of letters again. Tearing off the rubber band that held them together, he unfolded the first one, his eyes frantically scanning the page, his thoughts careering from one possibility to another.
You and your grandson, Jack, are invited to attend the next Changeover Day celebrations on 18th April. There will be a marquee on our property in Ngahere Road. Please RSVP by the end of this week. It is in your best interests to attend this grand event.
Your hosts
Sly and Mistle Onyx
He opened a drawer in the kitchen and found the shopping docket where he’d written Curtis McCoy’s contact details. Then reaching for the phone, perspiration dripping from his face, Siegfried dialled Curtis’s number. He’d seen his advertisement the other day when he was shopping and was already contemplating asking for his help in this matter.
Curtis picked up his phone to hear gasping, almost sobbing.
“My name is Siegfried Plante, Mayor of Muritai Island. Can you help me?” Siegfried gabbled.
“Please tell me what kind of help you need, sir.”
“Come to my house and I will explain. Are you Ryxin?”
Curtis paused. If he said yes, perhaps the Mayor would no longer want his help. But he wanted to have nothing to hide. “Yes, sir. I have Ryxin ancestry through my great-great-grandmother - she was one of the first Ryxin women to come to Earth. Is that a problem?”
“Quite the contrary, Mr McCoy. You see, I need someone who knows about these people.” But he didn’t tell Curtis what had happened. He just told him it was urgent.
Curtis had sucked in a deep breath. “I’ll come over straight away. Where do you live?”
Of course Siegfried had also contacted Detective Soubert at the Muritai police station, but he hadn’t told him the whole truth. He didn’t say that he was afraid the Ryxins wanted Jack because they considered him one of their own. He didn’t say what he and Jack had seen on that hot summer day in February. He thought if he did then the detective would think him quite mad. But Siegfried knew that the people who’d taken Jack were aliens and that they wanted him for a reason.
He stumbled through the house, opening all the cupboards. In his agitation he even looked under the bed, just to make sure Jack wasn’t there. He was dazed with fear. Then he went back to the phone to try and reach the detective again. But before he could dial he heard the front gate click shut and rushed to the door.
Just as Curtis was about to knock, the door was wrenched open. There stood Siegfried Plante, tears streaming down his face.
“What’s happened? What’s wrong?” Curtis said, following the Mayor into the house.
“It’s my grandson, Jack. They’ve taken him.” The Mayor was openly sobbing now.
“When?”
“Not long ago. Come into the kitchen - I want to show you some letters. That’s why I asked you to come. I’m being intimidated and now Jack’s gone. I don’t know what to do.”
The kitchen was mostly taken up by a large wooden table. Siegfried grabbed the letters and thrust them at Curtis. “Here, sit down and take a look at these.”
Curtis obeyed and began to read. By the time he had reached the last letter he understood why Siegfried was worried.
21.3.12
Mr Mayor,
As you have not replied to any of our invitations, we wish to advise you that your failure to act is taken as a personal insult to our proud Ryxin race. Both Mistle and I are deeply upset by your rejection of our kindness. We will be calling on you soon to discuss matters further. Surely at least your grandson would wish to come to this auspicious celebration of the anniversary of the arrival on Earth of his ancestors? Are you deliberately standing in his way?
Sly Onyx
Curtis felt uneasy and surprised. So Jack was Ryxin.
Siegfried leaned towards him. “Don’t worry. You’re not the sort of Ryxin I’m afraid of. There are some out there who are growing meaner by the day. Let me tell you about Jack. My daughter married Oro Garvey, a Ryxin of high rank, but unlike most of the upper-class Ryxins, Oro wanted an ordinary peaceful life. This wasn’t approved of by other aristocratic Ryxins. And now there’s Jack. Both his parents are overseas right now on a six-month holiday. It’s possible, of course, that Sly Onyx and others are trying to get back at Oro through Jack. You see aristocratic Ryxins are not supposed to go off and marry Humans. Their job is to keep the purity of the race going. I suppose you know all this anyway.”
Curtis had been largely sheltered from the kinds of lives many Ryxins were forced to live. But he remembered his father telling him the history of their ancestors. How ten men and ten women from the original Ryxin immigrants had been given a special role. These were the strongest and fittest, and were pledged to mate only with each other so that the Ryxin race would never die out. One of the men chosen was Oro Garvey the 1st and thereafter all first-born sons of his line were to take his name so that Ryxins would know he was one of The Ten. The other nine men swore to do the same so that their names too would mark them out for generations to come.
So Siegfried’s son-in-law, a descendent of one of The Ten, had broken Ryxin law by marrying a Human and breeding with her, thereby placing the purity of their race in jeopardy. Curtis understood now why certain Ryxins were angry. But he said nothing of this to Siegfried.
Curtis knew that Jack would probably be forced to mate with a Ryxin woman, one chosen for him by the hierarchy, and he would be kept in captivity until she fell pregnant. Because of his heritage he would still be considered purer than most. He wondered if Oro had been the first to break with the Ryxin breeding law, in place since 1905. But he doubted it.
Curtis looked over at Siegfried. His face was grey and his mouth a thin purple li
ne like a gash across his face. “In the morning I will begin my enquiries in Ngahere Road. Don’t worry - I know they won’t harm him. He is too precious to them,” Curtis assured him.
“There’s just one other thing,” Siegfried said. “It may be nothing, but...”
“Tell me anyway. I need to know as much as possible.”
“It was on the day Mr Chamonix died. Jack and I were out in my boat in Moa Bay, fishing. When the van went over the cliff we saw someone standing at the top watching. It was a long way off and they only stood there for a short time. All I can remember is that they were wearing a brightly coloured beanie of some sort, pulled well down over their face. I wonder if this is connected to Jack’s disappearance?”
CHAPTER 6
That evening Curtis received another telepathic message from Janux. “Will meet you outside the library at 9.30 a.m.”
He sent a message back. “See you there.”
Curtis was sure Jack was all right. Even if he was neither pure Ryxin nor Human, his Ryxin blood made him special, and Ryxins respected that. He felt happy knowing he was meeting Janux again tomorrow and then reminded himself of his PI training. This law had been thoroughly drummed into him and he was mindful of Rule Six: Never get intimately involved with a client.
He drifted off to sleep but around midnight suddenly woke with a fear like he’d never known. He looked down at his bones. They were glowing bright yellow so he knew he wasn’t sick.
After making a cup of tea he went out onto the back porch and observed the quiet sea, staying there until he felt peaceful again. He wondered if Janux had tried to pass him another message. But no, he remembered he’d been having a dream about Marzy and the way she’d looked at him when she said she was leaving. This always came back to haunt him. Soon after that he’d taken the ferry to Muritai and it was then he’d made up his mind to become a PI.
He’d only seen Marzy once since then and she’d already been pregnant, carrying the baby of that muscle-bound, brainless Human. His possessive, lustful eyes watched her every move. When she’d looked at Curtis he thought he could already see sadness there. Perhaps the loneliness had begun for Marzy, the woman who had to breed correctly so as to be kept in the family fold. That’s what Curtis found so disgusting. He was sure Marzy didn’t love her new man. How could she? But the fact remained that regardless of whether she still loved Curtis, she’d turned him away.
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