Malice (8 page)

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Mansfield Way, Dolphin Point

8:03 pm

I spent the next two days dealing with the mail that had arrived while I'd been away at Perdita and calling Boges to see how his gran was doing. Cal rang too.

‘What's been happening? Any more ghosts?' he laughed.

I brought him up-to-date. ‘I can't wait to get back down there,' I said, ‘and find out what Curly was looking for. And it'd be good to check out that house on the headland again.'

‘I'll be done here next weekend,' said Cal. ‘I might even be able to leave earlier after we have the final course exams next week. I'll spend a night with Mum and Gabbi on the way, and then I'll ride down to Perdita.'

‘Can't wait,' I said.

Perdita

10:09 am

The previous evening, with Boges's gran on the mend, the three of us had driven back down to Perdita. It was good to be back in the big front room again with a fire blazing. Perdita no longer felt strange to me.

The next morning, we made our way down to the beach. Ryan had brought his climbing gear in case we felt like trying it out. The sun was warm, although a strong wind blew in from the sea. We sat on the rocks at the base of the cliff, planning our next move. ‘Last time we were here,' I told the others, ‘I saw that woman at the house on the headland—the one with really short hair. But we still don't know who she is.'

‘She's got some overkill security,' said Boges, ‘which really makes me suspicious.'

‘Maybe she's just nervous,' said Ryan, ‘living alone.'

‘But she's not alone,' Boges said. ‘A guy was driving that car, and another set the dog after us.'

‘And why was Curly sniffing around down here?' I said. ‘I'd love to know what he was looking for.' I was eager to take action, so I climbed over the large boulders behind us, piled up like huge building blocks. As I straightened up, looking back at the way we'd come down, I looked at the cliff looming before me and noticed a small overhang just above the pile of rocks on the beach.

‘Boges! Ryan! Come here! See next to that old fence post? I want to go up there and take a look.' I clambered over the rocks and a little way up the cliff, stepping onto protruding stones some distance away from the cliff path.

‘Glad I brought all this gear,' Ryan complained. ‘What a waste. Hope you don't fall and break a leg!'

In less than a minute, I was at the overhang, holding onto the iron post, once part of a now derelict fence. Why was there a fence in this strange position? I pushed away hanging vines and weeds. I could hear a churning noise, a whooshing. Curious, I stooped to get in under the overhang, not much bigger than a beach shelter.

There, in the back wall, was a narrow cleft. I squeezed through it and gasped. I had stepped into another world!

11:35 am

I was standing on a small rocky ledge in a large cave, where two metres beneath me, the turquoise sea frothed and crashed, racing around the cave and vanishing into several dark, echoing openings. I stood there transfixed by the beauty, unaware that Ryan and Boges had squeezed through and were standing beside me.

‘Awesome!' Ryan breathed. ‘What an unreal place!'

Beneath us, the sea sucked and swirled, forced through the narrow entrance by the power of the massive ocean swells, lit underneath by the magic light coming through the cracks in the rocks from the beach, and rushing up to disappear down three dark arches.

‘Look, there are a few tunnels going back under the cliff,' I said. ‘I wonder if there are more caves. A rock fall must have blocked off the main entrance and now only the sea can force its way through. This is the only way in, through this little overhang.'

‘So that's what Curly is looking for,' said Ryan, ‘a way into these caves. But why would he be
interested in them? No ship could get in here in the first place!'

‘When we get a warmer day,' I said, ‘we should go sea caving. We'll need ropes and waterproof lights.'

‘I've got ropes,' Ryan said. ‘And we'll need to watch the tide, too. It's coming in now, you can tell.'

It was true. Even in the short time we'd been on the ledge, it was clear that each wave was washing in a little higher than the one before. I looked around for a tide line to see how far the water rose inside. Boges must have been reading my mind, because I saw him pointing across the cave to the opposite wall.

‘There's the high tide mark,' he said. ‘The water will be up to this ledge that we're standing on then.'

‘Cool,' said Ryan. ‘We can jump into the water from here.'

‘And it's probably easier to swim through the system,' Boges said, ‘than try to scramble over the rocky floors and walls. This will be a great spot in summer!'

As we climbed back up the cliff, we made plans as to what to do next. Ryan volunteered to lead the expedition.

‘We need the right gear,' he said, ‘and to be roped together … and we'll need good lighting.'

‘While you sort that out, we'll find out who's behind Curly—who's really pulling the strings,' Boges said. ‘That mansion needs surveillance.'

‘I'm not keen on becoming a Doberman's breakfast,' I said.

‘Remote surveillance, Winter,' said Boges. ‘You couldn't have forgotten my Hummingbird Hawk-moth creation already?' Boges had adapted a couple of tiny drones—flying spy cameras—which had been very helpful when we'd found ourselves up against Sligo once more.

‘I'm going to modify one,' he said, ‘and send it on a fact-finding mission. Just give me a day to organise it. And we should go into the village and see what intel we can get from the locals about this place and that shipwreck.'

As we approached the house, I couldn't help glancing over at the grove with its forbidding cypress trees crowded together. I was determined to hack a way through that dense, green-black wall and uncover the building hidden at its heart.

Perdita

3:45 am

I bolted awake! What time was it? I grabbed my mobile from beside my bed. It was still so early, but something had woken me from deep sleep. I sat up, straining to listen. Silently, I crept over to the half-closed French windows to the balcony and looked out. It was pitch black outside and I nearly screamed as someone crashed into me in the dark.

‘Shh!' whispered Boges, ‘it's me. Sorry, I can't see a thing. Did you hear that? Someone's in the secret passageway!'

I picked up my torch, switching it on. ‘Right. This time we're going to nab him. Get Ryan.'

‘I'm already here,' Ryan whispered loudly from the darkened doorway.

Again came the scratching and knocking that I'd heard in the walls two weeks ago when the ‘ghost' first put in an appearance.

‘I can't wait to get my hands on whoever's been trying to scare me out of my own house. This time, they won't get away with it.'

We crept down the main staircase, not really needing the torch, knowing our way through the darkness now, pausing outside the door to the big front room. I briefly flashed the torch beam in front of me. On the floor near the entrance, lay the old sheet that Ryan had used to scare us on that first night at Perdita and I picked it up.

I whispered instructions. ‘We'll wait at the entrance to the passageway and as soon as he starts coming through the doorway into the room, we throw this over him and take him down. Ryan—you grab his legs, Boges—you sit on him and pin his arms. I'll be on standby with the torch, ready to whack him if he gives us any trouble, OK?'

‘Got it,' whispered Ryan.

We tiptoed into the room and another quick flash from the torch showed that the secret panel was open, revealing a darker blackness within.

We positioned ourselves silently—the boys on either side of the passage doorway, me a little to one side with the old sheet in one hand and my heavy torch raised in the other, ready for action.

The knocking and scratching became louder and now we could hear cursing and muttering. Maybe he was having some difficulty finding his way out. So much the better, I thought. He'll be disoriented and completely taken by surprise by our ambush.

My mouth was dry with excitement and I could hear my heart banging in my chest. The enemy came closer, the sounds drew nearer, then finally, like a grub coming out of a hole, a head, upper body and then lower body emerged.

‘Get him!' I yelled, throwing the sheet over the intruder. The boys moved like lightning, crash-tackling him down to the floor, where he floundered and kicked and yelled …

That voice!

It couldn't be!

‘Better watch out! Black belt! Black belt! You let me go right now! Nearly won the karate championship in Hong Kong! Let me up if you know what's good for you!'

I dragged the sheet off the struggling figure and shone my torch on his face.

‘
Repro?
'

Boges and Ryan stared as the skinny figure clambered to his feet, brushing himself and his tattered bag down.

‘What sort of welcome is
that
? I come all the way from the city to give you a hand, and you treat me like this? There's no justice in the world—that's what I told the magistrate.'

I don't know who was more shocked—Repro or us, as he stood there in his old green coat with the too-short sleeves, green fingerless mittens on his long hands, a moth-eaten beanie on his head, and a green and red scarf around his scrawny neck, now covered in dust. Cal and I had outfitted him with a brand new wardrobe, but obviously Repro was happier in his preferred style, although he seemed to have put on a fair bit of weight.

‘You've got a bit heavier,' I said, pointing to him. He looked quite plump.

‘Nah,' he said. ‘It's my layers. I'm wearing all my clothes. Saves packing them.'

‘What on earth are you doing here?' I asked, adding hastily, ‘I mean, it's great to see you. But what are you doing in the secret passage?'

‘What are you doing attacking me with high tackles? Secret passage? I thought this was a regular doorway. I was trying to get upstairs.'

We burst out laughing, the three of us shaking with relieved tension and hilarity while Repro glowered in the middle.

‘How did you get into the house?' Ryan asked.

‘There was a very convenient lock on the front
door, through which I was able to effect entry,' Repro said, in a snooty voice.

‘You mean you picked the lock,' said Boges.

I took Repro's arm and then hugged him. ‘It's so good to see you, Repro,' I said. But a thought struck me. ‘You mean the entrance to the secret passage was open?'

‘Of course it was. Even I can't walk through walls!'

‘I didn't open it,' said Boges.

‘Me neither,' added Ryan.

I knew I hadn't.

‘Well, someone's been here, during the night,' Boges said, ‘before Repro blundered in.'

‘Excuse me, I don't blunder,' Repro corrected. ‘I'm very nimble on my feet, thank you.'

‘OK, twinkle toes,' I said, ‘how about a hot chocolate?'

4:31 am

We sat around the rebuilt fire, and between the three of us, brought Repro up to speed on what had been going on at Perdita and what we'd discovered so far. We discussed who might have been snooping in the secret passage.

‘It must be someone who knows the house,' I said. ‘Someone who knows the history of this place.' I thought of Harriet immediately, but dismissed the idea. Why would she be poking around in here?

As if reading my mind, Boges said, ‘Harriet seems to know more than she's saying. It's possible she knows about the secret passage.'

‘But why on earth would she be creeping around in there in the middle of the night?' I asked.

‘Same reason as anybody else,' said Ryan, ‘to discover the secret of Perdita—that's why. If she found the treasure, her money problems would be solved.'

I told Repro about Harriet and her dried-up farm, then about the mansion on the northern headland, the woman with the spiky hair and the security guard with the Doberman.

‘Interesting that Curly was able to just walk straight into that house, without knocking. The Doberman didn't go for him, did it?' Boges pointed out.

‘Hell hounds,' said Repro. ‘Had a run-in once with one of those.' Repro took it all in, demolishing a packet of chocolate biscuits and drinking several cups of tea in quick succession.

‘So how did you know where we were?' I asked.

‘Cal called me from flight school. He thought you might need a hand down here. I couldn't come earlier because I've been—err—taking a break from society for a while. Doing some meditation.'

‘Don't tell me you've been to a retreat? A health spa, perhaps?' asked Ryan.

‘More like a strict health farm,' said Repro. ‘I overlooked a few fines from the constabulary.'

‘How many?' Boges asked.

‘Not quite sure,' said Repro cagily. ‘More than a few. And the constabulary took a dim view. All I did was camp in some places they didn't think I should be in and I failed “to move along when required”. I wasn't doing any harm.'

‘But why were you camping out?' I asked, puzzled. ‘You've got a beautiful house of your own now. And what about your mum?'

‘I have a gypsy soul, my girl,' said Repro grandly. ‘And I miss my underground home—all those exciting tunnels, my underground lake, my plans for my Underland Wonderland resort. My mum wants me to join the local bowling club. Wear those white bowling trousers and jumpers, and a canvas hat,' he shuddered. ‘My house is very nice, and I don't mean to be ungrateful to you and young Cal, but it's just not me. Everyone knows where I live now. I even get
mail!
'

‘Mail! How terrible!' I joked.

Repro didn't miss a beat. ‘So I followed my gypsy soul.'

‘And that led you where, exactly?' asked Boges.

‘Various places,' he said vaguely, ‘which in turn led to the non-payment of a number of fines. I could either pay up or spend a week at one of Her Majesty's correctional institutions. I chose to be detained,' Repro said,

‘You mean you were in jail?' said Ryan.

Repro sniffed and refused to answer, instead looking around for more chocolate biscuits.

‘I'm going back to bed,' I announced. ‘Repro, that big armchair near the fire is very comfortable. I'll bring you a rug. We'll work out a plan in the morning. And there's something I want to show you, too.'

10:40 am

After a breakfast of toast and eggs, we cleared away and found that Repro had worked out a lot of the jigsaw puzzle on the floor during the early hours of the morning. Now we could see that it was shaping up to be some kind of building surrounded by gardens.

From the folder in my bag, I pulled out the strange and menacing newspaper clipping I'd been sent weeks ago, passing it to Repro.

‘What do you make of this, Repro?' I asked. He studied it, his shrewd, bright eyes scanning the typed script and the two scribbled words, ‘the Drowner … 30 days'.

Eventually, he handed it back to me, shaking
his head. ‘Can't help you with that, Winter. Where did it come from?'

I told him. ‘I'm not sure whether it's a threat, or a warning. Either way, it's completely useless, until we know who the Drowner is.'

‘Sounds like a person,' said Repro, ‘and someone I wouldn't like to meet—especially near water,' said Repro.

‘Plenty of that around here,' said Ryan. ‘Actually, we've been thinking all this time that it came from someone in the city, but maybe it's a threat from somebody here who knows about the Perdita file and this house. It might be just another attempt to frighten us away. There are only four days left until the deadline—surely if it was something dangerous, we'd know by now.'

‘It all started with this,' I said, picking up the Perdita file.

Repro flicked through it. ‘And what's this?' he asked, noticing the envelope stuck at the back and taking out the paper with the strange drawing.

‘We don't know,' I said. ‘We all thought it looked a bit like a ghost,' I pointed out the strange shapes. ‘But now I'm inclined to think it's just a scribble.'

Repro peered more closely at the old piece of paper, scrutinising it thoroughly.

‘Mmm,' he muttered. ‘It reminds me of something. Something I saw a magician do. If you look closely, you can see fold lines in the paper—I don't mean all the wrinkled, crumpled bits—I mean these straight lines here, where it's been folded and unfolded a lot.' With a few deft movements, Repro folded the paper a couple of times and something happened. The lines now connected up, creating one shape.

‘That's amazing!' I said. ‘Now it looks more like a piece of coral, with branches on it. Somebody wanted to hide this drawing,' I said. ‘Why?'

Another one of Perdita's secrets was staring us in the face, taunting us.

‘Coral, you said?' said Repro, with the beginning of a grin. ‘Did I ever tell you that I lived in some speleological structures for a while?'

‘Some
whats?
' Ryan asked.

‘He means caves,' said Boges, puncturing Repro's overblown language.

‘Yes, well,' I said, ‘you've lived in some very unusual places. But why are you telling us this now?'

‘There must be caves around here, that's why. This reminds me of a cave system.'

‘The sea caves!' I cried. ‘That's what it is! It's a diagram of the layout of the caves!'

Boges grabbed the diagram from Repro. ‘Yes! The caves that Curly is looking for! And he doesn't know the way in—but we do!'

The thrill of discovery bubbled through my veins. We'd unlocked another of Perdita's secrets.

‘And look,' Boges added, ‘we were looking at it upside down before. That's not an M—it's a W.'

‘Windraker!' I yelled. ‘Is that where the Windraker is lying? That's what Curly and his boss want! But we're going to get there first!' I was jumping out of my skin with excitement. I couldn't wait to start exploring the cave system.

‘I doubt it, Winter,' Boges said, shaking his head. ‘No ship could fit in through the narrow entry to the caves.'

‘Hang on! What's a Windraker?' asked Repro, looking bewildered. ‘Have I missed something?'

We quickly filled Repro in on everything we'd heard about the shipwreck that lay somewhere in Deception Bay.

‘Whatever is hidden in the caves,' Boges said, ‘it must be very important. Otherwise why would someone hide it with that fancy folding paper trick? And whatever it is, it's hidden right at the very back of the furthest and biggest cave.'

Sea caves system