The French Code (9 page)

‘This is Strangways's estate? You have got to be kidding me.'

‘Nobody is kidding you, Toby.' Veronique smiled. ‘This is it.'

The limousine made its way through the slowly opening iron gates. Spotlights lit them from below, revealing the forged shapes of two elongated figures, each with the head of an animal.

‘And who are the two spooky guys on the gate?' Max leant away from Fifi, who was in the seat beside her chomping noisily on a bone.

‘Anubis, the jackal-headed god.' Toby held his palm computer before him. ‘He's known as the gatekeeper of the ancient Egyptian afterlife because he guided the dead as they journeyed through the darkness of the underworld.'

‘Guiding the dead?' Max asked. ‘Surely there were better jobs in ancient Egypt.'

‘It was a very important position,' Veronique added. ‘Anubis was the keeper of poisons and medicines for embalming. He was a patron of magic, could predict a person's destiny and was known as the announcer of death.'

Max jumped as the gates swung shut behind them with a reverberating clang. ‘I still think
Strangways could have thought of something more pleasant to decorate his front gates with.'

‘I don't know,' Toby added. ‘I think they've got class.'

‘The moment I need notes on class, I'm not coming to you.'

Veronique smiled. ‘I agree with Toby.' She flicked him a crooked smile. ‘They have got class. Of course, not everyone will be able to see it.'

‘Oh, I can see … Aaah!' Max recoiled from the slobber-covered bone Fifi had dropped in her lap.

‘Isn't that cute.' Veronique smiled. ‘Fifi only gives her dinner away to people she likes. Could you hand it back, Max?' Veronique looked like she would enjoy nothing more than seeing Max's fingers bathed in dog drool.

Max grabbed a tissue from a box in the side holder of her door and gathered up the dripping bone. ‘You're a long way from home, Fido,' she whispered. ‘Be careful you don't get lost out here.'

Fifi growled and snatched back the bone, only narrowly missing Max's fingers.

The limousine entered a forest path, illuminated by flaming torches and fairy lights threaded throughout the trees. At the end, the
path opened up to reveal Strangways's home.

‘It's a castle.' Linden's eyes climbed the huge stone walls topped with battlements and anchored at each end by rounded towers lit from below by tinted orange glowing floodlights. In the centre, the gatehouse was fortified by a soaring stone archway laid behind a drawbridge that sat chained and sturdy above the dark waters of a moat.

Max stared out her window and mumbled. ‘A castle that would be hard to escape from if someone didn't want you to leave.'

The car jolted onto the wooden bridge and drove into the interior within the castle walls. The heavy chains lurched into life, withdrawing the bridge in a droning ascent until it sealed the fortress with a wrenching thud. The limousine crept through the narrow stone gatehouse.

‘See those.' Toby opened the sunroof and pointed upwards where gaping holes let in streams of light. ‘They're called murder holes. If we were the enemy, we'd be pelted with missiles or fiery arrows or burning hot liquids to teach us a lesson.'

‘Now there's a way to make a person feel welcome,' Max cringed. ‘And close that, will you? Just in case Strangways is planning a lesson for us.'

‘Regi is harmless. You'll see,' Veronique said. ‘We'll be much safer here.'

The limousine pulled into the inner courtyard and swerved to a halt before a sweeping marble staircase. The interior of the castle walls were daubed with hundreds of arched windows and rose into a multi-level mansion. On either side of the stairs were gnarled, flaming torches. Below, lights hidden in shrubs lit up the building as if it were about to take flight.

A man in a tuxedo with shiny shoes and perfectly gelled hair was waiting to greet them. Without making eye contact, he bent low in one smooth motion and opened the door of the car.

Linden and Toby scrambled out and felt as if they should bow back.

Veronique turned to Max. ‘Since you two are bonding so well, could you bring Fifi?'

‘There's nothing I'd love more.' Max faked a huge smile, before snapping it into a sneer.

‘Great place you've got here,' Toby said to the tuxedoed man, who remained silent. Instead, without a sniff of a smile, he led them inside.

In the cathedral-sized foyer, they were met by another towering staircase and walls crowded with portraits and tapestries. From the centre of the roof
hung a chandelier that looked like a fountain of diamonds frozen in midair.

‘If Strangways ever needs someone to mind this place for him while he's away, I'm his man,' Toby drooled.

‘That's a very kind offer.'

The group turned to see a hunched man dressed in a suit and leaning on a cane. ‘I'll make sure to keep you in mind,' he smiled.

‘Regi!' Veronique ran and almost bowled the man over in a hug.

‘Careful, dear,' Strangways staggered briefly, ‘I'm not as nimble as I used to be.'

‘I don't believe you, Regi. You're still strong.'

‘See these young people of today.' Strangways turned to Toby and Linden. ‘No respect for their elders.'

He closed his eyes and laid one hand on Veronique's head. ‘It is lovely to see you again, my dear. After what happened to your father, I was in anguish thinking that you … I'm very sorry about the scare you had at your house this evening and that you have been dragged into all this. If anything happened to you, I'd …' Strangways's words snagged again before he looked up and smiled. ‘You should introduce me to your friends.'

‘These are the people who've been sent to mind me. This is Toby and Linden and –'

Fifi's barking interrupted the introductions.

‘And who is this gorgeous thing?'

Max stepped forward to answer, but Fifi leapt out of her grip and into the arms of Veronique, who lifted her up to Strangways's cheek for a hello lick.

‘I was beginning to think I wasn't going to get my kiss,' the old man said.

Max winced at the slobbering mutt's attention seeking.

Strangways lifted his hand weakly towards the man in the tuxedo. ‘I've had my housemaster, François, make up some supper. Anyone interested?'

Strangways held Veronique's hand and led the group into a ballroom-sized dining room. Stretched across the middle was a table loaded with mini bacon quiches, ham and cheese croissants, chocolate profiteroles, strawberry tarts and a pot of steaming hot chocolate.

‘This place just got even more amazing,' Linden whispered and almost floated to his seat.

Max pulled out a chair and Fifi jumped into it, panting at her innocently. Max gave her a warning look and moved to the other side of the table.

‘So this is where you live?' Toby took a huge bite of a warm ham and cheese croissant.

‘Between here, my Paris salon and another castle I own in Switzerland, yes.'

François silently circled the chairs, opening serviettes and placing them on the guests' laps.

‘And we're safe here?' Max asked.

‘This castle and its grounds have the very best of modern security,' he smiled gleefully, ‘as well as a few old and trusty ones. All a person has to do is
think
of trespassing and alarms will go off.'

Strangways laughed at his own joke. François began pouring hot chocolates, using small silver tongs to add generously sized marshmallows.

‘So what do you remember from the night at the Louvre?' Max asked.

‘Maybe Regi doesn't want to talk about that right now?' Veronique shot a warning glance at Max.

‘No, no, dear. It's okay.' A pained expression clouded over Strangways's face. ‘I had just climbed into bed when Antoine called me and said he had something very important to show me, an exciting new find from a recent dig.' Strangways let out a small sniff. ‘He always did that. He would get so excited about his work that he'd forget what time of the day or night it was when he'd call.'

‘So what did you do?' Max continued.

‘My driver took me immediately to the Louvre to meet him, and when I reached his office we were beset by thugs posing as security guards. The next thing I knew I was being woken up in a gutter by a policeman.'

‘And you don't remember anything else?'

‘I'm afraid a combination of old age and a bang on the head has ensured that I don't.'

‘What did Monsieur Marceau show you?' Max asked.

‘Alas, the two thugs blundered in before Antoine could reveal his news.'

François finished his pouring and stood at the end of the table with his hands crossed before him.

‘You must have had an idea what it could have been. I mean, you fund most of his archaeological trips.'

‘Antoine is one of the busiest of his profession. He is currently investigating a multitude of projects. I fund some of them, certainly, but he could have had news about any one of them. Isn't that right, Veronique?' Strangways picked up a fork and stabbed it into a slice of quiche.

‘He'd be working on so many, even I found it hard to keep track.'

‘How did you get the limp?' Max eyed him suspiciously.

‘Maybe that is personal and Regi doesn't want to tell you,' Veronique said.

‘It was such a long time ago,' Strangways replied. ‘I don't mind, dear. I was on an archaeological dig with Veronique's father. We'd discovered an underground crypt of great significance, but the roof wasn't as stable as we thought and it collapsed on top of me. Antoine carried me for over five miles for help, but my leg was shattered in so many places, the doctor found it hard to count. After a botched operation, I was left in constant pain accompanied by a rather unpleasant limp. My digging days were over, but my friendship with Antoine was cemented for life.'

Max eyed Strangways with a rigid stare. ‘So tell us where he is, then.'

François flinched, his eyes swinging round to Max.

Veronique dropped her strawberry tart onto her plate. ‘If Regi knew that, he'd have told the police. You're a guest in this house, and it would be good if you could act like one.'

‘No, no, Veronique. Max is obviously a very clever agent and is merely covering all possibilities.'
Strangways smiled benevolently at Max. ‘If any of us do decide to break the law, I'd say we'd have to be very careful with you around.' He laughed. ‘But for now, it's been a long day and you should finish eating and get some rest.'

‘I won't be able to sleep yet,' Veronique said. ‘After everything that's happened, I'm really awake.'

Strangways placed a careful hand on hers. ‘How about I show your friends the museum?'

‘Could you? It always makes me feel better.'

Strangways finished the last of his quiche and got up from the table with a laboured sigh. ‘Then a tour it shall be.'

Toby and Linden swapped a quick look and shovelled in final mouthfuls of quiche and croissants. Each grabbed a chocolate-covered profiterole before following Strangways out of the room and down a long corridor. At the end they stood before a heavy wooden door.

‘Would you mind, young man?'

Linden wiped his chocolatey fingers on a hanky and, with both hands, pulled it open.

Strangways led the group down a set of winding stone steps. ‘Be careful, the stairs are worn and the roof is a little low.'

The stairwell twisted downwards to a squat, roughly carved oak door, with a large brass keyhole. He reached into his pocket, removed a long brass key and slipped it into the lock. ‘If you wouldn't mind, kind sir?'

Linden grabbed the handle of the door, opening it with a yawning creak to reveal a large, cavernous dungeon.

‘Please, go in.' Strangways held his hand out and Toby, Veronique and Linden entered the room. As Max went to step past, Strangways whispered, ‘You have no need to worry about security while you are here, my dear. Watch this.'

Max's danger meter pulsed to life seconds before a circular metal blade swung pendulum-like past her nose, missing it by a finger-width.

Max's throat seized and her skin prickled in the cold closeness of the breeze created by the blade.

‘If anyone even tried to trespass where they weren't welcome, that's what they'll be up against.' Strangways's face had hardened to match his steel-edged voice before he smiled. ‘Now we're ready to see what's inside.'

Max stayed where she was, her danger meter calming to a slow pulse, her mind flinching at how close she had stood to instant death.

The stone arch ceilings sailed high above low-lit glass cases containing yellowing papyrus scrolls, ancient books, amulets, statues, gold necklaces and ceremonial cobra-circled headpieces. As the small group entered the underground museum, they were met with the cold, majestic look of two stone sphinxes, mythological characters with the bodies of well-fed lions and the heads of humans. Each wall was lined with stone slabs reaching from the floor to the ceiling, carved with outlines of kings and queens; symbols of cats, birds and fish; and scenes from everyday ancient Egyptian life.

‘This whole museum is yours?' Linden walked up to a sphinx and stared at its ragged features.

‘Yes.' Strangways sighed. ‘The collection has taken years to assemble and is the absolute treasure of my life.' He turned to Veronique. ‘Except for you, my dear.'

‘What's this?' Linden came across a towering stone tablet crammed with small letters and symbols.

‘The Rosetta Stone?' Toby's eyes widened.

‘A replica,' corrected Strangways. ‘But well spotted. The real one is in the British Museum.'

‘What's a Rosetta Stone?' Max asked.

‘
The
Rosetta Stone,' Veronique explained. ‘It's
a message written in three languages: two are Egyptian, including hieroglyphics, and one is ancient Greek. The text was carved in 196 BC but the stone wasn't found until 1799. By comparing the known Greek language against the hieroglyphs, a translator was able to work out the meaning of the ancient Egyptian language.'

‘Well done, my dear.' Strangways nodded. ‘Many secrets from the ancient world – some very powerful – were finally revealed to us, and people like Veronique's father are crucial in making that happen. Come,' he announced with renewed vigour. ‘There's more.'

‘Great, just what I need,' Max mumbled. ‘Mysteries from the ancient world. What's wrong with solving the one we have now?'

Her foot caught the edge of a rough flagstone and she stumbled into a life-sized stone statue, which she hugged in time to stop from crashing to the floor.

‘Oh, do be careful,' Strangways yelped. ‘These are all rare pieces that if broken can never be replaced.'

‘Sorry.' Max carefully repositioned the statue on its pillar and looked up. She stared at the large, bearded, bluish coloured man with a palm frond on
his head and one in his hand. Beside him was another pillar holding a woman with the head of a snake.

The brass plate below read:

A strange tremor rippled through Max. She moved slowly away and shoved her hands firmly in her pockets.

Strangways led them beneath another low stone archway and down a shorter set of stairs into a sparsely furnished, low-lit room.

‘This is one of my favourite parts.'

‘It feels like a crypt.' Max shivered as the temperature around them fell.

‘Actually, it was more of a torture chamber originally.' Strangways's voice lowered like a guide leading a ghost tour. ‘This castle was once ruled by
a vicious lord who used this dungeon as his punishment pit. He would bring his prisoners down here and leave them shackled to the walls without food or water. Then he'd release a bug of his choice. Wasps, bees, scorpions. Whatever took his fancy. The prisoner's crime didn't have to be very big: a dinner served cold, a mumbled greeting, or the mere suspicion that you were up to no good could be enough to secure your journey to oblivion.'

Strangways's eyes settled on Max. She tried to hold his stare, but the cold of the room began to prick her eyes. She turned away and found herself facing an upright coffin cradling a bound and frayed mummy.

‘Aaaah!' She screamed. ‘Tell me he's not a real dead person.'

‘She, actually,' Veronique answered. ‘And yes, quite real and long dead.' She walked to a glass cabinet containing a scroll of papyrus sheets nestled in a soft, glowing light. ‘I haven't seen this before, Regi.'

Strangways's voice softened like an entomologist coming across a rare insect. ‘That is my latest acquisition.' He hobbled over, his face warmed with a smile reserved for an old friend. ‘It's
The
Book of the Dead
. Or one of them at least, but this one is quite unique.'

‘This visit just gets more and more cheery.' Max sighed and sat on the edge of a carved stone pillar. She pulled her knees against her chest and rocked back and forth to try and warm up.

‘The books were collections of spells and formulas that were placed in tombs to protect the souls of the deceased, like guidebooks to a happy afterlife, and were otherwise known as books of magic.' Strangways's voice was infused with awe.

‘Magic?' Max asked. ‘I thought this was a museum of ancient history?'

‘Magic was very much part of the life of the ancient Egyptian. They believed that magic, or
heka
as they called it, was integral in creating the world and that everyone had the ability to conjure it. But there were rules about how and why it could be used.'

‘So everyone in ancient Egypt was a magician?' Linden asked.

‘With the right resources at their fingertips.' Strangways leant in and smiled greedily. ‘Some were better at it than others.'

He picked up a pair of white cotton gloves beside the cabinet and slipped them on. ‘Many men
died in ancient times trying to gain access to such books. Many forgeries were made to throw them off the track, leading them on erroneous trails.' He lifted a latch, opened the cabinet door and ran a hand gently over a page filled with hieroglyphic symbols and drawings.

‘There were palace and temple books of magic, but also private collections that were handed down within families. This is one of the private ones. Have you seen this before, my dear?'

Veronique leant over. ‘I don't think so.'

‘I don't mean to be disrespectful,' Linden said, ‘but isn't believing in magic a little …'

‘Loopy?' Strangways finished his sentence. ‘It is no more loopy than much of what we take for granted as true today. No more loopy than the appearance of the first leaf after a fire has destroyed an entire forest. No more loopy than the joining of a few cells that will eventually become a baby.' He held out his arm, revealing a long scar. ‘Or no more loopy than a cut to the skin that, with time, completely heals itself. All of these things are magic, my boy.'

‘With a firm scientific basis,' Max spelled out.

‘For some it is pure science, for others the element of mystery and magic can simply not be denied.'

‘What did they use magic for?' Toby asked.

‘Almost anything. As a defence system against sickness, to protect a new home, to rid an area of poisonous snakes.' Strangways gasped like an excited four-year-old. ‘Why, there are even stories where people brought wax animals to life or rolled back the waters of a lake. After years of searching, your father was the one who finally found this for me.' Strangways stole a quick glance at Veronique.

‘Why wouldn't he give this book to the Louvre, with all the other artefacts?' Max asked.

‘There are many such books that are far more detailed and, therefore, more important to the museum than this one.'

‘How does it work?' Toby asked.

Strangways's eyes were lit from the light of the cabinet. ‘The spell was recited with a series of actions.' He pronouned each word slowly, carefully. ‘If it was done right, a person could summon the powers of magic and
heka
was yours.'

Strangways lifted his arms before him as if he were conducting a giant orchestra. Before he realised, he'd lifted his cane from the floor and began toppling sideways.

Linden and Veronique caught him.

‘Are you okay, Mr Strangways?' Linden asked.

‘Yes, my boy.' Strangways took out a hanky and wiped it across his brow. ‘I'm sorry, I tend to get carried away whenever talk turns to ancient Egypt.'

Max rolled her eyes and kept rocking. ‘So, when a person in ancient Egypt died, they had to rely on a bunch of spells to make sure they were happy being dead?'

‘It helped,' Strangways explained. ‘When a person died, the god Anubis would take their souls into the underworld and deliver them to the Hall of Truth, where their heart would be weighed against a feather.' Strangways held out his hand as if weighing an invisible heart. ‘If the heart weighed less than the feather, it was judged to be full of goodness and granted eternal life.'

‘And if it was heavier?' Toby asked.

‘I'm afraid they would face the prospect of eternal darkness.'

A loud slam echoed around the room followed by a muffled cry. ‘Aaaah!'

‘What was that?' Toby breathed.

‘Aaaah!'

‘There it is again.' Linden looked around the room until he realised something was missing. ‘Max? Where is she?'

‘I think she's in there.' Toby pointed to an ornately painted, human-shaped coffin.

‘Get me out of here!' The muffled yelling continued from within.

‘Yep. She's in there.' Veronique folded her arms across her chest.

Toby and Linden hurried to the long wooden sarcophagus and grabbed hold of the lid.

‘It won't open,' Linden wheezed.

‘It has a self-locking system.' Strangways pulled a key from his pocket. ‘It's the small gold one.'

Linden took the key and opened the lock.

‘I said get me … Oh.' Max opened her eyes.

‘Seems I
am
good at rescuing you after all,' Toby smiled.

‘What are you doing?' Linden asked.

‘It was getting cold, so I thought I'd warm up in here.' Max felt another small bump forming on her head. No-one moved. ‘But I'd be better if I was out of here.'

Linden and Toby leant into the coffin and helped Max out.

‘You really do have to be more careful, dear.' Strangways leant on his cane. ‘I would hate for something to happen to you whilst you are in my care.' He turned to the door. ‘And now it is
my bedtime. I need to be up early tomorrow for a board meeting in the city for which I'll need all my energy just to keep awake. They can be such dreary things.'

He stood at the exit of the private museum and invited his guests to leave before locking the door behind them. ‘Would you mind, dear?'

Veronique took Strangways's hand and helped him up the narrow, circling stairwell.

At the top of the stairs, Strangways took a moment to catch his breath. ‘You will be treated with the utmost cordiality whilst you are here. And please, treat my estate and everything in it as yours.'

‘Does that include the fridge?' Toby asked.

An unrestrained smile rolled onto Strangways's lips. ‘The cupboards and pantry, too. Veronique can fill you in on all the other facilities we have here. And please don't worry. Wherever you go on the grounds, you will be perfectly safe. '

He rang a bell that sat on a hall table.

‘Most importantly, I want you to try and forget the horrible events of the past few days. It is for Tetu and his men to do all the work and the worrying.'

The stiff housemaster appeared unsmilingly beside him.

Strangways laid a hand against Veronique's cheek. ‘You look more and more like your mother every day. She would be so proud of you.'

‘Thanks, Regi.'

‘I've had the rooms next to yours made up, Veronique, if you wouldn't mind showing our guests upstairs. Goodnight.' Strangways walked down the long corridor to his room, leaning on François's arm. Each step was strained and tired.

‘He's getting older.' Veronique watched until she heard the soft click of his bedroom door. ‘Come on, I'll show you to your rooms.'

‘You don't think he's, well, strange?' Max walked closely behind. ‘I mean, the way he was going on about that
heka
stuff was really weird.'

Veronique reached the top of the stairs and swung around. Max stopped abruptly and leant back. ‘Regi has
always
been passionate about his work. It is his life.'

Max frowned. ‘That doesn't make him any less weird.'

‘I like him,' Toby said. ‘Okay, all that death and magic stuff is a little crazy, but if I have to listen to a few spooky stories between profiteroles and a luxurious castle holiday, then I can cope.'

‘Sometimes I wonder why you want to be a spy.' Max eyed Toby.

‘Same as everyone else.' Toby grinned. ‘The fame, the girls, the exotic locations.'

Veronique laughed. Linden did his best to cover a rising smile, and Max did her best to pretend she was still a spy trying to complete an important mission.

‘Why's he so obsessed with spells and magic and what happens after people die? It's creepy.'

‘He isn't obsessed. When he has an audience, he likes to talk about those aspects for dramatic effect.' Veronique paused. ‘Regi is a good man and would do nothing to hurt me or Papa.'

She turned and flung herself into Linden's arms. He held her as she sobbed.

Toby levelled a look of blame at Max.

‘I just want them to find my father.' Veronique took out Linden's hanky and wiped her eyes.

‘They will,' Linden patted her gently. ‘You'll see.'

She gave him a fluttering smile and walked down the corridor to her room. ‘You are always so caring, Linden.' She offered Max one last pointed look before closing the door.

‘What's your problem with Strangways?' Toby asked.

‘I think he knows more about Antoine than he's telling us,' Max said quietly. ‘Like I'll bet he knows
exactly
what it was Antoine wanted to show him that night at the museum – he may even have it.'