by Suzy Turner
‘What about up there?’ pointed Lana Beth.
‘That’s the Camara Municipal, ‘ Arabella replied. ‘The local council?’
‘You mean the Town Council?’
‘Exactly. We don’t need to go in there. We have a few contacts there. I emailed them this morning. They’re looking into it.’
As they moved on to a house across the road, a very old lady opened the door. She didn’t have any teeth.
Arabella spoke in Portuguese with her for a few moments and showed her the picture. The old lady beckoned them inside.
‘She needs her glasses,’ Arabella whispered, ‘and she doesn’t like too much sun. She’s invited us in.’
As they stepped over the threshold, the overwhelming odour of mothballs filled their nostrils, making Lana almost gag. She stepped backwards and tripped on something on the floor. Her hand flew out to steady herself, landing on the door handle.
Suddenly, she found herself alone in the same room. The smell of mothballs had disappeared entirely.
‘What the? Hello?’ she whispered as she stepped forward.
She heard the sounds of someone moving in another room and the scent of cooking started to fill the air. Tiptoeing through the little house, Lana soon found herself face to face with a pretty red-haired young woman, wearing a scarf on her head and an apron over her simple blouse and skirt. She was humming softly as she cooked what looked like vegetable soup.
Lana hovered in the corner of the room, knowing that there must be something useful about the vision, otherwise why would she have it? She waited, watching as the woman cooked. Soon, a knock on the door made her remove the scarf from her head and the apron from around her torso. Lana followed her out into the hall where she checked her face in the little mirror before opening the front door.
Standing there with a large grin was the woman from the picture. She looked almost the same, except for the fact that her nose was even longer in real life, and her hair much thicker and darker.
The old lady and the young one chatted in Portuguese for a couple of moments before they walked through to the kitchen and sat down for lunch together.
Lana tried to force herself to snap out of the vision. She’d got what she needed. She now knew that the old woman they were looking for had been here before. But who was the young woman? Could she possibly be the toothless woman?
Suddenly, her sight blurred slightly and the feeling of wooziness overcame her.
‘Lana… Lana, are you alright?’ said a familiar voice.
As she opened her eyes, the smell of mothballs almost made her choke again.
‘Wh…what happened?’
‘I think you must have had a vision. Tell us,’ said Emma as she helped her sister up from the old lady’s ancient, uncomfortable sofa.
‘Yeah, yes, I did. The old woman we’re looking for was here before. But it seemed a long time ago, I dunno, maybe seventy years or so? She was with a red-haired woman who lived here.’
As she stood up, her eye was caught by a faded picture on the mantelpiece.
‘That’s her, there,’ she pointed, rushing over to get a better look.
The toothless woman grinned and pointed to herself, before muttering something to Arabella.
‘She says that’s her when she was a young woman.’
‘Then she knew the woman we’re looking for.’
Arabella showed her the picture again and she put her glasses back on, but she shook her head.
Lana nodded and the woman shook her head. But Lana insisted, nodding enthusiastically. The old lady began to get a little annoyed, muttering something or other in the strange language.
‘She says she’s ninety-eight years old, her memory isn’t what it used to be.’
Lana sighed. Emma put her hand on her sister’s arm to calm her down.
‘What can we do? Hypnotise her?’ Lana joked. ‘She knew that woman. I saw them together.’
‘I understand,’ Arabella answered. ‘But there’s little we can do at the moment.’
‘Wait, what about Penny?’ Emma suddenly interjected.
Lana sighed and nodded, ‘Of course.’
‘What can Penny do?’ asked Arabella.
‘She can make people speak the truth. Opera et Veritate – that’s her tattoo,’ Emma squealed.
The old lady looked tired all of a sudden and went to sit down.
Arabella moved to her side and said a few words. The lady nodded.
‘You call Eleanor immediately and get her to send Penny from wherever she went this morning. I’m going to make Maria Augusta a cup of tea.’
oOo
It only took half an hour for Penny to return from Alcantarilha, a small town south east of Silves. The moment she walked through the door and put her hands on Maria Augusta’s shoulders, the old lady started talking about her younger years when her neighbour, Almerinda, had taken her under her wing. They had become firm friends and she was devastated when she had to leave.
‘Why did she have to leave?’ asked Penny.
After the translations, they discovered that the old lady had moved in with her even more elderly sister to look after her.
‘Where was that?’
‘Lagos.’
‘Can you be more specific?’
The old lady shrugged.
‘She never saw her again. She has no idea where in Lagos she moved to. But, she did say that Almerinda attended church every Sunday.’
‘Well, at least we’ve found out where she went. It looks like we’re heading to Lagos, people,’ Arabella said, as she thanked the old lady for all her help. The poor woman was exhausted but she smiled and walked them to the door, politely asking them to return again, but secretly hoping they wouldn’t.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Lagos was a very different place to Silves, with its large marina and people buzzing around, even though it was the middle of winter. Christmas decorations lined the avenue and hippies walked along the street, mingling with surf dudes and very arty looking characters alike. Emma Jane liked the feel of it.
They parked in an underground car park and, when they appeared back above ground, they headed towards a small church nearby.
‘Do you know where we’re going?’ asked Lana.
‘We figured we’d ask the local vicar about this Almerinda character,’ Declan smiled.
‘We’ll wait outside, then?’ Emma replied.
‘No, I think you should come in. You never know when your visions might happen again.’
The girls nodded, both holding their boyfriends’ hands as they walked through the door and into the freezing cold of the church.
‘O-M-G, it’s so… so… ornate,’ exclaimed Lana, not knowing how else to describe it.
‘It certainly is,’ Arabella whispered before finding the man she was looking for.
The girls hovered in the background as she did the talking, before they noticed Barber looking a little lost.
‘Babe? You okay?’ asked Lana.
He nodded.
‘No, you don’t look okay.’
Declan appeared and quietly led him back outdoors. The girls followed.
‘What is it? What’s wrong?’ Lana almost cried.
‘It’s nothing to worry about,’ Declan said. ‘It’s just that some vampires can’t cope well with churches. I’d completely forgotten. You alright, mate?’
Barber nodded, taking a deep breath before forcing a smile for the girls. ‘I’ll be fine. Just give me a moment.’
Lana didn’t leave his side for a second, rubbing his arms and hands until he looked better.
‘That’s so weird,’ Diarmuid said. ‘Why did that happen?’
Declan shrugged. ‘It’s a bit of a mystery. Most of the really old vampires are fine with it, but some of the younger ones seem to… react strangely. They can’t breathe and feel like they’re going to pass out. I completely forgot that Barber is a vamp.’ He shook his head. ‘Sorry, mate.’
‘It’s fine,’ B
arber said. ‘I’m alright, I feel better. You don’t have to fuss,’ he smiled at Lana who breathed a sigh of relief as Arabella approached them.
‘Everything okay?’ she asked.
Everyone nodded.
‘Any news?’ asked Declan.
She smiled. ‘Two elderly sisters, Almerinda and Selma, lived in a house not far from here, up until about five years ago. Selma passed away and Almerinda left soon afterwards. He’s not sure but he thinks she went to live inPortimão, to be near her other sister.’
‘But I thought there’d been some big family feud?’ asked Emma.
Arabella shrugged. ‘I don’t know about that, but I guess our next stop is Portimão.’
Lana’s stomach rumbled noisily.
‘After lunch, then perhaps?’ Arabella suggested.
‘No, I’m fine. We need to continue.’
‘Okay, let’s grab something to eat in the car then,’ Declan suggested. ‘I’m starving myself.’
After checking in with Eleanor and the others, the group drove to Portimão, starting with the church in the centre of town. Unfortunately the local vicar had no recollection of ever seeing Almerinda during any of his regular services.
‘So we’ve drawn a blank?’ Diarmuid said, as they stood outside the pretty little church.
‘Not necessarily,’ said Lana.
‘What do you mean?’ he asked.
‘I don’t know about you, but I got a strange feeling about that priest—vicar, whatever you call him.’
‘Did you?’ Arabella asked. ‘That’s strange, because I was kind of feeling the same thing.’
Suddenly, Declan ran back inside the church, searching high and low for the man they’d spoken to. But all he found was the man’s clerical shirt crumpled on the floor behind the altar.
Cursing under his breath, he picked it up. ‘We’ve been duped. I’m guessing that was one of the Skulls.’
‘Which means they’re ahead of us,’ said Arabella.
‘Where’s the real vicar?’ asked Emma.
‘If only we knew,’ Declan answered.
‘I hope they haven’t hurt him,’ whispered Emma.
‘This is the Skulls we’re dealing with, Emma. I’m afraid thatis a possibility.’
‘I’ll call Eleanor at once.’ Arabella dialled her mobile immediately and walked away to talk. The others followed her out of the church.
‘We need to speak to some other regular church-goers here. Girls, go and ask some of the local shopkeepers if they know of Almerinda.’
Lana and Emma disappeared, carrying the rough drawing of the old lady, while Declan stood alongside Arabella with his arms crossed, deep in thought.
‘Go with them, guys. There might be more Skulls around here,’ he said to Diarmuid and Barber, who nodded and followed the girls.
‘I keep thinking about Lucy Jo,’ Emma whispered as they walked out of their third shop with nothing, the boys hovering behind.
‘Me too. Do you think she’s okay?’
‘I just hope he’s keeping her safe and warm and fed. Oh, Lana.’ Emma suddenly burst into tears.
‘Oh, hon, I’m sure she’s ok. Remember your vision? You said whoever took her was really gentle with her. He made sure she had her favourite slippers and nightgown. He was so careful with her. That’s what you said, wasn’t it?’
Emma nodded, wiping her eyes. Diarmuid wanted to go to her, but Lana shook her head behind her sister’s back, mouthing, ‘wait’.
‘But she’ll be terrified, won’t she?’
‘You’re forgetting what a strong little girl Lucy Jo really is. She’s special, really special. I know she’s not a Watcher, but she’s still a Morgan. She’ll be fighting back, I’m sure she is. Remember how feisty she is?’
Emma Jane smiled and nodded.
‘Also, remember, in your vision, somehow he kept her in a gentle woozy state? Maybe she’s still the same? In which case, she might not realise what’s really going on. But there’s one thing she will know and that’s that we’re looking for her. She knows we’ll never stop looking.’
Emma Jane smiled again. ‘You’re right.’
Lana hugged her and then nodded to Diarmuid who came forward and put his arms around Emma.
‘Is she alright?’ Barber whispered to Lana.
‘She’s just really worried about Lucy Jo. We all are. We’ve got to find her, Barber. We’ve got to find hersoon.’
Barber squeezed her hand before letting go. The girls walked into the next shop, a really old fashioned haberdashery full of buttons, wool, fabrics and everything you could possibly think of when it came to making clothes. Two women behind the counter looked at them quizzically.
‘Posso ajudar?’ said the first lady, a woman in her late sixties with immaculately coiffured hair, sprayed to within an inch of its life.
‘Erm, sorry, do you speak English?’ asked Lana self-consciously.
The other woman (who looked decidedly more friendly) nodded. ‘A little,’ she said with a smile as she held up her thumb and forefinger, indicating only a small amount.
‘We’re wondering if you know this lady?’ Lana said, handing the paper to the shopkeeper.
‘Almerinda?’ the woman replied.
‘Yes,’ squealed Emma. ‘Do you know where she lives?’
‘Of course! She live above,’ she said, pointing upwards. ‘But she not home now.’
‘No?’ asked Lana.
Both ladies shook their heads.
‘Where will we find her?’ asked Lana.
‘Almerinda is in Lisbon. Two days.’
‘When does she come back?’
‘Tomorrow,’ the kind lady said.
The shoulders of both girls slumped forward.
‘You need speak with her?’
‘Desperately,’ Emma pleaded.
The lady took a piece of paper from the counter and a pen from beneath it and then scribbled something down.
‘Here.’
Lana took the paper. It was a phone number.
‘Almerinda’s.’ She pointed. ‘You call her.’
‘Thank you so very much,’ Emma said before they walked out of the shop and bumped into Declan, who had been talking to the boys.
Lana immediately handed Declan the piece of paper, explaining what had happened.
‘I’ll call her,’ Arabella said. ‘I must warn her not to return yet. Hopefully she’ll tell me where her other family members are.’
‘Good job, girls,’ Declan said, giving them both a gentle slap on the back.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Apparently Almerinda was horrified when she heard about the kidnap of a little girl and had given them all the information they needed. The only problem was that there was some truth about what they’d been told regarding a family feud; Almerinda’s youngest sister had turned her back on them some fifty years ago and she had no idea where she was. Willing to do everything possible to help track her down, Almerinda had promised to leave Lisbon immediately and head straight to Praxos HQ, where Lana—and possibly even Emma—could try to have a vision. She assured them she’d be there in a matter of hours.
Almerinda looked almost identical to the woman Lana had seen in her vision – she hadn’t aged one bit—and she was just as friendly and jolly now as she had been then. Getting in her car in the centre of Lisbon, she’d sped through the city and down the motorway, not stopping until she reached the villa in Monchique, where she’d enthusiastically offered to help in any way possible.
She hadn’t been the slightest bit surprised at meeting all the ‘gifted’ people, as she described them in a perfect English accent.
‘Aren’t you Portuguese?’ asked Lana, as the old lady gulped back a large glass of water, before putting it down on the table and nodding.
‘But you sound English?’
Almerinda smiled. ‘Yes, I also have a special ability with languages and accents. I can speak all the languages of the world and sound like I am from every single country.�
�� She grinned.
‘Wow, that’s totally cool.’
‘I agree.’ She laughed, before returning her attention back to Eleanor who had reappeared from downstairs, carrying all her notes from the past few days.
‘We’ll give you half an hour to read through everything. Maybe something will catch your eye and give us a clue about where your sister might be.’
The old lady nodded. ‘Let’s just hope we can find her before that evil man does,’ she said, before putting on a pair of glasses and glancing down.
‘Come, everyone, let’s leave Almerinda alone for a bit,’ Eleanor said, shooing the teenagers out of the room and out onto the terrace, where Patrick and Declan sat with Arabella drinking coffee. Deep dark circles ringed Patrick’s eyes, but he attempted to smile at his two older daughters.
Noticing, Lana pulled Emma away from the rest of the gang. They walked towards the pool, where they sat down. Emma took off her shoes and socks and let her feet dangle over the edge. ‘Isn’t that too cold?’ Lana asked, without thinking. ‘Look, have you seen the state of Dad?’
Emma just raised her eyebrows and they both turned to look at him. ‘I know. It’s a lot for him to take in. It’s not just Lucy Jo’s kidnap, but it’s us too.’ Emma shook her head.
‘What do you mean?’ Lana asked.
‘He hasn’t really had the time to take in the truth about us. I mean, we’re half angels, and you’re dating a vampire.’
‘Yeah, I see your point. But we can’t worry about that, right now. We’ve got to do something, sis. We’ve got to do something about Lucy Jo.’
‘Like what?’
‘I’ve been thinking, since you had your vision – which was totally cool by the way – we haven’t had much chance to talk about it yet, but…’
Emma smiled, ‘I didn’t think I would get them as well. It was pretty scary, though.’
‘You’ll get used to them.’
‘I hope so.’
‘So what have you been thinking about?’
Lana dropped her head slightly to the side and looked up towards the sky. ‘I was thinking that maybe two visions are better than one.’
‘Yeah? What exactly do you mean?’
‘Well, I was wondering if there is any way we could try and have a vision together.’