‘I want to hide it. Others are seeking it,’ said Dirk.
IT WILL NOT BE FOUND.
Minertia’s words felt reassuring. Dirk knew with certainty that she was right. Wherever it was, the Turning Stone was out of Vainclaw’s reach.
As he thought this, the ground shook. Dense black smoke poured from Minertia’s nostrils.
VAINCLAW GRANDIN … CROWLEY’S SON. IT WAS HE WHO HAD ME SENT HERE.
Dirk looked into the ancient dragon’s enormous eyes.
‘Why don’t you come back with me?’ he said. He turned to the others. ‘All of you. The Firedrake is expecting a dip in the temperature when I return. You’ll be able to get out of this place. Elsinor, your brother is captain of Dragnet. He has the power to give you all reprieves. After all you said yourself, you’re all innocent.’
‘Karnataka? Captain?’ said Elsinor.
‘You mean we could be free once more?’ said Almaz.
WHAT OF ME? I AM GUILTY OF MY CRIME, said Minertia. I BREACHED THE FORBIDDEN DIVIDE. I BROKE THE LAW THAT I CREATED.
‘But you never attacked humans, did you?’ said Dirk.
NO, IN THE COUNCIL’S EYES IT WAS WORSE. I TRIED TO MAKE PEACE WITH HUMANS, BUT IT DOESN’T CHANGE THE FACT THAT I WAS RIGHTLY CONVICTED.
‘We won’t go without Minertia,’ said Elsinor.
‘That’s right,’ said Almaz.
‘You won’t get a chance like this again,’ said Dirk.
I AM OLD. MY TIME IN THIS WORLD IS NEARING AN END. I WOULD BARELY SURVIVE THE SWIM, BUT YOU, ELSINOR AND ALMAZ, ARE YOUNG. YOU SHOULD GO WITH THE MOUNTAIN DRAGON AND GET OUT.
‘We won’t leave you,’ said Almaz.
‘We will remain loyal to the end,’ said Elsinor.
Minertia turned her eyes to look at the two dragons stubbornly standing in front of her, their skin blackened, blistered and sore from life in the Inner Core.
ELSINOR, ALMAZ, I AM MOVED BY YOUR LOYALTY BUT I CANNOT ALLOW YOU TO PASS UP AN OPPORTUNITY LIKE THIS.
‘We will not abandon you,’ said Elsinor.
THEN WE SHALL GO TOGETHER.
Suddenly Dirk felt the ground beneath him shake. Minertia was stamping her feet; the translucent ground was cracking, crumbling into the liquid fire.
‘What are you doing?’ said Almaz.
WE HAVE LIVED LIKE THIS TOO LONG. LET US GO TOGETHER.
Dirk saw Almaz, Elsinor and Minertia slip into the liquid fire at the same time that he lost his footing and plunged head first into the boiling liquid. Once again, the intense pain almost knocked him out but he managed to stay conscious. He tried to propel himself forward, but it was impossible to tell whether he was making any progress. Once again he felt that he would die in the infernal lake. Then Minertia’s voice floated into his head, her words cooling his overheated brain.
THIS, MY LAST SECRET, I GIVE TO YOU AND YOU ALONE, DIRK DILLY. AT THE CONFERENCE IN THE HIMALAYAS TO DECIDE MANKIND’S FATE, WHEN I COUNTED THE VOTES THERE WERE MORE DRAGONS IN THE AIR THAN ON THE GROUND. BY RIGHTS, WE SHOULD HAVE GONE TO WAR. I LIED TO PREVENT THAT.
Why are you telling me this? Dirk thought.
BECAUSE SOMEONE NEEDS TO KNOW HOW DELICATELY BALANCED ARE THE SCALES BETWEEN WAR AND PEACE. SOMEONE WHO CARES.
The words vanished and the burning pain returned. Dirk felt a surge of energy. He swam harder and faster.
Eventually he felt his head break the surface of the fiery lake. He flapped his wings and shot from the Outer Core, flying over the lava lake to the shore. The thin material on his wings was scorched and painful. He collapsed on to his back, panting.
Almaz and Elsinor were already there, pacing back and forth.
‘Where is she? Where’s Minertia?’ demanded Elsinor.
‘I don’t know,’ replied Dirk. ‘But you should get going. If anyone finds that you’ve escaped, they’ll take you back.’
‘We’ll wait for Minertia,’ said Elsinor.
‘She’ll be out in a minute,’ said Almaz, watching the surface nervously.
Dirk didn’t say what he felt – that there was no point waiting, that Minertia had told him her final secret because she knew all along she would die in the Outer Core.
Chapter 23
Holly and Archie were having a great holiday. Yesterday they had walked down the star-paved street full of people dressed up as famous movie characters, and today Dad and Big Hair had driven them to the beach. Occasionally Holly would look at Archie and notice sadness in his eyes and she would remember about his mum, then Archie would make a joke or do something silly to make her laugh and they would get back to enjoying themselves. Real life could wait. This was too much fun.
When they got home, they got out of the car to see Miss Gilfeather walking briskly up the drive.
‘I am sorry to bother you, Mr and Mrs Bigsby.’
‘Not at all,’ said Holly’s dad. ‘Miss … er …’
‘Gilfeather,’ said Holly.
‘Please, call me Vivian,’ she said. ‘I wonder whether I could borrow Holly and Archie for a short while.’
Mr Bigsby said that would be fine and, as Miss Gilfeather led them down the drive, through the gates next door to Petal’s house, Holly asked, ‘What do you need us for?’
Miss Gilfeather stopped and spoke very quietly. ‘It’s Petal. She’s terribly upset. Do you know, I actually feel sorry for her. Nothing I say helps. Her mother is incommunicado and none of her other friends are answering the phone. So I thought maybe you could talk to her.’
‘But she hates us,’ said Holly.
Miss Gilfeather looked at Holly then at Archie and smiled. ‘Oh, I don’t think so. In fact, in her own little obnoxious way, I think she’s rather fond of you. But that isn’t the point. The point is she is upset, and I am asking you to make her feel better.’
She took them inside and showed them into the lounge, where Petal was sitting on a sofa that was the shape of a pair of lips. Her face was blotchy and red from crying. In front of her was a TV screen, paused on a smiley-faced TV presenter with the words Hollywood Gossip behind her.
Holly and Archie looked at each other then back at Petal.
‘Hi, Petal,’ said Archie.
‘Leave me alone. This is a disaster,’ she replied, waving a hand dismissively. ‘It’s not fair. It’s not even true. They shouldn’t be allowed to tell lies like that. Chase is coming over in a minute. He’ll put things right.’
‘Put what right? What’s wrong?’ asked Holly.
Petal pressed the play button on the remote control.
‘… And now the latest gossip from Tinseltown, Hollywood,’ said the presenter. ‘Rumour has it that Petal – The Movie, the film version of Petal Moses’ autobiography, is set to be a total flop.’
Behind her, an unflattering photo of Petal appeared. She was mid-blink and chewing gum. Seeing it, Petal howled in misery.
‘Our spies on set say that Miss Moses is following in her mother’s footsteps.’ The presenter paused then added, ‘She’s an awful actress too. Hollywood legend Chase Lampton must be worried about the impact the film will have on his flagging career, not to mention that of his son, Dante. Mr Lampton refused to speak to our reporter.’
The picture of Petal was replaced by images of Chase quickly getting into the back of a car, being driven away.
‘His silence speaks volumes,’ continued the presenter. ‘And, in spite of her executive producer status, Petal’s oh-so-famous mother has been strangely distant from the project. Suspiciously, as her daughter’s movie looks to become the biggest turkey this side of Christmas, her mum is off recording a new album. A case of Don’t blame me, perhaps.’
Petal hit the pause button and the picture froze on the presenter’s plastic smile.
‘Wow!’ said Archie.
Holly tried to think of something better to say. She wasn’t exactly a fan of Petal but, seeing her so upset, she felt sorry for her.
‘It’s simply terrible,’ said Petal.
‘But these are just rumo
urs,’ said Holly. ‘No one’s even seen the film yet.’
‘That’s very true,’ said Chase Lampton, staggering into the room, closely followed by Miss Gilfeather.
‘Mr Lampton, I must insist you leave,’ she said.
The director smelt strongly of alcohol.
‘Now, Vivian,’ he replied, ‘I do wish you’d chase me call … no, that’s not right. Call me Chase. That’s it.’
‘I’ll do no such thing. Now come along, you are in no fit state.’
‘I tell you what’s in no fit state,’ said Chase, flopping on to the sofa next to Petal. ‘Petal – The Movie. It’s a piece of junk. One more flop, the studio said. This was my last chance and what have I done? I’ve taken a kids’ film and made a disaster movie …’ Chase fell back, laughing at his joke. Petal burst into tears.
Holly and Archie glanced at each other.
‘Now, Mr Lampton,’ Miss Gilfeather squawked, ‘are you telling this twelve-year-old girl that the film she has spent all summer making is no good? Are you saying that after one bad report on some silly gossip show you’re giving up on it? Is that what you’re saying?’
Chase Lampton stopped laughing. He sat up straight. Her words seemed to have sobered him up. He looked at the floor and mumbled, ‘No, Miss Gilfeather.’
‘I’m sorry?’ she said.
‘It’ll be fine.’ Chase turned to Petal, who had stopped crying. ‘It’s just Hollywood rumours, Petal. It’s going to be a great movie.’
‘Really?’ said Petal.
Chase stood up, avoiding eye contact with Petal. ‘Yeah, of course. We’ll put a great soundtrack on it, lots of quick cuts. It’ll be great. And hey, it’s the wrap party tomorrow night. I’ll get Theo to invite everyone who’s anyone. By the next morning everyone will be saying what a great movie it’s going to be. People are easily distracted in Hollywood. You two must come,’ he said, pointing at Archie and Holly. ‘And, of course, you, Vivian. You’ll save a dance for me, won’t you?’
He tried to demonstrate this with a fancy dance step but lost his footing, tripped on a leopard-skin rug and fell over with a THUD.
‘I think we’d better take you home,’ said Miss Gilfeather, picking him off the floor and dragging him to the door. ‘Come along.’
‘See you all at the party tomorrow night,’ said Chase.
‘Blimey,’ said Archie once he was gone. ‘That was odd.’
‘You see?’ said Petal. ‘I knew Chase would make it all better. The film will be great. I’ll have to buy a new dress for the party, of course.’
‘But –’ Holly’s protest was cut short by a nudge in the ribs from Archie.
‘It’s better than crying,’ he muttered through his teeth. ‘See you at the party, Petal,’ he said out loud.
‘I can’t really see why you’re invited. You were only extras, after all,’ she replied.
Archie yanked Holly out of the room before she could respond. Outside, Miss Gilfeather had just managed to shove Chase into the back of his car.
‘How is she?’ asked Miss Gilfeather.
‘Back to normal,’ replied Holly.
‘Oh,’ said Miss Gilfeather. ‘Oh well, I suppose that’s an improvement. Thank you.’
Chapter 24
It was a long journey from the banks of the Outer Core to the surface but Dirk was glad to feel it getting cooler as he inspected his scorched belly in the diminishing orange glow of earthlight. It was blistered and blackened but it would heal more quickly than the terrible injuries Almaz and Elsinor had sustained during their exile.
He had left them on the beach waiting for Minertia to appear. He hadn’t told them about her final confession. She had said the secret was just for him.
The rock pulled away above his head to reveal the early morning sky above. Dirk figured he must have been gone a couple of days. He was on a hill from which he could see the outskirts of Los Angeles. He headed down the hill and travelled across rooftops but every flap of his wings hurt, so he found a truck going in the right direction, jumped on top and blended with it.
The book on the history of Sands Hall had given Dirk an idea but he wanted to give his wounds a little time to heal before putting his plan into action. Still avoiding Kitelsky and Putz, he steered clear of the Hollywood sign and, instead, found the cinema across the road from Sorrentino Solutions, where he connected to the phone line.
‘… I’m sorry, Mr Smith, Mr Sorrentino isn’t in today,’ Sandra was saying.
Dirk listened in to a few more calls but everyone got told the same thing. Sorrentino was out of town.
Only Mr Tanner, in amongst all the Mr Smiths, was told something different.
‘Mr Sorrentino left a message for you,’ said Sandra. ‘He said to say that your problem will be solved tonight, sir.’
‘I see. Thank you,’ said Mr Tanner.
Dirk disconnected from the phone and went to find Hunter and Frank. It took him a while to locate the yellow van but eventually he found it parked outside a public library. Hunter was waiting beside it when Frank came running out, waving a piece of paper in the air, crying, ‘Man, I’ve got it! I’ve found it!’
‘Calm down, Frank. What are you talking about?’ said Hunter.
‘The Turning Stone,’ replied Frank. ‘I know where it is. Or at least I know where it was last seen. Look.’
Hunter took the piece of paper and read it then looked up at his colleague and said, ‘What’s this from?’
‘It’s a photocopy of an article published in the seventies.’
Hunter read aloud from the article. ‘“The Stone was like a globe, perfectly smooth with a hole through the middle.”’
‘Sounds right, right? You seen who wrote it?’ said Frank. ‘And look what the article’s called.’
‘“The Summit of Skull Rock”,’ read Hunter. ‘What is that?’
‘I don’t know but Buchanan’s gonna like this,’ replied Frank.
The two men got into the van and Dirk was about to follow when he felt a sharp pain in his tail.
He turned to see Kitelsky’s claws around his tail, a bubbling noise coming from his throat.
‘So, you go sneakin’ off without us, disappear for days, then we find you here, sittin’ lollin’ in the sun. This ain’t no vacation, Dilly.’
‘Yeah, we got scores to settle, Dilly,’ said Putz, lifting his head above the sloping roof.
‘You spike-headed idiots!’ hissed Dirk angrily. ‘I’m in the middle of the investigation.’
‘Yeah, so what you found out, then?’ said Kitelsky.
‘The film was stolen by Mo Sorrentino,’ he said.
‘Mo?’ said Putz.
‘That’s right. He runs a business in town, ruining people’s lives. He was the one who sold the film.’
‘That no-good double-crosser!’ said Kitelsky.
‘So where’s the film now?’ asked Putz.
‘It’s with a human called Brant Buchanan but there are more important things to deal with first. Have you heard of Skull Rock?’
‘Sure. It’s back in the desert,’ said Kitelsky.
‘I need you to take me there,’ said Dirk.
‘We’ll take you there as soon as we have the film,’ said Kitelsky.
‘That’s right,’ said Putz.
Dirk growled. If they hadn’t been in the middle of the city, he would have roared fire in their faces. Dirk thought fast. He needed to check whether Hunter and Frank were right about the Turning Stone but he also remembered how sure Minertia had sounded that it could not be found.
‘OK, here’s the deal,’ he said. ‘We’ll go and get the film quickly then you take me to Skull Rock. OK?’
Kitelsky and Putz looked at each other and nodded.
‘Let’s go get it, Dilly,’ said Kitelsky.
Chapter 25
Oh yes, I’ve already had lots of other roles offered,’ Petal was saying to a circle of reporters. ‘Except they’re all for parts playing, well, little girls. My agent thinks it very
important that I don’t get stereotyped at this stage in my career. That’s the problem with Hollywood – everyone wants to put you in a box.’
‘I wish we could put her in a box,’ said Archie.
‘And post it to the moon,’ added Holly.
The party was being held at World Studios on the set of Little Hope Village Hall. The wooden chairs had been cleared to one side and on the stage a jazz trio was playing far too quietly to be heard above the throng of people. Holly and Archie had spent a while trying to spot famous people, but the novelty soon wore off when most of them were ‘that bloke from that thing about the big missile’ or ‘that woman who played an alien in that film about the world blowing up’.
‘I’m starving,’ said Archie. ‘We need to find some of those waiters with the food trays.’
On their way across the room they saw Miss Gilfeather talking to Chase Lampton. Her auburn hair was down around her shoulders and she was wearing a black silk dress.
‘Hello, Miss Gilfeather. You look nice,’ said Holly.
‘Thank you, Holly. I feel sorry for those poor musicians on stage. I can’t hear a note they’re playing with all these awful film people talking,’ she replied. She turned to Chase, who had slid his sunglasses into the pocket of his black suit jacket. ‘Now, Chase, I think you owe these two an apology.’
The director looked at them. ‘I’m very sorry for my shameful appearance yesterday. I was tired and drunk and there was no excuse for my behaviour.’ He looked at Miss Gilfeather. ‘How was that?’
‘Very good. Holly and Archie, I hope you accept Mr Lampton’s apology.’
They said they did and Holly said, ‘Petal seems to be back on form.’
‘Shallow waters are easily calmed,’ said Miss Gilfeather. ‘Are you having a nice time?’
‘Yes, thanks,’ said Archie and Holly. ‘We’re off to find some food.’
‘If you see my son on your travels, can you ask him to come find me? It’s almost speech time,’ said Chase, as a passing waiter topped up his and Miss Gilfeather’s champagne glasses.
Holly and Archie continued through the crowd.
The Case of the Stolen Film Page 10