by David Alric
‘I need to go to the Achilles Insurance offices and fill in some forms about the plane crash,’ he explained. ‘I spoke to a clerk in London called Underwright who didn’t sound very happy with my “broken by wild animals” story, so I’d like to go and sort it out as soon as possible.’
‘That’s fine,’ José replied. ‘I’ve got some business to do with Richard at the company offices so we can drop you off on the way.’ He turned to the others.
‘We’ll be gone all day, so I suggest the rest of you go off on an interesting little trip that Rio has planned.’
They all looked at his son who blushed at this sudden attention.
‘We’d love to go on a trip,’ said Clare kindly, though she did wonder what trip could possibly be interesting in comparison with the one they had just completed.
‘Where to?’
Rio was learning English as school but was a little nervous about speaking.
‘It is a – a surprise,’ he said haltingly. He stopped, then went and whispered to José who obviously supplied him with a word in English. He turned back to the others and continued:
‘It is an invisible surprise.’ He grinned as he saw their perplexed expressions.
‘An invisible surprise,’ said Lucy. ‘That means it’s something we can hear, then.’
‘No,’ said Rio. He was now relaxed and enjoying being the centre of such intrigued attention. ‘No, you cannot hear it or …’ he consulted José again, ‘… or even feel it.’
The others clustered round, firing questions at him but he just smiled and told them to wait until tomorrow.
The next morning the three men went into town and Francesca set off in her large pick-up truck with the others. Her passengers were, if anything, even more curious than the night before, having all tried in vain to work out what Rio planned to show them. After forty minutes they came to a little town where Francesca stopped the car and they all got out.
‘The tourists are all over there,’ she said, pointing to a busy café at the end of the road, ‘but we are going to the garden of a friend. Just follow Rio.’
Helen suddenly began to have a suspicion of what was going on, but the younger ones still looked completely mystified as they followed Rio through the iron gates of a large villa which swung open automatically after Francesca had rung the bell and spoken on an intercom. Helen took her camera out as Rio guided Clive, Clare and Lucy across the lawn while Francesca went up to the house to see her friends.
‘Stand there,’ he said, lining them one behind the other. They looked more puzzled than ever.
‘No, not there, there!’ He laughed and gently pushed them a little to one side. Lucy looked down and saw that the three of them were standing along a straight line of red bricks crossing the lawn. The line wasn’t nearly wide enough for a path and it wasn’t where one would expect a little path to go – it ran diagonally from the middle of the garden wall across the lawn and a flower bed, and ended under a corner of the house.
‘Now stand with your legs apart, one on either side of the bricks.’ Lucy obediently followed instructions and Helen grinned. She knew that her suspicions had been correct. She started taking photographs of Lucy who was standing with a look of amused perplexity on her face.
‘Will somebody please tell me what’s going on!’ said Clare in a tone of mock exasperation, ‘because I certainly haven’t a clue.’ Clive turned and spoke to her over his shoulder.
‘Whatever it is, I think we’re having a trick played on us. Let’s move!’
They left the line and joined Helen.
‘Spoilsports, wimps and cowards,’ said Lucy, laughing. ‘I’m staying; there might be a prize for all you know.’
‘You are now standing …’ said Rio with mock solemnity – he had obviously been practising this phrase in English for several days – ‘with your right foot in the northern hemisphere and your left foot in the southern hemisphere.’ Lucy looked puzzled and then smiled as enlightenment dawned.
‘The equator!’ she exclaimed, clapping her hands in delight, ‘I’m actually on the equator! This is so cool. I can’t wait to tell my new geography teacher, Miss Atlas; she starts next term and this should get me off to a good start with her!’
Francesca reappeared, accompanied by her friends, a middle-aged couple. They were just in time to see Clare push Lucy off the line, stand astride it herself and strike a dramatic pose. She put her sunglasses to her mouth as if speaking into an imaginary microphone and put on her best imitation of a masculine voice.
‘And now, ladies and gentlemen and viewers round the world, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Miss Latitude and Miss Longitude competition. As you know, most of the competitors have been eliminated by degrees during the contest, leaving us today with just our four finalists. Of these, Miss Tropic of Cancer has been disqualified by our judges because of her persistently sideways gait in the deportment final; Miss Tropic of Capricorn resigned because of a tummy ache and, though we’ve now learnt that she was only kidding she remains out of the competition because of her capricious behaviour. In the meantime, Miss Meridian Greenwich has been eliminated because of her age, even though she maintains that she is still in her prime. It therefore gives me great pleasure to present to you this year’s winner – Miss Equator!’
Clare then changed position so as to now face the imaginary compère, fluffed up her hair and pretended to accept a heavy trophy. Clive looked on open-mouthed; he had never seen this side of Clare’s personality before and he loved it. She now pretended to put the trophy on a nearby garden table and spoke into the microphone again, this time adopting the high-pitched, squeaky voice of a feather-brained contestant with an American accent.
‘Thank you! Thank you! Thank you all!’ She blew kisses to a vast, imaginary audience. ‘In view of my central position in the world I feel well placed to use my new, incredible fame to work even harder for my favourite causes. These include the very young, the middle-aged, the old, the very old, hospitals, schools, sports clubs, religious organizations, humanists, charities, commerce, the arts, politics …’ the others were now helpless with laughter but she hadn’t finished, ‘wild animals, sick animals, pets, foreigners, motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and the environment. My amazing success today was, of course, achieved largely through my own talent and charisma, despite my lack of degrees. However, I would like to mention one or two others who did help me a tiny bit. Up in the north …’ she gesticulated to Lucy with her left hand … ‘my little sister – from whom I’ve always, well – nearly always, well – sometimes, been able to borrow make-up when I needed it and, in the south …’ she included Rio in an expansive sweep of her right arm … ‘a friend, without whom I certainly wouldn’t be standing here today. And from now on …’ she continued, twisting round to face Helen who was standing behind her on the line of bricks taking photographs of the performance … ‘I do not wish to be pestered by the paparazzi – especially those trying to improve their career at a late stage by switching their attention from old fossils to beautiful young women!’
They all clapped enthusiastically, especially Clive, and Clare ignored Lucy’s exaggerated wink as he carried on longer than anyone else.
Francesca’s friend stepped forward.
‘That was fantastic,’ she said, ‘you should be on the stage! I’m Dacey, by the way,’ she said in perfect English, shaking Clare’s hand and then those of the others in turn. She pointed to the line.
‘As you can see it runs right through our garden – that’s why we bought the house. Norman –’ she nodded to her husband – ‘laid the bricks for fun and it never fails to fascinate our guests. Now Francesca warned me you were coming for Rio’s surprise and I’ve got a little one of my own.’
They followed her round the corner of the house to a large patio where a magnificent buffet lunch awaited them by the side of a swimming pool. Rio, blushing with pleasure at the success of his mission, told them the names of the local delicacies spread before them, and over lunch
they gave their hosts a carefully edited account of their crater adventures.
On the way home Clive complimented Clare on her performance in the garden.
‘I just can’t believe how you could make all that stuff up on the spur of the moment,’ he said, admiringly. ‘I couldn’t do that in a million years.’
Lucy sniggered and Clare gave her a sharp poke in the ribs to shut her up.
Later in the day the girls were in the bedroom they were sharing, getting ready for dinner.
‘Clive was really impressed with you, wasn’t he?’ said Lucy, innocently. Clare looked at her suspiciously. She always knew when her sister was up to something.
‘It would be such a pity if someone happened to tell him that your class once did a little show about the equator for your year group, wouldn’t it?’ Lucy continued. She thought that Clare turned a little pale.
‘You … you wouldn’t …!’ she stammered.
‘That all depends,’ said Lucy with a wicked smile. ‘I’ve been under a lot of stress recently and when I’m talking I feel as if anything might pop out. Perhaps if I knew I was going back to a nice new bedroom I might feel more relaxed and more in control of what I say.’
‘So that’s what all this is about!’ exclaimed Clare. As the eldest of the three daughters in the family she had the biggest bedroom. It had windows on two sides and an en suite shower. Since Clare had gone up to university and was now away from home for much of the year, Lucy had been pestering her to swap rooms but Clare had so far resisted her request.
‘This is nothing short of blackmail,’ Clare continued, ‘and I’ve got some seriously bad news for you, you little toad.’
‘What?’ said Lucy in alarm.
‘It just so happens that I was embarrassed about Clive thinking I was so clever and I’ve already told him about the school show. He didn’t seem to care – he just said how clever I was to remember all the jokes so quickly.’ She gave a modest blush, but Lucy had now lost all interest in what Clive did or didn’t think about Clare.
‘What … what’s the bad news?’ she asked.
‘The bad news is that I’d already decided to give you my room, but now you’ve turned out to be such an underhand little sneak I’ve changed my mind.’
They looked at each other for a moment. Lucy looked completely deflated, then Clare suddenly burst out laughing.
‘Got you!’ she said. ‘And you deserved it!’
Lucy smiled and gave her sister a big hug.
‘Thanks for swapping. I really love your room and you can leave anything behind that won’t fit in mine.’
And with that, they went off down to dinner.
1 Readers who are interested in this subject will find an account of the campfire discussion in the appendix on page 322.
24
A Final Surprise
The morning after the trip to the equator, while they were all sitting chatting after breakfast, the phone rang. José picked it up, spoke to the caller, and then handed the phone to Richard.
‘It’s the police. For you,’ he said. Richard looked puzzled for a few seconds, then remembered that he had given José’s number to Captain Colarinho, the detective who had come to the crater, in case the police required any further information from them before they left the country. To his surprise it was a detective in Rio who spoke. He was called Poirot, the inspector who had assisted Lucinda Angstrom after the professor had attempted to murder her. He explained that she now knew the professor had been captured, and that the police would be arresting him if he ever recovered.
‘Don’t tell me,’ said Richard, ‘she’s a brilliant scientist doing research into the physics of light.’
‘Well … yes,’ replied the astonished detective. ‘But how on earth did you know that?’
‘Oh, just a hunch,’ Richard replied.
‘I know you must all want to get home as soon as possible,’ the inspector continued, ‘but this young scientist has been through a great deal since her boss attempted to murder her – allegedly,’ he hurriedly added. ‘She knows the crucial role that your families played in bringing the professor to justice and she would love to meet you all in person to thank you. If you are flying out from Rio would it be possible for you to spare a few hours to see her?’
Richard explained that, as the rest of their families were still on holiday in the Pantanal, they had intended to spend a few days in Rio to do some sightseeing and that they would love to meet Dr Angstrom.
‘LA! Of course, that’s what it means!’ exclaimed Clive, when Richard told the others what the inspector had said. They all looked at him in bewilderment, and he carried on. ‘LA kept appearing in the professor’s computer data. I thought it was some physics abbreviation – “light activation” or some such thing – but it isn’t. It stands for Lucinda Angstrom. He was her boss and must have pinched all the invisibility stuff from her!’
‘Which is why he tried to murder her,’ said Helen.
‘Exactly,’ agreed Clive. ‘The whole thing fits together.’
‘Don’t you think it’s time to tell us the rest now?’ asked Helen. Clive looked at her in guilty surprise. ‘Come on,’ Helen went on, ‘you don’t really think I’ve been your mother for over twenty years without knowing when you’re holding out on me?’ He gave a rueful grin.
‘You’re right. When I checked through the professor’s computer while you two were away,’ he glanced at Julian and Richard, ‘I realized that the material in there was absolutely unique. It struck me that if the police lost the computer, or it got damaged, or whatever, all that precious information would be lost for ever, so I copied it on to a CD, intending to give it to the authorities. After the computer was destroyed I began to think about what I should do. The invisibility invention had already killed five people – six if the prof doesn’t make it – and until a minute ago we still didn’t know if the professor had pinched it. If he hadn’t, that meant we were the only people left alive who knew about the invention, and I seriously wondered whether it might be better for the world to keep it that way.’ He smiled, ‘We’re certainly all experienced at keeping incredible secrets. Anyway, I was going to discuss it with all of you before we left the country, but the problem seems to have resolved itself. Once we know for certain that this Lucinda is the rightful owner of the material it clearly belongs to her and she can handle it in whatever way she originally intended.’
A few days later they visited a small house in one of the poorer suburbs of Rio where, for her protection, Lucinda had been staying incognito until the professor was caught. The door was opened on a chain by her older sister. She knew the professor was now effectively in custody, and the visitors were expected, but she found it difficult to throw off the habits developed over weeks of caution. As she peered through the gap at the group on the doorstep she gasped. The door slammed shut as she unhooked the chain and then was thrown wide open. Then Lucy gasped and threw herself into the woman’s arms.
The others looked at each other in bewilderment. Helen turned to Richard.
‘What on earth’s going on?’ she asked. Richard shrugged his shoulders.
‘I’ve absolutely no idea,’ he said with a bemused smile. ‘All I know is that, wherever I go, there’s some person or animal greeting Lucy like a long-lost friend!’
By now Lucinda and her niece and nephew had emerged and appeared just as perplexed as the others by the doorstep scene. Eventually Lucy broke away from the embrace and turned to Richard.
‘This is Maria, Dad. She’s the lady who was so kind to me when I was kidnapped by Chopper.’ She turned to Clare. ‘She gave me the pencil I wrote your note with.’
‘But why are you here?’ asked Richard. Maria just smiled and, shrugging her shoulders, looked round at her sister.
‘She doesn’t speak any English, Dad!’ said Lucy.
‘Hello. Perhaps I can explain. I’m Lucinda Angstrom and this is my sister Maria.’ Lucinda stepped forward and held out her hand. ‘I invite
d you here to meet you and thank you,’ she continued after they had all introduced themselves, ‘but it looks as if Maria already knows one of you! Come and sit down and let’s start from the beginning, shall we?’
Over coffee the whole extraordinary story was disentangled. Maria, whose married name was Arrumadeira, was the eldest of four sisters, Lucinda being the youngest. Maria had been a maid in Chopper’s villa at the time of Lucy’s kidnap and had helped her in her ordeal.
Lucinda was fascinated to hear about the professor’s activities in the crater, how the families had gradually got more suspicious about him during their stay, and how effective the invisibility suits had proved to be in practice.
They, in turn, were appalled to hear Lucinda’s story and learn the true extent of the professor’s depravity.
Eventually it was time to go. Maria’s daughter was the same age as Lucy and it was agreed that she would come and stay with the Bonaventures for a holiday and to improve her English. Lucinda said she could accompany her when she next came to a scientific conference in London.
‘Before you go, there’s one more thing I need to ask you,’ said Lucinda as they prepared to leave. She sounded hesitant and looked somewhat embarrassed. ‘I really don’t know how to put this; you’ve all been so kind.’
‘Carry on,’ said Helen smiling. ‘I think we’ve all got a pretty good idea what you’re going to say. In fact, I’ll say it for you. You can be quite certain that none of us will ever tell anybody about your invention unless you give us permission to do so, or you publish it. Was that your question?’
Lucinda looked relieved. ‘Yes it was, and thank you for being so understanding.’
‘Well, as a family of scientists we’re all used to keeping secrets, aren’t we?’ She looked at the others who all smiled and nodded. ‘And now,’ she continued, ‘I think Clive has got a little surprise for you.’ Lucinda looked puzzled as Clive went over to his bag and pulled out a package. When he told her what it was she flung her arms round him.