The Grotto's Secret: A Historical Conspiracy Mystery Thriller

by Paula Wynne

  Kelby ignored him as though he weren’t in the room. She leaned over Annie and said, ‘Listen, pumpkin. Doctor Rob Roy is going to pick you up now and he’ll carry you, okay?’

  Annie smiled at Roy and took Kelby’s hand. ‘I’m ready, Aunt Kel. Mummy has been gone for so long and my ants need feeding.’

  Elation roared through Kelby. Annie was her old self.

  At the door, Doctor Willow fiddled with the buttons on his suit. He stared at Roy. ‘What will you do now?’

  ‘Well, Annie will recover fully without the wrong drugs fed into her little body.’ Roy lifted Annie into his arms and held her against his chest.

  ‘No, I mean —’

  ‘I know what you mean, Willow. You know what’s coming to you. I don’t need to explain.’

  ‘But I can explain. It wasn’t me.’ Doctor Willow backed to the door. With the awkwardness of a crane preparing for flight, he turned and rushed down the ward corridor, flapping his hands about in a fluster.

  ‘He won’t get far.’

  Kelby followed Roy into the lift. ‘By the way, I need to pop around the corner and fetch an army boot.’

  ‘A boot?’

  Kelby rolled her eyes. ‘Yes. That’s another story.’

  166

  María spotted a metal ladle lying near the doorway and leaned over to touch it. She ran her peeling fingertips over the baking instrument. Her scarred hands looked like a man’s and would profess to a life of manual labour.

  A sudden thought gripped her. She darted back to the burnt kitchen and hopped through the smouldering embers. Spotting the soldier’s dagger still lying in the back of the hearth, she used the ladle to haul it out. The dagger’s hot metal scorched her hands, but she threw it into the dry sand outside to cool off. It would be essential on the journey ahead of her.

  María picked her way over the burnt timber of the shed to Madre’s burial cellar and knelt down. ‘Mama, you know how I would dress in Padre’s clothes?’ She glanced behind her at the crushed herbal garden. ‘Well, now I will dress as a man. The sailor I told you about is called Cristóbal. The Italians call him Cristoforo Colombo. I will labour aboard this sailor’s boat. I will take Padre’s name.’

  Her intelligence and writing skills could persuade the great sailor to chart his journey into the unknown.

  ‘I’ll go with him to find the new world. You’ll be proud of me. I’ll be the first woman to sail across unknown waters.’ María felt a lump in her throat. ‘My promise to you Mama, is to continue your work. I will honour you and find a way to keep your medicina healing the people of this land you love.’

  She stood and went over to the bake house and patted the walls.

  A few minutes later, María gathered together a few things to help her on her passage. Now she would be on the run from the queen’s soldiers, and trying to find Colombo, it was best to hide her writing secrets in a sturdy leather cloth that would withstand the long journey ahead.

  Many years ago Padre had made a leather satchel from sheep skin to carry his tools. María knew where he used to keep it and quickly found the satchel.

  After throwing out most of the tools, María added a few of Madre’s medicina potions. Then, she wrapped two quills and a few sheets of hidden parchment into a piece of calfskin, tied it in a thin leather strip to make a watertight pouch. If, by chance, her satchel was stolen by vagabonds, she could at least dangle the leather pouch from her belt. The last book she had made lay hidden near Madre, in one of her clay pots.

  With the bundle slung over her back, María took one last look over her shoulder.

  Suddenly her eye caught something. Hung up on the back wall was Padre’s boots. She glanced at her feet and knew her shoes wouldn’t make the long journey ahead. She stepped back over the discarded tools on the floor and grabbed Padre’s boots. Unlike her shoes, made from softened leather, Padre’s were simple yet heavy ankle boots laced up at the front. He had made a thick leather sole to endure his many journeys.

  In Padre’s boots her feet would not suffer the hardened mountain tracks she would surely have to pass through to journey to the sea. Determined to keep them for the worst part of her passage, María tucked them into the satchel.

  A chunk of black shiny rock fell out of one boot. As it hit the ground a shaft of sunlight streamed in through the door and fell upon the stone.

  Bursts of fiery orange shone up out of the stone.

  167

  After Roy positioned Annie on the back seat, she curled up. He dropped a kiss on Kelby’s forehead and headed to the driver’s side. Kelby leaned in and tucked the clinic blanket around Annie’s thin body.

  Kelby hugged her again. Sometimes she wanted to squash her with love. She straightened and closed the back door. The spot on Kelby’s forehead where Roy had kissed her radiated heat like a sonar beacon.

  Suddenly Annie jumped up and yelled through the window. ‘Hey, Aunt Kel, I nearly forgot!’ Annie grabbed her mouth in mock horror.

  ‘What did you forget?’

  ‘Daddy said his lost foot has been itching to tell you something.’ Annie started giggling. ‘How can his foot tell you something? Daddy is sooo funny sometimes.’ She flopped backwards and snuggled into the blanket.

  Kelby stood still for a moment. A drum beat in her ears. She raised her eyes to the sky with her jaw hanging ajar.

  Roy’s eyebrows knitted together in a deep frown. ‘Care to share what’s on your mind?’

  ‘That boot I told you about. Let’s go get it. Now!’

  ‘Okay!’ Roy jumped in and said, ‘I’m calling Joyce first or the police will wonder what happened to us.’

  Kelby reached into her bag and handed the police officer’s card to Roy. ‘Can she get this officer to come see us at my house?’

  Roy made the call. ‘Joyce, one more thing, we have to get Annie home. And Kelby is exhausted, but she has lots to tell the police. Please contact PC Pike and tell him to meet us at Kelby’s home.’ He gave Joyce PC Pike’s shoulder number and personal contact phone number.

  When Roy had hung up, he drove off with Kelby directing him around the back of the clinic to the lab. As before, the spooky mansion loomed up ahead of them. Kelby mumbled, ‘Pull up behind Hawk’s car.’

  As Roy parked, she hopped out. In one fluid movement Kelby retrieved Gary’s boot from the back seat. She slammed the door and jumped back in beside Roy. He had a finger on his lips to shush her and threw a glance over his shoulder.

  Kelby followed his eyes and saw Annie had fallen asleep, so she whispered to Roy. ‘I found this boot hanging on Gary’s wall, surrounded by his precious mementos. I had no idea at the time why I took it.’ She shrugged, ‘Sentimental, I guess. But after Annie’s last comment, I think we may be on to something.’

  ‘Why?’ he whispered back.

  ‘This is Gary’s lost foot. If he’s communicating with Annie, he may want me to take a closer look at his boot.’

  ‘What for?’ Roy’s voice rose to a shout.

  ‘Shh! I don’t know. Let’s see what happens.’ She pointed to the symbol.

  Roy gasped. His eyes glued to the now familiar symbol etched into the army leather.

  ‘I wanted to show you this, but we can discuss that later.’ Kelby dug her hand deep into the boot and shuffled around. Her fingers came out empty. Next, she turned the boot over and scrutinised the heel. ‘Nothing there.’ She flipped it back and tucked her fingers in between the laces.

  A hoarse whisper rose from Roy, ‘Wait!’ He grabbed the boot and spun it back onto its heel. ‘If Gary’s foot is itching to tell you something, it’s most likely the heel.’ He yanked at the thick army sole. Then, he held out a flat palm to Kelby and said, ‘Scalpel.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You know.’ His eyebrows wiggled.

 
‘Ah! My scalpel. Of course. I forgot I even had it with me.’ She dug in her bag and retrieved Gary’s Swiss army knife. She handed it to Roy and watched as he slid the knife’s point between the sole and the heel. For a moment he fiddled and tugged.

  Without warning, the heel suddenly popped off like a champagne cork and hit Roy in the eye. Kelby grabbed the heel as it sailed back into his lap. She flipped it over and exclaimed. ‘Oh my God!’

  Together they gaped at the heel. Tucked inside, in a neatly cut cubby-hole, sat a bright green USB stick. Written across the tiny computer memory drive, in thick black ink, were two numbers and a letter.

  42A.

  168

  María knelt and lifted the glowing stone that had fallen out of Padre’s boot. No sooner than it touched her aching palms, the stone radiated a soothing warmth into her burnt skin.

  Something in the back of her mind stirred. She remembered that Padre had received a sacred stone from the nuns when he re-built a crumbling wall at Abadía de Torcal. María bit her lip and leaned closer.

  Was this the precious piedra Mama kept asking her to find?

  The stirring in her mind, burst into a real live memory. Only now did she remember Madre checking if Padre had his piedra sagrada in his satchel when he journeyed long distances for work.

  Madre had always insisted his sacred stone would protect him. In their gratitude to Padre for not taking money for his labour, the nuns had bestowed their promise. Padre would often jest, but carried the stone to quieten Madre.

  María leaned closer to examine it. Inside, a web of glass-like crystalline glowed. The particles of amber formed a shape which looked like back-to-back twisted Cs.

  María gasped. It was the same sign Madre had carved onto the leather cover of her Herbal de Carbonela. At the time she had thought Madre’s twisted Cs were in honour of her own name.

  Another shaft of sunlight slanted through the stone’s golden honeycomb. Gaping in amazement María lifted the stone into the late afternoon’s rays. When the sun shone through the crystals the Cs seemed to expand and flare into fiery colour, whirling into an X.

  Suddenly a chill ran through María.

  Padre must have left the sacred stone behind on the day the wall crushed him!

  Although she had been vaguely aware of the stone, she had never seen it. Up close, it was the most beautiful object she had ever seen. How could this smooth lump of rock, with its strange inner crystalline shape, save Padre? Was there indeed something strange going on at the abbey? She’d never know.

  With haste, María rushed back to the trapped cellar door and knelt one last more time. ‘Mama, I have Padre’s piedra sagrada. I will keep his sacred stone with me. That is my promise to you and Papa.’

  Although yearning to avow to Madre for bringing this upon them, María couldn’t spill her terrible secret. It would remain in the bottom of her heart. Always there to be mindful of her promise to never give up.

  A bird cried out in the sky above. María’s head shot up, and she rose to her feet, staring at a pair of turtle doves flapping with whistling wings between the bake house and workshop. Silver-grey in colour, with dark blue spots on their tail feathers, they watched her with their beady eyes. One of them let out another cry. Woo-oo-oo.

  María’s heart lifted. Madre and Padre were with her. Up there.

  Before any more tears could well up, María leapt up. She took one last look of longing around the Finca and down the beautiful rolling valley.

  One day she would return to claim this land as hers.

  María grabbed her journey satchel and ran into the woods. She refused to give in to tears.

  Far off lands awaited.

  169

  A sob escaped Kelby. She lifted her gaze from the USB memory stick to Roy and whispered, ‘His foot was itching. He left us evidence.’

  ‘How do you know?’

  Kelby screwed up her nose. ‘It’s a horrific place, but 42A is under that building.’ She pointed to the derelict mansion. ‘Let’s get out of here, quick. We’ll check at home, but I can almost guarantee this stick will have evidence of the rizado murders. Or whatever Gary found out about MG.’

  A little hand slipped over Kelby’s shoulder. ‘Is that Daddy’s lost foot?’

  Startled, Kelby swivelled around to see Annie’s face close to hers. ‘Yes, pumpkin. Daddy was right, his foot is itching. When you speak to him again, you tell him Aunt Kel will scratch his foot for him, okay?’

  Annie burst into giggles. ‘Oh, Aunt Kel, you and Daddy crack me up.’ She sagged onto the back seat like a graceful ballerina completing her performance.

  ‘Hey, I didn’t get to see much of Spain. How about you and I have our swimming lessons there?’

  Annie perched up and punched the air. ‘Double yippee!’

  ‘Is that okay, Rob Roy? Can Annie travel?’

  ‘Sure, she’d love it. I know a good swimming teacher.’

  ‘Who’s this teacher? Let’s set it up.’

  He grinned at her. ‘Right away.’

  Roy opened the front door for Kelby and leaned close to her. ‘What about the TV stuff? That’s a full-time job, but so is looking after Annie.’

  ‘I don’t care. I’m giving up public life.’

  He grinned. ‘That deserves another hug. But not in front of the children.’

  ‘Why? Annie won’t mind.’

  ‘Because each time I hug you, I want to stay there.’ Roy dropped a light kiss on her forehead and pushed her into the passenger seat. ‘I’m taking you two girls home.’

  Kelby called Jimmy, and he answered with a screech, ‘Be-jaysus, it’s yourself.’

  ‘I’m sorry about the silence.’

  ‘You’re not gonna believe this? The producers called, they want you to head up a new series.’

  ‘Forget it!’

  ‘Sure, I told them already. I said Miss Wade is going to —’

  She interrupted him, ‘Stop and smell the flowers.’

  ‘Roses. You stop to smell roses, not flowers.’

  ‘Well, that’s where we’re going.’

  ‘We?’

  ‘Didn’t you say you should run the office?’

  ‘Of course! But where are we going?’

  ‘Torcal.’ Kelby kept her eyes on Roy. Even with his eyes staring at the road ahead, a smile creased his face.

  ‘What?’ yelled Jimmy down the phone, ‘Where on God’s good earth is that?’

  ‘It’s in Spain where I can —’ She stopped in mid-sentence and started again, ‘Where we can chill out for a few months until things settle down.’

  ‘Why am I going with you to Spain, when you need me to run things here?’

  ‘You’re going to set up a home office for me. You can have a place of your own close by — maybe Malaga — and commute for meetings with me in Spain.’

  For once in his life, Jimmy was speechless.

  ‘I’ll be spending most of my time with Annie, so you need to get things set up how you want them.’

  He yelled again, ‘You’re not the Kelby Wade I used to know. But I like this one better!’

  She glanced at Roy. Smiling, she said, ‘One more thing, Jim, please set up a trust fund for Hawk’s wife and child. He died saving me and I want to care for them the same way he would’ve.’

  ‘That’s grand. Well done, Kel.’

  ‘I’ll see you tomorrow to tie up the details.’

  ‘Sure. Oh, wait, I nearly forgot to tell you. Zelda has pulled off a coup. She has the charities lined up to auction your dresses. And she’s helping them to invite a pile of celebs and high profilers to get involved. The charities are hopping with excitement at the money they’ll make.’

  ‘Oh, wow! That’s brilliant. You’ll have to give her
a bonus.’

  Smiling, Kelby ended the call and turned to check on Annie, still curled up on the back seat.

  ‘You okay, pumpkin?’

  Annie nodded.

  She turned back and glanced at Roy, only to find him staring at her.

  ‘You’re going to try it, then?’

  ‘Yes.’

  His squared jaw dropped. ‘Really?’

  ‘If rizado helps Annie, I’ll fund the research myself.’

  ‘Marina will be thrilled you believe in it that much.’ He leaned over and squeezed her hand. ‘But forget the funding. Get Annie back on her feet.’

  ‘Yes, and we have to sort out these pharma monsters. I have other evidence, so they won’t get away with this. I nicked Willow’s journal with lots of notes on toxins. His lab is full of body parts.’

  ‘Ooh,’ Roy pulled a face, ‘but the journal sounds intriguing.’

  ‘Don’t get too excited, it’s your homework.’ Kelby relaxed back in her seat. ‘Will you help me get settled?’

  ‘Of course! But you know I can’t join you. I have my practice here and …’ his voice sounded wistful.

  ‘Marina told me you visit your family often. If I’m near them, you can visit me too.’

  ‘Nothing will keep me away.’ His hand reached over and squeezed hers.

  ‘By the way, when are you going to tell me about all that stuff you kept telling Marina not to tell me? You know, all about secret societies and an abbey in Torcal.’

  ‘That was only because you were pushed for time. Jimmy warned us that your diary was stacked.’

  ‘Funny thing, my diary seems to have come apart at the seams. Looks like I’m about to have plenty time on my hands.’

  Roy said, ‘Let’s chat about it over a glass of Rioja.’

  At that moment, they pulled up outside Kelby’s gates, a security guard jumped up demanding to know who they were. As Roy hopped out of the car and explained, Kelby glanced up the drive at a hive of activity.