‘I can’t,’ I protest. ‘Mum’s grounded me.’
‘You’ll have to find a way – your dad’s life depends on it,’ Rik says.
I stare at him. He’s still pretending that gangsters are after Dad, even though he’s the threat. I clench my jaw, determined to protect Dad by playing along.
‘Okay,’ I say slowly.
‘Wait for me at the war memorial at 9 p.m., the day after tomorrow. Bring anything that looks like a lead to your dad.’ He curls his lip. ‘And there better be something I can use in there…’ He pauses. My heart hammers against my ribs. ‘Your sister’s a sweet kid. You wouldn’t want the people after your dad to hurt her, would you?’
I gasp. No, not Bess.
Rik raises his eyebrows. ‘Right, I’ll see you in two days. Do not tell anyone about me.’ He glares at me for a second, then shoves his red skulls helmet on, wheels his motorbike around and roars away.
I stand still for a second. My legs feel shaky, my hands are trembling. A wave of relief that Rik’s gone mingles with the terror that he was here.
A horn toots around the corner. Mum. I hurry back to the car, where she’s leaning against the door, tapping her fingers on the bonnet as she waits for me. She throws me an irritated look.
‘You took your time,’ she says with a harassed sigh. ‘I told you I didn’t want to leave Bess on her own.’ Without waiting for me to reply, she hurries into the service station.
I get into the passenger seat. Bess is curled up in the back, drawing. She glances up, then makes a silly face, sticking her tongue out at me. I offer her a weak smile.
What with all my fears for Dad, I didn’t think I could feel more worried. But now I have an even greater reason to find the diamond. Without it, I have nothing to use to bargain with Rik.
Without it, it’s not just Dad’s life that’s in danger, but Bess’s too.
30
‘We’ve got two days to find the diamond,’ I whisper to Tyler.
It’s almost 7 p.m. and we’ve been home for nearly an hour. Both of us are supposed to be grounded, but we’ve crept out of our respective houses and are standing along the path that runs between them, out of sight of all the windows.
‘I think the attic’s the most likely hiding place,’ I say. ‘It’s right up by the roof so… you know… “under the stars”.’
‘Okay.’ Tyler nods. ‘Dad thinks I’m in my room, so I’ve got just over sixty minutes until dinner.’
‘Good,’ I say. ‘Mum’s with a client so the coast is clear.’
We hurry up to the attic. Surely, if the diamond is here, we’ll be able to find it?
Two hours later, my hope has crumbled to despair. We’ve searched most of the boxes and bags we didn’t get to before, as well as all the attic’s nooks and crannies.
We haven’t found anything.
Tyler unfolds himself with a sigh. He’s too tall to stand up fully except in the very middle of the attic. ‘Sorry, but I need to go back now before Dad misses me. He’s already furious enough.’
‘It’s fine,’ I say. ‘There’s no need to apologize. In fact…’ I hesitate, a question I’ve been wanting to ask since yesterday night finally making it out of my head. ‘In fact, I’m the one who should be sorry. You never got a proper chance to catch up with your friends in London.’ I hesitate. ‘Was… is there anyone special… anyone you really wanted to see?’
Tyler looks confused, his cheeks reddening. ‘Er, no, not really,’ he says. I stare at him. Why does he look so flustered? Is it because there is somebody and he doesn’t want to talk about them? He clears his throat. ‘Er, see you tomorrow.’
He heads for the stairs, leaving me alone.
* * *
The following day, Mum keeps me hard at work all morning, ordering me to send emails and type up her scrawled notes for another speech she’s giving. As soon as she sets me free, I rush up to the attic again. Tyler has spent the day working on the mosaic renovation with his dad, but he joins me as soon as he’s finished – and Mum is out of the way with another client.
‘I don’t think it’s here,’ Tyler says after an hour. ‘We’ve looked through everything.’
‘It has to be here,’ I groan. ‘What will I say to Rik if I don’t find it?’
‘He’s not expecting the diamond,’ Tyler points out. ‘Just a good lead on your dad. Maybe you could make one up?’
‘I guess, but all that does is buy us a tiny bit more time,’ I groan. ‘Once Rik realizes the lead is fake, he’ll do something to Bess. I know he will. The only way to keep her safe is to find the diamond and give it back to him.’
Tyler has to leave at 8 p.m., to have dinner with his dad. I carry on searching for a bit longer, but it feels hopeless. I’m certain now I was wrong that ‘under the stars’ meant ‘in the attic’. But, as yet, I have no idea what it did mean. If only Dad had told me where the diamond was. I know he was just trying to protect me and Bess, so I can’t feel angry with him, but by keeping it secret he’s actually put us in greater danger.
When, driven by hunger, I finally pad downstairs, it’s obvious Mum made supper for her and Bess ages ago. She’s left a plate of food for me, but she didn’t call me downstairs for the meal like she normally would. Clearly, she’s still super-mad at me for running off to Norfolk and – as she sees it – making up stories about Dad. Knowing she doesn’t believe me leaves an empty, aching hole in my chest. If only Tyler had actually seen Dad, he’d be able to back me up.
As it is, I feel completely alone.
I eat my food, then wash, dry and put away my plate and cutlery. I don’t want to give Mum any more reasons to hate me. I go up to my room and sit on the bed. I don’t know how much time passes. Mum has confiscated my laptop and, of course, I’m still without a phone. Outside on the landing, I hear Mum’s heavy tread. I wait a second, wondering if she’ll call out a ‘goodnight’, but the only sound is her bedroom door shutting. I lie back on my bed, still fully dressed.
Time passes. And passes. My insides are tied up like a row of reef knots. There’s no way I can sleep. If I can’t find the Blue Fire diamond by tomorrow evening, I’ll have no choice but to tell Rik where Dad is.
It’s the only way to keep Bess safe.
My dad’s life. Or my sister’s.
The choice makes me feel sick.
I get up, fetch a jumper and creep downstairs. The house is silent; it’s past midnight. There’s a clear sky and a cool breeze. The moon is almost full, a bright globe in the middle of the darkness.
I hug my arms to my chest and look up at the stars. There are fewer of them than on the night Tyler and I lay outside, gazing at the twinkling sky. My throat swells with misery. Tyler was right. ‘Under the stars’ could mean literally anywhere on the entire planet. Dad only said those words to make me leave. He didn’t want me to find the diamond. He didn’t want me to have anything to do with it.
I find myself wandering along the path to the Barn. The lights are off – Tyler and his dad must be sleeping – but the moon casts a silvery glow across the courtyard.
The mosaic renovation has come on a lot in the past few days. The whole of the outer rim is in position, and most of the small gaps and chips have been repaired too. Even the three missing horoscope signs are taking shape: the two fishes of Pisces are still missing, but the Leo lion is virtually complete. It glints under the moonlight, its head lifted, as if scenting the air. Next to it the Cancer crab is almost done as well, just the claws and the background to finish off.
With a jolt it strikes me that once the mosaic is fully renovated, Tyler and his dad will be returning to London. From the look of it, they’ll probably only be here for another week. Ten days at the most.
The thought sinks inside me like a stone in water: on top of everything else, I’m going to lose my only friend. I’ve never felt so alone in my life.
‘Cat?’ his voice calls out softly from the shadows.
I spin round to see Tyler emerging from the orch
ard, at the back of the Barn. He smiles, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight.
‘I couldn’t sleep,’ he whispers. ‘Then I thought I heard someone moving out here.’
I stare at him, feeling overwhelmed with emotion. He stands in front of me and opens his mouth, like he wants to say something.
‘The mosaic is nearly done,’ I say quietly, trying not to cry. ‘It looks amazing.’
‘Yeah.’ Tyler points to the brand new outer rim. ‘I put down most of the tiles for that, though Dad insisted on checking everything before he finished it off.’
I gaze past his outstretched finger, to the tiny glittering chips that fill the newly formed outer circle of the mosaic.
We stand in silence for a moment. My gaze drifts to the stone sundial in the centre.
This section of the courtyard is exactly as it always was. Original and untouched. The moon glints off the mosaic circle that surrounds the base of the sundial. It’s a ring of tiles in the shape of stars, each one roughly the size of my hand.
My heart skips a beat as I stare at them. ‘Look!’ I gasp. ‘Stars!’
Tyler’s jaw drops as he follows my pointing finger to the star-shaped tiles. He turns to me, eyes gleaming with excitement.
‘Do you think that’s where your dad buried the diamond?’ he breathes.
‘It has to be.’ I grin, then the smile slides off my face as I stare at the way the star tiles are firmly embedded in the surrounding mosaic. ‘But how are we going to dig them up?’ I whisper.
‘Dig them up?’ Tyler frowns. ‘My dad will be mad as hell if we do that.’
‘And my dad will be dead if we don’t.’ I glare at him.
‘Okay, okay.’ Tyler holds up his hands. ‘Maybe there’s a way. Just wait a sec, I’ll get a chisel.’ He hurries away.
Hope flutters nervously in my stomach as I examine the tiles more closely. The area next to the star by the Aries ram design looks paler than the others. I stare at it, as Tyler hurries back, a tool in his hand.
‘Look.’ I crouch down, pointing to the paler area. ‘Does that look different to you?’
Tyler shines his torch on the tiles and I shift sideways to get out of his light. He peers thoughtfully at the star tile and the area around it.
‘Well?’ I ask, unable to contain my impatience.
‘It is different,’ he says at last.
‘Like someone already took up the tile then put it back again and repaired the area around it?’
Tyler grins. ‘Exactly like that,’ he says.
I look up at him. ‘Aries is my dad’s sun sign,’ I say.
‘Okay, then.’ Tyler positions his chisel at the edge of the star tile.
I sit beside him, watching intently. Tyler levers the tool under the star, then twists and presses. He moves, patiently, along each edge of the tile, tapping gently.
He’s making as little noise as possible, but the sound still echoes into the cool night air. I hold my breath, praying Mr Tuesday doesn’t hear us.
‘Moment of truth.’ Tyler frowns with concentration, then fits his chisel as deep against the tile as he can. He digs, twists and levers in one fluid movement, grunting with the effort.
One side of the star pops up. Tyler takes it carefully between his finger and thumb and lifts it out.
I shine my torch into the darkness of the gap beneath. The light glances off a small plastic package. I reach inside and lift it out. My fingers tremble as I unwrap the plastic. A small velvet pouch is inside.
Tyler and I glance at each other then, very gently, I tip the pouch against my palm.
‘Oh!’ I gasp, as a silver chain wound tightly around something the size of a large grape tumbles into my hand. My hands are shaking as I unwind the chain, letting the jewel it contains dangle free.
‘Wow,’ I breathe.
There, glinting brilliantly in the moonlight, is the Blue Fire diamond.
31
Tyler and I examine the oval diamond in an awed silence: its mass of blue sparkles catch in the torchlight like tiny flames. After talking about it for so long, it’s weird seeing the jewel for real.
‘I can see why they called it Blue Fire,’ I say softly.
‘Is it really worth all those millions?’ Tyler whispers.
I nod. ‘Millions that people would kill each other over.’
‘Yeah…’ Tyler pauses, giving me a worried look. ‘I was thinking, when it comes to seeing Rik tomorrow, maybe you should just tell him you have this. Don’t hand it over right away. You need to be sure he’ll leave you and your dad alone before you give up the only bit of power that you have.’
‘How do I make sure of that?’ I frown. ‘I mean, you’re right, but—’
Tyler hesitates. ‘Or maybe we should just give it to the police after all,’ he suggests. ‘It seems wrong to just hand it over to Rik – and it puts you in danger.’
‘I hate the idea of Rik having it too,’ I say with a sigh, ‘but I don’t see another option. Whatever we do, someone is in danger. And it’s Dad that Rik is really mad with. Not me.’
‘I guess.’ Tyler nods slowly. He replaces the mosaic star that the diamond was hidden underneath and pats the area around it flat, shoving the disturbed bits of ground back into the grooves around the star.
‘Good as new,’ I say, trying to sound cheerful.
Tyler glances sideways at me. ‘I hope so,’ he says. ‘I don’t need my dad having a go at me for digging up his courtyard on top of everything else.’ He pauses. ‘I want to come with you when you meet up with Rik. It’s too risky going by yourself.’
‘No,’ I say. ‘You’ve already got into enough trouble because of me. I’ll be fine. Anyway Rik insisted I come alone.’
‘Then I’ll watch from the trees,’ Tyler insists. ‘Rik’s meeting you at the war memorial. I’ll be able to see you there from the wood. Rik won’t know. And if he does anything, I’ll be able to get help.’
‘Okay,’ I agree, reluctantly. ‘But you have to stay out of sight.’
* * *
The next day, I’m already nervous – and then Mum drops a bombshell. She’s busy with one of her client groups until 2 p.m., at which point she emerges irritably from her Astrology Room and calls me downstairs.
‘I have to go to a function, tonight,’ she says. ‘Drinks and dinner. I’ll be back about eleven.’
I nod, relieved that she’ll be out of the way when I need to sneak out to meet Rik. And then another thought strikes me.
‘What about Bess?’ I ask.
Mum stares at me as if I’ve lost my mind.
‘You will babysit her, of course,’ she says slowly, as if I’m a total idiot.
‘No.’ The last thing I want is to take Bess to my meeting and drag her into more danger. ‘Can’t she stay with Mr Tuesday?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous, he’s an artisan mosaic restorer not a childminder,’ Mum snaps. ‘Anyway, I’ve invited him to the dinner as an apology for all the upset you caused with your ridiculous Norfolk trip.’ She sighs. ‘It’s your Leo in the eighth house… makes you selfish and egotistical. I’ve known it from the moment I did your chart. Horoscopes are always right.’
‘No, they’re not,’ I snap.
Mum stares at me, shocked.
I glare back. ‘Horoscopes and astrology are full of unscientific and meaningless non-facts that you can twist into saying whatever you want. My life isn’t decided by the planets and their positions. I choose who I am. Every day.’
My breath is coming in angry heaves. I’ve never spoken to Mum like that before. As I say the words out loud, it strikes me how much I believe them. For a second a look of deep hurt registers in Mum’s eyes, then she lets out a heavy sigh, as if the effort of being patient with me is wearing her out.
‘I’m not going to argue with you, Cat,’ she says. ‘You will look after your sister this evening and that’s the end of it.’ She stalks off.
* * *
I meet up with Tyler in the garden that afternoon
.
‘It worked!’ he says.
‘What?’ I ask.
‘Dad walked past that star tile we took up and put back at least ten times today. He was so fixated on those fishes he’s working on, he didn’t even notice that the grout around the tile had been disturbed.’
I stare for a second, transfixed by the way Tyler’s brown-gold eyes gleam with pride.
‘That’s great,’ I say. ‘But there’s a problem about the meeting with Rik tonight.’ I explain that, because of Mum’s party, I need Tyler to stay home and look after Bess for me.
He agrees, reluctantly. ‘I still don’t like you meeting Rik without me being there,’ he says. ‘Especially when neither of us have phones at the moment.’
I shrug. ‘I know,’ I say, ‘but there’s no way I’m letting Bess anywhere near Rik.’
The afternoon drags on. I move the Blue Fire diamond around three different hiding places in my bedroom, finally tucking it under the skeins of silk thread at the bottom of my sewing box. I glance at the dress I was making before Tyler and his dad arrived in Brockledore. It’s strange to remember how focused I was on that dress less than two weeks ago, how important sewing was to me. Will it ever feel like that again?
For a second, I try to imagine a world with Dad at home and me happily making clothes again. Then I shrug off the thought. I can’t let myself think about any of that.
Not now. Not yet.
First, I have to get Rik out of our lives.
Mum and Mr Tuesday leave for the party just before seven. It’s a beautiful evening, the sun a perfect orange disc against a clear blue sky. It’s been scorching hot today, but now there’s just the hint of a breeze that brushes, soft, against our faces. I fetch the diamond from my sewing box and slip it deep into my pocket. Tyler and I take Bess into Brockledore to buy a bag of chips from the cafe. Tyler has promised to take Bess back to the house well before my meeting with Rik at nine, but there’s still plenty of time to kill.
Hide and Secrets Page 16