Alice Parker & the Curse of Fate (16 page)

‘
That poor
man, Lukas,’ she sighed. ‘What a horrible way to go –
Sinwip or not. What will happen when his body is found?’

‘
It won’t
be,’ Thomas assured her. ‘Hugh said he would inform
Sinwip village in Berlin. They’ll arrange to remove it from
the scene somehow.’

‘
Oh, good. I
keep forgetting that Hugh’s a Sinwip lately,’ replied
Grandma with a yawn.

‘
I
don’t,’
replied Alice promptly. ‘As if I could marry one! It’s
a ridiculous idea. Apart from that, I can’t stand him.’
She flopped down in Brigitte’s chair and stared in to space.
There was something she couldn’t get out of her mind. Hugh had
changed somehow. His eyes were not the same as they used to be. No
longer were they cold and cruel, their dark green depths concealing a
web of secrets. When she looked up at them today they were caring
and kind, a warm shade of green. In fact, his face wasn’t
quite as off-putting as she remembered. It used to be pale, gaunt
and angular – much like the rest of his body. But now he
looked ... well, healthier. Annoyed at herself for beginning to see
him in a positive light, her face twisted in to a scowl. Perhaps she
was imagining it.

‘
Penny for
them!’ chuckled Thomas.

‘
You really
don’t want to know. Listen, I think we should go to Finwip
village. I need to speak to Ralph.’

‘
I agree. I
think you should end it with him.’

‘
Don’t
be stupid!’ roared Alice, colour rising in her cheeks.
‘There’s nothing to end. There’s nothing going
on.’

‘
Ah! The lady
doth protest too much, methinks.’ He ducked to avoid a
newspaper that Alice hurled at him.

‘
All right,
just be honest with him, then. He deserves that, at least. He’s
obviously smitten, poor kid! I’d hate to be a teenager again,
lovesick over a strange girl like you.’

‘
Well! Who
are you to preach about relationships? Anyway, I’ve got
fifteen years before ... you know. Assuming it’s true, which I
doubt. Ugh! Come on, get your coat, let’s go.’

‘
Be careful,’
warned Grandma without opening her eyes. ‘Thomas, don’t
forget the key Grandad gave you for the hidden gate at the palace.
The main gate to the gardens will be closed at this time of day. And
don’t destroy any more tourist attractions, please. I like
Berlin just as it is.’

‘
When did she
become so laid-back?’ asked Alice as she and Thomas hurried
down the stairs of the apartment block. ‘I noticed earlier.
She didn’t even seem shocked at what happened in Detmold.’

‘
She’s
not laid-back, Alice; she’s shattered. All this is too much
for her. I’m afraid she’s just given up.’

*

When the glass lift
arrived in Finwip village Torsten was delighted to see them.

‘
Ah, the
perfect time!’ he beamed. ‘You have guests! They wait
for you in the lilac living room. I shall take you.’

‘
We
have
guests?’ queried Alice. ‘Why?’

‘
That is not
my business, madam!’ replied Torsten.

‘
I dread to
think who we’re going to find,’ she muttered.

‘
Don’t
be daft,’ said Thomas as they made their way through the
palatial rooms once again. ‘I’m sure they’re very
careful who they let in here.’

‘
Indeed we
are,’ Torsten assured him.

Nevertheless Alice
held her breath as he showed them in to the splendid lilac room.
Sitting opposite each other, talking amicably were Grandad and Hugh.
Her mouth fell open.

‘
Well, well!’
began Thomas. ‘Isn’t this cosy?’

Alice could tell he
was trying to conceal his shock. Hugh stood up when they entered the
room, and Grandad had his arms outstretched to welcome them. But a
hug was the last thing Alice wanted.

‘
What’s
going on? What are you doing here?’ She glared at Hugh. ‘And
how did
you
even get in here? What have you done?’

‘
Thanks for
the vote of confidence,’ retorted Hugh. ‘For the record,
I’ve done nothing wrong.’

‘
Oh, I doubt
that very much!’

‘
He’s
telling the truth, Alice,’ said Grandad. ‘Please, sit
down, my love. We need to talk.’

Alice shook her head
and folded her arms defiantly. ‘I came here to speak to
Ralph.’

‘
Funnily
enough, so did I. But that can wait for a few minutes.’

‘
Ooh, this
could be interesting!’ smirked Thomas, choosing a comfortable
chair.

Reluctantly Alice
sat down too.

‘
We’ll
talk about you first, Hugh.’ Grandad paused to scratch his
beard, wondering how to formulate what he wanted to say. ‘When
Hugh contacted me to ask how to access this village, I told him
without hesitation.’

‘
WHAT?!’

‘
Note that I
only told him
how.
I
told him about that statue by the lake, but it still had to scan his
hand and identify him as a Finwip.’

‘
So how did he
manage that?’ demanded Alice.

‘
Quite easily.
He
is
a Finwip. He’s one of us now.’

Alice gawped at him.
Thomas guffawed and slapped his knees.

‘
Brilliant!
Is this a German version of April Fools’ Day, only in
December?’

Grandad frowned.
‘Before you say any more, Thomas, stop and think for a moment.
You haven’t worked in Nona’s laboratory for a while, have
you? I believe she told you she was working on a highly sensitive
project, which she needed to complete on her own. Well, that project
is sitting here. She’s been working with Hugh, trying to find
a reason for his transformation from Sinwip to Finwip.’

His face like
thunder, Thomas stood up and approached Hugh. ‘You?’ he
spluttered in his face. ‘
You
have
been working with Nona in our village? What’s wrong with your
own village, your own Sinwip scientists?’

‘
Well, when I
realised something was wrong, I knew I couldn’t approach a
Sinwip for help. Can you imagine their reaction if they’d
carried out tests and found out that I’d changed? Besides, I
can’t get in to Sinwip villages any more. Their access systems
are based on retinal scanners and they reject me now.’

‘
I knew your
eyes were different!’ Alice blurted out.

Hugh smiled. ‘Glad
you noticed.’

‘
But you
called at Sinwip village today! You said you would inform them about
Lukas,’ Thomas pointed out.

‘
That’s
true. I did. But I was lucky enough to find a Sinwip hanging around
near the entrance. He didn’t want to speak to me; he realised
I was a Finwip straight away. But when I mentioned the name ‘Lukas’
he changed his mind. It turns out that Lukas was a very intelligent,
well-respected chap in their village. They despatched a team to
retrieve his body immediately.’

‘
Just as
well,’ replied Thomas.

‘
Oh, and
you’re wearing an electronic tracker, Alice,’ Hugh added.
‘That’s how he and Isabella followed you.’

Alice was
dumbstruck. How was that possible? Lukas and Isabella hadn’t
touched her! She racked her brain and tried to think of any
opportunity he might have had ... then it struck her. Lukas had
purposely bumped in to her at Gendarmenmarkt. Of course! He had
been following them around the market for a while before he planted
his tracking device. He made the lights glow brighter above the
stalls where they were browsing so that someone else could observe
their movements from a distance. Isabella!

‘
Gendarmenmarkt!
That’s when he did it! Before he started the fire.
Why
didn’t I realise? I’m such an idiot. The tracker must
still be on my coat somewhere.’ She tore it off and searched
all over it. Nothing caught her attention. Baffled, she ran her
fingers over the entire surface of her coat until her nail caught on
something incredibly small. No bigger than an ant, the tracker was
the same shade of blue as her coat, perfectly camouflaged. When she
removed it, four sharp teeth snagged the fibres of the fabric, and a
minuscule red light was visible underneath. Alice placed it on the
floor and stamped on it in temper. ‘Try and track me now!’
she raged.

‘
Oh, I think
Isabella will be otherwise engaged,’ continued Hugh. ‘The
Sinwip I met asked if I knew who had killed Lukas. I told him
Isabella Rowbottom was responsible. It didn’t go down well.’

‘
How
unfortunate for her,’ said Alice.

‘
So,’
said Grandad, ‘Hugh is one of us now. Nona has confirmed it,
so I hope you can accept it and put your differences aside.’

‘
Physical
changes are one thing,’ scoffed Thomas. ‘But this bloke
is twisted and cruel. We know that from experience.’

‘
Was
cruel,’
Hugh corrected him. ‘You know we’ve been fighting on the
same side for a while now. You just didn’t trust me.’

‘
Are you
surprised?’ asked Alice. ‘I still don’t trust you!
I just don’t understand how your whole attitude can change so
quickly.’

‘
It didn’t
happen
that
quickly.
Even when I was at my worst, deep down I knew what I was doing was
wrong. But I couldn’t stop. Brian kept pushing me, rewarding
me for the awful things I did. The richer he became, the richer I
became. I just couldn’t resist.’

‘
But you did
eventually,’ Grandad reminded him.

‘
Yes, when I
saw how Isabella was upsetting her father, arguing all the time
because she was jealous of me. That’s when I walked away from
it all and moved to London. I didn’t want that family to be
torn apart because of me.’

‘
What a moving
story!’ mocked Thomas, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.
‘But what’s the scientific explanation, Hugh?’

‘
It’s
quite simple, really. Nona’s tests revealed that I’m
unstable, like my father. Don’t laugh! Yes, I’m
officially unstable. The form I take depends on my environment and
influences. And how easily-led I am, I suppose. I wasn’t a
bad child. But not long after my metamorphosis, at the age of
seventeen, I got caught up in Brian’s greed and wealth, and for
a while I was hooked.’

‘
Are you
expecting us to believe that your physical traits can change as
easily as your mind?’ asked Thomas incredulously.

‘
No! My eyes
and fingerprints took several months to acquire Finwip
characteristics. Now I feel better altogether. I’ve even
gained a bit of weight! Being nasty was hard work, you know.
Exhausting, in fact. It quite literally consumed me.’

‘
I thought you
weren’t as scrawny as before,’ said Alice. ‘And
your face isn’t quite as ugly.’

‘
That means a
lot to me.’

‘
Have we
cleared up this matter, then?’ asked Grandad impatiently.

‘
No, we have
not,’ said Thomas. ‘If he’s unstable, what happens
if he reverts? We don’t want a Sinwip lurking amongst us.’

‘
I’ll
make sure that doesn’t happen,’ stressed Hugh. ‘I’m
keeping good company these days, so I won’t be led astray!
Besides, I haven’t got time to get in to trouble. I’ve
been very busy with my research. I think I’ve made a
breakthrough.’

‘
A
breakthrough in what, exactly?’ asked Thomas.

‘
You’ll
find out soon enough. And I think you’ll be impressed.’

‘
You won’t
need that cleaning job for much longer, then,’ said Alice.

Hugh grinned.
‘Actually, I’ve already handed in my notice. I’m
planning a business venture of my own.’

‘
Hmmph. I’ve
heard enough,’ grunted Thomas.

Grandad leaned back
in his chair and cleared his throat loudly. ‘Alice, would you
go and find Ralph, please? I’m afraid it’s my turn to
come clean next.’