The Number 8 (21 page)

Franz Josef was a quaint little town with very few inhabitants but a lot of hostels, resorts and spas. It was an intriguing place nestled at the bottom of a mountain range. The climate was that of a rainforest and the town was often afflicted by thick fogs, especially in the early hours of the morning. The town was also known for the hot springs that were dotted around between the resorts. It was undoubtedly the strangest town Dante had ever been to. Dante doubted that you could find the combination of a town in a rainforest which had both hot springs and glaciers nearby. At least he hadn’t heard of one.

Today was planned as a rest day, because the next day they were being taken up onto the glacier. Or at least, they were meant to be. It was drizzling as they unloaded their bags and dragged them inside. If it remained liked this, they would probably still be taken up but if it worsened, it would be a close call. Dante had been looking forward to this trip since he had first read the itinerary. It would be a big blow if he didn’t get up there. But, he wouldn’t worry about that, not yet. He was planning to get in the hot pools and not emerge until the evening. He had a lot of thinking to do.

“So what’s the plan?” Asmir asked.

They were in a corner pool away from the others. Away from prying eyes and especially Marco, who neither of them had even looked at since they had come to the conclusion that they had been drugged. There was a strange vibe among the passengers. The party hadn’t brought them closer together like Dante had thought, but instead, it had changed things. He couldn’t put his finger on how quite yet, but things had definitely changed.

“The plan is that we have to treat Marco like we have no idea what he did to us. We talk to him and act normal. We have to make him believe that we are none the wiser, Az. We are a step behind now. We have no idea what we told him.”

“Yeah, that’s what is annoying me most. We don’t know much but what we did know at least had us a step ahead. Now we’re nowhere and my head is still killing me.”

“Drink some water…”

Asmir laughed. “Great advice, Dad. No, I think I’m just gonna keep drinking. That way I can at least postpone the hangover.”

“That would work if what you had was a hangover, Az. You were drugged. You didn’t get this from drink, remember?”

“Dammit, will it ever end?” he moaned, as he sank below the warm waters of the pool.

“OK. So here’s what I’m going to do,” Dante began to explain, as Asmir surfaced. “I’m going to have another word with James. For some reason, I don’t think he is involved in this at all, but I think he may know something that he has no idea is important.”

“What am I gonna do?” Asmir asked, running his hands through his wet hair.

“Hang out with Becki some more. There is still something that those two girls are hiding and I think it might be relevant.”

“My pleasure,” he smiled, his eyes lighting up at the thought.

They remained in the hot pools, switching from the lukewarm pool to the piping hot pool and then all the way back down to the cold pool. Dante had heard that it was good for the heart. But more than that, it was relaxing and after everything, they could do with a little bit of relaxation.

They spent the afternoon catching up on the gossip from the party and learning who got with who and observing how they awkwardly glanced at each other from across the pool. They hadn’t heard any stories that involved them at all. It seemed that they had disappeared from the party fairly early on, which would make sense because his memory had cut out barely half an hour in.

There were about three restaurants in Franz Josef. An Indian, an Italian and a bar that doubled as a restaurant. They ate in the Indian and then spent the rest of the night in the bar. Only a couple of people had the courage to drink for a second night, but Carl and Dick had decided to get bladdered. They had formed an odd friendship. One guy who had travelled the world, seen different cultures and was as open-minded as they came, and another who had never ventured out of his own country and considered going to the local Indian takeaway a mini vacation. But, that was what the bus was all about, bringing strangers together, however different and weird they may be. Dante suspected that a few of these people were not strangers at all. Someone had found a way to get them all to take the same bus. It seemed an impossible task, yet here they were, on a bus with a killer who was poised to strike again.

Chapter 39

At nine o’clock the next morning the group gathered at the Glacier Expeditions base and prepared themselves for what was sure to be an exhausting day. A few of them were heading up to the summit via helicopter. It was expensive but for those willing to cough up, worth it. Asmir was one of the people who had decided to take the easy route up and so had Becki. Meanwhile Annie had chosen to walk up with Dante and most of the group.

They were fitted for waterproof overalls and given hiking boots. They were a uniform blue on the top half with thick, black dungarees. They were also given a bright red bum-bag for their valuables. It wasn’t the most fashionable of outfits but it would keep them warm and dry. It was a chilly day and one of the region’s fogs was lying low over the mountain. But, the expedition leaders assured Ryan that it wasn’t a problem and that the trip could go ahead. So it was time to head out. Dante’s group were leaving thirty minutes before Asmir and the four others heading up to the summit.

It was about a mile and a half hike to reach the bottom of the glacier. Even from a distance Dante could see the light blue meltwater cascading down over the edge of a nearby cliff forming a small, but spectacular waterfall. The water fell into a pool about six feet deep and ten feet wide. If it had been a warm country, it would have been paradise and Dante wouldn’t have thought twice about jumping in. But one of the expedition leaders assured Dante that the small pool would be between two and four degrees celsius. A few of the guys joked about being tough enough to take it but Dante wasn’t about to jump into a pool that had been solid ice just minutes before.

“All right, everyone. First thing you need to understand is this place can be the most tranquil and friendly environment in the world if treated with respect. But it can also be a treacherous and dangerous location where accidents happen if people do not listen carefully. A glacier is a fairly unique natural occurrence as it can change almost daily. I may go up today and find that the route we took yesterday is no longer passable. This means that we ask for patience from you. We will endeavor to make this an experience you will never forget – but, if you don’t listen to us, we
will
send you back down. This place is not a joke. There will be no second chances up here. Understood?”

It was a bit dramatic from their expedition leader, who was a rather tough-looking guy who hadn’t even bothered to introduce himself. But his message resonated with Dante who made sure to listen to his every syllable after that.

As the two leaders blazed the trail, the others followed on their heels. After the guy’s warning message a few of the group were making sure to watch every step they took on the ice. The shoes they were wearing had small metal studs that helped them keep their balance. But even with them, a few of the group were struggling. Marco was one of them. He looked like a newborn calf who was learning to stand for the first time. It seemed like every time he planted his foot, the other one would come loose and send him buckling over. His shoes looked different to the rest of the group which could only mean that he had very, very small feet. Because of his slipping and sliding he had dropped to the back of the group.

Dante was right at the front with the leaders. He had his head down and was watching where he put his feet. They were going down a narrow ravine and they had to fall in line. One by one they shuffled along the icy path trying not to slip as they would career head first into the person in front of them. It was very difficult to even turn around in such a small space. But, as they edged further into the ravine the slope flattened, walking became easier and the sound of a shoe giving way to the terrain became less frequent. The leaders both had small pickaxes which they used to remove small sections of ice that threatened to hem them in or fall on them from above. They were clearly veterans. Dante had watched them carefully for nearly an hour and neither one had put a foot out of place. Their foot placement was carefully thought out and always steady. But Dante was sure that one of them should have been at the back pulling up the rear. It didn’t seem very health and safety conscience to have Marco, an all-round unco-ordinated novice, at the back. But Dante was no expert.

Dante surfaced just moments after the leaders. He and many of the others were breathing hard and ready for a break. To their surprise, the leaders agreed and told them to look in the second compartment of their bum bags. Inside they found a little feast of snacks that the expedition staff had packed for them. It was a welcome surprise.

People began swapping sandwiches. Most had ham and cheese but those who were vegetarian or those who were lactose intolerant were trying to swap theirs for tuna or an extra pack of crisps. Dante was fine with what he had and he sat on a large mound of ice that was perfect as a seat. Most people were happy to sit and stare out across the glacier or back towards the valley where they had come from. They sat in silence and just took in the view of a lifetime. People were taking bathroom breaks and wandered off against the advice of the leaders to find some privacy. But for a moment, there was silence.

Then, a scream shattered the peace.

The leaders both threw down their packs and sprinted towards the noise. The others followed but were far slower across the ground. Dante rounded the corner and saw the leaders peering over what looked like a sheer cliff. As he neared, he shortened his strides and carefully got close to the edge.

“Stay back,” the guy shouted, striking him with a heavy blow to the chest, felling him. It was meant to shield him from the cliff but was more of a stiff-arm punch.

Dante obeyed, but the damage was done. He had seen what was down there. In the icy pool that he had so admired before scaling the glacier he could see the form of a person. They were floating, surrounded by the red mist of their own blood. The fall was not a direct one. The victim had struck several rocks on the way down. But as Dante lay there winded and in pain, he only had one thought on his mind.

Marco is not the killer.

Chapter 40

Dante didn’t move. He didn’t need to look a second time. He was sure that it was Marco lying face down in that pool because he was wearing a goofy yellow hat that was now floating just meters away from him. But one by one each member of the expedition walked past him and peered over the edge. Most gasped, a few cried out and a couple were completely silent. One thing was certain. It was a sight that no one wanted to see. Well, except maybe one person.

This time he had seen even less of what had happened. More accurately, he hadn’t seen anything at all. All he remembered was eating, then the scream. He couldn’t be sure that Marco didn’t slip and fall off the edge. His shoes clearly had no grip. But, after Viktor, it was hard to believe that this was an accident.

Also, their theory had now been shot to bits. With Marco dead, they had nothing. No leads, no suspect, nothing. Square one.

Dante, still on his back, scanned the faces above him, trying to read some of the reactions. But everyone seemed to be genuinely shocked and horrified by the scene below. The leaders were trying to maintain their composure, but even they were visibly affected by the sight of this young boy splayed out, bloodied and unmoving.

“Get away from the edge! I won’t say it again,” the bigger guy shouted as he turned to face them.

The smaller one barked more orders at them.

“We are going back down right now.”

No one argued. No one said anything. They just slowly followed the instructors. This time one leader did stay at the back. Dante knew what was going through their minds right now. They were terrified, no matter how experienced they were. Dante imagined that when someone died on your watch and you knew you could have done something to prevent it, it must eat you up inside. In fairness to them, having someone at the back wouldn’t have prevented his death, but letting people go out of view was a terrible idea. It was asking for trouble. Dante would be very surprised if either of them kept their jobs.

They rushed down the glacier as fast as they could without getting someone else killed. People were breathing hard, but no one was complaining, in fact, no one was talking at all. Annie had popped up in front of him. The incident had clearly affected her, her hands were shaking and she wasn’t watching where she was going. But the same went for everyone else. Camilla was directly behind him and every now and again he swore that he heard her sobbing. But he didn’t want to turn around and embarrass her so he kept his eyes front.

It had taken them nearly an hour to get to their break spot but the descent had taken just over thirty minutes. The bigger leader sprinted away from them the moment they were back on flat ground. He rounded the corner at at top speed and disappeared from view. Dante followed him at pace now he was able to move freely. He was just as mobile as the leader, maybe more so. He heard the crunch of the dirt beneath his feet and the distinct
ping
of small stones being unintentionally kicked into the water up ahead. He was only a meter away from the big guy now and moving fast. His heart rate was through the roof and because of the cold he could feel it in his ears.

They both reached the edge of the pool together. The blood had turned the pool from a sparkling light blue to a swirling mass of maroon. The water crashed over the cliff loudly as the wind blew a mist of water over them. It was colder than he had even imagined, but he was focused. Trying to spot Marco.

He must be here, we saw him. Where is he?
Dante thought.

But he wasn’t. He was gone. One of the leaders even stripped down to his boxers and dived in to see if he had sunk to the bottom, but he hadn’t.