Momentum (28 page)

Constance continued, “We’ve divided the possible places that the Sigma-W leadership could be hiding into four categories. The first one lists the formal residences of the royal family in this dimension.” She pointed to the left row of cards. “The second row contains the residences in other dimensions. The third row consists of possible escape houses in this dimension, and the last, the escape houses in the other dimensions.”

I counted the cards on the floor–sixty-three. There was no way we could go looking for every one of them. It would take forever. David glanced at me and raised his eyebrows in agreement.

Dad took over. “So, we need to decide where to start looking. And we’re going to have to ask Trina for help again.” He winced. “Morgana, do you mind looking after Ella for a while and asking Trina to join us?”

“I’ll take her out for dinner and then to visit Olivia, if that’s okay with you,” Morgana offered, getting up.

Dad looked at her gratefully. “Thanks. I’ll call you if we need you.”

I was shamefully thankful that Morgana had offered to take care of Ella. I should have; Ella would have preferred it, but I didn’t want to miss out on anything. Plus, Ella would probably be safer with a Wanderer anyway.

Trina walked into the room with a smug expression. “You need me
again
?” she droned.

I guessed that she must have some redeeming qualities since Ella seemed to like her. Whatever they were, she was devoid of them at the moment. She was just a lump of snarly unpleasantness.

She plunked down on the one free armchair in the room with a resounding thud and proceeded to stare at Dad with a challenging smirk. “Well?” She reached into her bag for her pipe.

“Trina, thanks for your notes. We’ve tried to organize the various options into groups. There are sixty-three in all, and we just don’t have the time or the manpower to go through all of them.”

Trina rolled her eyes and smirked.

“Do you have any suggestions as to where we should start? It would be very helpful.”

“I bet it would,” she snickered. “What’s in it for me?”

“What do you want?” I could see the hollow desperation in Dad’s eyes.

“I’m thinking an assistant would be nice, don’t you think? I mean, I do still want my old job back, but a helper would free up some of my time. I am getting on and need my afternoon naps. So, yes an assistant, an attractive boy, preferably.” She cackled.

Dad’s face was a blank, empty mask. His eyes were cold and expressionless as he held Trina’s gaze. When he spoke, it was in an icy, low tone. “Very well, but you know I can only request this of my father.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she snipped, irritated. “We’ve been through all that.”

“So, where should we start?” Dad pointed at the index cards. “Where are the most likely places the Sigma-W are hiding out?”

Trina took a long, deep drag from her pipe and exhaled slowly, glancing at each person in the room. “Do you want to know the most likely places or the actual place they’re hiding out?”

I could tell Dad was fighting to maintain his cool. It was rare, very rare, for him to lose his temper, but I knew he was on the verge. He bit down on his lower lip, closing his eyes for a second. When he opened them, his eyes were narrowed and stony. “Trina, now is not the time to play games.” His voice cut the air with a chill that made goosebumps rise on my arms.

“Sheesh, can’t a girl have some fun?”

A low snarl emanated from Dad’s lips.

“All right! Keep your speedos on!”

“Just pick up the index cards with the most likely locations and give them to me,” he growled.

“Oh, the location is not on any of those cards!”

Dad suddenly stood, his hands clenched.

Trina sprang to her feet and hid behind the couch. “They’re all at Alfred’s!”

“Alfred?” Dad’s voice was lethally calm.

“Yes, Alfred’s. He’s a friend of your dad’s. He has a big house in London. That’s where the Sigma-W council members congregate in a crisis, which I take it this is.”

“Why didn’t you tell us this in the first place?” Constance asked. “We’ve wasted two hours!”

“Well, you didn’t ask. You asked me to list all their residences and hidey places, and that’s just what I did–”

“Be quiet!” Dad’s voice boomed, making me almost jump out of my skin. David grabbed my hand, calming me down. “Constance, take this despicable woman out of my sight. Get all the information we need from her and charter a plane to take us to London. We need to get to this Alfred’s house as soon as possible.”

Dad collapsed back into his chair as soon as they left.

“Dad,” I whispered gently, after he’d had a few moments to himself. “Let’s go over and see Mom before we leave for London.”

“Yes, you’re right.” He lifted his head. “I don’t know how long this will take, so let’s go now and visit Larry as well. Ella will be with Olivia. Are you sure you want to come to London, Arizona? I’d much rather you stayed here with Ella and Morgana. David can stay here with you.”

I shook my head adamantly. “I need to come and help find the boys. I can’t stay here and wonder….”

“I’ll come and look after her,” David offered, squeezing my hand. I squeezed back, throwing him an appreciative glance.

“Dad, who is Alfred?”

“I’ve no idea. I’m guessing it’s one of Dad’s Sigma-W associates. But, in all honesty, I don’t know. Once I declined to join, I wasn’t privy to the Sigma-W affairs.”

“What about Trina? What does she do for the Sigma-W? Or rather, what did she used to do?”

“She was the Sigma-W historian and librarian. She knows everything about everything and everyone who has been part of or connected to the Sigma-W in any way.”

“Why was she banished?” I asked inquisitively.

“I don’t know. However, it must have been something serious. By all accounts, she was outstanding at her job.”

“Do you think Granddad will give her the job back?”

“I hope so. Shall we go?”

The visit to Mom’s bedside at the hospital was brief. Ella was already there with Morgana. They’d had a quick dinner and headed right over.

“Ella, Arizona and I have to be away for a while. You’re going to stay at Sally’s house. Is that okay?” Dad asked softly.

Ella’s eyes lit up. Sally and she were like two peas in a pod. They had been best friends for a long time, and Ella loved sleeping over at her place.
 
At least that was one thing that didn’t seem to have changed. She nodded enthusiastically, stroking Talullah’s tummy.

“Morgana is going to stay over as well,” Dad added.

“That’s good. She can chat with Sally’s mom while we play.”

“Good, so you’re all set?”

“Yes, Dad, but come home soon. Okay?”

“We will, hon. Come for a hug!”

I gazed down at Mom one more time before I left, gently brushing my lips against her forehead. “Love you, Mom.” She didn’t stir.

While we weren’t allowed in to see Larry, he was apparently resting comfortably. After a quick stop at the house to pack our bags, we went to the airport where a plane waited for us.

“Dad, once we find the Sigma-W, we’ll rescue Harry and Kellan, right?”

“Yes, it’s the only reason we’re heading to London. We need their help.”

W
e all caught up on our sleep on the way to London. I sat next to Dad, who went from being lost in a deep thought to counting Zs in a matter of minutes. He looked so much like Harry when he slept. Now that I had met Granddad, I could see the strong family traits–the shape of the nose, the strong jawlines, and the same dark hair. I closed my eyes. I had a feeling that it was going to be a long day once we landed.

I was right. We were ushered to a couple of helicopters right after we got off the flight. I jumped on with David, his mom, and Dad while the rest of them–including Trina–took the other one. Trina had been surprisingly somber. She hadn’t even tried lighting her pipe on the plane. I wondered if she was apprehensive about meeting Granddad.

I enjoyed the copter ride, taking in the London sights–the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, the River Thames. We landed shortly afterward. Our destination was a Tudor estate in Guildford, south of the Thames. We landed on a helicopter pad in the backyard. The helicopter pilot didn’t cut the engine, but let us out, and then took off again, allowing the second helicopter to land. We watched it land, but we were grateful for the calm once they left.

We were looking around wondering where to go when I noticed a girl walking up to us along a path through the lawn. She was petite, and perhaps my age. She wore a maid’s uniform, like one of those I’d seen in movies.

“Hello.” Her voice was surprisingly firm. “I am Finna, the housekeeper. The master asked me to bring you to the reception hall. Please follow me.” She turned and waved at us to follow.

We followed her down the garden path, through the large sliding doors, and into the house. Eventually, she led us into a large room illuminated by a massive chandelier. It was filled with a few garish pieces of furniture. Gold and red seemed to be the theme colors; even the walls were covered in a hideous-patterned wallpaper in these colors. Most of the wall was fortunately covered in large floor-to-ceiling oil paintings, old relatives, no doubt. They appeared ashen, perhaps the style of the artist.

I was startled when somebody rose rather abruptly from one of the chairs in the corner. The tall, lean, ashen-faced man confirmed that the oil renderings were indeed of his relatives. It was hard to judge his age. He didn’t have any wrinkles, but seemed old. His eyes were slightly reddish, perhaps from too much alcohol or a severe lack of sleep.

Finna curtsied and left. I guessed this was her boss, Alfred.

He turned to Dad and nodded formally. “I’m Alfred. What brings you to my humble abode?”

Humble? Hardly!

Dad’s expression was blank with a polite forced smile, which didn’t reach his eyes. “I am so sorry to appear here unannounced. We didn’t know how to contact you. I understand that you know my father, Spencer Darley.”

Alfred’s expression changed immediately. His eyes suddenly twinkled, and his lips broke into a grin. “Rupert?”

“Yes–”

Before Dad could utter another word, he was enveloped in a firm hug. Then Alfred thumped him on his back. “Well, I never! Imagine that. Rupert! I haven’t seen you since you were in diapers. Look how big you’ve grown. I should have guessed it was you; I can see the family resemblance now. I was taken by surprise. I wasn’t expecting guests, and we are on high alert because of your father’s situation. But I guess that’s why you are here. Now, introduce me to your friends.”