Trapped (22 page)

‘Lulu,' Marcus said flatly. ‘Of course, it was Lulu.'

‘She was the missing link, the paymaster,' agreed Cate. ‘She accompanied Nancy around the world, setting up the trips,
organising the publicity stunts, even writing Nancy's soppy speeches.

‘And all the time she was using that access to get to those precious animals. She probably handed over wodges of cash to some poor sap on the animal reserve in return for a baby animal for just a week or so. Or perhaps she convinced them it was for a secret photo shoot, or for a fundraising publicity stunt. Either way it probably seemed innocent enough and, when the animals weren't returned, the staff were always too frightened to own up. I bet Lulu can be nasty when she's crossed.'

‘Wow,' said Piot. He looked shocked. ‘Good work, Cate.'

‘Actually, it doesn't make sense at all,' Henri broke in tersely. ‘Tass isn't the first person to try to clone endangered animals, and he won't be the last. There are always dozens of backers for these sorts of schemes so, even if people knew what he was doing, it would hardly raise eyebrows let alone cause shockwaves. There wasn't really the need for such secrecy, let alone the thuggery and the killings. No, it's not enough. There is something else going on here, something that doesn't fit in with what Cate is telling us.'

‘You're dead right.' Cate turned to him. ‘That's exactly what I couldn't work out, either. Arthur will tell you better than I can,' she continued quietly. ‘It was all on the laptop, but it was Arthur who worked out what it meant.'

As if on cue, the computer technician came over to the group. ‘We're ready to go online now,' he said to no one in particular. ‘Give me the IP address and we'll be good to go.'

‘I'll do it,' said Cate. She walked over to his computer and
typed in Arthur's details. Within a few seconds Arthur's face was up on the large screen above them, his disembodied voice sounding even more child-like as it wafted through the speakers and up into the cavernous ceiling.

‘Hi, Cate,' he said nervously. ‘Hi . . . everyone.'

There was a murmured ‘hello' from the grown-ups standing below him.

‘Arthur,' said Cate, walking over to the screen and standing as close to it as she could. ‘Arthur, tell them what Professor Mantanini was really up to. Tell them why he had to die.'

‘I couldn't believe it at first.' Arthur was speaking in a low voice and the others, further away than Cate, had to strain to hear him. ‘It seemed so awful that I thought I must have got it wrong. But I went through it over and over last night. There's no mistake.' He paused.

‘Go on, Arthur,' said Cate.

‘It wasn't actually that difficult to find,' said Arthur. ‘You did all the sweatwork getting hold of the files, sis. But anyway, like you asked, I started searching through the files and there was a series of emails that told the story.

‘The professor wasn't cloning, well, not any more. It seems that, when he was working as a cloning expert, his research produced an added bonus. He realised that he could manipulate the DNA of animals to stop them getting old.'

Arthur stopped for a minute, his face pale and sad, trying to compose himself. ‘He'd found out how to essentially switch off the ageing gene of mammals,' said Arthur. ‘That's why he started using very young animals, creatures who were still growing fast. It was easier to tell if they had stopped growing.
The animals Cate found are two years old but physically they are no older than six months.

‘There were a few problems as he developed his work.' Arthur's voice dropped to a whisper. ‘He sent emails to Tass telling him about animals becoming horribly disfigured with skin blisters and muscle wasting. Others ended up unable to see or even breathe properly. One or two aged overnight and a couple went properly mad. But then the professor would simply destroy them and put in an order to Tass and his gang for more animals. Then one day it all came together. As soon as the animals showed they weren't ageing, and research was finalised, the professor became expendable.'

Arthur paused watching the reaction from the adults around him. Did they believe him? Did they even understand him?

The men were staring dumbstruck at the screen. Finally Piot broke the silence. ‘I don't get it,' he said honestly. ‘Can you please run it by me one more time?'

‘He was creating animals that would never grow old,' said Henri slowly. ‘He was deliberately removing from them any ability to age, to grow up to adulthood, to reproduce, to grow old, to die.'

There was a stunned silence as the adults digested the awful truth.

‘God,' said Marcus. ‘No wonder Tass wanted to keep it quiet. Something like that would have the scientific world in uproar. You're right, Arthur.' He turned to the boy. ‘The thought of something as powerful as that in the wrong hands is utterly terrifying. But unethical and immoral as it may be,
there would always be someone who would want a piece of it.'

‘That's right,' said Cate. ‘Sometime in the next few months, Tass was going to parade the animals in front of the world's media – and not just any animals, endangered animals, which would get even more attention. He wouldn't tell them about the thefts, of course, or how many animals had died terrified and in agony, in the process – it would ruin what reputation he'd built. So he had to bury the truth. Take the professor's files and make sure the professor could never reveal the lengths Tass went to.'

‘But why?' Henri was impatient. ‘Tass has all the money he could ever need. He wouldn't need to sell the research.'

Cate turned to him. ‘He wanted his dad to be proud of him,' she said quietly. ‘That's what I think. That was all. He wanted his dad's approval.'

Henri coughed. ‘Er, Cate, what has that got to do with those animals?'

‘Don't you see, Henri?' Cate said. ‘It has everything to do with it. I thought about what Nancy had told me. About Tass having his dad on his case all the time. I thought of how he must feel, how badly he must have wanted his dad's respect. He knew he had to do something amazing, something incredible. He had to literally save the world. Or, in his case, he decided he had to save the animal world, but ended up with something far more ground-breaking.'

Marcus smiled and shook his head. ‘Of course,' he said. ‘That makes sense. Why else would he risk so much? But how exactly was saving endangered animals going to get his dad to bring out the cheerleaders?'

‘It would have given him the success he craved, money and power beyond his wildest dreams,' said Piot slowly. ‘It would have made his dad sit up and take notice.'

‘We need those animals alive,' Henri said firmly, dragging them back to the practicalities. ‘That would provide the definite proof. We need to storm the boat, mount a rescue operation, arrest the crew.'

‘You can try.' Arthur spoke again, high above them. ‘But I doubt you'll succeed. A small army wouldn't be able to storm that boat, and in any case, they'd see you coming a mile off.'

‘He's right,' Marcus said. ‘Tass has got powerboats and that damn submarine. Those animals would be gone long before we even got onboard. We have to do this by stealth. Somehow, someone needs to get onto the yacht and disarm the defences to give us any chance of a happy ending.'

This time the silence seemed to last forever. Three pairs of eyes swivelled towards Cate.

‘Cate?' said Henri finally, sounding rather as if he was asking her if she fancied a cup of tea. ‘Cate, how do you feel about one more trip out to
The Good Times
? Sooner rather than later.'

‘Ooowww.' Nancy's screams reverberated around
Catwalk II
. ‘God, what are you – some kind of sadist?'

Jules tugged hard at the waxing strips that were plastered on her legs.

Cate, who was giving the children lunch in the salon, could hardly contain her giggles.

‘What's Jules doing to Mummy?' asked Willow as she fed her bear some smoked salmon.

‘They're making her beautiful,' said Oak, not looking up from his book. ‘By ripping her hair out.'

‘Oh,' said Ash. ‘Yuck.'

Cate looked down at her phone, checking for texts but there were none. In truth she didn't expect any. After all, if you pulled out of a first date just a few hours before it was due to take place you couldn't exactly expect the bloke to be delighted.

I wouldn't be surprised if he never wanted to see me again
, Cate
thought glumly, as she remembered his gorgeous eyes and charming smile.

She hadn't heard back from Arthur either, not after the two of them had had their worst ever row.

He had been furious with her, frightened too, she knew. He had even shouted at Marcus and Henri, told them they were risking Cate's life, and she was shaken by the depth of his fear.

‘These are really dangerous people,' he kept saying. ‘They killed the professor, they'll kill you if they catch you.'

Piot too had been on Arthur's side. ‘Cate is a child,' he said to Henri. ‘What kind of people are we to send a child back into danger? What if something terrible happens to her?'

Henri had snorted then. ‘Cate is not a child. She's a, a . . .' he searched for the right words. ‘She's a fighter, a warrior, a natural-born spy. She's perfect for this job. If anyone else goes onboard that ship the alarm will be raised and the game will be over. Cate knows the boat already, and she has the best chance of getting access without raising suspicion. No one else has a hope of rescuing those animals without her help and you know it.'

The arguments had ceased then, Marcus and Henri nodding their agreement, Piot walking away in disgust. Even Arthur was finally quiet, wishing his sister a terse and strained goodbye.

‘Well,' Henri had said briskly, as Arthur had vanished from the screen in front of them. ‘That's settled. Cate, liaise with Marcus. Let him know what you need and when you need it. The entire resources of the department are at your disposal. Good luck.'

‘Has anyone spotted Bill lately?' It was Wendy, walking through the cabin with a pile of towels in her hand, bringing Cate back to the present. ‘I haven't seen him since this morning.'

‘Isn't he down in the mess?' asked Cate. ‘Or have you tried the engine room?'

‘Nah, looked down there,' said Wendy. ‘Perhaps he's gone somewhere with Lulu. I haven't seen her all day either. Well, if you see him, tell him I need him. Nancy wanted to plan a trip down to Sardinia this week.'

Just then, the door to Nancy's cabin burst open and the supermodel, her waxing ordeal clearly over, danced out wearing a metallic gold bikini and a pair of oversized sunglasses. She was trailed by a rather rotund girl wearing a pair of jeans and a billowing kaftan top which made her look even larger. The new nanny, Cate presumed.

‘Darlings!' said Nancy, as the children looked up, astonished at her sudden appearance. ‘Tonight we are going to be a family, a proper family.'

The children looked blankly at her.

‘Tass and me, and all of you beautiful, gorgeous kids. We're spending a lovely evening in together, eating pizza and watching Disney films down here in the salon. We're going to make up a bed on the floor with heaps of duvets and eat popcorn. Won't that be fabulous?'

The younger children beamed happily, caught up in the excitement.

Oak looked less pleased. ‘Does Tass have to be there?' he said, looking up at his mother. ‘Wouldn't it be better if it was just us lot? You know he doesn't like us anyway.'

‘Oak, that's so not true!' Nancy sounded outraged. ‘This was all his idea.'

‘Yeah, right,' murmured Oak.

That afternoon, Cate, spotting that Suki, the new nanny, was already looking stressed, volunteered to take the children to the beach near the harbour. It was crowded with families enjoying the bright sunny Sunday afternoon.

A little white dog ran in and out of the sea, barking at the waves, and a delighted Elm and Ash threw sticks for it into the water. Beech lay asleep, covered up by towels and, at the far end of the scimitar-shaped beach, Oak and Willow were clambering happily together over heaped up piles of rocks.

Cate sat hugging her knees, absorbing the happiness around her, trying not to think of the danger that was to come. She shook her head and crossed her finger grimly.
This time tomorrow
, she promised herself,
it will be all over
.

By seven o'clock that evening, the children were bathed, changed into their pyjamas and already lying heaped over quilts and pillows that had been strewn across the salon floor in front of the TV.

Nancy was with them on the floor whilst Tass sat stiffly on one of the huge cream sofas, fiddling with the remote control. Cate waved goodnight to the children and went to see Marcus who was in the galley preparing the pizzas.

‘Let's run through the plan to get you onboard one more time,' said Marcus, shutting the door quietly behind her. ‘We don't want any needless mistakes.'

Ten minutes later, as dusk was falling, Cate headed off the
boat onto the still warm pontoon. The lights from the boats glowed and flickered around her, and she could hear music from a yacht behind
Catwalk II
and the sound of people laughing. Cate was wearing her black leggings, a black jogging top and black trainers, her hair tucked into a dark scarf she had borrowed from Nancy's collection. In her rucksack she was carrying her phone, a Swiss Army knife, a powerful miniature torch, the survival kit and this time, after much deliberation with Marcus, the gun.

The red powerboat belonging to
The Good Times
was tied up to a small seaweed-encrusted post close to
Catwalk II
awaiting Tass and his bodyguards for their return trip to
The Good Times
. It was an easy job for Cate to step down into it as it bobbed around gently in the marina. She held her breath, waiting for an alarm or something to go off. But everything stayed quiet. Only the chirp of the cicadas from the park over the road disturbed the peaceful early evening air.