The Chrysalid Conspiracy (48 page)

“Amelia?” she’d asked. “I want very much to support you in this, but I would like to know what’s happening before I put mine and my kids’ future at risk?”

“That’s fair enough,” Amelia said, trying to manoeuvre her tortured lower body into a more comfortable position. “Unfortunately, we don’t have time for explanations just now. If you want to walk away, that will be fine. I understand perfectly.”

“Molly, all this has a purpose,” Rayn had added. “Our lives are in danger and that includes you and the twins. Please trust us a while longer.”

Molly had looked at Nigel for support and comfort.

“I love you Moll,” he said. “But I have to stay with Amelia. Whatever’s going on, it’s been going on for a long time and I promised G-Dad I’d stick with her no matter what.”

“Did you mean what you said earlier?” she asked him.

“Of course. You can trust me on that one.” He replied.

“That settles it then,” replied Molly. “Amelia, I’m in. Whatever it is.”

“Er, it’s none of my business,” Rayn wondered. “But what could he have said that settled your mind so quickly?”

“Oh, he’s just asked me to marry him,” Molly had confessed, failing miserably to hide her elation.

“I hope you had the good sense to accept?” was Lucy’s contribution. Rayn had punched the air as Molly confirmed that she did. Amelia had been thrilled but remained distant from the untimely celebration.

“Congratulations. A toast, then let’s dig ourselves out of this mess we’re in. Sorry and all that, but time is slipping away,” she reminded them.

“And the police are very big on timings.” Volunteered Lucy.

Lucy led the toast to Mrs. Orugo and George and another one to Molly and Nigel with over-generous shot. “Now,” said Amelia. “Rayn, we need some solid police proof excuses. What can you come up with?”

Rayn’s eyes lit up like a fruit machine on ‘win’ as her brain switched to ‘deception mode’. “Why don’t we get a step ladder in there and then tear the curtains and make it look as though she had a domestic accident.” she suggested.

“Rayn! We can’t do that.” Lucy was appalled by her suggestion. “It’s not right. It’s so cold and heartless.”

“We have to, Lucy,” Rayn said. “We don’t want to be in jail for Armageddon and miss all the fun.”

***

It was some twenty minutes later that the first police cars arrived.

“Right, everyone,” Amelia had remarked. “The curtain’s going up. We’re on.”
What a day,
she thought.
I’ve been well supported by the good, dealt with the bad, and all I have to do now is dance with the ugly.

“Hello Inspector,” she said. “How nice to meet you again”

“Well, well, well,” smiled the Inspector. “I didn’t think it would be long before we met again. Didn’t I say so, Sergeant? Gut instinct, that’s what it was. I told you so. And I see the body count has gone up. Well, well, well.” He had single-handedly set the tone for the entire investigation.

His entourage, the machinery of truth and justice burst into action. Interviews, statements, questions, timings. Lucy was right – they were very big on timings.

Amelia adopted the role of a concerned child with no idea of what was going on. She was relieved that Rayn had followed suit and was quiet and demure, respectful and non-aggressive.

Lorraine had arrived and rounded up the few staff that were on duty. They were mainly kitchen staff as there were no guests at the moment, and they hadn’t even been aware of the events. She’d explained the function of Tetherington Hall, a non-profit-making research and development facility for the Botanical Society. “Quite harmless and very successful”, she added.

It was about an hour later that the inspector homed in on Amelia. “I’m glad your mother is all right,” he said to her. Amelia felt some comfort from his compassion, a quality she’d believed he lacked. “What’s with the wheelchair? Are you hurt?”

“Not really,” she answered, with a half-smile. “I fell off a horse.”

“Really?” he said. “I’ll get one of our medics to take a look at you, just in case.”

“Actually, I’d rather not. I also tore the backside out of my jeans and it’s a bit embarrassing.” She definitely wasn’t having some paramedic rummaging around in the places that really hurt.

He laughed and then continued. “That knee looks very swollen. You did that falling of your horse?”

“Yes, so it seems,” she answered.

“What I don’t understand is,” said the inspector, quite deliberately, “how did you manage to jump off and run up here to the second floor with injuries that now prevent you from walking?”

“I’ve no idea, Inspector. Why?” Amelia was beginning to feel increasingly uncomfortable at the inspector’s line of questioning.

“Well,” he said. “The only other person here, according to you, was your friend Rayn. She’s left a detective’s dream, namely muddy footprints all over the place. Now, she came up the stairs, but two at a time. So she wasn’t carrying you. And there are no footprints in the lift either. There are conditions that can cause someone to lose all sense of pain, but these are pretty extreme and need an awful lot of urgency. What do you say to that?”

Amelia felt her insides implode as she realised she had vastly underestimated this man. She had, like others no doubt, been taken in by his ‘seen it all, couldn’t care less’ attitude. The eyes that scanned her now were sharp and intelligent. Amelia knew she was in a corner.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, Inspector,” was all she could say. She needed time to think, but he wasn’t allowing her a second.

By a stroke of luck, Dr Barrenborn arrived at that moment. She and Alyson had waited in the woods after the girls had left so abruptly, staying out of sight. Having seen the police arrive, they’d returned up the back trail. The climb up the wooded hill had been tough and slow going but, somehow, they’d made themselves look fresh and explained that they had been out for a walk.

Dr Barrenborn acted the ‘Lady of the Manor’ with the Inspector, and after her initial shock at learning of George’s and Mrs Orugo’s deaths, two of her employees she assured him, she invited him to her office to discuss the legal implications.

Amelia breathed a sigh of relief as they walked away. The Inspector turned to her. “I expect we’ll meet again, young lady. In fact, I’ve no doubt about it,” he added.

When everything had died down the Inspector, having warned them not to leave the country, left them to it.

Amelia, seeing Nigel hand Rayn one of the throwing knives asked “Where are the others?”

He shrugged. “Dunno.”

“I’m sitting on the belt with two of them,” she said. “That makes three. So there’s one more somewhere.”

“No, that’s okay. I only had three,” said Rayn.

“But what about the last one? The one you didn’t throw?” asked Amelia.

“I couldn’t throw it. I didn’t have one,” replied Rayn.

“What!” Amelia exclaimed.

“I only had three. I just thought Ryxyl was so good I wondered if she knew anything about poker. Obviously not. She thought I had another ace and folded.”

“I knew I didn’t like that woman,” said Nigel. “I’ve seen her around. She’s so pretty on the outside and so ugly on the inside.” Amelia wanted to laugh at Rayn’s audacity and Nigel’s acute observation, but the possible outcome of having Rayn’s bluff called rather took the humour out of it.

“How come you had the knives in the first place?”

“Mum threw them to me as I ran past the caravan. She was making the belt for me, but Nigel hasn’t finished all the knives yet. Don’t ask me how she knew I’d need a weapon.”

“Rayn, you’d better get yourself cleaned up. You’re a mess.” Amelia pointed out.

“Not until I’ve taken care of you, Mon Capitan,” said Rayn. She turned to Lorraine, who’d been surveying the damaged table. Her excuse was that two drunken guests had had a mock sword fight on it. “Thanks for your support, Lorraine. We’ll tell you what’s going on later,” she said.

“No thanks Rayn,” Lorraine surprised her with her quick reply. “I come from the same school as Molly. The less I know the less chance there is of a mistake. Just tell me when the time’s right. Those cops are smarter than me. I can’t tell them what I don’t know.”

“Thanks,” replied Rayn. “Is there somewhere we can take Amelia and get those jeans off? She’s hurt.”

“Sure, we can go to the infirmary. I’ll get Dr Barrenborn to take a look.”

“Not yet, we won’t,” interjected Amelia. “Just get me some pain killers, would you please? I need to speak to that woman. Where is she?”

Lorraine was taken aback by Amelia’s animosity. “She’ll be in her office, I expect,” she replied. “Do you want me to get her?”

“No,” answered Amelia. “Take me to her. Rayn, you’re with me. Then we’d better give Mum her wheels back.”

“She’s okay,” Rayn told her. “My mum’s been briefed and she’s in with her. The bodies have been removed and they’re working their way through the rest of that brandy. And I don’t blame them.”

***

Dr Barrenborn’s office had once been a sumptuous library. The mahogany book cases were mostly empty now, the books replaced with plastic box files and folders. A simple office desk sat at the far end supporting a laptop and a jumble of office paraphernalia including unfinished paperwork laying scattered about its surface. There were several other desks around, smaller, but similarly loaded, and many chairs.

The lighting was, again, neon. The walls and ceiling were plain white and the only attempt to preserve any of the Victorian aesthetics was the open stone fireplace and the doctor’s chair, an ornate carver with luxurious upholstery. The whole room was functional except for that chair, in which the doctor obviously spent a lot of her time.

She was sitting in it now, stern and forbidding. Rayn parked Amelia squarely in front of her and then stood to one side, matching Miss Collins’ position. There was silence.

“Amelia,” the doctor broke first. “I’m waiting for an explanation.”

“So am I, doctor. But what do you want first?” Amelia refused to be intimidated.

“I want to know about this ridiculous accusation against Ryxyl.”

“What? That insane creature that Rayn and I had to fight in order to save my mother and ourselves?”

Miss Collins lost her cool. “How dare you, child? You can’t go around accusing…”

“QUIET!” shouted Rayn. “Let’s not let this deteriorate into a slanging match. Believe me, you’d lose.”

“Amelia,” said Maddy. “There could be serious repercussions that you don’t know about. Now, where did you get this fanciful idea from?”

Amelia paused for a moment, steeling herself for the attack. “Dr Barrenborn,” she said softly. “I apologise for calling you a fool earlier. Please don’t make me do it again.”

The doctor’s face was ashen. Nobody had ever spoken to her in that manner before. It was a shock that someone would dare. Her voice was a little too soft as she responded. “I think you had better qualify that remark, young lady, before we go any further.”

“I’m appalled by your attitude, Dr Barrenborn,” said Amelia, quite deliberately. “Two people have just died. They were real, they lived and were loved and will be missed. The fact that it was because of your incompetence is neither here nor there. They are dead. And all you are concerned about is a crazy killer’s reputation and the effect it may have on your organisation.”

Bang goes our escape route,
thought Rayn.

“We’re trying to save the human race here. How dare you.” Miss Collins was nearly screaming in indignation.

“So it’s true then,” retorted Amelia. “That’s what all this is about. And I was worried how this would all play out in the courts, silly me.”

“You don’t have to worry about the legal aspects,” answered the Doctor. “My lawyers are on it. By tomorrow it won’t even be a footnote in the local papers.”

“Our main concern here,” added Miss Collins, “is to save humanity from itself, hopefully.”

“At what cost?” pointed out Rayn, completely on Amelia’s wavelength. “How can you save humanity if it costs you your own?”

“I’m afraid I’m not with you. We are a humanitarian organisation and I really don’t think you should speak to the Doctor in that way. It shows a lack of…” Miss Collins did her best but Amelia, who had decided to adopt the police inspector’s technique of not allowing them time to think, cut her off.

“Maddy,” she said, emphasising the first name. “You’ve been sitting here so long in the centre of your web surrounded by ‘yes’ people, juggling statistics and paperwork, moving people like pins on a map that you’ve lost the plot. You can’t save humanity unless you can save the human spirit. Your organisation has been infiltrated, and you’ve surrounded yourself with people who dare not contradict you.”

Rayn took up the fight. “When Amelia and I were fighting Ryxyl, I came to realise that I love Amelia like family. So much so that I knew I would willingly die for her. Who would you die for? What is there in your life that you would sacrifice it for? That’s the human spirit, and without it we are no different from animals. So go ahead, try and save the world. Without it, you’ll lose anyway.”

“We’re leaving now,” said Amelia. “Rayn, myself and Bridie would like to stay overnight if we may, please Doctor? We’ll take my mum home in the morning.” Her voice was pleasant and normal, as if the tension had just evaporated.

“Do you think that’s a good idea, Amelia? By the way, it’s Maddy and Alyson still. We’re not enemies, I hope?”

“Thanks” said Rayn. “We have to go. We’ve Nigel and Molly’s wedding to plan.”

When the two women were alone again, Maddy reached into a drawer and pulled out a bottle of whisky. ‘The good stuff’, she called it. Without bothering to use a glass, she took a long pull from the bottle. She then handed it to Alyson, who did the same. “My God, Alyson,” she said when she had her breath back. “The plan was to slow them down. I think we had the opposite effect. They’re only fifteen years old for goodness sake. It’s too early. Had George been right? Have they progressed too much too soon? Lucy did warn us, but I didn’t believe it would be possible. What have we done?”

***

In the infirmary Amelia eased her body onto the examination table. “Would you really die for me?” she said.