Okay, thanks for the warning.
Ed broke the connection and I looked up – to find Avery staring at me. He looked away immediately, a strange expression on his face. He fixed his gaze on the lemonade glass I’d been drinking from, seemingly lost in thought.
A shiver snaked down my back. Whatever anyone said, I wasn’t going to trust Avery Jones without a lot more proof that he truly had our best interests at heart.
Avery shook himself and looked up.
‘I hope, now that Ed has used his amazing gift to see inside my mind, that you will begin to trust me. I only want to help you. I’m offering you the chance to stay here – where Geri Paterson will never find you – while you work out what to do next. I have plenty of money and there’s plenty of space. I ask only that you let me talk to you about your gifts. As a psychologist, I was always convinced that the Medusa gene would work differently in different people. The four of you, with your varying abilities, seem to prove me right.’
‘Can we call our parents?’ Ketty asked. ‘I mean, without the phone calls being traced?’
‘Of course,’ Avery said. ‘I’ll sort out some safe phones to be secretly delivered to your parents. You can use the secure line here to call them.’
‘Wait a minute,’ Dylan said. ‘If Geri didn’t sell you the Medusa gene, how d’you explain Cal? Why is he here? How come he’s able to fly, for Pete’s sake?’
‘Ah, yes . . . Cal . . .’ Avery hesitated. ‘I wanted to give you some background first, but . . . well . . . yes, I have a child with the Medusa gene.’
‘Cal is your son?’ Ketty said. She was open-mouthed, clearly completely fascinated.
‘I thought so,’ I said, trying to sound knowing. The others looked at me.
‘Yeah, we forgot.’ Dylan rolled her eyes. ‘You know everything, Nico.’
‘Yes, Cal is my son,’ Avery said lightly. ‘And, before you ask, he’s the only one with the Medusa gene. I’ll tell you the full story later . . . For now I hope you will let me show you to your rooms. Everyone has their own en suite and—’
‘Excuse me for butting into the invite to the freakin’ spa weekend,’ Dylan said, looking around at everybody. ‘But we can’t stay. We came here to get evidence against Geri, remember? So we can clear our names of Bookman’s murder and get her sent to jail for what she did to my parents.’ She turned on Avery. ‘You don’t have any proof that she killed my dad, do you?’
‘No,’ Avery said. ‘I don’t.’
There was a short pause.
‘We can stay for a bit,’ Ketty said, her tone calm and reasonable. ‘Don’t you think, Ed?’
Why was she asking him? It struck me that she hadn’t so much as looked in my direction since our earlier argument.
Ed glanced nervously at Dylan. ‘It makes sense to stay for a day or two,’ he said. ‘I mean, I’m certain Professor Jones doesn’t want to hurt us. And we’re going to need some time to work out what to do next so that we can prove Geri’s a murderer and get back home, so . . .’
‘You’re all missing the point,’ I said, standing up. Ed’s words about Avery’s powerful, hidden thoughts suddenly made sense. ‘Avery might not want to hurt us, but he’s definitely planning on using us.’
Avery gazed up at me, eyebrows raised. There was a steely quality in his expression, but when he spoke, his voice was smooth and good-humoured.
‘And how am I planning on using you, Nico?’ he said.
‘I don’t know yet,’ I said. ‘But I don’t believe you went to all the trouble of bringing us here just out of the goodness of your heart.’
The tension in the room rose. I could feel the others looking intently at me, but I kept my gaze on Avery.
He gave a low chuckle. ‘You’re quite right, Nico. I didn’t bring you here just as an act of charity. I thought this could wait a day or two, but evidently it needs to come out now.’ He paused. ‘There is something I want – but it’s something you want, too. In fact, it’s something you need.’
The room was now so silent I could hear the low hum of the air conditioner.
‘And what’s that?’ I said.
Avery looked at Dylan. ‘I told you just now that I had no concrete evidence that Geri killed your parents?’
Dylan nodded. Avery’s hard, grey eyes flickered from her across the others, coming to rest on me.
‘Well, that was true,’ he said. ‘I don’t have any proof. But I know where you can get it.’
9: Thefts
Avery refused to tell us any more about the evidence on Geri until we had showered and rested. He took us through a series of cool, shady corridors and up a small flight of stairs to what he referred to as the east wing of the house. With a wave of his hand, he indicated four rooms, two on either side of a long landing that led to a balcony overlooking the swimming pool.
The rooms were identical. Spacious and minimalist, with soft brown covers and cushions on the beds and glass-topped bedside tables. Each room had a small wardrobe with hanging space and drawers and an en suite bathroom. A huge, flat-screen TV stood in the corner, complete with a cupboard full of computer games and DVDs.
‘You can use the internet in here . . . download movies . . . music . . . whatever you like . . .’ Avery said, smiling at our amazement.
‘It’s like a freakin’ hotel,’ said Dylan.
‘Yes, and you are my guests,’ Avery said smoothly. ‘So please ask for anything you need.’ He checked his watch – large and gold and the only piece of jewellery he wore.
‘I realise you must be disoriented because of the time difference with England, but it’s now almost six p.m. Why don’t you relax for an hour, then I’ll send Cal to take you on a tour of the ranch? After that, I’ll join you for dinner.’
‘Thank you,’ said Ed politely. Ketty and Dylan nodded.
I leaned against the wall of the bedroom we were standing in. Was I the only one who felt that something was massively off here? It just all felt too good to be true.
I looked up. Avery was staring at me again. His eyes flickered away immediately and he cleared his throat.
‘If you’d like to take a shower, there are towels in the bathrooms,’ he said. ‘I’ll send Philly with a change of clothes.’
‘What, you just happen to have a load of clothes that’ll fit us in the house?’ I said suspiciously.
Avery smiled. ‘I can’t promise the fit will be exact, or that the garments will be to your taste, but I have eight children, ranging in age from three to twenty-three – so, yes, there’re plenty of clothes in the house!’
‘Eight children?’ Ketty said faintly.
‘And you said none of them apart from Cal are Medusa?’ Dylan asked.
‘That’s right,’ said Avery.
‘Are they all here?’ Ed asked.
‘No.’ Avery explained. ‘The three eldest are away at college or work. The others are here. You’ll see them later – the younger ones are mine and Philly’s children. The older ones belong to my late first and second wives.’
‘Three wives and eight children?’ I glared at Avery. ‘Are you trying to set some kind of record?’
Avery’s gaze hardened for a second, then he pursed his lips. ‘As I said, both my first and second wives died. It is to Philly’s great credit that she treats all my children as her own,’ he said, an edge creeping into his voice. ‘Please don’t judge the way I live my life, Nico. We do the best we can.’
He took his leave and disappeared along the corridor. As soon as he’d gone, the others rounded on me.
‘Why were you so rude?’ Ketty demanded.
‘Yeah,’ Dylan agreed. ‘The guy’s a weirdo, for sure, but we don’t want to get him mad until we’ve found out about the evidence he’s got on Geri.’
I stomped across the bedroom to the window. This room looked out over a patch of grass surrounded by rose bushes. I couldn’t imagine the effort it must take in this dust bowl to keep anything green alive. I could just make out the edge of the
swimming pool outside. The water shimmered in the sunlight.
It was all too perfect . . . too beautiful . . .
‘I don’t believe he knows anything about any evidence against Geri,’ I snarled. ‘I think he’s making it up. Did you see the way he keeps looking at me? Like I’m a bug under a microscope.’
Ketty rolled her eyes. ‘You are such an egotist, Nico. You’re imagining the looks – and I think you’re being paranoid about Avery. Why shouldn’t he want to help us expose Geri?’
‘What’s in it for him?’ I demanded.
‘Maybe he wants revenge, too,’ Dylan said. ‘If Cal’s his son, then he must have had a relationship with Cal’s mother – who must have been killed by the Medusa gene, like our moms were.’
‘She’d be one of his late wives.’ Ketty nodded. ‘What do you think, Ed?’
‘Er . . . I don’t think Avery was lying about either the evidence on Geri or about looking after us here for a while,’ Ed said slowly. ‘Though I agree with Nico that there’s something he’s not telling us.’
‘Well, I’m taking a shower,’ Dylan said. ‘We can find out everything else later.’
She marched into the room opposite and shut the door. Ed wandered away soon after, to the room immediately beyond Dylan’s. Ketty turned to go.
I grabbed her arm. ‘Ketts?’ I said. ‘What’s up?’
She shook off my arm. ‘Nothing.’
‘Yes, there is,’ I said. ‘Why are you mad at me?’
‘Why are you being so difficult?’ she said.
I stared at her. Did she really think I was the one being difficult?
‘Why’s it unreasonable to be suspicious of a man who comes out of nowhere and offers us exactly what we want, plus the equivalent of a holiday in a five-star hotel?’
‘I’m not talking about Avery,’ Ketty said. ‘I’m talking about Cal. Why did you make all that fuss about him taking me flying earlier?’
‘I didn’t make a fuss,’ I insisted. ‘I just thought you could have talked to me – and the others – before you went off with Cal.’
Ketty shook her head. ‘Like you talked to us before you went off with Amy back to England?’
What?
‘That’s completely different,’ I said. ‘Taking you with me would have put you in danger.’
‘But you didn’t even discuss it,’ Ketty said. ‘You just went off on your own, like you always do. And for far longer.’
I opened my mouth to protest, but Ketty held up her hand. ‘Don’t, Nico.’ She paused. ‘Just think about it. I’m going to my room.’
She turned on her heel and disappeared inside the room next door. I stood, staring after her. Was she right? Was me going off with Amy back to England a similar thing to her going off with Cal to try out his Medusa gift? It was true that I hadn’t said anything, but that was because I knew there’d just have been an argument. And at least I was trying to help the four of us get evidence on Geri. Ketty had just been messing around with Cal.
And he’d definitely been flirting with her.
I gritted my teeth and went back inside my room. I took a long, hot bath in the massive bathtub, then wrapped myself in a white, fluffy towel. None of this improved my mood.
As I paced back into the bedroom, there was a knock on the door. Avery’s wife, Philly, was outside, four carrier bags in her hands.
She looked at me with soft eyes. ‘Nico?’
I nodded, checking my towel was firmly wrapped round me.
She handed me one of the bags. ‘Something in there should fit.’
‘How long have you lived here?’ I said, too curious to keep silent.
‘Avery and I moved here just after our youngest was born.’ She paused.
‘What about Cal?’ I said. ‘What happened to his mum?’
‘Meg?’ Philly lowered her voice. ‘She died, of course. But you know about that. Your mother died for the same reason, didn’t she?’
I nodded again. Philly smiled sympathetically at me. ‘Avery will answer all your questions,’ she said. ‘Get dressed. Cal will be along to collect you in fifteen minutes.’
She drifted along the corridor to Ketty’s door. I closed mine and examined the contents of my bag. Two pairs of plain grey shorts which fitted fine and a selection of T-shirts. I picked one in a pale green that I knew I’d look good in, then spent a bit of time sorting my hair.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not vain or anything, but I like making the most of how I look. So many guys either don’t know how or can’t be bothered. I mean, look at Ed!
I examined my torso in the bathroom mirror before slipping on my T-shirt. I looked okay, though my muscles weren’t anywhere near as developed as Cal’s. And though my arms were a deeper brown than his, the rest of my torso was much paler, where it had been hidden from the sun for months.
I made a mental note that whatever else I did in the next couple of days, I was going to make an effort to build myself up a bit. Avery was bound to have a gym here. And I was definitely going to get outside in the sunshine.
Another knock on the door. This time Cal was outside. He looked at me without smiling. ‘The others are ready. You?’ His tone was curt.
It struck me that he’d been ruder to me than the others right from the start. Or at least, right from the moment he’d clocked Ketty.
I narrowed my eyes. ‘I’m ready,’ I said.
Cal stared at me. Man, he looked mad as hell. I met his gaze. No way was this jerk intimidating me.
The others emerged from their rooms. Dylan was dressed in a flowery, feminine dress rather like the one Caro, the maid, had worn earlier. Ketty was in cut-off jeans and a pretty T-shirt. Ed – unbelievably – was wearing crisp cotton trousers and a polo shirt, – almost an exact copy of his normal dress style back home.
‘Hey, Chino Boy,’ Dylan said, ruffling his hair. ‘How you doing?’
Ed grunted.
Cal’s eyes lingered on Ketty. I gave him a not particularly gentle prod in the ribs. ‘Shall we go?’ I said.
Cal led us along the landing to the balcony at the end. It was set with plants and sunloungers and overlooked the swimming pool below and the small garden area beyond.
As we followed Cal down the steps to the swimming pool patio, I gazed out across the scrubland beyond. There was literally nothing for miles, just the mountains in one direction and the outline of the nearest town in the other.
‘This is the pool area,’ Cal said.
‘Really?’ I said.
Ketty glared at me. Dylan giggled.
Ignoring my interruption, Cal led us round the corner to the back of the ranch. Fenced fields stretched out as far as the eye could see. Cal started droning on about how many zillions of hectares belonged to the ranch. Apparently, there were sheep out there somewhere – towards the greener part of the landscape.
Two horses gambolled in one of the nearer fields.
‘Can we ride them?’ Dylan asked breathlessly.
‘Sure,’ said Cal.
Dylan’s eyes glittered. ‘You have to try riding, Ketty. It’s awesome. As good as flying, I imagine.’
‘D’you wanna go flying with me now?’ Cal said with what looked to me like a very self-satisfied smirk on his face.
‘Sooo much,’ said Dylan.
‘What about you?’ Cal turned to Ketty. ‘You want to come up again, too?’
I glared at her. Surely she wasn’t going to fall for his fake charm again.
‘I’d love to,’ she said.
I ground my teeth. Couldn’t she see he was totally hitting on her?
Cal grinned. ‘Okay, let me show Dylan how it works first.’
He grabbed her wrist and they soared into the air.
Ed clutched his chest. ‘There is no way I’m ever doing that,’ he said.
Cal did a quick spin over the ranch with Dylan. She squealed with delight. I glanced at Ketty. She was watching – enraptured.
After a few minutes Cal and Dylan landed beside u
s.
‘That was sooo awesome,’ Dylan said. ‘Let’s go again.’
‘I can take you both up, if you like.’ Cal spoke to Ketty, completely ignoring me and Ed. ‘It’ll be totally safe.’
‘Really?’ Ketty’s eyes shone as he took her hand.
As the three of them soared into the air, I clenched my fists. If I hadn’t been sure before, I was now. Cal was definitely trying to steal my girlfriend – and from right under my nose.
At that moment, Avery came out of the house and strolled towards us. He stood between me and Ed, smoothing his bald head with his hand.
‘Do you have everything you need?’ he asked us politely.
Yeah, except for a way of getting rid of Cal or any idea what you’re really after.
I said nothing.
‘Yes, thank you,’ Ed replied.
I could feel Avery’s eyes on me again. I turned to face him.
‘What?’ I said, knowing I sounded rude and not caring.
Avery looked at me thoughtfully. ‘I know you’re impatient for answers, Nico, and I have answers. The evidence that will convict Geri Paterson of murder and help prove your innocence is her own confession.’
I blinked at him, startled by his sudden reference back to our main reason for being here. Ed’s mouth fell open.
‘Go on,’ I said.
‘Geri sold the Medusa gene code to a Scottish scientist called Rod McMurdo,’ Avery said. ‘She met him during her early days as a psychic investigator. In fact, it was McMurdo who told her about William Fox. Fox and McMurdo didn’t know each other, but Fox was a big name in scientific circles. McMurdo had some interesting ideas, but he wasn’t in William Fox’s league as a scientist. When Geri discovered Fox, she lost interest in McMurdo who left the UK to work here in Sydney. Later, after Fox’s death, Geri flew over to sell McMurdo the gene code and he recorded her explaining exactly how far she’d gone to bring it to him.’
‘She just blurted out that she’d murdered someone?’ I said, disbelieving.
‘She was in an emotional state,’ Avery said. ‘And to be honest, I think she wanted to confess to someone. She knew that as long as McMurdo had possession of the gene, which he desperately wanted, he would never expose her.’