Viper's Nest Read online

  Suddenly the wand was bleeping a warning sound to show that it had found heat. Cate desperately hoped it wasn’t so loud that Novak had heard it.

  Cate paused for a second, hardly able to believe her ears, then all of them dropped to their hands and knees, smoothing away the layers of sand, scrabbling around to find a chink in the solid stone floor.

  ‘It’s here.’ Ritchie grabbed Cate’s hand and directed it to a narrow slit in the stone. ‘Amber, Jade,’ he whispered urgently. ‘Over here, quickly. Hold the torches. Stefan, Thor, help me lift this slab up.’

  They crouched down, straining with their fingers to try to release the slab from its bed.

  ‘It’s no good,’ Thor panted. ‘I can’t get a grip. We need a lever.’

  ‘Got anything in your kit?’ Ritchie asked Cate with a wry smile.

  Cate shook her head, looking around her frantically. The entire chamber was shaking now, the floor moving away from her as if it had been hit by an earthquake. They didn’t have long. If they weren’t discovered, they’d be buried by rock. They had minutes at best.

  And then, she saw it. A Viking sword, two-handed, made of steel that would have felled a tree. She reached into the prow of the ship and pulled it out, marvelling at its weight, how it glistened in the torchlight.

  ‘Sorry,’ Cate found herself muttering as she rammed it underneath the slab. ‘I know you’re a thousand years old but, well, we need you.’ She thrust her entire weight on to the handle, and felt the sword drop as the slab lifted slowly up before them.

  Thor grabbed at the slab and lifted it away from the hole below.

  ‘Oh my God,’ said Amber, shining her torch into the darkness below. ‘We’ve found the drain. And it’s large enough for us to get down in it.’

  ‘Let’s go!’ said Cate, relief washing over her. ‘You first, Ritchie. You’re the strongest. If anything’s blocking our way you have the best chance of shifting it.’

  He shook his head. ‘No, Cate. I’ll go last. I’ll pull the slab down behind us. I want to see you all safely down there. It’s my way of making amends.’

  Behind them the loose rocks finally fell free, landing softly on the ground. The light from the torches carried by the gang flooded through into the chamber.

  ‘For God’s sake,’ said Stefan, swinging himself down into the hole and putting a hand out to the twins. ‘Come on! Leave these two to play heroes if they want. I’m getting out of here.’

  ‘Go!’ Ritchie urged, standing back, shielding the hole with his body.

  Galvanised into action, they leaped into the tunnel, the twins first, followed by Stefan and Thor. Cate looked around for her rucksack, but couldn’t see it among all the fallen rock. She gave up and followed the others.

  Inside the tunnel, the steam rose up in great swathes to meet the cold air above. Cate placed one foot on either side of the water channel and began to move forwards. She glanced behind her. Thor was in the chamber now, urging her on.

  ‘Hey, Ritchie . . .’ She could hear Novak’s voice, echoing down the tunnel, triumphant, cruel. ‘You’re not running away from your good friend Novak, are you? Your uncle sent me. He wants to talk to you.’

  Cate and Thor looked at each other in horror.

  ‘Ritchie!’ Cate cried. ‘Ritchie, come on.’

  She tried to run back, but Thor stopped her. ‘Go, Cate, go!’ he said, pushing her forward as the sound of gunshots rang through the tunnel. ‘Don’t stop, don’t look back, just run!’

  And then Ritchie was levering himself into the tunnel as a huge roar came cascading down from the chamber above them and the whole world shook as if a gigantic bomb had exploded.

  ‘Listen to the man, Cate,’ said Ritchie. ‘Run!’

  The helicopter came swooping in at dawn, dropping neatly on to the vast grass rectangle that separated the four biggest pyramids of El Tajin, the down drafts from the rotor blades sending gusts of cool dawn air in through the gaping holes of the pyramid. It whipped through the tunnels and chambers and down to a small cave where the six students were huddled together for warmth, telling stories to keep their spirits up, as they waited for their rescuers to arrive.

  Just before dawn, Thor and Stefan had volunteered to go back and check the damage, reporting that the pyramid was gone, flattened, almost unrecognisable from what it had been. Had Novak and his men been killed? It seemed probable. At the very least, surely they had been trapped and were injured. If Novak had left any guards outside the pyramid, they must have fled.

  ‘The Viking ship,’ said Amber sadly. ‘Gone for ever. And we didn’t even get a picture of it.’

  ‘The find of the century.’ Stefan was wringing his hands. ‘The most incredible treasure trove in years and it’s destroyed.’

  ‘We saw it, Ambs,’ Jade said, giving her twin a hug. ‘Six of us – we saw it. It’s not like poor Thor Heyerdahl with only his theories. Hopefully, the world will believe us. Perhaps something will eventually be salvaged from the ruins. And maybe, just maybe, there will be other Viking treasure nearby.’

  But now their anger and frustration was forgotten, the relief of rescue sweeping everything else away. They cheered with joy at the sight of the helicopter and ran across the wet grass, leaping up into the belly of the chopper, desperate to get away from the place that had so nearly become their tomb.

  ‘Hey, Cate.’ Marcus was at the controls, his dark face wreathed with a huge grin as his co-pilot handed out blankets and cans of Coke. ‘I wasn’t expecting a party.’

  ‘Sorry, Marcus,’ said Cate, buckling herself into her seat directly behind him. ‘Lost my phone – I lost everything. I had no way of contacting you.’ She gestured behind her. ‘But at least the students are safe. Not that we can say the same for the bad guys.’ She dropped her voice, mindful that Ritchie was sitting just a few seats away from her, the only glum face in the helicopter.

  ‘It was Novak, you know, who did the heists. Helped by Gabriel. The evening before the students were kidnapped, they must have left their pick-up trucks in the jungle and hid out in the pyramids.’

  ‘Yep, we know,’ Marcus said, flicking the engine switch up. ‘Late last night we raided Johnny James’s house. His lawyer was outraged, of course, but shut up pretty fast when he realised that the Governor of California had signed the warrant.’

  ‘Yeah, but what did you find?’ Cate could hardly contain her excitement.

  ‘You were right. The Mexican artefacts were there. Heaps of them. They were definitely on the missing list from the Mexican heists.’

  Cate sat back in her chair. She felt almost giddy with relief.

  ‘So that’s the proof we needed?’ she asked Marcus. ‘That Johnny James was involved.’

  The engines were revving now, the propeller beginning to turn above their heads.

  ‘Pretty much,’ Marcus said. He looked at his watch. ‘If all has gone to plan, Mr James should be having a nice chat with Henri about now. Well done, Cate. Brilliant job – again.’

  ‘But why on earth did Johnny James risk everything for this?’ Cate said. ‘It makes no sense at all.’

  ‘Who knows?’ said Marcus. ‘He loved art – and although he sold a lot of the stuff that was stolen, he kept plenty for himself. Maybe he just loved owning it. Perhaps it gave him a thrill? Or a feeling of power? I wonder if he’ll ever tell us.’

  The helicopter rose slowly up into the air. Cate looked out of the window down on to the ancient, mysterious site of El Tajin, at the pyramids, the pillars, the rivers, the ball courts and jungle that surrounded it. Despite everything that had happened, despite the lives that had been lost there, the terrors she had faced, she still hoped that one day she would return to enjoy the wonders around her without having to size everything up as a potential death trap. Be normal. Be a proper tourist. Maybe even with Michel.

  EPILOGUE

  There was a long silence and then the applause was deafening, the audience rising as one to clap the film that had just been shown on the massiv
e screen that edged each corner of the vast Hollywood Bowl.

  Simply entitled Street Life, and shown to a backdrop of Black Noir’s soulful music, the film had pulled no punches in its depiction of the suffering of the many thousands of children abandoned on the city streets of Mexico.

  The film had flitted from the drains and sewers, where the children slept on filthy rags, to their attempts to earn enough money to survive – begging at street corners, picking through rubbish dumps, pleading with drivers to allow them to wash the windscreens that they could hardly reach.

  Some of the children were clearly struggling with physical disabilities, for others mental illness had taken hold, yet in the midst of the suffering, they looked out for each other, comforted and protected younger children, shared food and even money.

  Cate brushed away tears from her eyes and glanced surreptitiously along the row of seats to where Marcus and Henri were standing on either side of her mother, just down from Amber and Jade. If she didn’t know better, she thought, she could have sworn she saw a tear in Henri’s usually steely eyes.

  Michel reached out for her hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘You OK?’ he asked anxiously. He had been so caring, so concerned about her since he arrived in LA just hours after Cate had returned from her debriefing in Veracruz.

  Once she’d got over her surprise, Cate couldn’t have been happier to see him. And, despite a few grumbles about their wasted girlie holiday, even her mum had welcomed Michel with open arms, inviting him to stay at her house.

  On the flight back from Mexico, and despite Henri’s pleas for silence, Cate had made up her mind. There could be no more lies, no more half-truths. If their relationship was to have a chance, Michel would have to know everything.

  And this time he had listened, without getting angry, pulling her tightly into his arms when she had told him about the fear she had felt when she thought she was going to meet her death in the darkness of the chamber. He told her how brave she was, how clever.

  ‘What will happen to Johnny James?’ he’d asked her. They had been sitting on the beach at Santa Monica, cuddled close together on a rug and watching the silvery waves as they pulled back and forth on to the white sand.

  Cate picked up a stone and flipped it around her fingers. ‘He’s denying everything,’ she explained. ‘Said he was used, that he knew nothing about it. Apparently Novak had access to his emails and knew exactly who he was sponsoring, and James said he sent Novak to El Tajin because he thought so little was being done by the authorities and he genuinely believed Novak was the man to find the twins. He’s got the best lawyers in town working for him and he’ll probably get away with it.’

  ‘But what about Burt?’ asked Michel. ‘Couldn’t he implicate James? Marcus spoke to him yesterday – I saw him at your mother’s house.’

  ‘Burt was just a bit-player.’ Cate shrugged. ‘He knew Gabriel from way back and let him use Mexicano Magic for storage. He didn’t know what for and he didn’t ask. But when he opened a crate by accident and discovered Gabriel was bringing in genuine artefacts, he was too greedy to report him. Thought he would help himself to a few objects.’

  ‘His greed could have cost him his life,’ said Michel thoughtfully.

  ‘That’s right.’ Cate threw the stone towards the water. ‘Gabriel must have been furious when he found out that Burt was selling his stuff on the side. That’s why Burt was so frightened. He knew what Gabriel was capable of.’

  A group of schoolgirls in shorts and T-shirts had pranced by like a posse of thoroughbred ponies, all long-limbed and glossy hair. One of them shot Michel a flirty glance. Cate gave him a sideways look and was gratified to find he hadn’t even noticed them.

  ‘My God, Cate,’ he asked suddenly, ‘does your mum know about Burt? That their shop was being used as the stop-off point for these treasures?’

  Cate winced. ‘She says she’s never going to trust another man again. That they’re all crooks, especially the American ones.’

  ‘Mmm,’ said Michel with grin. ‘Wasn’t she getting on very well with Dave Osbourne in the bar last night? He’s American.’

  Cate dissolved into laughter. ‘I thought I was the only one who noticed.’

  She grew serious again. ‘Poor old Burt. He’s been arrested for handling stolen goods and it looks like he could be up for manslaughter as well.’

  ‘Manslaughter?’ Michel stared at Cate. ‘What on earth’s that about?’

  ‘He confessed to Marcus that he killed Gabriel. He overheard Gabriel talking to someone on the phone about what a threat I was to the operation. He spotted Gabriel later, near the Erin, and he guessed he was after me and tried to stand up for me. When Gabriel wouldn’t back off, Burt lost his temper and hit him. He didn’t mean to kill him – it was a complete accident. He panicked and left him there. It explains why he was so nervous that day, so edgy when we were in his car. And then when he got the text telling him that Gabriel was dead, well . . . no wonder he went so pale – and tried to do a runner. He must have been terrified.’

  ‘In his way, Burt is a brave man,’ said Michel seriously. ‘I owe him. He saved your life.’ He gave Cate a long kiss.

  ‘And now, Cate, I have to ask you.’ He stared at her intently. ‘Your friend, Ritchie. Is he really just a friend?’

  Cate looked at her feet, buried in the warm sand. She thought about Ritchie’s face, etched with misery, as the helicopter had taken off from El Tajin.

  ‘Poor Ritchie, he’s completely distraught,’ she said sadly. ‘I got a text from him last night. He doesn’t know who to believe any more. His uncle is swearing his innocence, yet Ritchie heard what Marcus said about him in the helicopter. He’s no fool. He says he’s going backpacking for a while to sort his head out. To Australia and New Zealand.’ She gave Michel a quick grin. ‘I told him about our romantic holiday in Snapper Bay.’

  They smiled and Michel planted another kiss on her lips. Then he looked at his watch. ‘Oh no!’ He jumped to his feet, dragging Cate up with him. ‘We have to go. The charity concert starts in less than two hours. Lucas is sending a limousine for seven.’

  The applause died away as Lucas and Nancy took to the stage, the rock star’s stark black jeans, hair and T-shirt contrasting sharply with the bright colours of Nancy’s Gucci maxi-dress and her platinum-blond hair. She looked, thought Cate, like one of those macaws she had seen in Mexico, an exotic bird ready to take flight.

  ‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ said Lucas, ‘thank you for coming and for giving so generously to such a great cause. I know that you have been moved by Street Life. Please don’t forget those images and do anything you can to help those children – give money, lobby your politicians, write to the Mexican Embassy. Please, do it and keep on doing it.

  ‘I have so many people to thank. My lovely girlfriend, Nancy Kyle, and all her fabulous fashion friends for putting on such an amazing show.’

  The stadium erupted again as Nancy treated Lucas to a lingering kiss.

  ‘And of course to my band – magic as always.’

  He raised his hand to quell another cheer from the crowd.

  ‘And I’d like to mention one more person. She’s brave as a lion, sharp as a knife, she wants to save the world and sometimes I think she will.’

  The crowd was silent now, listening intently to his every word.

  ‘She’s only sixteen, not much more than a kid, and I haven’t known her for long. But she has shown me what bravery really is.’

  Cate felt the blood drain from her face. She felt faint and clutched at Michel’s hand for support. Surely Lucas couldn’t mean her? He had wangled everything out of her, so knew all about what had happened in El Tajin. Please no, Cate thought. She would die of embarrassment if he mentioned her name. And then she’d kill him.

  ‘I won’t give you her full name, because she’ll die of embarrassment,’ said Lucas. ‘And then she’d kill me.’ The crowd laughed. ‘So I’ve written a song for her instead. It’s called “Just Cate” and t
his is the first time we’ve ever played it for an audience.’

  A huge roar ran through the stadium as the keyboard player struck up the first few sweet, melodic chords. Then Lucas was playing a short guitar riff and the song was away. Soulful, funny, witty, the entire stadium was up on its feet dancing to the irresistible rhythm of the music.

  Cate turned to Michel, then to Marcus, Henri and her mother. They were all smiling at her, huge proud smiles that made Cate want to burst with happiness.

  ‘That’s for you, Cate,’ Lucas said, looking up at her seat as the final chords of the song faded away. ‘You’re one heck of a girl.’

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Once again I owe so many people so many thank yous. To the fantastic team at Piccadilly – Brenda Gardner, Ruth Williams, Melissa Hyder and Andrea Reece for all their continued enthusiasm for Cate and her adventures.

  To my terrific sons George, Conrad and Lucas who, as always, have been invaluable with their honest advice and creative ideas and most importantly, my amazing husband Graeme, who quite simply, keeps me writing! I couldn’t have done any of this without you.

  I have been lucky to receive such generous support from an amazing group of friends and family who have bought the books and spread the word.

  Finally huge thanks go to the kind readers who have taken the time and trouble to review The Cate Carlisle Files and to all of you who keep coming back to read about her escapades. I’m thrilled that Cate is giving you so much fun!

  TRAPPED

  ISLA WHITCROFT

  School’s out and sixteen-year-old Cate Carlisle lands a job on board a gorgeous yacht, moored in the south of France. She’s working for the glamorous supermodel, actress and pop star Nancy Kyle!

  But mysterious, terrifying events keep happening around her. Soon Cate’s resourcefulness is the only thing keeping her, and the smuggled animals she discovers, from a terrifying fate.