Viper's Nest Page 9

  Marcus rubbed at his eyes. He looked tired, thought Cate. Stressed. Not the usual laid-back Marcus who had held her hand and guided her through two missions, who had always been there to lift her spirits with a joke or a smile.

  ‘I’m guessing you had him photographed and ID’d in about twenty seconds,’ said Cate.

  Marcus nodded. She could see the embarrassment mixed with concern on his face and, worst of all, she could see pity. She was beginning to feel sick.

  ‘Who was he, Marcus?’ she said, already dreading the answer. He opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated again.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I’ll say it for you. The man was Burt Tyler, wasn’t he? My mum’s boyfriend.’

  Marcus nodded. ‘We ID’d him as a regular at the Erin – which is why we put Rosie in place. Then we put a tail on him right away of course.’ He tried to smile. ‘We were just in the process of ID’ing his girlfriend when we intercepted a call from her telling Burt that her daughter, Cate Carlisle, was coming over to visit. That was a nice surprise, a bonus we couldn’t overlook.’ He shot Cate an apologetic look.

  ‘So you got my mother delayed in Mexico and led me straight to the Erin,’ Cate said flatly. She was trying hard to contain her rising anger.

  ‘You got it,’ Henri said curtly. ‘You know as well as we do, Cate, that, like it or not, we have to use everything at our disposal. Including a sixteen-year-old girl with an uncanny gift for spying.’

  Cate started to argue, but he raised his hand.

  ‘Yesterday you went to Mexicano Magic – Tyler’s shop. Dave said you saw three men acting suspiciously and you rattled them enough for them to lock you away – even threaten to kill you. Cate, you can’t hide away from this. Burt is definitely caught up in something very murky indeed.’

  Cate’s anger suddenly gave way to panic. ‘My mother,’ she said, ‘do you think she’s involved in any of this? Do you think she has any idea what’s happening?’

  ‘The truth is we just don’t know yet.’ Henri shrugged. ‘So far, Burt Tyler is the only lead we’ve got.’

  ‘And you’re going to be closer to him than any of us could ever hope to get,’ added Marcus. ‘Cate, I know what we’re asking of you and I understand why you would be angry that we are dragging you back into our world. But you’re the best chance – maybe the only chance – we’ve got of stopping these dreadful crimes and of finding your friends Amber and Jade before it’s too late.’

  CHAPTER 9

  Cate sat down on a stool next to Marcus, her mind in utter turmoil.

  IMIA had asked so much of her already – she had risked her life for them, spied on her own friends, even lost her boyfriend Michel because of them. To be asked to spy on her own mother’s boyfriend – and possibly even her mother – was too much. But if she didn’t . . . well, the message had been clear. By refusing to help IMIA she would be putting her friends at risk. It was a horrendous position to be in.

  ‘Lucas Black was right.’ Cate looked down at her hands. ‘He told me in Australia that I didn’t have any idea what I was mixed up in, that I was way too young to be working for you, and that you should leave me alone. He’d been in the army, in counter-intelligence. He knew what I didn’t – that spying isn’t something you can dip in and out of when you want. It’s a trap and, once you’re stuck in it, it’s almost impossible to get out.’

  Marcus made a sound of protest, but she carried on regardless. ‘And my dad knew exactly the things you are capable of doing. That’s why he was so mad at you in France – he didn’t want his daughter anywhere near you.’ She shook her head. ‘I’ve been so dumb. I thought I was clever, but I was dumb.’

  ‘No, Cate!’ Marcus said. ‘You’re one of the brightest, sharpest teenagers I’ve ever met.’ His face softened. ‘We have asked an awful lot of you and we still are. But IMIA need to tackle these awful crimes. You’ve helped to make the world a much safer, better place. How many sixteen-year-olds can say that?’

  There was a long silence.

  Cate managed a tiny smile. ‘It’s not exactly something I can put on my university application form though, is it?’

  Marcus flashed his toothy grin. ‘We just keep an eye on Tyler, try and work out who his contacts are, where he’s been recently, who he hangs out with. Oh, and have this.’

  He handed her a small metal tin. She opened it to find a couple of tiny listening devices, each with a satellite tail hanging from it like a thread.

  ‘We need one in his car and in his phone,’ Marcus said, ignoring her stricken look. ‘Once they’re in place, you can forget all about it.’ He sighed. ‘If I didn’t think for one minute that you were capable – more than capable – of getting us what we need, I wouldn’t ask you. And neither would Henri.’

  ‘Cate,’ said Henri, who had been pacing impatiently around the room while Marcus talked, ‘face facts. It’s your friends and your mother who are somehow caught up in this crime. We have to get to the bottom of it.’

  Much as Cate wanted to pretend that the whole thing wasn’t happening, she knew that running away from it wasn’t going to save her mother from investigation – maybe even arrest – nor would it help the twins.

  Henri coughed. ‘Look, I’ll make a deal with you. If you help us, plant the bugs, get us some information, I promise that, whatever you or we find out, I will do my utmost to protect your mother from the fallout.’ He looked her straight in the eye, and this time there was no hostility, just respect and sincerity. ‘I give you my word as the head of IMIA.’

  The silence in the room seemed to last for ever. Cate sighed. Her mother was flaky, irresponsible and downright daft sometimes, but Cate was sure she wasn’t a criminal.

  ‘I’ll do it,’ she said eventually. ‘But you’ll keep your promise, won’t you?’

  ‘It’s a done deal already,’ Henri said firmly.

  He put his hand out to Cate and, after a few seconds’ hesitation, she shook it.

  ‘Welcome back, Cate Carlisle,’ said Henri.

  ‘Please be there, Arthur, please answer.’ Cate was sitting cross-legged on the bed, her tablet leaning against a stack of pillows while she desperately tried to reach her brother on Skype.

  She checked her watch again. It was quite late in London but she knew Arthur would still be up.

  ‘Hey, Cate.’ Suddenly his face was on the screen. ‘I was expecting you to call much later. I didn’t even get to check my new invention! I’ve just fitted a recognition system in the Skype software to remotely activate my alarm clock if your number rings. I don’t want to be woken up by some computer mate in Australia going on about their latest hacking logarithms.’

  Cate smiled. Arthur talked like a hardened techie, but right now, with his hair sticking up on end, he looked about ten years old, so cute that she wanted to reach through the screen and cuddle him.

  ‘Arthur, it’s so good to see you,’ Cate said happily. ‘Nice hair, by the way.’

  His face creased into a grin as he tried in vain to smooth down his wayward chestnut mop. ‘Very funny. Now did you call me to say hello – or have you got something special to tell me? And how’s LA? What have you been doing?’

  ‘Where do I begin?’ said Cate slowly. ‘So much has happened since I arrived. Dad has probably told you already that Mum has been delayed in Mexico and I’m staying in this amazing hotel in Santa Monica.’

  ‘Sure,’ said Arthur. ‘Isn’t Mum hopeless? I googled the hotel though. Looks awesome. I’m dead jealous.’

  Cate hesitated. In the aftermath of IMIA’s visit, her first thought had been to confide in Arthur and tell him exactly what they had said. But then her protective instinct had kicked in. Arthur was only fourteen and, to Cate, who had comforted Arthur in the dark days following their mother’s departure, he was especially precious. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him that their mother had got herself mixed up at best with an unsavoury boyfriend, and at worst in criminal activity. And if she wasn’t going to do that, she might
as well keep quiet about IMIA paying her a visit. For now at least.

  ‘Arthur, you’re right, I have got something to tell you. You remember I told you about the twins I met at the turtle sanctuary? They were from California. Good fun, studying archaeology.’

  Arthur nodded.

  ‘Well, I’ve bumped into a friend of theirs here in LA and it appears they’ve gone missing – from a dig in Mexico, where, rumour has it, they and their friends had just found something very special.’

  ‘Treasure?’ asked Arthur eagerly. ‘Wow.’

  ‘No one really knows at the moment,’ said Cate slowly. ‘It seems that whatever they found has vanished as well. There have been other robberies too, all over Mexico.’

  ‘I haven’t heard a whiff of this on any of the internet sites,’ he mused, ‘and I talk to people in Mexico all the time.’

  ‘It’s been hushed up,’ Cate explained. ‘The Mexican government is terrified in case it destroys their tourism industry.’

  Arthur shrugged. ‘Makes sense. But, Cate, why are we talking about this now?’

  ‘You know that I can never resist a mystery,’ Cate began.

  ‘Mmm.’

  ‘And I know the twins. I really want to try and help them. I’m sure half the Mexican government is working on it, but couldn’t you and I have a go at trying to find out what’s happened to them?’

  ‘What are you like, sis?’ Arthur grinned. ‘You can’t go on holiday and just chill, can you? You have to find something to do – usually crime-related.’ He suddenly looked worried. ‘This isn’t something you’re planning on getting really involved with, are you? I don’t think I could stand it if you got yourself into danger again like last time – and the time before!’

  Cate paused. The last thing she wanted to do was lie to her brother. She thought back to what IMIA had said. They just wanted her to keep an eye on Burt. That was hardly dangerous – not compared to the stuff she had done for them in the past.

  ‘Arthur, I’m in LA – this is all happening in Mexico.’ Cate looked her brother right in the eye. ‘They’re several hundred miles apart. I think I’m pretty safe.’

  Arthur relaxed visibly. ‘OK, sis, of course I’ll help. You know I love a challenge as much as you do and it’ll give me a break from exam revision.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Cate said, trying hard not to feel guilty. ‘You’re a legend.’

  ‘So, what’s the plan?’

  She looked at the list she had scrawled down shortly after the IMIA agents had left the room. ‘I’ll send you the names of the ancient sites that were hit. See if you can find anything to link them. Maybe there’s a reason why these sites were targeted and not others.’

  ‘Sure, no problem.’ Arthur was excited now, she could tell. ‘I’ll try and hack into the Mexican police reports too. See how far they’ve got and how hard they’re looking for your friends. Just one question: How did you know about the attacks on the other sites when it’s all been hushed up?’

  Cate felt a stab of annoyance at herself, followed swiftly by a warm feeling of pride in her brother’s quick-wittedness. Trust Arthur to pick up on that.

  ‘Er, long story,’ she said finally. ‘Can I tell you later? I’m desperate for a swim and a nice long relax by the pool.’

  ‘OK.’ Arthur sounded puzzled but he didn’t push it. ‘Whenever you’re ready. In the meantime, I’ll get to work. And say hi to Mum and give her a big hug from me. Exams, huh? They suck. I can’t wait till I see her in the summer.’

  Sitting on the empty hotel terrace, sipping her Diet Coke and enjoying the mid-afternoon sun, Cate heard her mother coming long before she saw her. First it was the sound of the powerful sports car racing into the Erin car park and screeching to a resounding halt right outside reception, then she heard the clack of high heels on the floor as her mother made her entrance.

  ‘Darling,’ she called as she raced towards her daughter, her arms outstretched. ‘How amazing to see you.’

  Cate was enveloped in a huge, bony embrace, and she smelled expensive perfume, lipstick, and her leather gilet.

  She and her mum Skyped regularly, but it was so different to be face to face. She had forgotten how thin her mother was, how birdlike, and Cate realised that she was now a head taller than her. After a few moments her mother pulled away and, lifting up her oversized Gucci sunglasses, held Cate at arm’s length, studying her face.

  ‘Oh my God,’ she said. ‘You’ve grown up. You grew up when I wasn’t looking and now my baby is gone for ever.’

  To her horror, Cate could see tears in her mother’s huge green eyes. She too, was on the verge of crying. Instead she smiled and reached out for her mother’s hands, giving them a little shake.

  ‘It’s OK, Mum,’ she said. ‘Don’t get upset. I’m doing fine and so’s Arthur. We’re really happy. Dad’s great and Monique’s cool.’

  She pulled her mother down on to one of the wicker seats next to her and did her best to keep the mood light-hearted.

  ‘Mum, isn’t this place wonderful? You should see my room. It’s got a juicer and a huge balcony. It’s even got a mixer desk. Fancy a go?’

  Her mother’s still-flawless English-rose skin was tight over her razor-sharp cheekbones. She looked nearer to Cate’s age than her own, Cate thought.

  ‘I can’t get over how much you look like your father,’ said her mother. ‘In a good way, of course. Is he still spending more time worrying about the problems of the world than he does about his own family?’

  ‘Mum!’ Cate protested. The last thing she wanted was for her mother to start her usual sniping about her father.

  ‘Sorry, darling,’ said her mother, sounding not at all sorry. She looked around for a waiter. ‘Any chance of a drink? We had a hellish journey from Mexico. First we waited ten hours for this contact of Burt’s to turn up with this amazingly cheap stock and then he didn’t even show up! I was furious with Burt, especially when he admitted he’d never even met the man and had no real idea who he was.

  IMIA again, thought Cate grimly. Up to their usual tricks.

  ‘And then, coming back,’ her mother continued, ‘two tyres on that wretched hired van blew at the same time, just as we left San Diego.’ She shook her head. ‘I was beginning to think I was jinxed. I was desperate, just desperate, to get back to see you. I do miss you, Cate. It’s not so bad when you’re on the other side of the world, but knowing you were so close, it was torture not to be able to see you.’

  ‘Never mind, you’re here now. That’s all that matters.’ Cate squeezed her mother’s hand. In spite of everything, she did still adore her.

  ‘Where’s Burt?’ she asked her mother casually.

  ‘He’s gone straight to the shop to see if there was anything taken by those men you saw.’

  Cate had told her mum about the men at the shop but left out the bunker bit. She hadn’t wanted her to panic.

  ‘In fact, since we got your call he’s been like a cat on a hot tin roof, desperate to get back and check on the shop, see if anything had been taken or damaged,’ her mother carried on. ‘I honestly thought he was going to get us arrested for speeding the way he was driving. And to top it all, apparently his pick-up truck has been stolen too and used in some kind of road rage incident and is in a bad way. Luckily, he can collect that in the next few days. He nearly had a fit when the police said they needed to hold on to it for forensics.’

  Cate hoped that her expression wasn’t giving her away. She hadn’t told her mother about being driven off the road either – she didn’t think she could bear the inevitable fuss.

  Her mother yawned, covering her teeth with her neatly manicured fingers. ‘To be honest, darling, it’s all a bit much for me. I leave the business side to Burt. I’m the front woman, good at chatting to the customers, networking, PR, that sort of thing.’

  ‘So where do you get most of your stuff? Is it really old?’ Cate asked casually.

  Her mother gave a tinkling laugh as she waved at Rosie. ‘
Oh no, darling. Well, sort of old-new, if you know what I mean. Most of it comes from factories in Mexico and is distressed to make it look authentic. You know, roughed up, dirtied, given the odd coat of wash, a little bit of Mexican scribble here and there. Then we don’t exactly say it’s old but we don’t say it’s new either. We just call it authentic Mexican art and double the price.’

  Cate’s eyebrows shot up.

  ‘Oh darling, don’t be so po-faced. It’s what everyone in retail does. It’s all about perception.’

  Rosie was standing next to them now, looking down politely at Cate’s mother.

  ‘I’ll have a large gin and tonic with lime,’ she said, looking with obvious interest at Rosie’s lurid nail art. ‘And my daughter will have . . . ?’

  ‘An orange juice and soda, please. With lots of ice,’ Cate replied, not looking at Rosie.

  ‘No problem,’ said Rosie amiably. ‘Be with you in a minute.’

  Two young women clad in matching red swimming costumes and tiny denim shorts strutted confidently on to the beach in front of where they were sitting, long hair bouncing down their perfectly honed and tanned backs. Behind them their boyfriends, all bulging biceps and narrow hips, were carrying surfboards on their shoulders.