Part 20 (1/2)

'Cape Town is about seven hours behind us here. It's just after lunchtime there.'

'Okay, I'll try and return her calls.' Hazel punched in the number and it was answered within a dozen rings.

'h.e.l.lo, Uncle John. It's Hazel,' she said and then broke off, and listened with dawning astonishment. Then she interrupted him.

'Uncle John, why won't you let me speak to her?' Her temper was rising sharply. 'All right! d.a.m.n it. Here he is.' She covered the mouthpiece with her hand.

'He won't put me through to Mater, and he won't tell me anything. He only wants to speak to you.' Hector took the phone from her.

'John? It's me, Hector. What's going on?' There was a silence on the other end of the line, but then he heard the painfully laboured sounds of a grown man weeping. 'For G.o.d's sake, John. Speak to me.'

'I don't know what to do,' John sobbed. 'She's gone, and now there is n.o.body to take her place.'

'You're not making sense, John. Get a hold of yourself.'

'It's Grace. She is dead. You and Hazel have to come. Now. Immediately. Please, Hector. You must bring Hazel. I don't know what to tell her. I don't know what to do.' The line went dead. Hector looked at Hazel. She was deathly pale and her eyes were huge, and so dark blue that they were almost black.

'I heard,' she whispered, 'I heard what he said. My mother is dead.' She sobbed once as though she had taken an arrow through the heart and she reached for him with both arms. They hugged each other in the steaming waters of the bath. After a while Hazel rallied.

'Darling, I need a little time to recover from this. Will you please speak to Peter for me.' Peter Naughton was the captain of the BBJ. 'Tell him we must have an expedited takeoff for Cape Town. Tell him we will be at the airfield in two hours at the latest.'

They refuelled in Perth in Western Australia, but were airborne again within an hour. Their next and last refuelling stop was on the island of Mauritius. They had tried repeatedly to contact uncle John, but he was not answering his phone. Hazel sent him an SMS from Mauritius informing him of their ETA in Cape Town, but the reply was from Grace's secretary, who confirmed that there would be transport waiting at Thunder City for them. By the time they landed in Cape Town their nerves were ragged. Since leaving j.a.pan they had spoken of very little else than Grace's death, and in the end Hector had to insist that Hazel take a sleeping draught. When they touched down she was still dulled by the drug. Hector had never seen her looking so drawn and haggard.

As soon as they were seated in the Maybach and heading into the mountains towards Dunkeld Hazel tried to pump the chauffeur for information. However, if he knew anything beyond the fact that Miss Grace was dead and that her body had been taken away in an ambulance, he was not saying. Clearly he had been gagged by somebody and the obvious somebody was uncle John. In the end he let slip one small item.

'But at least the police have gone now, Miss Hazel.' Hazel leapt on this morsel of information and tried to wheedle more from him, but the chauffeur looked terrified and retreated behind a barrier of feigned ignorance. In the end even Hazel was forced to give up bullying the fellow.

Uncle John was waiting for them on the porch of the house. When he came down the steps to greet them they hardly recognized him. He seemed to have aged by twenty years. His features were ravaged. Hazel did not remember his hair as being so white. He moved like a very old man. She gave him a perfunctory kiss and then looked into his eyes, 'What are you up to, Uncle John?' she demanded. 'Why won't you tell me what has happened to Mater? I know she wasn't sick. How can she be dead?'

'Not out here, Hazel. Come inside, and I'll tell you all that we know.' When they were in the sitting room John led her to a sofa. 'Sit down, please. It's a shocking business. I cannot yet get to grips with it.'

'I can't wait any longer. Tell me, d.a.m.n you.'

'Grace was murdered,' he blurted and began to sob. He slumped onto the seat beside her and his whole body convulsed with grief. Hazel's expression changed and she hugged him to try to comfort him. He clung to her like a bewildered child.

'Grace was my only sibling. She was all I had, and now she is gone.'

'Tell us what happened. Who killed her?' Hazel was gentle with him, controlling her own suffering.

'We don't know. There was an intruder. He poisoned the dogs, and somehow managed to short-circuit the alarm system. Then he got into her bedroom. I was sleeping only two doors away and I heard nothing.' Hazel stared at him dumbly. She left it to Hector to ask the next question.

'How did he do it, John? Did he strangle her? Club her to death?'

John shook his head. 'It's too horrible.' The old man bowed his head and sobbed.

'You have to tell us, John,' Hector insisted. John lifted his head slowly and his voice was so soft and tremulous that they could barely make out the words.

'He decapitated her. He cut off her head,' he said.

Hazel gasped. 'Oh G.o.d, no. Why would anybody do a thing like that?'

'Did he steal anything?' Hector demanded brusquely. His tone was hard and without emotion. John shook his head.

'So you are saying that he stole nothing? He took nothing from the house?' Hector insisted. John raised his head and looked directly at him for the first time.

'He took nothing, except ...' He broke off again.

'Come on, John! Tell us. What did he take?'

'He took Grace's head.' Even Hector was speechless for a long moment.

'He took her head? Have the police found it?'

'No. It's gone. That's why I couldn't tell you before. It's too horrible.' Hector turned his head to look into Hazel's eyes. She read his expression and rose to her feet covering her mouth with one hand, staring at him.

'Sweet Christ!' he said softly. 'It's the Beast again!' She dropped her hand from her mouth.

'Cayla! Oh, G.o.d save my baby! Cayla!' She sank to her knees and buried her face in her cupped hands. 'I am so afraid for my baby. I have to go to her.' Hector put his arm around her and lifted her to her feet. He looked at John on the sofa.

'We have to go, John. I'm dreadfully sorry. However, the living must take precedence over the dead. Cayla is in mortal danger. Unless we can do our utmost to prevent it, the same thing may happen to her.' He started for the door, still guiding Hazel.

'You can't leave me. Please stay with me until after the funeral at least,' John cried after them. Hector had no reply for him. He and Hazel ran down the front steps to where the Maybach was still parked. He placed Hazel tenderly on the back seat and sat beside her with his arm around her. Then he snapped at the chauffeur, 'Take us back to the airport at once!'

As soon as they were airborne they made the first call on the speaker phone. It was to Cayla's mobile phone, but it went straight to voicemail. Hazel's next call was to Cayla's dorm at the Vet School in Denver. She was answered by a cheerful young female voice.

'Cayla Bannock? Okay! I haven't seen her today, but she must be around. Can you hold while I try to find her?' It was seven minutes of agonizing wait, before the girl came back on the line.

'She isn't in the common room. I knocked on the door of her bedroom, but there was no reply. None of the other girls in the dorm has seen her since Monday. Can you try the registrar at the main block? I'll give you the number.' They made four more calls before they found Simon Cooper at the Med School.

'h.e.l.lo, Mrs Bannock. Excuse me! I forgot that you are married now. h.e.l.lo, Mrs Cross.'

'Simon, I have to speak to Cayla. Do you know where she is?'

'Oh, I haven't seen her since last Friday evening. I have been studying for the examinations that are coming up. Cayla is not too pleased with me. She says I'm neglecting her. She hasn't called me, and she won't answer my calls. I think I'm being punished. I presumed she was with you in Houston for the holiday weekend.'

'No, Simon, we are not in Houston. We're travelling. Cayla is missing. Please try to find her. When you do find her please ask her to telephone me urgently, will you?'

'Of course I will, Mrs Cross.' Hazel broke the connection and she and Hector looked at each other.

'We mustn't jump to the worst conclusions.' He touched her arm.

'No,' she agreed. 'There's probably a perfectly logical explanation. I'll ring Agatha in Houston.' Hazel's PA came on the line after only a few rings. She had recognized Hazel's number on the screen at her end.

'Good evening, Mrs Cross,' she said in her usual businesslike tone. 'Or I expect it's not evening wherever you are.' Hazel had neither the time nor the fancy for pleasantries.

'Agatha, have you seen Cayla?'