pulled out my phone and just dialled her number.
‘It’s ringing,’ I said, already starting to have second thoughts. Could I make things worse and put Ryan in danger? But he wasn’t the heir– I was the first-born son. I’d beaten him into the world. I hoped that meant he was safe.
Before I could decide, she answered.
‘Hello?’
I took a deep breath. ‘Mum,’ I said. ‘It’s me. Don’t hang up. Just hear me out. I have Ryan Spencer with me. My twin brother. Samuel , Mum.’
I waited for her to say something, but she didn’t.
‘He’s here and he’d really like to talk to you,’ I added.
‘Cal, please leave Samuel’s memory alone. He’s dead and gone–’ her voice choked on a sob. ‘Why are you torturing me like this?’
‘But Mum, he’s just here! I promise I’m not lying! Please, at least talk to him?’
‘I can’t, Cal. I just can’t. I have to go.’
The line went dead. I felt a mixture of pain and fury spin through me. She didn’t want to listen.
I looked over at Ryan. ‘No good, huh?’ he asked.
I shook my head.
He looked pretty disappointed, but quickly shrugged it off. ‘She’ll come around sooner or later,’ he said with conviction. ‘Especially when we meet, face-to-face.’
I couldn’t imagine that happening, with Mum acting the way she was, but I kept my mouth shut.
‘I’d better go,’ I said. ‘I have lots to do before I–’ I hesitated, unsure about whether I should mention my Ireland plans.
‘Before you what?’ he asked, curiously. ‘You can trust me, you know. I am your brother, after all. We have at least fifteen years’ worth of helping each other out of trouble to catch up on. You can count on me.’
In this new world of not being able to trust anyone, even those closest to me, I was surprised I believed him.
‘I’m flying out,’ I explained. ‘Going to Ireland–leaving in the afternoon of the twenty-third.’
‘How come? Won’t that be dangerous? Aren’t you worried you’ll be caught, going to an airport? Isn’t that a bit–’
‘Stupid?’ I interrupted. ‘Possibly, but I just have to risk it. If I can make it to Ireland, there’s a chance I can clear my name. I have to take that chance. I have a fake passport and I’m hoping that’s enough. I have no alternative and time’s running out.’
‘No alternative, eh?’ he said, giving me a long, hard look. ‘I guess I should say good luck.’
‘Thanks,’ I said.
We exchanged phone numbers, said goodbye and I headed back to the treehouse.
18 DECEMBER
14 days to go …
Our plane to Ireland was leaving in less than a week, so Boges, Winter and I were poring over everything we had so far on the DMO, in preparation .
I spread everything out on the floor as best I could, while Winter wrote up a quick list.
‘The first thing we need to do when we get there,’ announced Winter as she handed me her list, ‘is set up a meeting with the Keeper of Rare Books at Trinity College in Dublin. We play it low-key–we don’t want to reveal everything we know–we just want to find out what he can offer us. If he can help us find the missing two lines from the Riddle, we’ll be way ahead of the game.’
Boges and I must have looked unconvinced.
‘I don’t care what contacts and resources Rathbone or even Sligo have,’ Winter scoffed. ‘That doesn’t mean they’ll beat us.’ She flicked her hair back from her face before speaking again. ‘Then, depending on how our meeting with the Keeper goes, I think we should head to the place your dad was staying in–the Clonmel Way Guest House in Carrick-on-Suir. Boges, I mean, Josh , did you bring the map of Ireland you printed out?’
‘Sure did, Grace ,’ he said, unfolding a huge map and spreading it out over the top of the papers on the floor. The three of us peered over it, examining it closely.
‘Carrick-on-Suir is some way from Dublin,’ said Winter, ‘but not so far by bus or train.’
‘As soon as we reach the
‘It’s ringing,’ I said, already starting to have second thoughts. Could I make things worse and put Ryan in danger? But he wasn’t the heir– I was the first-born son. I’d beaten him into the world. I hoped that meant he was safe.
Before I could decide, she answered.
‘Hello?’
I took a deep breath. ‘Mum,’ I said. ‘It’s me. Don’t hang up. Just hear me out. I have Ryan Spencer with me. My twin brother. Samuel , Mum.’
I waited for her to say something, but she didn’t.
‘He’s here and he’d really like to talk to you,’ I added.
‘Cal, please leave Samuel’s memory alone. He’s dead and gone–’ her voice choked on a sob. ‘Why are you torturing me like this?’
‘But Mum, he’s just here! I promise I’m not lying! Please, at least talk to him?’
‘I can’t, Cal. I just can’t. I have to go.’
The line went dead. I felt a mixture of pain and fury spin through me. She didn’t want to listen.
I looked over at Ryan. ‘No good, huh?’ he asked.
I shook my head.
He looked pretty disappointed, but quickly shrugged it off. ‘She’ll come around sooner or later,’ he said with conviction. ‘Especially when we meet, face-to-face.’
I couldn’t imagine that happening, with Mum acting the way she was, but I kept my mouth shut.
‘I’d better go,’ I said. ‘I have lots to do before I–’ I hesitated, unsure about whether I should mention my Ireland plans.
‘Before you what?’ he asked, curiously. ‘You can trust me, you know. I am your brother, after all. We have at least fifteen years’ worth of helping each other out of trouble to catch up on. You can count on me.’
In this new world of not being able to trust anyone, even those closest to me, I was surprised I believed him.
‘I’m flying out,’ I explained. ‘Going to Ireland–leaving in the afternoon of the twenty-third.’
‘How come? Won’t that be dangerous? Aren’t you worried you’ll be caught, going to an airport? Isn’t that a bit–’
‘Stupid?’ I interrupted. ‘Possibly, but I just have to risk it. If I can make it to Ireland, there’s a chance I can clear my name. I have to take that chance. I have a fake passport and I’m hoping that’s enough. I have no alternative and time’s running out.’
‘No alternative, eh?’ he said, giving me a long, hard look. ‘I guess I should say good luck.’
‘Thanks,’ I said.
We exchanged phone numbers, said goodbye and I headed back to the treehouse.
18 DECEMBER
14 days to go …
Our plane to Ireland was leaving in less than a week, so Boges, Winter and I were poring over everything we had so far on the DMO, in preparation .
I spread everything out on the floor as best I could, while Winter wrote up a quick list.
‘The first thing we need to do when we get there,’ announced Winter as she handed me her list, ‘is set up a meeting with the Keeper of Rare Books at Trinity College in Dublin. We play it low-key–we don’t want to reveal everything we know–we just want to find out what he can offer us. If he can help us find the missing two lines from the Riddle, we’ll be way ahead of the game.’
Boges and I must have looked unconvinced.
‘I don’t care what contacts and resources Rathbone or even Sligo have,’ Winter scoffed. ‘That doesn’t mean they’ll beat us.’ She flicked her hair back from her face before speaking again. ‘Then, depending on how our meeting with the Keeper goes, I think we should head to the place your dad was staying in–the Clonmel Way Guest House in Carrick-on-Suir. Boges, I mean, Josh , did you bring the map of Ireland you printed out?’
‘Sure did, Grace ,’ he said, unfolding a huge map and spreading it out over the top of the papers on the floor. The three of us peered over it, examining it closely.
‘Carrick-on-Suir is some way from Dublin,’ said Winter, ‘but not so far by bus or train.’
‘As soon as we reach the
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