Paralysis Paradox (Time Travel Through Past Lives Adventure Series Book 1) by Stewart Sanders

wore in the 1960s. He winked at me, which disconcerted me, and I found myself wiping my hand on my skirt. I then turned to Andreas, tall and blond, who smiled at me disarmingly. I shook his hand too and tried not to blush. How could I have such a creepy looking uncle, but such a hot cousin? Finally, I turned to Herr Dr Konrad Schmidt.
    ‘How do you do, Herr Dr Schmidt,’ I said.
    ‘Konrad, please,’ he said, showing yellow teeth. He gripped my hand too tightly and appraised me, his eyes narrow and glittering. I tried to pull my hand away, but he would not release it. ‘What a lovely daughter you have, Milo,’ he said to my father, never taking his eyes from my face as I yanked my hand free.
    I sat down, and a plate of lasagne with Brussels sprouts was put in front of me instantly. I looked around and could see that everyone else had already finished. I bit into an overcooked sprout as I stole a glance at Konrad. He had to be seriously old. He was almost skeletal, with his skin stretched like parchment across his face. It made my stomach turn, only I must have shown it as I could sense Vera staring at me disapprovingly.
    ‘I’m sorry my friend was so rude on the phone, Vera,’ I said, feeling that I should somehow apologise.
    ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about, Vicky! By the way, did you know that Andreas is a helicopter pilot?’
    ‘Wow!’ I was genuinely impressed. ‘Did you fly here?’
    ‘No.’ He laughed. ‘I fly large military helicopters.’
    ‘You could have landed here, though,’ I said. ‘Helicopters have landed here before. Or you could have landed at Wisley Airfield —it’s only on the other side of the A3.’
    Andreas looked surprised. ‘Is there an airfield so close?’
    There was a moment’s silence. Uncle Josef dabbed his mouth with his napkin. ‘You should forget you heard that, Andreas. Such information will not be useful to you.’
    Everyone seemed fixated on his or her finished plates. Clearly I had said something inappropriate . ‘What’s the matter? Everyone knows about Wisley!’
    ‘Not everyone, Vicky,’ said Dad, embarrassed.
    Several seconds passed.
    ‘Andreas is serving in Afghanistan at the moment,’ Josef then said.
    ‘That must be exciting for you,’ I said politely, wishing I could impress him and think of something witty or smart.
    ‘Of course. Also dangerous. I have already been shot down.’ My eyes widened as I reappraised him, taking in his broad shoulders and chiselled jaw.
    ‘The boy’s a fool,’ said Konrad, pushing his empty plate away. ‘If he wants to die out there, undiscovered in pieces, spread for aeons over the sands of the desert, then let him. I merely wish to protect the secrets that help keep us all safe.’ He waved his hand about disparagingly. ‘As long as he insists on serving on the front line, we will have to protect him from knowing too much.’
    I was at once acutely conscious of Andreas’ breathing as I felt him tense up beside me.
    ‘Sherry trifle?’ asked Vera as the domestics placed bowls of trifle in front of the rest of the guests.
    ‘So that is why you blindfolded me, just so we could come for lunch at an old asylum?’
    ‘What do you think, Vicky?’ Konrad looked at me pointedly, as did the others.
    They all stared at me. The lasagne turned to cardboard in my mouth, and I struggled to swallow it.
    ‘What do I think about the lasagne or trifle, or that I’ve just learnt that my home used to be an asylum?’
    ‘About Andreas risking his life, needlessly?’ Uncle Josef enquired.
    My half-eaten lasagne and slushy sprouts were replaced at last by pudding.
    ‘He could die!’ cackled Konrad, spittle forming at the side of his mouth. He laughed as though he had cracked some hilarious joke. Dad looked uneasy, while Vera smiled, too stupid to understand what was going on. Not that I understood, I just sensed that there was some hidden meaning to all this that I was not privy to. ‘You think there’s life after