Grey Skies

Queen

Chapter 22

I wait anxiously for about 15 minutes for Ben to get back. He arrives with the news that Sam will be able to walk. She's in surgery, but can't leave for 24 hours. "We don't have that long."

"What?" Sophie asks.

"The note said we have three days to find Liz, in a cathedral in Venice. There are multiple cathedrals, and we need to travel. We know they aren't afraid to kill anyone. We just need to know their motive. Ben, is it ok if I leave you, Tom, Sam, and Sophie in charge of what's happening in Venice? I need to learn about Anne's journal."

"Sure," Ben replies, as I lead Anne to the living room to talk about the book.

"Was it just a day-to-day journal, a recording of your life, or is there anything someone would be ambitious enough to go after?"

"Well, there was a letter from the Queen, but no one would go after that, they would probably be going after what I wrote about that letter. Because that letter was an invitation for lunch. Yes, there's a ridiculously long backstory that made this phenomenon happen, but it has to do with Tom's brother Charlie, who lives in Spain, and the queen. Anyways, loads of our friends were extremely upset, especially Madelié and her husband, William."

"William Smythe. Oh my goodness!" I say, bringing my hand to my forehead.

"That's the name Michael said was killing! We finally have a name!"

"I don't mean to offend you in any way at all, but they're our friends, and wouldn't kidnap Liz."

"You'd be surprised what a person will do. Anyways, what did you write about that day?"

"Just what had happened that day, about the lunch, what we had talked about, about how Tom's mum had shown us the secret room. About how if the Smythes had met with the queen instead, which was perfectly reasonable, their son wouldn't have died."

"What?" I ask.

"Yes. Their son died in a automobile accident. They were driving out of London and their chauffeur got distracted or something, their son was sitting on the left and he was quite young and the impact killed him. Quite tragic."

"How does that have anything to do with lunch with the Queen, and how could it have been them?"

"Charlie, who essentially got us lunch with the Queen, is married to William's sister. So if it had been the Smythes to go to lunch, then their son wouldn't have died. They've tried to forget it, and they say it doesn't bother them anymore."

"How would the Smythes have gone?"

"If Charlie had chosen that part of his family to go. We went with Charlie, and their son died."

"And you believe that losing 20 percent of their family because of you, at least to their belief, would be left in the past?"

"They've left it for fourteen years, why would they wait until now?"

"Well, they didn't have a way to get in or out of your house, and didn't know there was a place Sophie could be kept inside until they found your diary."

"But my diary was stolen after..."

"After Sophie, Tom and you were talking about it right before Ellie walked into the room. That's what Sophie said when I questioned her about it. She also said that you said that 'Grandmama and Grandfather had an invitation to Buckingham Palace, and it was for Prince... I forget now. But they went, and met Lord and Lady Lighton, so the letter probably is more sentimental than anything.' So you lied to your daughter about the letter, why?"

"It wasn't particularly a lie, I just didn't want Ellie to hear I'd met the queen."

"I understand." I say with a little sad smile. I don't think I'll tell Catherine or Grace exactly what happened in the cathedral, how I watched a man die for me...

"When did you hire Ellie?"

"When Sophie was a toddler. One of Madelié's friends had no need for her anymore, so she recommend her to us."

"And you still think William Smythe has nothing to do with this?"

"No." She says firmly.

"Ok. Let's go talk to the Venice crew." We walk to the kitchen where Ben, Sophie, and Tom are planning out Venice. "I'm taking Grace and Catherine back to England. I have reason to go back to Berlan to find Liz."

"Isn't she in Venice?" Tom asks, confused.

"It's possible, but I doubt it."

"What? Why? You think she's not here?" Sophie has never been as hysterical.

"No, I doubt it. We trusted them on the Rome tip, and look what that got us. An injured sister and dead man. I have a feeling that this won't get us any further, but it's best to check every possibility. Can we take the plane?"

"Yes. We'll take the train to Venice." Anne replies, taking out her phone and arranging for us to leave this morning at eight.

"I'll go pack my bags and the girls', and then go get some sleep." I do just that, and wake up to sun streaming through the windows at 7:30. We have 15 minutes to get to the airport, and we fly back to London with no event. I never adjusted to the time in Italy due to the fact I was there for a short 17 hours, with extremely irregular sleep. We exit the plane and go to our house. Grace and Catherine are happy to be back in England, but I'm not sure they quite understand what danger they are in.

As I walk through the mud room into the kitchen, I half-expect to see Michael casually sitting at the table. I set my luggage down and pick up the phone to call to my mum and dad. I tell them all that happened in Rome, and finish by asking if they'll come over to watch the girls. My mum (who I'm talking to) says they can come over.

While I wait for them, I think about what I'll do at the castle. The only thing I really can do is search everywhere, and look for something, anything, about where Liz may be. And try not to get myself or Liz killed. I can't have anything happen to anyone else. It's my fault Michael is dead. It's my fault my sister is currently in a hospital in Rome, anxiously waiting to hear if she'll ever walk again. My parents arrive to pull me out of this awful state. I walk up the stairs to tell the girls that I'm going to the castle and the their grandparents are going to watch them. I walk downstairs and to my car. The drive to the castle is filled with apprehension, and when I'm close enough to see the castle, I see another car parked in front of the main entrance. And William Smythe getting out of the car. Dragging a large trunk behind him.