The folder refused to be found.
‘Maybe you left it sitting on the postbox when you fetched the post, Renard,’ said Sandie, pouring Zach and Em glasses of milk. ‘I’ve done that before.’
‘Zach and I can walk down to the postbox and check if you like,’ Em suggested.
She did her best to project an image in her mind of Jeannie making dumplings to protect her thoughts from Renard’s penetrating gaze.
Renard turned to Simon. ‘Are you sure the compound hasn’t been breached? I’ve been feeling strange since yesterday. Something’s up, I can feel it.’ He rubbed the back of his neck.
‘I’ll walk the wall again and check for residual light from an animation,’ said Simon, ‘but you did only wake from your coma a couple of weeks ago. It’s been a stressful few days.’
‘Have some lunch, Renard,’ said Sandie. ‘Think on a full stomach.’
Renard sat at the counter and accepted his toasted cheese. ‘Ah, the lunch of kings,’ he said wryly.
‘I’m doing my best,’ Sandie protested. ‘I thought I’d try Jeannie’s chicken pesto recipe for dinner.’ She eyed Simon. ‘If Simon ever gets around to picking basil from the garden.’
‘No sooner said than done,’ answered Simon, opening a kitchen drawer. He rummaged around for a few seconds, a frown forming on his face. ‘That’s weird,’ he said, turning round empty-handed. ‘Jeannie’s garden scissors aren’t in their usual place.’
Em saw the garden scissors flash into her mind. She knew exactly where they were. She stood up from the table, tightening her concentration so as not to allow Renard access to her thoughts as she slowly and deliberately loaded her empty plate and glass into the dishwasher.
‘Try the shed. Maybe she left them down there,’ said Renard.
‘I doubt it,’ said Simon. ‘She really splurged to buy these. I can’t see her leaving them in that damp old hut.’
‘I was in there this morning getting a rake… to clean up the beach,’ said Em quickly. ‘The only things in there are the mower and bags of potting soil.’
Zach frowned at her. When were you in Jeannie’s shed? You hate being in there. It’s full of spiders.
Em had been ignoring Zach a lot lately. She felt bad about it, but she had to keep him out of her mind at the moment. She tried not to look at the hurt expression on his face.
Renard glanced suspiciously at them both. So did Simon.
‘What’s going on with you two?’ said Sandie, looking at Em and Zach more closely. ‘You’ve been strange with each other all morning. Something we should know about?’
‘Ask Em,’ Zach signed, shrugging.
‘Nothing’s going on!’ Em protested, doing her best to avoid eye contact with Renard.
Renard raised his eyebrows. ‘I doubt that’s the truth, but I won’t press you.’
What you don’t know won’t hurt you.
As soon as she thought it, Em knew from the look on Renard’s face that she’d made a mistake.
‘If we’re going to work out a plan to retrieve Matt and Jeannie from the Middle Ages before Malcolm uses one or both of them to access Hollow Earth,’ her grandfather said, looking sharply at her, ‘then we need to work together. And that means no more secrets.’
Em could feel his accusation like a flashing neon light in her mind.
‘Understood?’
Em nodded meekly.
‘Me too,’ signed Zach.
Renard headed out to the foyer. He turned back at the door. ‘Em and Zach, come to my study after you’ve checked the front gate for the folder. I believe we need to talk.’
Em breathed a sigh of relief as her grandfather left. He was getting too close to the truth for comfort. She glanced at Zach, but he wouldn’t look at her.
‘Now this is really a bit much,’ said Sandie, making a lot of noise shifting dishes around in the cupboard above the cooker. ‘I wanted to follow Jeannie’s recipe to the letter and use her pestle and mortar to crush the garlic and pine nuts, and I can’t find them.’
‘What’s wrong with the food processor?’ asked Simon.
‘I thought I’d do it Jeannie’s way,’ Sandie answered, her voice catching in her throat. ‘Without gadgets. Matt… Matt always loved it.’
Em couldn’t bear the sadness on her mother’s face. Rushing across the kitchen, she hugged Sandie. ‘Matt and Jeannie are both going to be all right, Mum,’ she said. ‘I can feel it.’
Sandie cupped Em’s face in her hands. ‘I know,’ she said. ‘I’m just worried about them. But I have faith in Renard. He’ll find a way to bring them both home safely.’ Dropping a kiss on Em’s head, she moved back briskly to the cooker. ‘Are you and Zach happy to take a walk down the lane and check for that missing folder by the postbox? Simon will de-animate the shield for you.’