Free History Keepers: Nightship to China by Dibben Damian Page A

contained.
    ‘Then, yesterday, as refurbishments were being carried out, the hidden safe was discovered behind wooden panels in Caspar’s
pâtisserie
. Most of the handwriting on these papers is indeed Caspar’s.’
    ‘
Pâtisserie?
’ Truman Wylder asked (Nathan’s father was just as loud as his son). ‘What on earth is a
pâtisserie
?’
    ‘I believe it was a room Caspar had set aside for the creation of pastries and such like,’ Galliana replied. Charlie’s jaw dropped at this.
    Despite the gravity of the subject, Jake couldn’t help smiling at the thought of Caspar’s
pâtisserie
. Of course he would hide his secrets there – Jake had never met anyone quite so obsessed with cakes.
    ‘The papers have revealed a shocking truth.’ Galliana gazed sternly around the room. ‘I am sorry to say it, with his father present, but it seems that Caspar Isaksen had ambitions beyond anything we had imagined; that he offered his services in more than one direction . . . In short, that he had forged links not only with Agata Zeldt, but also with another of our greatest enemies – Xi Xiang.’
    The History Keepers – already on the edge of their seats – gasped in unison and started talking. Jupitus had to stand and tap a teaspoon against his coffee cup to remind everyone that the commander was still speaking.
    ‘As we all know,’ she carried on, ‘since an incident a year ago at the Chinese bureau, we have been trying to establish Xi Xiang’s whereabouts. He has always been one of our most dangerous adversaries, not least because there is rarely method in his madness. He seeks chaos, pure and simple. He is also a master of disguise and loves nothing more than to disappear into thin air. Moreover – and I need hardly go into details here – he is
categorically
the most cold-blooded murderer that we have ever come across.’
    On this point there was a cool murmur of agreement. Jake knew why: amongst the many horrors he had committed, Xi Xiang had been personally responsible for the murder of Galliana’s husband and only child. He had drowned the five-year-old boy by tying weights to his legs and dropping him into the Sea of Japan, laughing as he did so. Jake studied the commander to see if her face showed any emotion, but she remained impassive.
    ‘All this is bad enough,’ Galliana resumed, ‘but we have feared for some time that he was planning a new atrocity. The content of these papers seems to confirm this. Luckily they also offer clues as to his whereabouts – his geographical location as well as his temporal one.’ Ignoring the exclamations that met this piece of information, Galliana poured herself some water, took a sip and carried on. ‘Xi Xiang was actually Indonesian, born on the volcanic island of Krakatoa, but he adopted China as his home in his early twenties—’
    ‘Tabuan,’ Yoyo interrupted.
    ‘Excuse me?’ the commander replied tersely.
    ‘The island of Tabuan was where he was born, just off the coast of Sumatra. His family moved to Krakatoa when he was two. I am an expert on Xi Xiang.’ The older History Keepers muttered, shocked – interrupting the commander was a no-no, especially for new arrivals. Yoyo sensed everyone’s disapproval and gave a cool shrug. ‘My apologies for pointing it out.’
    ‘She’s right, of course,’ Nathan piped up. ‘Tabuan it was.’
    ‘That will do,’ Galliana interjected. ‘Miss Yuting, I have no doubt that you are an
expert
on this subject – as you are on so many things – but we have a lot to get through. As I was saying . . . as Xi Xiang based himself in China, that is where we focused our search – particularly the South China Sea, where he has many associates.’ She opened up the folder and took out the first batch of papers. ‘These documents must alter our thinking drastically. It appears that Xi Xiang has a hideaway in the west; it seems he has spent a good deal of time here over the last few years. There is a chance that he may