Midnight for Charlie Bone (Children Of The Red King, Book 1) (13 page)

            "Is it allowed in here?" said Charlie anxiously.

            "No one knows about it," said Billy. “I'm left to myself most of the weekend, and even Matron goes home on Saturdays."

            Charlie began to throw things into his bag. "I wish you could come home with me," he said. "It must be horrible in here at night."

            "I'm used to it," said Billy. “I've got Blessed to talk to. We've got a lot to discuss today."

            "Blessed?" Charlie regarded the wrinkled, dumpy creature at Billy's feet.

            "It's a nice name, isn't it?" said Billy.

            Charlie didn't argue. He would have liked to see just how Billy communicated with a dog, but he couldn't wait to get home. He said good-bye to Billy and raced down the many passages and staircases to the hall.

CHAPTER 13

THE INVENTORS TALE

            Mrs. Bone was sitting in one of the large carved chairs near the main doors. Charlie didn't see her at first because she was hidden behind Dr. Bloor's burly frame. He was talking to her very earnestly and Amy Bone looked as anxious as a schoolgirl who had just done something wrong. When she saw Charlie she gave him a tiny wave and smiled nervously Dr. Bloor swung around. “Ah, there we are, then," he said, trying to sound cheerful. "I've just been telling your mother how well you've done in your first week, apart from the little -er -misdemeanor with the cape."

            "Yes, sir." Charlie wondered how he was going to explain the torn cape to his mother. He would just have to hide it, he decided. Mrs. Bone stood up, gave Charlie a quick peck on the cheek, and whisked him through the doors before any more could be said.

            "Have a good weekend," called Dr. Bloor, ignoring the fact that the weekend was half over.

            "Yes, sir," said Charlie, neglecting to add thank you. His mother didn't mention the misdemeanor. "I hope you don't mind walking, Charlie. It's not quite dark enough for Paton to come out and I couldn't manage to find the taxi fare. And as you missed the school bus..."

            "Sorry Mom."

            "It wasn't fair to give you detention on your first week," she said hotly. “But we'll forget it, shall we? Maisie's got all your favorite food." Charlie already felt hungry.

            They crossed the square with the fountain and walked down the alley that led to High Street. It was only when they were halfway down High Street that Charlie became aware of an old man keeping pace with them on the other side of the road.

            Charlie knew who it was, immediately The disguise was hopeless. None of the old man's clothes fitted properly and his white beard was obviously false.

            It just didn't match the bright red hair that stuck out at the back of the ratty old cap.

            "Can you walk a bit faster, Mom?" asked Charlie. "We're being followed."

            "Followed?" Mrs. Bone stopped and looked back. "Who's following us?"

            "Just a boy,” Charlie told her. "He's on the other side of the road. It's silly because he knows where I live. He just seems to like stalking people."

            "Come on, Charlie!" Mrs. Bone grabbed Charlie's arm and pulled him down another narrow alley. “It'll take us longer this way but I can't stand to be followed."

            This had happened to his mother before, Charlie realized. It was soon after their wedding that his father had begun to look over his shoulder, Charlie's mother had told him. But who had been following them then? Mrs. Bone now took a route through the narrow alleys that was completely new to Charlie. "I haven't been this way for a long time, but it hasn't changed much. Ah, here we are!" As she said this, they emerged into the small square in front of the cathedral. "Oh!"

            she exclaimed, and she put her hand to her heart, as if the sight of the huge building had taken her breath away. “Your father used to play the organ here," she murmured. "But I haven't been back since... since he stopped."

            She increased her pace, as if she could hardly wait to get away from the place and, of course, they found themselves passing Ingledew's bookshop.

            "I know the lady who lives here," Charlie said, stopping to peer into the window. “Can we go in?"

            "It's closed," his mother said quickly. “Look at the sign." And then, as they hurried on, she added, "Paton was here last night. He came home with a bag full of books. Something has gotten into your uncle lately he's not himself at all." Was Uncle Paton raising his head at last?

            Maisie had seen them coming long before they climbed the steps to number nine. When Charlie stepped through the kitchen door, the kettle was on and a feast was laid out on the table.

            "They'd no right to keep you from us for another whole day,” cried Maisie, giving Charlie a suffocating hug.

            "He broke the rules," said a voice from the rocker by the stove. "He's got to learn." Grandma Bone frowned at Charlie. "Look at your hair, boy!

            Didn't you take a comb to school?"

            "Yes," said Charlie, "but the matron's not too fussy about our hair, and you know who I mean by the matron!"

            “Aunt Lucretia, of course," snapped Grandma Bone.

            This was a great surprise to Maisie and Amy who gaped at Grandma Bone in amazement.

            "Why didn't you tell us?" exclaimed Charlie's mother.

            "Why should I?" sniffed the old woman. She returned to the book she'd been reading as though nothing had happened.

            "Well," said Maisie. "Some people take the cake." Grandma Bone ignored this remark, just as she ignored the hearty tea that the other members of the house were settling into, excluding Paton, of course.

            Charlie thought to ask after his uncle, but Grandma Bone looked so frosty he decided not to. He didn't want any more arguments, he just wanted to fill himself with good food and then go and see Benjamin.

            "And where are you off to?" Grandma Bone demanded after tea when Charlie made for the front door.

            "He's going to see his friend, of course," said Maisie.

            “And why is that?" asked Grandma Bone. "It's his duty to stay with his family on his weekends at home."

            "Don't be silly Grizelda," said Maisie. "Off you go, Charlie." Charlie shot out the door before Grandma Bone could open her mouth again. He ran across to number twelve, where he found not only Benjamin, but Fidelio as well. They seemed very excited and immediately dragged Charlie into the kitchen where the remains of pizza, chips, bananas, and cookies littered the kitchen table. Runner Bean was enjoying the bits that had fallen to the floor, but he made a great fuss over Charlie when he came in, jumping up and licking his face with a very sticky tongue.

            Charlie managed to break away from Runner Bean, while Benjamin began to explain what had happened. It seemed that an important discovery had been made.

            "It was Fidelio," said Benjamin. "You know the voice in the dog you gave me, well, Fidelio said perhaps if we ran the tape forward there might be more. And there was. A lot more."

            "So that's what you were trying to tell me this morning," said Charlie. His friends' strange antics suddenly made sense. "You were pretending to pull a dog's tail."

            "Didn't you realize?" Fidelio grinned. "Sit down, Charlie, and listen to an amazing story."

            Charlie noticed that his friends had already managed to haul Dr. Tolly's case out of the cellar. He pulled up a chair and sat at the table. The metal dog stood in the center, surrounded by cardboard and crumbs.

            "Listen," said Fidelio. He pulled the dog's tail and, as soon as Dr. Tolly's familiar voice began to give instructions, Fidelio pressed the dog's left ear and forwarded the tape. "Now" he said. "Here it comes."

            When Dr. Tolly spoke again, his voice sounded different, more urgent and sorrowful. Charlie pulled his chair closer.

            My dear Julia, the voice began, if you are listening to this you have discovered the secret of my beloved child; the child who was once Emma Tolly and now has another name. I hope you have found a safe place for the box marked Tolly Twelve Bells. I could not send the key or instruct you how to open it because I can trust no one, Julia. They listen at my door, they steal my letters, and, by the time you hear this message they will have stolen my life. I know it. I am already weak. I cannot leave my bed. My enemies have poisoned me, Julia, and it is just punishment for what I did to my child.

            And so now I shall tell you how it came about, how I found myself in this sorry predicament. As you know, I decided to hand over our little Emma. It was greed that drove me. What they offered in return for my daughter was the most exciting challenge of my life. They gave me a replica of my ancestor, the knight from Toledo with the sharpest sword in the world. I was to bring it to life - how arrogant I was to believe that I could. For five years I toiled. To no avail. I am only a scientist, not a magician. When Emma was seven, I asked them to return her. They refused. I had failed in my task, they said.

            At this point Benjamin sneezed, breaking the spell that Dr. Tolly's compelling voice had cast over them.

            "Well, it's interesting," said Charlie. "But it doesn't tell us very much."

            "Poisoning is very interesting," said Benjamin.

            "Listen," commanded Fidelio, stopping the tape. "The next part is the best. It's where everything happens."

            Benjamin and Charlie were dutifully silent while Fidelio started the tape again. Once more Dr. Tolly's deep voice resounded from the metal dog. Julia, they promised I could see her, visit her. I thought it would be a good life for little Emma, surrounded by a loving family - a mother, a father, and a brother-rather than remaining with me, a crusty, absentminded man. But they were supposed to tell her who she really was so that one day, she might choose to return to me, and to you, dear Julia. That was my hope. That was before I knew what Manfred could do.

            Charlie looked at Fidelio, who rolled his eyes. Benjamin whispered, "Is that the...?" "Shh!" said Fidelio.

            Remember the day, continued Dr. Tolly remember I came to the shop first, and you dressed little Emma in her new white dress and tied a ribbon in her hair. But you wouldn't come with us to the square in front of the cathedral. If only you had.

            There were four of them - Bloor and his wife and son, and the old man. The boy was about eight at the time. They placed a case at my feet and, indeed, there was a figure in it; then I lifted my little girl and the old man held out his arms.

            That's when it happened, Julia. When everything went wrong. As the great clock above us began to chime, a man came out of the cathedral. I recognized him immediately. It was the young organist. The choir was still singing when he came toward us. He lifted his hand and said, "Stop! You can't do this!"

            As he stepped in front of me, the old man struck him in the face. The organist struck back, and the old man fell on the stones, hitting his head. He screamed with pain. And then I noticed Manfred staring at the young man; his eyes were like fiery coals. The organist covered his face with his hands and sank to his knees.

            By this time Emma was crying with fright, but Manfred turned his terrible eyes on me, and I found myself putting my screaming child into his arms. As the cathedral clock struck twelve, he looked at her and she stopped crying. She seemed to be transfixed.

            I was a coward, Julia. I did a terrible thing then. I ran away. I picked up the case and fled down those narrow alleys as though all the fiends of hell were behind me.

            Later, I found out that they'd sent Emma to another family. They refused to tell me where. The old man was crippled for life by his fall. As for the young organist, I never saw him again. I realized that both he and my little Emma had been worse than hypnotized. They were spellbound for life, unless I could find a way to wake them up. And so I did, Julia. At least I believe I did. In the case marked Tolly Twelve Bells there is a sound that might wake our little Emma. The Bloors found out what I was doing and, of course, they want to destroy my invention. If you press the letters on the side, one by one, firmly and carefully, it will open.

            "So that's how it opens," said Charlie.

            "Wait!" Fidelio raised his hand. "Listen to this!" I almost forgot, said Dr. Tolly's voice. Why did they want my child? We were students together, Dr. Bloor and I. It was natural that I confide in my old friend. Certainly, I could tell no one else. Emma can fly. It happened only once, when she was a few months old. But who knows...? Take care, Julia. This recording is finished. The courier is at the door. Farewell.

            "What do you think?" asked Fidelio. "Quite a story isn't it? Imagine!

            That girl, whoever she is, can fly."

            "We think it's Emilia Moon," Charlie murmured. "And the organist..."

            "What about the organist?" said Fidelio.

            "Nothing," said Charlie. The young organist might have been his father, but how could they find him now? He could be anywhere. First they must wake Emma Tolly and then, perhaps, one day his father.

            Fidelio was eager to put plans into action as soon as possible. "We've got to get that case out of here, tonight," he said. "Now we know what it can do."

            “Asa's on my trail again," said Charlie. "He'll be watching every move we make."

            "No problem," said Fidelio. He showed Charlie the huge xylophone case he'd brought along. "My dad said he'd pick me up from here by car. If you and Benjamin start walking around the block, Asa will probably follow you. Dad's coming in about ten minutes, so with any luck, Asa won't be around to see me take the xylophone case out to the car. If he does, he might think it's just a musical instrument." They all agreed this was a very good plan. Dr. Tolly's case was lifted into the empty xylophone case and Charlie and Benjamin set off for the park. It was dark by now, but with Runner Bean bounding beside them they felt quite safe. They soon became aware of Asa's badly disguised figure, sneaking from tree to tree on the other side of the road, but they tried not to show that they had seen him.

            After twenty minutes of walking around, Charlie and Benjamin returned to number twelve, Filbert Street. Fidelio and the big case had disappeared.

            "We did it!" cheered Benjamin.

            "Good old Fidelio," said Charlie. "I'd better get home now. See you tomorrow"

            "We'll take the tape to Miss Ingledew, shall we?"