Charlie Bone and the Shadow (The Children of the Red King, Book 7) Part 6 ppsx

"Sohe can't have gone far," Charlie said to self, and once again, he tried to dismiss thethought that had persisted in entering hishead Unless it had been the shadow's plan allalong?. He

"Will do Thanks, Mrs Brown." Charlie ranback to number nine.

Maisie was up and another fine breakfastawaited Charlie: sausages, eggs, andmushrooms

"I'm sorry, Maisie I don't think I can eatmuch." Charlie explained what hadhappened

"I thought I heard barking," Maisie claimed "Oh, Charlie, what wonderfulnews."

ex-"Except that Billy has disappeared," saidCharlie

Maisie's face fell "Charlie, are you sure? Hemust be in the house somewhere Or hecould have run up the road for something.Check his clothes."

Charlie went up to his bedroom Billy'sclothes were piled neatly on a chair, exactlywhere he had left them His shoes were

under the chair, his slippers by his bed "So

he can't have gone far," Charlie said to self, and once again, he tried to dismiss thethought that had persisted in entering hishead

Unless it had been the shadow's plan allalong? He had known that Billy could neverresist a cry for help from a dog Charlie re-membered Manfred's insistence that Billy

should come back to number nine, where thepainting of Badlock waited like a trap.

Charlie tore downstairs "He's gone, Maisie.And I know where He's in that painting."

"I can't believe it, Charlie," said Maisie "Ifhe's gone, I'm going to call the police, there's

no two ways about it." She went into the halland began to dial

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Knowing it would be useless to try and stopher, Charlie waited in the kitchen Helistened to Maisie's voice, insisting that achild named Billy Raven was missing, andthen her angry response to something she'dbeen told "Bloor's Academy Mr EzekielBloor, or perhaps the headmaster, Dr Bloor.But the boy disappeared from here, notthere."

There was a pause while Maisie sighed ily and tapped her foot "Thank you And will

heav-you let me know? I'll call heav-you, then bye." She slammed down the phone andcame back to the kitchen, looking flushedand angry.

Good-"They can't proceed until they're authorized

to do so by the child's guardian," said Maisie

"I suppose it must be Dr Bloor, since Billy's

an orphan What a mess!"

Charlie said nothing He was now utterlyconvinced that Billy had been captured bythe painting How pleased Grandma Bonehad been when she saw Billy arrive It wasobviously she who had locked the cellar doorafter Billy had "gone in."

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Charlie sat by the kitchen window waiting forUncle Paton to arrive in the white campervan He saw Benjamin and Runner Beanwalk down to the park He saw Mrs Brown

go to the mailbox; she was wearing a skirt

and high-heeled shoes, for a change It was

no use telling Mrs Brown that Billy was stillmissing

Maisie brought Charlie a mug of hot cocoa

"Your uncle might not come back till nextweek Don't look so forlorn, Charlie I'm surelittle Billy will turn up."

"He won't," muttered Charlie

He discovered that the cellar door key wasstill in his pocket When he'd finished his co-coa, he went down into the cellar and stared

at the painting of Badlock He scrutinizedevery inch of it, looking for a way in Hedidn't care if he was caught again, if only hecould find Billy But the shadow had no usefor Charlie Bone at present It was Billy hewanted

"Why have you taken him?" Charlie shouted

at the painting "Have you made a bargain?

Billy for your freedom to travel back into theworld? Well, you

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won't do it, Count Harken Not now: TheMirror of Amoret was broken, so there's noway back EVER!"

A blast of wind hurled Charlie against theopposite wall

"You heard me, then!" he cried

Dust, laden with splinters, flew into his face,and he covered his eyes just in time His nos-trils were filled with grit: It even creptbetween his teeth Choking and sneezing,Charlie crawled across the cellar floor Hestumbled up the steps and fell into the hall

As he lay there, rubbing his eyes and spittingdust, he became aware of a tall figure loom-ing over him

"Foolish boy," said Grandma Bone "Whatdid you hope to achieve?"

Charlie sat up and glared at her "You did it,didn't you? You opened the cellar door andthen locked it behind Billy I know he's inBadlock, and somehow I'm going to get himout."

"Don't meddle with the shadow," she saidgrimly

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Charlie watched his grandmother walk to thefront door She was wearing her Sundaybest: shiny black shoes, a Persian lamb coat,and a purple velvet hat The back of her bonyshoulders expressed utter contempt

There was roast beef for lunch, accompanied

by Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, crispysprouts, and rich gravy It was Charlie's fa-vorite meal, and he tried to do it justice, butthe food kept sticking in his throat, and hehad to lay down his knife and fork "I'msorry, Maisie, it just won't go down," he said

"Tell you what, I'll give the police a call," saidMaisie "Let's see if they've made anyprogress."

Charlie didn't expect to hear good news, but

he was totally unprepared for what Maisiehad to tell him She came running back fromthe phone, crying, "They've found him,Charlie."

Charlie stood up, his fork clattering to thefloor "Found him?" he said in disbelief

"He went back to Bloor's, that's what thepolice

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said They rang the school, and Dr Bloorsaid that Billy had turned up very early thismorning He was feeling homesick, the head-master said."

"But, Maisie, he left his clothes, even his pers He couldn't have walked all that way inbare feet and pajamas."

slip-"Then they're lying, Charlie, and I don'tknow what I can do about that." She ran thetap, and water splashed loudly onto the dirtyplates and pans "I wish your parents werehere," she muttered "Your father under-stands these things better than I do."

"Well, he isn't here," said Charlie Addingbitterly, "He's never here."

Maisie turned to face Charlie She didn't rimand him for what he'd said Instead, alook of pity crossed her face "I'm sorry,Charlie," she said gently "These things thathappen to you and your friends, they're bey-ond my comprehension I just can't deal withthem."

rep-"I'll go to the bookstore," said Charlie, ing the kitchen "The others may be there."213

leav-"Don't go alone, Charlie, please," calledMaisie "I know something's not right in this

city, even if I can't understand it I believe inyour flying trolls and magic kettles and andevil paintings, you know I do I just get soupset sometimes."

Charlie's mind was made up But as luckwould have it, he didn't have to go out alone.The doorbell rang, and when Charlie openedthe door, there stood Benjamin and RunnerBean

"Want to come over to my place?" saidBenjamin

When Charlie explained that he was on hisway to the bookstore, Benjamin agreed to gowith him

On their way to Ingledew's, Charlie broughtBenjamin up to date Runner Bean boundedalong in front of them, as though he weretrying to escape from his own tail His eyesstill had a wary look, and he was easilyspooked Flying litter, swinging gates, and

honking cars all had him leaping sidewayswith a loud yelp.

"I can't believe a headmaster would lie," jamin panted, as they ran to catch up withthe yellow dog

Ben-214

"Well, he did," said Charlie "I know thatBilly's in Badlock What I can't figure out iswhy the shadow wants him."

They were now in the older part of the city,where the great cathedral towered above thesurrounding stores and houses Runner Beanhad dropped behind them for some reason.Every now and again he would give a lowwhine and sniff anxiously around a doorstep

or a streetlight All at once, the dog's whiningbecame a full-blooded yelp of terror

Charlie and Benjamin turned to see a hugeand hideous creature approaching The thinghad to be a dog, but its legs were like

concrete pipes, and its body showed not atrace of hair Its head was a grotesque mock-ery of a hound, with a broad snout and deadstony eyes The "thing" had teeth, however.

Oh, yes, it had teeth, longer and sharper thanany earthly dog should have

Runner Bean growled and, with incrediblecourage, moved forward - his ears were back,his body

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was low, and his tail touched the ground Hewas afraid but determined to defend theboys

Benjamin grabbed Charlie's arm so tightly ithurt "That thing will kill him, Charlie."

Charlie was thinking fast Eric had to benear It was Eric they had to deal with, notthe hound Charlie scanned the doorwaysand saw a crouching form, tucked behind anarrow porch

"Ben, get Runner to stop that boy," criedCharlie "See! There! Quickly!"

The two dogs were getting closer to each

oth-er The stone hound's feet pounded thecobblestoned street like a slow, heavy ma-

chine Thump! Thump! Thump! And then it

made a sound, hollow and unearthly Itstopped Runner Bean in his tracks, but hedidn't retreat

Benjamin spotted the crouching form ner!" he yelled "There! There! Get him!"Runner Bean looked back; he seemedconfused

"Run-"There!" Benjamin pointed "There, Runner.Get him! Now!"

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Runner Bean ran so fast the stone hound had

no time even to put out a paw But asBenjamin's dog leaped at Eric Shellhorn, theboy emitted a hissing chant and the stone

hound turned and flung itself at the yellowdog.

There was an explosion of sound and a cloud

of dust filled the street When the dustcleared, the boys could see that one side ofthe porch had fallen in and its narrow tiledroof hung at a dangerous angle The frontdoor had vanished; so had the hound It wasnow inside the house

Runner Bean limped toward Benjamin, ing up a paw There was no sign of Eric Hid-den by the dust cloud, he must have escapedback to Piminy Street

hold-"Now what?" said Charlie "Why is Eric ing this? Does he want to hurt me, or is itRunner Bean he's after?"

do-"Look, the owner," whispered Benjamin

An elderly man had emerged through the217

broken doorway He stared at the boys with adazed expression.

He was very thin, with strands of crinklywhite hair, deep-set eyes, and the sort of skinthat appeared never to have seen the sun.His black suit was dingy with age and hishigh-collared shirt was a dirty parchmentyellow

"Did you see that?" The man's frail voicehardly reached them

Realizing he couldn't deny it, Charlie walkedtoward the man, saying, "Yes, we did, sir."

"There's a great stone thing in my hall," theman said tremulously, "all broken up Lookslike a stone dog."

"It is, sir," said Charlie, peering into the oldman's hall "At least it was." The hound'shead had separated from its body and therest lay around the floor covered in bricks

"I am a retired lawyer," the old man toldCharlie "Mr Hector Bittermouse, you mayhave heard of

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me." He didn't wait for Charlie to reply

"Look! I haven't done any harm for sixtyyears, so why would anyone do that?" Hepointed to the rubble in his hall "And whowas it?"

Charlie struggled to reply He could hardlytell Mr Bittermouse that a six-year-old boywas responsible for demolishing his door Itwas too incredible "It was it was "Charlie was aware that Benjamin and Run-ner Bean were now standing just behindhim Benjamin also found it impossible toprovide Mr Bittermouse with an answer

"No!" Mr Bittermouse suddenly cried out

"It was one of them, wasn't it?"

"One of who?" asked Charlie

"One of those people from Piminy Street Mywife and I should have moved years ago, but

we thought they'd all gone, and moving issuch an upheaval." The old man began towring his hands "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.What am I to do?"

Mr Bittermouse was clearly not up to thetask

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confronting him, so the boys helped to clearthe rubble into the street and prop up thebroken door And then Charlie had a brightidea Norton Cross, the large Pets' Cafe door-man, would probably be looking for work

"If you send a letter to Mr Norton Cross, ThePets' Cafe, Frog Street, I think he'll be able tohelp you, Mr Bittermouse," said Charlie

"He's very strong, and nothing frightenshim."

"Write it down for me, young man." Mr termouse beckoned them into a dark studywhere a huge mahogany desk filled almost

Bit-an entire wall The old mBit-an took out a penand a notepad and handed them to Charlie.Charlie wrote down Norton's name and thePets' Cafe address

"And what would your name be, youngman?" asked Mr Bittermouse

"Charlie Bone, sir."

"Bone," said the old man thoughtfully "Myolder brother knew a Bone - Lyell Bone."220

"He's my father," said Charlie

"They were friends," went on Mr termouse, "good friends Their relationshipwasn't just professional."

Bit-Charlie had no way of knowing that his nextquestion would have far-reaching con-sequences He merely wanted to know how

and why his father had become friends with

a man who must be very old "Who is yourbrother, Mr Bittermouse?" asked Charlie

"He's a lawyer like me, Charlie - was a yer, I should say Though he still does a bit ofwork, now and again, for special friends.Barnaby Bittermouse is his name He's overninety, but his memory is a lot sharper thanmine Lives all by himself on TigerfieldStreet, number ten."

law-Charlie filed all this away in his mind Buthow could he forget names like Tigerfieldand Bittermouse? And how could he forgetthe number ten?

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CHAPTER 11

TANCRED'S NOTE

Charlie and Benjamin left Mr Bittermouse

without meeting his wife She must be very deaf, thought Charlie, not to have heard her

porch falling down Nobody else had heard

either, for that matter Or if they had, theywere keeping well away The street wasdeserted But then most people would behuddled around a fire or the TV on a coldSunday afternoon

Ingledew's Bookstore was not far from Mr.Bittermouse's house Had Miss Ingledewheard the noise?

Yes, she had "Charlie, Benjamin, how good

to see you," said Miss Ingledew as sheopened the door to them "You didn't happen

to see what caused that awful crash just now,did you?"

"Yes, we did," said Charlie

Olivia, who had been packing books behindthe counter, suddenly popped up like a jack-in-a-box, causing Runner Bean to leap in theair with a yelp

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"So what was it?" asked Olivia.

"I'll tell you about the crash later," saidCharlie, "but really I've come to ask MissIngledew's advice Something awful hashappened to Billy Raven."

Olivia pulled aside the curtain behind thecounter and called, "Bad news, Em!"

"Oh, no!" said Emma in a suitably tragicvoice

They all joined her in the backroom, whereMiss Ingledew had a good fire burning Apile of roasted chestnuts by the grate re-minded Charlie of Christmas There waseven a jug of hot blackberry juice just insidethe fireplace screen

Once he was tucked into a corner of the sofa,with hot chestnuts in his hands and a mug ofblackberry juice on the table beside him,Charlie recounted his extraordinary week-end There were interruptions, of course,

most of them from Olivia, but Benjamin andRunner Bean, lying together on a rug beforethe fire, fell fast asleep The others lookedquite exhausted by the time Charlie had fin-ished, but at least they'd stayed awake.

223 Charlie was disappointed with MissIngledew's reaction "Your uncle will knowwhat to do," she said Her face was a picture

"I was hoping you would know," Charliereplied

"Oh!" Miss Ingledew, who was sitting at herdesk, nervously flipped over a page on her

calendar, picked up a pen, and put it downagain Was it possible that she was missingUncle Paton?

Wedged in beside Charlie, Olivia was ing with concentration Emma, at the otherend of the sofa, was staring into the fire, withher chin resting on her hands All at once,Olivia made a loud huffing sound and cried,

frown-"I know We'll go and see the headmaster.Maybe Billy did go back to school, but if he's224

not there, we'll ask Dr Bloor where he is.He'll have to tell us."

"He won't tell us the truth," Emma saidgloomily "He could easily say he's sent Billyaway, or something."

Miss Ingledew stood up and began to paceabout "It's the Piminy Street business thatworries me," she said "Poor Mrs Kettle Imust pay her a visit And Mr Bittermouse!

That creature could have killed him mething should be done about Eric."

So-Benjamin had woken up Rubbing his eyesand yawning, he grumbled that Runner Beanhad never hurt anyone, so why had a stonedog been sent after him?

"Maybe it wasn't," Olivia said brightly "Doyou want to know what I think?"

"Tell us, Olivia." Miss Ingledew sat downagain and put on an earnest expression

"I think the stone hound was meant to breakdown Mr Bittermouse's door," Olivia said225

triumphantly "Runner Bean just happened

to be in the way Remember, Charlie? Youtold us Mr Bittermouse said, 'I haven't doneany harm for sixty years." Which means hedid once, and someone's getting back at him

at last."

Nobody argued It made perfect sense cept, as Miss Ingledew pointed out, thesomeone who put Eric up to his nasty tricksmust be quite old by now, if Mr Bittermousehad harmed them such a very long time ago.

Ex-"It could be a family feud," Benjaminsuggested

"Yes, yes, Benjamin, I think you're right."Miss Ingledew sat down again "Their des-cendants are returning to settle old scores, tocontinue the feuds that began centuries ago."She frowned "But why now? And who hassummoned them?"

"The shadow," said Charlie

Olivia shook her head "It can't be the

shad-ow Why do you keep coming back to him,Charlie? The shadow was banished He'sgone If he wasn't, he'd

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be seen in the streets, causing trouble, pearing at Bloor's He was an enchanter, forgoodness' sake; he'd be creating mayhem,after what happened to him."

ap-"Then he's reaching those Piminy Streetpeople through someone else," Charlieclaimed "Mrs Tilpin She still has the Mir-ror of Amoret Even though it's broken,maybe she can still talk to the shadow."

"Let's hope no one can fix the mirror," saidEmma

Mss Ingledew gave a little shiver, as thoughshe were trying to shrug off something un-pleasant "I must get back to work I've a lot

to do before the store opens tomorrow Stay

as long as you like, boys, and finish thosechestnuts while they're warm."

When Miss Ingledew had gone, no one spokefor a while, and then Olivia said, "Shall we goand see Dr Bloor tomorrow, Charlie?"

He didn't like the idea at all; he knew thatBilly was in Badlock, but Olivia had boxedhim into a

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corner "I'll go alone, if you don't mind," hesaid "Billy was staying with me, so it's myresponsibility."

"OK But just let me know if you want me tocome." Olivia peeled another chestnut "Ithink I'll dye my hair green tonight."

"Good," said Charlie, for want of a betterresponse

So much had happened over the weekendCharlie couldn't be blamed for overlooking avery important detail It was Benjamin whobrought it up, as he and Charlie were walkinghome

"Was Rembrandt with Billy when he peared?" asked Benjamin

disap-Charlie stopped dead "I don't know," he saidslowly "He wasn't in my bedroom I'd haveseen him."

"Well, if you find him in the cellar, it meansthat Billy was definitely there, doesn't it?"Benjamin looked rather pleased withhimself

"Certainly does, Ben." Charlie felt muchmore

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optimistic At least there was something hecould do to prove that Billy had gone into thecellar

"Good luck, then, Charlie!" Benjamin ted across the road to number twelve, withRunner Bean bounding beside him

sprin-When he reached his own front door, the low dog looked back at Charlie, as if to say,

yel-"Better you than me."