Charlie Bone and the Beast (The Children of the Red King, Book 6) Part 3 pptx

"He's all bent and lame." "I'm surprised he's alive," said Charlie in alow voice.. "And they look like ordinary cats, ex-cept for their color." "Mmmm." Charlie had never ceased to der ho

white stuff "Dripping," she told them "It'sgood for you."

The boys eyed the dripping doubtfully Assoon as Mrs Weedon had gone, Charliestuck his knife into

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the pot and brought it out, smeared withdripping He licked the knife "Uuurrrghh! Ittastes disgusting."

Billy was of a different opinion "I quite likeit," he said, spreading the dripping thicklyonto his toast "The burnt bits don't taste sobad with this on top."

After breakfast they wandered up to theKing's room There was no one around to tellthem what to * do If Manfred Bloor hadbeen there, he would probably have orderedthem outside onto the grounds He had beenvery keen on getting students outside,

especially when it was cold or wet WhereWAS Manfred?

"I heard he looked like a monster." Billyglanced around the room, half-expectingManfred to appear from behind a bookcase

"He's all bent and lame."

"I'm surprised he's alive," said Charlie in alow voice "Not many people could survive aleopard attack."

"Leopards." A note of awe crept into Billy'svoice "And they look like ordinary cats, ex-cept for their color."

"Mmmm." Charlie had never ceased to der how three cats had, for a few vitalminutes, become

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leopards, capable of tearing a human being

to shreds Well, not shreds, perhaps, butnear enough

At noon the boys decided to look for Cook.After such a meager breakfast their stomachswere already rumbling As they descendedthe main staircase they saw a figure makingits way across the hall A dark cape coveredmost of the body Only the feet, clad in blackboots, could be seen from below pants thathung in folds around the ankles A hood wasthrown over the head which jutted forwardfrom the hunched shoulders in an odd, un-comfortable way.

The boys froze as the hooded figure limpedover to the door in the west wing There wassomething desperate in the way it rattled andshook the ringed handle, seemingly unable

to turn it But at last the door opened and itwas then that the figure turned toward theboys

They expected to see a frowning face, an pression of annoyance at being watched But

ex-the hooded man had no face Charlie andBilly found themselves looking at a whitemask with slanting, silver-rimmed

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eyeholes and a gaping, boat-shaped mouth.And then it was gone, slipping through thesmall door with surprising speed, leaving theboys agape on the stairs

"Manfred," Billy whispered

Charlie nodded "Must be."

"I feel all peculiar," said Billy "I'm trying toimagine what sort of face he's got."

"Don't," said Charlie

They found Cook, at last, at the far end of herkitchen She was muttering out loud to her-self as she threw chopped onions into a sizz-ling pan Charlie called her name and, re-ceiving no reply, gently touched her arms.Cook screamed and her wooden spoon wentflying through the air

"Why did you do that?" she screeched.

"You couldn't hear me, Cook You were ing to yourself."

talk-"Was I? Well, what of it?" Cook straightenedher apron and turned down the gas

When she heard about the food the boys hadbeen forced to endure, Cook calmed down alittle and

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promised them some minestrone soup forlunch "With a bit of apple crumble to fol-low," she added "I've got some in the ovenfor the Bloors."

"Where've you been, Cook?" Billy asked

"You're always here at breakfast time."

"I was staying with a friend I nearly didn'tcome back, I can tell you But my friend con-vinced me that I must She's such a sensibleperson," Cook lifted the lid on her saucepanand threw in a handful of herbs

"Mmmm!" Charlie closed his eyes The smellcoming from the saucepan was so delicious

he could almost taste it

"It's not ready yet." Cook shooed the boysback into the cafeteria A few minutes latershe appeared with two bowls of steamingminestrone

"You wouldn't really leave Bloor's, wouldyou?" Charlie asked Cook

She grimaced "Has Billy told you about thatboy Dagbert?"

"I know all about Dagbert." Charlie sighed

"And Lord Grimwald and what he did to you.It's horrible,

stom-"Rembrandt? Why? Why can't he stay in thePets' Cafe?"

"He's disgraced himself," said Cook "Beenstealing treats It's all very upsetting Youknow how Mrs Onimous loves him Shedidn't want him to go, of course, but Mr On-imous insisted I hear the poor snake misseshim terribly, quite lost its color But there weare."

"But where's Rembrandt now?" Billy asked

in a desperate voice "Is he happy? Does helike his new place?"

"He's in the Kettle Shop," Cook informedthem "Can't steal anything there, except tea,

of course And he's not very fond of that, byall accounts." She turned away

"Where is the Kettle Shop?" asked Billy

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Cook hesitated Her mind seemed to be where "The Kettle Shop," she said absently,

else-"is on Piminy Street Ask for Mrs Kettle - avery good friend of mine Enjoy your soup."When Cook walked back into the kitchen,Charlie noticed that the spring had left herstep She was usually such a positive andcheerful person; it worried him to see her sodejected.

The promised apple crumble soon followedthe minestrone soup and, leaving Cook stilltalking to herself, Charlie and Billy madetheir way back to the King's room With noone in charge, it was difficult to apply them-selves to work

"If Olivia was here she'd make us explore,"said Billy wistfully

But Olivia wasn't there and the very mention

of her name made Charlie angry He couldn'tforget the way she had flounced off, tellinghim he was a liar and a fraud

"Oh, come on, let's explore," Billy pleaded

Charlie groaned and put down his book,which had suddenly started to get interest-ing "OK."

Where to explore? Billy didn't have an swer Not in the attics where Mr Ezekiellived among his grisly experiments And not

in the basement, where Dr Bloor kept cient instruments of torture, among othergruesome objects And certainly not on thegrounds, where sleet had turned to a whitemist of hail

an-They eventually decided on the art room.Paintings were always entertaining, even ifthey weren't beautiful And the sculptureroom held some very impressive works.Lysander was a particularly fine sculptor,and Tancred's statues could be interesting,never mind that you couldn't always tellwhat they were

The art room lay just beyond the boys' itory and overlooked the garden Today thelong windows showed only a moving sheet ofsnow and hail It cast an eerie light over theforest of easels and drawing boards.

When they reached the sculpture studio, theytiptoed around blocks of wood and plasterand odd-shaped statues In the center of theroom stood Lysander's masterpiece, a verylifelike carving of his mother, JessamineSage, and her new baby

The chanting grew louder as they movedthrough the long room When they got to theother side, there was no doubt that the voicewas coming from the room beyond A roomused for dressmaking classes and first years'drawing lessons.

Charlie put his hand on the doorknob

"Go on," whispered Billy "Let's see who itis."

Charlie flung open the door

There was a shriek, a flurry of paper, pins,and

beside the scissors His great-aunt Venetiahad something to do with this.

"Snoops!" cried Dorcas

Charlie ignored her accusing glare "Whatare you doing in school?"

"What are YOU doing in here?" she retorted,hastily pulling a sheet of tissue paper oversomething blue

Charlie had seen what it was "I've got tion," he said airily "What's your excuse?"Recovering her composure, Dorcas saidhaughtily, "I don't need an excuse I'm work-ing on something for your aunt Venetia."

deten-"I can see you've got all the right stuff."Charlie picked up one of the cans and readthe label "Altering Bugs Is that to "

"Give it to me!" Dorcas interrupted Shegrabbed

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the end of the can while Charlie still heldfirmly to the lid It was inevitable that thetwo parts should separate.

A cloud of orange bugs poured onto thetable, covering scissors, pins, and cottonreels

"Fiends!" yelled Dorcas, frantically pullingthings out of the way of the bugs "Get out ofhere GET OUT!"

Charlie and Billy didn't move Before theirvery eyes, the bug-covered items were slowlychanging shape; they were growing longer,thinner, smoother

"Wh-what are you doing, Dorcas?" Billyasked shakily

"Mind your own business," she bellowed

"GET OUT GO AWAY!"

She was drowned out by a roar from thedoorway

"Are you deaf, Charlie Bone?" shoutedWeedon "I've been searching the entireschool for you It's time to go home Unlessyou plan to spend another night here."

"NO, no," said Charlie "I didn't realize IsUncle Paton "

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"Won't come in Keeps phoning me from thatwretched cell phone of his Blasted gadgets.Should never have been invented Instru-ments of the devil, if you ask me."

Charlie rushed past Weedon with Billy closebehind him They tore up to the dormitory tofetch their bags and were back in the hall inthree minutes flat Weedon came lumberingdownstairs after them

"You don't deserve a vacation," he grumbled,unlocking the heavy door

Charlie didn't bother to point out that oneday away from school wasn't exactly a

vacation The sleet had died away at last, but

it had been replaced by an icy fog Theycould barely make out Uncle Paton's carparked across the square As usual his headwas bent over a book Unusually, he wasn'twearing his dark glasses

"Can hardly see a thing in this fog," UnclePaton remarked as the boys scrambled intothe backseat "So I doubt that anyone can seeme."

They drove cautiously out of the square Itwas

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already getting dark and the streetlights peared as soft halos of light, hanging in thefog

ap-"Extraordinary fog," said Uncle Paton as hepeered ahead "It tastes of salt Must haveblown in from the sea, though goodnessknows it's miles away."

"The sea." Charlie was beginning to make aconnection "Uncle P., there's a new boy atschool His endowment, he says, isdrowning."

Uncle Paton chuckled "Drowning? A ghostlyshipwreck of a person, then?"

"It's serious, Mr Yewbeam," said Billy estly "He drowns OTHER people."

earn-Charlie added, "His father is Lord Grimwald.The man who "

"Good heavens! I know who you mean,Charlie A wrecker if ever there was one He'sbeen keeping quiet lately I thought he wasdead and buried Mind you" - Uncle Patonhonked at a car that loomed out of the fog,dangerously close - "there have been a fewdrownings in his area lately Fishermenmostly

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They put it down to the weather, but younever know."

"Where is his area?" asked Charlie

"North." Uncle Paton waved a hand in noparticular direction "One of the islands Noone knows the precise location They're acurious bunch, the Grimwalds Legend has itthat when a son of that family reaches twelveyears, his father dies - or he does The twocannot both survive beyond the son's thir-teenth year A family tragedy, you might say

On the other hand, one drowner is betterthan two."

Charlie had lost a father when he was tooyoung to remember him But now that fatherwas found, how terrible it would be to losehim again, when he was twelve A twinge offear caused him to shiver as he thought of hisparents surrounded by the sea He couldeven taste the salt on his lips

The car jerked to a halt as Paton suddenlyrealized they were outside number nine.When they got out of

As they climbed the steps the muffled sound

of church bells stole through the misty air,and Paton said, "Ah, that reminds me, yourgreat-aunt Venetia was married today,Charlie." He opened the front door

"What a horrible day for a wedding." Charlieremarked as he stepped inside "Bad luck, Iexpect."

His uncle wiped his feet on the doormat "Iwasn't invited, naturally."

The boys were very glad to find that Maisiehadn't been invited either They were able tosit down to a delicious tea without GrandmaBone's sour face looming across the table.

"You should have seen your grandma,"

Mais-ie said "She decided to go to the weddingafter all Disapproval all over her face, butshe couldn't miss it She

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was purple from head to foot Yes, evenpurple shoes with big bows on them, andwhat a hat! Grapes galore Looked like a fruitsalad."

The image of Grandma Bone's long face neath bunches of purple grapes causedCharlie to choke on his snack, and then thewhole table was laughing, Uncle Patonloudest of all

be-Charlie thought of visiting Benjamin aftertea, but the view from the kitchen window

wasn't encouraging The houses across thestreet were buried in darkness and fog Allthat could be seen were tiny pinpricks oflight from the cars making their way slowlydown the street.

Billy peered wistfully through the window

He longed to fetch his pet rat but didn't dare

to suggest it on such an unfriendly night

"We'll get Rembrandt first thing tomorrow,"Charlie promised "And we'll take Benjaminand Runner Bean with us."

Sometime during the night, the fog slowlyrolled away A full moon appeared high inthe sky, and a

Sunday morning greeted the boys with brightsunshine and an icy blue sky They madetheir own breakfast - cereal, toast, and milk -before anyone else was up But Maisiestruggled downstairs in her curlers and pinkbathrobe, just as they were finishing.

"You make sure you're back by lunchtime orI'll come after you," she said "Piminy Street

is right behind the cathedral, near Ingledew'sbookstore If you want to stop at the shop forlunch, give me a ring."

"We won't be going there," Charlie saidawkwardly

Maisie tilted her head to one side "Had afight with one of your girlfriends?"

"I don't have a girlfriend," Charlie saidheatedly, "and I haven't had a fight withanyone."

On their way out, the boys noticed a verylarge,

colorful hat sitting on the hall chair It didlook like a fruit salad The sight gave Billy afit of the giggles, and Charlie immediatelyfelt better

Benjamin was always ready for an tion, and Runner Bean was beside himselfwith joy when his leash was taken from itshook in the hall

expedi-Benjamin's parents were already hard atwork * when the three boys left numbertwelve Being private detectives meant thatweekends could be just as busy as weekdays.Today they weren't actually out on a case,they were in the kitchen devising yet anotherset of cunning disguises They had to renewtheir disguises frequently when they were

"shadowing a subject," as they put it times, even Benjamin failed to recognize

Some-them They were always very pleased whenthis happened, although Benjamin wasn't.

"Can I have lunch at your place?" Benjaminasked as they headed toward the cathedral.Charlie was aware that Mr and Mrs Brownrelied on Maisie to give their son good,wholesome meals on the weekends Courseyou can," he said

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"And shall we go to the Pets' Cafe for a snackwhen Billy's got Rembrandt?" Benjamin saideagerly

"No," said Charlie rather quickly

Benjamin came to a halt "Why not?"

"Let's just say that Emma and Olivia might

be there, and they might not be too happy tosee me."

"Why?" asked Benjamin

Charlie told him about Dagbert

"But you've got to put it right between you,"Benjamin insisted "You can tell them it wasall a terrible mistake."

"It's not that easy," said Billy as Charliestrode ahead "You see, Dagbert has made usall on edge He called me a freak."

Runner Bean dragged Benjamin afterCharlie Benjamin panted, "I think youshould make up with them."

"Well, I don't." Charlie walked even faster

"And that's that."

It wasn't true Charlie did want to make it upwith Emma and Olivia He just couldn'tthink of a way to

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do it He hadn't realized that he would have

to pass the end of Cathedral Close on the way

to Piminy Street

Ingledew's bookstore lay in Cathedral Close

It stood in a row of old half-timbered houses

in the shadow of the great cathedral Charlieglanced up the cobblestone alley that led tothe bookstore and "hurried on to PiminyStreet He wondered if Olivia was in thebookstore with Emma What would they bedoing? Helping Emma's aunt, Miss Ingle-dew, no doubt They would be sorting books,brushing the soft leather bindings, and dust-ing the gold leaf that edged the delicatepages Or would they be dreaming up somescheme to punish him for words he'd neveruttered?

Charlie was correct in one respect Emmaand Olivia were in the bookstore, dreaming

up a scheme, or rather Olivia was But it hadnothing to do with Charlie It was more inthe way of an experiment

Olivia's endowment had been kept secretfrom the Bloors Only her closest friendsknew that she was an