part Nine Balloon (NaNoWrio novel in progress- unedtited, so plenty of mistakes, comments welcome!)

Chapter Nine

 

“Missing? Are they sure? How could he… we just saw him this afternoon!” Mary said.

“He was due to stop by the Rector’s study for supper tonight. He never showed, so the Rector went around to his house and found no one home.”

“Perhaps he was called away?” Asked Liza.

“No, there is more. The Rector said the front door was open and inside papers were strewn everywhere.”

Liza gasped, Mary and Moto looked at her.

“What?” Mary asked, her eyes narrowing. “What do you know?”

Liza shook her head. “Nothing, it’s just that, well, the night prior to you coming over, so that would be two nights ago, I happened upon a robber in Grandfather’s study!”

Moto nodded. “It is true Mary” he said solemnly.

“A robber!? What did he steal?”

“Well, nothing, I think I got there before he could find what he wanted. Actually, Grandfather had hidden it pretty well…”

“You know what he wanted?” Mary asked.

“We can only suppose, but Grandfather and I think he wanted what you saw this afternoon.”

“The report? But why?”

“There are rumors” Moto said quietly. Liza looked at him.

“Rumors?”

“From my contacts in the air force. Really just talk, about people who have seen things…”

“Go on” Mary said eager.

“Nothing that I could really say with any certainty. However, some pilots tell stories of seeing these floating cities, from a great distance. Others even say they have seen ships, massive ships in the air. Most of them chalk it up to mirages, their eyes playing tricks on them, things of that nature. But some say they know what they saw…”

“But how does this connect to the break in?” Mary asked.

“Well, I am not, for one, saying it does. But imagine, just for a moment, if the British air force were able to get a hold of one of these ships, or even discover these floating cities. The air force that gains this knowledge would rule the skies and perhaps the ground beneath as well.”

“Does Grandfather know about these rumors?” Liza asked her voice full of concern.

“He and I have never talked about it, but I am sure he has heard these things too.”

 

Liza looked down at her feet, her brow furrowed. Mary sat for a moment while Moto shifted from foot to foot slowly.

“What about Will then? Mary asked.

“The local constable says he will go around tomorrow looking, making certain of where Will went.”

“Where he went?”

“Well, the general feeling, Liza, is that he was scared off by our arrival” Moto said softly. “That he has left to escape embarrassment of having to turn us down.”

“I don’t believe it!” Liza said, her voice betraying her uncertainty. “All we did was ask him to London, in the end. We did nothing to pressure him. I am sure he has gone to comfort a sick friend or perhaps to get supplies for the trip tomorrow. He will show up tomorrow morning.”

Moto nodded, tipped his hat and bade the two a good night.

Mary and Liza got back into their beds and Mary extinguished her lamp.

“Do you really think he will come back tomorrow?” Mary said after a moment.

“I am sure of it!” Liza said, trying to sound firm.

“What of the Rector finding the house thrown about?” Mary said after thinking for several moments, but the only reply she got was a gentle snore from Liza.

 

Come the morning there was still no sign of Mr. Cogsworth. Inquiries were made with the village constable, but nothing came of it. For all practical purposes Mr. Cogsworth had vanished off the face of the earth.

“Robert, Sir.” Moto said after the party left the small police station that was housed behind the post office. “I would like to go to Mr. Cogsworth house and take a look around.”

“What on earth for man?” The General asked.

“Clues. He may have left some small clue there, a note perhaps?”

The General stopped walking and stood there for a moment, thinking.

“It does seem that the local constables are… limited in their scope.” Liza offered.

“Yes, I agree” The General said, “But it would look strange should we march over there and tear the place apart.”

“No worries sir - Robert, I shall say I dropped something there and I need to go back and find it.”

“Or better yet, that you left something with Mr. Cogsworth… an article perhaps? That would allow us to look through his papers!” Mary suggested.

“Us?” The Colonel said. “I won’t allow you to get mixed up in any funny business Mary.”

“Oh honestly Uncle, we are all already mixed up in this. Moto and I can go together, we’ll be faster.”

“I’ll go too” Liza said and Mary nodded, smiling.

“Why not all of us then? The colonel said, in a tone that sounded more reproachful than helpful.

“That would be mixing it up” The General said with a light voice “We’d probably trip over each other. Still, I think you are on to something Thornsberry. You and I can stand outside the house, as a sort of watch. If anyone does ask what is going on we can reassure them it’s all on the up and up!”

“Even when it isn’t?” The Colonel said half under his breath.

“Especially when it isn’t” The General replied.

 

Moments later they arrived at the small house. The school seemed deserted and at first the General was concerned that perhaps it had been closed off for some reason. But Mary reminded them that the session was over that morning, which is why they had to stay the night.

 

With the General and The Colonel standing in the mid-morning sun, the other three went into the small house. Inside things were still strewn about and upset.

“What, exactly, are we looking for?” Mary asked.

“A note perhaps, or something arranged in a meaningful way, like a book open to a certain page perhaps.’ Moto said, eyeing the mess.

“As if we’d find either under all of this” Liza said.

“Well, still, we should try.” Mary said and the three of them set to work carefully looking around the main room. Moto offered to go into the kitchen area and Mary said she’d investigate the very small bedroom off the back.

After a few quiet minutes there was a loud scream and a commotion from the kitchen. Liza and Mary rushed back to find Moto standing in the middle of the tiny kitchen, a young boy struggling to escape from Moto’s grip.

The boy was crying. “Let me go boogeyman! Let me go!”

“He’s not a boogeyman child, he’s African!” Liza said in an exasperated tone that made Mary giggle. “And who are you and what are you doing in Mr. Cogsworth house?”

The boy stopped struggling and looked from Liza to Mary and back again. When it beam clear neither one was going to come to his rescue he fell slack for a moment. Moto relaxed his grip only slightly when the boy wrenched free and bolted for the front of the house. Liza neatly stepped infant of him and caught him by his arm. She quickly grabbed his ear and pulled it up as far as she could. The boy howled in pain.

“Lemme go!” he said in a pitiful moan.

“Silence boy!” Liza said firmly. “Tell me who you are!”

“My name is Abner, I’m the houseboy.”

“The houseboy?’ Mary said.

“Y-yes, I help out Mr. Cogsworth and help out at the school. I-in return I gets some schooling from Mr. Cogsworth.”

Liza pulled up sharply on his ear. “That so?”

“Awww, honest! You can ask the other masters!”

“Alright, Abner, I am going to let go of your ear. If you try to run I will send Moto here after you and he can run as fast as the wind. Understand.”

“Yesum.”

Liza let go and the boy stood there, rubbing his ear and looking quite cross at Liza.

“Why diya hafta pull my ear so, I ain’t done nothing wrong.”

Liza ignored him. “Tell me Abner, when is the last time you saw Mr. Cogsworth?

The boy stopped rubbing his ears and looked down at the floor.

“I dunno, sometime around super I suppose.”

Liza reached out and gently lift the boy’s chin. “Look at my Abner. Now, let’s try again. When did you last see Mr. Cogsworth?”

The boy trembled a bit and began to cry. “I- I- oh, ma’am. P-p-please. I ain’t done nothin wrong…”

Mary stepped up and gently place her hand on the boys arm. He turned to look at her.

“It’s ok Abner. We’re friends of Mr. Cogsworth. He was going to join us today on trip back to London.”

“Yes, he told me about that!”

“He did?” Liza asked.

“Oh yes” Abner was clearly relieved at the change of subject. “He told me to pack him a case, with his new shoes, pajamas, and a brush-“

“Yes, yes, alright.” Liza said curtly but May shot her a look.

“So did you pack the case Abner?” Mary asked.

“Yes Ma’am I did. But he’d run out of shaving cream, so he sent me up to the school to see if he could borrow some of Master John’s.”

“And did you?” Mary asked.

“Oh yes, and I came right back but…” The boy fell silent and looked down again at the floor.

“Go on Abner. It’s ok, we’re not going to get you into any trouble, I promise.”

The boy looked up and bit his lower lip.

“Alright. Well, I came back, but round the back way. I had left Mr. Cogsworth umbrella by the back step, to dry and I wanted to collect it. I was about to open the door when I heard voice.”

“Voices?”

“Yes, come from inside. Loud, angry voices.”

“Did you recognize the voices?”

“Well, one. I mean one was Mr. Cogsworth. But the other one I could not place. It was a man’s voice, that’s for sure, deep. And he was doin’ most of the yelling.”

“What was he yelling about?” Mary prodded him along.

“Well,… it wasn’t clear, but something about a map? And Mr. Cogsworth kept telling him he didn’t have no map, but the man keep tellin him he did. I was about to go in and see if I could help Mr. Cogsworth when I heard the man tell someone else to get Mr. Cogsworth.”

“Someone else?”

“Yes ma’am. I didn’t hear nobody else, but the man said ‘take him with us’ and ‘tie him up.’ And he told Mr. Cogsworth to stop struggling. Well, when I heard that I sorta slide down into the shed, in case they came around back looking. I am ashamed now that I did not do more, but the man who spoke sounded like a big man. I wished I fought him now.” The boy was crying and he hung his head.

“Now now, you did the right thing.” Mary said putting her arm around his shoulder.

“Hrumph” said Liza. “I’d fought these guys and I’m a girl.”

“Hush Liza. If Abner had been that foolish he would not have been here today to tell us what happened!”

Liza looked taken aback but did not say anything.

“Was there anything else Abner.”

“No Ma’am.”

“Did the man mention any names or where they were going?”

The boy’s face lit up. “Well, now that you ask, I recall they did ma’am. The man said something about how a Mr. Iggelsdin would have to sort out Mr. Cogsworth once and for all.”

“Is that it?”

The boy looked up at the ceiling and then looked back at Mary. “Yes Ma’m, As best as I can recall.” He looked back and forth between Moto, Mary and Liza. “Can I go then?”

“Yes, I suppose.” Liza said. “But unless you want to get into some serious trouble, I would stay very quiet about what you just told us.”

“Oh yes ma’am. I promise, I’ll not tell a soul.” The boy did small awkward bow and then scrambled out of the kitchen through the front of the house to the outdoors. From the front there came a startled “I Say!” as the boy blazed past The General and the Colonel. Mary and Liza laughed, but Moto had a very grave look on his face.

“Is everything… do you know a Mr. Iggelsdin Moto?” Liza asked.

“We should tell the General at once” Moto said, going past Liz and Mary to the front of the house. The two women ran after him.

Outside the General and the Colonel were walking up the front walk.

“I say Moto, did you see the small boy who just ran out?”

“Yes Robert sir. He was Cogsworth’s house boy and he heard Mr. Cogsworth attackers last night. We must hurry back to London with all due speed Sir. The boy mentioned a name, Igglesdin.”

“Good God man, how can it be?”

“I do not know Sir, but we must make haste.”

“Of course. Come Liza, Mary, Thornsberry, we may yet be able to save Mr. Cogsworth, but we cannot tarry.”