Wednesday
The sky was debating whether to turn that slowly paling gray that comes before sunrise or to just stay dark for another hour or so. The low wind moaned disconsolately to anyone who would listen.
Adam, Bree, Leo and Mr. Davenport had arrived in Exuro and were standing half a block away from Bart's Toy Emporium, which was patched together with police tape and ringed with black and whites.
"Alright, you three stay here," Mr. Davenport instructed, "I'll go talk to the police."
"What for?" Leo asked.
"They may have seen Chase. I don't think he's still here, not with all these policemen around. But they may have seen him or where he went. Heck, they may have arrested him."
"Let's go ask them then," Adam said, but Mr. Davenport put out a hand to stop him.
"That's what I'm going to do. I want you three to wait here. Especially Adam and Bree. There may have been a security camera in that shop."
"What?!" Bree practically squealed, "But we used our bionics in there!"
"It's okay. I don't think there was a camera. If there was, don't worry, I'll take care of it. Just... stay."
Mr. Davenport went down the block and across the street. Bree crossed her arms and attempted to facially convey her irritation to Leo and Adam. Neither of them seemed impressed. In fact, neither one of them was paying any attention to her whatsoever.
"Hey look," Leo said, "there's a cat in the road."
"Ooh, you know what?" Adam said, tapping Leo on the shoulder, "I bet Chase was turned into a cat!"
"Adam, no. Adam, we've been over this. Adam, come back!"
But it was too late. Adam was already down at the corner, trying to coax the enormous, supremely fluffy gray cat out of the street.
"Here, Chase. C'mere, Chasy," Adam snapped his fingers and whistled to the cat.
It peered at him through hooded yellow eyes in bafflement, and then proceeded to wash its face with one of its paws, thoroughly disinterested.
"Here, boy. C'mon, it's me, your brother. Adam. Come on, Chase," Adam whistled again.
The cat, for its part of the performance, lowered its paw delicately onto the icy road, took a sniffing breath and then opened its mouth in a gaping yawn, flashing a lovely set of pointy white teeth.
"Adam," Bree said, coming up behind him, "That's a cat, not Chase."
"I don't think I've ever seen anyone whistle for a cat," Leo confessed.
"That's probably because it doesn't work," Adam said, "I'm gonna go pick it up."
"Adam, don't!" Leo counseled, but too late, Adam had already stepped into the street.
"I don't see what you're so worried about," Bree said to Leo, her arms still crossed, "Even if a car hit him, Adam probably wouldn't be hurt."
"Maybe not," Leo replied slowly, "But the car might be. And someone might question why I have a brother who's made of bricks and concrete!"
"Good point," Bree admitted, "Adam! Get out of the street!"
Adam ignored them.
"Nice, Chasy. Good, Chasy. Just stay right there-"
The cat stood up and trotted between Adam's legs. It pranced up onto the sidewalk and came to Bree, who knelt and reached out a hand towards the cat. The animal sniffed her hand and rubbed its face on her.
"She always was your favorite," Adam pouted.
"Adam," Bree said patiently, stroking the cat, "this isn't Chase. It's somebody's pet."
"How can you tell it isn't a stray?" Leo asked.
"It's friendly for one," Bree replied, "It's well-groomed in spite of all the hair for two. But the biggest indication that this cat has an owner is that girl down the street who seems to be looking in the bushes for something. What do you think she's looking for?"
"Lip gloss?" Leo guessed.
"Ooh, I bet she's looking for a flying purple people eater!" Adam exclaimed.
"Adam..." Bree shook her head and didn't finish.
"Sad thing is," Leo said quietly aside to Bree, "he probably doesn't even know that's a song."
"Wait, you're saying that's an actual thing and not just a product of Adam's deranged imagination?" Bree asked.
"You poor, sheltered child," Leo said by way of reply.
"Hey!" Bree shouted to the girl down the street, "Is this your cat?"
The girl turned and her eyes lit up on seeing the cat.
"Oh, Fluffles," she cried as she came up to them.
She knelt down and picked up the cat, who let out a brief meow of protest.
"You naughty kitty. First you got out last night and that nice boy rescued you from being flattened and then you do it again this morning. Are you trying to frighten me?"
"What boy?" Bree asked, at the same time as Adam said, "Was he doll sized?" and Leo added his two cents, "Has tall hair and looks confused by real life most of the time?"
"I don't know about 'doll sized'," the girl replied uncertainly after a moment of silence, "but he did look... well, he looked lost now that I think about it. He was dressed strangely too."
"All in black, including gloves?" Leo guessed.
Adam and Bree couldn't be held up as examples because they had changed into their regular clothes.
"Yeah, you know him?" the girl asked, tossing her head to get a long strand of hair out of her face.
"He's our brother," Bree explained, "Do you know where he is? We need to find him."
"I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head, "I noticed that he was hanging around the toy store last night, until the police showed up. I don't know where he went after that. You mean... you mean he really was lost?" her face took on a guilty expression, "I didn't even stop to ask him if he was okay. I mean, he saved my cat from being run over. And Fluffles scratched him, the ungrateful thing."
The cat chose this moment to meow petulantly.
Adam, Bree and Leo exchanged uneasy looks. Chase had been here. He'd obviously waited for them, only to be driven off by the locals. But... where would he go? Where could he go? Not back to the chopper. They'd checked there, and the helicopter was where they'd left it. Besides, if Chase had taken the helicopter, he would have been home before now.
"You might ask one of the officers where he went," the girl suggested, "They probably helped him if he was lost or confused. I did see him talking to them from my window last night when I got up to get a drink of water. It was very late."
"Thanks, we'll ask," Leo said.
The girl smiled, cuddled her cat and headed back to her apartment.
"How are we gonna ask? Mr. Davenport told us to stay here," Adam reminded Leo.
"That's right," Leo said, pulling out his phone, "But he didn't say we couldn't text him."
Down the street, Mr. Davenport's phone chirped. He pulled it out and looked at the text.
"Um, excuse me, Officer?" Mr. Davenport engaged the attention of the nearest policeman, whose name tag identified him as Mendez, "You didn't happen to encounter a boy last night, did you? About sixteen, yea tall, brown hair-"
"Yeah, as a matter of fact," Mendez interrupted before Mr. Davenport could go on, "You his father? I don't mean to tell you your business, but that kid was pulling some kind of prank last night and-"
"No, no he wasn't," Mr. Davenport interrupted the interruption, "He needs help. I'm trying to find him."
"Well I haven't seen him since last night," Mendez said, "Hey, Palmer! You remember that kid from last night?"
"The one with the helicopter keys?" asked a somewhat distant officer.
"Yeah, that's the one. Has anybody seen him since then?"
"I think so," Palmer replied, "Eddie described a similar kid. You remember he got the call about that auto accident on First? Yeah, seems that kid was driving the car. I don't know how that came out. All three people involved went to the hospital, but I haven't talked to Eddie since."
Mr. Davenport felt his blood run cold. Chase had been in an accident? Been sent to the hospital? This was bad. Very, very bad.
"Could you tell me which hospital?" Mr. Davenport asked.
"This is the boy's father," Mendez said, even though Mr. Davenport had made no such claim.
"I could find out," Palmer said, then added curiously, "You mean that kid was on the level?"
"Seems so," Mendez replied with a shrug.
"Just when I think I've heard everything. I would have bet money that kid was pranking us."
"Chase usually only pranks his sister," Mr. Davenport said without pausing to think, "because when he's doing that with his brother, his brother isn't teasing him."
"Uh-huh," Mendez nodded slowly, then shook his head, "Well, we'll get the name of that hospital for you in just a minute. What did you say your name was?"
They finally made it to the hospital, but the new was discouraging.
"Yes, he was here," said the nurse at the reception desk, "But the gentleman he arrived with carried him out only a short while after they arrived. Strange, nobody in that accident seemed to be hurt. From what I heard, they were all very lucky to be alive."
"Uh-huh," Mr. Davenport said unhappily, "Well, thank you."
He turned towards where the kids were waiting nervously and shook his head.
"Chase was here, but someone took him away before the doctor could look at him. I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or worse," Mr. Davenport said, "On the one hand, that means our secret is still safe. On the other... someone wandered off with Chase. Who would do that? Especially right after an accident like that. Either they learned the truth and are helping him... or... or I'd rather not think about it."
"So where do we go from here?" Leo asked impatiently.
"I'm not sure," Mr. Davenport sighed, sinking into one of the waiting room chairs wearily.
The kids also took seats nearby. They had been so close. So close to getting their brother back. But now it seemed like he might be in greater danger than ever, and they had no way of finding him.
"Well, police keep records," Bree said, "Maybe the got the name of the man."
"Assuming he gave them his real name. He might not have," Mr. Davenport pointed out.
Bree looked down, crestfallen.
"Oh, Bree. I'm sorry. You're right. It's worth a try anyway. Come on, kids, let's go."
Bree brightened visibly as Mr. Davenport got up. The kids followed suit, Bree starting to get up last of all. As she did a wave of dizziness hit her and she staggered. Adam caught her arm.
"Bree!" Adam said in alarm.
"Bree, are you okay?" Leo asked.
"Oh no," Mr. Davenport said, having jumped several steps ahead of the others, "No, no, no."
"What?" Leo demanded, "What's wrong?"
"I can't be sure without running some tests," Mr. Davenport said distractedly, examining Bree more closely, "but it looks like I may not have solved the problem, only 'reset' it, slowed it down. Adam, you'll have to carry Bree. Leo, you stay with them. I'll go ahead and prepare the chopper for take off."
"But what about Chase?" Adam asked, a flash of worried anger in his eyes.
"Bree needs us now. She can't wait for us to find Chase. And neither can you. It won't be long before you start going downhill again too," Mr. Davenport said hurriedly, "Now do as I say, before the hospital staff notices anything is up. Hurry, Adam."
Adam obediently picked Bree up and gently carried her to the door, which Leo pushed open for him.
"Leo," Adam said, pausing at the door, "if it wasn't what Mr. Davenport said, then what's wrong with us?"
"I dunno, Adam. But don't worry, we'll figure this thing out. It'll be okay."
"Will it?" Adam asked, as though he thought Leo magically knew the answer to that, "Will it really?"
"Yeah," Leo said after too long a hesitation, "Yeah, Big D's a genius. He'll figure this out. Come on."