Luke Triton and the Enigmatic Puzzle – Part 12 –

Top hats were surprisingly hard to come by in London.

Well, no. That wasn't quite accurate. Top hats weren't uncommon at all, actually. Top hats rivalling the professor's—that was Luke's problem. There were plenty of hats, but none were tall enough to be right.

However, Luke didn't begin to worry until the sixth hat shop. He felt like he was trying to figure out a puzzle—a horrible, horrible puzzle. A puzzle with a trick answer. He hated those. Puzzles should be solved with logical mind, not a deceitful one. He shook his head. Focus was key in solving puzzles; he would solve this problem like all the others.

"Excuse me," Luke called shyly to the shop attendant.

She turned, pinning up her long brown locks. "Yessir? How can I help you?"

"I'm looking for a top hat. It's not quite a normal top hat, though. It has to be about yea high." Luke motioned with his hands. "Do you have something like that?"

"Mm," she replied thoughtfully. "I can check the back for you, but I won't promise anything."

"Thank you," Luke said, voice overflowing with gratitude. Perhaps he would finally arrive at his answer.

Minutes later, the girl returned. Her expression was apologetic. "We didn't have anything like that."

"It's okay," Luke said. He felt the bubble of hope bursting in his chest. "I'll try at a different store."

"Sorry again," she said as he turned to go. "Ah! Wait!" She quickly caught his arm. "I just remembered!"

"Hm?" Luke stopped, tipping his cap at her. "Is something the matter?"

"No, but I just thought of something! Wait here!" She darted back into the store room. "Here it is!" She held up a dusty roll of paper.

"I'm afraid that wasn't quite what I had in mind," Luke said.

"Don't be silly," she snapped, spreading the paper out over the desk. "It's obviously not a hat. What it is, however, is a hat pattern." She ducked behind a table and came back with a large box. "Years back, a woman came by asking for a really tall hat. We kept the pattern for it, in case she wanted to buy a replacement or it somehow came into style."

"Really?" Luke leaned over to look at the patterns. "This—this is perfect!"

"I thought so," she said approvingly. "I just need the measu—"

"These are the exact measurements," Luke interrupted, calculating in his head. "I do believe this is where he got the hat from in the first place."

"Oh? So he needs a new hat, then?" The attendant grinned at him. "He seemed like a nice man. He came in here a few times a couple of years ago. He seemed really set on buying a blue hat. Actually, it was a bit like the one you're wearing."

Luke wasn't surprised. The professor was the sort of man to return to a shop to support an owner he liked. "If I were to commission you to make a new hat, how long would it take?"

"Hm…it depends, really. I'm not the one to make the hats, exactly. I mostly just sell them. I could ask the owner for you, though."

"Please do." Luke nodded and the attendant set off immediately. Relief spread through him; he had solved the puzzle.

She returned after a few minutes, looking cheerful. "Good news! She said she could make it by next Tuesday."

"Wonderful!" Luke exclaimed.

"Is it for a birthday or something?" she asked as she packed the pattern away again, setting it on top of the box.

"Or something." Luke nodded. "Ah…how much will this cost?"

"The owner quoted me about ten hundred to fifteen hundred picarats."

Luke did the math in his head. He had about two thousand picarats, so it would cost him most of his money… But then, he didn't really spend picarats often, anyway, so it should last him long enough. "Great! Can I pay now?"

"Of course. Let's just go through the details, shall we? Then I can give you an exact cost."

Luke began to dictate various instructions to her, describing the hat he wanted to give the professor. The hat had to be dark brown, of course, to match the professor's suit. He corrected the measurements and discussed fabrics. Finally, he paid the girl 1250 picarats and took his leave as she hurried the materials up to the shop owner.

Feeling rather good about himself, Luke decided to return to residence early to see if he could perhaps watch a baseball game in the common room. He had hardly gotten so far as his desk when he heard a knock on the door, however.

"Come in?" Luke called, confused.

His don entered, adjusting his glasses and scowling at the boy. "Where were you?"

"Where was I?" Luke repeated. "I don't understand."

"You were gone for at least a week."

"Is this about a community meeting? I'm really sorry I didn't notify you about that, I was—"

"This isn't about a community meeting."

"Then…then what is it about?" Luke questioned, completely baffled.

"We had a test in archaeology recently, you know."

"O-oh." Luke wanted to add "so?", but managed to bite it back. He was a first year; he took history, not archaeology.

"You said you would help me study."

"What?" Luke hadn't expected Paolo's reply.

"Don't lie to me!" Paolo shouted. "I thought—I thought you would—"

"I'm really sorry!" Luke interrupted quickly. "I got really sick for a week. I had to go home. I can help you study now, if you like…" Luke trailed off. The expression on Paolo's face was answer enough. Luke wanted to protest that he was a first year, that even if he was getting a good mark in Paolo's history class, he still hadn't been studying archaeology with him. Luke held his tongue. He didn't want to upset his don more.

Paolo leaned back against the closed door, arms crossed. He seemed unable to meet Luke's gaze. "I…I saw you at the theme park."

Luke choked. "What?"

"I saw you. With the professor." Paolo's tone had become softer, though filled with bitterness.

"O-oh." Luke sat in silence. "He…you know… I lived with him."

"You what?"

"He's my guardian," Luke said. "Or something. That's why we went to the amusement park. It was depressing being away from home, so he wanted to cheer me up with a game. The prize was going to the park. That's all it was."

Paolo surveyed him carefully. "Isn't it a conflict of interests?"

"What?"

"Being taught by your guardian."

"The professor would never favour a student." Luke shook his head, laughing. "Trust me on that."

"So you…you know the professor intimately?" Paolo asked.

"What? No!" Luke exclaimed.

"Don't get so defensive. I mean, you know him well."

"I suppose so." Luke sat down. "I lived with him since I was little…"

"Is the professor that old?"

Luke chuckled. "He doesn't seem to age."

"You're right…" Luke caught a glimpse of Paolo's face. He was…blushing?

"I was so worried, when I saw you two together… I thought…"

Luke felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. Paolo was in love with the professor? There was no way this could end well. He quietly slipped the receipt for the professor's hat into his sleeve.

"I guess I should have known." Paolo straightened up. "You've never even called him Hershel, after all. There's obviously nothing going on between you two. I was fretting over nothing." He adjusted his glasses, then paused. "I—I'm only saying this because it's unethical for a professor to date a student! Don't get me wrong!"

"Of course," Luke replied, knowing full well Paolo's intentions.

"Yes. Well. I…I have to get back to studying." Paolo nodded once at Luke, then quickly scurried out the door.

Luke suddenly realized that he didn't feel much like watching baseball anymore.