Chapter 36
Thunder clouds rolled in all of a sudden and rain began to fall as the four crooks made their way to the home of Basil of Baker Street. The house was dark, but Ilse Altendorf had good night vision, despite being old.
"Find the baby's room," she orders the three minions, who hesitate, but begin their search. They peer into the couple's room, where they were sleeping soundly and they walk towards the second window, but it was a bit off the ground.
The lizard, being the tallest peers in and sees the crib. Deep down, however, he didn't want to tell his mistress that he found the baby's room. "It's there isn't it?" Ilse asks, but the lizard hesitates to answer. She forces him aside and peers in. She held the top of her cane tight.
"My lady, I'm with Bill on this," one of the mice said, referring to his lizard friend, "We shouldn't kill an innocent baby." However, nothing was going to change Ilse's mind.
"If you don't want to kill it, then I will," she replies in an icy whisper. "Now, break this window open," she orders. The three minions were afraid, but they had to obey as they were afraid to die.
In the Basil's bedroom, the detective was stirring from a nightmare he was having.
The present Basil finds himself in an underground sewer passage. This place seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Then, he sees the light of a lantern and he hides.
He takes a peek and to his shock and horror, he sees his mentor Henry Walker and himself as an apprentice. "Henry," the young Basil said, "I have a terrible feeling inside of me."
"Listen my boy, we've come this far. I'm not abandoning my family," his mentor replies, "When you start a family, you will understand of what it's like to go to great lengths to save them."
The present Basil then lets out a gasp, he remembered that this was the night Henry Walker and his family were killed in the explosion that was set up by Ratigan. He runs out of his hiding place and rushes towards his mentor, but he seemed to be slowing down. He wasn't getting close to Henry and as they near the trap, the detective tries to call out, but nothing came out of his mouth.
Suddenly, there was a loud BOOM! The tunnel filled with smoke, but Basil made his way to the end of the sewer and collapses to his knees. "HENRY!" he hears his young self call out. The present Basil sees his younger version cradling his arm, blood streamed down from a wound on his head and he limps towards the light of a sewer grate.
The present Basil looks back at the fire, his mentor was gone and he couldn't save him.
"Elliott?" a familiar voice said and then, the fire and smoke vanished. Basil looks up to see Henry Walker. The deceased mouse detective had a mustache, but not as bushy as Hiriam's, and he looks at Basil with his brown eyes.
"Henry!" Basil exclaims and his mentor pulls him to his feet. They embrace and then Basil looks at him. "Are you a ghost?" he asks and Henry chuckles.
"I find it strange, the afterlife I mean. Your wife's father told me of our ability to visit loved ones in their dreams," the former detective answers, but then places a hand on his student's shoulder.
"Listen to me Elliott, you may have killed that Ratigan and his brother, but there's one great evil who needs to be exterminated," Henry warns.
"Who?" Basil asks, but his mentor's ears perk up.
"She's here! Elliott! You need to wake up!" Henry shouts and begins to shake his shoulders, "Wake up Elliott!"
Basil was startled when he heard glass breaking, it came from his children's room. He throws off the bed sheets and goes to the side table next to him. "Elliott, what is-" "SHHHHHH!" Basil quiets his wife and he pulls out a pistol. He puts bullets in the chamber and sets it.
"Olivia, stay here," he whispers and grabs his robe. He puts the pistol in his pocket and opens the bedroom door. Lightening flashed and thunder boomed from the storm outside, but Basil was use to this kind of weather.
"Basil?" he heard Dawson behind him, he was wearing his night clothes, but he probably heard the glass shattering. Basil places a finger over his mouth, urging his partner to keep quiet. Dawson then steps into Basil's bedroom with Olivia.
The detective then peers into his children's room and the hairs on the back of his neck went up. Staring at him with yellow eyes was the rat woman he saw outside Mrs. Silverman's home. She was standing in the corner where the window was, broken glass had scattered on the floor.
"Hello Mr. Basil," the rat woman said in an icy tone.
"Ilse Altendorf," he replies, "Or do you prefer Ilse Ratigan or Rosenberg?" he asks, walking slowly into the room.
"Oh I don't care for last names," she answers with a smirk.
"Why are you here?" he demands, heading towards his children's crib. For some reason, he heard himself growl, but his paternal instincts had kicked in. Then, Ilse charges at him, but Basil was able to push her towards the dresser and the wash bowl and pitcher crashed to the floor.
Ilse pushes him away, but Basil's growling grew intense, he sounded like a dog ready for the kill. "My, I made you angry, good," she said with a smirk.
"Answer my question, why are you here?" he demands, he had gotten her away from the corner and he was in between her and the crib.
"You killed my sons," she answers and continues, "Now I am here to kill your precious wife and baby, make you feel the loss of someone precious to you."
Basil's insides grew hot with rage, he was not letting this lunatic rat kill his children, so he sprints, but Ilse jumps out of the way. She then hits him in the back, stunning him and she rushes over to the crib.
She looks down and to her surprise, she saw the twins. "Two of them?" she asks, but then laughs, "Two for two, an eye for an eye they say." She then pulls out her stiletto and raises it above the crib.
Olivia and Dawson, having heard the fight, rush to the doorway, then saw Ilse with the blade. "NO!" Olivia cries out, but then notices that the rat woman was struggling to move.
"What...I can't...move..." the rat said and then, there was a flash of lightening. Olivia sees Ilse's shadow, but also notices two extra shadows. One of them had Ilse in a chock hold while another was pushing her arm that had the stiletto away. Olivia notices that one of the shadows had a deerstalker hat and she sees the other one, it was in the shape of her deceased father.
Basil regained his senses and sees Ilse, the blade above his children's crib. In an instant, he jumps on her and sinks his teeth into her neck, drawing blood. During the scuffle, Ilse kicks the crib, knocking it over and startling the twins awake.
They cried out, but Olivia and Dawson hurry to their side. Basil pushes Ilse up against the wall, the window curtains had them tangled, but he was determined to kill this rat who dared to harm his family. Ilse scratches at him, ripping some fabric and the mouse's skin. He pulls out the pistol, takes aim and fires two rounds into the rat's chest. BANG! BANG!
"ELLIOTT!" Olivia screams when she hears the two gun shots. She was remembering the day her father was murdered. She holds her children close as Dawson stands in front of them with a club in hand, he was ready to defend his partner's family.
Basil then emerges from under the curtains, one of the sleeves of his robe had been torn and his cheek had been scratched, but he was alive. The twins stop crying as their father walks over to them.
"Basil! Are you hurt?!" Dawson exclaims, but his partner settles next to his family. He holds them in his arms, he was grateful that they were alive.
"What's happened?!" Mrs. Judson cries out as she enters the room with an oil lantern. She had come from her room downstairs and was shocked to see the carnage. "Oh my heavens! Are you all right?!" she asks her employer.
"I'm all right Mrs. Judson," Basil replies, but then, his ears perk up. Something was outside and Mrs. Judson also notices. She grabs the club out of Dawson's hands and quietly walks up to the broken window.
She raises the club and hits it against something. "OW!" a voice cries out. Then, the housekeeper grabs at the intruder and struggles to pull him in.
"Get in here, you fiend!" she demands and then pulls the lizard inside the room. She then grabs the two mice and throws to the ground. "Who are you?!" she shouts, taking the club back in her hands.
"Wait, don't hurt us!" one of the mice pleads. The three crooks look around the room, they spotted their mistress' body, and then look at Olivia, who was holding the twins.
"Oh my! You have two?!" the lizard exclaims and his two friends were also shocked.
"Who are you?!" Basil asks, angrily, his pistol aiming at them.
"Listen, we're really sorry!" one of the mice cries out.
"Yes, we tried to talk our mistress out of killing your baby, I mean babies!" the lizard adds.
"But she wouldn't listen!" the other mouse finishes. Basil looks at them with anger in his eyes, he wasn't sure whether to believe them or not. He had killed their mistress, who was the real threat, but it was likely that any other associates will go after him or his family.
He begins to think about the possibilities of a war with the remnants of the criminal empire that Ilse Altendrof created. It was a war that he will lose, but he didn't want to run from a fight. However, the one thing that mattered to him now was his family.
"Now you three listen to me and you better listen well," Basil said, his voice teething with anger. "You take your mistress' body out of my house and show it to your comrades. You tell them this, if anyone affiliated with Ilse or her sons dares to come near my family, I WILL GET YOU!" he finishes with a shout. The three goons quiver, but they retrieve their mistress' body and Mrs. Judson and Dawson send them out the front door.
Basil takes his wife and children into his arms, "Are you all right?" he asks Olivia.
"Yes, I'm all right, but I was so scared that..." she trails off and begins to think about the shadows she saw.
"What is it?" he asks, again.
"When I saw Ilse with the stiletto, I thought I saw two shadows, not including hers," Olivia said and adds, "One had a deerstalker hat and...my father! He was pushing the stiletto away!"
Basil did not question this, he believed her. Hiriam was protecting his grandchildren, but the shadow with the deerstalker hat, he knew who it was. "Henry," he whispers.
"Your mentor?" she asks and he nods.
"He spoke to me in my dream, he was the one who urged me to wake up," Basil replies and looks at his children. "Both your father and Henry saved them," he adds and kisses his wife and the twins' foreheads.
The housekeeper and the doctor return to the babies' room. The window was shattered, rain was pouring in, but Basil goes to retrieve a wooden broad, a hammer and some nails. He and Dawson seal the window with the broad, but Basil knew it was not enough to keep the criminals out.
"Olivia, I've been thinking," he said to his wife and she looks at him, "I'm afraid I made a huge mess of things. With Ilse Altendorf dead, there will be many criminals going after her assets and probably wanting to raise her criminal empire from the ashes. With that, there will be those wanting to kill me, but my worse fear is that they'll come for you and our children," he finishes.
"Are you saying we should fight?" she asks, but Basil shakes his head.
"No, we should run and hide for a while, although it would be the last thing on my mind. All I want now is to see you and our children safe," he answers. Olivia begins to process this, it would be difficult to fight against any criminal associated with Ilse or her sons. It would be likely that reinforcements would attack them at any time.
"But where would we go? And for a how long?" she asks, but Basil produces the key to Aunt's Sophie summer villa in Scarborough.
"I'm thinking that Linlithgow would be too easy for them. They won't find us in a place such as Scarborough as it is more of a summer getaway," he replies and he summons Dawson and Mrs. Judson.
He tells them of his decision to leave for Scarborough, so to ensure the safety of his family. Both Dawson and Mrs. Judson agree on this. "But listen carefully, we need to leave this place in disguise," Basil said and goes to his closet where he kept some of the disguises he had.
"But how will we carry the twins?" Olivia asks, but Basil shows a ragged cloak.
"I will carry them, on my back at least, and then cover them with this on me," he replies and covers himself with the cloak, but then walks like a hunchbacked elder. He then produces a nurse's disguise and gives it to Olivia, "I am your elderly patient from the asylum. Tell the ticket attendant that your patient wants to see Scarborough before I die," he explains and Olivia takes it.
He then produces some other disguises for Dawson and Mrs. Judson, but tells them that they are a married couple going to Scarborough for their anniversary. Mrs. Judson blushes a little and Dawson seemed embarrassed, but they decided to go along with it.
"How long do you think we'll be away?" Olivia asks in a whisper, she wasn't sure if someone would be listening from the outside.
"A month, maybe two," Basil replies, but then pulls out a sheet of paper and begins to write a letter.
"Who are you writing to?" she asks, again.
"Emma and Penelope, but it'll be in code. We use to send coded messages when I was in university, I just hope that they'll figure this one out," he answers and writes pretty quickly. Olivia figured that the coded message was to confuse any criminal rodent from figuring out their location.
Once Basil was finished, he places the letter in envelope and places a postage stamp on it. He writes his sisters' address on the envelope and gives it to Olivia. "Put it in your apron pocket," he suggests and she does. "When we pass a postal box, you drop it in there," he adds and she nods.
Basil then packs a few things, but stuffs his suitcase with the babies' clothes. Olivia also packed a little and so does Dawson and Mrs. Judson. It was almost 1 in the morning, but Basil insisted that they leave as soon as possible.
He then uses the silk ribbon and ties the twins onto his back, but he places up on his shoulder, so they could breathe from the opening of the cloak. He was hoping that neither one would cry during their trek towards the train station. All four adults then step outside in the dark night and Basil locks the door to his home. Even though, they just go back, they had to leave again for their safety.
Basil then slumps his back and Olivia takes his hand. It was difficult to walk with him being slumped like that. The twins were sound asleep on their father's back. Dawson and Mrs. Judson, dressed like a typical married couple walk a distance away from their friends.
The walk to the station took almost an hour, they couldn't risk taking the trolley, but they made it. Before going to the station, Olivia drops off the letter into a marked postal box and Basil's squeezes her hand. It probably meant that he was thanking her for dropping it off. Thankfully, the train station allowed the few people and mice who were going away on urgent business.
Olivia and Basil walk up to the ticket booth. "How may I help you?" the attendant asks.
"Two for Scarborough," Olivia replies, still holding Basil's hand. The attendant looks at her and then at the slumped figure.
"Excuse me for being curious, but what business do you in Scarborough?" the attendant asks, again.
"My patient, Mrs. Rollins, she wants to visit Scarborough before she passes. She has this really bad spinal disorder, as you can see. The doctor said she has a week or so. We just want to fulfill her wishes," Olivia replies, wondering if the attendant will believe her.
"Very well, the next train happens to be leaving within the hour. Scarborough is really popular in the summer time," the attendant said and gives them their tickets. Olivia takes Basil's hand and they walk into the station.
Olivia looks back to see Dawson and Mrs. Judson at the ticket booth. They got their tickets, but they seemed to be stuck in a conversation with the attendant. The two located the train and a few attendants helped Basil up.
"My mum had a spinal disorder, really terrible," one of them said. "Hope this lady gets to enjoy Scarborough," he adds.
"Thank you for you kindness," Olivia replies and takes Basil to an empty compartment room. She waits until Dawson and Mrs. Judson join them. They pull down the covers and discard the disguises.
Olivia takes her babies in her arms, they were still asleep, but she tickles their feet to be sure. It did stir them awake, but it was a good sign. "They didn't suffocate," she said to her husband, who was massaging his back.
"We will need to cover them up again," Basil replies, but he takes this moment to hold them in his arms. "You two are very brave, just like your mother," he adds and he looks at Olivia.
A few minutes later, the train whistles and begins to move. A ticket attendant came by the compartment, but everyone wore their disguises. Olivia produces both hers and Basil's tickets, but she was hoping he would not suspect anything.
Once the attendant was gone, they settle in, it was going to be a long train ride. Basil places both his children on his chest, securing them with the ribbon. He could feel their hearts beating and he tells them, "I promise, if one vulgar creature lays a finger on you, I will make them suffer."
Olivia hears this, but feels uneasy about it. She didn't want Basil to suffer the pain of losing a child or a loved one, but Death lurked around every corner. She was hopeful that things would calm down within a month or so. She falls asleep as the train continues to make the journey through the night.
From the author: This was a very daring chapter to make, but it shows Basil wanting to defend his new family from all forms of evil. I thought that Basil would not want to run from a fight, but he has twin infants to defend, so it would be best to keep them safe.
I figured that the ending might be coming soon, but who knows. See you soon my friends!
