Eighty Five - BF
At breakfast time the next day Scott went to get Virgil. Out of force of habit he knocked on his brother's door. Then he opened it slowly. The room was dark enough that he had to wait a minute until his eyes adjusted to the gloom.
It looked empty.
Mystified Scott walked over to the bed.
It looked as if it hadn't been slept in.
He checked the ensuite, and studio.
No sign of Virgil.
Frowning he stood in the middle of the room and looked about him.
He was about to operate the vibrating mechanism on Virgil's watch, to alert Virgil to the fact that someone was trying to contact him, when he saw the timepiece on the bedside table.
He picked it up.
Now he was starting to get worried.
He walked quickly down to the dining room.
"Has anyone seen Virgil?" he forced himself to sound calm.
The family looked up. "Not since you two went to work on Thunderbird Two." Alan informed him.
"We didn't get there." Scott said. "He said he was going to try to get some more sleep while he was still able to. But his bed doesn't look slept in."
Jeff looked up sharply.
"What time did you leave him?" Gordon asked.
"About seven o-clock."
"Had anyone seen him after seven?" Jeff asked.
The only replies he received were negative murmurings and the shaking of heads.
"Try his watch." Tin-Tin suggested. "The vibrating setting should at least get his attention."
Scott held it up. "He'd left it on his bedside table."
"Right! He's probably gone for a walk and lost track of the time. We'll start a search." Jeff said with authority. "Scott you check Thunderbird Two's bay. Alan you do Thunderbird Three's. Gordon, Thunderbird One. Ma you search inside the house. Kyrano you do the grounds. Tin-Tin. You check the power plant. Brains. You can do the maintenance rooms. Everyone! As soon as you've finished your area, see if you can help someone else."
No one bought the 'gone for a walk' excuse. The power plant and maintenance rooms were not places where you would 'go for a walk'. They all scattered to their appointed zones.
Scott was the last to leave. "Where are you going to check?"
"I'll check the path to the west." Jeff said quietly.
Scott wasn't altogether surprised. To the west there were cliffs. Cliffs that dropped down to jagged rocks and pounding seas. "I hope you don't find him."
"So do I, son. So do I."
Scott shoved the image to the back of his mind and headed to his search area.
At breakfast time the next day Scott went to get Virgil. Out of force of habit he knocked on his brother's door. Then he opened it slowly. The room was dark enough that he had to wait a minute until his eyes adjusted to the gloom.
It looked empty.
Mystified Scott walked over to the bed.
It looked as if it hadn't been slept in.
He checked the ensuite, and studio.
No sign of Virgil.
Frowning he stood in the middle of the room and looked about him.
He was about to operate the vibrating mechanism on Virgil's watch, to alert Virgil to the fact that someone was trying to contact him, when he saw the timepiece on the bedside table.
He picked it up.
Now he was starting to get worried.
He walked quickly down to the dining room.
"Has anyone seen Virgil?" he forced himself to sound calm.
The family looked up. "Not since you two went to work on Thunderbird Two." Alan informed him.
"We didn't get there." Scott said. "He said he was going to try to get some more sleep while he was still able to. But his bed doesn't look slept in."
Jeff looked up sharply.
"What time did you leave him?" Gordon asked.
"About seven o-clock."
"Had anyone seen him after seven?" Jeff asked.
The only replies he received were negative murmurings and the shaking of heads.
"Try his watch." Tin-Tin suggested. "The vibrating setting should at least get his attention."
Scott held it up. "He'd left it on his bedside table."
"Right! He's probably gone for a walk and lost track of the time. We'll start a search." Jeff said with authority. "Scott you check Thunderbird Two's bay. Alan you do Thunderbird Three's. Gordon, Thunderbird One. Ma you search inside the house. Kyrano you do the grounds. Tin-Tin. You check the power plant. Brains. You can do the maintenance rooms. Everyone! As soon as you've finished your area, see if you can help someone else."
No one bought the 'gone for a walk' excuse. The power plant and maintenance rooms were not places where you would 'go for a walk'. They all scattered to their appointed zones.
Scott was the last to leave. "Where are you going to check?"
"I'll check the path to the west." Jeff said quietly.
Scott wasn't altogether surprised. To the west there were cliffs. Cliffs that dropped down to jagged rocks and pounding seas. "I hope you don't find him."
"So do I, son. So do I."
Scott shoved the image to the back of his mind and headed to his search area.