Chapter Eleven

Misunderstandings

(Meg walks down the school hallway with Emma, Lizz and RAEB.)

RAEB: This is a BAD idea. Dr. Sno works up at the high school now. You shouldn't have come to school today. You could run into him at any moment!

Meg: Well, when I told my parents that I couldn't go to school because my former science teacher was hired to kill me, they rolled their eyes and told me to stop being so dramatic. They told me school isn't THAT bad. (sighs)

Emma: At least you don't have a class with him.

Lizz: But I do... (gulps) I should have never taken principles of technology. What if he kidnaps me to use me as bait?!

Meg: Eh...

(Leigh runs up.)

Leigh: Meg, I just saw Dr. Sno in the hallway. He yelled at me to bring you to him so he can yell at you over your skirt. He says it's too short and breaking the dress code.

Meg: He also yelled at me in eighth grade for wearing a tank top to school. A tank top for crying out loud!

Lizz: I don't think that's the point. I think he just wants an excuse to corner you and... erm... kill you.

Emma: Here he comes!

Meg: I gotta hide!

RAEB: (opens locker door) Quick, in here!

(Meg jumps inside. RAEB, Leigh, Lizz and Emma lean against door. Dr. Sno walks past.)

Dr. Sno: (glares) WHY AREN'T ANY OF YOU IN CLASS?! YOU'RE LATE! DETENTION FOR ALL OF YOU!

Leigh: The bell hasn't even rung yet.

Dr. Sno: Where's your sister?

Leigh: No idea.

Dr. Sno: (still glares) You know what I would like? I would like to wire this floor with 10,000 volts of electricity. You know why?

Girls: No...

Dr. Sno: So that when kids like you are late, and that late bell rings- ZAP! (laughs evilly to himself as he walks away.)

(Everyone else runs off to their classes.)

Meg: (still inside locker) Did he go away? Okay guys, you can let me out now. Guys? GUYS! Grrrr... why didn't Ratigan kill me when we bumped into him in Charleston?

(Miles away, Ratigan sits at a TV monitor watching Meg's torment.)

Ratigan: Because it's more fun this way, heeheehee!

Arlen Gillespie stepped into the doorway. "Good evening Megana," he said brightly.

His voice sounded friendly enough, but the memory of his threat the night before put me on my guard. I grabbed one of Mrs. Judson's kitchen knives and pointed it at Arlen. "All right, what's going on?"

Dawson rummaged around for his pistol. "Yes, why did you threaten Meg last night?"

I shot Dawson a glance. "Basil told you about that?"

"Well... yes... I mean, he..." Dawson trailed off as he finally found his gun and pointed it at the Irish mouse.

My stomach sank. Arlen had threatened me with a gun and told me not to tell any one, and here Dawson goes and blurts it out. And why did Basil tell him?

Arlen held up his hands. "What's with all the weapondry?"

Dawson stepped up to Arlen, pointing his pistol in the poor man's face. "What's with all this following us around? Eh, Gillespie?"

I had never seen Dawson act like this before, but I liked it.

"Following around? I was just wondering where Mrs. Butler had headed without telling the Yard."

"And you knew she'd be here?"

"Well, she left with Mr. Basil. Of course she'd have to be here!"

Dawson gave me a helpless look. I shrugged. His reasoning made sense; as a member of the Yard he'd have to keep track of someone so embroiled in the assault of her husband and kidnapping of her two children. She may even be a suspect in the crime.

A thought suddenly occurred to me. "Dawson! Mrs. Butler, maybe she had her children kidnapped!"

"WHAT?" Arlen and Dawson chorused.

"And she's with Basil! What if she's leading him into a trap?"

"What's your reasoning behind all this?" Dawson asked.

"I... well, I don't know. Do you have any clues, Mr. Gillespie?"

Arlen shook his head. "Nothing really. But it did seem a bit suspicious when she left so suddenly today."

I realized we were off-track from the original problem. "Mr. Gillespie, why are you following us around?"

"Yes, why?" Dawson demanded. "Why the threats? And suddenly appearing at several sites where we were searching for clues? I don't believe that you even work for the Yard."

"Let me explain!" Arlen exclaimed. "Please, just put that thing (motioning to the gun) down!"

"No!" Dawson and I said in unison.

"Fine. I'll explain. I do work for the Yard, but Mr. Basil wouldn't remember me because I just got this position last week. This is my first case in London, but I assure you it isn't my first with an official force. I first started with the New York Police Department. I then applied for a job at Mouseland Yard because I wanted to be closer to home."

"Prove it!" I said.

"I can't, unless you want to go to Mouseland Yard and check with Inspector Gordon. He's my superior."

Dawson sighed. "I know Inspector Gordon. But anyone could say they work under him."

"You have a good point, doctor. I am tryin' to prove my innocence, but I really don't know how."

"Answer me this: Why were you following us around?"

Arlen sighed. "I didn't want to have to tell you any of this, but I suppose it's best if we all start workin' together. Mouseland Yard has been humiliated many times in the past because of Basil of Baker Street. My assignment was to find out what you all were lookin' for, and whether you were on the trail of the Eye of Diom or the children. Then I was supposed to report all my information back to my superiors."

"So that's why you were tying to get friendly with me!" I said angrily.

"Please don't take it personally, Megana. I was only doin' my job."

"So threatening women with a gun is part of this job description?"

Arlen blushed. "I was afraid that Basil would catch on to what I was up to. That would have ruined the whole assignment. It's my first week; I don't want to lose this job because I failed to carry out my first assignment."

"How much did you find out?" Dawson asked.

Arlen reached inside his pocket. Dawson shoved the pistol closer to his face. "Relax. It's only a piece of paper."

"Meg can get it," Dawson said in a low voice.

I stepped forward and reached into Arlen's pocket. I pulled out a scrap of paper.

"Read it," Arlen said.

I opened it up. "At Number Fourteen, Gloucester Court..." I quickly scanned the paper. "It's the last clue!"

"You were listening to us in the bell tower?" Dawson asked Gillespie.

"Yes. I had already figured out that you were after the Eye of Diom. The Yard didn't want you all to have it, Dr. Dawson. It's not yours, so you have no right to it."

"But it was given to Thomas Butler! He would definitely use it to save his own children."

"It's a stolen emerald."

I remembered something that had been said on the train ride to Sussex. "Basil said that the Eye was 'supposedly stolen.' That's been bothering me this whole time. How come no one knows if it was stolen or not?"

Arlen smiled a bit. "That's a story."

"Well, would you please explain it to us?"

"All right lass. Do you know anything about the Eye of Diom?"

"It comes from India."

"Right. Two partners, Hunter, an Englishman, and Truble, an American, ran the mines. They were good partners together until Truble began his own backhanded dealings.

"The emerald in question was found about eight years ago. Now, it used to be larger, but in order for mice workers to get it out of the mines it had to be cut into smaller pieces. The 'Eye' is the largest piece of the bunch.

"Hunter and Truble were proud of this jewel. They showcased it in their office during the day, and then one of them would take it home at night for safekeeping. But as the story goes, one day Truble didn't bring the emerald back. Hunter confronted him about it, there was a brawl, and Truble ended up with a hole in his head. Hunter took off, and no one's seen him or the emerald since."

Mrs. Judson put her hand to her mouth. "How horrible!"

"That's why no one knows if the emerald was stolen or not. They don't know if Truble hid it somewhere from Hunter, if Hunter ran off with it, or someone else took it. It would rightfully be Hunter's now that Truble's dead, except if Hunter ever surfaces then he can't claim it. He'd be arrested."

Dawson lowered his pistol. "Gillespie, there are two children who are going to die if we don't help them. Stolen or not stolen, we must do something with that emerald!"

"But the law-"

"Who cares about the law?" I cut in. "This isn't the law we're talking about. These are two innocent lives!"

Arlen looked embarrassed. "Well, I couldn't solve that bloody riddle anyway!"

"We did," Dawson said.

"Oh, is that what you were doing in there?" Mrs. Judson said. "Solving a riddle?"

"Yes."

"I could hear you all talking about some sort of Atbash code."

"You could hear us?" Dawson asked her slowly.

"Yes. The walls aren't that thick Dr. Dawson."

"How much did you hear?"

"Not that much."

"And there was a fellow in here, a poor beggar, sitting in the kitchen, who could hear this all too?"

"Well, I suppose he could have if he had cared to listen. He didn't talk to me any after I let him in."

"Oh no..." Dawson groaned.

I was afraid I understood what he meant. "Don't tell me you think there's someone else after the Eye of Diom."

"Meg, I think we're going to have to break Basil's request for us to stay here."

"What? You know where the Eye is?" Arlen asked.

"Yes we do," Dawson said as we headed for the front door. "And someone else is after it. He ran out the back door just before you appeared."

"I saw that bloke," Arlen said. "Practically shoved me over, he did."

"You saw him? What did he look like?"

"Didn't get a clear look at him."

"Do you know where the Indiya Inn is? On Gloucester Court?" I asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Good. You're coming with us."

Basil and Mrs. Butler did not have long to wait for the kidnappers. As it was early March, the unpredictable weather prevented few people from wandering the streets after dusk.

London Bridge was completely deserted.

Mrs. Butler was the first to spot the shadows moving towards them from the other side of the bridge. Basil observed that there were at least a dozen of them. He stepped forward to meet them.

(RAEB opens her locker door. Meg falls out.)

RAEB: AHHH!

Meg: Ow!

RAEB: You scared me!

Meg: And you left me locked in your locker for two periods! Great friends you guys are!

RAEB: Eh... sorry. Dr. Sno threatened us.

Meg: He did not! He told us that same wish to wire the carpet with 10,000 volts of electricity when I had him three years ago. And now because of you I missed World Cultures seminar and English, the only two classes of the day that I actually like!

(Dr. Sno appears.)

Dr. Sno: Breaking the dress code and cutting two classes? Follow me.

Meg: No. I know what you're up to.

Dr. Sno: YOU ARE COMING WITH ME!