Chapter Four: "Knowledge Often Leads to More Questions"
I stepped out of the bathroom to find Ami staring through the window and down at the street below.
"Look at them all. As soon as the sun begins to set, they roll up the entire town and put it away for the night."
The difference in our heights was perfect. I could stand behind Ami, see over her shoulder while she leaned against mine. It was just as she'd said. The sun was going down and the town was closing up. Every shop we could see was dark and not a single light left on.
As soon as the observation was made, we heard a bell being rung loudly somewhere from a distance.
"What do you suppose that means?" I asked.
"Time for dinner? No, time for bed. Wait. I know. It's a warning to lock all their doors before Godzilla comes out of the sea!"
I chuckled and squeezed Ami tightly. "What's sad is that none of those things would surprise me. Not in this place."
"I know. What is wrong with these people?"
"Maybe at 9:00 when we meet Aggi, we'll get some answers. In the meantime…"
I allowed the last word to trail off, causing Ami to rotate in my arms. She smiled coyly at me and placed her hands around my neck. "In the meantime? What do you have in mind, Mr. Investigator?"
What man in their right mind could resist that smile? Those eyes? The way she was rubbing my neck? Who cared about other men! I was the one here and knew I couldn't resist her – especially when she looked at me the way she was doing right now.
To surprise her, I scooped Ami up in my arms. I was hoping to place her down upon the bed in a romantic way, only I tripped on something on the floor. With balance that would impress a tightrope walker, I didn't drop her. Instead, we both landed on the bed next to one another. Our sudden weight sent a cloud of dust particles flying into the air.
Ami took one look at me and started laughing. I tried to join her although my laugh came out as a sneeze, which was followed by another and then another. It had been a long while since I'd had a sneezing fit. Once it started, it was going to be a while before it stopped. If I remember correctly, I believe the record had been thirteen. I was already halfway there.
"Ben! Are you all right?"
"What's," sneeze, "in," sneeze, "that," sneeze, "bed?" Two sneezes that time.
Ami pulled down the blankets while I dabbed my eyes and blew my nose with my handkerchief.
When she grabbed hold of something sticking up and pulled out a feather, my suspicions were confirmed.
"Feathers! Are you allergic to down?"
"Dander," I corrected her, covering my nose and mouth with my arm.
"Do you have anything to take for it?"
It had been so long since I'd suffered an attack as bad as this, the short answer to her question was no. So, "No."
Ami hopped off the bed and rushed to the window apparently to open it, only to discover the sash was nailed shut.
"Come on," she demanded, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me out the door, down two flights of stairs, and outside onto the deserted street. "Now, breathe."
I looked at her like she'd lost her mind before sneezing another three times.
"Inhale slowly. Shallow at first and then more deeply."
I tried what she'd suggested and eventually began to feel better. About five minutes into the exercise, I could breathe normally again and I released a sigh of relief because, well, I could.
"How did you know what to do?" I asked her.
"My sister is allergic to everything, especially dander. Dogs, cats, birds. Apparently, you are too. The moist ocean air helps. The cooler, the better. It's one of the reasons my parents moved next to the ocean when we were little. I was too young to remember, but I was told her doctors recommended it.
Ah. Another piece to the family puzzle. Perhaps someday I could form a more complete picture.
"You look better. Your eyes aren't as puffy."
I imagined I was quite the sight.
"We obviously can't sleep in that bed. Do you think Mrs. Peterson has something filled with cotton instead of down?"
"It's either that, or we sleep in the bathtub," I joked before stepping up onto the stone walk and reaching for the door handle, only to discover it wouldn't budge. I tried again.
"Maybe it's stuck," Ami suggested from behind me.
Again, I tried without success. Either my allergy attack had diminished my manly strength or this door was locked.
"I don't think it's stuck," I informed her before I tried knocking. After I'd waited a short while, I knocked again. There was no answer.
"Are you kidding me? Not only does the town shut down promptly at…what time is it?"
I tried checking my watch only to realized I'd left it upstairs. A guess would have to do. "5:00."
"At 5:00 all the doors lock as well? This is a ridiculous place! Why aren't there any tourists? Why do we seem to be the only strangers here? You would think with the medieval vibe they have going on, visitors would flock to this place! There's something very strange going on here."
I agreed with everything Ami had just stated during her outburst, although it didn't solve our current problem. We couldn't drive anyplace because not only was my watch upstairs, so were the car keys. There was just one solution.
"My suggestion is to walk to Aggi's home and see if she can help us. She's the only one who can."
Ami appeared to be thinking over my idea. "Do you think that's wise? If we just show up out of the blue, four hours before we planned on meeting her, would she get into some sort of trouble? And what if she doesn't live alone? What if her husband is there?"
"I don't think she's married. I didn't see a ring. What choice do we have? I suppose we could sleep on a park bench, but I haven't seen any benches around, have you?"
Sharing ideas with Ami had never resulted in an actual argument before. However, this one was getting close.
"I have the feeling we shouldn't even be outside and you're going to suggest we sleep out here? Go to sleep listening to the ocean and wake up behind bars is what's going to happen!"
I needed to calm things down.
"Listen, we're both frustrated, tired, and concerned, but let's not take it out on each other."
Ami's shoulders lifted and fell, a sign she was trying to calm her nerves with some deep breaths. "You're right. I'm sorry, Ben."
Before I pulled her into an embrace, I smiled. "You know, I'm awfully happy you're here with me."
"Misery loves company, right?"
I chuckled against her hair before releasing her. "Let's see if we can find Aggi."
We discovered Crabtree Lane two streets to the west of the library. The first house on that street, which she claimed was hers was a rather small gray stone structure supported by wooden beams. The roof was made up of wooden tiles that had been bleached gray by a combination of salty air as well as the sun.
"I don't feel right doing this."
Ami's admission caused me to pause and glance down both streets. I wasn't sure what I was looking for: maybe a police patrol to enforce the curfew, but I didn't see anything.
In the windows of Aggi's home, there was a faint orange glow. I suspected it came from either candles or oil lamps. We needed to get a little closer to tell.
"Come on," I said, reaching for Ami's hand. "Trust me. We're going to be all right."
Without waiting for a reply, I stepped out into the street and together we jogged across, taking refuge on one side of the house.
"Let's move to the back," I suggested in a whisper.
In the rear, was one large window and a smaller one, as well as a bucket of coal and a stack of wood.
"Careful," Ami told me as I led her around the obstructions.
Through the larger window, I could see the back of a bald head belonging to somebody. I was pretty sure it wasn't Aggi.
"Next window," I told her, moving us further down.
This paned glass was set higher up and I stretched tall to peer inside. Aggi was there and appeared to be washing dishes. I tapped on the glass twice to gain her attention. When she saw me, her eyes flew wide and she wiped her hands dry.
"The kitchen is clean, Papa!," we heard her yell. "I'm going to step outside for some fresh air."
Once the other door was closed, Aggi silently motioned for us to follow her. She led us to a small log structure at the back of the property not very far from the house. The door hinges squeaked loudly with resistance but we made it safely inside without alarming anyone.
"What are you two doing here? I told you in my note that I'd meet you behind the library at 9:00! Papa will be asleep by then."
"We're sorry," I immediately apologized. "But we're in a bit of a jam. Without going into details, we got locked out of the inn and have nowhere else to go."
Aggi appeared confused and then concerned. "Those doors lock at curfew. Mrs. Peterson should've told you that. What were you doing going outside?"
"It's a long story," Ami admitted.
"You wished to tell us something," I said to try and keep us on track. Aggi suddenly pulled us deeper into the structure and away from the small, single-pane window.
"You're in danger. I saw your friend: A tall, handsome man with blue eyes?"
Ami nudged me with her shoulder. I knew why, although I would never admit I thought my boss was handsome.
"Where? When did you see him?"
Aggi's face fell and her worry was quickly replaced by sadness. "You need to forget about him. Just go back to where you came from. Go home."
"I can't do that," I informed her. "Tell us what's going on here."
The young woman hesitated and nervously looked toward the door. "All I can say is that he's with Asa Voss. Asa controls everything that goes on here. We're basically her prisoners and you will be too unless you leave."
"I'm not leaving without Quinn," I insisted.
"Where can we find Asa Voss?" Ami asked.
Just then we heard a man's voice yelling from the direction of the house. Aggi jumped a little and rushed to the door, opened it just a bit, and yelled back.
"I'll be right in, Papa!"
Seemingly satisfied it was safe, Aggi turned toward us though left the door ajar. "You can stay the night in here but you must be gone by the sun's first light."
When the young woman began to leave, Ami repeated her question.
"The castle on the hill," Aggi answered quickly just before she disappeared and the door closed.
