Chapter Three - Allying with Allen

"Here we are; Dimitri Sergei Allen."

Emiliana handed the relatively small folder over to Kat and peered over her shoulder as she read it. After going through box after box of old case files and records of imprisonment, Emiliana felt she at least had the right to know what it said. The case file didn't yield any new information, so Kat set it aside and turned her attention to the prison record. It stated that his behavior was good, acceptable, and he worked hard at his job in the kitchen. Kat smiled as she saw the visitor's record.

"Looks like I was right about Bill Hawkes, Emiliana."

"Was he his only visitor," Emiliana asked, frowning at the record.

"Looks like it. And see here; "Terms of release..."

"So Hawkes paid Allen's bail money," Emiliana said.

"A lot of money," Kat nodded.

"But I don't understand, Katrielle," Emiliana said, frowning. "If the machine was a success, why has nothing changed? If what you say about Hawkes is true, then he obviously never got to change anything in the past."

"I've been wondering that myself," Kat admitted. "One of several questions I will have to put to Dimitri Allen when I see him." She handed the file back to Emiliana and smiled. "Thank you for your help. I'd better be getting along now."

Emiliana looked slightly taken aback. "You're going to see him now?"

"No time like the present, Emiliana."

"I'll go with you."

Kat gave her a funny look. "Why?"

"I want to see where this goes."

Kat laughed. "Piqued your interest, have I?"

"No! I mean, it would be dangerous if you went alone, I mean, what if they made you disappear too?"

"So you're concerned about my safety?" Kat smiled. "That's sweet."

"What? Well, what I meant is that I have given you the evidence you need for this lead, so I wish to see it used to it's fullest potential. Is what I meant to say." She cleared her throat.

"Let's get going," Kat suggested, eyebrows raised.

"I don't think there's anyone home, Katrielle."

Kat knocked for the fourth time. "There are lights on in there, Emiliana. There has to be someone here."

"The presence of a flickering light does not necessarily mean the presence of a person," Emiliana pointed out.

The door opened suddenly, making them both jump a little.

"Doesn't it?" Kat murmured, earning a dirty look.

"Can I help you?" asked the aging man in white who just opened the door.

"Are you Dimitri Allen?" Kat asked.

The man nodded his white hatted head, causing his long grey hair to cover his eyes slightly.

"My name is Katrielle Layton." Kat stopped as the man smiled.

"I did wonder when you or your brother would arrive on my doorstep."

"Oh, were you expecting us?" Kat asked.

"I was expecting you, but not your Scotland Yard friend."

Emiliana frowned as Dimitri studied her closely. "You look familiar, girl, very familiar indeed."

"How do you know me?"

"I've seen you in the papers with Miss Layton here. Perfetti, isn't it? Perfect Perfetti."

"No one really calls me that," Emiliana retorted, looking slightly irritated.

Kat smiled. "You'd be surprised, Emiliana. Anyway, you obviously know that my father is missing..."

"I do."

"Would you mind if we came in and asked you some questions?"

Dimitri nodded, stepping aside. Kat and Emiliana looked at one another before they entered.

"Can I get either of you a cup of tea?" Dimitri asked as they sat down on his settee.

"Er..."

"No," Emiliana said firmly.

Dimitri stared at her again. Then, shaking his head slightly, he sat down opposite them.

"What is it that you need to know?"

"Why were you expecting me?" Kat asked.

Dimitri smiled. "I figured that you would know about Claire."

"I do."

"And the time machine?"

"And Bill Hawkes' fall from grace," Kat added.

Dimitri smiled and nodded. "So you've done your homework, Miss Layton."

"Bill visited you in prison."

"That he did," Dimitri said, still smiling.

"You told him how to build the machine, didn't you?"

Dimitri nodded. "The day I was arrested, I vowed that I would close the book on the time machine forever. But little did I know that mere hours before that, my group of scientists stumbled upon the very secret of time travel itself."

"That's the information you gave to Hawkes in return for your release?" Emiliana asked.

Dimitri nodded again. "I told Bill everything I knew, and about six months later, I was in front of the parole board, who he bribed of course, petitioning for release."

"And then you went to see my father," Kat said.

"No, actually. Your father came to see me. He knew that I had been released early for a reason."

"What happened?"

"Bill arrived just as I had told him what was going on. You see, the machine was in this house, and Bill wanted to test it."

"So he used my father?"

Emiliana's eyes widened.

"In the end, yes. He came in just as I was showing your father the machine. I hoped that he and I would be able to overpower Bill and put an end to his plans, and I would have both freedom and revenge at Bill's expense. It didn't work out that way."

"What happened?" Emiliana asked.

"Bill and I fought. Layton tried to stop us, but Bill accidentally fired off the machine. It sent us hurtling back about thirty odd years. When we landed, Bill grabbed me and brought me back to our own time. Layton had been knocked unconscious, don't ask me how."

"Dad..."

"Bill left him behind. I don't know what happened to him."

Emiliana shook her head. "Evil man..."

"Where is the machine now?"

"At Bill's. He couldn't get it to work after that. I offered to fix it in exchange for bringing Layton back, but he refused. He said he'd do it himself. I'd say he's still trying to this day, but no joy."

"You can fix it?"

"I believe I know what the problem is, yes."

"Can you get me back to where he left Dad?"

"It's rather a long and complicated procedure, I'm afraid we'll have no chance of fixing it without getting caught by Bill..."

"Unless we can distract him? Keep him out of the house for a few hours?"

"How?"

"Perhaps..." Emiliana began.

"What?"

"If something were to... happen to him..."

"Like what?" Dimitri asked with a smile.

Kat looked at her with a frown. "You're not going to kill him, are you?"

"Why on earth would you think that?" Emiliana snapped.

"It's always the quiet ones."

Dimitri laughed as Emiliana glared at Kat.

"I think she has the right idea. I actually know of a lot of people who'd love to give him a good kicking."

"I didn't mean violence! I just meant... I don't know, if he was pickpocketed or something..."

"Of course, he'd be stuck down the police station for hours giving a blow by blow account of how he was nearly killed..."

"I think I know who could do that for us..." Kat nodded.