Chapter Four

The Stranger

Newt and his compatriots arrived at Tina and Queenie's flat in the city after a short cab ride. Newt stood upright, clutching his case, as Jacob stumbled out and helped Queenie disembark. The two men stood behind Queenie as she unlocked the door and started up the stairs. Jacob followed her, and Newt took up the rear, casting a glance out the door before shutting it behind him. Jacob stopped so suddenly that Newt almost crashed into him. He was about to ask why the man came to such a sudden halt when he heard a voice from in front of Queenie.

"Is that you, Queenie?" Suddenly Newt remembered Mrs. Esposito, the landlady who insisted that the Goldsteins not have men over.

"Yes, Mrs. Esposito!"

"Are you alone?"

"Always, Mrs. Esposito." She trotted on past the door and gestured for the men to follow her. They did so as quietly as they could, and Jacob pointed out the noisy floorboards to Newt as they passed.

They reached the door to the Goldstein's apartment after a couple more flights of stairs, and Queenie pushed open the door. Newt looked around expectantly. Queenie glanced at him.

"She's not here, honey. With the wedding so close she spends every spare second with Bertram these days. She comes back pretty late, but she'll be here. She'll be so glad to see you." She paused for a second. "Oh, honey, don't think that. Of course, she will." Newt frowned slightly and glanced to the side.

"You and Jacob can stay in the guest room." She gestured to the room where Newt had briefly stayed before traipsing across New York to find his creatures the last time he was in the states. "That okay with you, honey?" she asked, looking at Jacob, who nodded.

"Do you want me to start dinner, babe?" Jacob asked Queenie.

"Sure! That'd be nice. I'll be there in a minute. I just want to talk to Newt." Jacob nodded and smiled, turning his back and heading towards the kitchen. Queenie approached Newt, who had crossed to the window.

"What's wrong, hon?" she asked. "You've got something on your mind. Your thoughts, they're… swirling. You're trying not to think about something."

"I don't think it's appropriate that I talk about this. I shouldn't worry you."

"Newt." Queen said, firmly, placing a hand on his arm. "I know I might not look like much, but I can handle it. I've been through some things of my own, you know." Newt scowled and looked down.

"I know," he replied, "I'm sorry. I just don't quite know what's up." He glanced out the window and, to his shock, saw Ezekiel standing on the street below. Newt sprung back, flattening himself against the wall.

"No…" he sighed, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Oh, no." Queenie gasped, and Newt realized that he'd thought about the man on the boat, and that Queenie thus knew about him. "How strange. We've got to find a way to tell Tina. He could be dangerous, and we don't want her running into him."

"Well, he's definitely following me. I see that now. We've got to figure out what he's up to. Could you…" he hesitated, unsure if he should be asking what he was about to ask. "Could you… read his thoughts?"

"Not from this far away, honey, and I'd rather not get close."

"You're right, we've got to warn Tina. Is she coming back tonight?"

"She should be." Queenie nodded.

"Can you send an owl?" Newt asked. He knew there was a risk that the man outside the window would see it and shoot it down, but it was possible that he wouldn't.

"Yeah," Queenie said, heading towards a room that Newt hadn't yet seen. She opened the door, and he realized it was her bedroom. Near the window, in a gold cage, was a beautiful barn owl.

"Hello!" Newt said excitedly, crossing the room and gazing at the magnificent bird.

"That's Skip. You can give him a treat, if you want," Queenie offered, gesturing to a tray of pellets next to the cage. She reached into a drawer and pulled out a piece of paper. Newt eagerly picked a pellet out of the drawer and held it through the bars of the cage. The owl hopped off his perch and approached the wall, looking up at Newt with wide eyes.

"Hello, little fellow," Newt sighed. "is he blind?" He asked, noting the cloudiness in the bird's eyes.

"Almost. But he's young, and he can still get around. He's a good bird."

"Of course, he is." Newt ran a finger over Skip's soft breast feathers. "He's lovely."

"Can you get him out? I've written a note." Newt nodded, released the cage door, and let the owl hop out onto his arm. Newt smiled and stroked the bird under his wings and on his back. Queenie tied the note to the bird's leg while Skip nibbled on Newt's finger.

"I know, isn't he just adorable?" Queenie remarked, taking skip on her arm and crossing to the window. She opened it and released Skip into the cold evening air.

"Newt?" She asked, gesturing for him to come over. Newt stood beside her, and she pointed to the street below. Ezekiel was gone, and in his place was a brown package.

"Should we…" Queenie shook her head.

"We can't open it. Tina knows to be careful."

"We have to tell Ja—" Newt stopped talking as, on the street, the package began to shake. "Queenie, get down." He said, quickly closing the window and ducking.

"Jacob, get down!" He shouted, and from the kitchen he heard a thump which he hoped was Jacob hitting the floor. Suddenly, just as he'd thought, there was a loud explosion on the street outside. The bedroom window shattered and the house shook. Newt felt something hot running down the side of his face, as the air was filled with heat and the sound of Queenie's screams.