It was around five pm, Valkyire guessed, that the last car finally departed from the mansion. Still causious, Skulduggery looked out through the small window making sure no one was in sight.
"There's still someone here." Skulduggery stated.
"How do you know? We heard all the cars leave." She just wanted to get out of the stupid garden house. She was hungry and didn't prefer the humidity on her skin.
"They wouldn't just have a whole investigation here and leave it behind. Most likely they left my belongings here if the suspected I would come back for them."
"Who do you think they left here?"
"Umm... I would guess either a single Cleaver or Ghastly."
"Okay, who do you think most likely they left here?"
"Ghastly. If I were him, that's what I would do."
"Well we don't want Ghastly to know so now what?"
Skulduggery turned around and moved to the opposite side of the area. Moving a couple boxes and tools, he revealed a small escape hatch.
"You knew that was there all along?" Valkyrie placed her hands on her hips.
"Um... yeah. Couldn't use it with everyone running around looking for me."
"And why not? It goes underground."
"Yes, well it also leads towards a densely populated area and once you're inside all oxygen is permenetly gone."
"Why would Gordon put somthing like that here?"
"First of all, I recommended it. Second, it makes a good trap. Say if someone broke in Gordons house and needed a place to hide. He would come to the garden house. Finding the hatch, he would hide in it and die."
"But the hatch was covered."
"It was there for a long time without useage."
"So we're going in there?"
"No, I'm going in there and I'm going to get to the nearest phone I can possibly get to."
"You're going to leave me here?"
"It's a garden house. Who looks here these days? I mean I would but that's a different story." He readied himself to jump down, "Stay here." He closed the hatch behind him.
Valkyrie crossed her arms. Why in times of crisis was I always left behind? She smiled at the thought of Skulduggery emerging into a crowd of normal people. He wasn't going to be able to conceal his skeletal figure. Her smile turned into a frown. That's not good. Debating what her next move was going to be, she heard a sound coming from outside the garden door.
Quickly hiding herself behind a lawn mower, she heard the wooden door begin to raddle. She needed to keep her position secret. Valkyrie reached for a rench laying next to her and gripped it tightly ready for the intruder. Then suddenly it stopped.
"Who are you?" asked the familiar tone of Ghastly.
"Hi," said another voice in response, "I'm looking for the owner of the this house. Last I heard Gordon Edgley is occupying here."
Finbar?
"I'm sorry to have to say this but Gordon has been dead for seven years. I think you're a bit late on that peice of news."
"Oh well then you shouldn't mind if I go inside for a second now would you man?"
She heard Finbars feet begin to walk away.
"Wait," called Ghastly, "You can't just walk in there."
"Oh no worries man, I'm just going to be all real quick like. Look I won't even touch anything."
"No," she heard Ghastly follow. Finbar leading him away from her.
About a minute later, there was another rattling on the door. She braced herself.
"Valkyrie?" Skulduggery's voice called.
"Skulduggery you're-" She paused.
"I'm what?"
"Back fast."
"I'll explain later. Open the door hurry," he urged.
Once she opened the door, Skulduggery gripped her arm and pulled her out quickly. Then closing it tightly, made his way around back the garden house and towards the trees surronding the estate.
"Where are we going?"
"Ah!" said a Finbars voice behind her, a bit too loud, "Thanks Ghastly. My apologies. I'll try to be more considerate next time man. Take care!"
"And is he with you? Because that last statement of his could be heard all the way on Dublin."
"Yes, he is," he pushed through a few bushes, "This is out brillient get away."
"Oh, at least it's with someone we know. Why Finbar?"
"Let's just say he was in the neighborhood."
She and Skulduggery emerged through the foliage onto a vacant dirt road. Right on cue, a small mini van pulled out onto the road. It had the words Outrageous Designs: Tattoos by Finbar Wrong. She couldn't help to smile. Finbar skidded to a stop right in front of her and Skulduggery.
Rolling down his window he called, "Skul-man, Val-gal hop in!"
Once they were inside, Finbar stepped on the acceleration and drove off into town. Finbar looked over at Skulduggery who was trying to close up his fur coat. "Don't ask, Finbar."
"It's cool Skul-man, I wasn't." Finbar looked up at his top mirror, "Hey Val, why're in a robe?"
Skulduggery snapped his head sharply in Finbars direction. "That includes her."
"Skulduggery," started Valkyrie, "It's okay. You don't need to snap at him."
"It's no problemo. I understand that the Skul-mans not in a good mood."
They drove in silence till Skulduggery asked Finbar to stop by his home later on today. She was about to ask him why they couldn't do it when she remembered they were supposly 'gone'. Finbar said he was going to drop them off at his place first before he went off. Outrageous Designs: Tattoos by Finbar Wrong was located not too far from Haggard but a little closer to Dublin. It looked like a regular tattoo shop from the outside with a glowing neon sign saying 'open'.
Finbar parked the van then after making sure no one was looking, got out of the van. He motioned for her and Skulduggery to come inside when he had the door open. The inside almost looked like his older store but with a lot more space and cleaner equipment.
"Through the door back there," Finbar pointed to the back of the shop, "Is where our house it actaully located. I called Sharon earlier. She'll be in the livin' room, I think."
"Thank you, Finbar," said Skulduggery.
"No worries, man." And Finbar Wrong exited out once more.
Skulduggery made a sound as if to clear his throat, "Well, do I look presentable for a lady."
Valkyrie scrunched up her face and shook her head, "Nope. You'd better stay here. I can handle conversations." Valkyrie turned to the door and felt Skulduggery pull her hair back. She turned back to him.
"I was just making sure you looked presentable."
Smiling, she knocked and opened the door slightly. "Hello? Sharon? Finbar told us we could come in." Her eyes scanned her surrondings and she found them to be... quite nice. The main room was decorated in tone of marroon red and golden yellows. Warm colors. She walked and turned a corner to her left. She came into a sitting room and a woman in a rocking chair with a toddler in her arms. Sharon, she guessed, had long black hair and dressed in a pair of jeans and a tight t-shirt. Valkyrie could only see the back of her head.
"Welcome," Sharon greeted in a low voice as to not awake the child.
"Hey," Valkyrie smiled, nearing.
"Where did Finbar go off to?"
"Skulduggery asked him to drop by Cemetary Road," she answered.
Sharon turned her head towards Valkyrie and she fought the urge to step away. Sharon's left side of her face was completly charcoal black and her eye bared no eye lid, leaving her eye to dry out in the color red.
"Well, will you like some tea then? You look cold standing there in a robe." She smiled, the edge of her lip moving her left cheek in an odd way.
"Oh yes please. Um... Skulduggery's still waiting he's just not comfortable coming in as he is."
"Oh that's fine," she stood up slowly, "He can wait in main room if he likes."
Valkyrie smiled after Sharon and turned to retrieve Skulduggery.
More to come!
