The two ladies exited the busy marketplace and walked through the town. Pepper followed behind Molly, unsure of where they were going. As if she had read her mind, Molly began, "We're going to go see Herbert Trubshaw. His boy Eggs is Winnie's best friend. If anyone will know where she is, he will!" Pepper wondered how someone would name their child after a breakfast food, but ignored it as they approached a small hair salon.
"Hair Do Well?" Pepper read the sign aloud, "Is this Trubshaw man a barber or something?" she asked.
Molly shook her head, "No, but he usually hangs around here with Hamilton. Chances are he's not here, but Hamilton can at least tell us where he lives so we could find him."
They entered the shop; Inside there was a red barbers chair on a worn checkered floor in front of a mirror on the left wall. Under the mirror there was a table coming off the wall like a shelf, with scattered brushes, combs, hair products, scissors, and hair razors all over it. Across the room was another chair that was much more simple and a sink for washing hair. Shelves lined the back wall of the building, and a curtain hung in a doorway, assuming to lead to some kind of a back room.
From behind the curtain, a man emerged dramatically with his arms in the air. "Molly! You're not due here till the first Monday of next month, what can I do you for?" He was just between Pepper and Molly's height and had light brown hair long enough to tie back into a ponytail. He had an even longer beard that was so big he had it wrapped around his neck like a scarf and a mustache under his long nose. He wore a blue and white striped shirt and red pants with gold and green stripes on either side.
The man strutted towards the two and instantly started picking at Pepper's hair. "Yeesh, more like what can I do you for, turtledove. Your hair is a wreck when's the last time you washed it?" he criticized as he pulled a twig out of her bun and tossed it aside.
Pepper whacked his hand away and took a step back. "Mind your business!" she said as she patted her bun, making sure he hadn't loosened it up.
Molly stepped between the two, "Hamilton, this is Ms. Pepper. She's Winnie Portley-Rind's new nanny." She placed a hand on Pepper's shoulder, but it was shaken off immediately. The tall woman was offended and pouted at the action.
The man scoffed and put his hands on his hips, "If she's her new nanny then where's the bloomin' kid?" His sass was immense.
Pepper stomped her foot and threw her hands onto her hips aggressively. She didn't even want to talk to this man if he was going to act this way. She grabbed Molly's arm and tugged her down low enough so she could whisper in her ear, "Are you sure we need his help to find the Trubshaw man?"
Hamilton interrupted, "Whatcha looking for him for? You should be looking for the kid!" He held back a smirk, enjoying getting on the small lady's nerves. Pepper was ready to roast him when Molly cut in, "If we find Herbert we can find Eggs, and if we find Eggs we can find Winifred."
Pepper wanted to leave this shop and never step foot in it again. Hamilton was on her last nerves, and she had very few left. "How do we know Herbert even knows where his carton of eggs is?" she half joked about his son's odd name.
Hamilton took a step towards the woman, "Because unlike SOME people, Herbert knows where his kid is!" He stood over her a moment taking in her shocked expression, then quickly turned on his heel away from her and back to the other side of Molly, purposefully whipping his long beard in her face.
Pepper let out a small yelp as the hair whacked her on the cheek. "That's it! I'm going outside!" she shouted as she stomped out the front door to wait on the sidewalk.
"Hamilton!" Molly scolded, giving him a whack on the arm, "That's no way to treat someone you just met!" He flinched as her hand made contact. He rubbed his arm and retorted, "Some people are just so touchy…" The lady rolled her eyes at his insensitivity. "Wow, Blondielocks you really do pack a wallop." he commented.
"Could you please just tell us where Herbert is." Molly begged. She was used to Hamilton's rude banter, but she didn't like it when he threw it at unexpected participants. Especially since Pepper was her new friend, she didn't want to give her any bad impressions.
Hamilton shrugged as he made his way towards the back of his shop, "How should I know? I'm not his nanny." Molly rolled her eyes. "If you really want to find him he lives on 793 Guernsey Lane." he finally spewed out something useful.
The lady glowed and ran to her friend for a hug. "Thank you, Hammy!"
He tried his best to untangled himself from her clutches, "Yeah, yeah, whatever! Come on, I just ironed this shirt!" he successfully pushed her off. They bid their goodbyes and she rejoined Pepper outside.
Pepper waited out on the street for Molly to come back with the information they needed. As she leaned against the wall of 'Hair Do Well' she thought about what would happen if she didn't find Winnie. She had to have her back before dinner at five thirty this evening. If she returned to the mansion without the girl, or if Winnie returned without her, she would lose her job for sure.
It was obvious to Pepper that Winnie had planned this all out in her head this morning. It was a clever plan, and she might actually succeed and get Pepper fired. With what time she had, Pepper was determined to find this demon child. The last thing she wanted was to return back to her hometown Knightingdale. She would have to confront her sister, and listen to all the nasty "I told you so" line over and over again.
She shook the very thought out of her mind. No matter how stinky this town was and no matter how annoying the people were she wanted to prove that she could handle having a job and doing things on her own.
"Ms. Pepper!" Molly tapped her new friend on the shoulder. Surprised, the nanny jumped and gave a shriek. "Didn't mean to scare you!" the blonde couldn't help but giggle.
Embarrassed, Pepper patted down her hair and fixed her dress, "S-Scared? No, not me. Not in the slightest." She found her way back to her calm and disinterested demeanor. "So, did you find out where this Herbert man is?"
Molly nodded, "He lives just a mile away down on Guernsey Lane. Come along!" She began walking ahead of Pepper, leading the way.
A mile down Curds Way and a right turn onto Guernsey Lane they approached the home of Herbert Trubshaw. Rather than a usual button doorbell there was a rope that hung down just beside the door. The rope lead up the wall and through a window on the second floor.
The two girls looked at each other and shrugged. Molly gave the rope a tug and inside they could hear wheels and gears turning as if someone was winding up a giant music box. A moment passed and the noises halted. They gave each other another look of uncertainty, and then a simple 'ding-dong' rang just like any other house.
"Pfft, well that was dramatic." Pepper placed one hand on her hip, unamused by the fuss.
"DOOOOOOOOOORRS OPEN!" they heard a shout from inside. Hesitantly, they turned the knob and stepped inside. The house looked like an organized mess of papers and notebooks piled on every surface. The brick mantle had books stacked haphazardly beside multiple framed family photos of a man, a woman, and a small baby. The only places clear of clutter were the couch and the chairs around it in the living room.
"DID ANYONE COME INSIDE? I'M IN THE BACK IF YOU DID! PLEASE DONT ROB MY HOUSE!" they head another shout from around the corner. They made their way into the kitchen which was just as messy as the rest of the house, but less with papers and more with dishes, and found their way out a back door and into a lone alley. The narrow alley was congested with a large car parked just a few feet away from the door. Tools were spread all over the cobblestone making it seem even more crowded outside. The tall brick walls dividing the houses were covered in chalk writings of equations, drawings, and random little notes.
Molly stepped down the two stairs into the alley and lifted her skirt as she carefully stepped over wrenches and screwdrivers. "Mr. Trubshaw?" she looked around for the man. She could have sworn she heard his voice coming from back here.
"Down here!" he announced as he slid out from under the car on a wooden creeper. He had slicked back brown hair with a few grey stripes coming in and a matching beard and mustache that was neatly trimmed. His suit looked dirty and covered in oil, as did much of his face. Nonetheless he had a warm, welcoming smile on his face as he saw the ladies. "Why, Ms. Monte Cristo! Haven't seen you in ages! How've you been?" He grabbed a cloth nearby and wiped the oil and dirt off his face and coat.
She put out a hand to help the man up and he took it graciously, "I'm quite alright, thank you. How about yourself?" she replied.
He rised to his feet and patted the side of his car, "Well i'm alright, but this ol' thing needs a good tune up. Been spillin oil like nobodies business! People started complaining so I gotta fix'er up." He then spotted Pepper still standing by the back door. "Who's this?" he asked, excited to meet a new neighbor.
Molly gestured for Pepper to come down the steps and into the conversation. She paused a moment, and with a sigh she did so and stood next to her tall friend. Molly put her hand on Pepper's shoulder again. Rather than shake it off this time, she simply raised her shoulders in surprise, but let the hand stay, much to her discomfort. "This is Ms. Pepper, Winnie's new nanny." Molly introduced.
Herbert took the small lady's hand and gave it a good shake. "Pleasure to meet you! Didn't think Winnie really needed a nanny though. She's about the same age as my boy."
"Yes, well-" Pepper began to explain, but was interrupted by the man.
"You ever met my boy, Eggs? He's a hoot! Sure you'd love him, everyone does!" he kept on rambling. Pepper tried many times to cut in but it seemed impossible. Molly watched her try and try again, with no luck, and finally made the initiative herself.
"HERBERT!" she shouted loudly, finally getting him to shut it. She cleared her throat, "Speaking of Eggs, do you know where he is?"
The man tapped his chin as he thought a moment, then shrugged, "No idea. Probably with the Boxtrolls though. He'll be back here for dinner though, if you'd like to wait around for him."
Pepper sighed, desperate for help, "No, no! It'll be too late then! We need to find them now!"
Herbert felt terrible for having nothing helpful to give them. "Wish I could help you ladies. If you need anything, i'll be here." He patted the side of his car again, and he began to crouch back down onto his creeper. The girls bid their thank you's and goodbye's then made their way back to Guernsey Lane.
Pepper sat on the curb of the sidewalk in front of Trubshaw's house and thought aloud, "Great, just great. I'm screwed! We're at a dead end: I can't find the kid, I have to have her home by dinner time and it's already two in the afternoon, and it's only the first day!" She put her head in her hands as she sulked, trying to rethink her plans as she waited to get fired.
Molly slowly slumped as she listened to her pal. She hated seeing people like this. After spending all this time with Ms. Pepper, she felt close to her; She considered her a good friend, and she had to cheer her up. "Hey, don't give up yet. We've still got time." she paused, but there was no response. "Ms. Pepper?" she asked, bending down and placing a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.
Pepper quickly and aggressively shook her hand off and stood up. "Stop touching me! I can't stand it when you touch me!"
Caught off guard, Molly was shocked. She slowly stood back up to her full height. "I'm just trying to help." she attempted, but Pepper was pissed. She was tipped off the edge with the shoulder touching, and now the canon was loose. "I don't need your help! I don't need anyone's help! The whole point of this job was to prove i could do things on my own!" she yelled. She turned away from the woman once again.
Molly crossed her arms and sternly commented back, "If you can do things on your own then why am I here?"
She turned on her heel fiercely and broke, "Because I can't do this on my own!" she was breathing heavily, and she felt light headed. She turned away from Molly one last time to hide the shame stricken on her face.
Seeing Pepper's vulnerability made Molly's face fall completely. Seeing someone strong break was an incredibly sad sight to see. She went to place a hand on her shoulder but hesitated and instead kept it to herself. She paused before speaking, "You know it's not too late. Winnie's out there still, somewhere." Another pause and suddenly a brilliant idea came to her. "I know someone else who might be able to help us out! Come along!" Molly began marching down the road leaving Pepper in the dust.
Pepper looked at where she was headed and hesitated before following. "Ugh, what else do I have to lose?" She rolled her eyes and caught up with Molly.