Tintin and the Will of Hartley Manor

by crayonsruletheworld

Tintin is given a new assignment - the will of Mr. Hartley. His money and estate was supposed to have gone almost entirely to charity, but distant cousins are now the sole inheritants. Is there a later will? Why are there men tailing Tintin? And what does the beautiful girl who just moved in across the hall have to do with this?

19. Chapter 19

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Chapter 19 – The End

Out on the roof, the wind whipped at their clothing as the sunrise tainted the air grey.

Seeing the wrecking ball, Eva and Tintin began to wave their arms at the man operating it, who was moving steadily towards the manor. Seeing them, he stopped the machine.

"What are you doing?" The man yelled. "This house was scheduled to go down this morning!"

"Send for someone to telephone the police!" Tintin called back. "We've found Mr. Hartley's real will – this house won't be going down today!"

As he finished, Eva took his arm. "Look, in the streets."

Surprisingly enough, police cars were gathering in front of the house. How could they know to be here? Tintin wondered.

They watched intently as Thompson and Thompson, backed by a dozen officers, entered the yard. Mr. Williams, flanked by two men came to meet them.

"Is there a problem, officers?" Mr. Williams stopped ten feet from the police.

The next few minutes passed in a blur, where Mr. Williams was led away in handcuffs, and Mrs. Williams and his men followed. Shortly, a few officers came to the roof and escorted Tintin and Eva to the police cars. They went silently to the police station, where they stayed all day. They explained their story over and over, while hearing another one. The officers that Thompson and Thompson had sent to investigate the Williams' back story had returned with the real Mr. and Mrs. Williams, a couple who had accepted money for the use of their names. Just as these officers had come to the police station very early that morning, a worried and limping Captain Haddock had entered, declaring that Tintin had not been to his apartment all night, and that he couldn't possibly have committed a crime. Tintin was fully pardoned, and allowed to leave with much apology that evening.

Eva was then led away for the reading of the will, and the reassignment of Mr. Hartley's estate. Tintin hadn't seen Eva for hours, and decided to leave. There's nothing more I can do here. At least not on as little sleep as I've had.

The sun was now setting as Tintin trudged up the street to his apartment. Exhausted as he was, he couldn't bring his mind to rest. Unlocking the front door, he started up the stairs slowly, his hand on the banister. Though the same companion was at his heels, and he returned to the same building, it struck him that something had changed after this particular adventure. It seemed lifetimes since yesterday morning, when he had first seen Eva on those stairs. He paused there, remembering how picturesque she looked.

He smiled to himself, and again thought of her fleeting kiss. He opened his apartment door with an exhausted sigh, willing his mind to rest. Locking the door behind him, he moved through his living room, turned right into his bedroom and sat on the bed. He took his shoes off as Snowy curled up beside him, quite content.

Tiredly, he went through the motions of putting on his pajamas. Somehow, it all felt different. He felt older, but he couldn't quite grasp why.

You don't have to be tied to this place. Those who are gone wouldn't want us to linger.

His own words echoed in his mind.

I'll figure it out tomorrow, he decided. As his ginger head rested upon his pillow, the final, half-formed thought in his mind before he fell asleep was only of the girl who now owned Hartley Manor.