The Missing Mortals, page 17
“Good idea, Doug,” Martha said, understanding what Doug was planning. “You can just put the sculpture in the box along with the lumber and trot right up to the school with it. If anyone asks about it, you have a perfectly good explanation that both your dad and Lord Dinswood can verify.”
“Even though I have a good reason for going to the bus barn, I’d still appreciate it if you guys would keep an eye on Bobby for me. I thought I’d wait until everyone’s working on homework after supper tonight. If we play it right, I can slip out, deliver the sculpture, and be back before Bobby even notices I’ve been gone. He might even think that I’ve just gone up to spend some time with Dad.”
Emma didn’t like the idea of Doug making the delivery alone, but she could see the logic in his plan. If they all disappeared after supper, Bobby would be alerted that something was going on. She didn’t say anything for a moment as she played Doug’s plan out in her mind, looking for any flaws that he might have missed. Finally, she was forced to conclude the plan was sound, and barring any unforeseen difficulties, it should work. The cooks would leave after cleaning up the kitchen for the evening, so Doug should be able to bring the box into the castle through the back door. This door, seldom used by anyone but staff, opened into a short hallway. The entrance to the kitchen would be the first door on the right. It should be a simple matter for Doug to slip into the kitchen unseen, deliver the sculpture, and then proceed to the main hall with the box of lumber.
“You sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Sebastian asked.
“Thanks, but I really think it will work better if I go alone.”
No more was said for a while as they finished eating. Emma glanced up at the dining hall’s large clock and realized that the Sunday morning chapel service would be starting in fifteen minutes.
“We’d better get going, or we’ll be late for chapel,” she told the others.
Without comment, they emptied their trays and headed to the chapel. As they approached the rectangular building with its stained-glass windows and steeple, complete with a bell tower, Emma was reminded of the night before when they’d been hiding behind it. She looked at the others but couldn’t tell from their expressions whether or not they were having similar thoughts. Thinking about last night soon had her thinking about the near kiss, as she’d begun to think of it. Emma risked a quick glance at Doug. His expression was solemn. It was clear that his mind was on far weightier matters. Emma sighed and wondered for the hundredth time if he would ever try to kiss her again.
As was often the case lately, it seemed like Reverend Palmer had prepared his sermon with the four of them in mind. He spoke about relying on God and trusting Him when trials come our way.
Reverend Palmer told them, “God’s promise isn’t that we won’t have trials but that when we do, He’ll be with us through them.”
Emma left the service feeling comforted, and she hoped that Reverend Palmer’s words had been a comfort to Doug as well. After all, it was Doug who was really in the heat of battle. The rest of them were merely trying to help as best they could from the sidelines.
The day passed quickly. They spent some time enjoying the fine weather outside. It was supposed to be the last warm day of the week, so they wanted to take full advantage of it.
After supper, they found Bobby and his buddies in the lounge. As luck would have it, they were sitting in the corner farthest from the door. Doug led them to a spot near the door where they could see Bobby and he could see them. Being next to the door would make it easier for Doug to slip out without Bobby noticing right away. They couldn’t have asked for a better seating arrangement. Emma was reminded of what Reverend Palmer had said just that morning. God was certainly helping them through this particular trial.
As planned, Doug sat with them for a while and attempted to concentrate on his homework. It was clear, however, from the number of times he ran his hands through his hair that his mind wasn’t on the book sitting in front of him. Emma couldn’t help feeling sorry for him.
Finally, Doug gave up the pretense of studying all together and, after a quick glance to see that Bobby wasn’t looking their way, slipped out of the room. Emma fretted the whole time he was gone, her mind imagining all kinds of scenarios where Doug got caught with the sculpture. After a while, she realized that she’d been staring at the same page for the last fifteen minutes. With a sigh, she closed her book and looked over at Martha.
“I can’t study either,” Martha said.
“Me neither,” Sebastian said. “I wish he’d get back.”
As it turned out, it would be another forty-five minutes until Doug would return. During that time, the three of them pretended to study, occasionally talking quietly. Emma was facing Bobby, so it was up to her to keep an eye on him without alerting him to her interest. Every couple of minutes, Emma would glance his way. Bobby was usually busy talking and didn’t notice her surreptitious looks. The next time Emma risked a peek at the far corner of the room, she was disconcerted to see Preston Danvers watching her. After a few more minutes, it became clear to Emma that Preston thought she was looking at him.
“Uh-oh,” Emma said softly.
“What?” Martha asked quickly.
“Well, I’ve been trying to keep an eye on Bobby, but every time I look over there, Preston is staring at me. I’m afraid he thinks I’m flirting with him or something.”
“That’s all we need,” Martha said with a roll of her eyes.
“Well, at least Bobby doesn’t know we’re watching him,” Sebastian pointed out.
“Yeah, but we don’t want Preston to get the idea that Emma likes him. We can’t have him tagging along after us because he’s in love with Emma. We’ve still got three more sculptures to find.”
“Well, then why don’t I trade places with Emma? That way I can do the spying, and Emma will have her back to Blondie,” Sebastian suggested.
“Won’t that look a little suspicious?” Emma asked.
The others agreed that it probably would seem a little odd for them to suddenly trade places. They were quiet for a moment as they each tried to come up with a solution. They were saved from their current dilemma by the timely return of Doug.
“What took you so long?” they asked in unison.
“Sorry,” Doug said as he took the empty seat next to Emma. “I had to get the key to the bus barn from Dad first. Thankfully, he was still working in his office.”
“Did you have any trouble getting into the room with the barrel?”
“No, everything went like clockwork. It just took a little longer than I’d thought. After I put the sculpture in the barrel, I had to take the key back to Dad, and he wanted to talk a while. I didn’t mean to worry you guys.”
“It’s okay, Doug. We should have remembered you’d need the key,” Sebastian said.
“Did Bobby notice that I was gone?”
“I don’t think so.” This time it was Martha who answered. She wasn’t sure whether she should tell him about the problem with Preston or not. Knowing how much Doug disliked Preston, she decided against it. She would leave it up to the others whether or not to say anything. Sebastian and Emma must also have decided against mentioning it, because nothing was said. It was just as well. Doug already had enough to deal with. It was then that Martha noticed the worried look on Doug’s face. “What’s wrong, Doug?” she asked quickly.
“Well, it’s just that I delivered the sculpture a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. I was afraid that if I left it in the bus barn someone might find it, and I didn’t want to risk trying to get it to my room. Besides, I don’t have any more places in my room to hide things.”
“So what’s the problem?” Sebastian asked, obviously not understanding what Doug was worried about.
“He’s afraid that since we delivered the sculpture so quickly, the Reaper won’t give us as much time to find the next one,” Emma answered, looking at Doug for confirmation of her hypothesis.
“That’s it exactly,” Doug answered, nodding.
“I never thought of that,” Sebastian said with a frown. “I sure am glad we already have another one hidden away.”
“Me too,” Doug said, running a hand through his hair. “But I was kind of hoping we could stay one ahead.”
“Next Saturday, it’s our turn to go to Windland. We’ll talk to Mr. Munsen and see if he’ll help us check the places on our list that are along the river. It’s possible we can still stay one step ahead of the Reaper,” Martha said in an encouraging tone.
Doug didn’t say anything for a moment. It was clear from his expression that he didn’t share Martha’s optimism. Finally, he sighed and said, “Well, it’s too late to change things now. We’ll just have to take things as they come. Martha’s right about one thing though. We need to make sure we talk to Mr. Munsen Saturday.”
Doug didn’t know what they’d do if Mr. Munsen didn’t agree to help them. His stomach clenched tightly at the thought. Something of his inner turmoil must have shown on his face, because when he looked up, the others were watching him closely with obvious concern. Inexplicably, his thoughts returned to what Reverend Palmer had said just that morning. God would be with him in the trials ahead. As Doug thought about that and looked at his friends, his stomach muscles gradually relaxed, and he was comforted.
Doug checked his mailbox every day for the next week, fully expecting another letter of instruction from the Reaper, but none came. Saturday morning, Doug hurriedly got ready and, as had become his habit, headed to his mailbox. Today was the eighth-graders’ turn to go to Windland, and he wanted to check it before he left. Once again, the box was empty. Doug didn’t know whether he should be relieved or worried. As he made his way to the front entrance, he decided he was relieved. No news was good news. Doug met up with Sebastian on the castle’s front steps. He shook his head in answer to Sebastian’s questioning glance. When Emma and Martha appeared, he once again shook his head in the negative.
“No word?” Martha asked.
“Not a thing,” Doug replied. It seemed that, for whatever reason, they had been given a reprieve.
They waited on the steps a few more minutes before they saw the buses pulling into the main driveway from the direction of the bus barn. The sun was shining, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The temperature was in the low seventies. It was a perfect day for a trip to Windland. Last year, a torrential downpour had marred their first trip to the little town. In fact, it had rained so much that flooding had kept them from returning to the castle until the following morning. The entire group of seventh graders had been forced to spend the night in the town’s only motel. Emma hadn’t minded. She liked the Windland Inn, which was designed in a manner similar to a lodge, with a high ceiling and a large central fireplace. That fateful day a year ago had marked the beginning of the treasure hunt.
With a sigh, Emma looked at the sky again. It didn’t look like the weather was going to be a problem this year. Emma was glad. They already had enough to worry about. She just hoped that Doug would get a chance to talk to Mr. Munsen and that he would agree to help them.
Emma’s thoughts were brought to a halt when she was jostled from behind by the crowd of eighth graders surging toward the waiting buses. She boarded the second bus in the line with Martha right behind her. Doug and Sebastian, however, were nowhere in sight. With all of the pushing, they must have gotten separated. Emma took the first available seat and scooted over so that Martha could sit next to her. The bus was filling up fast, and there were only a few seats left. Emma waited anxiously to see if Doug and Sebastian would board. A moment later, the doors closed with a hiss, and Emma realized the boys must have ended up on one of the other buses. It didn’t really matter. They would meet up once they reached Windland.
Emma listened to the racket made by the other students as they conversed excitedly and smiled at Martha.
“You’d think we were on our way to an amusement park,” Emma remarked loudly so that Martha could hear her.
“I know. It’s hard to believe that anyone could get so worked up about a day in Windland,” Martha agreed.
“I bet it’s nothing compared to Paris,” Emma said with a laugh.
“Not even close.”
The two girls gave up trying to converse after that and instead sat in companionable silence, content to watch the passing scenery.
Doug and Sebastian were doing the same thing in the bus directly behind them. Doug was too worried about what he was going to say to Mr. Munsen to take part in casual conversation. Sebastian must have understood what Doug was going through, because for once he was silent.
All too soon the buses were pulling into the Windland Inn’s large parking lot where they would remain until it was time to transport the students back to the school. The school’s buses always used the inn’s parking lot because it was the only one in town big enough to accommodate them without impeding the parking of other customers.
Emma and Martha stepped down onto the pavement and watched as the bus carrying the boys maneuvered into a spot. In no time, the boys had joined them, and by mutual consent, they headed to the bookstore to talk to Alice. Alice was Mr. Munsen’s wife and ran the bookstore for Lord Dinswood. She would know how to get ahold of her husband.
As they walked briskly down the sidewalk leading to the bookstore, Emma noticed that Mr. Munsen’s truck was parked in front of it. What a lucky break for them! Mr. Munsen was probably in the store at this very moment talking to his wife. It looked like Doug would get his chance to talk to him. As they got closer, Emma could see that Mr. Munsen’s truck was towing a boat and trailer. He was probably planning to do a little fishing that afternoon. If that were the case, maybe he wouldn’t mind taking them to at least one of the places on their list. Emma looked over at Doug to see if he had seen the boat. The smile he gave her when he noticed her gaze was all the answer she needed.
When they entered the store, Mr. Munsen was at the counter talking to his wife just as they’d anticipated. The first time Emma had ever seen Mr. Munsen he had reminded her of a great big bear. He did again today, even without the winter coat and fur hat he’d been wearing upon their first acquaintance. As it had last winter, a mustache and full beard covered his face. He was tall with a sturdy build—a large man with a loud booming voice to match. Although his appearance was rather intimidating, they had learned last year that he was a good man with a kind heart. Suddenly, Emma felt certain that he would agree to help them.
Doug didn’t waste any time. He went up to Mr. Munsen and waited patiently for him to finish speaking to his wife. When Mr. Munsen turned to leave, Doug spoke up quickly. “Mr. Munsen, could I talk to you a minute?”
“Why, howdy there, Doug. I didn’t notice ya standin’ there. It’s good to see ya again.”
“It’s good to see you again too, sir.”
Something in Doug’s tone must have alerted Mr. Munsen because he looked at Doug more closely. The boy was a little thinner than when he’d last seen him, and the worry in his expression was hard to miss. Mr. Munsen’s bushy eyebrows came together in a frown, and he said in a softer tone, “What can I do for ya, son?”
Doug hesitated for a moment and then said quietly so that only Mr. Munsen could hear him, “Sir, could we please talk in private?”
Mr. Munsen nodded. “Follow me.”
Mr. Munsen led Doug around behind the counter and up to the door leading into the storage room. Emma watched as they both disappeared inside and felt her nervousness return. Mr. Munsen was their only hope. If he didn’t agree to help them, she didn’t know what they’d do. Emma felt, rather than saw, Martha come up to stand beside her. Sebastian soon joined them. The three of them stared anxiously at the storage room door as if it could tell them what was going on inside. Mrs. Munsen was helping a customer at the time and didn’t appear to have noticed her husband’s strange behavior. However, as soon as Alice Munsen had finished with the student at the register, Emma found out how wrong her assumption had been.
Alice looked over at the three of them standing rooted to the spot like a trio of statues, and it was obvious that her curiosity had been aroused. She came around the counter and stopped when she was directly in front of them. “What’s going on in there?” she asked, inclining her head in the direction of the storage room.
Not knowing how to respond, the three of them stared at Alice in silence for several long uncomfortable seconds. Emma racked her brain for a plausible explanation, while Alice continued to look at them with raised eyebrows. Emma looked over at Martha and Sebastian and received a shrug from both of them. Realizing that Alice wasn’t going to go away until she’d gotten an answer, Emma decided to tell the truth or at least a small part of the truth. “Doug needed to talk to your husband for a minute.”
“About what?” was Alice’s quick response.
Emma hesitated for just a moment and, giving Martha and Sebastian a sidelong glance, replied, “I really couldn’t say.”
Martha tried not to smile at the genius of Emma’s answer. She had in essence told the truth. All Emma had said was that she wasn’t free to tell Mrs. Munsen what Doug wanted to talk to her husband about. However, her reply could be easily misinterpreted, and that was precisely what Emma was hoping for.
It was hard to tell whether Alice Munsen had been fooled by Emma’s vague response or not. She continued to stare the three of them down in what appeared to be an effort to intimidate them into giving more information. Fortunately, a moment later, another student stepped up to the counter to pay for some books, and Mrs. Munsen was forced to return to her position behind the counter. Emma wished Doug would hurry up. Mrs. Munsen had only been temporarily sidetracked. Emma didn’t know what she’d say if Mrs. Munsen decided to press the issue.
All three of them breathed a huge sigh of relief when Doug and Mr. Munsen emerged from the storage room. Emma couldn’t tell a thing from Doug’s expression. Mr. Munsen promptly left the store and could be seen getting into his truck through the store’s big front window. Emma was about to conclude that Doug had failed in his efforts to enlist Mr. Munsen’s help when Doug motioned for the three of them to follow him back into the storage room. What in the world was going on?
