Moriarty's Final Threat by F C Shaw

Author:F C Shaw [Shaw, F C]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781944452988
Publisher: Future House Publishing
Published: 2019-11-11T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty — The Man in the Black Fedora

“Why do we need to go back to school?” asked Cecily. “No one’s there.”

“Exactly!” Rollie maneuvered in-between spectators as he led his comrades toward the arena exit.

“The school is unguarded and everyone’s here at the tournament. This is the perfect opportunity for Zilch to break into the school and steal secrets.”

“What secrets?” Eliot’s attention was caught.

“He could search Yardsly’s files, or the Rearranging Library, or explore the secret passages—he’s been trying to do that for months!”

Cecily’s eyes widened. “You’re right! We should tell Headmaster—”

Rollie took charge. “Eliot, go tell Yardsly where we’re going. Cecily, come with me. Go!”

Eliot took off running through the crowd.

Rollie and Cecily bolted for the gate. They were slowed by a few people coming and going. Rollie accidently stepped on a gentleman’s foot.

“Sorry, sir,” he apologized.

“Slow down, eh?” The gentleman, sporting a white beard, tipped his hat.

Once Rollie and Cecily exited the arena and were free from the crowd, they broke into a sprint and tore through the park. The arena noise grew distant, but the street noise grew louder as they raced down Baker Street. They skidded to a halt outside the 221 building, taking a moment to catch their breath. Rollie peered closely at the front door’s handle and keyhole.

“This lock has been picked,” he said. “Look at these fresh scratches around the keyhole.” He slowly opened the door and quietly slipped inside with Cecily right behind him.

They stood in the entry hall, straining their ears for any noise. They heard only the old Bornholm grandfather clock ticking by the stairs. While it appeared the first floor was empty, Rollie’s instincts told him otherwise. It was as if he could sense someone’s presence nearby. He led Cecily to the headmaster’s office. The lock on this door had also been picked. He entered and headed over to the little cupboard hanging on the wall by Yardsly’s desk. When he opened it, Cecily gasped.

“Look at all the marmalade jars!”

“Shh! I need to count them to see if one’s missing,” Rollie whispered. “There should be nine.”

“Nine? There are only eight bookshelves in the library.”

“One jar opens a trapdoor here in the office—oh no. There are only eight!” Rollie inhaled sharply. “My jar is missing!”

He was about to close the cupboard when they heard footsteps thud outside in the hallway. He and Cecily spun toward the open office door in time to catch a glimpse of someone darting past. They heard the school’s front door open and close softly. Without a word, they barged outside onto the sidewalk.

Rollie spotted a man in a gray coat and black fedora walking rapidly away down the sidewalk toward Marylebone Street.

“Stop!” Rollie shouted.

Without looking around, the man started running.

Rollie took off, ignoring Cecily as she called after him to wait. The man had a half-block head start and longer legs, but Rollie had all of his adrenaline pumping through him. He gained on the man until they reached the intersection. The man raced across Marylebone just before a double-decker bus zoomed past.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.