The Door in the Forest by Roderick Townley

Author:Roderick Townley [Townley, Roderick]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-375-89700-9
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2011-03-22T04:00:00+00:00

“Your son,” said Sloper as the men prepared to sit down to dinner. “Quite a boy.”

“You mean Daniel?” said Crowley, taking his seat.

Three of Sloper’s aides pulled out their straight-backed chairs and sat down heavily.

“He risked a great deal last night to steal the map from me.”

“Map?”

“Please, my friend, don’t insult me by pretending you don’t know.”

“Where is Daniel?” Crowley glanced around as if he might have overlooked him. “And Wesley.” He turned to his wife, just then coming in with the roast chicken—a skinny one. It had been the last bird left in the coop. “Gwen? Have you seen the boys?”

She shook her head. “If you mean Danny, not since last night.” She set the platter on hot pads and stepped back. “When we were all out there searching for Bridey.”

“He didn’t come back?” said her husband.

“Ever since the boys started sleeping in the barn, I hardly know where they are.”

“They didn’t show up at the store, either.”

“Enough,” interrupted the captain, bunching his napkin in his fist. “You can stop the charade. I know what you’re up to.” He looked around the table. “Don’t look surprised.”

Crowley’s face was a nest of confusion. “Captain,” he said, “you have to forgive me. My children don’t tell me what they’re doing. What were you saying about a map?”

Sloper briefly closed his eyes. “Don’t.”

“But …”

“Next you’ll tell me you don’t know about the caches of weapons hidden in the woods.”

“Weapons?”

“It was all there on the map.” Sloper leaned back in his chair. “As you very well know.”

“As I …?”

Sloper held up a hand. “Please. You lie so badly.”

“Gwen,” said Crowley, “do you know about this?”

Mrs. Crowley lifted her head bravely. “Just that there was a fire upstairs in Daniel’s room.”

“Well, we all know that,” said her husband. “You can smell it all over the house.”

Gwen turned to the captain. “How is it up there now? Is it livable? I’ve been airing it out all afternoon.”

Sloper slammed his fist down on the table. Wine sloshed from the glasses and the chicken jumped on the platter. “Damn it! Stop!”

No one spoke.

“We know,” Sloper growled, “that three children are missing: your two boys and that girl over at the Byrdsong place. We also know that your boy was willing to burn down the house to keep me from reading the map.”

Crowley opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it.

“Why?” Sloper’s eyes narrowed. “Why would he do a thing like that?”

Again, Crowley almost spoke.

“I’ll tell you why,” the captain supplied. He refilled his wine glass and drained it in a gulp. “He was afraid I’d learn the secret. But we all know the secret, don’t we? We know the weapons are stored on the island!”

“What!”

“So simple,” the captain continued. “So clever. Who would think this quaint backwater town was a hotbed of insurrection? Very likely it’s the supply post for the whole rebellion!”

“Now that’s ridic—”

“An island no one can get to. A place everyone’s afraid of, surrounded by superstition, protected by quicksand and snakes.”

“Captain, listen,” Crowley objected.

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