The missing mortals, p.37
The Missing Mortals, page 37
Miss Jennings, who was out on the terrace to supervise the onlookers, watched the spontaneous lawn dancers with a big smile. In a moment, she went over and opened some of the ballroom’s doors so the music could be heard outside more clearly. Miss Grimstock was inside chaperoning the ball. When she saw Miss Jennings open the doors, curiosity drew her outside. Emma could have sworn she saw her smile when she saw what was going on.
That night, a new tradition was started at Dinswood Academy. Every year, from that night on, while the juniors and seniors were enjoying their ball in an exquisitely appointed ballroom, the underclassmen enjoyed a ball of their own under the stars.
Emma couldn’t remember when she’d had so much fun. It was wonderful dancing with Doug. Although the type of dancing they were doing rarely called for couples to be in a proper hold, she at least had the pleasure of holding Doug’s hand and promenading beside him when the dance required it. As she had suspected, he was an excellent dancer. He knew all the steps and had perfect timing. Even more satisfying was the fact that he seemed to be enjoying himself just as much as she was.
A collective moan arose from the lawn dancers when the teachers announced that it was almost curfew. Emma hated to see the night end.
Before leaving, Doug took both of her hands in his and said, “It was a pleasure dancing with you, m’lady.”
“I found it equally pleasurable, m’lord,” Emma answered with a smile.
“Regretfully, I must take my leave of you. Until we meet again.” Doug bowed formally and lightly kissed the back of her right hand. Then with a wave, he turned to go. Emma watched him go in a haze. She vaguely registered that Sebastian caught up to him just before he disappeared inside the castle.
Emma walked to her dorm room, barely aware that Martha was beside her. It had been a night she would never forget. Much later, she would think to ask Martha if she’d had a good time.
As he and Sebastian headed to the dorm room they shared with Phil and Tom, Doug’s thoughts grew serious. Now it was time to get down to business and set his plan in motion. With any luck, by the end of the night, the Reaper would be in custody.
Doug waited until just after curfew, and then he grabbed his backpack.
“I’m going to spend the night with Dad,” he explained to Phil and Tom on his way out. “See ya later,” he said to Sebastian.
After making sure that Phil and Tom weren’t looking, Sebastian gave him a thumbs-up signal for good luck. Doug returned the sign before closing the door behind him.
As Doug left Bingham Hall, he saw that the main hallway was clear. He could hear the music coming through the closed doors of the ballroom. Doug had just taken a few steps down the hall when the ballroom door closest to him swung open. Even though he had a legitimate reason for being out after curfew, instinct told him to hide. It occurred to him that if a teacher stopped him, he or she might get suspicious and decide to call his dad to check on his story. Doug couldn’t take that risk. Quickly, he stepped behind the door so that, as it swung all the way open, he was between the door and the wall. He could hear some girls talking and laughing and assumed they were on their way to the restroom. The girls’ restroom was across the hall and a little further down from his position. With any luck, the door would shield him from view until they were gone. The door swung forward, exposing his hiding spot just as the last girl entered the restroom. Doug let out the breath he’d been holding and hurried on his way before anyone else from the dance decided they needed to use the restroom. The rubber soles of Doug’s tennis shoes made barely a sound on the marble floor, and in no time, he was turning left down the short hallway that led to the kitchen. Now that he was no longer in sight of the ballroom, Doug relaxed a little. Before entering the kitchen, Doug took a moment to listen at the door. Usually, the kitchen would be empty at this time of night, but because of the ball, this wasn’t a normal night. It was now only a little after nine o’clock, and the cooks might still be cleaning up dishes. Doug had already made a plan for just such an event. If the cooks were still working when he arrived to deliver the sculpture, he would hide out in the janitor’s closet until the coast was clear. The door to the closet was just a little further down from the kitchen door. The cooks had their own supply closet somewhere in the kitchen so Doug knew he wouldn’t be discovered.
Doug pressed his ear to the door. All was quiet on the other side. Cautiously, Doug pushed the door open and peeked inside. He stepped back in alarm when he saw Mrs. Bertram and Mr. Sutton standing side by side at the counter to the right of the sink. Fortunately, they had their backs to him and didn’t see him. As Doug carefully closed the door, he heard Mrs. Bertram say, “I’d better take Lord Dinswood his tea.”
Doug hurried to the janitor’s closet and squeezed in next to the mop bucket. He closed the door as quietly as possible and waited. A moment later, he heard the kitchen door open. He could hear the teacup rattling on the tray as Mrs. Bertram carried the tea service down the hall in the opposite direction. Mr. Sutton’s boots clomped past him, and then Doug heard the outer door open and close. Mr. Sutton had gone outside—most likely to the trailer that was serving as his temporary living quarters while he worked on the gymnasium. Doug waited a couple more minutes just to be sure the coast was clear, and then he left the janitor’s closet and slipped into the kitchen. Whew, that was close, he thought as he made his way over to the stairs leading to the basement storage room. Once there, he went straight over to the refrigerator covering the secret door and pulled it out. Then he turned on his flashlight and entered the musty room beyond. When he got to the barrel at the back of the little room, he set the flashlight and his backpack on the floor. In the flashlight’s diffuse glow, Doug unzipped the pack and carefully removed the wrapped sculpture of Hannah. Then he took the lid off the barrel and laid it gently inside. He put the lid back on the barrel and was turning to leave when he noticed the old wooden door behind the barrel. He wondered yet again where it led. He had tried the door on several occasions, and it had always been locked. He couldn’t leave without trying it one last time. Maybe tonight would be different. With his flashlight in hand, he quickly stepped around the barrel until he stood in front of the door. Taking a deep breath, he grasped the brass knob and tried to turn it. The door was locked. Even though it was the result he’d expected, Doug experienced a moment of disappointment. With a sigh, he left the room and pushed the refrigerator back into position.
Now he needed a place to hide until the Reaper appeared. It was then that he noticed several boxes piled in the corner to the right of the door. The school must have received a delivery yesterday, and with the extra work caused by the ball, the staff hadn’t yet had a chance to unpack the boxes.
Not knowing how soon the Reaper would come, Doug quickly set to work, moving boxes and stacking them so that he could hide behind them. He even managed to make a peephole so that he could see the door to the barrel room without the Reaper seeing him. Once he was satisfied that his hiding place was ready, he climbed over the wall of his makeshift fort, turned off his flashlight, and hunkered down. The room was totally dark. The only sounds were the humming of the freezers and refrigerators. Doug settled himself more comfortably. Now all he had to do was wait.
Every now and then, Doug would check his watch. The hands of his watch glowed in the dark, so he didn’t have any trouble seeing it. Time seemed to be passing at a snail’s pace. An hour later, Doug yawned and realized he was getting sleepy. The room was warm, but not uncomfortably so, and the low humming from all of the appliances was having a soothing effect. Doug shook his head and shifted his position in an effort to remain alert. A few minutes later, he was sound asleep.
Doug awoke with a start. It took him a minute to remember where he was. Gradually, he became aware that he was lying on the concrete floor of the storage room. His head was resting on his backpack. Apparently, he’d been using it as a pillow. He sat up rubbing his stiff neck and tried to figure out what had awakened him. The storage room was dark, and except for the sounds of the appliances, all was silent. When he looked through his little peephole, he saw that the refrigerator blocking the door to the barrel room was right where it should be. Something wasn’t right though.
Doug cocked his head and listened. For a moment, he heard nothing, and then he detected a faint scraping noise. It sounded like it was coming from the barrel room. Quickly, he left his hiding place and hurried over to the barrel room door. With great care, he began slowly pulling the refrigerator away from the wall, trying not to make any noise that would alert whoever might be on the other side. When the refrigerator was finally clear, he stepped behind it and put his ear to the door. The scraping noise was unmistakable now. Someone was in the barrel room.
For a moment, Doug was confused. How had the Reaper gotten into the barrel room? Then it hit him. How could I have been so stupid? Doug thought, mentally kicking himself. The barrel room had two doors. The Reaper had simply used the other door.
Determined not to let the Reaper get away, Doug pressed his ear to the door again. He heard the creak of the door on the other side, followed soon after by a loud click. Doug assumed that the Reaper had left the room, but he wanted to be sure. He forced himself to wait two interminable minutes before opening the door on his side. Then he opened it just a crack and peered inside. The room beyond was dark and silent. Hesitantly, Doug stepped into the room and turned on his flashlight. Quickly, he swept the light around the room. Once he’d confirmed that he was alone, he hurried over to the barrel and lifted the lid. As he had suspected, the sculpture was gone. Taking a deep breath, Doug stepped around the barrel and put his hand on the brass knob of the other door. Then he sent up a brief prayer and tried the knob. It turned easily in his hands. Beads of sweat popped up on Doug’s upper lip as a tingle of fear and anticipation snaked its way down his spine. He hesitated only a moment before pushing the door open and stepping into the unknown.
Doug found himself standing in a fairly wide passage. He was surprised to see brightly blazing torches in brass holders staked along the walls at regular intervals. The torches provided plenty of light, so Doug switched his flashlight off. Doug noticed the walls were made of limestone and realized that the passage must be part of the cave system that lay beneath the castle. The floor of the passage consisted of hard-packed dirt. It was clear that at least at some point in the castle’s history, this passage had been frequently traveled.
Treading lightly, Doug started off along the passage. It ran level and straight for about twenty-five feet before making a sharp turn to the left. There, Doug encountered a set of stone steps leading downward. The passage was a little narrower here but was still wide enough to allow two people to walk comfortably side by side. The downward slope was gradual at first but became steeper as Doug descended. To accommodate the greater incline, the stairs became shorter and more closely spaced. Doug had to slow down to keep from slipping on the smooth stones. It was then that he began to worry he’d given the Reaper too much of a head start. With that thought in mind and heedless of the risk, Doug picked up his pace once again. At least he wasn’t having any trouble finding his way. Torches continued to line the walls all the way down.
Doug didn’t slow until he came to the end of the passage. He could see that it opened into a larger room, but before leaving the shelter of the stairway, Doug stopped to listen. He could hear the gentle lapping of water but nothing else. Cautiously, he stepped out into the open. Doug was surprised to find himself in an enormous cavern. The ceiling was at least thirty feet above him. A large opening opposite where he was standing revealed the stars in the night sky. He could see ripples of reflected moonlight in the water flowing beyond the huge cavern opening and realized he was looking at the Hyaline River. It was then that he remembered Mr. Munsen telling them about another cave along the river. He had mentioned it the day he had given them a boat ride to Cathedral Cave. All of the puzzle pieces finally clicked into place, and in that instant, Doug knew how the Reaper had been getting the sculptures out of the castle.
The light from the passage behind him didn’t illuminate the interior of the cavern very well, so Doug switched his flashlight on again. He swept the narrow beam around the walls of the enormous room in which he was standing. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he directed the beam downward. Water filled most of the cavern’s interior and gently lapped at the surrounding rocks, which sloped upward to within a few feet of Doug’s position. The water looked fairly deep, and the opening was big enough to accommodate a good-sized boat.
It was then that Doug noticed a small motorboat floating on the water just inside the cave’s entrance. No doubt the boat belonged to the Reaper, and if that were the case, the Reaper hadn’t left with the sculpture yet. The thought that he was in big trouble had just begun to crystallize in his brain when he was struck hard on the back of the head. He experienced a moment of intense pain, and then everything went dark.
When Doug came to sometime later, the first thing that registered was that he had a pounding headache. He kept his eyes closed and was on the point of moaning when he remembered being hit on the head. Firmly, he closed his mouth and made an effort to lie perfectly still. If his attacker was still around, he wanted him to think that he was still out. Slowly, he lifted one eyelid just enough to take a quick peek of his surroundings and was alarmed when he couldn’t see anything at all. In a panic, he opened both eyes and was greeted by total darkness. Doug willed himself to remain calm. With his eyesight gone for the moment, he began paying attention to the information his other senses were sending him. He was lying on his left side on a cold hard surface. Although he couldn’t see it, he heard the familiar purr of an outboard motor. He realized he was lying on the bottom of a boat, and it seemed to be moving through the water at a pretty good clip. Doug’s hands were tied behind his back, and a slight shifting of his feet revealed that his ankles were also bound. He could feel something rough scratching his face, and the air he was breathing was warm and humid. He could also feel something that felt like a rope rubbing the hide off his neck. Putting it all together, Doug understood why he couldn’t see. The Reaper had tied a cloth bag over his head.
His assessment complete, Doug continued to play dead while he tried to figure out what to do next. No one knew where he was, so he was on his own. He realized too late how foolish it had been for him to try to follow the Reaper. The Reaper must have heard Doug coming down the steps of the passage and hidden somewhere in the cavern until Doug stepped out into the open. Then he’d simply snuck up behind him and bashed him on the head. Doug had made it all too easy for the Reaper to get the drop on him, and now he could pay for that mistake with his life. With that realization, Doug tried to ignore the persistent pounding in his head and think of a way out of the mess in which he now found himself. Just then the boat hit a rough patch, and Doug was lifted completely off the floor of the boat. He came down hard on his left shoulder and hip before hitting his head on the hard metal. His head began pounding even worse, and a wave of nausea washed over him. Against his will, a groan escaped his lips. Doug just hoped the loud roar of the boat’s motor had covered the sound.
Doug swallowed hard and waited for the nausea to pass before turning his thoughts once again to the problem at hand. This nightmare of a boat ride would be ending soon, and he needed to be ready.
Doug reasoned that the Reaper was probably taking him to his hideout—the place where he had been stashing all the sculptures he’d been getting from Doug. Most likely his hideout was one of the houses along the river. The Reaper would dock the boat and then have to carry Doug and the sculpture into the hideout separately. With any luck, the Reaper would take him in first. Then he would be left alone while the Reaper returned to the boat for the sculpture. That’s when Doug would make his move. Everything depended on his being able to free his feet. When he’d tested the bonds around his ankles, they’d seemed a little loose. Doug just hoped they were loose enough.
All too soon the boat began to slow. Doug tried to slow the pounding of his heart and relax. For his plan to work, the Reaper had to think he was still unconscious. A moment later, he felt and heard a bump as the boat made contact with the dock. The Reaper cut the engine, and then Doug felt the boat tip and sway as the Reaper secured the boat to the dock. Doug held his breath and waited. The next instant, he was grabbed roughly underneath his arms and hauled upright. Then he was hefted up and slung over the Reaper’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Whoever this guy is, he’s pretty strong, Doug thought as he celebrated inwardly that the Reaper was doing just as he had hoped. He was taking him up to his hideout first.
The Reaper walked along the dock and then grunted with the strain of carrying Doug up a flight of stairs. When he reached the top of the stairs, the Reaper took a few more steps before coming to an abrupt halt. Doug understood why a moment later when he heard a click and then the creak of a door being swung open. The next instant, Doug was dumped unceremoniously on a smooth floor. Doug waited until he heard the retreating steps of the Reaper, and then he set his plan in motion. Alternately using the toes of one foot on the heel of the other, he managed to kick off his shoes. He was then able to slip his feet free from the ankle restraints. His hands were tied behind his back, so he began working them down over his bottom. It took a lot of squirming, and with the bag over his head, he began to get overheated. Sweat beaded up on his forehead and began pouring down his face. The air inside the bag was becoming stifling, and he was having a hard time getting his breath. He felt like he was suffocating. Gasping for air, he scrunched his legs up and maneuvered them through the circle made by his arms until his hands were in front of him. Exhausted by the effort, he would have liked nothing better than to lie down and rest, but there wasn’t time. He had to get the bag off his head so he could make his escape. The bag had a drawstring that the Reaper had tied around his neck. Doug set to work on the knot, but it was being stubborn. The more frantically he worked on the knot, the less progress he made. He had just gotten one loop of the knot pulled free when he heard footsteps approaching. The Reaper was returning. Doug hadn’t been fast enough.
