ONE MORE CLUE
Woo! Another Friday up! Things are getting ever so busy by the week. Do you all realize that the Fourth of July is next Friday? And then the following Friday I got to the beach for a week (though I will hopefully be posting before I go)! Glad to see how much you all are into the story, and I'm crossing my fingers to see if I can get to the 100 review mark with this chapter. That would be fun. :D Also, during my entire first year of college that has just come to pass, I kept a daily log of everything that happened to me in the form of fiction called 'Bellamy 610' over at FictionPress (names have been changed for obvious reasons). I kept it because it would help with my writing and be something fun to look back on. While it is currently unfinished, I have the outline of everyday ready to be written. So, if you're curious to see how I lived life at college or just want a feel for it before you head there yourself, the link to 'Bellamy 610' is in my profile. That was shameless promotion. XD Go on! Enjoy! - Dis/Claimer – x x x . Chapter Five . The snow fell heavily outside, ensuring Charlie and Sally would be delighted to see they’d have no school when they woke up. Ben turned the compass listlessly within the glowing radius of the library living room fireplace, watching the dying red-orange reflections shine over its aged face. He played out many, many scenarios in his head revolving around the next few days and their outcomes. Most of them concluded with losing Riley’s trust forever, but he would beat the odds somehow. He always did. He had to. He had been mulling over life without Riley since the day he had moved in. Now that time had finally come, and Ben was feeling just as he had predicted – empty, alone, selfish, reminiscent, and guilty. Guilty for this lie, this necessary lie he knew was going to put a deep rift in what they had developed into a reliable friendship. But what are you really missing? a part of him questioned. Are you missing his convenience as a babysitter, a gullible do-gooder, a high-tech literate? Or are you missing him, the person, Riley Poole? Are the things you’re missing the same things that make up Riley Poole? The selfish bit of him he’d learn to live with squeaked from the back of his head yes, but every other piece of him had tackled that selfishness as per usual and denied it. He missed Riley! He’d miss how he always seemed sleep-deprived, how he always captivated his kids, how he could be the world’s worst pessimist but cheer you up if you needed it, how he never failed to be amazingly resourceful, how loyal he could be… Was there a way to tell Riley now? Call him up and confess everything and still save their friendship? No, he concluded matter-of-factly with a frown. The damage had already been done. It was time to see it through, hope for the bes- Ben paused. Quirking an eye brow, he brought the compass close to his face. After all this time, he couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen what his eye had just befallen. The pivoting pin that was supposed to run through the bearings, ring magnet, and suspensions was gone. Then why did it still function normally? Unless, it wasn’t supposed to function normally… x x x The heat must have been broken in the reception hall; the room was baking. The temperature held a steady reading of eighty-one degrees as they slaved away with hanging decorations and garnishing the tables all day. The florist informed Carolyn that unless the heat was lowered, all of her blooms would be wilted by morning. Maintenance promised to have it a cool seventy before midnight. Dying for a gulp of air he hadn’t repeatedly circulated through his body, Riley stepped outside onto the icy stone, a cooing Alex in his arms making him cautious of his footing. The boy was bundled warmly and wore a red and blue fleece hat snugly over his blonde baby hair. Riley smiled as Alex squealed in awe of the snow gently blowing at them. “Yeah, everyone loves snow,” Riley said. He leaned against the cold stone of the railing, readjusting the wide-eyed baby on his hip more. He bestowed another fond smile at his excited squeak, thinking back to Charlie and Sally’s reactions to snow. Sally was as curious and entertained by the slow drifting flakes as Alex was, but Charlie never really fussed over them. He made a bigger deal out of watching rain bounce off the cement on a stormy day while his sister cried and cried and cried. “Oo!” Riley laughed. A thought came to him. Would his own son like the snow or the rain? Would he play football or play Romeo? Would he be defiant or passive? Loyal and trustworthy or selfish and sneaky? Would he, Riley, be able to show him right from wrong? Guide him like a good father? Riley wasn’t even sure he knew right from wrong himself half the time. But when he had to tell a child, when he had to tell Charlie not to pull his sister’s hair or Sally to remember her pleases and thank yous, he knew it made a difference as small as could be. But a difference nonetheless. Riley could maybe be a decent parent, little by little. “Hey, Abigail’s looking for you.” Riley smiled as Carolyn came outside. She beamed at Alex and babbled with him as Riley passed him into her arms, a picturesque scene wrapped in snow before him. “Oh, look at you,” she said to Alex. “You cold out here, honey? Huh?” “Well, a little,” Riley admitted, standing closer to her. She gave him a sly smile while his remained innocent. He dug his hands in his pockets, and Carolyn kissed Alex’s forehead. She glanced back over at Riley, catching him with a lopsided grin on his face. He immediately laughed guiltily. “Aww, isn’t he cute?” she prompted, swinging Alex closer to Riley so he had nowhere else to look. “Look at those eyes and that little toothless mouth…” “He’s adorable!” Riley said. He leaned into her with a sugary expression and whispered, “But it’s not gonna work.” Carolyn sighed. So much for trying. She slipped him another crafty smirk. “I know you want one.” “Yeeees,” he said slowly, folding his hands behind his back as he rocked on his toes. “Then why won’t you talk about it?” Riley stopped, looking between Alex and Carolyn several times. Their faces were falling bare, the seriousness of the matter to blame. Riley spoke clearly. “I’ll get one,” he assured her. “Very soon. As soon as possible. As soon as we hit that cruise ship and those islands, I will get one.” She laughed with him, but it was hollow. It was the greatest feeling in the world to know how ready he was to do this; to be with her, to have a family, to move on. But with the knowledge of what would take place tomorrow weighing her smile down to a frown, his outlook on life with her –or life in general – may very well be affected. There would be no cruise ship tomorrow. It made her heart break. She found herself holding Alex closer to comfort her own feelings of shame as snowflakes melted on her cheeks. Her breath hitched at Riley’s touch. “What? What’s-?” “Nothing, just cold,” she said quickly, flashing him a smile. Alex gave another bright noise that broke their eye contact, and she was thankful for it. “Well, better get this little guy inside,” she said. “Almost lunch time and it’s cold out here!” “Brrhhhrrr!” “Yeah, brrrr!” Riley laughed to himself, following her and Alex back inside with the happy prospect of hot soup soon to fill his stomach. x x x Midnight. Ben watches the hands of his watch form a single line expectantly. One. Two. Three. Abigail faintly hears the grandfather clock in the hall chime, and her heart quickens. Four. Five. Six. Maddox looks at the radio as he, Priscilla, Harper, and Dom drive up the coast. Seven. Eight. Nine. Riley’s stomach twists as the glowing digits of his alarm clock change. Ten. Eleven. Carolyn lay silent as the small clock on the wall gave a prim ring. Twelve. Riley listened as the last chime hummed into the smallest interval until meshing with the black silence. He felt Carolyn move beside him a fraction of an inch, and he knew she was not asleep. They were both wide awake. He stared at the clock, powerless to stop it. “Today’s the day.” x x x Riley flew around the doorway, holding onto the frame as he screamed down the hall for Ben. Climbing the staircase to the second floor of the Estate’s home, Ben twitched sensitively at his yell. “What now, Riley?” He rounded the corner just as Riley slipped back into the room adjusting his bowtie. Ben tugged at his own absentmindedly and stepped into the bedroom. In front of the mirror, Riley was starting to fasten his cufflinks as his replacement best man and former roommate, Dillon, stood at the ready with Riley’s jacket. “What time is it?” Riley asked without looking over at Ben. He checked his watch. “11:04.” Riley blew out all the air in his lungs nervously. Dillon passed the jacket to Riley with a smile. “Two hours, man. Just calm down. You’ve got plenty of time.” “Unfortunately, I don’t…” Ben muttered to himself. There was still a lot to be done in such a short amount of time. “What?” Ben looked up sharply at their expectant faces. “Oh, uh, nothing important. I’ve just got to… I’ve got to get to the church and speak with the reverend about my lines again with Carolyn.” Quick to excuse himself with a smile, he added, “Good thing I was never in a school play!” Riley and Dillon went to the door immediately as Ben walked away. “You did that last night at the rehearsal!” Riley said. “I can’t write the lines on my hand, Riley!” Ben called, already moving down the stairs again. Riley rolled his eyes, knowing he was lost to him now. Unbelievable. “Find me at the church, then, will you?” “Yeah!” Riley sighed as the front door closed soundly. He felt the nagging feeling that he was abandoned and alone churning his stomach unfavorably, but he pushed it out of his mind knowing he was just experiencing pre-marital nerves. He felt very alone. No matter who was there to support him, he was still the one taking ‘the big step’ by himself. “Come on,” he said to Dillon, receding back into the bedroom. “Limo’ll be here any second.” x x x Maddox, dressed in his best tuxedo, dropped from the heating duct swatting cobwebs from his suit. He looked up into the dark square as beam of light darted across it. “Toss it down, let’s go,” he urged. The flashlight fell into his hand, the batteries rattling within. He put it on a forgotten alter half-covered with a dusty sheet and communion dishes. Looking back, a pair of thin porcelain legs swung out of the darkness adorned with black heels. A series of uncomfortable grunts followed. “Damn it, I’m snagged,” Priscilla’s voice came from above. “Never mind it,” Maddox said. “Hurry on! Time is wasting!” “Shut up and wait a second,” she snapped in reply. He listened impatiently as she freed he skirt from whatever had caught it and positioned herself for the drop. She came with a heave and an almost perfect landing, Maddox partially catching her. “You alright?” Yes, I’m fine,” she said as he released her from his arms. Not a piece of hair had fallen at liberty from her tasteful coil to his amazement. She straightened her dress and looked up as a bag came falling into her arms unannounced. Harper came next in street clothes, flicking a spider from his shoulder. “Ew! Couldn’t we have made a better entrance- What?” Priscilla shoved the bag at him hard, picking up one Maddox had tossed down. “Give me a warning next time, you idiot.” The incisive tap of her shoes punctuated her frustration as she strode away. Harper erased whatever trace of longing was on his face a Maddox’s wordless glare. “What?” He immediately regretted asking such a stupid, obvious question. Harper stared at him blankly just in case he decided to punch him or something. “Did you know in 1937 that the first of 48 ‘Dare Stones’ was discovered 80 miles from Roanoke?” Harper froze. Was Maddox just trying to freak him out? It was working. “No…” “The stones were believed to be a diary of Eleanor Dare who had given birth to the first English child in the New World named Virginia,” Maddox said. “They chronicled what is said to be one of the fates of the colonists, leading them Roanoke down through the Carolinas and Georgia. There is constant doubting of their authenticity after an article was published in 1941, that this was a hoax based off a play written for the 350th anniversary of the colonists’ disappearance. Now, I don’t believe they are genuine. Do you know why?” Harper remained still. “Because in the matter of four years, all of these stones were found and since then, not one. If it was a hoax, no one was really focused on the quality of it, now were they? Too blindsided by the fame.” The boy still did not seem to get what he was saying, so Maddox smiled. “I’d advise you to stay on task, Mr. Kacy. We are not going to be dismissed as those fools were.” Harper’s eyes widened in understanding, the defensiveness for Priscilla clear on Maddox’s face. Harper nodded furiously in agreement. “Absolutely, sir.” “Meet Dominic upstairs in five minutes and be ready in seven. Okay?” “Will do.” Without hesitation, Harper headed for the other end of the basement to find the stairs. Maddox promised himself he wouldn’t wring the kid’s neck, but it was a promise that was getting harder and harder to keep. x x x The white interior of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church was laden with the pink-purples of the flowers and decorum. Riley had but to silently admire how nice everything looked to realize that he was about to marry Carolyn and that nothing could possibly make him smile as happily as he was now. As Charlie and Sally came down the aisle holding a fine white pillow of silk and scattering flower petals about, he gave a chuckle at his family’s reactions (minus his parents – they still hadn’t arrived yet). A few of the people he did not recognize, but then again, that was common. He’d meet them at the reception. Then, once the twins made it to the bottom of the aisle, Riley tensed. It was time. At the back of the church, Ben stood tall and exchanged glances with the lovely woman in white beside him. “Are you ready?” She met his eye absolutely. “Yes.” “Good,” he said as The Wedding March began to play. “Because here we go.” The congregation stood at the song’s unmistakable meaning and turned. Riley reserved every ounce of energy within him not to crane his neck or stand on his tiptoes as Dillon smiled at his excitement. Ben guided her down the aisle fluidly, Riley knowing that beneath that exquisite veil was his bride. x x x “Man, what are you doing?” Harper asked, trudging into the uppermost room of the church where a series of long, thick ropes hung from the ceiling. Dominic looked up from a small table, shooshing him immediately. “Quiet, dude, there’s a crazy echo up here.” “Exactly!” Harper said, sitting on a crooked pew and opening his laptop. “The bell tower? Come on, Dom. I hardly get reception up here.” “It was the only place!” “Look, moron, people ring the bells during the ceremony.” Dominic shifted his eyes with a pang of nausea. “I thought they only did it at the end? Once they were hitched? And we’re not even going to get to that part-“ “Shh!” “What, I’m sorry, I-“ “Just… shut up a second,” Harper said, poised and listening. Dominic became alert as well, looking up at the ceiling where the ropes disappeared. Harper pointed over to the ladder in the corner and an open wooden hatch leading to the bells. “I heard something up there.” “I’m telling you: rats,” Dominic said as Harper got up and went over to it. Dominic bit his lip. “Dude, we have no time for this! Maddox is waiting!” “So set up,” Harper said, climbing the ladder. “I’m just a wussy weather guy, remember? OW!” Dominic jumped back as Harper fell back to the floor clutching his nose, surprisingly on his feet. “Whoa, man, you- HEL-lo!” A woman dropped out of the ceiling before them with a gun, Harper’s blood on her shoe staining the beige carpet. They backed up into the ropes in fear. “Whoa, lady! We don’t want trouble!” “Who are you?” “Where’s Maddox?” She loaded the gun, the click causing them to start. “Tell me now.” “Uhh… I don’t know,” Dominic said shakily. “Honest to god.” The gun moved to Harper. “He’s uh… downstairs somewhere. In the basement last I saw.” Without a word, she pushed through the ropes towards the stairs. Dominic looked at Harper incredulously. “You told her where he was?!” “I don’t feel like getting shot!” “Forget her, Maddox is going to shoot you!” “Big difference,” Harper snorted. “Dead is dead. Doesn’t matter.” Dominic looked back at the woman, determined not to let her get to his friend. He ran up behind her and pulled her back into the room. He took the gun but got a swift kick to the stomach. Harper, just annoyed that this was happening, swung one of the loose ropes around her ankles and tripped her, but she wasn’t giving up. She gave him a hard kick in the leg and continued to fight back. x x x Riley’s chest swelled with pride as Ben and Carolyn finally reached the front of the church. His heart was pounding, and he loved the thrilling sweep it gave him. He tried his best to make eye contact with her through the veil, but that’s when he noticed - - Carolyn’s hair was more golden blonde than the melted butter color he had classically classified it as. She was slightly shorter in comparison to Ben than normal, and she was wearing heals. He felt his stomach drop, telling himself it was just the lighting, but then he caught a glimpse of the face. He felt as if he had to learn to breathe again. That wasn’t… She… “Abigail,” he whispered as his fear and anger fought for dominance in his face. From behind the veil, she cast him a strained look that pleaded for him to remain silent, but he couldn’t! Where was Carolyn and why were they hiding her from him?! “Stop, stop,” Riley said, marching forward as the congregation gasped. The minister stared on with the wedding party as Riley walked up and grabbed the veil to throw back. Ben put a restraining hand on his wrist warningly. “Riley-“ “Let go, Ben.” Ben laughed up to the minister. “He’s just raring to go, aren’t you, Riley?” Riley ripped the veil away and glared furiously at Abigail, ignoring the shock of everyone around him entirely. Ben turned around quickly scanning the crowd, and someone from the very back stood, pulling a revolver out of his jacket silently. “Riley, move!” “Shut up!” Riley stepped back from them slowly, clutching his head at the sudden rage and emotions ransacking him. Ben was sure he had never seen Riley so angry, but over his shoulder, that was the least of his problems. “Where’s Carolyn?!” Riley demanded loudly. “Where is she?!” DONGGGG The congregation gasped, looking up above them as several more bells began to ring out of sync. Ben pulled Riley back by the jacket when he tried to run forward. “Riley, don’t!” “Get off of me!” Then, a gunshot rang out, sending the sanctuary into hysteria. The families and friends in the pews flew to the ground in opposition to six or seven people that rose up from amongst them with more guns. Riley stared in disbelief as the bells above them continued to ring loud and true. “See what I mean?” Ben said. The people wielding guns all seemed to turned on them collectively. “Get down!” Ben, Abigail, and Riley fell to the floor and rolled against the front pew, taking risky glances at the shooters behind them. “Go get the kids!” Ben said to Abigail. “Meet us outside!” In the bell tower, Carolyn jumped on two ropes above Harper and Dominic and pulled down, kicking them hard in the chest. The grand bells gave a deep, mighty ring just above their heads. She jumped on another and swung towards the stairs when the two men were slow to get up, picked up her gun, and headed downstairs to find who she was really after. Harper staggered to his feet dabbing his bleeding nose. Dominic panted from the floor on his back. “Smooth move,” Harper said, closing up his equipment immediately. “Maddox… is gonna… kill you…” “At least I expect it from him!” Harper said. “Get your stuff and let’s go! Where’s the van?” Downstairs, Riley was vaguely aware that the bells had stopped ringing. The shooters were now making their way to the aisle so they could have a straight run to them. “Riley, there’s a side door to the acolyte room in the left arch!” Ben shouted as the gunfire got louder, closer. “Run for it!” However, Riley could only stare in disbelief at him. He knew why it was happening. All of it. The world had officially slipped out from under him. “You didn’t send him the compass.” It was a statement, not an accusation. Ben was ready to say that Riley had seen him mail it or dash it to the side, but his hesitation made Riley’s eyes grow more, confirming the very suspicions he was hoping were wrong. He would’ve liked to think it just got lost in the mail, but a sudden stab of betrayal seized him, and he knew he was right. For once, being right did not constitute all the glorious gloating he was rarely able to bask in. Instead, he stared at this man beside him, this lying stranger he once knew as a good, honest friend. His mind was blank, erased; he didn’t know anything. “Riley, go!” this deceiving face said to him. “RUN!” Riley gave a small laugh, somehow finding it all ironic. It went as quickly as it had come, though. Ben looked at him desperately to get out, but Riley’s face turned dark. “Riley-“ “You’re as hopped up on greed as Ian was.” Ben blinked at the comment. “Excuse me?” “I’m sure you’re intelligent enough to figure it out, Puzzle Boy.” Riley gave him a curt smile and hard slap on the shoulder. “Goodbye, Ben.” “N- Wait! Riley!” Riley got up as three of the gunmen (well, two gunmen, one gunwoman) came at him down the aisle shooting. He ducked to dodge them, but then he failed to even notice them when he saw Carolyn racing from one end of the rear sanctuary to the other. “CAROLYN!!” She stopped, looking right at him. “Carolyn! Carolyn, go!” She started to run for him but was grabbed from behind. Riley panicked, recognizing the face as none other than Maddox Whittacre from the countless news stories on television and magazine covers. Reality kept hitting him in waves, the next always harder than the previous. Maddox was really there to get the compass as promised. Ben was suddenly at Riley’s side with a gun pointed at the oncoming gunslingers, and, finding the trigger, he shot at the woman in a black dress who was closest to them and missed. Riley did a double take, wondering where Ben had gotten a gun (and the bravery to shoot someone with it). He looked back up as Whittacre dragged Carolyn out of the North entrance of the church. He began running up the aisle, oblivious to the bullets whizzing around him. “Carolyn!” “Riley! Stop!” Ben shouted. He watched helplessly as the woman shooter pointed the gun at his unsuspecting friend. Ben was too far away to push him out of the way, and he wasn’t about to shoot someone, but seeing as he was already relying on a snowball’s chance in hell that Riley would forgive him… His face twisted with reluctance and pain, Ben took a deep breath, raised his hand as steadily as he could, and fired. His aim was good enough; his bullet hit Riley before the woman’s could. Riley fell to the ground as a hot sting tore through his shoulder just as the woman shot at his head. A near miss. Priscilla looked up at Ben and fired without warning, but he crouched, kicking her legs out from underneath her. Ben clambered to his feet, picking up Riley’s dead weight as he fought his way to the exit. On the side stairs of the large white stone church, Maddox threw Carolyn against a pillar and tried to pin her. She punched him in the neck, and it gave her enough release to reach for the gun tucked into the back of her pants. She tried to shoot it, but the safety was still on. The delay cost her, and Maddox struck her across the face. “I warned you I’d come,” he said, shoving her back into the pillar hard. He squeezed a pressure point on her wrist until her gun fell to the stone with a clatter. “I want my compass.” “That doesn’t mean you’re getting it.” She struggled another moment and then kicked his knee backward. He stumbled back with a scream and gripped his throbbing kneecap as she fled back inside. As she entered, all of the people started to push past her to get out. She fought her way against their current, trying to get to Ben and her motionless fiancé. One of Maddox’s men appeared out of thin air in front of her, and she ducked out of the way of his large swiping hand. Free of the group, Carolyn ran up behind the last of the men in the aisle and hit his temple with her gun. Ben looked up appreciatively. “Thank you.” “What happened to him?!” Carolyn asked fearfully, lifting Riley’s dormant face in her hands. “Ben! He-!” “He’s fine. We got to get out of here! Now!” “But Ben, he’s been shot!” Carolyn retorted as he headed for the main entrance of the church. Ben’s stomach turned with responsibility, causing him to look slightly ill. “Yeah, I know,” he said. “But he’s fine! Hurry up, move!” x x x “Oh, are you sure this is the right church?” a woman wrapped in a faux fur coat and hat asked as she shut her car door. “This is the fifth one you’ve brought us to!” “Well, the invitation could have been a little more specific,” her husband said, stepping up beside her with the white card in hand. She glanced at it with him. “It says ‘Holy Trinity Catholic,’ so this must be it.” “It’s D.C., honey,” he reminded her. “There’s hundreds of churches. He could’ve done something nice, like sent a picture with the invitation or put it in this big blank space up here so there’d be no mistaking it.” “Well it must be the right one, look!” she said happily, pointing to the entrance as Carolyn and Ben exited carrying Riley. Her husband squinted. “Who is that?” “It’s Ben! Ben Gates! The Ben that Riley discovered the treasures with!” Riley’s mother said excitedly. “Oh, he must be the best man! Ben!” From the stairs, Ben and Carolyn looked up. Ben made a face. “Who… is that?” “Oh god, it’s Riley’s parents,” Carolyn said, stepping closer to Ben to help conceal Riley although it was hopeless to even try. Ben looked at her quickly. “What? Riley’s parent’s are just now getting here?” Carolyn ignored him and smiled uneasily at her soon-to-be in-laws as they approached the stairs enthusiastically. Ben tried to look around the pillars. Where was Abigail?! “Oh, sweetheart, look!” Riley’s mother said to her husband. “Ben, you look dashing, and… Carolyn? Where on earth is your wedding dress, dear?” “Um, funny story,” Carolyn said, looking over at the sound of a lively engine. Finally, Abigail wheeled the limousine around the corner and came to an abrupt stop. Ben wasted no time in running down the stairs with Riley tucked under his arm. Riley’s parents looked on skeptically. “And where is Ben taking my son? Is he alright?” “He’s fine, I promise,” Carolyn said, following Ben down to the car. Riley’s parents mouthed wordlessly as she opened the car door. “The wedding’s been postponed! We’ll send you another invitation!” At that, Carolyn got in the car, and the tires spun noisily as Abigail pulled out. “Put a picture in the next one!” Riley’s father shouted in vain, earning a reprimanding look from his wife. He shrugged. “What?” “You should’ve just used the GPS,” she said, heading back to the car. “I don’t know how to use the GPS!” x x x “Damn it!” Priscilla threw her gun off the side of the van, causing its two front seat occupants to cringe. Dominic rolled down the window timidly as Maddox walked around from loading the back of the van, picked up Priscilla’s gun, and handed it to her. “You dropped this.” She took it impatiently, tossing it into the van lazily. “We tried to stop her,” Dominic said. From the driver’s seat, Harper wiped his slowing nosebleed once more. “Yeah, like it did anything.” “Exactly,” Maddox said, slamming the back door loudly. “It didn’t do a thing, and I am still without Miss Howe’s assistance to get me that compass!” “But they have it with them!” Harper said. “Dom and I have been tracing their security access all week! Carolyn Howe took it and you files from the Estate and brought it to Gates.” “And he’s had it with him ever since,” Dominic said as Maddox and Priscilla listened carefully. “I doubt he carries it on his person,” Maddox said. “It’s too bulky. He must keep it somewhere in his home.” Dominic pointed at him with a smile. “Yes. He’s got some form of uncoded and unlabeled security in the upper floor of his manor that had a lot of activity this last week. We think he’s been keeping the compass and file there.” “Why didn’t you say anything before?” Priscilla said, just short of barking. “We could’ve just broken in!” “Absolutely not, I’m a man of my word,” Maddox said to appease her. “I told her I’d come to her wedding in person if I didn’t get it, and I came.” He looked at them collectively. “Now if they don’t have the compass and file, they’ll be going back to that house for them. We’re going to have them before they do, but we have to move now. Harper, get in back. I’m driving.” “So we’re just going to do a break-in?” Harper asked. Maddox smiled. “Kiddie stuff, I know. But we’ll try to have a little more fun with it.” . Please Review .
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