Scrutiny of Secrets
by Mortimer Dee
“T HAT WAS DELICIOUS,” Wharton said.
“So glad you enjoyed it.” Piers piled the dishes on a tray.
“I’ll take those,” Sarah said quickly. She took the tray and went out with it. She hadn’t eaten much, Wharton thought, and she had seemed tense, on edge. Once, when something had howled far off in the Wood, she had almost jumped, and gone over to the window and stared out at the bleak day for a long time. People must be looking for her. Really, he ought just to phone the police.
He said, “I’m sorry Jake is so late. He’s a bit…preoccupied.”
Piers nodded. “Secretive?”
“Most certainly.”
“Hell to teach?”
“Believe me, you have no idea.” Wharton stirred his coffee. “So, Mr. Piers. It must be pleasant having your niece here working with you.”
Piers’s smile never flickered. Today he was wearing a butler’s outfit, smoothly black over a red waistcoat, the tailcoat ridiculously long. He had already tripped over it once. “Most pleasant, yes.”
Now he leaned against the table.
They gazed at each other; it was Wharton who broke first. He tapped the newspaper, suddenly impatient. “It’s odd then that there’s a picture of a girl in here who looks just like Sarah. A young woman who’s absconded from—”
“I saw that.” Piers swept up the crumbs. “An amazing resemblance. They say everyone in the world has a double, you know. A sort of reflection of oneself.”
“Do they?”
“Of course, this other poor girl who’s run away…we don’t know what she’s running from. Those places must be hell. Not that His Excellency would care. He’s not the sort to hide fugitives.”
“Unless she could be of some use to him.”
Piers smiled, but it was a brittle effort. “Yes. Unless that.” His gaze fixed on the window. “Ah. Here they are.”
Wharton stood and saw Venn stride swiftly out ofthe Wood, and to his surprise, Jake stalk behind him, obviously freezing, and even more obviously, furious.
Piers turned hastily. “Whoops. I fear lunch might not be wanted. I’ll just take the rest of the dishes down.” Wharton held the door open for him and he stepped out with a tray, vanishing discreetly as Venn barged into the entrance hall in an icy draft that gusted right up the corridor. Jake hurtled after him, mid-shout.
“I’ll make you talk to me! First off, you lied. All right, maybe you didn’t kill him. But you know what happened to him. This machine she was talking about…”
“He’s not dead. He’s lost.”
“Then find him. You’re the explorer. You can’t just—”
“Jake.”
It was the first time Venn had used his name. It stopped him. He saw that the tall man had turned at the bottom of the stairs, one hand on the banister, at bay like a trapped animal. “Jake, listen to me. Your father is
lost.
He’s not here. He’s not anywhere I can find him. He’s lost in time.”
Jake shook his head. “What sort of rubbish is that?”
“I wish it was. I wish to God I had never meddled with it. But I did and now I have to go on. Whatever it costs.” He looked weary and haggard, Wharton thought. No,
haunted.
He looked like a man who seesa ghost in every mirror. Except that there were no mirrors in this house.
Venn turned away. “I’ll talk to you about this later.”
“You’ll talk to me now!” Jake leaped up the stairs, right up to the man, so close that Wharton hurried forward. He had seen too many schoolboy brawls not to recognize the sudden urge for violence.
Venn didn’t move. His eyes were as cold as winter. “I should get rid of you,” he breathed.
There was a terrible moment of silence.
Until the phone rang. It erupted like a small explosion in the charged air.
They all looked at the old black telephone on its shelf in the hall, as if they barely remembered what it was.
Then Piers had slid out of the kitchen and was answering, the abruptly cut-off ringing still echoing in the high vaulted
by Mortimer Dee
“T HAT WAS DELICIOUS,” Wharton said.
“So glad you enjoyed it.” Piers piled the dishes on a tray.
“I’ll take those,” Sarah said quickly. She took the tray and went out with it. She hadn’t eaten much, Wharton thought, and she had seemed tense, on edge. Once, when something had howled far off in the Wood, she had almost jumped, and gone over to the window and stared out at the bleak day for a long time. People must be looking for her. Really, he ought just to phone the police.
He said, “I’m sorry Jake is so late. He’s a bit…preoccupied.”
Piers nodded. “Secretive?”
“Most certainly.”
“Hell to teach?”
“Believe me, you have no idea.” Wharton stirred his coffee. “So, Mr. Piers. It must be pleasant having your niece here working with you.”
Piers’s smile never flickered. Today he was wearing a butler’s outfit, smoothly black over a red waistcoat, the tailcoat ridiculously long. He had already tripped over it once. “Most pleasant, yes.”
Now he leaned against the table.
They gazed at each other; it was Wharton who broke first. He tapped the newspaper, suddenly impatient. “It’s odd then that there’s a picture of a girl in here who looks just like Sarah. A young woman who’s absconded from—”
“I saw that.” Piers swept up the crumbs. “An amazing resemblance. They say everyone in the world has a double, you know. A sort of reflection of oneself.”
“Do they?”
“Of course, this other poor girl who’s run away…we don’t know what she’s running from. Those places must be hell. Not that His Excellency would care. He’s not the sort to hide fugitives.”
“Unless she could be of some use to him.”
Piers smiled, but it was a brittle effort. “Yes. Unless that.” His gaze fixed on the window. “Ah. Here they are.”
Wharton stood and saw Venn stride swiftly out ofthe Wood, and to his surprise, Jake stalk behind him, obviously freezing, and even more obviously, furious.
Piers turned hastily. “Whoops. I fear lunch might not be wanted. I’ll just take the rest of the dishes down.” Wharton held the door open for him and he stepped out with a tray, vanishing discreetly as Venn barged into the entrance hall in an icy draft that gusted right up the corridor. Jake hurtled after him, mid-shout.
“I’ll make you talk to me! First off, you lied. All right, maybe you didn’t kill him. But you know what happened to him. This machine she was talking about…”
“He’s not dead. He’s lost.”
“Then find him. You’re the explorer. You can’t just—”
“Jake.”
It was the first time Venn had used his name. It stopped him. He saw that the tall man had turned at the bottom of the stairs, one hand on the banister, at bay like a trapped animal. “Jake, listen to me. Your father is
lost.
He’s not here. He’s not anywhere I can find him. He’s lost in time.”
Jake shook his head. “What sort of rubbish is that?”
“I wish it was. I wish to God I had never meddled with it. But I did and now I have to go on. Whatever it costs.” He looked weary and haggard, Wharton thought. No,
haunted.
He looked like a man who seesa ghost in every mirror. Except that there were no mirrors in this house.
Venn turned away. “I’ll talk to you about this later.”
“You’ll talk to me now!” Jake leaped up the stairs, right up to the man, so close that Wharton hurried forward. He had seen too many schoolboy brawls not to recognize the sudden urge for violence.
Venn didn’t move. His eyes were as cold as winter. “I should get rid of you,” he breathed.
There was a terrible moment of silence.
Until the phone rang. It erupted like a small explosion in the charged air.
They all looked at the old black telephone on its shelf in the hall, as if they barely remembered what it was.
Then Piers had slid out of the kitchen and was answering, the abruptly cut-off ringing still echoing in the high vaulted
Similar Books
