in but, after a moment, he followed her. She snatched the half-eaten piece of toast from her plate and headed for the hall. Behind her she heard Leon saying good morning to her parents in his polite “talking to grown-ups” voice. Why was he so apprehensive?
“I hope your mom doesn’t mind,” he whispered as they reached the studio door.
“No, it’s fine. She doesn’t mind at all.” Laura smiled at him reassuringly. “We can’t move the stone and metal, of course, or disturb things she’s working on. That won’t matter, though — it’s not likely anyone would put a cellar in a ballroom, is it?”
Leon put Samson down, and the cat stalked off to the center of the room where the sun was streaming in. He sat down, lifted one leg into the air, and began delicately washing himself. Laura laughed. “He’s not going to be much help.”
They looked everywhere but found nothing. Then they went out into the garden because Leon thought there might have been an outhouse with a cellar.
“Maybe we’re looking in the wrong place,” he said, running his hand through his hair.
Laura’s gaze swept the yard. “You’dthink there’d be some trace of it, if it was here.”
“Not if it was pulled down and the garden grew over it. At least, not a noticeable trace.” Leon scuffed the grass near the back door with his foot. “Maybe it was deliberately covered up.”
“But why?” demanded Laura. “Why would anyone deliberately cover it up?”
Leon dug the toe of his shoe into the ground. “Maybe the outhouse was taken down because it wasn’t needed anymore. It wouldn’t take long for the garden to spread. Grandma says there’s no stopping a garden once it’s let go.”
Laura started scuffing the ground too. By mid morning there were little holes all over the garden. Laura was hot and grumpy but there was still no sign of a cellar or an outhouse. No sign of anything except dirt.
“I think it’s all nonsense,” she muttered. “I don’t think there was ever any cellar. They just got it all mixed up in that article. They probably meant the pantry. We have one of those — let’s go and find something to eat in it.”
Leon followed her back into the kitchen and helped her carry some glasses to the table, but shecould see that he was not thinking about the drinks or the food. His eyes had their faraway, concentrating expression.
“Leon, do you want a cookie?” she asked for a second time, pushing the plate toward him.
Leon took one without answering. “Where would you dig a cellar?” he asked.
Laura rolled her eyes. “Under the ground.”
“Yes, but where under the ground?”
“Near the kitchen,” she said. “Where we’ve been looking. Where the cellar
isn’t.
”
Leon frowned, ignoring the sarcasm in her voice. “So would I. So why isn’t it there?”
“Because it never was, maybe?”
Leon went on staring at the untouched cookie in his hand. “It must be somewhere.”
“Why are you so keen to find it? It would just be an old cellar.”
“An old cellar would be a good place to hide things.”
“What sort of things?” asked Laura.
“I don’t know. Just things. Things you don’t want to destroy but don’t want anyone to see. Valuable things.”
Laura sipped her drink. Was Leon ever going to admit defeat? The cellar obviously wasn’t there. “So should we stop searching?”
Leon didn’t reply. Laura watched him for a while, then said doubtfully, “Maybe we should look inside again. Maybe we missed something.”
“No.” Leon shook his head. “We’ve looked everywhere. We have to approach it in a different way.”
Laura took another cookie and bit into it impatiently. What different way was there? They had tried everything. They sat staring at each other in silence until Laura’s father came into the kitchen, still in his robe, his hair tousled and a coffee cup in his hand. “Have you given up yet?”
Laura turned to him. “If
you
were looking for a cellar,
“I hope your mom doesn’t mind,” he whispered as they reached the studio door.
“No, it’s fine. She doesn’t mind at all.” Laura smiled at him reassuringly. “We can’t move the stone and metal, of course, or disturb things she’s working on. That won’t matter, though — it’s not likely anyone would put a cellar in a ballroom, is it?”
Leon put Samson down, and the cat stalked off to the center of the room where the sun was streaming in. He sat down, lifted one leg into the air, and began delicately washing himself. Laura laughed. “He’s not going to be much help.”
They looked everywhere but found nothing. Then they went out into the garden because Leon thought there might have been an outhouse with a cellar.
“Maybe we’re looking in the wrong place,” he said, running his hand through his hair.
Laura’s gaze swept the yard. “You’dthink there’d be some trace of it, if it was here.”
“Not if it was pulled down and the garden grew over it. At least, not a noticeable trace.” Leon scuffed the grass near the back door with his foot. “Maybe it was deliberately covered up.”
“But why?” demanded Laura. “Why would anyone deliberately cover it up?”
Leon dug the toe of his shoe into the ground. “Maybe the outhouse was taken down because it wasn’t needed anymore. It wouldn’t take long for the garden to spread. Grandma says there’s no stopping a garden once it’s let go.”
Laura started scuffing the ground too. By mid morning there were little holes all over the garden. Laura was hot and grumpy but there was still no sign of a cellar or an outhouse. No sign of anything except dirt.
“I think it’s all nonsense,” she muttered. “I don’t think there was ever any cellar. They just got it all mixed up in that article. They probably meant the pantry. We have one of those — let’s go and find something to eat in it.”
Leon followed her back into the kitchen and helped her carry some glasses to the table, but shecould see that he was not thinking about the drinks or the food. His eyes had their faraway, concentrating expression.
“Leon, do you want a cookie?” she asked for a second time, pushing the plate toward him.
Leon took one without answering. “Where would you dig a cellar?” he asked.
Laura rolled her eyes. “Under the ground.”
“Yes, but where under the ground?”
“Near the kitchen,” she said. “Where we’ve been looking. Where the cellar
isn’t.
”
Leon frowned, ignoring the sarcasm in her voice. “So would I. So why isn’t it there?”
“Because it never was, maybe?”
Leon went on staring at the untouched cookie in his hand. “It must be somewhere.”
“Why are you so keen to find it? It would just be an old cellar.”
“An old cellar would be a good place to hide things.”
“What sort of things?” asked Laura.
“I don’t know. Just things. Things you don’t want to destroy but don’t want anyone to see. Valuable things.”
Laura sipped her drink. Was Leon ever going to admit defeat? The cellar obviously wasn’t there. “So should we stop searching?”
Leon didn’t reply. Laura watched him for a while, then said doubtfully, “Maybe we should look inside again. Maybe we missed something.”
“No.” Leon shook his head. “We’ve looked everywhere. We have to approach it in a different way.”
Laura took another cookie and bit into it impatiently. What different way was there? They had tried everything. They sat staring at each other in silence until Laura’s father came into the kitchen, still in his robe, his hair tousled and a coffee cup in his hand. “Have you given up yet?”
Laura turned to him. “If
you
were looking for a cellar,
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