"Mrs. Silk parked around the corner," said Tancred. "But I know she was coming here."189Charlie rang the bell.
A light appeared behind the counter as a door was opened. Mrs. Silk appeared. She hesitated, saw the boys outside the window, and came to open the door.
"How's Mrs. Onimous?" asked Charlie in a reverentially hushed voice.
"Come and see!" Mrs. Silk looked surprisingly cheerful. Her blue eyes were twinkling and she had tied back her brown curls in a festive-looking ribbon.
The boys followed Mrs. Silk around the counter, through the bead curtain that hung in front of the doorway, and into the cozy kitchen. Gabriel was cutting some bread for Mrs.
Onimous, who had her arm in a sling, and there, sitting in an armchair by the stove, was Mr. Onimous.
Charlie could hardly believe it. Such intense relief flooded through him, he couldn't speak. Nor could anyone else. They just let themselves be taken over by the widest, longest, happiest of smiles.190A large white bandage covered Mr. Onimous's furry head, there was a butterfly bandage on his nose, and he had a black eye, but his broad smile revealed more of his small, sharp teeth than any of them had ever seen.
Charlie ran over to the little man. "M... Mr.... Mr. Onimous," he stuttered.
Mr. Onimous took Charlie's hand in his clawlike fingers. "There, there, Charlie. You look quite upset and, as you see, I'm right as rain."
"We thought you were dead," Billy blurted out. "How did you get better, Mr. Onimous?"
"Ah, how indeed. I had visitors, Billy." Mr. Onimous put his head to one side and chuckled.
"Visitors?" Billy was still puzzled. "What sort of visitors?"
"Furry ones!" Mrs. Onimous declared in a voice that said Billy should have known very well what sort of visitors had cured her husband.
Mr. Onimous laughed out loud, and from191beneath his chair there appeared three sleepy-looking cats.
"The Flames!" Tancred exclaimed, sinking into a chair beside Mrs. Onimous.
"The Flames!" Charlie dropped to his knees and began to stroke the three bright cats.
Billy hesitated before settling himself on the other side of Mrs. Onimous. "Rembrandt's had a bad experience," he told her. "He might not want to play with the Flames just yet."
"Why, Billy, they wouldn't hurt him," she said.
"All the same." Billy gently touched his pocket and Rembrandt sighed in his sleep.
Gabriel poured tea for everyone, and while Mrs. Silk drew trays of hot cakes from the oven, Mr. Onimous proceeded to tell the story of his miraculous recovery.
"I was lying in this hospital ward, middle of the night, patients snuffling and sighing all around me. I didn't care. I thought I was done for. Almost gone.192And worst of all was the feeling that someone wanted me gone. And then, through the grunts and groans and heavy breathings, I hear this sound. Patter, patter, light as fairy dust. Closer and closer, and then came the purrs; gentle, soft purrs, warm and lovely. And I began to think,I'm not gone. Not gone at all. In fact, I'm very much and altogether here. And what's more, I've got ajob to do. As soon as that thought entered my poor old head, I felt one of the cats leap onto my bed, then another, and another. And then Aries brought his copper-colored face right up close to mine, and he purred. And orange Leo rubbed his cheek against my arm and purred, and Sagittarius nipped my toes and kneaded my feet and purred.
"I tell you, those purrs went deep into my heart, boys. When the Flames heard my merry heartbeat and saw my eager open eyes, they jumped from the bed and waked away, as quiet and graceful as they'd come. And no one saw them, not a soul. I asked the night nurse in the morning. "Cats, Mr. Onimous," she said.193There were no cats in this
hospital, I can tell you. You were dreaming," she said, 'and now you've made a miraculous recovery."" Mr. Onimous smiled at everyone. "What d'you think of that?"
Charlie wasn't really surprised. He'd seen the Flames bring someone back to life before.
He'd also seen them nearly kill someone.
"Mr. Onimous, I think it's great," said Tancred. "But we need to find out who did this to you."
"And we need to get your cafe open again," Gabriel said forcibly.
Without lifting his hand from Leo's orange coat, Charlie said, "We've got something to tell you, too, Mr. Onimous."
Tancred said quickly, "Maybe not today."
Mr. Onimous looked offended. "If there's something I should know, it had better be now," he said. "So, come on, Charlie, spill the beans."
Mrs. Silk insisted they all have a snack first. "I've cooked so much," she said, handing out some plates.194"Most of it's for the animals, what with everything that's been happening.
I forgot the cafe was closed. It's all good stuff, though, anyone can eat it."
"Which is best for rats?" asked Billy.
Mrs. Silk pointed to some thin pinkish sticks, and Billy took a handful.
Charlie sat at the table and took three cookies with not a hint of pink about them. Tancred chose a flat, nutty-looking cake, only to be told that Mrs. Silk had made it especially for Shetland ponies.
Tancred neighed and said, "Haven't you seen my hooves?"
Everyone laughed, but when the laughter had died, there was a long silence, the sort of silence that suggests it should be filled with a story. Charlie began with the troll in the Kettle Shop, and Tancred took over, telling it from his point of view.
Gabriel and the Onimouses remained perfectly quiet, but Mrs. Silk became so agitated she couldn't keep still. She scraped the baking trays, washed the mixing bowls, put away the flour, and then started195wiping the table. She had to give up when Tancred really got going, though. Because as he spoke, things started blowing around: wooden spoons, paper bags, cake cutters, nuts, oats, currants and dried maggots, salt and pepper, sugar and spices, all lifted into the air, collided, and sank. They drifted onto heads and shoulders, tables and chairs, and every other surface. So tidying and sweeping became a rather pointless exercise.
As soon as Tancred's tale had ended, Mr. Onimous puffed out his cheeks and said, "Well, that was an epic battle. What a monster!"
"His name is Oddthumb," Charlie said quietly. "I've met him."
Obviously, another story was called for, so Charlie described his visit to Badlock. "And now Runner Bean's stuck," he finished. "And I can't seem to get back to rescue him."
"Don't go near that painting, Charlie," Mr. Onimous warned. "You say it sucked you in. I don't like the sound of it at all."196"Not at all," echoed his wife. "Have nothing to do with it. Lock the cellar door and throw away the key."
"That's just what Mrs. Kettle said. But what about Runner Bean?" Billy said accusingly.
"I thought you loved animals, Mrs. Onimous."
"So I do, Billy Raven, so I do." Mrs. Onimous rose to her full six feet. "But I love you, too. And it would break my heart if you were dragged into Badlock and never came back again."
For a moment, Billy looked quite dumbfounded. "I didn't know," he murmured.
After another round of snacks, Mrs. Silk suggested they all leave the cafe so that Mr. and Mrs. Onimous could have a little nap. Tomorrow, she herself would start a campaign to get the cafe opened again.
Gabriel was the last one to step outside. As he closed the cafe door behind him, he said thoughtfully, "Suppose the person who got the cafe shut197down was the same person who caused the Onimouses' accident?"
"Gabriel, I won't have you saying such things," said Mrs. Silk, frowning at her son.
"Gabriel's got a point," Tancred ventured.
"Councillor Loom closed the cafe because of complaints," argued Mrs. Silk. "Who on earth would want to harm those two dear people?"
"Norton Cross rides a motorcycle," said Charlie, trying not to sound too serious.
Their footsteps faltered, then stopped. They had reached High Street. Everyone looked at Charlie.
"It's just a thought," he said.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Mrs. Silk turned right and began to stride up High Street, calling,