At half past nine the door opened. Charlie leaped up. A powerful light was beamed at his face, and he covered his eyes with his hand.
"Can I go now?" asked Charlie. "And... and could I have something to eat?"
"Oh, yes, Charlie Bone, you can go!" It was Weedon's gloomy voice. "You've been suspended." * "Suspended?" uttered Charlie.
"I'm taking you back to your home, where you can cool your heels for a while."261"But
..."
"No buts. Follow me."
Charlie had no choice. He was led down to the hall, where there was a strong smell of burning.
"I suppose the storm knocked the lights out," said Charlie.
There was no reply.
"Can I get my bag?" asked Charlie.
"No bag. No fraternizing," growled Weedon as he fiddled with the main doors.
"The bolts are broken," Charlie observed. "Was that the storm, too?"
"Shut up!" said Weedon.
Charlie followed the burly figure across the courtyard and down into the square. The streetlights still gave out their bright glow, and Charlie saw a black car parked beside the school steps.
"Get in," Weedon ordered.
Charlie obeyed. He was a little frightened and very confused. This had never happened before. Why hadn't he been given detention or some other262punishment? Weedon swung himself into the driver's seat and turned on the engine.
"Why is this happening?" cried Charlie. "What's going on? Can't you tell me, please, Mr.
Weedon?"
"I can tell you one thing, Charlie Bone." An ugly smile crossed Weedon's face. "Your friend, the weather boy, was drowned tonight."263CHAPTER 13
CHARLIE IS SUSPENDED
I don't believe you. The words were on Charlie's tongue but he couldn't utter them. A sickening, deadly chill settled over him and he knew it must be true. Dagbert-the-drowner had won. And Tancred had lost.
Charlie held his face in a rigid mask. He would not let the man beside him see the tears that had filled his eyes. But Weedon did not even glance at Charlie. The janitor was staring at the road ahead. Raindrops the size of pebbles began to lash the windshield and intermittent thunder rolled above the city.
"Who does he think he is," growled Weedon, "that thunder man?"
The thunder man! So Tancred's father knew what had happened. Had he tried to save his son? Charlie wondered. He didn't want to speak to Weedon, but264suddenly found himself asking, "Did Mr. Torsson come to the school?"
"Huh!" Weedon grunted. "Don't know how he knew, but he was there all right. Nearly set fire to the place."
"But he couldn't save Tancred?"
"No." Weedon put on a silly, spiteful voice. "He couldn't save his little boy."
Charlie gritted his teeth. There were no more questions to ask.
"Soon there won't be any of you left, will there, Charlie Bone? Now that little Billy's gone." Weedon gave a hoarse cackle. "You might as well give up and use your talent for something useful. Give old Mr. Ezekiel a hand."
Never, thought Charlie.
"I hope you haven't forgotten your mommy and daddy, all alone on the big wild sea."
Weedon's tone had changed. He sounded in deadly earnest.
Charlie didn't have to answer. They had arrived outside number nine Filbert Street.265"Get out," said Weedon.
As soon as Charlie had climbed out of the car, Weedon leaned over and slammed the passenger door. The car sped off, showering Charlie with a muddy spray.
Charlie imagined that Maisie would answer the door. He began to prepare an explanation for his sudden arrival. But he needn't have bothered. It was Grandma Bone who stood on the threshold when the door opened. She had obviously been waiting for Charlie.
"They've told me everything," Grandma Bone said grimly as Charlie stepped into the hall. "Upstairs."
"Could I have... ?"
"Nothing," she said. "That's what you can have. Nothing."
"But I'm so hungry." Charlie clutched his stomach. "I haven't eaten since ..."
"Didn't you hear me?" His grandmother raised her voice. "Upstairs."
Maisie's frightened face appeared around the266kitchen door. "What's going on?" she asked. "Charlie? You're soaked, love. What's happened?"
"None of your business," said Grandma Bone.
Annoyed by her tone, Maisie walked assertively into the hall. "It certainly is my business.
Charlie's soaked. Come into the kitchen, Charlie."
"I haven't eaten since breakfast," Charlie said with desperation. "I'm so hungry, Maisie."
"He has been suspended from school," said Grandma Bone. "He is being punished for outrageous behavior."
"You surely wouldn't begrudge him a sandwich, Grizelda." Maisie felt Charlie's damp cape. "Take that off. You'd die of pneumonia and starvation if some people had their way." She threw a defiant look at Grandma Bone and pulled off Charlie's wet cape.
"One sandwich," said Grandma Bone, reluctantly. "Then bed." She went upstairs and slammed her door.
Maisie drew Charlie to the stove and sat him down in the rocker. "Tell me everything, Charlie.267What's been going on?" She went to the fridge and brought out an armful of food. "You'll soon have the biggest sandwich I can manage. So come on, Charlie. Tell all."
Maisie's kindness was too much for Charlie. A sob rose up from his chest and threatened to choke him. "Oh, Maisie," he cried, "Tancred's dead."
"What?" Maisie stared at him aghast.
The tears that Charlie had been holding back now streamed down his face and dripped onto his hands as he vainly tried to wipe them away.
"Charlie! Charlie, tell me what happened?" begged Maisie, using her handkerchief to dab Charlie's cheeks.
"I don't know, Maisie. I don't know. I was locked up." And Charlie told Maisie everything that had happened until the moment Claerwen had emerged from her shining cocoon. "I knew Tancred had been tricked, then." Charlie gave a shuddering sigh and wiped his eyes. "But I never thought Dagbert would... would really drown him."268"So, it's come to this." Maisie put a plate of huge sandwiches on Charlie's lap. "I'm glad you've been suspended, Charlie. I don't think you should ever go back to that awful place."
"But I've got to, Maisie. There's only three of them now. Well, four, if you count Olivia, I suppose. They NEED me there."
"No, they don't. Your family needs you. I need you. And there's an end to it." Maisie pulled up a chair and sat opposite Charlie, watching him eat.
It would be useless to try and explain, Charlie realized. He could hardly explain it to himself, this instinctive need to be with the others: Gabriel, Emma, Olivia, and Lysander.
Because only if they were together, could they stop the shadow from returning to the city and... And what? Charlie didn't even dare to think about that.
"Claerwen!" he cried. "She's in my pocket."
Maisie caught the plate that would have rolled off Charlie's knees as he leaped up and ran into the hall. The white moth had climbed out of his pocket and269now sat on top of the coat hook, sending tiny rays of light across the dark hall. She immediately flew onto Charlie's arm and he carried her into the kitchen.
Maisie watched Charlie settle back into the rocker and handed him his plate. "Don't think you can go traveling again," she said, eyeing the moth. "Grandma Bone's taken the key to the cellar door. So you can't get into that painting, Charlie, with or without your little moth."
"Oh?" Charlie gave Maisie a sideways look. "Billy is in Badlock, Maisie. He wasn't at school."
"Whatever you say, Charlie." Maisie folded her arms across her chest. "Now you eat up that sandwich and go to bed, or your other grandma will be down here telling me to pack my bags, or else."
Charlie didn't want that to happen. If Maisie went, number nine wouldn't be a home at all.
So he wolfed down the rest of the very delicious sandwiches and dutifully went up to his room.
In a last, long, mournful rumble, the thunder270rolled away and the storm's heavy tears became a thin drizzle. The troubled citizens fluffed their pillows, closed their eyes, and fell asleep at last. But if any of them had been watching the Heights, they would have seen three bright lights - red, orange, and yellow - moving swiftly up the hill toward the Thunder House.