"Dinner?" Rembrandt said hopefully.
Before Rembrandt's squeaks became too loud, Billy attacked a loaf. Tearing it apart with his bare hands, he managed to get a sizeable chunk into the pouch on his lap.
When Rembrandt squeaked his thanks, Matilda giggled. Edgar glared at his sister and said, "The boy is giving food to a creature. That is rude and wasteful."
Count Harken waved his hand dismissively. "No matter, Edgar. It occupies our guest."
Edgar sullenly pushed a spoonful of food into his mouth. But from the other end of the table, the countess continued to stare at Billy, even while she ate her unpronounceable meal. Her look was so heartless, Billy wished he were a thousand miles away,307back in Charlie Bone's house, even if he wasn't wanted there.
The second course was much better than the first. Matilda advised Billy to ask for pears sweetened in wine. They were delicious, just as she had promised.
After dinner, Dorgo led Billy back to his room. The little servant turned down the bedcovers and left Billy with a single candle burning in a metal saucer on the chest. Billy changed into his pajamas and got into bed. He watched the candle flame burn lower and lower and wondered if he would ever sleep. He was very tired but his mind continued to wander through the glittering rooms below.Charlie will come get me,he thought,because he can travel.
Outside, the distant wind moaned across the plain. And then, above the wind, came the sound of heavy feet, dragging themselves across the ground. They were accompanied by a scuffling and shuffling and the rattle of chains.308Billy jumped out of bed and looked into the hallway. Dorgo was sitting beside the door. His head lolled forward, but he was not asleep.
"What, master?" asked Dorgo.
"I heard something," said Billy. "Footsteps."
"The giant, master."
"Giant?" said Billy.
"They bring him to dungeon. He bad. Punished he must be."
"What did he do?"
Dorgo sighed. "He hide boy-from-future, like you."
Charlie!thought Billy.Charlie's ancestor was a giant.
"Sleep now, master," said Dorgo.
Billy stepped back into his room and closed the door.309CHAPTER 16
THE SPY
It was Saturday morning. Charlie sat in his room feeling impatient and helpless. His thoughts kept returning to Tancred. How could someone with such a powerful endowment have been overcome? Charlie could not bring himself to believe that he would never again see Tancred's cheerful face and shock of blond, spiky hair, or the billowing green cape as Tancred's volatile nature brought on the wind and the rain. And then there was Billy.
If only the painting of Badlock could be found, Charlie was sure that his moth could help him reenter the shadowy, sinister world. He had no idea how he would find Billy, if he ever got to Badlock. He supposed he would figure out what to do when he got there.
Charlie wondered if Grandma Bone had hidden the painting in her bedroom. It was unlikely, but310there was a chance. If she had, she would probably have locked her door.
But...
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Charlie said to himself as he left his room.
He could hardly believe his luck. His grandmother's door was not locked. Charlie slipped into her room. It was extremely untidy and reeked of stale perfume. Articles of clothing overflowed from every drawer. Black stockings hung from the bedpost, a hat sat on the pillow, and underwear was scattered over the quilt. The dresser was covered in messy bottles and the mirror hung heavy with beads and bracelets.
Where to look? The painting was large and would not be easy to hide. Charlie looked under the bed. He counted ten pairs of shoes, but no painting. He looked in the closet: more shoes, ancient dresses, two fur coats smelling of mothballs, and too many skirts for Charlie to count. He was about to close the door when something caught his eye -
310311Grandma Bone's second-best handbag lay on top of a pair of suede boots.
Charlie pulled the bag into the light. It was made of patchworked leather and stuffed with scarves, gloves, and handkerchiefs. There was also a handful of bobby pins, lipstick, and a white card with yesterday's date at the top. Printed below were the words: Meeting of sympathizers to our cause
The Old Chapel, Piminy Street
Saturday 8:00
Bring card
""T."T.," Charlie murmured. ""IT is for Tilpin, and didn't someone say that Mrs. Tilpin's first name was Titania? He quickly memorized the message on the card, replaced it, and put the bag back into the closet.312Running to his room, Charlie jotted down the words he'd memorized in exactly the same order as he'd seen them. "About postcard-size," he muttered, "and the print is like a newspaper." He realized that he would never be able to attend the meeting himself. He needed an accomplice. An adult. No child would be able to get into the meeting.
Charlie knew exactly who to ask. He decided to wait until Benjamin came home. Mr. and Mrs. Brown would be working until then. In the meantime, there was more homework to do.
At precisely four o'clock, Charlie looked out of his window and saw Benjamin ambling down the street with his backpack slung across his shoulder. Charlie banged on the windowpane and waved violently. Benjamin looked up and waved back. He pointed at Charlie and then to number twelve. Charlie nodded and gave him a thumbs-up.
Two minutes later, Charlie walked downstairs and took his jacket from the hook in the hall. "I'm going to see Ben," he called out.313"You are not," said a voice from the kitchen. Grandma Bone appeared in the doorway. "You are not going anywhere until you've finished your homework."
"I have finished it," said Charlie.
Grandma Bone stared at him through narrowed eyes. "I suppose you cheated."
"How could I cheat?" asked Charlie. "It was all memorizing stuff. You can test me if you like."
His grandmother's eyes became even tinier slits. Her lips pursed into a wrinkled bud. She did not want to test Charlie because her favorite program was coming up on the radio.
"So I'm going, OK?" Charlie gave her a forced sort of grin.
The wrinkled bud of his grandmother's mouth relaxed and she said, "Fish for dinner."
"Great!" Charlie made for the door. Fish was his least favorite food and Grandma Bone knew it. She must have bought it specially to punish him. But he had far more important things to worry about.314Benjamin and Runner Bean gave him a great welcome, and as luck would have it, Mr. and Mrs. Brown had just returned from a very satisfactory bit of detective work. Flushed with success, they were now celebrating with a festive cup of tea in the kitchen.
While snacking on some tasty treats, Charlie told the Browns everything that had happened at Bloor's Academy before he'd been suspended. He kept his voice very steady while they gasped and exclaimed and paced about, because he knew that if he stopped talking, his eyes would fill with tears, and before that happened, he wanted to get to the real reason for his visit: the vanished painting and tonight's meeting on Piminy Street.
"Murder!" shouted Mr. Brown when Charlie had come to the end of his shocking account. "We can't let them get away with it."
"I feel like going to see that disgraceful excuse for a headmaster right now," said his wife.
Charlie shook his head. "They'll say it was an accident.315No one will be able to prove that Tancred was drowned on purpose."
Mrs. Brown patted her husband's hand. "Charlie's right. The police will never believe this Dagbert Endless boy has a ... a drowning power."
Charlie pulled the hastily scribbled note from his pocket and spread it out on the table.
"This is the message I found in Grandma Bone's handbag. I thought if we copied it, someone could take it to the meeting and find out what's going on."
Mr. and Mrs. Brown studied the note.
"Sympathizers?" muttered Mr. Brown, stroking the stubble he'd had to grow on his chin for his last case. "Sympathizers with what?"
"The cause," said Benjamin. "You know, Dad. All the bad stuff that's been going on."