Holmes gave her a sidelong glance and said, “Uh, okay, I guess. How are you?”
She couldn’t tell him about identifying the body, so she raised a subject she could talk about. “Super,” she said. “The film is almost done and I’m so glad we did it. You did a way cool job, Scapulus.”
“But I thought—” he said.
“What?” she said. “That I thought you didn’t know anything about making films? She put on her most cheerful face. “You didn’t, but you obviously do now. You’re a really quick study.” Then, trying not to choke, she said, “It must be those Holmes genes. Uh, I mean it isn’t only your genes.” Dodo! “You’re so smart and so good at everything. I mean I know how hard you work, and you have such good ideas . . .” She thought she’d better quit before she said anything even more stupid, which would have been difficult to do.
“Uh, thanks,” said Holmes hesitantly. “I’m glad I could be useful.”
“Not just useful.” Should she bat her eyelashes at him? Nah. That was a really dumb idea. “Critical. I couldn’t make a film like that by myself.”
“Sure, I contributed a lot of the technical content—”
“Not only that. Your ideas about scene blocking and pacing were amazing. I admit that I had my doubts at first, but I’m so glad we did this together.”
“Amanda, are you—”
But they had arrived at the dining room and Amanda interrupted with, “Ooooh, they have lemon today. I didn’t think you guys used lemon in your tea.”
“We don’t normally, but—”
She shoved a cup of tea in his face. “Try it. It’s good.”
“Uh, thanks,” he said, trying not to spill the offering.
“The other thing I wanted to say was that you’re doing such a fantastic job teaching the cyberforensics class. I’m understanding the concepts easily. That’s difficult stuff. I was struggling until you explained everything.”
“You like it?”
“Love it.” She stared into his eyes. For a moment he gazed back, then broke off eye contact and gazed off into a corner. She kept looking at him, and in a moment he checked back. When he saw that she was still giving him that look, he got busy with his tea and burned his mouth.
“Good,” he said, dabbing at his lip. “I’m glad. I wasn’t sure I was explaining things that well. When you know something it’s hard to remember what it’s like not to know it.”
“Yes,” she said dreamily.
“I’ve been meaning to compliment you as well,” he said, eyeing her. “You did such great work discovering that those crystals are made from the pink sugar, and also going to London to try to find Moriarty. I don’t think I could have done either of those things.” As much as Amanda appreciated Simon, she did not want to ruin the mood by pointing out that he had been as responsible for those accomplishments as she had, maybe more. “You’re a great detective, Amanda.”
Amanda was so flattered and taken aback that she said something so idiotic she couldn’t believe it. “Your ancestor was the greatest detective of all.” Say what? Her archenemy? Well, not really her archenemy. Moriarty was her archenemy. But Holmes was her nemesis. Was that the same as an archenemy? Oh, who cared. Now she was in for it. She’d never be able to back out of this one.
“Thanks,” he said. “He had his good points and his bad points, like all of us.” He smiled shyly.
Amanda felt something weird ripple through her body. It was almost as if her heart had skipped a beat. Surely it wasn’t that smile. No, of course not, but now that they were chatting without trying to one-up each other, she found herself warming to Holmes. He was gracious when he wasn’t trying to be a bad boy. He was also scary smart, and he could be incredibly nice. Okay, she’d admit it—what could it hurt? He was nice-looking too. Actually, more than that. Not that she’d ever confide that to anyone, even Ivy.
Suddenly they couldn’t stop talking. He asked her about Los Angeles and listened attentively as she described the exquisite Santa Monica Mountains, the laid-back atmosphere, and the creativity that wafted through the air. She asked him about codes, and he explained all about the differences between those and ciphers and cited famous examples throughout history. And then they were silent, looking at each other as if for the first time.
“I’m sorry,” Amanda blurted out.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said.
“You know what I’m talking about?”
“That first day.”
“I didn’t know what I was saying.”
“It’s all right. I knew.”
“You were so nice about it.”
“It’s nothing. Let’s forget it.”
She searched his eyes. He seemed to be telling the truth. How could he be so generous? “Thank you,” she said.
They stayed up late talking, and by the time they went to bed, which was after curfew, Amanda felt like a different person. She found that she really liked him—something she never thought possible, although for some stupid reason she felt that she was betraying Nick, which was beyond ridiculous. But she very much enjoyed the new feelings she was experiencing and was so excited that it took her hours to fall asleep.
The next morning Simon took Amanda aside in the hall and said, “David never found the Bible.”
“I was coming to that conclusion,” said Amanda, stopping under a painting of a nymph. “Now what?”
“I didn’t want to bother him, all things considered,” said Simon, “but I did overhear him talking to Gordon. He thinks his roommates might have taken it.”
“Puppybreath and Niven?” said Amanda. “You think they took it as a joke? They don’t get along with him very well, do they?” She pressed a finger to the picture frame. “Whoops. If they dust that for prints—” She was getting carried away. With the teachers constantly turning ordinary objects into evidence she was becoming hyper-aware of everything she touched.
“No, they don’t,” he said. “To tell you the truth, they’re not reliable. I’ve heard them talking in the locker room, and I wouldn’t put anything past those two. And considering that we saw them in London—”
“That’s right,” said Amanda. “I forgot.”
“I have a theory,” said Simon, moving to the garden bench the gremlins had placed parallel to the wall.
“Uh oh,” said Amanda. “Do I want to hear this?”
“Not really. I think you know what I’m going to say.” He crossed his left leg. The bench was too low and he had to bend the other one a lot.
“That they took the book and are planning to give it to Blixus,” she said, placing a foot on the bench and stretching.
“Sell it to Blixus,” said Simon.
“Of course,” said Amanda. “Ow. Charley horse. It’s worth a fortune to him.” She removed the foot and held it while hopping on the other. She lost her balance and crashed to the floor. “Ow!”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I think so, but my butt hurts.”
“There’s another possibility that’s too awful to think of,” said Simon.
“Oh no,” said Amanda from the ground. “What?”
“They might be offering it to Blixus as an incentive to take them on,” said Simon matter-of-factly.
“No. You can’t really think—”
“I don’t necessarily,” said Simon. “It’s just a thought. I’m not saying they’re moles or anything. But maybe they see him as some kind of hero. It does happen.”
“I know it happens,” said Amanda. “Please don’t remind me, Simon.”
“Not the same thing,” he said. He reached out a hand and pulled her up. She rubbed her butt and sat down on the bench.
“I know, but—look, we need to figure this out ASAP. We need to talk to David, for one thing. What kind of mood is he in?”
“Panicked,” said Simon. “He’s absolutely frantic. I think he’s blaming himself. Plus he’s really upset about his dad.”
“Of course,” said Amanda. “It’s terrible havin
g to eavesdrop on someone who’s in that kind of state.”
“He’s not going to talk to us,” said Simon.
“He might,” she said. “People do weird things when they’re stressed.” She leaned forward and rubbed her butt some more.
“Not that weird.”
“Does it hurt to ask?”
“He doesn’t hate me as much as you,” said Simon. “I can try.”
“Thanks a lot,” she said. “But yeah, you’re probably right. What have we got to lose?”
“You look tired. Late night?”
“Shut up,” said Amanda. “It’s none of your business.”
He grinned. She was sure he knew exactly why she’d been up late and didn’t like it one bit. “Okay, I’ll go find David. I’ll text you if I find out anything.”
As soon as Simon had left, Amanda texted Holmes. She probably should have waited for him to make a move but she was too excited. “Sleep okay?” she said. That was pretty familiar but it seemed right under the circumstances.
She received a text back immediately. “Not a wink. You?”
She grinned. She didn’t care if she never slept again. She was in love with Scapulus Holmes.
A few minutes later she heard from Simon again. “Common room,” his text said. When she arrived she found him pacing through the straw the gremlins had strewn on the floor. For some reason they’d got it in their heads to make the place look like a barn. They’d even found the time to build a loft. Amanda would have liked to curl up in it but she had way too much to do.
“Not good,” said Simon.
“Would he talk to you?” she said.
“Nuh uh. I overheard him talking to Gordon again. Good little devices, these listening things.”
“I feel guilty doing that,” she said, drawing with the hay.
“Me too,” he said, “but sometimes eavesdropping is necessary.”
“Agreed.”
“Get this,” he said. “David found research on Blixus in his roommates’ browser histories.”
“How could he get into their computers?” she said, picking up a piece of straw and breaking it in two.
“They left their passwords lying around,” said Simon. “Typical. They’re pretty sloppy.” That they were. Amanda thought of that dusty top shelf in Nick’s closet. “They were looking at articles about the prison escapes, for one thing.”
“That’s not such a big deal,” said Amanda, shredding another bit of straw. Simon picked up a particularly long piece and tore it lengthwise. “Everyone here is concerned.”
“Yeah, but what were they doing in London? You don’t think they were trying to catch him, do you?”
“They might have been,” said Amanda. “Maybe they want to be heroes.”
“Why would they take the Bible then?”
“Good point,” she said. “This doesn’t sound good.”
“Especially since I heard David say that the two of them have acted greedy and cut corners before. Even so, he blames himself.” He grabbed a handful of straw and threw it.
“He shouldn’t have taken the book,” she said.
“No, that was dumb,” said Simon. “But what’s done is done. Now he wants to fix it. He told Gordon he was going to do it alone, that it was his responsibility and he didn’t want to get anyone else involved. You have straw in your hair.” He reached toward her and pulled a couple of strands off her head.
“What do you think he’ll do?” said Amanda, reaching upward and fluffing. Some straw came down in her eyes.
“If it were me, I’d try to find Philip and Gavin,” said Simon. “That would be the first thing.”
“We can tell David we saw them in London,” said Amanda.
“Do you really think it’s a good idea for him to go running down there by himself?” said Simon. “Oops. What am I saying? You did, didn’t you?”
“I did,” said Amanda, “but I’m not David. Not to be conceited or anything.”
“No, I get it,” said Simon, taking off his fedora and pressing down his cowlick. “He is a bozo. He’d probably get himself killed.”
“Okay, we won’t tell him,” said Amanda. “You should listen some more though. Maybe he’ll say something else.”
“Yes,” said Simon. “Are you sure you’re okay? You look like a zombie.”
“I’m fine,” she said. “Nigel was snoring and kept me awake. No biggie.”
“Does he always snore?” said Simon.
She ignored him. “How about if I listen too?”
Amanda did listen, and she heard plenty. David told Gordon that he had tried to text his roommates and appeal to their better natures. Not that they had them, because apparently they had taunted him. Then he’d tried phoning with the same result. He hadn’t been able to get a useful word out of them, except for one thing. When they were connected he heard what sounded like wind and water in the background. It was obvious to him that they were on a boat.
He told Gordon he was pretty sure it was somewhere near the sugar factory, or that they had got on a boat near there and were sailing somewhere. It was even possible that they were with Blixus, maybe even sailing to the continent. It was a lead, but he had no idea what he was going to do next.
He didn’t, but Amanda did. She phoned Holmes.
32
Windermere
By the time Amanda arrived at the statue of Agatha Christie on the north side of campus where they’d agreed to meet, Holmes was already there. He was grinning so much that she was afraid he’d get lockjaw. For that matter, so was she. If this kept up, everyone would know about them within ten minutes, and she didn’t want that. The gossip would be unbearable.
“I had fun talking to you last night,” Holmes said.
“Me too.” She giggled.
“Tonight?” he said.
“Same time, same station.” They held each other’s gaze for a moment and then Amanda said, “Scapulus, I hope you don’t mind, but I need to talk to you about something.”
“Anything.” He was making puppy dog eyes at her. She hoped he didn’t mind a bit of business.
“The missing whatsit. It’s the original Detective’s Bible.”
“Ah,” he said. “No wonder the teachers have been so upset.”
“Yes, and there’s more,” she said. “We sort of found it except that it’s gone again.” He looked at her quizzically. “David Wiffle—you know David Wiffle?” He nodded. “David Wiffle took it. He found it in the library.”
“He did?” Holmes looked incredulous. “He seems so proper. Why would he take it? But what was it doing in the library? Isn’t it supposed to be hidden in some secret place?”
“He is and it is. He thought he was protecting it. The problem is that it’s gone, and he thinks his roommates took it.”
“Puppybreath and Niven? Why would they do that?”
“We don’t know. We think they might be trying to sell it to Blixus Moriarty. Or using it to join his cartel.”
“Seriously? I knew they were a bit dodgy, but I didn’t think they were as bad as that.”
“We don’t know that they are,” she said. “But there’s some circumstantial evidence that implies that’s what they’ve done. Also, we think they might be on a boat. As you know, Simon and I saw Blixus on a boat—in the Thames. Sailing away. We don’t know where.”
“You think they may be with him?” asked Holmes.
“It’s possible. Apparently David tried to get in touch with them, and he heard water and wind or something in the background.”
“He told you this?”
“Er, not exactly.”
“You didn’t eavesdrop?” said Holmes. “Tsk tsk, Amanda.” He gave her that crooked smile.
“I’m afraid we did,” she said. “What are you smiling at? It was necessary.”
“I know,” he said. “I just like teasing you.” He touched her hair. She felt a bolt go through her. “So you think the roommates are on Blixus’s boat with the book and they’re heade
d . . . where?”
“We don’t know,” she said. “It could be anywhere. Simon and I saw the boat head out toward the North Sea.” She sat down on the base of the statue. He joined her and took her hand. Another bolt.
“You’re right. That could be anywhere. Europe, either coast of the UK, or in a circle back to the factory.”
“You don’t think they just went for a joyride, do you?”
“Who can say?”
Bing! Amanda took out her phone. It was a text from Simon: “Teachers looking for Philip and Gavin.” She turned to Holmes and said, “The teachers know David’s roommates are missing. They’ve launched a search.”
“Do they know they have the book?” he said.
“No. We haven’t told anyone we even know what the book is. We wanted to get it back and then tell Thrillkill.”
“Let’s think about this a second,” he said. He looked off into the distance. It was a fine day, and his face was highlighted perfectly in the morning sun. “I’ve got it. I can hack their GPS and find out where they are.”
“Philip and Gavin?” she said.
“Yes.” His smile was like Christmas.
“Great idea. But what if they have their phones off?”
“I don’t think they will. They need them for navigation. Come with me.”
He grabbed her hand again and started to run. She didn’t want people to see them like that, at least not yet, so she said, “You go on ahead. I’ll catch up.”
He looked behind him and said, “Cyberforensics room,” then took off. He was a fast runner. By the time Amanda had arrived at the classroom, he was settled amid an array of electronics and was hitting keys at breakneck speed. When she entered he looked up and said, “I’ve got it. And you’re not going to believe where they are.”
“Oh, I don’t know. In the closet?” She flashed him a smile.
“You laugh, but you’re very close,” he said.
“They’re here at Legatum?” she said. With Blixus?!
“Not quite,” he said. “They’re at Lake Windermere. Let’s go.”
Amanda Lester, Detective Box Set Page 66
