The Alchemist's Key

by Traci Harding

  He’d worked his way back halfway up the stairs, when he hit upon a brick that had a distinctly different sound to the others.

  ‘Hey, Andy, come here.’ Wade hit the brick again, to confirm the drumming sound. ‘I think this one’s hollow.’

  ‘It certainly is!’ Andy confirmed his find with excitement. ‘Wait here a minute. I’ll fetch a hammer and chisel.’

  After hacking away at the mortar, the front of the brick fell away to reveal a hollow compartment. Wade reached inside and retrieved a black box and notebook hidden within.

  Andrew flicked through the first few pages of the notebook. ‘It’s John Ashby’s all right.’ He showed Wade the inscription in the front.

  Their eyes then turned to the black box as Wade raised the lid, and peered inside to find the missing dodecahedron. ‘Bingo.’

  12

  The Bust

  Even though they’d found the missing piece of the puzzle, Wade couldn’t test the key out. Hugh had begged him not to unite the dodecahedron with the machine until he could be present. Hugh would not be coming down to Ashby until Friday fortnight, so Wade was obliged to hold off for eleven more days.

  As all the new computer equipment was to be delivered and installed at Glenoak Collage over the next couple of weeks, Wade had plenty to keep him amused. Most of his time was spent in testing and programming of equipment in the new graphics department classroom. Wade liked working here at Glenoak, for he could use the computers without fear of being interrupted by any ghostly intruders.

  ‘Wow!’

  Wade looked up to find Hannah in the doorway, staring in awe at the massive electronics set-up.

  ‘Now that’s impressive.’ She took a stroll behind the first long bench at the front of the classroom. This housed a whole row of computer terminals that were all running the same animation sequence.

  ‘You like?’ Wade queried from behind his desk and terminal at the front of the classroom.

  ‘Very much.’ She paused in the centre of the row of computers to aim her grin of admiration at Wade.

  ‘It’s a training program I’ve been working on. I can assume control of all the computers in the room to run the students through applications and then, at my instruction, the terminals can be switched over to the students for individual use.’

  Each of the computer screens began to run different programs, and as all the diverse images flashed before her eyes, Hannah’s smile broadened. ‘You’re going to be good at this.’ She was happy for him, for she herself loved to teach almost as much as she loved to perform. It seemed that deep down Wade and she had a lot in common after all.

  ‘Yeah, I think so, too,’ Wade said, responding to her broad grin. He lounged back in the chair, rather tickled with himself. ‘This way, I have total control. I can stop the students exploring while I’m trying to demonstrate.’

  ‘Yes, you’re very clever, and talented,’ she flattered him, feeling that he had good reason to be pleased with himself.

  ‘As are you,’ Wade concurred, holding out his hand to Hannah and beckoning her to his lap.

  ‘Are you nearly finished here for the night?’ She straddled his legs to take a seat and kissed him passionately.

  ‘Since you put it that way.’ He put the computer to sleep and kissed her again.

  As the situation started to get steamy, Hannah abruptly pulled away from Wade. ‘Can we eat, I’m starving,’ she pleaded, wearing that pout that always won her her own way. ‘I could take us to dinner,’ she suggested with enthusiasm.

  ‘I’ve got an even better idea,’ Wade grinned mischievously. ‘Why don’t we head back to my place, and I’ll have Talbot deliver us dinner in bed … breakfast, too, if it pleases my lady.’ He caressed her neck and cleavage with his lips, the idea making him feel all amorous again.

  Although the suggestion was a romantic one, it bothered Hannah. ‘I don’t think Talbot quite knows what to do with himself when he finds me in your bed. He’s a bit old fashioned, I fear. I don’t think he approves.’

  ‘Well, he’d better get used to it,’ Wade commented with glee, not looking up from his amusement.

  ‘I wonder if he knows that Andrew and Grace are sleeping together?’ Hannah wondered out loud.

  ‘They are?’ Wade’s head shot up.

  Hannah nodded with a laugh, surprised that Wade had no idea what went on under his own roof. ‘For weeks.’

  ‘Grace told you?’ Wade assumed, with some reserve.

  Again Hannah nodded.

  ‘But she seems so prim and proper.’

  ‘Ah,’ Hannah raised both brows, ‘it’s us nice girls that you have to watch out for … we know how to bag our man.’

  ‘You certainly do.’ Wade smiled submissively, and gave her a hug. ‘Now, what about my place? You’ve got the day off tomorrow, and I can modem into the college computer system to work on this from home. What do you say?’ His brow folded into a plea and, as Hannah couldn’t resist that puppy-dog face, she was finally persuaded.

  Wade could never sleep after sex. Hannah went out like a light, but his mind was set racing.

  He closed the doors to the bedroom quietly and proceeded to his studio, where he intended to do some more work on the college system. On his way through the drawing room, however, Wade spied John Ashby’s diary on the small reading table beside his favorite chair. He hadn’t really had the chance to have a serious look at the work, and thus he was swayed from his course to do a little reading.

  Surprisingly enough, John Ashby’s diary made interesting reading at first. There was a section in the back where Ernest, the grandson who’d gone mad, had contributed some notes during his imprisonment in the tower. Here Wade learned that it had been Ernest Ashby who’d commissioned the mosaic to be set into the floor in the dining room, and not John as previously assumed. The funny thing was, Wade found Ernest’s notes hauntingly coherent, and began to wonder if perhaps Ernest’s insanity had just been a charade to prevent anyone finding the treasure that he had vowed to his grandfather to hide.

  Wade also found the page in the diary that he’d seen in his dream, featuring the layout of the symbols in the mosaic. The scribble beside each figure, which he had failed to comprehend at that time, outlined the relationship between the symbols and the elements that Hugh had already decoded.

  There was also a large section dedicated to John Ashby’s experimental research into the attainment of the so-called ‘Ghost’s Gold’.

  As I am unable to find a suitable power source to fuel my machinery, I shall embark on a course of experiments with a metal with which I have had no previous experience. It is my intent to rediscover the fabled Mercury of Philosophers, the white substance described by St Germain as the primary essence of all life.

  John went on to describe various experiments pertaining to the separation and distillation of the unnamed metal’s elements. Most of his dabbling had been unsuccessful, and had resulted in explosions due to the very flammable and volatile solutions with which he toyed. After a seemingly endless string of mishaps and observations that went way over Wade’s head, John finally wrote of a breakthrough.

  Thus, having found my two principles, Mercury and Sulphur, I mixed them in exact quantities with the dead, black body of metal in a sealed crystal structure. This I heated at an exact temperature, whereby the black colour of the metal diminished. Colour after colour came and went, until the mixture turned to a white and shiny powder. These sparkling particles floated about inside the crystal housing, defying gravity whilst emitting their own light, just as I had hoped. However, this amazing substance has proven impossible to remove from the sealed housing for further investigation, as, once it is exposed to air, the strange powder is immediately squandered.

  In view of this information, Wade thought it fortunate that he’d refused Hugh’s request to have the sparkling powder analyzed. He had to grin as he read on, knowing Hugh would be annoyed to discover that Wade’s hunch had been correct.

  Still, I have f
ound my energy source, as this exotic white powder gold has proven to be the powerful electrical conductor that I have been searching for.

  ‘I am so sorry to disturb you at this hour, Sir,’ Talbot interrupted Wade’s reading.

  ‘That’s all right.’ Wade closed his eyes and squeezed the top of his nose tightly. ‘It was starting to bore me anyway.’ As he’d managed to release the pressure build-up in his forehead from reading in bad light, Wade opened his eyes to note the time and Talbot’s distressed state. ‘What are you doing up and about at this hour, Talbot. You look troubled?’ Wade wondered if perhaps the old butler had caught Andrew and Grace out.

  ‘I’m afraid I must beg your leave, Sir,’ the butler explained. ‘A rather embarrassing situation has arisen, that requires my immediate attention.’

  ‘Well, of course you may go.’ Wade stood, placing the diary aside. ‘Is it anything I should know about?’

  ‘No, no,’ Talbot insisted. ‘I’m afraid my son has got himself in a spot of bother —’

  ‘Andy?’ Now Wade was really worried, perhaps he’d got Grace pregnant? ‘What’s happened? Can I help in some way?’

  ‘It’s nothing that should concern you, my Lord.’ Talbot was reluctant to be out with it, though he suspected the Baron could have something to do with his son’s predicament.

  ‘Talbot!’ Wade insisted, ‘Andrew is my friend. If he’s in trouble, I want to know.’

  ‘What’s happened?’ Hannah emerged from the bedroom, tying on her wrap-around. ‘I thought I just heard you say Andrew is in trouble?’ She too feared that the young lovers had been found out.

  Talbot was now twice as reluctant make the situation known. Still, as he was eager to get moving and there seemed no way he was going to be excused before he confessed, he just came right out with it. ‘It would seem that Andrew has been arrested for the possession of an illegal substance.’

  ‘Pot?’ Wade clarified in horror, knowing that Andrew was probably scoring on his behalf, as he always did.

  ‘So I am told, Sir.’

  ‘But that was for me.’ Wade had no qualms about confessing. ‘I’m coming down to the station with you … we’ll clear this matter up.’

  ‘No, my Lord, I couldn’t possibly allow you to become entangled in this affair. Better that Andrew is charged, than the lord of the manor.’

  ‘How can you say that, Talbot? Andrew is your son!’

  ‘If Andrew is charged for such an offence, it will be forgotten in a week. If the Baron Ashby is charged, it shall never be forgotten, and could have disastrous consequences for the whole household.’

  ‘Talbot’s right,’ Hannah intervened. ‘If the patrons of the school find out you smoke that stuff, you’ll lose your teaching position for sure.’

  Wade paused for a moment to mull over the sad predicament. ‘I can’t allow Andrew to be lumbered with a criminal record on my account,’ he resolved. ‘And besides, I promised Talbot that I’d keep him out of harm’s way.’

  ‘My dear Baron. I shall be far more perturbed if this incident is allowed to blemish the good name of the Ashby family. If I can at all prevent that, I will.’

  ‘Please Wade,’ Hannah added an additional plea, ‘don’t throw everything we’ve worked so hard to achieve away like this. Andrew wouldn’t want that, and some of the dope was probably his anyway.’

  ‘That’s hardly the point.’ Wade looked from his lover to his humble servant. ‘I admire your loyalty to my family, Talbot. But surely, allowing an innocent bystander to take the blame for my crime is an even greater disgrace to my forefathers.’

  ‘With all due respect, Sir,’ Talbot raised his voice in an agitated manner, ‘I beg you to consider the massive repercussions. For once in your life, put the greater good first.’

  Although Wade was shocked by Talbot’s outburst, and heartbroken by the look on Hannah’s face, his mind was made up. ‘I’m truly sorry, folks,’ was all Wade said, as he left the room and made for his car.

  The Baron was led to the cell where Andrew had been locked up for the night, along with his dealer and a couple of other clients.

  ‘Baron!’ Andy jumped to his feet upon spotting Wade, obviously shocked to see him. ‘What the hell are you doing here? I told father to come.’

  Andrew had long held a fear of his father finding out about his habit, so the fact that Andrew had called Talbot instead of him, made no sense to Wade. ‘You should have called me first. Your father need not have known.’

  ‘I didn’t want you getting involved in this,’ Andrew stressed.

  ‘I was already involved,’ Wade insisted. ‘And I intend to confess.’

  Andrew reached through the bars and gripped hold of Wade’s jumper. ‘Like hell you will.’

  Wade pulled himself free. ‘I’m not going to let you take the rap for me.’

  ‘Have you lost your mind,’ Andrew demanded in a harsh whisper, so that the policeman by the door wouldn’t overhear. ‘There’s no point in us both being charged.’

  ‘They won’t charge you if I tell them you were acting under my instruction.’

  The policeman’s ears picked up. ‘What’s that you say?’

  ‘This man is innocent,’ Wade announced.

  ‘No, I’m not!’ Andrew intervened, ‘Ignore him, he doesn’t know what he’s saying. Need I remind you,’ he uttered to the Baron, ‘that possession is nine-tenths of the law.’

  ‘Let this man go.’ Wade became more adamant, raising his voice. ‘I’m the one you’re after. Andrew was acquiring the pot for me.’

  ‘Is that so, my Lord?’ As the policeman strolled over to where Wade stood and took hold of his arm, an amused smile crossed his face. ‘The press are going to have a field day with this one.’

  There wasn’t much excitement down here in Ashbury, and the young constable rather fancied getting his picture in the papers.

  ‘No,’ Andy pleaded, ‘no press.’

  ‘Yeah, right,’ the policeman scoffed. ‘Let’s have a little chat then, shall we, Your Excellency?’ He led Wade back into the offices.

  ‘I’ll have you out in no time.’ Wade looked back to Andy to assure him.

  ‘You’re a damn fool!’ Andy shouted after him, before lowering his head and banging it hard against the bars. ‘Shit!’

  By the time the policeman had finished recording the Baron’s confession, and Wade had posted bail for both Andy and himself, it was the wee hours of the morning. Their day in court had been set for early the following week.

  As they wandered down the steps onto the street, Wade held out the keys. ‘Do you want to drive?’

  Andy just served the Baron a filthy look, and snatched the car keys off him.

  ‘What are you so pissed about? The constable said that you probably won’t end up with a record.’ Wade shook his head, considering his young friend to be rather ungrateful.

  ‘But you will,’ Andrew snapped back.

  ‘So,’ Wade shrugged. ‘That’s the way the cookie crumbles.’

  Andrew rolled his eyes. ‘Look, I don’t need you to bail me out of trouble all the time, especially when it is my fault.’

  ‘Well, sorry chum, I was under the impression we were friends … that’s what friends do.’

  ‘We are friends,’ Andy shot back at him. ‘In fact, you’re my best friend. But this was my stuff up! How low do you think I feel?’

  ‘You wouldn’t even have been there, if it wasn’t for me —’

  ‘Yes I would!’ Andrew roared over the top of Wade. ‘And I’ll pay for my own mistakes, if that’s quite all right by you, Your Excellency.’ Andrew opened the back door and waited for Wade to climb inside.

  ‘Look …’ Wade paused before getting in the car. ‘I thought I was doing you a favour.’

  ‘How do you figure it?’ Andy eased up a little. ‘I mean, it’s not like you were going to fire me, now is it? But the snobs at Glenoak won’t wear this. You’re going to lose your teaching position, and that’s my fault.’

&n
bsp; ‘Well.’ Wade slapped Andrew on the shoulder to relieve him of the responsibility. ‘They probably would have found out sooner or later, anyway. I really don’t know who I was trying to kid? Me, a teacher!’ Wade roused half a smile and shook his head, sinking into his seat in the back of the car.

  Andy closed the car door and gave a deep sigh. He knew as well as Wade himself did that the Baron had been excited about the position, and no slap on the shoulder was going to relieve him of the guilt of ruining it for his friend.

  Still, no sooner had Andrew pulled the car out from the curb, than Wade was lighting up a joint. ‘You are completely insane! You know that, don’t you?’

  ‘I am what I am,’ Wade agreed calmly, ‘and if the rest of the world doesn’t like it, well … stuff ’em.’

  Come the next morning, Wade didn’t feel so nonchalant anymore. As he gazed down from his bedroom window, his eyes met with a huge cluster of reporters and photographers gathered on the front steps of the manor.

  ‘Who let them in?’ he complained, as Talbot placed his breakfast tray on the table beside the bed.

  ‘They let themselves in, Sir, the same way the locals do, I would guess. Shall I call the police and have them removed?’

  Wade forced a laugh at the suggestion. ‘I think that might only add fuel to the fire.’

  ‘Very good, Sir.’ Talbot went back to laying out the Baron’s meal.

  ‘Hannah returned to the college, I presume?’

  ‘She was most upset after you left last night, my Lord. Strangely enough, she couldn’t seem to understand why you would flush a promising career down the toilet … women are funny that way.’ As breakfast was laid out, Talbot took up his tray and went to leave.

  ‘Look, Talbot. A bum and a drug addict I may be, but a liar I am not.’

  Talbot turned back with an affectionate look upon his face. ‘For the record, Sir, I think what you did was most admirable, however stupid.’

  ‘Thank you, Talbot.’ Wade wasn’t sure if he was being patted on the back or kicked in the teeth.