The Day of the Toymaker

by Clay Moore

“Checkmate, Rowena. Nicely done. I’ll answer that question at that time.”

  “I am going to hold you all to that,” said Johnny. “What was that message.”

  “It’s an answer to a question. It has to wait until Thomas gets here. Hey, Reginald, where is Agent Derek?”

  “Gladys went to wake him up. I have not seen her since. She went over an hour ago.”

  “He slept in the Lab again?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  William started to chuckle. Rowena questioned him with her face. He responded by putting his right forefinger through a hole circled by his left thumb and finger.

  She looked with surprise at William. “Are you sure?”

  “I noticed that he had been watching her incessantly. I was hoping that he would get off the log and lunge in. She obviously felt the same about him.”

  “But she’s the help.”

  “No, she is Secret Service. Can you think of a better way to protect the President than to be the help? I’ll get him.”

  Rowena made a movement that indicated she wanted to help. William held up a hand.

  “If I catch him at it, it won’t be as embarrassing for him. If you come with me, it will utterly crush him. Gladys is a good girl, a good agent. I want her around for your brother.”

  Rowena nodded, but she started tittering.

  “Get that out of your system now. No laughing when I come back with Thomas and Gladys.”

  William walked out of the dining room. He walked into the Library and opened a door into a closet. William walked to the end and pulled a clothing hanging hook and pulled it down, unlocking the door. He walked down the Spiral Stairs continuing into Thomas’s laboratory in the second basement. William turned the complete lights on. On his slab, both of them, covered with a sheet, turned to look at William with fear.

  Gladys was fearful that she might be dismissed from the Secret Service. Thomas was afraid that he would have to suffer the ridicule of William and, by extension, his sister.

  “Gladys, how was it?”

  “It was great until you turned the lights on.”

  “Before or after penetration?”

  “After.”

  “Gladys, I do apologize. Thomas, get your suit on. We have to play the Secret Service agent. I’m not going to expect you for another forty-five minutes.” He gave Gladys a wink. “Keep the lights on so he can see where everything goes.”

  William was treated the sound of bodies colliding and Gladys’ very evocative moaning.

  When William returned, Rowena jumped on him.

  “Where is he?”

  “His lab.”

  “With her.?”

  “Yes. I gave Gladys and Thomas 45 minutes to complete the act and get dressed.”

  “My Brother chose a woman?”

  “I don’t think he had much choice about the woman. At least he understands, or will in about ten minutes.” William looked at his watch.

  Ten minutes later Thomas came up to breakfast, looking rumpled; William ignored how Thomas looked. Rowena followed William’s lead. Thomas had that sated look.

  “Have some breakfast.”

  Thomas took a cup of coffee and four strips of bacon. He took the biscuit and poured gravy on it. Thomas started to eat. While he was eating, William got out the message. He read it to the assembled.

  From President Lincoln

  To: Secret Service

  Re: Rowena Fulbright and her son Johnny Fulbright. They are to be accorded all courtesy. They all have Top Secret Clearance.

  Signed A.Lincoln.

  Rowena sat for a moment with her mouth open. “We can be here?”

  “Not only be here, but you can be anywhere in here,” said William.

  “That means that I can go down to labs!” exclaimed Johnny. He jumped off his seat. William caught him by his belt.

  “About that,” said William with his voice of command, “only when the access light comes on. I’ll show you where it is. You got to ask permission before you go down into the basements. Both myself and uncle Thomas work on dangerous things. We will risk our lives before we risk yours or your mother’s.”

  William’s hand slipped into Rowena’s hand. Johnny relented, carrying a hangdog look. William swung him around.

  “If you mope around like this, I’m going to think you’re sick and cancel the tour in the house.”

  “Nooooo. Mama makes him not cancel the tour.” Johnny grabbed her skirts and cried puppy dog tears.

  Rowena nearly lost her calm, detached demeanor. She was impressed by how well William understood intelligent little boys. Then she remembered that he was a little boy not too long ago. All men are just grown-up boys. All that’s different is their toys. She counted herself as one of those toys.

  “Are you going to behave and hold my hand or your mother’s hand. You can’t tear around by yourself down there. Thomas, you need to do any setup for the tour?”

  “No, I can start it up and shut it down.”

  “The last time I was there, I thought I saw some sheets out of place.”

  “Oh, the sheets.”

  Gladys rolled her eyes at Thomas while she refreshed the coffee in their cups. Rowena rolled her eyes towards Gladys. Then Rowena gave William a questioning stare. William gave her a slight nod.

  Rowena tried to stifle a guffaw, but it came out. William rested his forehead in his left hand. Thomas was smiling, trying to understand the joke. William looked at Gladys, and Thomas’s gaze went to her. He burst outright laughing; Gladys followed suit. William was not far behind.

  Johnny sat there, wondering what had gotten into the adults. It must have been about sex. His Mom and Dad spent a lot of time in cryptic conversations. He was an intelligent boy, and he got their code. Johnny thought that adults put too much emphasis on sex. He did not know what all the fuss was about.

  It must be terrible having to touch girls that way. As William would tell him, he would be singing a different tune 4 years from now.

  “Let’s begin the tour in the upper-level offices. There is some interesting skull work going on up there.” As they left, William pointed to Gladys and Thomas, and then the general direction of his lab.

  “The original design of this house was for the help to live on the fourth floor. The second and third floors were for those who were relatives and invited guests.

  “In our redesign, the second floor was left for sleeping chambers. Our apartments were on the east wing, and the dorm rooms for people who give up sleeping in their own beds to get something done.”

  He took them up to the second floor.

  “The west end is the Code and code breakers. We have an extensive library of books on codes and codebreaking.”

  A codebreaker who looked haggard came by on his way to the second floor. “That is if you can find the book that you want in our library.” The code breaker went into one of the bunk rooms to get some shut-eye.

  “That is a disgrace,” said Rowena. “A good library answers questions for you, not make you ask for directions.”

  “Come with me this way,” said William. He walked to the large door with a brass plaque on the door, saying, Director. William opened the door. He walked to the Secretary, who merely waved William and Party though.

  “Well, Agent Hazard, and to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

  “The library situation is getting worse. We’ve had eight Librarians in about eight months. We need a real librarian in our Library. Here is a Real Librarian. In fact, she has a master’s degree in library science. This is Rowena Fulbright.”

  “Her husband died?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “She’s hired if she wants the job. Take her down and show her the Library.”

  “Thank you, sir. From the bottom of my heart, sir.”

  “Oh, get out of here, Hazard.”

  Chuckling William took them to the door that leads into the Library and other places. He opened the door. The smell of books permeated the air
. Rowena smelled the aroma.

  While he was alive and present, her husband had forbidden her to have a job. When he was marching with his unit, she took on small library jobs to help ends meet. Here was a library for a specified purpose, allowing agents to research topics of interest in their cases.

  She stepped into the Library. Suddenly she knew that the stacks were hers. There was enough room here for a small public library. She was going to have the most extensive Library for what she thought they might need. Her mind ticked off the most common things, Printing press and counterfeiter information, Codes and code Breaking, Mathematics, mechanics, and gadgeteer books

  “You can salivate over the books starting tomorrow,” said William encouraging her to go to a broom closet. He bundled everyone into the closet.

  “This is the only way into the basements from inside the house.” William counted three hooks over and pulled down on the third. There was a thunking sound as the lock released. William pushed open the door; He walked down the spiral stair. They saw the first basement as a shooting range and gymnasium.

  Johnny found the garage where their Clockwork Motorbikes sheltered until called for.

  “These look like real bicycles,” Johnny said to William.

  “Don’t let your uncle know, but I think that he copied a bicycle frame for our use.”

  “Can we ride it?”

  “You can ride with me, but I can’t let you ride on your own, just yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “Honey,” said Rowena to Johnny, “your Uncle made them for William and himself. They don’t own it. They are a tool for their jobs.”

  “I guess you’re right, Mom.”

  “I can’t let you drive it by yourself, but no one said I can’t take a guest out on the Steed.”

  William looked up at Rowena. Johnny’s pleading face, pierced her heart. He had little enough memorable times since his father died. The stay here in the “haunted House” did much to restore his childhood. She nodded. Both of her boys cheered.

  When she saw William for the first time, she thought only of herself. William was handsome, strong, virile, and possessing a keen mind. These are what she wanted in a man. Johnny wanted a father to play with him and to guide him as he walked the path to manhood. She was lucky to find a man who could fulfill her needs and fulfill her son’s needs.

  Rowena touched William. He turned to her.

  “I won’t let him get hurt.”

  She thought: Who was going to keep you from getting hurt. It was the condition you accepted when you care about a policeman, a soldier, or a sailor. How she cared for the Secret Service agent told her of her depth of love for William. If he asked for her hand this moment, she would say yes.

  Somehow William found a small enough leather helmet for Johnny to wear. He also had goggles, but no gloves. William sat astride the Steel Steed. She watched Johnny clamp his arms around William.

  William inserted something that had to be a key. Then he pulled out of the garage area and went outside via the ramp that led to the surface.

  Rowena followed them out of the tunnel. She watched as William put his Bike around, churning up dirt. They took off down the road. She could clearly hear her son exclaim: “Yahoo!”

  I just sent two of my boys on a high powered ride on a powered bicycle. She wondered what her husband’s family would say to that. She just could not stand her husband’s mother. While her son was present, she kept a civil tongue in her mouth, but let him go, and the backbiting begin. Now she was out from under that bitch. When she said she was to come for the funeral, the family tried to prevent her from going by filing for an injunction. That was laughed out of court, and she got on the first train to Washington DC.

  She watched as the high power bike-powered past her catching her skirts in their wake. She heard her son giggling as they passed. When they moved again, it was William who was laughing while Johnny roared like a lion.

  The third time for the quick run, William decided that they needed to come in. He came really slow. William rode his brakes down the inclined ramp. He turned the Steel Steed around and faced it up the ramp. William kicked the kickstand down; He helped Johnny down from the Bike. Johnny hugged Rowena.

  “Oh, Mom, it was great.”

  “You were giggling like a schoolboy. I heard you the last time as well.”

  William walked up to the pair. “There is one more thing to do. I call the next stop the Chamber of Wonders. I see that Uncle Thomas is ready for us. He does require us to wear eye protection.”

  “William pulled two goggles. He gave one to Rowena and one to Johnny. Johnny’s took a radical adjustment, but it eventually fit him. They went down into Thomas’ lab.

  Suddenly around them, cracks of lightning were discharged. A whining noise and the smell of ozone filled the air; Thomas picked up a wand with a metal sphere. Bolts left from the large sphere to the small sphere; Thomas brought the lights up in his lab. Gladys stood on a step stool. She touched the metal sphere, and the generator was started. Her hair poofed out as if she had seen a ghost.

  Thomas turned everything off. He thanked Gladys, who curtsied and walked out.

  “Watch his hat,” William said.

  Rowena wondered about the electrode on his hat. Then lightning bolts shot out from his hat and were caught by another wire lower down the hat.

  “Go up to the library, Rowena,” William said.

  “That is a capital idea. I wonder how much work there is for me to do to bring the Library to rights.”

  “Probably the books were replaced any which way. The Librarians were a working Agent. They did not care about the Library. I apologize.”

  “You have nothing to apologize for, Darling.”

  “Let me lend a hand.”

  “I’ll take all the help I can get.”

  “I have to put everything back,” said Thomas. “William, could I see you in an hour. Something really great was just finished.”

  “Okay, I’m back in an hour.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Never Argue with a Librarian

  *****

  WILLIAM ESCORTED ROWENA and Johnny back up to the Library. She looked around for the one machine she absolutely needed. She found it in a cupboard behind the semi-circular Librarian’s desk. She also found the typewriter table on casters. She put it on the table. She touched the keys. Everything seemed to work.

  One of the ledgers contained the acquisition lists. She went through the list. She typed a card with the first category. She Repeated for all eight categories. Then she put Johnny to work. He picked up a book and put it on the appropriate table. When William arrived, he helped but he told her Thomas had some “gadget for me to see.”

  He started with the books from the back of the room. True to his thoughts the Section was an homogenous group. He was able to stack the books on the table in no time. William started on another section. He got to halfway when he had to go to Thomas.

  While he was away, an event happened that would forever change the opinion of the Secret Service concerning librarians. One thing that Rowena hates is someone who thinks they know better than she how to organize the stacks. This one person came into the Library with an attitude.

  “Who the devil do you think you are,” he snipped at her when she started to move books from the section he was looking at.

  “I, the devil, am the Librarian, just hired today, and this is my domain. Who are you?”

  In the face of Rowena’s rising color and a direct question that he cannot answer, he decided that he needed to do the best he can. He grabbed a volume off the shelf and started to run.

  “Book Thief!” she yelled. Then she reached into a pocked in her skirt. She took out William’s present. It was an exact copy of the Derringer he wore. She rushed to the library door. She yelled: “Halt.”

  He did not halt, so she shot him with the derringer. He fell down. She came upon him and felt the carotid pulse which was no longer there.

  Will
iam came into the room with his weapon drawn. A few minutes later Thomas also came with his pistol drawn. All active agents in the building came down to the living room where there was a dead body. The director pushed everyone away from Rowena.

  “What happened Rowena?” asked the Director.

  “I was taking the books off the shelves so I can re-stack them correctly. This idiot comes up to me putting on airs. I asked who he was. He grabbed that book and ran for it. I drew my protection given to me by William. I told him to halt.”

  “I hard that,” was said by all the agents on the floor.

  “He didn’t, so I shot him.”

  “Hey Derry,” said an Agent, “Isn’t this one of of Calagot’s crew?”

  “I wonder…” Rowena took the book from the clutches of the spy. She opened the book and fanned the book. About halfway through the book, an envelope fluttered down. She reached down and opened the envelope. All the paper contained numbers separated by hyphens.

  “There’s something screwy with this book.” She riffled through the pages again, and stopped at a page. She riffled in the opposite direction. She stopped at the same pages. William looked at the interior binding with a magnifying glasses he carried in his right trouser pocket.

  “There appears to be a missing page. See, a very well cut page from this book.”

  “You know that these numbers seem to represent a book code.. Probably row, word, letter.”

  “The missing page is the key to this code,” said Rowena. “The librarian before me noted the destruction of the work. He ordered a new copy of the work.” She got up and ran to her desk. She found the book wrapped in brown paper. She bought it to the living room A couple of Agents wrapped the body for transport to the morgue while she was gone.

  Rowena opened the book to the page that was gone from the book in the stacks. She tried row-word-letter order for the numbers. The message slowly responded to that decoding. She wrote the decoded message in her notebook not thinking that they might confiscate her notebook. Then she noted as she decoded, the Agents were writing in their own notebooks the decoded message.

  I never knew the she could be this way,” said the Assistant Director who everyone called Nob.