Amanda Lester and the Gold Spectacles Surprise

by Paula Berinstein

  “Is that him?” David said, pointing at Simon’s screen.

  “Yup, got him, the little weasel,” said Simon. “He’s out on the coast, not that far from here. See?” He pointed to a spot on the map.

  “Can he see us?” said David.

  “Shouldn’t think so,” said Simon.

  “Cool,” said David. “Serves the little ponce right.”

  Simon shot David a sidelong look. The idea of him calling someone else a ponce was pretty ironic. David met his eyes for a moment, then looked away. He seemed to know exactly what Simon was thinking. Unfortunately the reverse was not the case.

  15

  To the Lighthouse

  When Simon found the note telling him that David had taken off after Hugh and Blixus he was furious. Here he’d done everything to flush the Moriartys out and that kid was going to reap all the glory? Not if he had anything to say about it. Besides, David could get hurt, and as much as Simon didn’t like him he didn’t want to see that happen. He would have to go find him and keep him from getting himself killed.

  Getting out to the Hodbarrow Nature Reserve at Millom wasn’t going to be easy. He would have to follow a convoluted route involving the Cumbrian Coast Line and the West Coast Main Line. He had no choice though. The whole mess was his fault and he had to make things right. He had no idea what he was going to do when he got there, but he’d figure it out.

  As usual weird stuff happened on the train. This time it was an attempted robbery. An old guy tried to swipe a woman’s purse, which Simon thought was utterly ridiculous given that there was nowhere to escape to. A few of the passengers restrained him and the porter called the police, who were waiting for him at the next station. As they took him away he kept yelling, “Afterwards,” whatever that meant. There was also a young man who set up a makeshift cooking class at his seat, and although some of the passengers were transfixed by his demonstration of three ways to make your own garam masala, others complained that he was being disruptive and the porter made him stop. The spices did smell good though, which at least partly compensated for the trouble.

  When Simon finally got to the nature reserve, he could see that there was nothing there except an old lighthouse. It was surrounded by a wide open beach with nowhere to hide. The wind was blowing hard enough to hear, rippling Simon’s hair like wheat. Outside the lighthouse was a lone Volvo. Blixus’s?

  He ducked down as low as he could and attempted to hide behind some reeds. Despite his skinny frame they weren’t good camouflage but they would have to do, as they were the only alternative to digging a hole in the sand and making like a crab.

  Stakeout had to be one of the most boring and uncomfortable parts of a detective’s job. Simon was used to the cold and the damp; that wasn’t the problem. He was soon cramped up from stooping for so long, but that wasn’t so bad either. After all he was a kid and quite limber. The problem was that he was bored out of his skull. If he didn’t have mental stimulation he got antsy. He shifted position, played with his fingers, did math in his head, and still felt like he was going to jump out of his skin.

  He picked up a shell and held it to his ear. It made a nice deep sound and he wondered if he should add something like that to the ivy-forte. He pulled grass out of the sand and picked it to pieces. He made a little castle, then knocked it over.

  He caught sight of a man with a small dog walking along the beach. The dog, a cute miniature schnauzer, bounded ahead, sniffing this and that. The thing was so full of energy it looked like a jumping bean. Simon thought he should add a dog like that to his app. People loved bouncy little balls of fur.

  Suddenly the dog caught his scent and made a beeline for him. No, no, Simon thought. He didn’t want the dog to give away his hiding place. What if Blixus came out of the lighthouse and saw him? He couldn’t yell for the dog to go away. The criminal might hear. Normally he would have welcomed the animal’s company but this was the wrong time.

  The schnauzer found him behind the reeds and jumped on him, wagging its tail and licking his face. Simon could hear the man yell, “Socrates, come back here and leave the nice boy alone.” Yikes! If Blixus heard that he’d find him! Obviously the hiding place was no good anyway if the man could see him. This was a disaster.

  At last the man caught up to the dog and said, “Sorry. Socrates gets a little enthusiastic sometimes.” He glanced at Simon in a way that said, “What do you think you’re doing trying to hide behind a couple of sticks?” but he didn’t say anything. He picked up the dog and wandered off, leaving Simon with a slobbery face.

  Simon pulled a tissue out of his pocket and wiped the saliva off. Then he saw something worse—a woman with a huge St. Bernard, also off its leash. Great. Blixus had to pick a dog beach for his nefarious activities.

  Then he noticed that the woman had a little girl with her, and she was looking straight at him. “Mummy, mummy,” she said. “There’s a man hiding in the bushes.”

  The woman whipped around and stared. “Pervert,” she huffed, and gathered the little girl to her. She took out her phone and stabbed at it. Was she calling the cops? The idea of them showing up and finding Blixus wasn’t bad, except that the metadata might end up being damaged or destroyed and Simon didn’t want that to happen.

  But the woman, the girl, and the dog walked off and no cops came. What she’d been doing with her phone he had no idea but he was glad he hadn’t been arrested. It did look a bit suspicious, him hunkered down behind those reeds for so long—if you weren’t a detective, of course. He wondered if detectives ever got arrested for loitering. He’d have to research that.

  With the people and the dogs gone, he again found himself with nothing to do. After a spell of excruciating inactivity he finally decided he needed to find something to keep his mind busy, so he took out his phone and started playing Soda Crush, which was why he almost missed seeing Blixus when he came out of the lighthouse, got into his car—not a Mini this time but a Rover Saloon—and drove off.

  This was an excellent development. Not only did it confirm Blixus’s whereabouts, but it also meant that barring the unforeseen, it left Belize as the only remaining adult in the lighthouse, assuming, of course, that he was there in the first place. Editta Sweetgum might be present as well, and Hugh, but that was it, unless David had got himself inside. If he had he had probably been captured, which mean that Editta and Hugh were guarding the two prisoners. If Blixus had restrained Belize and David, that would be all the muscle that was necessary, especially if Blixus had drugged the captives.

  Simon figured he wouldn’t have a better opportunity. He had no weapons but he did have the element of surprise going for him and he would use it to advantage. With Blixus gone he crept to the door and up the stairs. When he neared the top he stopped and listened. He could hear Editta saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Those Halpins are such losers.”

  What did she mean casting aspersions on his beautiful Ivy and her family? He could take a lot but that was over the top. He burst in, yelling at the top of his lungs and waving his arms. There was the tableau, just as he’d imagined it: a small, circular room containing a restrained and drugged Belize and a trussed-up David, with Hugh and Editta guarding them. At the sound of his voice the kids looked up, astonished, but Simon didn’t think, he just acted. He charged Hugh, knocking him down. Then suddenly his self-defense training took over and he started kicking like a ninja. He jumped, flew, turned, and knocked both Hugh and Editta down long enough to untie Belize’s hands. He was like the hero in one of those kung fu movies, taking on two opponents at the same time, demolishing both of them like a machine. Then Hugh was on his feet again and Simon screamed what he thought sounded like a war cry and charged again. Hugh met him head on and somehow managed to turn him over using his weight and inertia against him. How had the kid learned to do that, or was it just luck? Now Editta was up, holding something over his head, screaming for Hugh to hold him. Hugh pounced on him and held him by the wrists. He writhed a
nd twisted but Hugh was stronger than he looked and he couldn’t get free.

  Editta laughed like some wild thing. Simon wanted to smack that mouth right off her face. He kicked upward, landing one on Hugh’s butt. Hugh collapsed on top of him and Editta almost ended up beaning him instead of Simon, but caught herself at the last moment and jumped on top of Hugh.

  Now Simon was trapped under the two of them. They were pressing so hard he couldn’t breathe. Hugh saw this and put his hand over Simon’s nose and mouth, cutting off his air. Simon’s lungs screamed and his brain was able to form only one thought: how stupid it would be to die like this after everything he had been through.

  While all this was going on, Belize, who was looking far less woozy than Simon had at first estimated, had managed to untie his feet and joined the fray. He pulled Editta off Hugh and pinched her shoulder, Vulcan style, causing her to crumple. Hugh let go of Simon—blessed air!—and jumped up to face Belize. Belize grinned, nodded to Simon, and stepped aside, whereupon Simon coughed, leapt to his feet, and ran toward Hugh. A horrified look came over the kid’s face and he took off toward the stairs. Belize sauntered over and held him against the wall with one hand. “Tie him up,” he told Simon.

  After Simon had finished with Hugh he freed David, but by this time Editta was back on her feet. She charged Belize and he grabbed her with both arms, whirling her around and around. She was completely feral, biting and flailing like a demon, but to no avail. Belize was a highly trained detective, not to mention about three times her size. He was strong and muscular and restrained her easily. When Simon had tied her too, David looked her in the eye and said, “You’re pathetic.” She spat at him and he went for her but Belize warned him off.

  Belize turned to Simon. “Thanks,” he said, and gave him a wink as if he knew something he wasn’t saying. Then he looked at David and said, “Nice try, buddy. Your dad was a good guy.” David looked like he didn’t know whether to be proud or embarrassed. Simon figured that if he’d gone on a rescue mission and ended up tied up like he’d be mortified, but he supposed at least he would have tried to set things right. That had to count for something.

  Belize eyed Simon and Simon eyed him. Belize nodded and Simon took his phone out. Should he call Buck or one of the other teachers? Protocol dictated that the headmaster be advised of critical situations first, but Simon hesitated. Buck would not be pleased. He had flouted the rules and endangered not only himself but David and a high-ranking law enforcement officer, not to mention the metadata, wherever it was—probably with Blixus. But if he didn’t tell Buck directly he’d end up in even worse trouble, so he pressed the acting headmaster’s icon and braced himself.

  He was right. Buck was furious. But then Buck was always furious. He told Simon to put Belize on the phone and when he did, Simon could hear a lot of yelling coming through the speaker. Buck wasn’t simply angry with Simon or David. He ripped Belize up one side and down the other, but it didn’t seem to bother the actor. He just watched Simon and smiled. At one point he held the phone away from his ear and pointed at it. That gave Simon a good laugh and he stopped worrying about what Buck would do. As it turned out, though, he should have worried plenty.

  Something was niggling at Simon so much he couldn’t stand it, so he pulled Belize aside and said into his ear, “Why inside the organ bench?”

  Belize laughed, showing his perfect teeth. “Would you rather I’d left it sitting on top?”

  “But why the church?” Simon said.

  Belize tousled his hair and said, “That, my friend, is a story for another time.”

  When Buck, Feeney, Also, and Scribbish showed up Hugh tried to act the big man.

  “When my dad doesn’t hear from me he’s going to come back with warriors,” he said.

  “Good,” said Buck. “Then we’ll get them all at once.”

  Hugh obviously hadn’t been expecting that kind of a reaction. His eyes went wide and he clamped his mouth shut. But Editta wasn’t so easily cowed. “You’re all eejits,” she said.

  Buck refused to rise to the bait. “You’re going to jail, kiddo. And I for one am going to be glad to see you there.”

  “Whatever,” she said, attempting to look nonchalant, but Simon could see the fear in her eyes. Of course she wouldn’t go to jail. She would end up in some sort of rehab program, her doting parents coddling her and blaming everyone but themselves for her behavior. Simon felt nothing but contempt for her. For once he agreed with Buck.

  But he didn’t agree when Buck expelled him and David, promising to follow up with a long list of his grievances. The two boys just stood there with their mouths open while Editta and Hugh laughed their heads off. All David could think to say was, “My mom isn’t going to give you any more money,” but Simon was already hatching a plan to get back what was his.

  Lila laid her phone on the desk and smirked. So Hugh Moriarty was finally behind bars where he belonged. It was a shame Blixus had gotten away with the metadata, though—again. He’d managed to lose them on that wild ride in London and now this.

  Well the third time was a charm. It wouldn’t be long now. It was too bad Binkle wouldn’t lead them to it but that hardly mattered. Now that he’d been expelled they would switch to another kid. Amanda would never know she was being watched.

  Simon and David had never got along, but now their mutual outrage brought them together. Locating and rescuing Blair Belize had been a triumph, but did Professor Buck recognize that? No. Because they had flouted a few rules he had gone into tyrant mode and punished them. Not just punished them but ruined their lives. They didn’t care if he was supposed to be one of the world’s leading profilers. He was a bully and shouldn’t be allowed to run Legatum. As if they could do anything about it.

  But surprisingly David believed they could. With the taste of resistance fresh in his mind he proposed that they show Buck just who could bring Moriarty to justice. The school had been after the criminal for months and produced nothing. They would capture him. And David had an idea of how to do that.

  Not for nothing had he spent months hanging out with the Moriartys. Now, at last, he would be able to turn that horrible mistake into an advantage. Blixus’s Achilles’ heel was his dead twin, Amboy. And so he proposed that they raise the dead.

  “You’re as bad as Splunk,” Simon said before he had a chance to explain. “Ghosts, bah.”

  “Wait, you haven’t heard the idea yet,” said David. “I’m not talking about a real ghost.”

  “Blixus is too smart to fall for Halloween pranks,” said Simon, snorting.

  David shook his head. “Would you shut up and listen? You’re so full of yourself.”

  “Look who’s talking,” said Simon.

  “Fine,” said David. “I’ll do it myself. I’ll get all the credit.”

  “Don’t make me laugh,” said Simon. “You spent all that time with that criminal and never did one thing. What makes you think you can get him now?”

  “Well, I did think I could do it because of you, but if you’re not interested I’ll find someone else.”

  Simon gawped. For David to give him a compliment he must be in a bad way. Since he was incapable of deception he must really have changed. Perhaps he’d come to his senses after all.

  But Simon wasn’t about to jump in with both feet. “First of all, if you get someone else to help you you’re not doing it on your own,” he said. “And two, what do you have in mind?”

  David smirked. That hadn’t changed about him. “Interested, are we?”

  “Just get on with it,” said Simon.

  David drew close and looked around. “Holograms,” he whispered. “Like the kind Hugh made in the caverns. We’ll freak him out and make him think he’s seeing Amboy.”

  Simon gawped again. It wasn’t a bad idea. In fact it was downright brilliant. There was only one problem though. Hugh was no longer with Blixus so how would they locate him?

  Actually there were two problems. The other was that Simon�
�s history machine might be modified to create the holograms but it was broken. Still he was impressed. He’d never have figured David for such creative thinking.

  Not that he was about to let him know. “Hm,” he said, and sighed.

  “What?” said David. “No good?”

  “Hm,” said Simon again.

  David frowned. “I don’t believe you. You think it’s a good idea but you don’t want me to know. What is wrong with you, Binkle?”

  Simon folded his arms. “All right, let me show you how science is done. First of all, what makes you think Blixus would fall for something so stupid? He lives with a kid who can do anything. He’s used to tricks. Second, how would we even do it? My history machine is broken. And three, without Hugh to lead us to him, how would we find him?”

  He sat back and waited for David to be devastated. But it seemed that David had an answer for everything. He leaned forward and counted on his fingers.

  “One, you didn’t see him when he was talking about his brother. He’s completely irrational about him. People react differently when they’re upset. Two, you can fix the machine. You’re smart. And three, if we can’t find him we’ll wait until he turns up. He always does.”

  He dusted off his hands and sat back smugly. Simon was astonished.