I JUST LOVE FAMILY MEETINGS.ย Very cozy, with the Christmas garlands round the fireplace and a nice pot of tea and a detective from Scotland Yard ready to arrest you.
Carter slumped on the sofa, cradling Dadโs workbag. I wondered why the police had let him keep it. It should have been evidence or something, but the inspector didnโt seem to notice it at all.
Carter looked awfulโI mean even worse than usual. Honestly, the boy had never been in a proper school, and he dressed like a junior professor, with his khaki trousers and a button-down shirt and loafers. Heโs not bad looking, I suppose. Heโs reasonably tall and fit and his hair isnโt hopeless. Heโs got Dadโs eyes, and my mates Liz and Emma have even told me from his picture that heโs hot, which I must take with a grain of salt because (a) heโs my brother, and (b) my mates are a bit crazed. When it came to clothes, Carter wouldnโt have known hot if it bit him on the bum.
[Oh, donโt look at me like that, Carter. You know itโs true.]
At any rate, I shouldnโt have been too hard on him. He was taking Dadโs disappearance even worse than I was.
Gran and Gramps sat on either side of him, looking quite nervous. The pot of tea and a plate of biscuits sat on the table, but no one was having any. Chief Inspector Williams ordered me into the only free chair. Then he paced in front of the fireplace importantly. Two more police stood by the front door
โthe woman from earlier and a big bloke who kept eyeing the biscuits.
โMr. and Mrs. Faust,โ Inspector Williams said, โIโm afraid we have two uncooperative children.โ
Gran fidgeted with the trim of her dress. Itโs hard to believe sheโs related to Mum. Gran is frail and colorless, like a stick person really, while Mum in the photos always looked so happy and full of life. โTheyโre just children,โ she managed. โSurely you canโt blame them.โ
โPah!โ Gramps said. โThis is ridiculous, Inspector. They arenโt responsible!โ
Gramps is a former rugby player. He has beefy arms, a belly much too big for his shirt, and eyes sunk deep in his face, as if someone had punched them (well, actually Dad had punched them years ago, but thatโs another
story). Gramps is quite scary looking. Usually people got out of his way, but Inspector Williams didnโt seem impressed.
โMr. Faust,โ he said, โwhat do you imagine the morning headlines will read? โBritish Museum attacked. Rosetta Stone destroyed.โ Your son-in-law
โโ
โFormer son-in-law,โ Gramps corrected.
โโwas most likely vaporized in the explosion, or he ran off, in which caseโโ
โHe didnโt run off!โ I shouted.
โWe need to know where he is,โ the inspector continued. โAnd the only witnesses, your grandchildren, refuse to tell me the truth.โ
โWe did tell you the truth,โ Carter said. โDad isnโt dead. He sank through the floor.โ
Inspector Williams glanced at Gramps, as if to say, There, you see? Then he turned to Carter. โYoung man, your father has committed a criminal act. Heโs left you behind to deal with the consquencesโโ
โThatโs not true!โ I snapped, my voice trembling with rage. I couldnโt believe Dad would intentionally leave us at the mercy of police, of course. But the idea of him abandoning meโwell, as I might have mentioned, thatโs a bit of a sore point.
โDear, please,โ Gran told me, โthe inspector is only doing his job.โ โBadly!โ I said.
โLetโs all have some tea,โ Gran suggested.
โNo!โ Carter and I yelled at once, which made me feel bad for Gran, as she practically wilted into the sofa.
โWe can charge you,โ the inspector warned, turning on me. โWe can and we willโโ
He froze. Then he blinked several times, as if heโd forgotten what he was doing.
Gramps frowned. โEr, Inspector?โ
โYes…โ Chief Inspector Williams murmured dreamily. He reached in his pocket and took out a little blue bookletโan American passport. He threw it in Carterโs lap.
โYouโre being deported,โ the inspector announced. โYouโre to leave the country within twenty-four hours. If we need to question you further, youโll be contacted through the FBI.โ
Carterโs mouth fell open. He looked at me, and I knew I wasnโt imagining how odd this was. The inspector had completely changed direction. Heโd been about to arrest us. I was sure of it. And then out of the blue, he was deporting Carter? Even the other police officers looked confused.
โSir?โ the policewoman asked. โAre you sureโโ โQuiet, Linley. The two of you may go.โ
The cops hesitated until Williams made a shooing motion with his hand.
Then they left, closing the door behind them.
โHold on,โ Carter said. โMy fatherโs disappeared, and you want me to leave the country?โ
โYour father is either dead or a fugitive, son,โ the inspector said. โDeportation is the kindest option. Itโs already been arranged.โ
โWith whom?โ Gramps demanded. โWho authorized this?โ
โWith…โ The inspector got that funny blank look again. โWith the proper authorities. Believe me, itโs better than prison.โ
Carter looked too devastated to speak, but before I could feel sorry for him, Inspector Williams turned to me. โYou, too, miss.โ
He might as well have hit me with a sledgehammer. โYouโre deporting me?โ I asked. โI live here!โ
โYouโre an American citizen. And under the circumstances, itโs best for you to return home.โ
I just stared at him. I couldnโt remember any home except this flat. My mates at school, my room, everything I knew was here. โWhere am I supposed to go?โ
โInspector,โ Gran said, her voice trembling. โThis isnโt fair. I canโt believeโโ
โIโll give you some time to say good-bye,โ the inspector interrupted.
Then he frowned as if baffled by his own actions. โIโI must be going.โ
This made no sense, and the inspector seemed to realize it, but he walked to the front door anyway. When he opened it, I almost jumped out of my chair, because the man in black, Amos, was standing there. Heโd lost his trench coat and hat somewhere, but was still wearing the same pinstripe suit and round glasses. His braided hair glittered with gold beads.
I thought the inspector would say something, or express surprise, but he didnโt even acknowledge Amos. He walked right past him and into the night.
Amos came inside and closed the door. Gran and Gramps stood up. โYou,โ Gramps growled. โI shouldโve known. If I was younger, I would
beat you to a pulp.โ
โHello, Mr. and Mrs. Faust,โ Amos said. He looked at Carter and me as if we were problems to be solved. โItโs time we had a talk.โ
Amos made himself right at home. He flopped onto the sofa and poured himself tea. He munched on a biscuit, which was quite dangerous, because Granโs biscuits are horrid.
I thought Grampsโs head would explode. His face went bright red. He came up behind Amos and raised his hand as if he were about to smack him, but Amos kept munching his biscuit.
โPlease, sit down,โ he told us.
And we all sat. It was the strangest thingโas if weโd been waiting for
his order. Even Gramps dropped his hand and moved round the sofa. He sat next to Amos with a disgusted sigh.
Amos sipped his tea and regarded me with some displeasure. That wasnโt fair, I thought. I didnโt look that bad, considering what weโd been through. Then he looked at Carter and grunted.
โTerrible timing,โ he muttered. โBut thereโs no other way. Theyโll have to come with me.โ
โExcuse me?โ I said. โIโm not going anywhere with some strange man with biscuit on his face!โ
He did in fact have biscuit crumbs on his face, but he apparently didnโt care, as he didnโt bother to check.
โIโm no stranger, Sadie,โ he said. โDonโt you remember?โ
It was creepy hearing him talk to me in such a familiar way. I felt I should know him. I looked at Carter, but he seemed just as mystified as I was. โNo, Amos,โ Gran said, trembling. โYou canโt take Sadie. We had an
agreement.โ
โJulius broke that agreement tonight,โ Amos said. โYou know you canโt care for Sadie anymoreโnot after whatโs happened. Their only chance is to come with me.โ
โWhy should we go anywhere with you?โ Carter asked. โYou almost got in a fight with Dad!โ
Amos looked at the workbag in Carterโs lap. โI see you kept your fatherโs bag. Thatโs good. Youโll need it. As for getting into fights, Julius and I did that quite a lot. If you didnโt notice, Carter, I was trying to stop him from doing something rash. If heโd listened to me, we wouldnโt be in this situation.โ
I had no idea what he was on about, but Gramps apparently understood. โYou and your superstitions!โ he said. โI told you we want none of it.โ
Amos pointed to the back patio. Through the glass doors, you could see the lights shining on the Thames. It was quite a nice view at night, when you couldnโt notice how run-down some of the buildings were.
โSuperstition, is it?โ Amos asked. โAnd yet you found a place to live on the east bank of the river.โ
Gramps turned even redder. โThat was Rubyโs idea. Thought it would protect us. But she was wrong about many things, wasnโt she? She trusted Julius and you, for one!โ
Amos looked unfazed. He smelled interestingโlike old-timey spices, copal and amber, like the incense shops in Covent Garden.
He finished his tea and looked straight at Gran. โMrs. Faust, you know whatโs begun. The police are the least of your worries.โ
Gran swallowed. โYou…you changed that inspectorโs mind. You made him deport Sadie.โ
โIt was that or see the children arrested,โ Amos said.
โHang on,โ I said. โYou changed Inspector Williamsโs mind? How?โ
Amos shrugged. โItโs not permanent. In fact we should get to New York in the next hour or so before Inspector Williams begins to wonder why he let you go.โ
Carter laughed incredulously. โYou canโt get to New York from London in a hour. Not even the fastest planeโโ
โNo,โ Amos agreed. โNot a plane.โ He turned back to Gran as if everything had been settled. โMrs. Faust, Carter and Sadie have only one safe option. You know that. Theyโll come to the mansion in Brooklyn. I can protect them there.โ
โYouโve got a mansion,โ Carter said. โIn Brooklyn.โ
Amos gave him an amused smile. โThe family mansion. Youโll be safe there.โ
โBut our dadโโ
โIs beyond your help for now,โ Amos said sadly. โIโm sorry, Carter. Iโll explain later, but Julius would want you to be safe. For that, we must move quickly. Iโm afraid Iโm all youโve got.โ
That was a bit harsh, I thought. Carter glanced at Gran and Gramps. Then he nodded glumly. He knew that they didnโt want him around. Heโd always reminded them of our dad. And yes, it was a stupid reason not to take in your grandson, but there you are.
โWell, Carter can do what he wants,โ I said. โBut I live here. And Iโm not going off with some stranger, am I?โ
I looked at Gran for support, but she was staring at the lace doilies on the table as if they were suddenly quite interesting.
โGramps, surely…โ
But he wouldnโt meet my eyes either. He turned to Amos. โYou can get them out of the country?โ
โHang on!โ I protested.
Amos stood and wiped the crumbs off his jacket. He walked to the patio doors and stared out at the river. โThe police will be back soon. Tell them anything you like. They wonโt find us.โ
โYouโre going to kidnap us?โ I asked, stunned. I looked at Carter. โDo you believe this?โ
Carter shouldered the workbag. Then he stood like he was ready to go. Possibly he just wanted to be out of Gran and Grampsโs flat. โHow do you plan to get to New York in an hour?โ he asked Amos. โYou said, not a plane.โ โNo,โ Amos agreed. He put his finger to the window and traced
something in the condensationโanother bloody hieroglyph.
โA boat,โ I saidโthen realized Iโd translated aloud, which I wasnโt supposed to be able to do.
Amos peered at me over the top of his round glasses. โHow did youโโ โI mean that last bit looks like a boat,โ I blurted out. โBut that canโt be
what you mean. Thatโs ridiculous.โ โLook!โ Carter cried.
I pressed in next to him at the patio doors. Down at the quayside, a boat was docked. But not a regular boat, mind you. It was an Egyptian reed boat, with two torches burning in the front, and a big rudder in the back. A figure in a black trench coat and hatโpossibly Amosโsโstood at the tiller.
Iโll admit, for once, I was at a loss for words. โWeโre going in that,โ Carter said. โTo Brooklyn.โ โWeโd better get started,โ Amos said.
I whirled back to my grandmother. โGran, please!โ
She brushed a tear from her cheek. โItโs for the best, my dear. You should take Muffin.โ
โAh, yes,โ Amos said. โWe canโt forget the cat.โ
He turned towards the stairs. As if on cue, Muffin raced down in a leopard-spotted streak and leaped into my arms. She never does that.
โWho are you?โ I asked Amos. It was clear I was running out of options, but I at least wanted answers. โWe canโt just go off with some stranger.โ
โIโm not a stranger.โ Amos smiled at me. โIโm family.โ
And suddenly I remembered his face smiling down at me, saying, โHappy birthday, Sadie.โ A memory so distant, Iโd almost forgotten.
โUncle Amos?โ I asked hazily.
โThatโs right, Sadie,โ he said. โIโm Juliusโs brother. Now come along.
We have a long way to go.โ