I have to say I think they could use some improvements. To be honest, so can the first set. I’m sorry I didn’t say this before, but I think the scenes need to be crisper. I feel like I’ve seen them in other movies. A gimmick might help—maybe some humor or a shock, like the monster exploding out of John Hurt’s stomach in “Alien.”
I will understand if you no longer want to speak to me. However, I remain your devoted fan.
Sincerely,
Amanda Lester,
Filmmaker.
She reread the message and pressed Send. Oh well. She’d done it now. She’d never have a chance like this again. She’d still make movies but she’d probably never break into the big time. She banged her head on her desk. She was just like G. Lestrade. It really was those awful genes again. She wondered if a full blood transfusion would change her into someone else. If that were to happen, would everything be different? Would she lose her filmmaking skills? Would she look different? Would she even still be eligible to go to Legatum? She supposed all of that would happen. Maybe it was better to keep the blood she had.
Ivy entered their room with Nigel and sat down on her bed. “Any luck?”
“What, oh, with Blixus?” said Amanda. Ivy nodded. “Sorry. There was something else I had to do. I haven’t started.”
“Are you okay?” said Ivy. “Come on up, Nigel.” The dog jumped up, turned in a circle, and lay down with his head in Ivy’s lap.
“He’s so toasty, isn’t he?” said Amanda.
“Always,” said Ivy. “So?”
Amanda knew exactly what her friend was referring to. “I’m all right. It was awfully weird seeing him though.”
She pictured how Nick had looked when he’d got into the white van. His T-shirt had been covered with blood, his jeans were ripped, and a layer of dust had settled all over him, making his dark hair appear gray. She wondered how serious his injuries were. It was she who had zapped him in the gut. Presumably the Moriartys had patched him up. They certainly wouldn’t have gone to a hospital, not with all points bulletins out for them.
“Did you ever think he was still alive?” said Ivy.
“No,” said Amanda. “I thought the same as everyone: that he had died in the fire. How could he have escaped anyway?”
“Probably a secret exit or something,” said Ivy. “It was a pretty big place, wasn’t it?”
“Huge. It had several levels. Legatum could have fit inside it. I mean the buildings, not the grounds.”
“I wonder where all those criminal kids went,” said Ivy.
“I imagine they’ll turn up eventually.” That was a sobering thought, one they didn’t have time to consider now. “You know, Ivy, I’m so mad at him I could spit. Where’s he been all this time? How could he let me think he was dead? And how could he be so mean to the crystals?”
She remembered how Nick had stomped on the clock that day in the common room. That was when she’d realized he could be violent. What was wrong with him anyway? Of course, it was obvious: his parents were psychopaths. Still . . .
“And yet,” she said.
“What?” said Ivy.
“No matter how bad he acts, I keep feeling that there’s good in him. I’ve seen it.” Why else would he have preserved her film for her, as he’d done by putting it into cloud storage and placing an icon on her phone? There was nothing to be gained by that. It was an act of affection, pure and simple. No matter what Nick said, she’d never believe he could be taken at face value. Maybe that was why he’d kept her picture and the film in a secret place.
“I’ve seen it too,” said Ivy. “There’s something going on there we don’t understand.”
“I’m not sure I want to,” said Amanda. “By the way, how’s your hearing?”
“It’s fixed!” said Ivy. “Know what it was?”
“What?”
“Wax. I finally went to see Dr. Wing and she spotted the problem immediately. She cleaned out my ears and I’m fine.”
“That’s great! I’m so relieved.”
“Me too. That was one hidden treasure I could have done without.”
That night in bed Amanda thought about Holmes. Obviously the whole thing with him was over. She knew that for sure, although she couldn’t quite say why. He was perfect. Not only was he a genius and a nice guy, but he was as attractive as one of Clive’s magnets. Plus he stood up for her, which counted for a lot. But he wasn’t Nick, and for some perverse reason that mattered.
She wished it didn’t. Now that she knew Nick was alive, however, there was a chance she might be able to resolve her feelings about him at last—if she could find him. Would they cross paths again? Maybe all it would take was one more nasty word from him and she’d be able to forget him forever. She needed to figure out where he was and face him one last time.
He had certainly made an impression on Editta. Imagine abandoning the detectives to run off with the Moriartys like that. It was horrifying, but there was something else: now Amanda felt just a bit of rivalry with her friend, even though she was still furious with Nick and probably hated him. This ambivalence confused her. The Moriartys had opened the door of the van to let Editta in. Nick preferred Editta to her. Why? It wasn’t looks. Editta was plain and looked like a bird. Holmes had told Amanda she was beautiful, although she didn’t agree. Intelligence? Editta was great with numbers. She would be a huge asset to the criminals’ organization. But Amanda was smart too, and creative.
And then it hit her: Editta was malleable. She’d do anything for Nick. Amanda stood up to him, to his father. Editta would go along with whatever they wanted.
She sat up in bed. The situation was far worse than she’d realized. Editta was in real danger and had to be rescued immediately. But how?
It was important to go through all the evidence she’d gathered. There had to be clues to the Moriartys’ whereabouts. Amanda got out of bed and powered up her computer, careful not to wake Ivy and Amphora. She uploaded all the pictures and videos she’d taken in the last few days to the cloud site Nick had set up for her. How could someone who’d do that be so awful? How could someone who’d invented the Planet Detecto, teased her about the slime mold they’d found eating the pink sugar, would kill a clock to please her, be faking it all? It wasn’t possible. He was a good actor, but he wasn’t that good. Was he?
When she checked her mail in the morning, she was astonished to discover that Darius Plover had written back. She was afraid to read the message, though, and it took her half an hour to get up the courage.
Dear Amanda,
I absolutely love your ideas! I am so excited about them that I’d like to offer you a job. If you could see your way clear to come to L.A. this summer, I would love to hire you as a consultant. If after that you still want to work with Plover Films, I think we can manage some remote work.
Interested?
Your friend,
Darius Plover.
Amanda was flabbergasted. The offer was beyond her wildest dreams. Of course she’d go to L.A., if her parents would pay for the trip. They’d offered to let her live with her aunt and uncle there, so why not? She’d call at once and ask.
She threw on her clothes and tiptoed down to the common room, which was empty, as you’d expect at 6:00 a.m. Was it too early to call home? Probably, but who cared. She brought up her mother’s phone number and was about to press the icon when her phone rang. It was her mother!
“Darling, I’m sorry to call so early,” said Lila. “I hope I didn’t wake your roommates.” Her roommates? What about her? “I need to talk to you immediately. Are you at breakfast?”
The logic of her being up at breakfast while her roommates were sleeping within range of the ring tone escaped Amanda, but obviously Lila was so agitated about something that she hadn’t realized what she was saying. “I can talk. What is it, Mom?”
“I don’t know how to put this, darling. It’s bad. Well, it isn’t bad, exactly. It’s good in a way. Well, you won’t think it’s good. I think
it’s sort of good. Actually I don’t think it’s good at all.” Amanda could hear her breathing quickly on the other end of the line. She sat and waited.
“The thing is, well, I’m just going to come out and say it,” said Lila. “Your father and I are getting a divorce.”
Amanda dropped the phone. Had her mother said that they were getting a horse? They wouldn’t even let her get a dog. She felt for the phone under the sofa where she was sitting. It had fallen so far underneath that she had to get down on her hands and knees and reach all the way to the back of the space. When she managed to retrieve it her mother was still talking.
“As you know, dear, he hasn’t been the same since the kidnapping. He wants to quit the law and find himself. I’m afraid I can’t cope with that, so we’ve agreed to part. He’s out looking for a place to live as we speak.” At six o’clock in the morning? Must be some weird landlords out there.
Amanda was so shocked she couldn’t speak. How was this possible? Yes, her father had been through a lot, but divorce? Her parents had always been on the same page. They agreed about everything, did everything together, plagued their daughter together with their tales of G. Lestrade and Sherlock Holmes. They were like Holmes and Watson. In fact, they were so much like that pair that they’d soon be back together. They had to be. But if they weren’t, who would she visit on term breaks? Where would she go at holidays? What if one of them moved back to L.A. and one of them stayed here? OMG, what if this meant she couldn’t go to L.A. and work for Darius Plover?
She ran up to her room and found Amphora and Ivy getting ready for class. “I have to talk to you,” she said. “My mother, I mean, I just talked to her. My parents are getting a divorce!”
“Oh no!” said both girls together.
“Oh yes,” said Amanda. “My dad has gone off to find himself and my mom can’t take it.”
“I suppose that isn’t so surprising considering what he’s been through,” said Ivy.
“No,” said Amanda. “But you’d think she’d be a little understanding. Actually you wouldn’t. You’ve met her. What do you think?”
“She’s a great writer,” said Amphora.
“Maybe she’ll come around,” said Ivy. It seemed that neither one of her friends wanted to say what they were all obviously thinking: that Lila Lester was a selfish and foolish woman who always had to get her own way.
“Now that I think about it, I understand my dad’s point of view,” said Amanda. “And you know what? I’m not as shocked. I mean I always thought they were so much alike, but they’re not really. My dad is altruistic. He wants to save the world. My mom wants to make a big splash. It’s just that up until now their goals were the same. That’s why they got along so well. Now that they’re not, they’re having problems.”
“It happens,” said Ivy.
“Unfortunately,” said Amphora.
“I wonder if my dad will want me to leave Legatum now.”
“Why?” said Amphora, looking horrified.
“Maybe he’s disillusioned with law enforcement. He’s been doing a lot of yoga.”
“I can’t see how he’d want you to give up what’s always been so important to him,” said Ivy.
“No,” said Amphora. “I’m sure he’ll want you to stay.”
“Maybe I should call him,” said Amanda. “I don’t want to leave. I did at first, but now I don’t.”
“Of course not,” said Ivy. “Why would you?”
“There are other opportunities,” said Amanda, thinking of Darius Plover.
“You mean your filmmaking?” said Amphora.
“Yes,” Amanda sighed. “My filmmaking.”
“First do one, then do the other.”
Shortly after this conversation, Thrillkill called Amanda to his office. While she was walking down the hall, she heard two of the maids talking.
“You found some more books in the basement, did you, love?” said Daffy, the one with the red hair piled high. Amanda always thought it looked a bit like a bird’s nest. “Put them in the library where they belong. I found one a few weeks ago under a pile of junk and stuck it on a shelf where it would be nice and safe.”
“That old thing I saw you carrying?” said Candy, a short, plump young woman with bright pink nails. “I thought it was rubbish.”
OMG! They were talking about the Detective’s Bible. That was how it had got into the library. Something must really be wrong around here if just anyone could pick up Legatum’s most important possession and walk off with it like that. If Amanda had already been worried about the school, now she was even more concerned. Their security was in terrible shape.
When she got to the headmaster’s office, Thrillkill told her he could really use her help over the summer. There were things he’d like her to work on. He told her about the factions among the teachers and said that he wanted to keep the detectives together at all costs. He explained that the school was in the midst of its worst crisis since its founding in 1887 and could well be destroyed if these problems weren’t resolved. Would she be willing to stay and help?
Now she was in a real pickle. She desperately wanted to work with Darius Plover. He’d presented her with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But she didn’t want to let Thrillkill and the detectives down, and she was worried sick about Editta. What was she going to do?
Suddenly the answer came to her: George Bailey in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” George, played by Jimmy Stewart, resented the fact that he had ended up stuck at home working for a boring old bank while his brother, Harry, got to go to college and pursue his dreams. But just as he’d hit rock bottom, an angel came down from heaven and showed him that his town would have been a disaster if not for his efforts. Seeing this, George came to appreciate the life he’d built, even if it hadn’t turned out the way he’d planned.
Like George Bailey, Amanda would sacrifice for the greater good. She’d remain at Legatum and help Thrillkill. She could work with Darius Plover remotely. He’d understand. She told Thrillkill she’d be happy to stay. She wished she hadn’t, though, because the next thing he said made her want to grab George Bailey by the throat and squeeze.
“Oh, and Miss Lester, I’ve asked Mr. Holmes to join us. We need his expertise. It’s critical that he discover who hacked Professor Redleaf’s computer and block them. Apparently it was not Blixus Moriarty, he tells me, but someone even more sophisticated.
“Also, the two of you did such a good job on the training film that I’d like you to work together again. We need another film, and this time it will be a bit different. The stakes will be higher. We want you to save the world.”
Discussion Questions for Your Reading Group
If you had to sum up the character of Scapulus Holmes in one word or phrase, what would it be? What in the book makes you say that?
What do you think of the décor gremlins, Alexei and Noel? How would you decorate the Holmes House common room if you were one of them?
Is Professor Sidebotham fair? Do you think she’s a good teacher?
If you were on that field trip to Blackpool, how would you make sure you remembered every detail? No photos allowed.
What topics would you teach if you were the disguise teacher?
What do you think Professor Redleaf saw on her computer screen that bothered her so much?
Was Thrillkill insensitive making Amanda search Nick’s room? Why?
Do you think everyone should know how to program? What is the most important technical skill a person should have—a particular programming language, understanding networks, knowing how computer security works, etc.?
What gift would you give Amanda for her birthday? Why?
Was Amphora right to worry that the crystals might make her sick? Why?
What would you do if you were on a train and found that a couple of clowns had taken your seats?
What would you do with an acoustic levitator if you had one?
Is Simon correct that punishment and revenge are tw
o different things?
Would you feel guilty listening to people’s conversations without their knowledge? Why?
What do you think is on the syllabus for Professor Snaffle’s secrets class?
How do you feel about David Wiffle at the end of the book?
Who is the most interesting teacher at Legatum? Why?
What’s the best kind of skateboard? Why?
What do you think the whatsit contains? Why is it so important?
If a famous director asked for your opinion on some clips and you didn’t like them, would you give honest feedback? Why?
What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?
What, if anything, surprised you about the story?
If you were going to add a new character to the series, what kind of person would it be? What would you have them do?
What do you think happened to the whatsit?
Anything else you’d like to comment on?
Acoustic Levitation Is Real!
Acoustic levitation isn’t science fiction. It’s real, and it’s been used for decades. Whether it could do what Clive does in the book is debatable, however.
The ability of sound to lift things relies on the fact that sound travels in waves and can bounce off surfaces. Those waves can be harnessed to do work.
An acoustic levitator consists of a transducer, which vibrates and makes sound, and a reflector, which causes the sound to bounce back. By placing a reflector in the right place relative to the transducer, you can create a standing wave, which appears to hover in one place but doesn’t really, and that is what creates the pressure needed to lift things.
Amanda Lester, Detective Box Set Page 71