“Yes,” said Nick. “It’s obvious. Good. My dad will be furious.”
“Does he know what’s going on?” said Amanda.
“I’m sure he knows Hugh is missing,” said Nick. “Not sure if he knows why.”
“How’s the divorce coming?” she said.
“Onion is a peach,” said Nick.
“Good!” said Amanda. “Sorry. Gotta go.”
“Bye,” said Nick.
“Bye.”
A little while later Amanda got another text from Nick. “I’ve got an idea,” he said.
“Tell me,” she said.
“If I can get Hugh, will they let me into Legatum?”
“Don’t know,” she said. “You know where he is?”
“Not yet, but I have an idea. If I can find him, we can find my dad.”
“Good thinking,” she said. “Now what?”
“Wait,” he said. “There’s more.”
“Tell me.”
“I can save Liam Halpin.”
Amanda was dying to know what Nick had in mind, but she had to go to class. Professor Darktower was a stickler and didn’t allow phones in his classroom, so there was no chance of hearing more for at least the next hour.
When she got to Logic, Holmes and Amphora were bickering loud enough for everyone to hear. She was embarrassed for both of them. She also felt guilty for the way she’d carried on with him. She really had managed to mess up people’s lives ever since she’d arrived at Legatum. What was wrong with her anyway?
Instead of going into his usual spiel about logic, Darktower surprised everyone by saying, “It’s not enough.”
“Professor?” said Ivy.
“Hugh Moriarty being kidnapped,” said the teacher. “It won’t stop the nonsense.”
“How do you mean, Professor?” asked Dreidel Pomfritter.
“It’s too far gone,” said Darktower. “People will rationalize, make up explanations for Kingsolver’s behavior—something mythical so they don’t have to prove anything. We’re not going to be able to get this genie back in the bottle.”
“But the videos are doing so well,” said Holmes.
“Yes,” said Amphora, suddenly getting all gooey. “Scapulus has done a wonderful job. They’re working.”
Darktower pounded a fist on his lectern. “NOT ENOUGH!” he bellowed.
Amanda could see Ivy start. Her own heart was in her mouth. The guy was a wild animal, making sudden moves and loud noises all over the place. She looked over at Holmes. He was calm and implacable, as usual. Amphora wasn’t though. She was obviously steaming.
But Amanda wasn’t afraid of Darktower—just startled. She said, “What do you suggest then, Professor?”
Darktower gave her a dark look and harrumphed. Then he said, “What do you suggest, Miss Lester?”
This was a new one. The logic teacher had never been interested in hearing what she thought before. It was quite an opportunity, but what should she say?
As she was trying to come up with an answer, she could feel her phone vibrate. She wasn’t supposed to look at it, and it was probably just her mother anyway. But she needed a moment to regroup, so she said, “I have an idea, Professor, but I need to go to the loo for a moment.”
Darktower glared at her. This delay obviously didn’t please him. However even he couldn’t argue with nature, so he said, “Two minutes, Miss Lester. And then I want your solution.”
“Thank you, sir.” She ran out of the classroom and checked her phone. It was Nick. He said, “If we kidnap Hugh we can make my dad admit he faked the whole thing. Help Liam Halpin and get rid of Alfie at the same time. If the great Blixus Moriarty says there’s no Merlin and no magic, people will believe it. I can smoke Taffeta out.”
Amanda was jubilant. This was the answer she was looking for. She ran back into the classroom and said breathlessly, “I know what to do, Professor. But before I tell you, I need you to promise something.”
“I won’t be extorted, missy,” said the teacher. “Out with it.”
“No,” said Amanda. “I need your word.”
“Look here,” said Darktower. “You are the student. I am the teacher. You will give me the answer.”
“No,” said Amanda.
“Then you will go to detention,” said the teacher.
“Fine,” said Amanda.
The whole class was now buzzing. No one had ever spoken to Darktower that way before. Amanda could hear people say, “She’s going to be expelled” and “She’s crazy” and “Good for her.”
“Now you listen to me,” said Darktower. “I do not submit to extortion. You will give me your answer right now or you will go to Professor Sidebotham and explain your reasons to her.”
Amanda smiled. “I think you’ll want to take credit for this, Professor.”
Darktower just about exploded. “You’re an insolent lass. You Americans. You all think you’re the greatest thing since Lewis Carroll. Well let me tell you you’re not. You’re spoiled, you’re weak, and you’re vulnerable. Pick up your things and go to the headmaster’s office, now.”
Amanda smiled sweetly and said, “Fine. There’s just one thing I want to say to you before I go though.” You could have heard a pin drop it got so quiet. “I know where Hugh Moriarty is and I know how to use him to get to Blixus. Interested?”
Darktower’s mouth fell open. For a moment he seemed paralyzed, and then he thundered, “What?”
“You heard correctly, Professor,” said Amanda. “I can make all of this go away.”
Darktower eyed her suspiciously. “I don’t like tricks.”
Amanda shook her head. “Not a trick.”
“If I give you my word and you come up with some nonsense, you will be expelled, right here and now,” said Darktower.
“It isn’t nonsense,” said Amanda.
“Fine,” said Darktower.
“Is that your word?” said Amanda.
Darktower harrumphed again. Then he said, very low, “Aye.”
Amanda smiled. “Thank you, Professor. In that case I will tell you. Nick Moriarty is offering a deal.” The class gasped. Amanda didn’t bat an eye. “He will help you capture Hugh and use him to force Blixus to admit that he’s responsible for the whole sordid business in exchange for being let into Legatum. He wants to become a detective.”
Everyone gasped again. Holmes just about fell over. Simon was gaping, and Clive looked as if someone had their hands around his neck. Amphora covered her mouth, and Ivy froze.
“You what?” Darktower shrieked at the top of his lungs.
“I think you heard me, Professor,” said Amanda. “It’s a good deal. You should take it.”
Then the class erupted into chaos. People were yelling and screaming, and even Darktower’s threats couldn’t calm them. There was so much noise that several other teachers came running out of their classrooms to see what was going on.
Finally Darktower’s voice could be heard above the rest. “Call the police!” he screamed.
“No,” came a calm, steely voice from the doorway. Amanda whirled around to see Professor Sidebotham standing there. “You won’t call the police. I want to hear what Miss Lester has to say.”
26
A Deal with the Devil?
This was it—the moment of truth. If the school didn’t go for Nick’s deal it would be the end of him, and most likely Amanda, Liam Halpin, Simon, and even David and Editta, not to mention reason and logic. Finding Blixus was so critical now that failure would spell disaster for a good portion of the world.
The first problem was Nick. Amanda had to reveal that she knew where he was in a way that didn’t end with his arrest. Of course her mother already knew, so it wasn’t like she could keep the whole thing a secret. But she could frame it in a way that would offset Lila’s hysteria and turn Nick into an ally. It was a nearly impossible challenge. Amanda wished Fern were there to speak for her. She’d know exactly what to say. But as she wasn’t, Amanda would have to get
awfully clever in a hurry.
“Have you ever heard of folie a deux?” she said.
“What has this got to do with the Moriartys?” said Sidebotham.
“Everything,” said Amanda. “If you’ll indulge me just a moment.”
“You have sixty seconds, Miss Lester,” said Sidebotham. “Wow me.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” said Amanda. “Folie a deux means that alone, two people are pretty normal, but when they get together they feed off of each other and become delusional. It’s very powerful and hard to escape. I submit to you that Nick Moriarty is half of a folie a deux with his father, Blixus.”
Simon looked like he was about to interrupt, but Amanda shook her head and he closed his mouth.
“With folie a deux, the dominant person becomes convinced of a delusion and imposes it on the associate. Blixus is the dominant person here and Nick the associate.”
Some of the kids shook their heads at this, but a number of them nodded. Sidebotham got a look in her eye that seemed to imply that she knew where Amanda was going with her argument, but she said nothing.
“I want to tell you that Nick has come to his senses. He has realized that he’s been a puppet and is not the person his father wants him to be. His real self is nothing like the one Blixus has forced him to be.”
Darktower said, “Oh come on, Miss Lester. Surely you haven’t fallen for that boy’s tricks.”
“He can be tricky, it’s true,” said Amanda. “But guess what: we can use that trickery to fight Blixus and other criminals. Nick wants to help. And he has a plan.”
“You are so gullible,” said Amphora. Amanda looked in her direction, but her glance lighted on Holmes instead. He looked furious.
“The way to save Professor Halpin and Simon, and the way to get people to realize that Alfie Kingsolver is a fraud, is to get Blixus to admit publicly that he faked the King Arthur artifacts and got Hugh to do special effects,” Amanda continued. “Nick knows how to do that.”
More gasps. Sidebotham said, “Go on.”
“As you know, Hugh Moriarty has disappeared.”
The class gasped again.
“Yes,” said Amanda. “Taffeta Tasmania kidnapped him. We got that little nugget from Harry Sheriff. You know, her old boyfriend.”
“So we don’t have to worry about him anymore,” said Owla.
“We don’t know that,” said Amanda. “What we do know is that he isn’t able to manipulate matter at the moment. However, that’s only part of the puzzle. We can use Hugh to force Blixus to admit what he’s done.”
“How is that?” said Darktower. “We don’t know where he is. Or are you saying Nick Moriarty knows where his brother is.”
“No, I’m not saying that, Professor,” said Amanda. “In fact Nick doesn’t know where Hugh is.”
“You are the most illogical girl I’ve ever seen,” said Darktower. “Professor Sidebotham, Miss Lester is stalling for time. She’s in league with that Moriarty boy and is trying, without success, to snow us. She must be expelled at once, not to mention arrested.”
Amanda held up a hand. “No,” she said loudly. “With Nick’s help, we are going to kidnap Hugh and use him as leverage against his father.”
The room exploded.
“But you said Nick doesn’t know where Hugh is,” said Dreidel. “How would we find him?”
“I’m glad you asked that,” said Amanda. “Nick doesn’t know but someone else does.” The class looked at her expectantly. “Harry. Harry Sheriff knows where Taffeta is, and where Taffeta is we’ll find Hugh.”
Amanda had talked for way longer than the sixty seconds Professor Sidebotham had allotted her, but no one seemed to care. Some people looked completely shocked, others were arguing, and a few were looking at their phones, which they weren’t even supposed to have. After a moment of bedlam, Professor Sidebotham said, “Why doesn’t Nick just ask Blixus to recant? What has all this got to do with Hugh?”
“You don’t know, do you?” said Amanda. “Blixus doesn’t care about Nick. He thinks he’s weak, not worthy of the name Moriarty. Hugh is his little darling. Blixus will listen only to him.”
“How do you know all this?” said Darktower.
“Yes,” said the class. “Explain yourself.”
Amanda sighed. She was hoping no one would realize that she’d been in touch with Nick so extensively. Why she thought that would just slip by she had no idea. Wishful thinking, really. Well, she’d better face the music.
“I’ve seen Nick,” she said.
“You what?” roared Darktower.
“You’ve been protecting him?” said Sidebotham angrily.
“Not protecting him,” said Amanda. It was a lie. Of course she’d been protecting him. “Negotiating.”
“Let’s back up,” said Darktower. “You think Nick Moriarty is blameless for everything he’s done because of some mental illness involving his father.”
“Not mental illness,” said Amanda. “Influence.”
“Illogical,” said Darktower. “Now then, this boy has come to his senses and wants to help us and harm his father. Is that correct?”
“Yes, sir,” said Amanda.
“He’s going to help us by hurting his own brother,” said Darktower.
“He and Hugh hate each other,” said Amanda.
“Why then did Nick help Hugh capture all of you in those tunnels?” said Darktower.
“Because of Blixus,” said Amanda.
“That sounds awfully convenient,” said Darktower. “If you were arguing this way in one of my papers, I’d fail you.”
“Look,” said Amanda. “This is an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to set everything right: discredit Alfie Kingsolver, restore logic to its proper place, capture Hugh Moriarty, and keep him from doing any more harm. What do we have to lose?”
“Quite a bit, as I see it,” said Darktower. “How do we know this isn’t a trap, for starters?”
“It isn’t,” said Amanda.
“Where is Nick Moriarty?” said Darktower suddenly. A hush fell over the classroom.
“I, uh, don’t know,” said Amanda.
“Lies,” said Darktower. “You tell us where that boy is right now or you and your friends Binkle, Ng, and Halpin will all be expelled.”
This was outrageous. To threaten Amanda’s friends because the logic teacher didn’t like her was just plain mean.
“All right, all right,” said Amanda. “I do know where he is.” She could see Holmes looking horrified. She felt a catch in her throat.
“I’m waiting,” said Darktower.
“I can’t tell you,” said Amanda.
“Mr. Binkle, Miss Halpin—” said Darktower.
“All right!” screamed Amanda. “He’s nearby.”
This admission made the class go absolutely nuts. There were expressions of horror all around. Amanda even heard some of the kids say they wanted to kill Nick. How dare he lurk so close to the school? And Amanda protect him?
“Listen to me, please!” Amanda said. “This is the only way. Only Nick can get Blixus to listen. He’s taking a huge risk to help us. Can’t we at least give him a chance? He knows that Blixus cares about Hugh but not him. Let’s at least give him the chance to use that awful knowledge to some advantage. Tell you what. Let Nick try, and then you can figure out what to do with him.”
“I don’t like the guy,” said Simon, “but I can see your point.”
“Not a good idea,” said Clive. “Too risky.”
“Definitely not,” said Holmes. “He’s not to be trusted.”
“I think we should try,” said Ivy.
“Me too,” said Amphora, astonishing everyone. Amanda wasn’t sure if she was just trying to contradict Holmes or she genuinely thought the idea was worth considering.
“We will do it,” said Sidebotham. “No more arguing.”
“But—” said Darktower.
“We have nothing to lose,” said the acting headmaster. “I want no more d
iscussion, and there will be no more talk of expelling anyone. Miss Lester, you can tell Mr. Moriarty of our decision. There will be conditions, but we will make a deal with him.
“I want to know where the boy is,” said Darktower.
“He’s at his boat, at Windermere,” said Lila, charging into the room. “Or he was, anyway.” She pointed at her daughter. “I called the police but she let him run off.”
Darktower and Lila were so furious that they couldn’t teach their classes, and at least three quarters of the first-years weren’t speaking to Amanda. Everyone was horrified that Nick had been hanging around so close to the school, and some of the kids were calling Amanda a traitor. Sidebotham, however, had ignored the rumpus and hauled Harry Sheriff into her office again. She’d demanded that he reveal Taffeta’s whereabouts and had at last got an answer: the girl and David’s roommates were holed up in a castle near Bampton, which was south of Penrith, and they had Hugh with them. Oh, and they were armed.
The question now was, what was the best way of approaching the castle and extracting Hugh without anyone getting hurt? No one wanted the situation to turn into a big shootout, so they would have to come up with a subtle strategy.
While everyone was wondering about that, Sidebotham was drafting a list of conditions Nick would have to fulfill if she were to approve his proposal. So far the list read:
Provide a DNA sample
Show proof that he’s suing to become an emancipated minor
Succeed in capturing Hugh
No residence on the Legatum campus
Furnish complete information about his criminal activities and those of his family and their associates
Meet with an advisor regularly.
Amanda thought that was reasonable, but Darktower and Lila, who didn’t approve of Sidebotham’s course of action in the first place, thought Nick should also wear an ankle monitor and/or be taken into custody. Sidebotham would have none of that, however, which gave her about a million brownie points in Amanda’s eyes.
Ivy was funny about the whole thing. She was worried sick about her dad, but she still thought the detectives should give Nick some wiggle room. After some early doubts, she’d always backed Amanda up when it came to Nick, arguing that there was good inside him—you just had to dig for it. Despite the risks, she thought his plan was their best chance of making everything right—even, for all she knew, getting Fern and the others back, although she couldn’t explain why she thought their kidnapping had anything to do with Hugh, Taffeta, Blixus, or Alfie.
Amanda Lester, Detective Box Set Page 131