Holly felt dizzy. Her hands were shaking but she felt Archie take one of them and grip it tightly.
‘You’ll never find him. No one will believe you,’ Archie said firmly. ‘People will say you faked this with special effects, that you’re a mad rich man with too much time on your hands. You’ll end up a gibbering wreck like Callum with monsters in your head.’
‘The monsters are crawling out of my head,’ said Callum.
‘I have no interest in letting everyone in on our secret, Mr Snellgrove. Not yet,’ said Buchanan.
‘Then what do you want?’ said Holly.
‘Want?’ said Buchanan, as though seeing how the word tasted in his mouth. ‘For years I haven’t wanted for anything. I did or I had. I never wanted. And then you appeared with your dragon friend and gave me something new to want.’ He leant forward. ‘I want a dragon. I want your dragon.’
‘You’ll never catch him,’ said Holly.
‘Ah, but thanks to you I already have,’ said Buchanan. ‘When you called Mr Dilly about the missing film, it gave me the idea. I knew that the only way for him to retrieve it from the library would be to cut the electricity supply at the substation but, you see, what the history book you gave Mr Dilly didn’t mention was that I have recently installed a back-up generator. Tonight, while we were at the party, the power went off and the generator kicked in. Do you know what that means? It means that awaiting us is a real, live fire-breathing dragon.’
‘He’ll escape. Dragon claws can cut through anything,’ said Holly.
‘As you proved when you cut through the hole in my laboratory roof,’ said Buchanan, pressing a button in the armrest and skipping back to the footage of Dirk and Holly in the laboratory. On the film Holly had just run back into the room and she and Dirk were hiding.
Holly was relieved to see that she was not in vision when she blended with the sofa. At least that secret remained intact.
‘The challenge was how to hold a creature that can tear through anything. Tricky. It was Weaver who came up with the answer. What’s that stuff called again?’
‘IMM, Intelligent Memory Metal,’ said Weaver, his voice coming through a speaker.
‘Ah yes, that’s it. Intelligent Memory Metal. Amazing stuff. It’s as strong as titanium but it instantly re-forms when broken,’ said Buchanan. ‘I believe NAPOW created it for military use but so far no army has been able to afford it. I, on the other hand, had a little loose change, so I had it installed in the library. I’ll be intrigued to see how Mr Dilly is dealing with it.’
Callum, whose eyes had been drawn to the screen, suddenly squealed and glanced at Holly. ‘I remember him. At Little Hope. He made my master go away.’
‘Vainclaw isn’t your master,’ said Holly.
‘Vainclaw Grandin,’ said Buchanan. ‘Yes, he sounds like a fascinating character.’
Holly felt utterly defeated. Brant Buchanan knew everything and it was her fault. ‘Why?’ she said quietly.
Buchanan pressed a button, which produced a glass of whisky by his side. He took a sip and spoke. ‘Let me tell you the secret to a successful business empire. Keep one step ahead of your competitors. If you know something they don’t, you are stronger than they are. I’m already strong. I already know more than most. Imagine the strength this knowledge will give me.’
Weaver turned the car right, taking them up the driveway that led to Sands Mansion. They passed another car going down the hill. It was black with blacked-out windows.
‘Who is that?’ asked Buchanan.
‘Probably just a lost tourist who saw the gates and turned around,’ said Weaver.
The gates buzzed open and Weaver parked in the empty car park.
‘Let’s go and see the catch of the day,’ said Mr Buchanan.
They stepped out of the car as the yellow VW van parked next to them.
‘Hey, Buchanan, man,’ said one of the long-haired men inside the van.
‘How you doing?’ said the other.
‘Good evening, Hunter. Hello, Frank,’ said Mr Buchanan.
‘Looks like you’re throwing a kids’ party, man,’ said Frank.
‘If I was, I’d know where to find the clowns,’ replied Buchanan. He turned to Holly. ‘Frank and Hunter have been on a fact-finding mission for me. They suggested that Callum might be a useful house guest. His father was more than happy to let him visit, wasn’t he, Callum?’
‘Dad is scared of Callum,’ said Callum. ‘He can’t remember what happened at the concert but he remembers the fear. I see it in his eyes.’
‘Yeah, the concert,’ said Frank. ‘No footage, no one remembering anything – that concert was a classic cover-up, man.’
‘But forget that. Now we got something really juicy, man,’ said Hunter.
‘All in good time,’ said Brant Buchanan, leading them through the garden, down the steps and around the corner to the library, which was surrounded by scaffolding. Weaver pulled away the tarpaulin and opened the door to reveal a sheet of metal behind it.
‘You see?’ said Mr Buchanan, tapping the metal.
Callum was jabbering madly. ‘They’re in there. They’re in there. The monsters are in there.’
‘First contact with a real dragon, man,’ said Frank.
‘Weaver, open it up, then,’ said Buchanan.
‘Are you sure that’s wise?’ said Weaver.
Buchanan placed a hand firmly on Holly’s shoulder. ‘Oh yes, I think we’ll be OK, don’t you, Holly?’
Weaver reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small handgun. With his left hand he pressed a button on the side of the door and the metal sheet disappeared into the ground.
He stood back, keeping the gun levelled at the doorway.
The room was dark inside.
‘You can come out now, Mr Dilly,’ called Mr Buchanan.
They waited.
Nothing happened.
‘Weaver,’ said Mr Buchanan, looking at him.
Weaver nodded and, with his finger twitching on the trigger of the gun, stepped into the library. He switched the light on.
‘Well?’ said the billionaire. ‘What have we got?’
‘There’s nothing here, sir,’ said Weaver, stepping out. ‘The top has been opened. It’s escaped.’
Stuck inside the giant tin can, awaiting whatever fate lay outside, Dirk felt like a baked bean, which reminded him that, on top of being tricked, trapped and set up he was also starving.
‘You’ve led us into a fine old mess, Dilly,’ said Kitelsky, pacing around the circular room.
‘It ain’t his fault,’ said Putz. ‘We followed him here.’
‘Either way, I’m itching to rumble and I got a hankerin’ to rumble wi’ Dirk Dilly, the dirty double-crossin’ dragon detective,’ said Kitelsky, skulking towards Dirk.
Dirk shot a line of fire at him, causing Kitelsky to yelp in pain. ‘It’s a shame you’ve used up your poison, then, isn’t it?’ snarled Dirk. ‘Back off, Kitelsky.’
The three trapped dragons stared at each other.
‘What’s that on your nose?’ said Dirk, noticing that the end of Putz’s nose was illuminated as though a torch was shining on it from above.
‘I don’t know,’ said Putz, trying to look at it and going cross-eyed in the process.
Dirk looked up and saw that the metal ceiling was retracting, revealing the night sky above. Moonlight was, once more, spilling into the room.
‘What’s going on?’ said Putz.
‘Come on,’ said Dirk. ‘Follow me.’
One painful flap of his aching wings was enough to get him to the rim of the building, where he could see that the grounds were floodlit and the security cameras were back on. One swivelled on its stick to point at him. Dirk sent an angry burst of fire at it, causing it to instantly blow up, and reducing it to a blackened crisp. Something caught his eye in the car park. In a dark shadow was a black car with blackened windows. A dark figure got in and slammed the door shut. It was too far away to
make out his features. All Dirk saw was the wide-brimmed hat he wore. The engine started and the car drove away.
Kitelsky and Putz joined him on top of the building.
‘What happened?’ said Kitelsky.
‘I don’t know,’ said Dirk.
‘What now?’ said Putz.
The sound of another car engine was approaching.
‘We get out of here. Buchanan will have to wait,’ said Dirk. ‘Take me to Skull Rock.’
Chapter 28
As the dragons left the library, there was no avoiding being caught on camera, but Dirk knew he would have to worry about that later. The Turning Stone was more important right now.
They headed across the rooftops, out of town.
‘Which way is Skull Rock?’ said Dirk as they left the city lights behind them and entered the dark desert. Scraggy plant life caught on Dirk’s claws and dragged along behind him. He shook his leg free and wished he was fit to fly but his wings still throbbed from his dip in the Outer Core.
‘This way. It’s on neutral territory,’ said Kitelsky. ‘It stands between all of our territories. It’s where the three of us used to scuffle back when Mo was still out here.’
‘Why all the interest in Skull Rock again, anyway?’ asked Putz.
‘What do you mean again?’ replied Dirk.
‘It was around thirty years ago when the Dragnet came sniffing around asking about Minertia,’ said Kitelsky.
‘Minertia?’ said Dirk.
‘Sure,’ replied Kitelsky. ‘That’s where she breached the forbidden divide. We never saw nothing though, did we, Putz?’
‘Not a thing,’ said Putz.
‘And you never saw the Turning Stone?’ said Dirk.
‘The Turning Stone?’ said Kitelsky. ‘So that’s what this is all about. No, we never saw that.’
Dirk looked up at the sky. The moon was full and the stars seemed much brighter than they ever did in London. After they had been travelling a while, Kitelsky said, ‘Skull Rock’s just past that ridge.’
Dirk saw the pile of huge boulders he was pointing at rising high on the horizon. They drew nearer and scaled the stacked rocks, until they reached the top.
‘Keep down,’ said Dirk. In front of them was a large rock shaped roughly like a human skull. At its base were two dragons.
‘Kinghorns,’ said Dirk. ‘The Mountain Dragon’s called Jegsy. The Sea Dragon is Flotsam. They work for Vainclaw.’
The two Kinghorns were using their claws to scratch away at the dirt, digging holes. ‘They must be searching for the Turning Stone,’ said Dirk.
‘Well, if they think they can come strolling into our desert, scratching around, they’ve got another think comin’,’ said Kitelsky, standing up. ‘You ready to rumble, Putz?’
‘I sure am,’ said Putz.
‘No,’ said Dirk, but it was no use. The two Desert Dragons had already spread their wings, splayed their spikes and flown down the hill, Kitelsky landing on Flotsam’s back, Putz whacking Jegsy in the face. Bursts of fire shot from the Kinghorns’ mouths. Putz and Kitelsky dodged the flames and went at them again, fighting with claws and teeth.
‘Idiots,’ said Dirk, shaking his head, staying at a safe distance.
A bubbling noise behind him caused him to spin round.
‘Today I got no confusion. Today I know I got poison, so no funny business, Dirk Dilly,’ said Mo Sorrentino.
Dark grey smoke billowed from Dirk’s nostrils but he didn’t move, having no desire to be on the receiving end of a faceful of Desert Dragon poison.
‘Where is he?’ said Dirk.
‘Who’s the who you’re referring to?’ replied Sorrentino.
‘Don’t play games with me, Sorrentino,’ said Dirk. ‘You know who I mean – Vainclaw. I know those two are Kinghorns. I know Vainclaw’s looking for the Turning Stone. I know that it was last seen out here with Minertia and I know that you aren’t going to find it.’
‘He seems to know a lot, this one,’ said a low voice. ‘Perhaps I should have employed him rather than you, Mr Sorrentino.’
From behind a rock stepped a dragon who at first looked like a moving shadow, but, as he stepped into the moonlight, he revealed his yellow belly.
‘Fairfax Nordstrum,’ said Dirk, instantly recognising the yellow-bellied, coal-black Cave Dweller that he had helped escape from the Dragnet cell.
‘Dirk Dilly, the dragon detective. What brings you to the desert this evening?’ replied Fairfax.
‘So you’re working for Vainclaw too?’ said Dirk.
Fairfax smiled then slunk towards Dirk. ‘Come, let’s join the others,’ he said.
‘One move I don’t like and you’ll feel my poison, Dilly,’ said Sorrentino, remaining behind him as Fairfax led him down the hill to where Kitelsky and Putz had been clamped down by the Kinghorns.
‘Get yourself off of me,’ said Kitelsky.
‘Eh, Jegsy, I got spikes in my belly, like,’ said Flotsam.
‘They’re a prickly pair, ain’t they?’ said Jegsy, ramming Putz’s head against the ground.
‘Mo Sorrentino,’ said Kitelsky. ‘You double-crossin’, no good …’
‘It’s nothing personal,’ said Sorrentino. ‘It’s just business.’
‘Be careful with our spiky friends,’ said Fairfax. ‘I’m sure these fine Desert Dragons will join us once we explain the situation.’
‘What situation?’ demanded Dirk.
‘First things first,’ replied Fairfax. ‘What makes you so sure we won’t find the Turning Stone?’
‘I went to the Inner Core’ replied Dirk. ‘I spoke to Minertia. She told me it was safe. I believed her.’
Again, Fairfax laughed. ‘You see, Sorrentino?’ he said, prowling around Jegsy and Flotsam, who were still struggling to hold the Desert Dragons down. ‘Now that’s initiative.’
‘I didn’t need to ask. I know it’s here,’ replied Sorrentino sharply. ‘She had it when she arrived but not when she left.’
‘And yet it doesn’t seem to be here now. Maybe I should employ Mr Dilly to help me achieve my goal.’
‘I wouldn’t take your gold, Nordstrum,’ snarled Dirk.
‘What about power? Come and join the One-Worlders and you will be powerful,’ said Fairfax.
‘One-Worlders,’ said Dirk, remembering what Karnataka had said about the Kinghorn splinter group. ‘So you’re Vainclaw’s challenger.’
‘Vainclaw Grandin,’ sneered Fairfax. ‘That half-winged idiot will soon bow down before me.’
Jegsy looked up from his struggle with Putz. ‘Never,’ he said, leaping off the Desert Dragon on to Fairfax’s back. ‘Vainclaw is the true leader of the Kinghorns,’ he said, sinking his teeth into Fairfax’s neck. Fairfax howled and lashed out with his tail, sending Jegsy flying.
‘What are you doing, you idiot?’ I am your leader now,’ said the Cave Dweller, thick green blood trickling from his neck.
‘I don’t think so,’ said a thundering baritone voice from behind Dirk.
Dirk spun round to see three shapes come from the darkness. It was Vainclaw Grandin, smoke billowing from his nose, with the two Scavenger brothers, Leon and Mali, standing on either side of him.
‘Eh, it’s Mr Detective,’ said Leon.
‘So it is. Hey, Jegsy,’ said Mali, nodding hello.
Chapter 29
Flotsam flew angrily at Jegsy, claws thrashing. ‘You led Vainclaw here, didn’t you, you fool?’
‘You wanted to follow the Cave Dweller but I’m a Grandin. Vainclaw is my leader.’ Jegsy shot a defensive burst of fire at him and shouted over to the Scavengers, ‘Leon, Mali, lend us a hand, lads.’
‘Come on, ar kid,’ said Leon.
‘I’m right with you, bro,’ said Mali.
‘Who’s the fool now, Flotsam?’ said Jegsy.
The Scavenger brothers approached Flotsam but Kitelsky and Putz landed in front of them, rose up on to their hind legs, extended their claws and made their spikes point outwards, thre
ateningly.
‘Calm down, boys,’ said Leon. ‘We got no problem with you. We just want to help our mate here.’
‘You come wanderin’ into our territory, acting all tough, and you think you can tell us what to do?’ said Putz.
‘And I don’t know how you do things back home, but out here in the desert we fight dragon to dragon,’ said Kitelsky.
‘What do you say, ar kid?’ said Leon. ‘Shall we respect the local culture or what?’
‘Yeah, let’s snap off their spikes one by one,’ replied Mali, lunging at Putz as Leon spun round, sweeping his tail across the ground, knocking Kitelsky off his feet, then diving at him. The Desert Dragons were quick and dodged the flames that the Scavengers sent their way. Behind them Jegsy and Flotsam continued to fight viciously, tearing and scratching each other.
Dirk stepped back to avoid getting drawn into the brawl and felt something spike his tail.
‘I’ve still got my poison,’ said Sorrentino.
‘Aren’t you going to help your friends?’ said Dirk.
‘I help whoever pays me,’ replied Sorrentino.
Also staying out of the fight were Fairfax Nordstrum and Vainclaw Grandin, standing nose to nose, maintaining eye contact. Grey smoke poured from Vainclaw’s nose, mingling in the air with Fairfax’s yellow smoke.
‘You remind me of your father,’ said Fairfax calmly.
‘I’m stronger than my father,’Vainclaw replied, spitting fire at him.
Fairfax held his ground, simply lowering his head and allowing the flames to lick over his back.
‘Crowley was strong enough,’ he replied. ‘Loyalty was the characteristic he lacked.’
‘Why should he have been loyal to you?’
‘Not to me, to the principles we laid out when we formed the Kinghorn Alliance, before you had even broken your eggshell. There were only three of us then – your father, myself and the Sea Dragon, Nessun Crumb. We all had our reasons to hate humanity and we vowed to wipe every human being off this planet. Then Crowley set up his company in the human world, Gronkong Shinard. He had always spent too much time in the company of humans for my liking. The next thing I knew he no longer wanted to destroy mankind. He wanted to enslave it. He didn’t understand that humans are too spirited to live as slaves, too rebellious, too troublesome. Their entire history has been one of war –’
The Case of the Stolen Film Page 12