by Lana Axe
“Then wake him up,” Emmit said. This was important information, and he had to be notified.
“I hate to do that,” Cali said, grimacing. “He’s been working so hard on his secret invention that he can barely sleep at night. He tosses and turns, muttering about gears and propellers. He’s exhausted.”
“Propellers?” Emmit wondered. “What’s he inventing?”
“I’m not sure,” Cali said. “He hasn’t told me, and I haven’t seen any schematics.” Clever Lionel would never allow another invention to be stolen. Once was enough. The theft of his plans for the steam-powered hammer had taught him a vital lesson: Trust no one. Of course, it was the loss of that masterpiece invention that had prompted him to return to his plans to enhance a cat with clockwork implants. So it wasn’t an entirely negative turn of events.
“I can understand your hesitation, Cali. Really, I do,” Emmit said. “But Porchester is going to notice those papers missing sooner or later. Lionel needs to know now.”
Sighing, Cali replied, “You’re right.” Pouncing toward the chair, she landed square on Lionel’s midsection. He awoke with an “oompf” and jumped to his feet alarmed. Cali dodged to the side, landing safely on her paws. Three metal tools clattered to the ground. The exhausted tinker had fallen asleep holding them.
“What’s going on, Cali?” Lionel asked, scratching his head. He bent to collect his tools, but stood back straight when he heard commotion from behind.
Cali’s ears stood at attention, turning with radar precision toward the apartment’s rear wall. Clattering, clanging, and crashing, something was amiss in the factory. The feline didn’t hesitate, charging toward the cat flap with Lionel close behind. Emmit followed cautiously.
Inside the factory the ruckus continued. It sounded like someone stumbling on heavy feet, running into every worktable in the place. Metal scraps and plates of glass crashed against the concrete floor, echoing through the factory’s main room. As they raced toward the noise, a single shot rang out. All three stopped in their tracks.
The bang was so loud that Emmit clutched at his ears, his head ringing. Cali squeezed her eyes shut to dull the pain coursing through her ears. Lionel, with his substandard human ears, seemed the least affected.
Boldly, the tinker shouted, “Come out now, whoever you are!”
“Lionel!” Florence’s voice shouted back. She ran for the wall and flipped the switch, illuminating the enormous room. Clad in her dressing gown, she had heard the commotion and had come to protect her factory.
Lionel hurried to his sister’s side, with Cali and Emmit close by. “Are you all right?” he asked, reaching for his sister.
She embraced her brother and said, “I’m fine.” Taking a step back, she pointed toward the center of the room.
“A mummy!” Lionel exclaimed.
Its wrappings now in disarray, the mummy stood doubled over a workbench. The tinker’s jaw dropped open. Looking down at his sister’s hand, he laid eyes on her revolver. “You shot it,” he said, not bothering to hide the note of approval in his voice.
Cali approached the mummy, eager for a closer look, while Emmit hung back out of sight.
“Be careful, Cali,” Lionel cautioned.
The feline didn’t listen. She snatched one of the loose wrappings in her teeth and yanked it away with all her might. Dung beetles, hundreds of them, spilled out of the mummy’s inner casing. Florence shrieked as they scurried past her.
“I don’t believe it,” Lionel said. Not only was the mummy real, it was clockwork! With its inner workings exposed, he could see how it had been powered. The dung beetles rolled their smelly treasures on a pinion, providing power for the entire mechanism.
In the upheaval, Cali had lost track of the schematics she had been carrying. Spotting them halfway back to the apartment, she ran to retrieve them. After dropping them at Lionel’s feet, she sprinted for the front door, which the mummy hadn’t bothered to close.
“Cali!” Lionel shouted. “Where’s she off to?”
He didn’t have to wait long to find out. Outside the door, Cali spotted exactly who she expected to see. Carter Porchester stood dumbfounded, gripping the amulet in his hand. Hissing and pulling back her ears, the calico approached. Porchester swallowed hard and took a step backward.
Lunging forward, Cali sank her teeth into his shin, holding on with all her might. The unsteady man gave a wail as she began to drag him toward the factory door. She let go only long enough to swing herself behind him and shove him inside with a kick of her powerful hind legs.
Catching himself before he could topple over, Porchester stumbled into the factory. When he laid eyes on his defunct mummy, beads of sweat erupted on his forehead.
Lionel needed only a moment to look over the letter and schematics. Now he knew what was really going on. Passing the letter to Florence, he narrowed his eyes at the Egyptologist.
With one more leap, Cali seized the amulet from Porchester’s hand. He made no effort to stop her. Instead, he stood with his head down, his arms falling loose at his sides. Cali delivered the amulet to Lionel and sat back on her haunches.
“You did all this,” Florence said, stunned.
Porchester buried his head in his hands. “It’s true,” he said.
Lionel cleared his throat and waved the schematics in his hand. “Not entirely,” he said. “He didn’t design this mummy or that amulet.”
“Morcroft did,” Florence said, noting the signature on the letter in her hand.
“And the design is pure genius!” Lionel said. Though he held no affinity for Jamison Morcroft, he couldn’t help but admire his creation. “Bugs rolling little balls of manure that turn a spiraling crank.”
Florence stared at him blankly.
“That’s how it moves!” Lionel said. “It even turns its head side to side.” The expression on his sister’s face left no doubt that she wasn’t nearly as impressed as he was.
“This is a criminal matter,” she said, her hand on her hip.
“It is,” Porchester said as he slumped to the ground. Sitting on the floor, he let out a mournful sigh. “I wanted to make Ticswyk the epicenter of Egyptian antiquities. You must believe me. It was all to attract more attention to the museum. I never meant any harm.”
“Then why did you send it here?” Florence asked. “Just look at all this damage!” She waved her hand toward the broken glass.
“I must apologize,” he began, “but your cat was in my home tonight. She had the letter and the schematics as proof of my misdeeds. I didn’t want word to get out.” He pulled himself up to his knees. “Please believe I meant no harm. I wanted only to distract you so I could go inside and retrieve those papers.”
Cali looked at the poor man on his knees and couldn’t help but pity him. With his hair disheveled and dark circles beneath his eyes, he appeared to have suffered enough.
Lionel shook his head. “How did you get mixed up with a man like Jamison Morcroft? He’s a criminal through and through.”
Porchester made it back to his feet and straightened his jacket. “I was looking for backers for my research. As it turns out, Morcroft offered to fund the dig. But before it was complete, he found himself in legal trouble.”
“He’s a thief, and a kidnapper,” Lionel butted in.
“Yes,” Porchester said. “It so happens that my brother, as you know, is a judge. It took a lot of convincing, but I managed to persuade my brother to go easy on Morcroft. He’s being paroled soon.”
Florence gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Cali echoed the sentiment, her mouth dropping open. She feared for Lionel, who would undoubtedly become a target once Morcroft was free.
“So he designed this mummy for you in exchange for your brother’s help,” Lionel said.
“Not exactly,” Porchester said. “You see, he expected my cooperation, seeing as how he’d already funded my expedition. When he ran into trouble, he began threatening me.” He dabbed the sweat from his forehead wit
h a handkerchief. “I didn’t want to cross the head of the Engineers Guild. He’s far too powerful, and he could have the entire museum shut down.”
“Morcroft’s second in charge of that Guild,” Lionel said.
“Not anymore,” the Egyptologist replied. “The former leader disappeared under mysterious circumstances. With Morcroft away, no one suspected him, and he was recently installed as the Guild’s leader.”
“From jail,” Florence added.
“Word of his parole was sent to his Guild mates,” Porchester said. “They firmly believe in his innocence.”
“You know what happened to the last leader, don’t you?” Lionel asked, narrowing his eyes. “You were in on it, and Morcroft’s been blackmailing you. Am I right?”
At first, Porchester didn’t answer. His eyes darted from side to side, and his face flushed with swirls of red. “He was taken to Egypt,” he blurted. “He wasn’t harmed, but it’s kidnapping!” He hung his head. “I’m just as much a criminal as Morcroft.” Sobbing, he added, “I wish I’d never encountered that vile man.”
Lionel turned to Florence. “Now we have the truth of it.”
“Not all of it,” she said. “Why does Morcroft want the museum to draw a crowd? What should he care?”
“He needs money,” Porchester answered. “His funds were depleted by his legal fees, and the Guild took a hefty chunk as well. As sole backer, Morcroft stands to collect seventy-five percent of ticket sales from the exhibit. That’s why he sent men to light up the obelisk and forced me to set the mummy loose at night.” He showed them the amulet in his open palm. “This is how I control it.”
“You never needed my help opening that box,” Lionel said.
“As a matter of fact, I did,” he replied. “Morcroft neglected to send the key. Either that or it was misplaced by one of the messengers when it changed hands. You’d be surprised how difficult it is to pass items in and out of prison.”
“Hmph,” Lionel said.
“I swear, I never wanted to involve you,” Porchester pleaded. “I’m terrible with technology, and these contraptions are so complicated. I had no choice but to seek you out. You’re the best tinker in town, and the only one who could have opened the lock and set the amulet in working order. Morcroft’s instructions on its use were incomprehensible to me.”
The tinker couldn’t help feeling flattered. “No harm done, I suppose,” he said. “I guess dragging me out in the night was all part of your plan?”
Nodding, he replied, “I had to get the word out somehow. I knew the night watchman would overhear everything. Forgive me for using you in such a way.”
“We’re still going to have to report you to the authorities,” Florence said. “You’ve caused damage all over the city.”
“I’ll pay for it, every dime. I swear,” he pleaded. “If you go to the police, I’ll be ruined. And the museum will suffer.”
Florence frowned. “I’m taking these schematics,” she said, taking the papers from Lionel. “They’re going in my safe. If you don’t make good on your promise, I’ll take all of these papers to the police.”
“That’s a good plan, Flo,” Lionel said. “He’s done some good things for Ticswyk, but he has to be held accountable. No more cheating with flashing obelisks or mummies. Let the exhibit draw its own crowd. Morcroft’s made enough money.”
Porchester nodded furiously. “Consider it done.”
“Now get out of here, and take that thing with you,” Florence said, pointing to the mummy’s remains.
The Egyptologist did as he was told. Once he was gone, Lionel secured the door and helped Florence sweep up the mess.
Emmit crawled out of hiding and took a seat next to Cali. “I guess the obelisk was saying something after all.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Morcroft’s release from prison is sort of like a rebirth,” he explained. “Now he’s after more power by taking over the Engineers Guild. He must have been announcing himself through those hieroglyphs.”
The image of the bird, dung beetle, and staring eye burned in Cali’s mind. Emmit was probably right. Many sleepless nights lay in her future. With Morcroft out of prison, Lionel would again be in danger, and she would have to be there to protect him. Sitting up tall, Cali took in a deep breath. “Whatever Morcroft is planning, I’ll be ready for him.”
Lana Axe lives in the Missouri countryside surrounded by dogs, cats, birds, and reptiles. She spends most of her free time daydreaming about elves, magic, and faraway lands.
For more information, please visit: lana-axe.com.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
About the Author