Chase Tinker & The House of Magic

by Malia Ann Haberman

  A moment later, James bobbed to the surface. His arms paddled and whipped around like a windmill in a hurricane as the dorsal fin followed close behind. "Shark! It's a shark and it wants to rip my leg off!" He splashed wildly until he reached the shallow water and was able to stumble onto the beach where he tripped and fell face first into the sand.

  If Chase hadn't been so furious, he probably would have laughed at how ridiculous James looked. He did crack a small smile when the orca leaped into the air, flapped its fins and with a big splash, disappeared from sight.

  The boat bumped against the shore. Using his telekinesis, Chase switched off the engine and pulled it onto the beach. He remembered how, not too long ago, he'd thought moving something that big was way too difficult. He'd certainly come a long way.

  "H—how did you get here?" sputtered James.

  Chase turned to face him. His insides twisted as he thought of the numbing fear he'd experienced when he was alone and struggling deep beneath the cold, dark water.

  "You tried to drown me!" he snarled through clenched teeth, his voice low and deep in his throat. Several small tornados began whirling along the ground, sucking up the sand and rocks. James cowered as they whistled around him, whipped against him, and grew stronger the angrier Chase became.

  "Stop! Stop it!" James yelled, shielding his face with his arms as the tiny rocks cut into his skin, leaving red nicks and long scratches. "It was an accident!"

  "An accident? You pushed me out of the boat and shoved me underneath the water!" Chase roared. "How is that an accident? Is being Keeper of the House so important to you that you'd kill for it?"

  "I was only playing around. When you didn't come back to the surface, I came to get help."

  Chase gave a short bark of laughter. "Help to search for my lost body, huh?" He took a deep breath and then continued, "If you even try to hurt Andy…"

  James glared at Chase through the flying dirt. "So what're you going to do, take me out there and leave me to die, stinker?" he said, his voice sounding dry and hoarse.

  "Tempting as that is," Chase answered, "I don't plan on stooping to your sick level. I do think Grandfather should hear all about our little fishing trip. Let him decide what your punishment should be."

  With one last scornful look, he turned and sprinted across the beach toward the house. He left James sprawled on the ground, recovering from the swirling tornados, which had vanished as swiftly as they had started.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Confrontation

  Chase stormed across the deck toward Grandfather's study. The doors whisked open as if they were yanked by invisible hands. He charged inside, but it was empty, as was the kitchen, the garden and the dining room. He found Andy curled up in front of the television in the den and munching potato chips.

  "Where is everyone?" snapped Chase.

  Not taking his eyes from the screen, Andy answered, "Grandfather went to town and Aunt Clair and Mrs. Periwinkle took the girls shopping in the city."

  Chase strode up and down the floor. The pictures and other furnishings shook and bounced each time he passed them. He'd never felt so wound up.

  "Would you sit down?" said Andy. "You're ruining the show." He turned to look at Chase. "Is something wrong? You're looking green…and red…and green. And you're going to knock the pictures off the walls."

  "I need to talk to Grandfather," said Chase, his mind whirling. If he waited until Grandfather came home, James would be back to tell more lies. "I'm going to town to find him, but first I need something from our room." He darted out the doorway.

  "Hey wait!" shouted Andy, hopping off the sofa. "What's going on?" He caught up with Chase as they reached their bedroom. "What happened? Why do you need to talk to Grandfather?"

  Chase grabbed his watch and strapped it around his wrist. "James tried to drown me," he said flatly.

  "What!" exclaimed Andy. "Are you sure?"

  "Of course I am!" said Chase. "He threw me out of the boat and left me there."

  "But…why?" asked Andy.

  "He wants to be the next Keeper of the House."

  "Dad is."

  "James thinks he's dead."

  "And you're next Keeper," said Andy. "So, he thinks if Dad's gone and you're not here anymore…wait…I'm after you, and Aunt Clair." His mouth dropped open.

  "It sounds like, after getting rid of me, he plans on doing something bad to you guys too."

  "But—but…we need to tell Grandfather!"

  "What do you think I'm trying to do?" said Chase, kicking a shoe across the room and heading back into the hallway. "He claims what happened was an accident. I hope Grandfather doesn't fall for that one."

  "How'd you get away?" asked Andy, hurrying after him.

  "You remember the orca from the ferry ride? It saved me," answered Chase. "It was really cool. Somehow it knew what was going on."

  "Do you think the whale sensed your magic?"

  "It must have," said Chase. "How else would it have gotten there so quickly to help me? It's like it was following us or something." He slid to a stop in front of Uncle Thomas's bathroom.

  "Why didn't you use our bathroom?" asked Andy.

  "I'm teleporting there," he answered as he entered the room. "It'll be quicker. I've never teleported that far by myself, though. I hope I don't get stuck in a chimney."

  "I'm coming with you," said Andy, jumping inside and pushing the door closed.

  "That's a good idea," said Chase, grasping Andy's arm. "You shouldn't be here alone with James."

  "Maybe I'll go freeze him and—and…" Andy racked his brains for a brilliant way to torture James. "No wait, I'll lure him to the Shrinking Room and jinx him until he's two-inches tall. That way, I can stick him in a jar and leave him there forever."

  "Forget it," said Chase, smiling at Andy's plans. "He's not worth the trouble." He closed his eyes and pictured the place where Grandfather's dirt road met with the town's paved one. "The outskirts of Islandtown, Blackberry Island."

  Whoosh! They were gone in a rush of wind and a swirl of blackness.

  "We made it!" exclaimed Andy when they landed in the deep shadows of the tall evergreen trees next to the road to town. "You're getting pretty good at magic."

  "Just lucky, I guess." Chase didn't let on how relieved he was that they'd ended up in the right spot. "Come on, let's go."

  The boys jogged along the road until they reached the main street. Not much was going on. A few kids were seated around the small, round tables in front of the ice cream parlor; the sheriff was busy ticketing someone he caught speeding through town; while a family of fat ducks waddled across the road.

  "Where do you suppose Grandfather is?" asked Andy as they walked down the sidewalk.

  "He could be anywhere," answered Chase, peering into each large, storefront window.

  At the hardware store, he thought he saw someone dodge behind a bin of nails. He looked closer, but saw only a clerk stocking shelves. "I wish we knew what he came to town for," said Chase as they began walking again. Stopping abruptly, he whipped around and caught a glimpse of a dark trouser leg and shoe disappearing into a doorway.

  "What's wrong?" asked Andy, frowning at his brother. "What did you see?"

  "Nothing. Let's look in the mayor's office." He pulled Andy across the street and through a glass-paneled door that said City Hall.

  "Hello, boys," said the mayor's secretary. "What can I do for you?"

  "We're looking for Hiram Tinker," said Chase.

  "I'm sorry. We haven't seen Mr. Tinker today," she answered.

  Chase opened his mouth to ask something else when he glanced out the window. Peering in at them was Doctor Dan, his face squashed against the glass. For a split second, their eyes met. The doctor's eyes widened at being spotted. In a heartbeat, he was gone, his coattails flapping.

  "Thanks for your help!" yelled Chase. He grabbed Andy's arm and hauled him from the building.

  Chase scanned the street and sidewalk. He ran a
round the corner and onto the next intersecting street. Trees and homes lined a quiet road with no one there except an older gentleman walking his little brown and white beagle. "Where the heck did he go?" muttered Chase.

  "What's going on? You're dragging me like I have wheels on my shoes or something!" said Andy, digging in his heels. He stumbled to a stop and straightened his lopsided glasses.

  "Doctor Dan might be following us," said Chase, checking behind some dented trash cans.

  "Why would he do that?"

  "I don't know! You know he's been acting weird since we got here." Chase pulled his sunglasses from his pocket and slipped them on. "And I'm getting to the bottom of this once and for all. Now I see it."

  Now able to see through the walls, he hurried down the street, checking all the houses. Several homes down the road, he spotted Doctor Dan. He was peeking through the shadowy front window of a huge, three-story house. It was sky-blue with white trim, a wrap-around porch, and two tall trees surrounded by smooth emerald-green grass and colorful, well-tended flower gardens. A sign next to the sidewalk said, Dr. Daniel R. Brown, M.D.

  "Here's his office," said Andy, pointing at the sign.

  "Yeah, I see him hiding in there."

  "Should we barge in?" asked Andy. "He's bigger and stronger than us. There's no way we can do anything to him without using magic. Do you want to do magic in front of him, Chase?"

  Chase turned his back to the house. Across the street a black cat stalked a brown sparrow pecking at the grass. At the moment, he felt a lot like that poor bird, and he didn't like it one bit. "I'm not sure, Andy. Grandfather never covered anything like this. If the doctor is part of the Dark Enemy, he'll know about our powers anyway, won't he? We have to do something, don't we?"

  "I'm ready if you are," said Andy, standing straighter, but hiding his fidgety hands behind his back. "It's—it's our job to stop the evil bad guys, isn't it?"

  "Yeah it is." Chase removed his sunglasses and tucked them into his pocket. "Let's go!"

  They ran across the lawn and up the porch stairs. As they reached the front door, it flew open. Doctor Dan stood there, glaring at the two boys.

  "What do you want?" he barked.

  "Some answers!" growled Chase, shoving the doctor against the wall with his mind before stomping down the short hall and into a spacious waiting room. A framed sign reading ALL PATIENTS MUST CHECK IN sat on a long reception desk. Chairs and tables toppled out of Chase's way. He whirled to face the doctor, who had followed Chase into the room and was now coming toward the boy with clenched fists.

  Doctor Dan surveyed the jumbled room. "I don't know what games you're playing, but please leave!" he snarled. His cold eyes watched Andy as he sidled into the room and scampered to his brother's side.

  "Not until you explain yourself," said Chase.

  "I don't have to explain anything to a kid," said the doctor.

  Chase shook his head. "You know, I should have known right away. Brown's such a common name. Isn't it…Doctor Marlowe? That is your real name, isn't it?"

  "Brown is my real name."

  "Yeah. Uh-huh. So come on," taunted Chase, "use some of your magic on us."

  "Magic?" said Doctor Dan, frowning in confusion. "I'm a doctor, not a magician."

  "Where's our dad?" burst out Andy.

  "Your dad? How should I know?" Dan waved his hand at them, his eyes filled with annoyance. "I've never met the man. You two kids are nuts!"

  "You're part of the Dark Enemy! Admit it!" yelled Chase, his face glowing red.

  A rolled-up magazine sailed across the room and thumped Doctor Dan on the top of his head. "Dark Enemy? I've never heard of it!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms over his head and ducking. "Stop! What's going on?"

  "And what about your ugly friend with the ponytail, where's he?"

  The magazine whacked the doctor again.

  "I told you, I have no idea what you're talking about!" cried Dan, his eyes bugging out. "How are you doing that?" He jumped behind the reception desk. "You're starting to scare me!"

  Chase and Andy looked at each other. Unless he was a fantastic actor, it sounded as though the doctor might be telling the truth. Was it possible he didn't know anything about Benjamin or the Marlowes? Chase didn't want to believe he'd been wrong all this time.

  "Why were you following us today?" he asked. "And why do you act like you hate us? We never did anything to you!"

  "I told you, I don't have to tell you anything!"

  "I'll tell Grandfather about you," threatened Chase.

  "All right! All right!" yelled the doctor. "I saw you in town and I wanted to see what you were doing."

  "What does it matter to you?"

  Doctor Dan peeked at the boys from behind the desk. He stared at them for a long, tense moment. "Okay. I'll tell you a few things, but you have to tell me what I want to know. And please don't hit me again!"

  "I promise," said Chase. "You go first."

  Dan took a deep breath and began, "Do you know how I got this beautiful house and my medical practice here?"

  The boys shook their heads.

  "It's all thanks to Hiram Tinker."

  "Grandfather?" said Chase. "What did he do?"

  "Some years ago, while I was finishing with medical school, I met Hiram," said Doctor Dan. "His wife had passed away and he had no other family left."

  "He has us!" yelled Andy.

  "Yes, but at the time I didn't know that," said Dan. "And he never mentioned any of you. I didn't have any family left either, so I hoped to become like a son to him. I've been working on this for years now."

  Chase stared at the doctor as he realized something. "You wanted Grandfather to leave everything to you! You saw this rich, lonely person and decided to trick him into making you part of the family and leaving you his money. And our house."

  "No!" cried Doctor Dan. "Maybe a little, at first…but not now! I only want us to be a family. I grew to care for the old guy and he became the father I never had growing up. He paid off my college loans and helped me buy this place and everything I needed to start my own practice. I actually began to feel like his son."

  Chase found himself understanding why Grandfather would want to help him; after all, he'd probably been missing his own kids.

  "But," continued Dan, "all of a sudden, his long-lost family began crawling out of the woodwork. Now he has a real son; a daughter; grandchildren. I saw all my plans going straight down the drain." The doctor's voice filled with anger. "I needed some way to get rid of you, but you don't scare easily."

  "That was you in the woods after the fireworks show!" accused Andy. "You sure scared the heck out of me."

  "I don't know where you went," said Doctor Dan. "One minute you were running down the road, and the next minute, you were gone. I searched all through those woods. But I really wasn't thinking straight because it wouldn't have helped even if you had gone back home. You're his real family, not me. I was jealous. I was frustrated! I went from feeling like a son, to feeling like just the doctor." He gave a slow, deep sigh. "Anyway, then beautiful Clair came along and I thought she could be my way into the family."

  "Aunt Clair is smarter than that," said Chase, with a loud snort.

  "Yes, she's pretty smart," said Dan. "Anyway, when I saw you in town today, I thought I would change tactics and try to make friends with you instead. So I followed you, waiting for my chance. But when I saw you glaring at me through the window with such dislike in your eyes, I knew it would take more than buying you ice cream to become friends. So I ran. Stupid, really."

  "Yeah, well, we all do stupid things," said Chase, remembering a couple of his own recent ones. "Why are you telling us this? Aren't you worried we'll go tell Grandfather everything?"

  Doctor Dan rubbed his forehead wearily. "Maybe…I don't know…I guess I thought it was time to come clean." He shrugged. "I realize now that I just went about things the wrong way."

  Chase was surprised that he actually felt sorry for the doct
or. "You should go talk to Grandfather yourself. I'm sure he'll understand. He's a reasonable guy. So—"

  Everyone's attention was suddenly caught by a thick, deep-purple fog oozing down the wall. Like a spiraling boa constrictor it swirled and transformed. Within seconds, it had turned into a tall, cold-eyed man dressed in dark jeans and a black leather jacket.

  Doctor Dan's eyes just about popped out of his head. "What—who—?" he squeaked out.

  Chase knew exactly what and who it was as he stared once again into the face of one of their terrifying Dark Enemy.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Believe it or not

  Chills skittered up and down Chase's spine. The coldness in this being's blue eyes made Doctor Dan's look warm and inviting by comparison. Looking more frightened than a rabbit about to be eaten by a wolf, Doctor Dan dove beneath the desk.

  "You know, I'd like to hear a few things myself," said the man in his deep, raspy voice. He leaned casually against the wall and smiled as he jerked his head toward the doctor. "I can't believe you thought this pathetic little bug was one of my people."

  Chase glanced from the quivering Doctor Dan, back to the tall, fearsome-looking man and found himself wondering that very same thing.

  Andy opened his mouth to yell, but nothing came out except a tiny, horrified squeak. He grabbed Chase's arm and yanked him down behind a toppled table.

  "Sorry I didn't take the time to introduce myself the last couple of times we met, Chase," said the man. "I'm Roland Marlowe."

  For a split second, Chase's heart stopped.

  "Did you enjoy your swim today? You do have quite a knack for slipping out of tight situations."

  Chase heard Andy's sharp intake of breath. Their eyes met. How did Roland Marlowe know what happened with James today? Was he secretly watching their every move? Chase struggled not to panic. He needed to figure a way out of this. Then he remembered his watch. He took a deep calming breath, sprang from behind the table, pointed his fingers at Roland Marlowe and shouted, "Ropes!"