by Clay Moore
Contents
Dedication
Chapter One - Honored Guests
Chapter Two - Awarding a medal
Chapter Three - Toy Exposition
Chapter Four - Chamber of Wonder
Chapter Five - Never Argue with a Librarian
Chapter Six - Stolen Moments
Chapter Seven - A Most Unusual Murder
Chapter Eight - A Trip to the Toymaker
Chapter Nine - Attack on the Secret Service
Chapter Ten - Protecting the Breach Loading Gun Plans
Chapter Eleven - Going back to the Toymaker
Chapter Twelve - Getting William Back
Chapter Thirteen - Second Try for the Prize
Chapter Fourteen - Friction at Home
Chapter Fifteen - Where is the New toymaker?
Chapter Sixteen - Down into the Sewers
Chapter Seventeen - Counting the Cost
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About the Author
For lovers of adventure everywhere
CHAPTER ONE
Honored Guests
*****
UNDER HIS STEEL Steed, William Hazard was amazed at how much fun simple maintenance on his clockwork Motorbike was. The Maid, Gladys McLeod, entered William’s Basement. She saw William underneath the Steel Steed. Something was happening to Special Agent William; He was getting more involved with the Clockwork Motorbikes. She smiled, remembering when William was going around mumbling something about synchro rates.
“Sir?” She tried to get his attention.
“Yes, Gladys.” William did not come out from under the steel steed.
“I have an urgent message for Doctor Derek.”
“From the President?” William stuck his head up and turned it to see Gladys.
Gladys wore the French maid’s costume with aplomb. She understood that it was the cover for the house and the two Principle agents, William and Thomas.
“Not the President, sir, his Sister.”
“My friend is holding out on me. I did not know he had a sister.”
William stood up and walked over to the Maid.
“Give me the Message Envelope. I’ll give it to Thomas. Gives me a chance to return a wrench and steal — I mean, borrow a ratchet wrench.”
Kelly walked over. William took the sealed message envelope. He bounded down the spiral staircase until he came into Thomas’s domain. The lights were off, but a large glass cylinder had a gigantic rubber band running in it. On top of the glass cylinder was a metal sphere. Lightning was discharging from the metal sphere and striking a section of chicken coop wire.
Thomas had those dark goggles on. He looked at William. Then he put his arms akimbo.
“How many times have I asked you to put eye protection on, when the light it on?”
“You didn’t turn on the warning light.”
Thomas turned off the contraption, and the deadly looking lightning stopped.
“Oh, that is most disconcerting,” said Thomas. “I put that signaling device so that we can tell each other when something is safe or requires safety gear. Why are you here?”
“Returning a wrench and bearing a message envelope for you.” William held up the Western Union envelope.
“Ooh, I wonder who it is from.”
“Open it, and we’ll both know.”
Thomas smiled at William. He tore open the message envelope. Then he read the printed message.
“Oh, wonderful, My Sister is coming on the 6 o’clock train.”
Thomas paused and look at the clock with the luminous dial. That is an hour from now.”
“I’ll call for a driver and the grooms to prepare our brougham. We have time to get there before the train Arrives.” He picked up two holsters. He vaulted up the spiral staircase.
William followed his friend, chuckling. William was going to enjoy bringing this woman and her son to the house. A guest suite was available, and William ordered it on the way out of the house. The other reason he liked to see her was to honor her husband, who stayed at his post and kept his men calm. They were giving better than they were getting. When he fell, his men won the day. He wanted to meet that officer’s son and wife.
Thomas was standing with another holster for William; William took this holster and looked at the gun. This gun looks like an illustrated comic book version of a firearm. William took off his old holster and put on the new one.
“Just how is this going to bedifferent from the other.”
“This gun we use electromagnetism to accelerate the bullet out of the gun. I have been able to get 1200 feet per second out of this gun. I know that you were going to ask me what the name of the gun is. The name is a coil gun. I was basing the design of the gun on a 6 inch Colt revolver. I was able to put in four stages of electromagnets. Also, I managed to get over 10,000 of the bullets made. In the handle of your gun is something called a magazine. You fill it with the bullets and put it in. You pull back the slide on the top and release, and you’re ready to go.”
“Did you know that your sister was coming before today?”
“Yes, how did you know.”
“You know that I would have to shoot quite a bit of ammunition through this gun before I would feel comfortable with it. Let’s get on the brougham.”
The brougham came to the front of the Union Station. A chalkboard told them on which track her train was coming on.
They got there just as the locomotive pulled in. The engine was one of the newer trains streamlined, and using a different Steam engineering type.
The passengers debarked and flowed away from the train. A woman in a bright yellow hat and an 8-year-old boy were smothered to death by Thomas, who ran to them.
William walked up to the family moment. He stood to wonder how to introduce himself. Thomas’ Sister looked at William. Her eyes got wider as she looked on William.
“Oh, Rowena, I am sorry, this is William Hazard, my partner in the Secret Service. William, please let me introduce Rowena Candace Fulbright, my younger sister.”
“I am pleased to make your acquaintance.” William doffed his hat. Rowena extended her right hand. William took it and bowed over it.
“My brother has told me a lot about you, Mr. Hazard.”
“I hope it was all good.”
“He is in awe of your physical capabilities. He also says that you are something of a rake and able to get into the bloomers of all women.”
William paused for the barest fraction of a second. He answered with one of the twenty prepared jokes he had.
“He exaggerates.”
“I like a man who is forthright in getting what he wants.”
“C’mon Row, let’s get your baggage.”
Thomas yanked on his Sister’s arm, leaving the little boy with William. William stood there, looking at the stunningly beautiful woman being pulled by her brother. William looked down at the little boy. He felt the tiny hand slip into his hand.
“They are going to argue about women’s rights. Uncle Thomas doesn’t like it when my Mom finds other men interesting.”
“I find your mom equally as interesting.”
“My Mom and Dad made love a lot.”
“I don’t think I’d like to know about that. That is something that is best kept between a woman and her man.”
“It’s OK. I watched my parents do it once. They have this whole code that they used around me. I broke that code easily.”
“You might have he makings of a code breaker. I don’t think we have been introduced. I am William Hazard.”
“I am John Jay Fulbright.” The boy held out his hand. William took it and gave a firm handshake.
“You go b
y Johnny or Jay-jay?”
“Johnny, sir.”
“You know, Johnny. Your Mother is a pretty woman.”
“I know. Mrs. Easley, our next-door neighbor, is five years older than my Mom. She has a horse face. At least that’s what Dad said.”
William heard the grief in Johnny’s voice. He saw Thomas and Rowena stopped when they saw what William and Johnny were doing, The pain on the boy’s face and a caring adult male hand on his shoulder.
“You miss your Dad, don’t you?”
“Oh yes, Mister Hazard, I miss him a lot.”
“That’s OK, Johnny. Sounds like a Dad who is worthy of his son’s love and grief.”
Johnny said nothing. He flung himself into Hazard’s arms. William heard sobbing from his right shoulder; He felt the little boy’s hands grab the black cloth. William stood up with Johnny in his arms.
Rowena came to collect her son. Thomas restrained her, saying: “I don’t know how he does it, but children trust him. The grief will be bearable soon for Johnny.”
Rowena had the red eyes of tears trying to get out. William encircled her with his left arm and brought her into the circle of his embrace. In this protective arms, she felt safe to let go and just grieve for her husband,
It was the tableau of the Civil War demonstrated both north and south. After five minutes, she broke the embrace. When she went to take Johnny, his arm barred her.
“He’s asleep. I can carry him to our brougham.”
Rowena regarded William again. At first, she saw him as a ne’er-do-well who attached himself to her brother. For the first time, Rowena noticed the weapon he wore at his hip. This was no dandy she was looking at.
“What does William do other than look pretty, as you put it?”
“I would consider it a kindness if you never told him I said that about him. As to your question, I cannot tell you. It is a secret.”
“This secret baloney better stop keeping your tongue still.”
“What’s the hurry?”
“Your friend is a powerful and virile man. I think I am attracted to him in a more than a sisterly way as you would like me to be.”
“Why do you have to complicate matters for me?”
“I’m going to have it out with William. Does he not find dates for you, and you go out?”
“Yes, he does. Mostly sisters and friends.”
Rowena grabbed his upper arm. “You have been lifting weights. Do you lift with him?”
“Yes, he teaches me a lot about physical life.”
“Then allow me to explore a possible relationship with him.”
“It’s going to change our working relationship.”
“How? Even if he marries me, you will still be brothers. In fact you would be legal brothers, and not just brother-in-arms”
“Except he gets to go to bed with you.”
Rowena laughed. “You may be my big brother, but you are still the little boy who saw things he did not quite understand when he looked under the girlie tent.”
“How long have you known about that? I told no one about that, except William.”
“You and Dickie kept trying to ditch me. That was something you taught me. You taught me how to keep up with you.
“You went to that wicked Carnival. When you came out of that tent, you had a confused look on your face. You were older, much smarter than me. Yet you were confused by naked women?”
“I felt desire for the first time, Row.”
“I had only one thing to figure out about men. You had three or four things to understand a bout women Then there is the whole talking thing and emotions. Men have problems with that.
“Except for William. He may not show emotions, but he understands them. Look at Johnny. Wore out from the trip, and crying on William’s broad shoulders. I felt his masculinity comforting me when he let me grieve on his shoulder.”
“I think he would say something like ‘we are all here for a moment, and then we are gone. The mark we leave is our loved ones who will continue to remember us, intensely at first and fewer and fewer until they don’t remember us at all.’”
“That is interesting. Sort of ‘When you find something, grab onto it.’ A lot of pain and anguish would go away with that simple philosophy.”
“I used to think that a degree from West Point was valueless outside of the army. William has changed my mind. You still like to play Chess?”
“Yes, although I only played with my husband.”
“Ask Will for a game. He may want to get into your bloomers, but not enough to lose a chess game.”
“Do you think he would get distracted by a woman undressing a little?”
“He would see it, He might comment on it, but it will not stray him from victory.”
“Chess as a precursor to coitus. You won’t warn him or yell at him.”
“I won’t, I promise.”
“Good. I believe that is your brougham. Is William? Yes, he is waking Johnny; why?”
“The sun is still up, and there is much to see that will excite a boy’s imagination, including our house.
“I’ve sent both of your steamer trunks to the house. They should be placed in your apartment by the time that we arrive.”
“Watch, Johnny,” said William. “A little of your uncle’s magic.” William pointed at the driver who twisted a nob, and the lights grew steadily brighter on the brougham with no flame.
“Oh, Uncle Thomas, did you really make these light?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Can I come down and see your Laboratory?”
“I don’t think so,” said Thomas.
“You used to let him come to your laboratory at the Institute.”
“Row, some of the things I am doing here are confidential. I can’t let him come down to the basement.”
William turned around and chucked him on the arm. “He is an eight-year-old boy. He is going to spy out the ways of the house anyway. If you allow him in the lab, you can control him, teach him some gadgeteer stuff. Plus, he would be an extra couple of hands.”
“You’re going to let him in your gymnasium?”
“Sure, teach him to shoot a gun. Make an agent out of him.”
Rowena said to Johnny: “Would you like Mister Hazard to train you to be an agent?”
“I have to ask permission first,” William explained. “I usually get what I ask for,” said William.
“Gee, Mom, for real,” Johnny asked.
“Yes, I think for real.”
“There is one thing that you have to promise me. What you will know is a secret. You cannot share it with anyone.”
“Can’t I share it with my Mom?”
“What you will know, she will know. She has to keep it a secret like you.”
Thomas sat in awe as his Nephew started treating William as an uncle. The father that he knew was being supplanted by two men who live adventurous lives. He looked at his Sister. She liked William, not as a brother, but as a man. He noticed that she was always touching him on the shoulder and arm. If she continues like this, William might be married to her in a few months.
Thomas had seen the looks he gave Thomas’ Sister. The looks were of the sort men give a woman that they wish to court. He wondered how that would feel to have his partner also be his brother in law.
The Brougham’s Driver announced that they were at the house. Johnny looked at the house. He looked back at his Mom.
“We’re going to live in a haunted house!”
She gave her brother a concerned look; He shook his head. Rowena relaxed.
William stepped off the brougham. He put Johnny on his feet. As soon as he felt the ground, he ran toward the front door.
William held out his hand to assist her out of the carriage. She boldly took his whole hand and not the finger holding that is proper between a man and a woman who is not yet married to that man. Rowena stepped down from the carriage. She gave William a full smile and not one of the fan-waving-in front-of-the-the-fa
ce smiles.
William decided to be bold in return. He kissed her hand. He actually put his lips on her hand.
“Yeah, William, you’re smooth,” Thomas said from behind him.
They all followed Johnny down the walkway to the front door. William helped Johnny reach the doorbell button; There was a carillon’s sound that played a minor key sequence. It sounded like a dirge.
The front door opened, and the footman stood by the door. He looked and saw the two Agents who lived here. The woman and the young boy had to be the Sister and young nephew of Thomas.
“Please come in,” said the footman. He opened the door wide to allow all to come in.”
Well, so far, it was not looking terrific to Rowena. The old look was continued in the foyer. The footman walked across to the double doors, and she swore that he sent clouds of dust into the air as he walked.
The footman opened both doors. Here was the house proper. They were in a large parlor with very comfortable looking furniture. There was an end table that had a carved onyx chessboard and pieces. This had to be the house proper.
There seemed to be a lot of people in the house. Johnny figured that the house was owned by his uncle. He had no idea why there were this many people.
Johnny walked close to a door that was left open. He rubbernecked and saw fancy library stacks. Johnny’s mother was a librarian, so Johnny knew stacks when he saw them. He walked to the partially open door.
Through the crack, he saw other men wearing black. Then he saw the unmistakeable size of the President. The men were having a meeting involving the Army, the Army that his father had been in.
So engrossed in the meeting was he that he did not hear Uncle William sneak up behind him. William put a firm hand on Johnny’s shoulder. He tried to scream, but William had his mouth covered.
William guided Johnny back to the Living room where Rowena was having a heated discussion with Thomas, her brother concerning Uncle William.
“I’m sorry, Rowena, but he is not the marrying kind. He’d rather be loving them and leaving. I don’t think he has the stamina for a real relationship.”
“How many have you had,” asked William gently, more of a whisper.
“Relationships?”
“That’s what we’ve been talking about.”