CHAPTER 9 - GHOULS AND SPECTERS
Carson's meeting with Morris Simmons had not gone well. He had tried to make light of the whole situation, but Morris was not convinced.
"The School Board meets on Friday morning, Will. We need a full report from you and all the backup documentation," Morris had told him.
After he left, Carson fumed for awhile. He paced up and down on the worn carpet. It didn't give him much time to alter the books. The only thing that had gone well that day was that those misfits had managed to get the book back from the brat.
He sat down and pulled the book out of his desk. Flipping through the pages, he searched for the loose paper where he had written his notes on how he had misused the school funds. It wasn't there! He shook the book. Nothing fell out. His frustration growing, he carefully turned each page. It just wasn't there. The little rat was either very clever or very clumsy. The notes were written in my code, he thought, but he must have figured it out. He plans to use it against me. I have to get that paper back. He yanked open the door.
"Mrs. Hightower! Find Buz and get him in here." He slammed the door. This time they won't be so gentle.
Marnie and Berren headed to Caedman's house. Darkness was setting in, but it was still early. They showed the paper to Caedman and told him where Toby had found it. Folding down the shelf, he laid the paper on the desk in the pool of light cast by the hanging lantern. For a long time he sat in thought, or jotted down notes as he consulted the paper. Marnie stroked Sirius, and Berren banked the fire while they waited.
Suddenly Caedman got up.
"Do you know what it says?" Marnie asked.
"I believe so," Caedman replied. "It seems that our Mr. Carson is a crook. If I interpret this right, he has been embezzling money and this is his accounting. But there's more."
They waited expectantly.
"I think Carson is our imposter governor."
Marnie and Berren both looked stunned.
"Is Toby in danger?" Berren asked.
"I think he could be. We have to warn him, and he needs to get this paper to the authorities in his world."
"How can we do that?" Marnie asked.
"Can we go to his world?" Berren asked hopefully.
"Yes, you can go to him," the hermit answered.
Toby picked up the trash bag and carried it out to the street. Cold damp air seeped through his thin jacket making him shiver. Patches of fog hung in the yard. It's January, and we're having Halloween weather he thought. Spooky. He froze as he heard a rustling behind the pine trees. Three shadows emerged from the darkness, and stepped out in front of him.
"Where you goin' Santa Claus?" Buz said. "Got your bag of toys for all the good girls and boys?"
Toby dropped the bag. Perfect, he thought. Now we have ghouls.
"Don't you have enough fun at school?" he asked. "There aren't any fire alarms around here that you can pull and blame me."
Buz laughed and swung Toby's backpack in front of him. "Just - doin' - a good - deed," he chanted in time with the swaying of the bag. "Something for you - something for us."
"What do you want?" Toby said suspiciously. He watched the bag wondering if he could catch it, and make it back to the house before he got throttled. Probably not.
"We came all the way over here to return your pack," Magnus said.
"You dropped it this afternoon, and we thought you might need your books tomorrow for school," Arnie said. Toby could imagine the smirk on his face. He waited silently.
"We returned Carson's book," Buz said. "But he says you took a page out of it." In spite of the cold, Toby felt sweat trickle down his back. Carson had noticed the missing picture, and had sent these goons to get it back.
"I'm sure you remember the loose page in the book? Perhaps it fell out while you were reading."
Toby laughed with relief. It was the scrap paper they wanted, not the picture he had removed. But why did Carson want it? And if it wasn't in the book, where was it?
"He seems to find us amusing," Magnus said. His voice was sullen and threatening.
"No, no, not at all," Toby hastened to say.
The bag stopped swaying. "So where's the paper funny boy?" Buz said flatly.
Toby's mind raced. Why was the paper important to Carson? Maybe it really was a code. "I don't have it," Toby said.
Buz started walking towards him, but stopped suddenly.
Toby shifted uneasily. What was he up to? Why had he stopped? He slowly took a step backward wondering if he could make it to the house if he turned and ran. A faint greenish glow was coming from behind him. As it grew he could dimly see Buz's face. His eyes were narrowed suspiciously. The light flickered and danced across his features giving them a ghostly glow. Arnie's eyes, which were seldom more than half-open, became wide with alarm. He and Magnus retreated into the trees.
"Having some trouble Toby?" said a voice behind him. Toby stopped and slowly smiled. He knew that voice.
He turned and stepped to one side so he could see Marnie. He sucked in his breath. She was covered in the same greenish light that he had experienced himself in the Valley of Rocks. A few seconds later a large dark hooded shape stepped up behind her. Berren was not glowing, but his tall muscular frame was menacing. In the eerie light, the staff looked more alarming than usual. He felt a shiver of fear as he looked at them. Even knowing who they were, and what the glow was, did not diminish the effect.
"I believe you said you were just returning my pack Buz?" Toby said.
Marnie was clutching something at her breast. She raised her other arm, and bluegreen sparks fell from her fingers. The greenish light cast shadows that swayed and danced in the trees giving the impression of more dangers just out of sight.
"Just leave the bag," Berren said in a low sinister voice. He leaned the staff forward, and the ram's head was illuminated. The eyes were dark menacing shadows and the shiny points of the horns flickered.
Toby heard a thud, and turned to see that Buz had dropped the pack and was running away. There was much rustling of leaves and excited exclamations as the three bullies stumbled over each other in their haste to get away.
He turned back to Berren and Marnie. The glow was fading from her skin, and they looked almost normal.
"How did you do that?" Toby asked.
Marnie shrugged. "I think it may be the star you gave me combined with the weather. It's much like the night we rescued Berren. Sure came in handy."
"Sure did. Thanks for showing up and getting me out of that mess." He moved the trash to the street, and picked up his backpack.
"Glad to be able to return the favor," Berren said. The fog was getting thicker.
"I'm really glad you're here - but how did you get here without the book?" Toby asked.
"Remember the picture Caedman made of your house?" Marnie said. "He put it on medallions so we could come. She showed him a disk about the size of a quarter. It was hanging from a shorter chain around her neck, just above the meteorite.
Berren said, "We told Caedman about Carson having the book. There are other pictures in it that work as portals."
Toby shivered. "That means that Carson could still get to your world."
Marnie nodded. "Caedman also thinks he figured out the paper. He thinks?" She was interrupted by Janie calling from the front door.
"Coming," he answered. He turned to his friends. They heard running footsteps coming down the street. "You've got to go," he said. "They're coming back."
They stepped under the streetlight and grasped the medallions. Marnie squeezed Toby's arm and pressed a paper into his hand.
"Please be careful, Toby," she said. "Give this to the right people. The governor's a crook!"
She let go. Focusing on the medallion, she vanished followed immediately by Berren. There were shouts of alarm from the street. Toby turned and ran for the house. Janie was waiting in the doorway. He slipped inside, and she closed the door shutting out the night.