Fun Times...not

A police inspector stood frowning in Sadie's doorway.

Her ceiling was quite low, so the inspector had to stoop to come in. He wore a lint-colored suit that matched his gray hair and his ashen face. “Now then, Sadie. I’m Chief Inspector Williams. Let’s have a chat, shall we? Sit down.”

She didn’t sit, and neither did he, which must’ve annoyed him. It’s hard to look in charge when you’re hunched over like Quasimodo.

"Investigator, this is a waste of time."

“Tell me everything, please,” he said, “from the time your father came round to get you.”

“I already told the police at the museum.” I told him

“I want Sadie to tell her part of the story.”

So she told him everything. Why not? His left eyebrow crept higher and higher as she told him the strange bits like the glowing letters and serpent staff.

“Well, Sadie,” Inspector Williams said. “You’ve got quite an imagination.”

“I’m not lying, Inspector. And I think your eyebrow is trying to escape.”

He tried to look at his own eyebrows, then scowled. “Now, Sadie, I’m sure this is very hard on you. I understand you want to protect your father’s reputation. But he’s gone now—”

“You mean through the floor in a coffin,” she insisted. “He’s not dead.”

Inspector Williams spread his hands. “Sadie, I’m very sorry. But we must find out why he did this act of...well...”

“Act of what?”

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Your father destroyed priceless artifacts and apparently killed himself in the process. We’d very much like to know why.”

She stared at him. “Are you saying my father’s a terrorist? Are you mad?”

“We’ve made calls to some of your father’s associates. I understand his behavior had become erratic since your mother’s ****. He’d become withdrawn and obsessive in his studies, spending more and more time in Egypt—”

“He’s a bloody Egyptologist! You should be looking for him, not asking stupid questions!”

“Sadie,” he said, and I could hear in his voice that he was resisting the urge to strangle her. “There are extremist groups in Egypt that object to Egyptian artifacts being kept in other countries’ museums. These people might have approached your father. Perhaps in his state, your father became an easy target for them. If you’ve heard him mention any names—”

Sadie was so angry she could hardly think. She refused to believe Dad was dead. No, no, no. And a terrorist? Please. Why did adults have to be so thick? They always say “tell the truth,” and when you do, they don’t believe you. What’s the point?

I stared down at the dark street. Suddenly that cold tingly feeling got worse than ever. I focused on the dead tree where I’d met Dad earlier. Standing there now, in the dim light of a streetlamp, looking up at me, was Amos.

Behind me, the inspector cleared his throat. “Sadie, no one blames you for the attack on the museum. We understand you were dragged into this against your will.”

We turned from the window. “Against my will? I chained the curator in his office.”

The inspector’s eyebrow started to creep up again. “Be that as it may, surely you didn’t understand what your father meant to do. Possibly your brother was involved?”

I snorted. “Carter? Please.”

“So you are determined to protect him as well. You consider him a proper brother, do you?”

We couldn’t believe it. I wanted to smack his face. “What’s that supposed to mean? Because he doesn’t look like me?”

The inspector blinked. “I only meant—”

“I know what you meant. Of course he’s our brother!”

Inspector Williams held up his hands apologetically, but I was still seething. I hated it when people assumed we weren’t related, or looked at my father askance when he said the four of us were a family—like we’d done something wrong. Stupid Dr. Martin at the museum. Inspector Williams. It happened every time Dad, Carter, Sadie and I were together. Every bloody time.

“I’m sorry,” the inspector said. “I only want to make sure we separate the innocent from the guilty. It will go much easier for everyone if you cooperate. Any information. Anything your father said. People he might’ve mentioned.”

"Amos," Sadie said "he mentioned a man named Amos.

Inspector Williams sighed. “Sadie, he couldn’t have done. Surely you know that. We spoke with Amos not one hour ago, on the phone from his home in New York.”

“He isn’t in New York!” I insisted. “He’s right—”

She glanced out the window and Amos was gone. Bloody typical.

“That’s not possible,” she said.

“Exactly,” the inspector said.

“But he was here!” she exclaimed. “Who is he? One of Dad’s colleagues? How did you know to call him?”

“Really, Sadie. This acting must stop.”

“Acting?”

The inspector studied me for a moment, then set his jaw as if he’d made a decision. “We’ve already had the truth from Carter. I didn’t want to upset you, but he told us everything. He understands there’s no point protecting your father now. You might as well help us, and there will be no charges against you.”

“You shouldn’t lie to children!” she yelled, hoping my voice carried all the way downstairs. “Carter would never say a word against Dad, and neither will I!”

The inspector didn’t even have the decency to look embarrassed.

He crossed his arms. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Sadie. I’m afraid it’s time we went downstairs...to discuss consequences with your grandparents.”

I JUST LOVE FAMILY MEETINGS. Very cozy, with the Christmas garlands round the fireplace and a nice pot of tea and a detective from Scotland Yard ready to arrest you.

Carter slumped on the sofa, cradling Dad’s workbag. Carter looked awful—I mean even worse than usual. Honestly, the boy had never been in a proper school, and he dressed like a junior professor, with his khaki trousers and a button-down shirt and loafers. He’s not bad looking, I suppose. He’s reasonably tall and fit and his hair isn’t hopeless. When it came to clothes, Carter wouldn’t have known hot if it bit him on the bum.

At any rate, I shouldn’t have been too hard on him. He was taking Dad’s disappearance even worse than we was.

Gran and Gramps sat on either side of him, looking quite nervous. The pot of tea and a plate of biscuits sat on the table, but no one was having any. Chief Inspector Williams ordered Sadie into the only free chair. Then he paced in front of the fireplace importantly. Two more police stood by the front door—the woman from earlier and a big bloke who kept eyeing the biscuits.

“Mr. and Mrs. Faust,” Inspector Williams said, “I’m afraid we have three uncooperative children.”

Gran fidgeted with the trim of her dress. It’s hard to believe she’s related to Mum. Gran is frail and colorless, like a stick person really, while Mum in the photos always looked so happy and full of life. “They’re just children,” she managed. “Surely you can’t blame them.”

“Pah!” Gramps said. “This is ridiculous, Inspector. They aren’t responsible! Plus one isn't even a child!” He points at me

Gramps is a former rugby player. He has beefy arms, a belly much too big for his shirt, and eyes sunk deep in his face, as if someone had punched them (well, actually Dad had punched them years ago, but that’s another story). Gramps is quite scary looking. Usually people got out of his way, but Inspector Williams didn’t seem impressed.

“Mr. Faust,” he said, “what do you imagine the morning headlines will read? ‘British Museum attacked. Rosetta Stone destroyed.’ Your son-in-law—”

“Former son-in-law,” Gramps corrected.

“—was most likely vaporized in the explosion, or he ran off, in which case—”

“He didn’t run off!” Sadie shouted.

“We need to know where he is,” the inspector continued. “And the only witnesses, your grandchildren, refuse to tell me the truth.”

“We did tell you the truth,” Carter said. “Dad isn’t dead. He sank through the floor.”

Inspector Williams glanced at Gramps, as if to say, There, you see? Then he turned to Carter. “Young man, your father has committed a criminal act. He’s left you behind to deal with the consquences—”