The Doorknob Society (The Doorknob Society Saga) (16 page)

“Maybe I don’t know where I belong.” I could see the keyhole on the doorknob perfectly in my mind.

“Your family has a lot of history with the Doorknob Society. You’re not surprised you haven’t declared for them?”

“No,” I lied. I was unclear about so much at this point. I didn’t know if I belonged in DS or even if I wanted to be a member. Yes I wanted to stick it to Mr. Jordan and help my dad. But for the first time I was unsure if it was what I really wanted.

“Fair enough.” Emory yanked open a desk drawer and pulled out a manila folder. He checked the name on it and pushed it across the desk toward me. I reached out and took the folder flipping it open. It contained an incident report about a burglary.

“This is the case we’re working on. Last night a thief burglarized one Edna Blackbane and stole a set of family heirloom maps and assorted devices. We need to find the culprit and why he wanted them.”

“You mean I get to work a case?”

“Yup, so what do you think?”

I jumped right in. “Were the maps valuable?” Maps were hot commodity even old ones could go for a lot of money and I figured that’s what they might have been after.

“According to Edna, they’re old family maps that contain outdated information.”

“Maybe they were looking to grab anything that they could?”

“No, the thief or thieves broke in and took the maps and two other items. They ignored the newer and more valuable gadgets.”

I shook my head. “What devices?”

“A book on the formation of the societies and an Impossible Engineer compass.”

“Do you have any suspects? Or could it be a family member or friend who wanted the old stuff for some reason?”

This time the Inspector shook his head. “Family members have been accounted for at the time of the theft, even her son who is unstable. The problem is that we have a thief stealing items that have no real value, except sentimental and no viable suspects. So why were the items stolen?”

“Maybe they’re more important than they seem,”

“Very good, Chloe.” DI Emory smiled. “You worked your way through that very effectively. You asked the right questions and stayed on track and kept bringing it back to the motive behind the crime.”

“Thanks, so now what do we do?”

“The case is active but low priority for HVO, but I am going to keep it open and have you do some research for me.” He grabbed his pen and wrote a list on the yellow pad. He tore the top sheet off and handed it to me. “Here’s a list of books that contain Impossible Engineer data about the stolen items. I want you to go to the library and do some research. Maybe you’re right and there is more to this than we realize.”

I snatched the paper from his hand, shaking with excitement and smiled. I was getting a chance to go to the library. I finally had the opportunity to do some investigating of my own. Being part of the HVO was looking brighter every minute.

“Should I go now?” I hoped I didn’t sound impatient.

“Sure I got a few other calls to go through and then I’ll come see how you’re doing.” Detective Inspector Emory pointed to a door which he said would lead me to the library and headed off.

My feet took flight and though it didn’t take me long to reach the entrance I had to stop and catch my breath I had run so fast. I was also suddenly apprehensive. I wasn’t sure what I’d find, if anything. But what if I didn’t like what I found? I tried to steel myself against any surprises. At least I was doing something besides waiting around for someone to give me answers, never a good approach. I was one to take action and I intended to do just that no matter what

I entered the library and glanced around at all the students huddled over books at endless rows of tables and those crowding seemingly never-ending aisles. I wondered exactly how big this library was and how its huge size could make my task that much more difficult.

I made my way to the information kiosks, which look like old TV screens on a set of poles with gears and tubing running out from the bottom and down into the floor. A shelf rested on the front with a set of knobs and levers. I pushed the button on the shelf marked begin. The screen flickered to life, a smiling woman’s face looking back at me. A beam of light shot out of a small hole and scanned me.

“Student ID confirmed. Welcome to the library, Chloe Masters, how may I help you today?” The image jumped and swayed for a moment and then steadied itself into the form of a woman who patiently waited with a smile for my reply.

“Uh, hi.”

“Hello, Ms. Masters, how may I be of help?”

“I need info on old gadgets,” I replied holding up the small piece of paper with the list of stolen items on it.

“Please feed the list into the tube,” she said as a wooden block flipped open on the shelf to reveal a pneumatic tube. The cylinder itself was about the size and shape you see at most bank drive up windows but its ends were intricate and detailed. The lid had finger impressions that made it easy to grasp and as I twisted the lid a small set of gears churned and squealed popping the tube open. I dropped the list in, closed the top and placed it back in its cradle. The wooden door snapped closed and I heard the whoosh of air as it was sucked into the tube system.

“I will have your results momentarily.” While I waited, the video image continued to smile at me, making me feel as though she was keeping an eye on me.

“Is there anything else I can help you with?” she asked in a chipper voice that for some reason reminded me of Val.

“Yeah, there is. Do you have any information on my family?”

“The library contains over four thousand references to the Masters family. Could you please be more specific?”

“Wow! Really?”

“Yes, and that is only in the library proper. In the restricted sections of the different guilds each contains numerous volumes with references to your family.”

“How about my parents?”

“Searching for Elijah and Talia Masters, there are three hundred and twelve references.”

Edgar had said the library contained detailed family information on all Old Kind but I was shocked by the volume of information. How could I go through it all on my own? I pushed my hair behind my ears as I considered how to narrow the search even further. And then I got an idea.

“What’s the most popular area searched?”

“
The Trial and Expulsion of Elijah Masters from the Doorknob Society
by Stanley Lieber.”

“That’s the one I want,” I said a little too loudly and was shushed by every person in a twenty foot vicinity. I smiled weakly and jumped a bit when the door of the pneumatic tube swung open. I grabbed the cylinder and opened it pulling out a sheet of paper that contained the aisle and reference number of the books regarding the stolen items and at the very bottom of the list in bold print was the location of the book about my father.

I stared at the title of the book and my mind raced with possibilities of what it might contain. Here were answers not only about my family but especially about my dad. The man, until a few months ago, I wouldn’t have thought could be kicked out of anything, let alone have a book written about it.

I was preoccupied as I walked through the library searching for the various books. I made sure to grab the ones for Detective Inspector Emory’s case first and then I finally made my way to the area where I would find the book about my dad. I stood in the aisles scanning the spines of the books. Until I spotted it on one of the higher shelves the lettering in gold script screaming my father’s name at me.

It took a moment to get my frozen limbs moving and my madly-beating heart to calm. I couldn’t help but be eager yet fearful knowing the book could change my life in so many ways. But I think the thing I feared the most was... would what I read change things between me and Dad? I was angry with Dad for disappearing on me and not telling me everything. We’d always been a team ever since Mom left and I didn’t want that to change.

I stood on my tiptoes and grasped the edge of the book pulling it toward me. It was thick and heavy and I had to yank hard to pull it free from the shelf. It fell toward me and I had no choice but to grab for it with both hands to keep hold of it and steady myself. That meant the other books went tumbling to the floor.

“Well what have we here?”

The voice floated toward me as I knelt to pick up the stack of fallen books. I glanced up, two girls stood at the end of the row staring at me. I recognized the taller of the two; she was the girl I kept seeing with Nightshade. She was beautiful with her long blonde hair perfectly styled and of course an outfit that matched precisely. And there was still something familiar about her that I just couldn’t place.

Both girls wore large, though not very friendly grins as they assessed me like cats anxious to play with a new toy.

“You’re the Masters girl aren’t you?” the blonde asked snidely.

“Yeah, I’m Chloe Masters.”

“Is it true you haven’t declared yet?” she smirked as she said it.

“What do you care?” I finished picking up my books and walked toward them standing right in front of the blonde girl.

“I declared for the Guild when I was eleven.”

“Good for you.”

“We don’t like undeclared students coming into the Guild and hanging around so if I were you I would declare before you got to the Skeleton Key Guild.”

“No worries there. I would rather not declare at all than be a Guilder.”

“What did you say?” she asked as she stepped toward me.

“You heard me, Barbie. Unless you want to mess up your pretty hair you better back away.” I was angry and sick-to-death of people from that stupid guild getting in my face.

The want-to-be Barbie leaned in close. “Little girl, you have no idea who you’re talking too.”

The energy in my body began to build and ripple through me and I didn’t try to stop it. The power overwhelmed and that’s when I knew I’d messed up. The power wasn’t only coming from me... it was also coming from her. This girl was much more experienced than me and from the way my hair stood on end, she was pretty damn powerful.

She flipped her hand toward me and in it was a glowing skeleton key charged and ready for action. Sure enough she pointed it at me. The vibrations springing from her key resonated through me and I started trembling. My own abilities interacted with the flow of her energy and I lost control. I jumped a level, I could feel it... it was instinctive. Besides, it was like everything I had experienced before this point had been child’s play and now I was ready for the grown up world.

“You actually think that your newbie powers are a match for me?” Her eyes glowed as brightly as the skeleton key.

I knew I was in trouble when her sidekick shuddered, turned and ran like the devil was chasing her. “I may not have declared, Barbie, but you’re not so tough.” Man when was I going to learn to just walk away? Not likely.

“Jessica, my name is Jessica,” she yelled and spun and slammed the skeleton key into the row of books on the shelf beside her.

I sensed the power shift to her advantage and then I heard a lock clicking and I knew I was in deep trouble. The rows of books around me disappeared replaced by numerous doors, each glowing more ominously than the next.

Jessica stood smiling at the end of the aisle. “How do you like me now?”

“You’re still a jerk.” I grinned, and yes the thought that I had just sealed my own doom did cross my mind.

Jessica let out an angry scream and spun the key. The doors would open soon and it wasn’t going to be good for me. That’s all I could think about and focus on as I waited to face a challenge that I wasn’t sure I was up to.

Nothing happened.

The doors shuddered and creaked but stayed closed. I felt every portal and bit of energy that surrounded me. It was almost as if I was plugged into it, connected and somehow affecting it.

“What are you doing?” Jessica yelled twisting the key again, frantically attempting to resume control and open the doors.

I stumbled back the blow so strong that I actually physically felt it even though I hadn’t suffered a physical blow. She was fighting to open the doors and I was fighting to keep them closed. I dug my feet in and stood strong thinking how badly I wanted to keep them shut. I closed my eyes and concentrated on one thought... closed doors.

Suddenly the feeling vanished and the energy drained from my body like a popped balloon. The last thing I remembered was opening my eyes for a moment and seeing Jessica sprawled on the ground. Then I collapsed beside her and slipped into darkness.

Chapter 16

Status: I need to relax

I didn’t recognize the dark hallway, but what did I expect this was a dream. Wasn’t it? Windows lined the one side and I looked out at the full moon. A door slamming had me turning and ducking into the shadows. A man came running into view. He was older than my dad and bald except for patches of grey above his ears and a white goatee. He was dressed in an expensive suit similar to the ones I’d seen at the corporate retreats where Dad had been hired to perform and where everyone smiled, laughed and enjoyed, not like this guy who didn’t seem at all happy. I sensed someone behind him but the shadows concealed the person so I couldn’t see who it was.

“She’s wrong about this, Caleb,” the man in the suit said.

“Perhaps,” Caleb responded.

“We should do something now while they don’t suspect anything.”

“It is too late for that. They already suspect. Why else do you think they sent
him
?”

He spat as if he cursed the person and it sent chills down my spine.

“We could kill him,” the suited man said as if taking a life meant nothing.

My breathe caught in my throat and strange as it was —but then this was a dream— I could feel the unseen man, Caleb considering this horrible option.

“No, she’s right we can use him,” Caleb said annoyed. “As long as she has the Overlords ear we must acquiesce to her.”

“Fine we do it her way for now. But when this is over I say we kill him,” the suited man said before he walked down the corridor and out of sight.