Part Three
“We need to keep you out of sight,” Mart told Honey as they hurried away from the clubhouse on the way to Crabapple Farm to make their portal. “If your Aunt Vera sees you… and especially in the company of someone like me…”
Honey smiled. “You’ll just have to use your powers of hypnotic suggestion on her.”
Mart pulled a face. “It barely works on her. And I’d rather not get that close, thank you very much. Look through the trees. Can you see her anywhere?”
Taking the suggestion literally, Honey scanned around them and shook her head. “No. There’s no one close by that I can see.”
In the alternate world, Mart had x-ray vision, but in this world Honey had it. Mart, in turn, had the alternate Diana’s ability. When they reached the alternate world, Honey would have super-sensitive hearing.
“Come on,” Mart urged. “I want to get up to my room to get something, then we’ll go.”
He led the way down the path towards the farm, stopping every now and then so that Honey could check their surroundings. They hesitated in the back yard, waiting for an opportunity to progress.
“I don’t want anyone to see us, if we can help it,” Mart explained. “But I really want to pick up some ear-plugs for you. I have a feeling you’ll need them.”
As he spoke, his mother walked out the kitchen door, Bobby trailing along behind her.
“The answer is still no,” she was saying. “And that’s final.”
“Moms!” the boy grumbled, kicking at the path.
She shook her head. “And I want it cleaned up before I get back, understand? I won’t be long.”
Turning away from him, she got into the car and drove away. Bobby stood looking after her for a few minutes, then went back inside the house.
“Anyone else there?” Mart asked, in a whisper.
Honey peered at the house, then shook her head. “Bobby’s watching television. There’s no one else there.”
Mart frowned. “I don’t suppose it will matter if he sees me. But I don’t want him seeing you. Meet you in the laundry room, okay?”
He ran across the yard, up the stairs and into the house. Honey followed along at a more sedate pace. She kept an eye out for anyone else approaching, as well as watching Mart’s progress. She saw him argue briefly with his brother, then retreat to his room. Checking that Bobby had not moved, Honey sneaked into the house.
“The best I can do,” Mart offered, holding out a pair of orange foam disposable ear-plugs, wrapped in plastic.
Honey thanked him and put them in her pocket. “Let’s hope I don’t need them, but I’m glad to have them, just in case. Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
She smiled and reached out to form the portal. A moment later, they stepped through together.
“Mommy! Mart and Honey are in the laundry room!” a young voice yelled at the top of her lungs.
“Don’t be silly, sweetheart. They’re in Winter Rock, remember?”
The small girl – perhaps three years old – looked ready to argue.
“No, we’re not here,” Mart crooned to her, out of sheer instinct. “You just imagined us.”
To his surprise, it worked. The girl nodded her head, setting her dark ringlets bouncing, and wandered away.
“Who is that?” Mart demanded, in a whisper. “Why is she here? And how did she know us?”
Honey shrugged helplessly. “And how come you still have your own ability?”
He stared at the wall. “And I don’t have x-ray vision.”
Honey gulped. “But I do. Something’s really wrong.”
“We need to get out of here. Can you see if anyone’s near us?”
“The little girl. And your mother. They’re both in the living room. Oh! They’re coming this way!”
They each stared around themselves, looking for somewhere to hide. Mart stepped behind the door, while Honey crouched in the corner behind the laundry hamper. If anyone took more than a glance, they would be sure to see her there.
“No, Nicola, I have to finish this first,” they heard Mrs. Belden say. “How about if you help me do it? Then, when it’s finished, we can go outside.”
The little girl huffed in a way that reminded both listeners of Trixie, then agreed.
“Quick!” Honey urged in a whisper. “Now, while they’re facing away from us!”
She pulled Mart out of the room, out through the back door and gently shut the screen door behind them. They ducked around the corner of the house and leaned against the wall, breathing hard.
“Now what do we do?” Mart wondered. “And what happened to us? This looks like my house. But that little girl doesn’t live in our reality or the alternate one.”
Honey shrugged helplessly, then turned around and peered through the wall. “They’re nearly finished folding the washing, so I guess they’re going to come outside soon. We need to move, but where?”
He frowned, thinking. “Let’s go up to the clubhouse and see if we can catch up with Trixie and Brian. Maybe they know what’s going on.”
“I guess that’s as good a plan as any.” Honey peered through the wall again, then scanned around them. “This way, quick! Brian – but not our Brian, of course – is driving up the drive.”
They dodged around the house and onto the path that would lead them to the clubhouse. At the nearest approach to Manor House, Honey caught a glimpse of her great-aunt in the back seat of a car that went up the drive.
“Aunt Vera is here,” she told Mart, while twisting her hands. “I kind of hoped that she wouldn’t be.”
“Keep a look-out for Trixie and Brian,” Mart reminded her. “They must be close by.”
She scanned around. “They’re not. And the clubhouse has people in it. Bobby. Larry and Terry. Another boy I don’t know. They don’t look like they just got there. And they looked a bit older than usual. Maybe thirteen or fourteen?”
“What?”
“Trix and Brian must have found they couldn’t get through. Maybe they went somewhere else.” Honey grabbed his arm. “We need to go up near the stables and try and see Dan and Di. I don’t think we can get near Jim’s room, not with Aunt Vera in the house, but the stables should be possible.”
“Okay,” he answered. “What do we have to do?”
“Let’s go this way.”
She led the way, by circuitous means, until she had a good view of the stables and surrounds.
“I can’t see them anywhere,” she fretted. “Regan’s there. Mother, Daddy and Aunt Vera are in the library. There’s no one upstairs. Tom is in the garage. I can just see the kitchen from here, but it’s a bit fuzzy – too many walls between us and it.”
Mart nodded, being familiar with what she was talking about. “But Dan and Di aren’t here? And neither is Jim?”
She shook her head. “Maybe we’re here alone.”
“We’d better get back to the farm and see if we can find the piece of brooch,” he suggested.
“But this isn’t where it was supposed to be,” Honey argued. “This is somewhere else altogether!”
He shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know what else to do. And I don’t want your Aunt Vera catching us.”
One of the doors opened and Miss Carlton stepped out.
“A walk in the grounds is all I need, thank you, Matthew,” she declared, in ringing tones. “I shall be quite all right.”
“Ugh!” Honey pulled a very unladylike face. “There she is. What are we going to do?”
“Hide!” Mart urged. “You heard my mother: you’re not here!”
Honey pulled on his arm, taking him back the way they had come. “We’ll do what you said. At least she won’t think to go there.”
They ran down the path, narrowly missing the boys as they left the clubhouse, then had to slow their pace to avoid being discovered by them.
“We’re trapped,” Honey whispered. “Aunt Vera’s coming this way and those boys are so slow. She’s going to catch up to us in a minute.”
Thunder grumbled in the distance.
“Hurry up!” the unknown boy urged, not far ahead of them. “My Dad will kill me if he finds out I’m out in a storm.”
“It’s not going to storm.” Bobby continued to stroll in a leisurely manner, but the other boy grabbed his arm and dragged him along. “Todd! Let go!”
Honey looked at the sky. “What strange weather. I’m pretty sure it is going to storm. And if we’re not careful, we’ll be caught out in it.”
“Come this way,” Mart suggested, as the path branched. “We’ll loop round and shelter in the garage.”
“And get away from Aunt Vera. Good thinking.”
They walked in silence. Honey watched as her great-aunt caught up to the boys and rudely ordered them out of the way, though she could not hear the words. She and Mart hesitated as their path neared the edge of the yard.
“Stop a minute.” Mart held onto Honey’s arm. “They might see us if we go any further.”
Honey nodded and used her ability to see through the foliage. “Your mother is there, and the little girl. Brian’s just coming around the corner of the house. But he’s picking something up.”
She gasped and felt her pocket. “I dropped the ear-plugs! I think Brian found them!”
“You don’t need them. It’s not important.”
“I suppose not. Oh. There’s Aunt Vera. What’s she doing here?”
“Nothing good,” Mart commented.
Honey sighed. “No. Oh, now the boys are here. They’re going inside. And I think your mother told Bobby to take the little girl with him. And Brian’s standing behind your mother. He looks angry.”
“If this was the alternate reality, you’d be able to hear them.” Mart pulled her along a little. “Let’s get closer and try to find out what’s happening.”
They crept closer, keeping low so that the shrubbery hid them from view. In their new position, they could hear Miss Carlton easily, but both Mrs. Belden and Brian kept their voices much lower so they had to listen carefully.
“I insist that you intervene!” the old woman snapped. “Forbid your daughter from leading my niece astray in this wicked way. A detective agency is no place for a young lady.”
“As I’ve told you before, Miss Carlton, that’s not how my husband and I treat our children,” Helen answered. “Trixie is an adult and we will not forbid anything.”
“Then, perhaps, you should! Your daughter is a disgrace and I will not stand by and let her corrupt Madeleine this way.”
Honey saw Brian take a step forward. “I’d prefer if you didn’t speak to my mother that way.”
The old woman sniffed. “This is nothing to do with you.”
“I don’t agree,” Brian answered, calmly. “You’ve stuck your nose in where it’s not wanted far too many times already.”
“I beg your pardon!”
Mrs. Belden laid a calming hand on her son’s arm. “My advice to you, Miss Carlton, is to leave the matter to your nephew. If he needs your help, I’m sure he’ll ask.”
“I most certainly will not! Matthew’s attitude in this matter is nothing short of negligent.”
“But Honey is his daughter and not yours, Miss Carlton.” Helen’s voice was firm and just a little louder than before. “It’s not your business.”
“How dare you?” the old woman demanded, though she did not seem to expect an answer. “From the moment I first set eyes on you, I knew that you were a bad influence on Madeleine. All you have said today only confirms it.”
Another clap of thunder sounded, much closer this time. For the first time, the elderly woman appeared to take note of her surroundings.
“I will take my leave.”
Mrs. Belden glanced at the sky. “Would you like me to call Manor House and have someone collect you?”
Miss Carlton turned up her nose. “No, you need not bother. Good day!”
“She’s going,” Honey whispered. “And your mother and Brian are going inside. Now’s our chance to search!”
Mart stared at her, astounded. “Now’s our chance to get to the garage. Look at that sky! It’s going to pour.”
He pulled her back onto the path and they ran around the outskirts of the yard, reaching the garage just as large drops of rain began to fall. A gust of wind rushed past them, the air filled with static and the sky turned white as a boom of thunder sounded.
“Did you see that?” Mart asked, as Honey rubbed her sore eyes. “It must have come down between here and Manor House. I hope nothing important got hit.”
“Aunt Vera was going in that direction,” she answered, biting her lip. “I wonder if she got home all right?”
Mart opened his mouth to reply, but another clap of thunder drowned him out.
They waited as the storm raged, then faded away into the distance. The kitchen door of the farmhouse opened and Reddy trotted outside. He looked a little older than Mart remembered him, more grey around the muzzle and slower to move. He sniffed the air, barked once and started in their direction.
“What do we do?” Honey wondered. “Will he know that we’re not us?”
Mart opened his mouth to answer, then shut it again. The dog was wagging his tail, at least, but they had always known Reddy would be friendly with anyone.
Relaxing a little, Honey turned to the house. “No one’s coming. The little girl’s playing with the boys. Your mother and Brian are in the living room. Let’s go now, if Reddy lets us.”
The dog met them at the door to the garage, sniffed them and whined.
“Yeah, I know,” Mart told him, giving him a pat. “There’s something weird going on.”
They crept out into the yard and looked around for potential hiding places.
Honey’s brow creased. “I don’t know where to start. And we might have hardly any time before someone comes outside, or looks out the window.”
At Mart’s side, Reddy whined.
“You want something, boy?” Mart asked.
The dog trotted across the yard and into the doorway of his doghouse, but stayed outside, looking in.
Mart and Honey shared a look. “Could it really be that easy?”
He shrugged. “One way to find out.”
They moved over to stand beside the dog. Mart knelt down and reached into the doghouse, picking up an object inside. The inside of the doghouse turned a deep red as the jewel glowed. Mart closed his hand over it and stood up.
“Well, we got what we came for. How do we get back out of here?”
Honey eyed the house. “I don’t know that we could get back in there undetected. Do you think we should try somewhere else? The clubhouse, maybe?”
“Depends. Can we get in? I have my clubhouse key, but they may have a different lock here.”
She sighed. “I definitely can’t go to either of the portal places at Manor House. Not with Aunt Vera prowling around.”
“Then, we probably just have to wait here. Unless –”
“Oh! Hide!” she interrupted.
They stepped back into the shadows of the bushes beyond the doghouse just as the four boys wandered back into the yard.
“But I need to go back to the clubhouse. I left my ball there,” the unfamiliar boy was saying when they came into earshot. “You can do what you like, but I’m going back to get it.”
“Let’s follow him,” Honey suggested. “It might be our best chance.”
Mart nodded agreement and they trailed behind the boys, all of whom went along for the walk. As they wandered, they talked among themselves, mostly about how boring everything was and why couldn’t they get a mystery to solve like the Bob-Whites always seemed to.
“If we do something mysterious, do you think we could lure them out of the clubhouse?” Mart wondered. “It just needs to be long enough to make the portal and go through it.”
“Like what?” Honey whispered back.
He grinned. “I’ll think of something.”
Honey scanned around them. “Oh! I can see Tom. He’s hurrying down the drive. I think something’s happened.” A moment later, she breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh! It’s only a tree, but it’s down over the road.”
Ahead of them, the boys were nearly at the clubhouse. The boy the others called Todd opened the door and went inside, while the other three waited impatiently.
“It has to be now,” Honey urged, as the boy bounced the ball a couple of times and turned to close the door.
Mart looked around wildly, pulled Honey behind a thick bush and held out his hand. His fingers parted for a moment and the deep red light shone out.
Bobby looked in their direction and narrowed his eyes. “Did you see that?”
“What?” asked Todd, who had his back to them and was just about to lock the door.
Mart let the light shine again.
“Hey, there it is again!” Bobby cried.
“But what is it?” asked Larry.
“What is what?” Todd wondered, turning away from the door.
Mart shone the light once more, but in a different location.
“Let’s check it out,” Bobby urged. “Leave that; it’ll be fine.”
The four began to approach their hiding place.
“What now?” Honey wondered. “They’re going to find us!”
Mart shrugged. “I didn’t think that far.”
Honey stared around herself frantically and found a piece of fallen branch. She heaved it as far as she could to the opposite side of their bush from that which the boys approached. It caused a small crash; all four boys looked that way. Mart used the opportunity to shine the light in that direction.
“Over there!” Bobby yelled and all four bounded off the path and into the undergrowth, with far more enthusiasm than skill.
“Quick!” Honey urged.
The pair stumbled into the clubhouse and Mart made the portal. Before they could be discovered, he pulled Honey through.
Continue to part four.
Notes are at the end.
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