The Vanishing Warlord - Part 10

[ButchyBoy]

It was nealy 10am by the time Cricket arrived at the given address of Mr. Louis Smithers. It was located in the countryside outside of London. With the exception of a few security devices, time seemed to have stood still here as well. The house and yard looked like something out of an old-style picture postcard, Cricket thought. She pulled up to the house in the AutoCab she had taken, and verbally instructed to vehicle to wait for her.

Afer knocking on the door, and Cricket calling out "Mr. Smithers" more than a few times, the door finally cracked open, and a meek, sad little voice behind it asked, "What do you want?"

"Mr. Louis Smithers?"

After a long silence, the voice replied, "Yes, that's me."

"My name is Cricket Lang. My husband is Harry..."

"I know who you are. And I know why you've come. Sorry, Mrs. Lang, but I can't help you or your husband."

Cricket wasn't giving up that easy. "Please, Mr. Smithers. I know it was you who sent us the small jade dragon, but I don't know why. I only know that Harry's life.....and mine....Well, this is now become life or death for both of us and we need your help........Please."

After another unnerving period of silence, the door opened to reveal a small, frail-looking old man. He wasn't much taller than Cricket, and was rather plainly dressed. Very unusal for someone who's a retired director at a place like the British Museum, Cricket thought.

Cricket walked in and was amazed by what she saw. Shelves of little figures and statues. Animals and people of every sort. Lots of differnt clocks on the wall. Pictures as well. It looked as if Mr. Smithers had a private museum of his own. "This is a very nice place you have Mr. Smithers", Cricket said with a genuine smile. The old man smiled back, looking around rather proud of what he had. "Would you believe all this, everything here....things people just threw away. Junk nobody wanted. But I fixed it all up, and now look."

Cricket could relate to that. She was a "throw-away" herself once. And she's be junk now if not for Harry. And it was thinking of Harry that snapped Mrs. Lang out of her facination with the house she was in.

"Mr. Smithers, why did you give the jade dragon to Harry? And the note you sent with it? You knew Harry and I were brought here to investigate the deaths of the other directors and this....warlord?"

Smithers went to his library shelf as he answered. "Yes. I found it. I was sure your Harry would know what to do." The old man open what was a photo album to a page, and showed Cricket a picture labeled Sackler, Spencer, Smithers -- 2002. Cricket noticed something wrong with the picture right away. Sackler and Spencer looked like younger versions of men she had seen in the case file photos, but the younger version of Louis Smithers seemed a lot taller in the photo. She pointed it out to the old man beside him. "This.....isn't you?"

"No....it isn't. You see Mrs. Lang, I never went to China. Oh I was supposed to go, but I have an awful fear of flying, especally after what happend back in 01, you see, but the China delegation of the museum there were expecting three people." He pointed back to the names under the picture. "Us three.....nobody else. So a yank frind of mine, Rick Lang, offered to take my place. He passed himself off as me, accent and all, and the expidition went off without a hitch."

Cricket was taking all this in when that last named dropped had her really sit up and take notice. "Wait.....you said Rick Lang? Harry's father???"

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More of part 10 next time

[DollSpace]

Myew! So the plot thickens even more! Keep on writing; I love your stories!

Ryn