Chapter 7
“Really,” asked Max, “you want me to create a distraction?”
“Excuse me?” said Jack.
“Did you just say you wanted me to create a distraction?” asked Max, “I could come up with some clever scheme to lure people away from—“
“Hold on a second Quinn,” said Jack, holding his hand over the receiver of his Bluetooth wireless cell phone earpiece, “Max is blabbering on about something. What is it, Max?”
“Oh,” said Max, “I’m sorry. Are you on the phone? I thought you were talking to me.”
Jack shook his head no. “I’ve got Quinn on the phone. What were you saying?”
“Nothing,” said Max.
“OK,” said Jack, “you probably want to clear out of here then. You might get in trouble if you hang out here with me. Quinn are you still there? I’m going to need you to create a distraction in just about a minute. Can you do that? Great.”
“So, uh, what are you going to do?” asked Max.
“I probably shouldn’t tell you,” said Jack.
“The elephant is moving! The elephant is moving!” came a shout from the main entrance hall of the museum. “I saw it move! It’s ALIVE!”
It was Quinn. Max turned and dashed out to where he could see him, as did many of the people crowding through the Hall of Mammals.
“I saw it move its head!” shouted Quinn, pointing at the giant elephant. He ran up as close to the gigantic creature as he could get and jumped up and down and waved his arms. “Over here Mr. Elephant, Over here! Can you hear me? Do you speak English? He looked at me! He looked at me!”
“Jack, are you seeing this?” asked Max from the entrance to the Hall of Mammals. “Has he lost his mind? Jack?” Max looked over his shoulder to discover that Jack had not followed him out to see Quinn. Nor was he sitting where he had been a moment before.
What Jack had done, the moment Quinn started shouting, in the first bustle of tourists towards the commotion, was duck behind the pedestal where the armadillo was displayed. From behind it, he reached up and around to where the pressure sensitive panel was supposed to be. Working by touch only, he poked the side of the display until he felt something move. With a precise click, a small door opened outward when he pushed the edge of its door. Eagerly, he hopped up on the bench and peered inside. The door revealed a small compartment, empty except for an envelope. Jack grabbed it. Then he closed the door and stepped down off the bench. He hurried over to the entrance of the Hall of Mammals.
“There it was again!” continued Quinn,” It blinked. I swear it! Did anyone else see that? Who’s got a camcorder? Were you filming that? No, not me, the elephant, point your camera at the elephant!”
A security guard had made his way through the crowd to where Quinn was carrying on. The guard waited for another officer to join him before confronting Quinn.
“Sir,” said the guard, “Please calm down.”
“Did you see it move?” asked Quinn, “I can’t believe it either!”
“Sir, would you come with us for a moment?”
Jack shouldered his way over to Quinn.
“There you are Horatio,” said Jack, with a British accent that he’d perfected during his Harry Potter phase, “Mum and I were so worried.”
Quinn did a double-take and seemed to be searching for words.
“I’m so sorry, constables,” said Jack to the guards, “so terribly sorry. Horatio is sometimes overcome with fits like this. His imaginings we call them. Perfectly harmless, I assure you.”
“This is your brother?” asked the guard.
“Yes governor. It’s alright Horatio,” said Jack, “I’ve got your special bottle right here.” He felt his pockets in exaggerated searching. “dear me, what have I done with it? Don’t tell me I left it in the café.”
“Sir,” said the guard, as Jack turned his pockets inside out looking for the imaginary bottle and Quinn stared mutely at the elephant. “Perhaps you’d like to come back to our office and gather yourselves together for a moment.”
“That won’t be necessary, thank you though,” said Jack, “I must have left the bottle with mum in the café. Do you feel alright to come with me Horatio? Has the elephant stopped moving?”
Quinn nodded, “It’s stopped now. But it was moving a minute ago. I wish you had seen in, Priscilla.”
The guards looked at each other. A brief expression of bewilderment crossed Jack’s face for a second too.
“I wish I had too, old chap,” said Jack, recovering. “it must have been marvelous. You’ll have to tell me all about it.”
The guard who had been silent now put a finger to his ear, where he wore a transmitter. Then he said, “would you two mind please coming with us.” He was not asking.
“Yes of course,” said Jack, “hate to trouble you, though.”
“Where are we going, Priscilla?” said Quinn.
“These nice constables have offered us their office to sit and rest in for a spell,” said Jack, “isn’t that kind of them?”
They followed the guard through the busy room. The second guard followed them. The crowd that had gathered made a way for them, then dissipated after they passed. Both boys eyed the entrance doors, just a short sprint from where they were, but there were metal detectors and more guards between them and the doors. So they simply went where they were told. The guards’ station was beside the main information desk at the edge of the great marble room. They followed the guard around the desk and then through a door in one of the marble columns. Through the door, which looked like it would just lead to a closet or a staircase, there was an entire modern office. There was a lounge with lockers on one side. There was a control room, separated from the lounge by a glass wall. In the control room, two more guards sat at a panel of security cameras. The boys were led into the lounge, where the guard invited them to sit at a table near the glass wall.
Jack sat down and said, “Oh it’s nice if you to let us back here. Even I was becoming over stimulated out there.”
Quinn sat too.
“Are you here with someone?” asked the guard. “Did you say your mother was with you?”
“Was with us,” said Jack, “She’s gone ahead to the National Gallery by now. We’re to meet her there for lunch at noon.”
“Is he OK?” asked the guard, nodded his head at Quinn.
“What, Horatio? Of course he is,” said Jack.
“And what did you say your name was?” asked the guard. “Did he call you Priscilla?”
Jack nodded slowly. “Yes his did,” he said, dropping his accent slightly, “most of my mates call me Chris, though.”
“And you’re Australian?” continued the guard.
“My my my, rather the third degree isn’t it?” Jack fake-chuckled.
“I’m feeling better now,” said Quinn, “if that’s what you’re wondering.” Quinn didn’t like the direction the conversation between Jack and guard was going. “Really I am. Sometimes I get these sensations, though. I think I must have been feeling dizzy. Low blood sugar, maybe. But I’m fine.”
The guard looked relieved that Quinn had spoken.
“Would you like to rest? Can I get you a drink of water?” asked the guard.
“It would probably do me some good to drink something,” said Quinn, “but we don’t have to impose on your space here. Maybe we can run down to the cafeteria, if that’s OK with you, Priscilla?”
Jack was looking past the guard into the control booth with the security camera monitors.
“Priscilla?” repeated Quinn.
“Oh sorry,” said Jack, “actually, maybe if we could sit here for just a moment or two, it would be best. Thank you. And yes, I’m Australian. That’s a sharp ear, you have. I always forget that I stand out over here.” Jack tried to modify his accent to an Australian one.
The guard smiled for the first time, “I used to date an Aussie,” he said.
“Right you are,” said Jack.
“You all take a few minutes then,” said the guard. “Tap on the window if you need anything and they guys will help you.”
“I think I’m ready to go, actually,” said Quinn.
“Let’s take a moment,” Jack answered quickly.
The guard looked at them both for another moment before leaving them alone and heading back out into the main hall.
“Why do you want to stay back here?” hissed Quinn, when they were alone.
“Why did you call me Priscilla?” Jack spat back at him.
“What?” grinned Quinn, “it’s a good British name.”
“A British girl’s name,” said Jack.
Quinn shook his head, “I don’t think so. I think it’s one of those ones that they use for guys in England. Like Lesley or Evelyn.”
“I’m pretty sure not,” said Jack.
“You’re the one who hauled out your stupid accent,” said Quinn with a gleam in his eye. “Can we go now?”
Jack shook his head. He looked again through the glass dividing wall at the screens where the security cameras beamed what they saw. Jack pointed, “I wanted to stay back here so we could see what Cable was up to. Look.”
On one of screens showing the upstairs galleries, they could see their brother making his way down an empty hallway.
No comments:
Post a Comment