CHAPTER 14
Evening came, and tea time.
"Well, James," said Mandy as they ate sardines on toast. "Are you coming home with me?"
"Do I have to?" sulked James.
"Yes, you do," said Mr Omatola. "Remember what I said when you came!"
"He means it!" said Rodney. "You can't argue with my Dad!"
James took one look at Mr Omatola and decided that Rodney had a point. Not a good idea to upset him, if he wanted to keep his friend. So, after the meal he packed up his suitcase, helped by Mandy. He felt decidedly uneasy. He didn't want to go home. He didn't want to face Derek.
"Is Derek there?" he finally asked Mandy. "He was when I left, but he may have gone now," said Mandy, hoping she was right. What she was dreading was what would happen once James saw That Ring.
"I think you should make it up with Mum," she continued. "She is, after all, free to do as she likes without us telling her. We don't like it if she interferes with us."
"But what if she's going to be in trouble? I'm sure that Derek's trouble!"
"She's old enough to sort herself out, really," said Mandy doubtfully.
James sniffed.
Goodbyes said, they were soon on their own doorstep. Anita opened the door.
"James! So you decided to come back."
"Didn't have much choice," muttered James. Mandy gave him a dig in the ribs.
"Be nice to Mum," she hissed in his ear.
James forced a sickly smile. "Yes, I'm back," he said. He was silent for a moment. Then, "Sorry to have upset you," he mumbled.
Anita put her arms around him. "I's sorry too," she said. "I hope it's all right now."
James did not answer.
Don't show him the ring yet! Mandy prayed silently. Fortunately Anita did not, and James and Mandy went up to The Hideout.
While James looked out his Abbot William books, Mandy waited for him to look receptive. She felt she must warn James of the engagement before he found out for himself.
James was trying to see if he could find anything about someone called 'David' in Abbot William's time. But there was nothing in the index of any of the books. He looked up with a sigh, to see Mandy watching him. "What're you watching me for?"
Here goes, thought Mandy. "I've got something I think I should tell you."
"It's Derek again, isn't it?" glared James. "I know something's up!"
"Well," said Mandy, "you know already really. After all, Mum said they were going to marry. Well, they're now officially engaged. He bought her a ring yesterday."
James flushed scarlet, which was not a pretty sight, it clashed with his hair. Mandy remembered their mother and Derek doing the same. With James it was not embarrassment, however, it was fury.
He exploded. "How could she? To insult Dad like that by replacing him with that ... that idiotic crook!..." He had plenty more to say, and Mandy decided the best thing was to let him say it.
"Well," she said when he had finished. "You can't make her change her mind. She'll find out the hard way if you're right. But I think you're wrong. And we'll have to put up with it for now."
"Let me go and deal with Derek!" snarled James.
"He's not here, so you can't! Go back to Abbot William. At least you know the worst now. Let's try to solve the local mystery. You may even catch Derek at the same time, if you're right!"
"I'd thought of that myself," said James. "I wish I could talk to that engineer who got mugged. I bet he could tell me a thing or two!"
"I don't know about that. After all, if he could identify him, the Police would have arrested Derek by now, wouldn't they?"
"When will you come round to seeing it my way? You saw him being the ghost, too, remember. What was that you said just now about catching him? Do you suspect him - you should!
"Not really, no. Someone was watching us that time at the well. Yet it couldn't have been Derek, we know that, he was with Mum."
"We think he was. Maybe Mum is covering up for him."
"James! That's awful. To suspect Mum!"
"I suppose so." He sounded sceptical. But he said no more that night.
******************************
James and Rodney sat on the wall of the playground. It was the mid-morning break.
"That man who got coshed the other day," said James. "How could we get in touch with him? I wonder if he's home yet?"
Jane the Know-all, who was passing, overheard. "That man is my Uncle Bill. He's just come out of hospital - why do you want to see him?"
"Oh," said James airily. "Just investigations. You know."
Jane didn't think she did know, but it sounded exciting. "I'll see if I can get him to see you. He's quite a bit better now, Mum says. Leave it to me," she added importantly. "I'll arrange something."
Mr Bates went by on his way to the Science lab. Although he heard this conversation, he said nothing, but he gave Jane an interested look. Jane had kept her relationship to the local news item very dark - unusual for her!
"That was lucky," remarked Rodney after Jane had gone. "Someone is on your side, James!"
"I need all the luck I can get with Mum marrying that Derek!"
Rodney changed the subject. "Do we go and see the vicar tonight?"
"Yes. Let's hope he can read Latin."
It was difficult to concentrate on lessons that day, it was getting all too thrilling. James couldn't wait for evening to come - and at last release came. "Funny how when you're waiting for something time lasts forever," said Rodney as they went home. "If you are doing something you like, it goes so fast."
James nodded. He was hoping that he wouldn't have to face Derek across the tea table and have his evening ruined before it started.
He need not have worried. Derek was not there. "Where's Derek?" he managed to ask his mother.
"He's coming round later," she smiled.
James felt himself flush, but managed to control his temper. He had something important to attend to. He must not let himself be sidetracked.
"Rodney and I are going round to the Vicarage after tea," he said. "We've got something to ask him. We shall be together, so don't worry."
"Oh? What do you want to ask him?"
James thought fast. "Rodney wants to join the church orchestra."
"That's nice."
"Does he?" asked Mandy when they were alone together.
"No. I just thought on my feet."
"Hope Mum doesn't mention it to Mrs Omatola then!"
"So do I!"
Later James collected Rodney and they set off down the dark lane to the Vicarage.
Rodney shivered. "I don't know why, but ever since that well business, I feel watched."
They looked all around them. No watcher was visible, but then it is not easy to see anyone in the dark if they don't want to be seen. They were glad when they reached the lighted path to the vicarage.
The vicar was in and seemed pleased to see them. "What can I do for you?" he enquired. "Do come in," he added, holding the door open for them.
"Can you translate us some Latin?" asked James, once they were in the dimly lit Victorian hall.
"I can. But what Latin is this you want me to translate?"
James showed him the printout they had made of Abbot William's decoded message.
"Come into the study," said the vicar, taking the paper from James, and they followed him into a book-lined room to the left of the hall.
"Where did this come from?" he asked once they were in the room. He frowned at the dot-matrix-printed words.
"We copied it out of an old book," said James glibly. "We couldn't understand it, and would like to know what it means."
The vicar took the paper to the electric light in the middle of the room, and in a few moments he said, "Well, for what it's worth, it translates as 'Wisdom and Knowledge say: In the house of David find light and wealth'." He frowned again. "That sounds rather Abbot Williamish to me. Was it one of the books on him you got it from?"
James thought fast. "No," he said. "It was an old one we found." It was almost true, he thought, they had found it, although it was not a book really.
"Yes," broke in Rodney. "We found it."
"Well," said the vicar again. "It doesn't mean much to me. Some kind of medieval motto, I imagine. Sorry I can't make it mean anything more useful."
"Never mind," said James reassuringly. "It's nice to know what it says." He made a quick note on the pad he had brought with him. It would not do to forget the wording, even if at present no-one could not see any sense in it.
The vicar gave them back the printout, and casually asked how they were getting on with his books about Abbot William.
"All right. It's interesting, anyway," said James. "We're going from school to Elchester Cathedral on Wednesday. Do you think we will find out anything more about him and the Abbey from there?"
"You may do. Ask if you might look at the library. Maybe the Cathedral Librarian can do something for you."
"We have asked our teacher if we can do that," said James. "He said he would contact the Librarian."
"I am sure you will find the Librarian friendly. I know her slightly, and she has helped me in the past. Let me know if you find out anything interesting."
They agreed that they would, said their goodbyes and set off home.
