“Lord Pierce, good to formally meet you,” Lord Lodge said smiling. “Perhaps you can explain exactly what is going on here?”
“Isn’t it clear that they broke in here and attacked me!” squealed Drummond before Pierce quieted him down by cocking his pistol and replacing it against his head.
“Nothing is clear when you or your master are involved,” retorted Lodge casually, his curious gaze fixed on Pierce.
“We followed Bufford on the hunt to a meeting with an arms dealer,” began Pierce, keeping the pistol in place. “It was pre-arranged and he picked up crates of German made submachine guns and ammunition. We then followed them back through the portal to the Manor.”
“And then they disappeared when you followed them in?”
“How did you know?” Pierce asked slightly shocked as he turned to look at Lord Lodge.
“I didn’t,” he replied evenly. “But presumably you wouldn’t be torturing poor Drummond if they hadn’t.”
“Attempted torture,” corrected Liam quietly.
“Drummond here is going to tell us which portal key he gave to Bufford,” continued Pierce as he looked back to his prisoner. “We were the first Hunt members that the servants saw exit the North Tower and a quick check of the halls within the tower revealed nothing.”
“So they must be in one of the portal anterooms” concluded Lodge in agreement. “And have possibly already taken one of the portals to another time.”
“Exactly.” Pierce then moved the pistol from Drummonds head and dug it into his right kneecap. “So I’ll only ask one more time, which key did you give them?”
“I gave them no key! Check the lock box, none are missing!” protested Drummond angrily, having received some new found courage by the appearance of Lord Lodge.
“He’s right, none are missing,” Sean concurred from the lock box after searching it.
“You might not have given them a key,” allowed Pierce with the pistol still in place. “But there’s something you’re not telling us. Tell me what you know or you’ll walk with a limp for the rest of your life.”
“Actually you’ll probably lose the leg,” Liam corrected. “There are no reliable doctors on this island, except for Lord Cleaver.”
“And I doubt Lord Cleaver would scrub up to operate on a mere employee of the Hunt,” concluded Pierce smugly, trying to get a rise out of Drummond.
“He would help me!” replied Drummond self-righteously.
“This is getting us no where,” announced Lodge wearily. “He clearly does not have any info on Bufford. However he did bring up a good point. Where is your real master, Dr. Cleaver?”
“Why?” Drummond asked, immediately wary.
“We have many things to discuss. Foremost amongst them; why he had me drugged, imprisoned, and ordered killed.”
Drummond gulped, having worked at the Manor long enough to know that despite his calm tone, Lord Lodge was furious. “My Lord, I didn’t…”
“Before you say another word,” Lodge continued, interrupting Drummond as if he hadn’t said anything. “Be advised that anything other than your total assistance in this matter will be treated as a direct action against myself and the Hunt. And you will be treated accordingly.”
“I understand my Lord,” began Drummond, slowly regaining his voice after a brief moment. “I honestly do not know where Dr. Cleaver is, however I was not entirely truthful concerning Colonel Bufford.”
“Very well, what have you got to say?”
“It’s true I didn’t give him the key to a second portal, but I did give him the key to room 2F001.”
“That’s the door to the portal where the hunt is taking place,” observed Pierce impatiently. “Why would you give him that key when you opened the door for everyone to start the hunt?”
“I gave him that key before the hunt was even announced,” Drummond answered to Lodge, ignoring Pierce altogether. “A few months ago he asked if he could be let into the hunting grounds beforehand. I know it’s against the rules, but the man is unbalanced. I was afraid to say no to him.”
“I see,” accepted Lodge calmly. “And you don’t know where he is now?”
Drummond merely shook his head, eliciting a snort of disbelief from Pierce.
“My Lord, how you can possibly believe him,” objected Pierce, confused by Lodge’s acceptance. Drummond was clearly hiding something, probably more than they realized, and Lord Lodge sat there nodding. From their last meeting he had thought Lord Lodge had observation and deductive skills bordering on mind reading. But now he was being fooled by a second rate conspirator.
“Lord Pierce, Mr. Drummond knows the penalty for lying to me at this moment,” Lodge replied curtly. “If you having nothing to add Drummond, you may leave.”
When Drummond shook his head, Lodge motioned Liam to cut him loose. Without wasting time Drummond quickly extricated himself once free, trying to regain his composure as he exited the room.
“Dufresne, follow him,” ordered Lodge after the door had closed, much to Pierce’s obvious surprise. “You didn’t think I believed him did you.”
When Pierce shrugged in reply, Lodge let out a short laugh. “MacDuff please take your men outside and wait for us. I’d like to speak to Lord Pierce and Tiberius alone for a moment.”
MacDuff nodded and followed the rest of the Brown pack out into the hall.
“What am I doing here? Why was I recruited into this dreadful mess you call the Black Tower Hunt Club?” Pierce asked as soon as the door closed behind MacDuff. “Something is going on and I want some answers before I blindly continue running around.”
“You’re here because I needed an outsider I could trust,” Lodge answered quickly. “That will have to suffice for the time being, as we don’t have time to get into everything.”
“Don’t have enough time?!” Pierce asked incredulously. “Aren’t we outside of time or something like that here? This island has an abundance of time if nothing else.”
“True,” acknowledged Lodge. “Time does seem to stand still here, but only in relation to the outside world. A threat on this island makes no allowance for that special relationship.”
“Fair enough,” Pierce grudgingly accepted. “Can you at least tell me what’s going on around here?”
“Cleaver is planning something very dangerous and has recruited many allies to his cause.”
“But what exactly is he planning?”
“I’m not sure,” Lodge allowed uncertainly.
“So you allowed yourself to be kidnapped to find out more information? That’s one hell of a risk.”
“I agree with Lord Pierce,” Tiberius seconded. “What if you hadn’t escaped?”
“I thought you rescued him?” Pierce asked, turning to Tiberius.
“I did, after a fashion. We rescued him and Jane when they were captured after escaping the Crows Nest.”
“Which can be discussed at a later date,” Lodge interjected.
“Jane?” asked Pierce after hearing her name. “She’s in league with Cleaver and can’t be trusted. I heard them plotting before.”
“She was under my direction at that time.”
“If you say so, but she was pretty convincing,” Pierce observed doubtfully.
“Which is the reason I used her, because she’s good.”
“Like you’re using me now? So what did you discover from being kidnapped?” enquired Pierce acidly, desperate for an answer of any kind. “Did Cleaver reveal his plans to you once you were in his clutches? Or did you trick one of his subordinates to let some information slip?”
“Unfortunately neither,” allowed Lodge. “However I did discover the lengths to which he is prepared to go to achieve his ultimate goal.”
“I’m not sure how that helps us.”
“Tiberius can confirm to you that for some time Cleaver and I have been battling each other covertly. But this is the first time that it has become violent. By ordering my death he crossed a line that cannot be undone.”
“And Bufford, how does he fit into this?” Tiberius asked the other two.
“He’s been recruited by Cleaver,” answered Pierce before Lodge could. “You said Cleaver has been recruiting allies, well he fits the bill. Plus I don’t buy Drummond going along with Bufford’s request for the key. There’s no way a bureaucrat like Drummond would break the rules so easily, unless he was under orders from his superior. And Drummond is clearly under Cleaver’s spell, his reaction to my questions showed that.”
“Very good,” nodded Lodge appreciatively. “That was my conclusion as well. I imagine Cleaver is using Bufford to distract us, like a magician waving one hand while the other takes your watch.”
“Divide and conquer,” concurred Tiberius. “So we ignore Bufford and concentrate on the leader?”
“We can’t take that chance,” replied Lodge vehemently. “Whatever that crazed madman is planning needs to be stopped, even if it’s only a distraction. Pierce, you and your men track down Bufford and stop him. This is no longer a scouting exercise; you have your hunting license.”
“First I need to find him,” Pierce noted sourly. “It’s as if they disappeared as soon as they crossed the portal. But that’s impossible.”
“If you want my advice,” Lodge began, lecturing like an instructor. “If you eliminate the impossible, the result however improbable, must be the answer.”
“Sounds like a fortune cookie,” Pierce chuckled but then stopped immediately. His eyes became fixed and a smile started to creep across his face. “MacDuff!”
Hearing his name called, MacDuff came in from the hall and stood ready for instructions.
“Go back to the anteroom outside the portal from Spain. Check the walls for a passage of some kind.”
MacDuff nodded and left the room quickly, excited at having a fresh scent to chase. Within a few minutes he had returned with a big grin across his face.
“Was it behind the wooden chest?” Pierce asked slyly.
“Indeed sir, a hole dug clear through the wall to the anteroom next door.”
“Big enough to haul those crates through?” MacDuff nodded in response.
“What made you think of that?” asked Lodge, beaming at his successful pupil.
“It was the only possibility; no keys were missing, they weren’t seen outside of the North Tower, and we couldn’t find them inside the North Tower. We watched them enter the Villa in Seville and tracked them to the portal within. They had ample opportunity to dig the passage between anterooms because Drummond gave them the key to 2F001. Which door leads to the anteroom beside it?”
“2F003. Marseille, 1835,” Tiberius answered immediately from memory. He walked over to the lock box and removed the key, tossing it to McDuff.
“I’ll find Bufford and stop him,” Pierce promised Lord Lodge as he followed MacDuff to the door. “But you had better have some straight answers for my questions when I get back.”