The Black Book

  Chapter 7: A Curious Book & Linda’s Plan

  IT looked like the sergeant didn’t open the black book when he searched the room and Matthew was uncomfortably grateful for this, because he couldn’t even imagine what would have happened if the officer had noticed the book and the names in it in the first place.

  The old book lay on the table where he had left it when he went downstairs. The edges of its pages appeared scorched anew and he wondered why he’d never noticed this before as he sat down and picked up his marker.

  Its leather cover was very warm when he placed his palm on it, and puzzled by this strange observation, he wondered whether Nora had tried to burn it when he was not around, sniffing the air for match fumes. He failed to have ever remembered noticing the ‘warm book’ phenomenon before and thought she must have been on this mission before he unintentionally came back home from school. This might have happened when she wasn’t expecting him so soon and he hoped she didn’t tamper with any other precious item of his.

  However, he quickly forgot all this and his interest went back to the black leather-bound collection of ancient paper before him. He’d noticed a kind of engraving on its leather cover and had discovered this same symbol on the left side of the back cover, although on a smaller scale. Two similarly shaped triangles of equal size were placed on each other to form a kind of star. One he’d seen on a particular country’s flag, although he couldn’t remember the country in question.

  Rummaging through his memory of national names, he finally came to the conclusion that he must upgrade his knowledge of world states as urgently as he could and forgot the symbol altogether as he opened the book to its fourth page. Yung Ji’s name he now scribbled in under Nora’s and glowed with pride at the list of six names he now had on this page.

  This was not as grand-looking as the forgotten captain’s list of sixteen on the book’s third page, but it was still an achievement. Matthew hoped to increase the number of names on his page in the days to come, but, just like Mr. Pebblestone, he was yet to decide on a deserving punishment for these defaulters.

  “Is that your book, Matthew?” Stephanie asked him from his door and he started in fright. Her sneaking skills were getting better by the day!

  “Yeah, Steph,” he quickly replied. “You never knocked.”

  “I can’t do that with a glass of juice for you in one hand and a plate of cookies for you in the other,” she rapped, placing the items on his table. “Now, how’s Nora’s investigation coming up?”

  “Nora?”

  “The drugs?” she helped.

  “Yeah, the . . . drugs,” he remembered. “I’m still working on it.”

  “Have you written her name in the book?”

  When did he tell her all this?

  “Sure, but you must promise me you won’t tell anybody.”

  “But Nora told me you told her, yourself,” Stephanie objected and her foster brother stared at her in amazement.

  Matthew was wondering when he told Nora that he’d written her name in the book.

  “Can I see her name in your book, Matt?” Stephanie pleaded.

  “No, Steph,” Matthew exclaimed. “Although it’s a harmless book, it’s also a top secret one. I’m the only one allowed to see those names, and…and write them on its pages.”

  Stephanie’s eyes were huge. It was like her adopted brother was being possessive of the book and this sounded very exciting!