All previous chapters - CHAPTER 1 - CHAPTER 2 - CHAPTER 3 - CHAPTER 4 - CHAPTER 5 - CHAPTER 6 - Chapter 7 - CHAPTER 8 - CHAPTER 9 - CHAPTER 10 - CHAPTER 11 - CHAPTER 12 - CHAPTER 13 - CHAPTER 14 - CHAPTER 15 - CHAPTER 16 - CHAPTER 17 - CHAPTER 18
Previously on “The bomb in the shed…”; When Arthur confronts Elizabeth about how she’d been using him and tells her that Bella is being taken away she leaves him. Bella is stolen by Gibson and Fitzpatrick so they can hand her over to the US authorities.
And here we go with CHAPTER 19…
Chapter 19
Looking around the dinner table for the first time in a while Camilla felt a flicker of optimism for her family. It had been short notice, but everyone had made it. Even Angela had joined David and baby Gemma. With Camilla just back from the US and Arthur fresh out of hospital, it perhaps wasn’t surprising they had all made the effort. But still it was something to be thankful for. With the shed cleared and Arthur seemingly committed to a real retirement this time there was at least the chance things could heal. It wasn’t possible to get back to the way things were before, Arthurs revelations about New Mexico and Elizabeth had ensured that. But perhaps they could find a new equilibrium. Something better than what they’d had the last two decades.
More surprising than Angela’s appearance though was that Alex had brought a date to a family gathering, which was unheard of. Not just any date, it was Jacob. Quite how they’d got together was a mystery Camila wasn’t prepared to delve into. She’d been concerned initially but had then decided to just let it go. She was done with worrying on other people’s behalf. Alex seemed to be totally comfortable, acting like this was the most normal thing in the world, and Arthur didn’t seem to be bothered by it. The only person who looked a little unsettled was Jacob, sitting down with the family after everything that had happened.
Having such a large crowd would have overwhelmed their dining room table, but Arthur had planned ahead, which was astonishing. He’d brought an old table in from the shed to extend it, covered it all with a table cloth and made it look rather presentable. I’ll buy a new table and chairs next week he’d assured Camilla.
Fair enough.
When it came to cooking Arthur did struggle, but he did ok. Camilla would have done something a little easier for such a large group, like a lasagne. But Arthur had gone for a full Sunday roast. Fair play to him for giving it a go. It was tempting for Camilla to step in and help out when things got a little tricky. There was a lot for Arthur to juggle. The old Camilla would have done so without hesitation. But she bit her tongue, said nothing and instead enjoyed a glass of wine with her family while Arthur sorted it all out. It was really quite nice. She’d caught a glimpse of the kitchen and it was looking like a wreck. But she blocked that from her mind too.
As Arthur cut slices of beef for everyone at the table he said, “What do you think you’ll do next, Jacob?”
Jacob had told them he was going quit Seed Capital One, he was pretty sure he would get fired anyway.
“I’m not sure. I’ll probably stay out of finance if I can. Maybe join a start-up…”
Kids were so confident these days. Job security didn’t seem to worry them. Jumping from one career to the next seemed second nature. Alex announced a new role every six months and it didn’t seemed to hurt her career.
“…How about you, Arthur?”
Arthur looked at Camilla. “Me? I’m retired. I’ll probably do more reading.”
Reading, really? He sounded like he meant it.
There was a loud ping.
“Sorry, that’s me.” Jacob got his phone out. Had a quick glance then put it back in his pocket.
They carried on eating and chatting.
A few minutes later it pinged again.
Alex gave Jacob a dirty look.
“Sorry I’ll turn it off.” He got his phone out and glanced at the screen, pausing part way through turning it off. “You know, I think I’d better go and check something. Sorry about this.”
It hadn’t taken long for the curse of mobile phones to interrupt a perfectly nice family lunch. People were ruled by them these days. It didn’t seem to occur to them how rude it was.
“I’m sure he’ll be back in a moment,” said Arthur. After a few more uncomfortable minutes he added, “I’d better see if he’s ok,” and he left too.
---
“Everything ok?”
Arthur found Jacob in the kitchen, staring at this phone.
Jacob said, “It was Kinga. Gibson is missing.”
“Missing?”
“No-one’s seen him and his team since they left this house yesterday. Or Fitzpatrick. The truck had a tracking device, but it was found on a side road halfway between here and Lakenheath. According to the log that’s as far as they got.”
“Where’s Bella?”
Jacob shrugged. “No idea.”
“What’s Kinga going to do?”
“Do? She’s not going to do anything. She’s pissed and she blames me, for everything. I think she only called because she needed someone to shout at.”
But someone had to do something. Bella was missing. Arthur went over to the kitchen bin and started rooting around in it.
“What are you doing?” asked Jacob.
Food wrapping, pieces of kitchen towel and bits of oily tin foil spilled out all over the floor as Arthur searched, but he didn’t care. He hadn’t found what he was looking for. He went outside.
Jacob followed. “Arthur, what are you doing?”
It should be in the top bin bag, the one he’d put out earlier. He lifted it out of the big green bin and pulled it apart, scattering rubbish all over the ground. What he was looking for was at the bottom.
Elizabeth’s present.
“Arthur, what’s going on?”
It was Camilla asking this time, sticking her head out of the dining room window. Everyone had been watching him rooting through the rubbish.
“Give me a minute, Dear. I’ll be back, I promise.”
He needed to be alone.
Arthur went over to the shed, lifted the door and ducked inside. The keypad, security and motors were all disconnected now. There was no need for them anymore, Bella was gone, along with all of his research. He turned on the light and it flickered for a moment before filling the room with a harsh light that threw its emptiness into sharp relief. The workbench was there, some shelving. But everything else had been stripped from the place, leaving random debris scattered across the floor. And under the floor the space where Bella had been, also empty.
He didn’t want to be in the shed. How would it look to Camilla, him rushing in here in the middle of Sunday lunch? Terrible, but he needed a moment alone and he couldn’t think where else to go. There was nowhere to sit, so Arthur perched on his workbench, just like Elizabeth used to do, and turned her gift over in his hands again.
He didn’t want to open it, but he had to.
It was the only thing he could think of that might help them.
Arthur slipped the ribbon off and set it aside, force of habit making him careful not to damage it. Camilla liked to recycle gift ribbons. Then he tore the wrapping paper and let it fall to the floor. There was a box inside and a small envelope.
He opened the envelope first.
Inside was an old, yellowing piece of paper that had been folded multiple times, and a greetings card that looked new. Arthur recognised the piece of paper immediately. It was the note he’d written to Elizabeth the night she died. He’d had it in his hands the first time he’d seen Elizabeth in the shed. He hadn’t show in to her, but somehow he associated it with her miraculous appearance. He worried that if he got rid of it she wouldn’t come back. So he’d hidden it in a drawer in the shed. Elizabeth must have found it, while she was working on Bella through him.
The card had Winnie the Pooh on the front, a print of an original pencil sketch showing Pooh and Piglet walking through the woods together. Underneath there was a quote from the book, in print. How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. Inside was a note in Elizabeth’s handwriting.
“Hello Bear.
I can’t tell you how painful it was to read this note of yours. It made me realise that I can’t rely on anyone else. That I have to do it all myself. You were going to leave me and Bella once, you could do it again. I really thought that we were in this together, but how could we be, you have so much to lose, with your family. I don’t blame you, how can I? But it’s so hard.
I’ve known all of this for weeks, but I waited until now to tell you. Because Bella is complete… I finished her without you. I would have stayed so we could celebrate together, but it’s clear that you want me gone.
So I’m leaving.
Look after Bella for me. And don’t let anyone else near her, I don’t think we can’t trust anyone else. So I made you this present. If you’re ever worried what will happen to Bella, give it to her and it will put her to sleep, forever. It’s the only way I could think of keeping you both safe.
Your Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth had finished Bella?
And now Bella was missing.
Arthur put down the card and opened the box. Inside, nestled in a layer of tissue paper, was a microchip. He recognised what it must be straight away. A kill switch. No that Elizabeth would call it that. Something Arthur could plug directly into Bella’s master circuit board that would disable Bella simply and permanently. Knowing what it would do to Bella.
“Elizabeth?”
She would know what to do. Elizabeth knew how to take charge of a situation. But she was gone. Maybe he didn’t need her after all . It wasn’t Elizabeth who had finished Bella or made the kill switch, it was him. He just couldn’t remember it.
He had to find her and make her safe.
“What’s going on, Arthur?” It was Jacob, from outside the shed.
Arthur lifted the door and stepped out. There rest of the family were there with Jacob. They were all looked anxious.
What could he say?
He had to tell them the truth. He had to tell them everything
When he was done explaining he said, “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”
They were staring at him. Looking scared. Who could blame them, there was a nuclear bomb somewhere in London that he’d built, and they didn’t know who had it and why.
He was scared too.
“What are you going to do?” said Camilla.
“I have to go to Lakenheath and warn them about Bella,” he replied. “Maybe they can find her. You all need to get out of London, as far away as possible.”
“You can’t go on your own,” said Jacob. “I’m coming with you.”
That’s it for Chapter 19, I hope you enjoyed it and are looking forward to more. Chapter 20 will be out the same time next week, Friday at 4:00pm UK time.
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