Read Online The Clock Winked (The Sagittan Chronicles Book 2) by Ariele Sieling - Free Book Online

friend. My name
Charles,” the man replied, looking around. “This shop much clean. Looking very…
we say, quaint.”
    “Well, thank you,” Auvek said. “Is there some way I can help
you?”
    “Out of town I was many years. Want to say hello.”
    “Okay,” Auvek replied. “Why don’t you come in for a moment?”
He stepped back to let the man in the shop. “I don’t know which William you’re
looking for but the thirty-third and the thirty-fourth are in jail. I can pass
along a message to the younger of the two, though.” He forced his eyes to look
around the shop, trying not to stare at the man’s bald and exquisite scalp.
    “You own now?”
    “Oh no!” Auvek exclaimed, looking
up again. “I’m just helping out.”
    “It nice that your window not broke. Many others here broke.”
    “Yeah, there was a security alarm malfunction a couple days
ago,” Auvek replied, smiling. Charles seemed like a nice man. “We were lucky.”
    The man leaned towards Auvek and glanced around. “Monkey
here now? He safe?”
    Auvek glanced out the window, and shifted uncomfortably.
    “That monkey is just a legend of the shop,” he said. “People
say that there used to be a monkey that helped one of the William Oliphants run his shop. It read to children and fixed old books and
things. There isn’t really a monkey.”
    “Oh!” the man laughed. “William play joke with old Charles.
He say monkey real!” He moved over to a shelf to stroke the bindings of the
books with a very long and elegant finger.
    “No, it’s gone,” Auvek replied, nervously glancing towards
the door.
    “Thank you much,” the man replied. “I leave you now. No need
leave message. Only want see shop. Good day, young boy.” He smiled and strode
out the door, leaving only a ringing bell in his wake.
    Auvek looked around, but Simon was nowhere to be seen. “Well
that’s a relief,” he muttered, shrugging. “Time to go out back and beat some
rugs, I guess.”
    *****
    As they ascended the stairs, Samson’s phone began to
vibrate. He glanced at it for a moment. The number was restricted. It could be
anyone—and possibly someone quite important. Maybe Stryker had escaped from his
captor.
    “Excuse me, Chair, I am receiving a rather important call,”
Samson said politely. He reached out and opened a conveniently located door.
The room was plain but boasted several comfortable-looking chairs. “If you could please wait in here? I will be just a moment.”
    Samson delicately closed the door behind him and strode down
the hall.
    “Hello?”
    “Hey, brother,” replied the voice on the other end.
    “What do you want?” Samson scowled. “I’m busy!”
    “I know. We all know. You’re so important, entertaining the
Administrative Chair of Pomegranate City. I should be proud.”
    “You should be,” replied Samson. He was quite irritated.
    “Well, I’m not.”
    “What do you want?” Samson repeated.
    “I just wanted to let you know how nicely my plan is
progressing. What progress have you made?” His brother laughed cynically.
“None, I imagine. You never did seem to be able to accomplish anything.”
    “Oh, shut the hell up.” Samson scowled. “If you have
something to say, say it. Otherwise, I have important work I need to be doing.”
    “Fine. It’ll all happen. Soon. Revenge, their deaths, and the Door
closing. Everything. I thought you might like a
little time to get your affairs in order. But you won’t win. I have every
detail figured out. Right down to the little monkey. Don’t bring a parade,
bring a casket, Samson.” He laughed.
    Samson hung up.
    “Bastard,” he muttered under his breath, and turned.
    “Who was that, gone and flipped your hat?” Misty stood right
behind him, her pencil poised in mid-air over her notebook.
    “Oh, just a prank call,” Samson replied, smiling.
“Somebody’s got my number—I need to get a new one. Let’s continue with the
tour, now shall we?”
    *****
    William Oliphant,