CHAPTER THIRTEEN

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Other men than Frank would have asked questions. They might have wondered who Richard was or why he was in the house. Frank walked to the cupboard, got down on his hands and knees, and eased himself in. Near the back, he stopped. There was a strange sucking sound accompanied by puffs of air. He let his eyes adjust to the dark cupboard and he stared, unblinking, at the back. It was flickering, sometimes there, sometimes not, dark with split seconds of light.

Frank backed out of the cupboard, stood, and left the room without even glancing at Richard. He went to the attic stairs and walked slowly up.

Henry’s doors were open. He looked into the room. A blanket and a wad of taped-together posters were on the floor. There was no plaster on the wall, only cupboard doors, just how Frank remembered it.

Anastasia was on Henry’s bed. She twisted around to look at Frank.

“Dad! Henry took the whole wall off, but look what he found. Have you seen these before? How do you open them?” She turned back around and spun one of the compass knobs. “I think you have to know the combinations.”

“Don’t touch those, Anastasia! Get off Henry’s bed.” Though she didn’t hear it often, Anastasia recognized the tone in her father’s voice. She let go of the knob and slid quickly off the bed.

“Where’s Henry?” Frank asked.

“I don’t know. We couldn’t find Henrietta, either. They were both out of bed last night, but Penny wouldn’t let me get up until it was light. She went to look for them in the barn. Who’s he?” Anastasia pointed. Frank turned around and found Richard behind him, looking into the room.

“What’s your name?” Frank asked.

“Richard Leeds,” Richard said.

“Anastasia, I need you to concentrate,” Frank said.

“Do you remember what combination those knobs were set to before you touched them?”

Anastasia shook her head. “Did I do something wrong?” she asked. “What did I do?”

Frank smiled. “Go downstairs. Richard and I need to talk. Come tell me if you find Henry or Henrietta.” Anastasia left for the stairs, and Frank put his hand on Richard’s shoulder, pulling him into Henry’s room. Richard fidgeted nervously with his hands and then reached up to pull on his lip.

Frank was still in his pajamas, and his hair was standing out from his head. The two of them sat down on Henry’s bed.

“What happened?” Frank asked.

“Henry crawled through a clock into my house, and I followed him back, but he didn’t know. Then we looked for Henrietta and couldn’t find her, though we found the cat. We went all sorts of places. Henry said he would attempt one more before waking Uncle Frank. I stayed back. Are you Uncle Frank?”

Frank nodded. He sat still for a moment and thought about what Richard had told him.

“Where do you live, Richard?”

“Hutchins,” Richard said.

Frank’s brow tightened. “Where’s Hutchins?”

“It’s in Britain,” Richard said. “Are we in Britain?”

Frank shook his head. “No. We’re in Kansas. What year is it in Hutchins?”

“Nineteen hundred eighty-nine. Queen Askew’s reign.”

“Wrong Britain.” Frank drew in a long breath. “I figured it’d be somethin’ like that. Are you tired, Richard?”

“Yes.”

“You can sleep here for a while. I’ll be back in a bit. I might have to wake you up.”

Richard watched Frank leave and then flopped face down on Henry’s bed. He was asleep before Frank reached the bottom of the stairs.

Dotty stood on the landing in her bathrobe. Her arms were crossed, her hair wandered, and her eyes were worried.

“What’s going on, Frank?” she asked. “The room’s open.”

Frank stopped and took a deep breath. “Henry’s gone through the cupboards. Henrietta’s gone, too. She went first. He was looking for her.”

Dotty leaned back against the wall and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. She put one hand over her mouth and then both over her eyes.

“I’m sorry, love,” Frank said. “I should’ve stepped in. I just didn’t want to fence him.”

Dotty was very still.

“Dots, there’s a boy upstairs that Henry brought back from one of the cupboards. He’ll sleep for a while, but he’s gonna need somethin’ to eat.”

Dotty stood up and looked in Frank’s eyes. “Are you going after them?”

“I don’t see much choice.”

“Do you know which one they’re in?”

“No. Anastasia was fiddlin’ with the knobs when I went upstairs. I’ll be guessin’. It might take a while.”

Dotty clenched her jaw. “You belong here, Frank. You know that, don’t you? Remember what I said.”

Frank didn’t say anything. Dotty turned and walked back into their room.

In Grandfather’s room, Frank picked up the broken glasses and sat down on the floor. He pulled the rope out of the cupboard. The end was sliced cleanly. He stuck his arm into the small space and found a solid back. He thought for a moment and then went back up into Henry’s attic. Richard was snoring.

Frank tried to look around quietly at first, but after a few loud creaks and crumpling posters, he realized Richard would be nearly impossible to wake. He bent down and examined the wall of cupboards, saw that the bed leg was wedged against the black one, and stood up.

Back downstairs, he found Dotty at the dining room table, still covering her mouth. She was not crying, and Frank knew that she wouldn’t. Anastasia was standing in the corner of the room, leaning against the wall, watching. She had asked her mother what was wrong but hadn’t been heard. Now she was waiting. Dotty looked up at Frank.

“Where is Henry?” Anastasia asked. “Is Henrietta with him?”

“Don’t know,” Frank said.

“Frank,” Dotty asked, “do you think they’ll be okay? I mean, really. Do you think you can even find them?”

Frank ran his hands through his hair and puffed his cheeks. “Honestly, Dots, I need to get lucky. I’m sure I can find them with enough time. It depends on how smart they’re being, or who they’ve run into. Some places, that would be easy. Some places, that would be hard.”

Frank sat down beside Dotty and set his fists on the table. “Anastasia,” he said. “Run get your sister. Your mother’s gonna explain things to you the best she can.”

Anastasia just stood there.

“Go,” Frank said. And she went. “Now,” he said to Dotty, “I’m gonna start. Don’t let the girls go upstairs unless you’re with them. If you need to leave the house, that’s fine.”

You should tell the girls.”

“I don’t have the time. Sooner I get started, the better.” Frank kissed Dotty on the head and stood to go. He heard the back door burst open, and Penelope and Anastasia rushed into the room.

“I’ve got to go look for your sister and cousin,” Frank said. “Your mother will try to explain things to you. When she’s done, you make sure you do what she tells you.” He turned and walked upstairs.

Penelope and Anastasia sat very still and looked at their mother. She looked at them.

“What are you going to tell us?” Penelope asked.

“I’m not sure,” Dotty said.

“Where did Henry and Henrietta go?” Anastasia asked.

“I don’t know. That’s what your father is trying to figure out.”

They were all silent. Finally, Dotty took a deep breath and spoke.

“Well, I suppose your father will be a while, so I may as well try to tell it.” She reached up, pushed her hair behind her ears, and leaned onto the table. “I’ll tell you as much as I know.”

Both girls were listening, but Dotty stopped again. The girls held their breath, hoping she wouldn’t change her mind. Then Dotty began in earnest.