After a few minutes of watching the corner, they saw the two well-dressed gentlemen pass. They appeared to be in a great hurry and were headed straight for Radcliffe Camera.
“There they are,” Calvin said, frowning.
Natalie looked at her uncle and asked, “Do you think we can make it back to my car before they come back?”
“It’s too risky.” Uncle Julien looked thoughtful. “There could be another person waiting by the Triumph. I think we’ll have to abandon it, my dear.”
“I was afraid of that,” she frowned. “Well, it can’t be helped, and no car is more important than our lives.”
“But where should we go now?” Calvin asked. “We can’t stay in this bridge all day.”
Natalie considered the dilemma for a moment and suggested they get her friend Mckella to pick them up. “She’s still trying to get her doctorate,” she added. “I know she’s got to be on campus somewhere.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Calvin agreed. “Do you have your phone?”
Natalie nodded, and pulled it out of the knapsack where the Nathanial Hawthorne book was resting. She dialed Mckella’s number and engaged in a hurried conversation with her friend.
“She’s asking if we can meet her at the Sheldonian Theatre,” Natalie told them after hanging up. She’s attending a lecture there, and her car is parked on the opposite side. She’ll take us wherever we wish to go.”
“The Sheldonian?” Calvin asked. “That’s quite close, but we’ll have to cross Catte Street again, and we could very easily run into those men.”
“We’ll just have to risk it,” Natalie said decidedly. “We could wait for a large group to pass, and try to blend in with them.”
They decided to make their move before the sinister strangers had a chance to double back. Fortune was with them, and when they emerged from New College Lane, an animated group of students were passing, headed in the direction of the theater, and they casually joined their ranks.
Their hearts were racing as they headed out into the open. It was hard to look unconcerned and unhurried when they knew they might be seen by possible assasins, but they soon passed the Clarendon Building without incident, and approached the Sheldonian Theatre. All three sighed with relief when they passed through the entrance and found Mckella waiting for them, wringing her hands in a worried manner.
Natalie rushed up to a willowy, blond young woman and gave her a warm hug. “Thank you so much!” she said effusively. “We were really in a fix.”
“What’s going on?”Mckella asked. “You sounded terribly anxious on the phone. That’s not like you.”
Uncle Julien interrupted, “Might we explain our situation in the shelter of your vehicle? I’m afraid the need to depart is dire.”
“Of course, it’s just this way.” Mckella ushered them through another exit. “The lecture was boring me to tears anyhow,” she said as they hurried from the theater. “I don’t know how I’ll ever finish my dissertation if I keep falling asleep at these events!”
After glancing around furtively outside, they made their way to Mckella’s mini. Uncle Julien gave a grimace and said, “We are most grateful for your assistance, young lady; however, I can’t understand this penchant for such petit conveyances.”
As they squeezed into the car Mckella gave him a sympathetic look and assured him, “Oh, I only drive this little thing for economic reasons. What I’d really fancy is an Aston Martin Volare!”
Calvin laughed. “That’s not exactly spacious either, Mckella.”
“No, I guess not,” she replied. “but it’s fast!” She put on her seat belt and maneuvered the little car around pedestrians and surrounding traffic, but as soon as they were on Broad Street, she put her foot down and zipped through Oxford’s busy streets, veering in and out of traffic until Calvin begged her to slow down.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I was under the impression we were in some kind of a rush.”
“Yes, but …” He didn’t finish his thought as she sped past a man on a bicycle with inches to spare, and gripped his seat belt tighter.
Natalie looked back at him and said, “She always drives like this. It’s lucky her father gives her such a generous allowance. She needs it for all her speeding tickets!”
“I’m not normally a speedy driver myself,” Julien chimed in, “but in this case I think it’s warranted.”
“So now can you tell me what’s going on?” asked Mckella. “You said you were running from someone. Who?”
“Well, we’re not sure yet,” Natalie answered. “But we’ve just gotten some alarming news about Uncle Richard’s death, then when we got to our car, some sinister-looking men were examining it. Our instincts told us they were up to no good, and we stayed out of sight until we got to you.”
“What was the news about your uncle?” asked Mckella. She hadn’t seen her friend for several months, but she and her father had sent a bouquet of lilies to the funeral.
“It’s a long story,” Natalie sighed. “I’ll have to start from the beginning.”
As they wended their way through the streets of Oxford, she told her friend as much as she could of their uncle’s letter and the death threat. Mckella didn’t ask what he was being blackmailed for. She was an uncommonly discreet young lady, and didn’t think the question was appropriate or any of her business. She could easily tell that Natalie had glossed over that part of the story and didn’t press her for details about it, though she was naturally very curious. And Natalie, in turn, didn’t want her friend to be in any danger because she had information about the whole sordid affair. She would only say that it concerned an important artifact, and left it at that.
“Well, if these men are still searching for this artifact, and they think you’ve inherited it or something, then you can’t go home. You’d better spend the night at my house.”
“We’d be delighted, young lady,” Uncle Julien declared unexpectedly from the back seat, surprising both his niece and nephew. “I believe we’ll be needing a safe harbor to sort out our present difficulties.”
“I guess you’re right,” added Calvin after a moment of consideration. “If those men had something to do with Uncle Richard’s death, and they’re now looking for us, it means that the false trail he set them upon has now reached a dead end.”
“And they’ll be angry they were tricked,” Natalie added ominously.
Flight
They arrived at Mckella’s family home a little after noon. She immediately deposited her guests in the drawing room, where they tiredly collapsed onto the couches. “Ill be right back,” she promised, and went to prepare them some tea. The Romarins didn’t speak during her brief absence. The import of the morning’s events had finally begun to sink in, and each of them were considering their options.
“You poor dears,” Mckella clucked sympathetically, returning with a tray of sandwhiches and a large pot of tea. “You’ve been through so much! You all look to be in a state of shock.”
“Thanks for rescuing us,” Natalie said piteously.