“No, I can’t find the map or the copy of Hodoul’s diary. Is that kept somewhere else?”
“Oh no, it’s definitely in that box – that’s what it says on the index, and the index is never wrong!” Madame Savy anxiously rushed over to where Anna was sitting. “Now look at the mess you have made! Your father would turn in his grave – it’s a disgrace!”
Madame Savy, like the rest of the islanders, believed that Admiral Atom was dead. They knew nothing about deconstructed atoms and Space Arks.
“What exactly is going on here? I checked this box myself after that man was here yesterday, and everything was fine. Now look at it! What have you done?”
“It wasn’t me, Madame Savy. The papers were all jumbled up already. And the map and the diary are not there. Do you think somebody took it?”
“Took it? Of course not! Who would do a thing like that?” And Madame Savy frantically searched through the papers again.
Anna didn’t know what to say, or even what to think. Tears burnt at the back of her eyes. She felt humiliated because Madame was so angry, and it was not even her fault! And on top of that, she was disappointed – she’d wanted to find something about the dagger, and now she had nothing.
Lost in her unhappy thoughts, Anna went over to the window. She took the dagger from her pocket and rubbed its blade thoughtfully. Where would she find out about its origins now? Then she noticed something: the window was small and barred, set high in the wall. The outside was at street level. The window shut with a latch that could only be opened from inside the building. But two of the bars of the window looked skew.
Anna inspected them more closely. Yes, they were neatly sawn through at the bottom, and the latch of the window was open!
She heard a sudden sharp intake of breath behind her, and spun around to find Madame Savy standing right behind her.
“Where did you get that?” Madame Savy demanded, pointing at the dagger.
“I … I found it in the sea,” Anna stammered.
“It’s Hodoul’s dagger!” Madame Savy said. “I know it from his portrait in the family’s home. It’s an artefact of great importance. Give it to me!” She was about to snatch the dagger from Anna’s hands when a huge shadow filled the door. It was Ton.
“Good afternoon, Mrs Savy. I’m here to escort the young lady home,” he said.
“You will do no such thing!” Madame Savy still looked very angry. “This ‘young lady’ has caused a lot of trouble here today, and I cannot simply let her leave. Some important items appear to be missing. Moreover, she has this!” She pointed to the dagger, which Anna was now clutching to her chest. “That belongs in the National Museum. How has she got hold of it? I shall have to phone the director immediately.”
Ton casted a quick glance towards the table strewn with Hodoul’s papers.
“Of course, Madame Savy. We must inform your director immediately. Being an old friend of the admiral’s, I am sure he will be grateful to Anna for discovering the theft.”
“Theft? Who said anything about a theft! In my archives? Those papers must be somewhere!” Madame Savy eyed Anna’s schoolbag with suspicion.
“Don’t trouble yourself, my dear Madame Savy. Anna and I just happen to be on our way to see the director about her artefact right now.”
And without giving Madame Savy a chance to argue, Ton marched Anna out of the archives and onto the hot street outside.
Chapter 9
THE CHIVONNE
“Ton, Hodoul’s diary’s been stolen from the archives!” Anna almost shouted, once they were on the street outside.
“I know,” Ton said. “I heard the whole hullabaloo.”
“You were eavesdropping?” Anna asked. “Did they teach you that … wherever it is that you trained?” She never missed an opportunity to try and find out more about Ton’s mysterious past, but to no avail.
“You were both practically shouting. Now let’s get you out of here before that lady decides to make trouble.”
Anna noticed that they had turned down one of the narrow alleys that snaked between the small shops, and she was battling to keep up with Ton’s long strides.
“Where are we going, Ton? This is definitely not the way to the jetty!”
“As I said to that nice lady, we’re going to see the director of the museum.”
“I’m not going to give him the dagger, Ton. It’s mine. I found it!” she said as she trotted behind him.
Around them, people were hurrying along, finishing the day’s business before they returned home to their families, their cooking and other preparations.
“Some things, Anna,” Ton said over his shoulder, “are bigger than we are. You are only eleven years old, but you want to hold on to something that has a two-hundred-year-old story?” Ton turned to smile down at her. “If you had to choose, Anna, between the dagger and its secret, which would it be?”
“I’m nearly twelve!” Anna retorted, but it took her a while longer to figure out the question, and by that time they had arrived at an old colonial-style house with a high roof and a broad veranda that had recently been converted to luxurious offices. A security guard stood at the door.
“We’re here to see Monsieur Raymond Hodoul,” Ton told him.
“And you are?” the guard inquired.
“People who want to see Monsieur Hodoul,” Ton repeated, louder and more slowly, as if he was speaking to a little child.
The guard sized up the enormous man in his black suit, and then looked down at the wisp of a girl with her dark hair in their spiky tufts. Glancing back at the formidable Ton, he wisely decided not to offer any further resistance. He spun round on the heel of his polished boot, and disappeared through the high wooden door.
Ton stood like a statue while they waited, while Anna started a skipping game on the pavement. After about three minutes, the guard appeared again.
“This way!” he beckoned, jerking his head towards a door.
Inside the house, a descendant of the great pirate sat behind a huge wooden desk. He wore a crisp white linen shirt, and the nails of the long, elegant hands that rested on the papers in front of him were carefully manicured. Nevertheless, he still managed to look like a pirate: his grey hair was swept back from his high forehead, and he had a splendid moustache and a clipped but unruly beard.
His dark eyes flashed like polished metal. He smiled at them, exhibiting a row of strong teeth.
“Ah, the man from Monpetit and the daughter of my dear old friend, Abraham Atom! What gives me the honour of this visit?” he asked, crossing the floor in long strides to first shake Anna’s hand, and then Ton’s.
Raymond Hodoul was wearing khaki shorts and slip-slops. He had looked so grand and formidable sitting behind his huge desk. But on second glance, he appeared to be a typical relaxed islander.
“This!” Anna said, holding out the dagger to him.
Raymond Hodoul’s face remained expressionless, but she could hear him draw in his breath. He took the dagger from her, and slowly turned it around in his neat hands.
“You are returning this to the family to whom it belongs, and for that I am most grateful. But you expect something for your efforts, I assume?” he said, glancing at Anna shrewdly.