Destiny - A Ducktales Fanfic

29. A New Lead.

 It had been four days since the family had left to meet Victor Grim. Which meant Beakley had just four days to prepare for the imminent distraught that would come with the failure of capturing Louie. Scrooge had called her, two days in and remarked how the family had lost Louie and were going to be staying a little longer in Mexico, just until they could collect their bearings.

She was dusting one of the larger portraits of Scrooge when she heard the front-door creak open and the McDucks enter, listening carefully, the housekeeper noted the lack of constant incoherent rambling that Huey did the last time Louie left, instead this time all she heard was Dewey's repeatedly ask his mother if he could get some 'Jet-bike' thing for Christmas.

Following the noise, Beakley arrived in the grand entrance hall. - "Good afternoon all." - She greeted, earning a symphony of uninterested replies. Narrowing her eyes, she observed each and every person in the Manor's foyer, determining if they needed someone to talk to or a hug. However it seemed everyone seemed ok, or at least happier than they did after the whole Paros incident.

Della and Scrooge seemed distracted, with Scrooge nose deep in a book (Which Beakley was sure was from his Kovax collection) and Della on the phone with what sounded like Agent Bernard, while simultaneously trying to quiet Dewey down. Huey was mumbling to himself, but more in the fashion of that when he tried to solve a mystery and not like he'd had another psychotic break. Donald just looked tired. 

And Webby? Well Beakley had to say her Grand-daughter looked the most depressed of the lot. She could sort of understand why she was upset. In Huey, Webby had found a big brother, Dewey occupied the position of Best-Friend... so what was Louie? 

If the ex-spy ad to guess, Louie was Webby's foil, the two played off each other, he was everything she wasn't and vice-versa: While she put maximum effort into anything she did, he would half-ass everything. While she was socially inept, he had a silver tongue. They needed each-other to improve themselves. But it seemed like Louie didn't need or want that help anymore.

"Webby." - She spoke, capturing the attention of the teen. - "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm fine Granny, I promise." - Webby replied, while wearing an painfully obviously forced smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course..." - She hesitated. - "I'm just gonna go visit Lena and Violet." - She said trying to excuse herself.

"Webby dear, remember your friends are in Japan for Violets chess tournament."

The girl paused. She had been so focused on finding her lost friend, that she had completely forgotten about all of her other friends, now she was missing an important event in one of her closest friends lives.

In a split second, Webby had seized her phone from her pocket, but didn't even get to her contacts when her screen lit up, with Violet's caller ID front and centre.

"Hi Violet, I was just about to call you."

"Webbigail!" - Violet's hushed voice echoed from the phone. - "Louie. He's here!"

Instantly, all of the concern and guilt Webby had been felling melted away, quickly replaced by determination.

"Where's the tournament being held?"

"Osaka Castle." - The Hummingbird responded almost instantly. - "But Web-"

"See you soon Violet." - Webby interrupted, before hanging up on her friend. Done with that, Webby turned to face the rest of the McDucks. - "I know where Louie is!" - She shouted, attracting the attention of everyone in the room.

"Where?" - Was the first thing out of Della's beak.

"Osaka Castle, Japan."

That seemed to snap Huey out of his trance. - "Isn't that where Violet's chess tournament is being held?"

Dewey looked unconvinced. - "Why would Louie be at some dumb chess tournament?" 

"Especially when he has the scroll... isn't that supposed to lead him to the treasure?

A silence fell among the members of the McDuck clan, with each coming up with possible theories on why their youngest was at some competition when he had possibly millions in treasure waiting for him.

"Maybe he just enjoys chess?" - Della speculated out loud.

Scrooge was quick to respond. - "Doubtful. I tried to introduce the game to the lad when he was younger, he called it a 'boring old game for boring old people'."

"Maybe the treasure's in the castle?"

"That seems even more unlikely." - Huey pointed out. - "Japan was in a period of seclusion when Kovax was alive, the penalty of a European entering was death, maybe if the treasure was hidden on some coastal city, but Osaka? It was a centre of Japanese culture. He wouldn't have made it into the city, let alone the Castle."

"So why is he there?"

"Only one way to find out." - Scrooge remarked in the way of one of his grand-speeches. - "We go to Japan. Find Louie. Find the treasure. And solve the greatest mystery in history!"

The family gave a somewhat enthusiastic cry, ignoring their feelings of fatigue and ache in their bones. The group climbed to their feet and dragged themselves back to the exit. Ignoring Beakley's pleas to stay and rest, or at least have a meal before they left.

The door slammed behind them, leaving the exasperated housekeeper all alone in the manor, but it wasn't as empty as she first though... noticing the unconscious Donald, fast asleep on one of the entrance halls sofa's.

Sighing, the Brit picked up the receiver off the old rotary telephone that Scrooge refused to upgrade and dialled in a familiar number. There was a brief pause while the phone rang but the person on the other line soon picked up.

"Hey Beakley, what do you need?"

"Hello Daisy-Dear, would you mind coming to collect your boyfriend, it seems he's passed out in my foyer." - The woman remarked.

"Oh thank goodness!" - Cried the successful fashion designer. - "I hadn't heard from him in a day, I was beginning to worry. Did he manage to find Louie?"

"Yes, but it seems the teen has decided to chart his own path and is now of hunting for the greatest lost treasure ever, so the rest of the family are off tracking him down."

Daisy chuckled. - "Seems like a normal day for the McDucks." - Beakley smiled at that one. - "Well I'll come around tomorrow to pick Donald up. Goodnight Beakley."

"Goodnight Diasy." - Placing the receiver back, Beakley picked up the sleeping Donald, and placed him on the much comfier sofa in the Lounge, she then placed a blanket over the sleeping form like she did to the kids when they were younger. 

A yawn escaped her throat, finally realising how tired she was. The elderly woman ascended the staircase, hoping for a goodnight's sleep.

Thanks for reading Ch.29 of 'Destiny' I hope you comment, vote, follow me and read Ch.30 -MM