The Adventures of Will Irving: Automaton Trouble

Chapter 8

"I'm back, Max," Will said quietly as he and Claire entered the living room. "And I brought company."

"So I see," Max replied, rising from his armchair. "Good evening, Miss."

"Max, this is Claire Ferryman. Claire, this is Max," Will introduced.

"Good evening, Max," Claire greeted with a smile.

"Max, would you be so kind as to prep some tea?" Will requested. "We're just gonna go up and check on Emily for a moment."

"Absolutely, William," Max replied as he made his way to the kitchen.

"This way," Will said to Claire as he turned and led the way upstairs.

A few moments later, Will opened a door and motioned for Claire to peek inside.

"Well, there she is," Will whispered as he and Claire looked in on a sleeping Emily.

"She's adorable," Claire whispered back. "Look, there's my brooch."

Claire pointed to Emily's nightstand where the brooch could be seen lying amidst a ring of pale light coming from an elephant-shaped nightlight. Will smiled as he carefully closed the door and then motioned for Claire to follow him back downstairs.

"Now that we got you someplace safe, I'd be glad to tell you my story," Will said once he and Claire had sat down at a small breakfast nook table near the kitchen where Max was preparing the tea.

"Sounds good," Claire said with a smile.

"Earlier today, Julius, one of Moe Salley's thugs, paid me a visit and showed me this photo of you," Will began as he handed Claire the photo Julius had left behind. "He asked if I had seen you, but he wouldn't tell me why he was looking for you. Then my sister came and told me about you and the brooch."

"Moe Salley," Claire murmured to herself.

As Claire looked at the photo, Max walked over to the table and set down a tray on which were arranged two cups of tea and an assortment of additives.

"Your tea. There is sugar, milk, and honey to suit your taste," Max said kindly.

"Thank you, Max," Will replied.

"Thank you," Claire added, looking up from the photo.

"Would you like anything else?" Max asked. "Perhaps something to eat?"

"No thank you, Max. The tea is quite enough," Claire responded.

"I guess that's it," Will said.

"I'll be in the living room if you need anything," Max said as he turned and left the room.

Claire watched as Max left the room, and then she turned back to Will.

"How long have you had your automaton?" Claire asked.

"Max? About two years," Will answered. "My father gave him to me as a gift."

"My father invented automatons...well, most of the technology behind what we know as automatons today anyway," Claire stated as she added a bit of honey to her tea and began to stir it. "Max is one of the first models my dad produced."

"Really? How do you know?" Will asked.

"I caught a glimpse of the production stamp on his back," Claire replied. "What's with the vest, bowtie, and mustache though? I've never seen an automaton with those kind of modifications before."

"I added those," Will said nonchalantly.

"You? I thought you said you were a private investigator," Claire said with a puzzled expression.

"I am. But I like to tinker in my spare time," Will clarified. "Do you know much about automatons?"

"I do actually. My father taught me a lot, and I am working on my doctorate in engineering," Claire replied.

"Wow! That's great!" Will said admiringly.

"Thanks. You did a nice job with those modifications," Claire complimented. "I can see you take good care of him."

"More like he takes good care of me...but no, I guess we do a pretty good job of watching out for each other. Max is like one of the family," Will shared.

"It seems Max isn't the only one who's different around here. I've never heard anyone talk like that about their automaton...I'm starting to like you, Will Irving," Claire said with a smile before taking a sip of her tea.

"So...you know my side of the story, but I still don't know yours," Will said after a brief moment of silence

"True enough," Claire replied, setting her cup down on the table.

"Why were those police detectives chasing you?" Will asked.

"Those were police detectives?" Claire asked, surprised.

"Yeah. You didn't know?" Will questioned, eyeing Claire carefully.

"No. I've been away for over four months completing a research project, but I decided to take a break and surprise my father with a visit. When I arrived, I found that our house had been ransacked. My father wasn't there, and when I called his office to see if he was there, I was told that no one had seen him since he left work yesterday. When I left to try to find my father, those men were outside. They tried to stop me, but I ran away, and they have been pursuing me ever since," Claire related.

"Well, they're detectives alright...not the good kind though. I didn't get a good look at them, but I recognized their car. Nick Dante and Clyde Grayson...dirty vice squad cops on Moe Salley's payroll," Will shared. "Do you have any idea why they were chasing you or why someone would have been searching through your house?"

"The only thing I can think of is that it has to do with my father and his work," Claire answered after taking a moment to think.

"Was he working on anything special? Did he ever do any work for Moe Salley?" Will questioned.

"No. My father is an honest man, and he hates Moe. He would never work for him," Claire said emphatically.

"Well, that makes two of us," Will said. "But it seems like Moe is interested in you and your father for some reason."

Will and Claire sat in silence for a moment.

"Claire, I would like to help you if I can," Will said. "Would that be ok with you?"

"Thank you, Will. I appreciate that, but what can we do?" Claire asked with a worried expression.

"For starters, I think you should stay with us and keep out of sight," Will suggested. "You can stay as long as you need to. In the morning, my partner, Hank, and I will start doing some investigating. I can't promise much, except that we'll do our best to find your father and keep you safe."

"That's very kind of you. Seeing as I don't really have any other options right now, I'd be eternally grateful for any help you can offer. Thank you," Claire replied.

"Don't mention it," Will said, looking at his watch and rising from his seat. "It's getting pretty late. We should probably get some rest. We've both had a rough day."

Claire caught Will's words and, for the first time, noticed the healing gash on his head.

"If you don't mind my asking, what happened to your head?" Claire asked, rising from her seat as well.

"Oh...just a little token of remembrance that Julius left me today," Will said with a chuckle. "I said a little too much."

Claire gently touched the area near the gash on Will's head. Will stood still and studied Claire's expression.

"Would it be odd if I asked to give you a hug?" Claire asked somewhat timidly.

Will smiled and opened his arms. Claire returned a smile, and the two new friends embraced.