The Adventures of Will Irving: Automaton Trouble

Chapter 18

"May I have the waffle special, please?" Emily asked politely.

"Sure thing, honey," Sue replied sweetly before turning to make her way back to the kitchen partition.

Will, Emily, Max, Hank, and Jennifer were all sitting in a large booth at Millie's. After the previous night's events, Will had decided that it would be best to get out of the house, enjoy a pleasant breakfast, and restore a semblance of normalcy, especially for Emily. So far, it seemed to have been a wise choice. Emily and Jennifer were enjoying each other's company. In fact, before they left the house, Emily had excitedly recounted her experience to Jennifer, and Will had made sure to remind Emily not to talk about it once they left the house. And so here they were. Max was reading his newspaper as usual. Jennifer and Emily were giggling about something. Hank exchanged meaningful glances and smiles with Sue each time she stopped by the table. And Will...

Will was lost in a world of thought; his mind was racing. What did Moe want with Claire's dad? What were these plans that Dante had been asking about? Who was that mystery figure on the roof? And that automaton? Was Arthur safe? How could he have been so careless as to leave Claire and Emily alone? What would he have done if something had happened to Emily? Would Moe harm Claire?

And that's where Will's thoughts settled: Claire. He had to rescue her somehow. Not because he disliked losing, even though he really did. Not because he hated seeing Moe get away with yet another crime, though that was certainly true. Not because he wanted to prove he was a good P.I., even if it did help to have a great track record. Not because he had promised to do his best to keep her safe, although he always strived to be a man of his word. While there was truth in these thoughts, Will knew that there was something more: he cared for Claire.

But how was that even possible? They had only just met. Will began to reflect on the last few days, pulling every detail back into his mind.

He saw Claire standing in front of him in the dark alley, her face gradually changing from an expression of intense fear to one of hope. He felt that exhilarating sense of apprehension as he and Claire cautiously made their way back to the house. He was moved by the caring gleam he caught in her eye as she peeked in on Emily and saw her mother's brooch sitting on the nightstand. He was intrigued by her intelligence and interest in automatons. He blushed as he heard her playfully say, "I'm starting to like you, Will Irving." He found strength in her trusting embrace. He smiled as he heard the cheerful sound of her voice as she joked with Emily over breakfast. His heart ached over her look of deep care and concern for her missing father as he said goodbye before leaving for the Emporium with Hank and Max.

There was no denying it...Will genuinely cared for Claire.

"Earth to Will!" Hank said loudly as he elbowed Will and shook him from his musings. "Didn't you hear Bob?"

"Huh?" Will replied, looking confusedly at Hank.

"Will, phone call for you!" Bob called from the front counter, holding up the receiver.

"Oh...be right there, Bob!" Will returned.

Hank chuckled and shook his head as Will trotted off to answer the phone.

"Who is it?" Will curiously asked Bob as he took the receiver from him.

"I dunno. They didn't say," Bob answered with a shrug before turning back to his work.

"Hello?" Will greeted after putting the receiver to his ear.

"How's it going, Irving?" said a gruff voice on the other end.

"Julius," Will replied, lowering his voice. "What do you want?"

"For once, I like your style. Let's cut to the chase," Julius replied. "We know you were at the Emporium last night, and we know you have the girl's dad."

"What are you talking about?" Will said, feigning ignorance.

"Quit fooling around, Irving. It ain't gonna do you any good. Bring the old man to the warehouse over on the corner of Hill and 9th on Friday night at nine, or the girl dies," Julius stated harshly. "And don't bring any of your friends...just you and the old man."

"You got it all wrong, Julius," Will tried to explain. "I don't know what you're talking about or where Claire's dad is. But if you hurt her..."

"Shut it, tough guy," Julius interrupted. "You ain't in no place to threaten or bargain. Friday, nine p.m., Hill and 9th...or she dies."

"I told you..." Will started to say when he heard the click of the phone signaling that Julius had hung up.

"Damn," Will muttered under his breath, replacing the phone on the hook.

"Everything ok, Will?" Sue asked with a look of concern.

"Yeah, just business," Will replied, forcing a smile.

Sue nodded knowingly as Will made his way back to the booth.

"Well, who was it?" Hank asked once Will had scooted into his seat next to him.

"Julius," Will said quietly.

Everyone at the table went silent, and Max put down his paper.

"What did he say?" Hank inquired further.

"He thinks we took Claire's dad," Will replied as he picked up his fork and began to play with his food. "He wants me to bring Art to some warehouse on Friday night."

"Didn't you tell him that we don't know where he is?" Hank asked.

"Of course I did, but he didn't believe me," Will answered with a frustrated sigh.

"Is Claire ok?" Emily asked with a look of sad concern.

"Yeah, sis, she's ok," Will said with an encouraging smile.

"Good," Emily said, returning a sad little smile.

"So what now, Will?" Jennifer asked.

"I guess I have no choice. I have to go...with or without Art," Will stated, shaking his head.

"Don't worry, William. We'll be there with you," Max said encouragingly.

"Not this time, Max. Julius told me to come alone," Will noted.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Max cautioned.

"I don't have a choice," Will answered.

"Hmmm...I understand," Max said, nodding.

"Well, we've got time before Friday," Hank said positively. "Maybe something will turn up. We can stop by the office after we finish here. You can check in with Sam and see if he's heard anything about Art. Maybe he can tell us something about the black automaton."

"Good idea," Will agreed, still pushing his food around on his plate.

"Aren't you hungry, Will?" Emily asked.

"Not really," Will answered, shrugging slightly.

"Worried about Claire?" Emily intuited.

Will silently nodded.

"Me too," Emily admitted.