The Adventures of Will Irving: Automaton Trouble

Chapter 29

A week had passed since Claire had been rescued. Moe had succeeded in covering up the warehouse incident. The newspaper reported that the explosion had been deemed an industrial accident with no reported casualties. Will, Claire, Emily, Hank, Max, and Jennifer – who, at Hank's insistence, had come over the day after Will had rescued Claire – had all spent the first three days in the house on guard. Officers Anne and Alastair had helped to keep an eye out for trouble, patrolling the area around Will's house as often as they were able. Once, Anne had even stopped by after her shift to drop off some groceries and necessities.

By the time the fourth day had arrived, Will and Hank had agreed to relax a bit and work on resuming normal life. Although Jennifer had returned home, it was agreed that Claire and Emily would not be left without the protection of either Will or Hank. The remainder of the week had passed uneventfully, and Will and Claire now found themselves enjoying a quiet evening alone. Emily had gone to bed early, and Max was quietly reading in the living room. A soft summer rain had begun to fall, and Will and Claire were sitting at the breakfast nook table, sipping tea and watching twilight and raindrops descend upon the backyard.

"This is nice," Will quietly commented.

"Hmmm?" Claire replied.

"Sitting here with you...the sound of the rain...it's nice," Will elaborated with a smile.

Claire returned a smile.

"I know we haven't talked much about what happened," Will said hesitantly after they had sat in silence for a while. "But you know I'm here for you..."

Claire remained silent, staring out the window.

"Sometimes it seems like a bad dream," Claire finally said quietly as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Just like it did when my mom died..."

"What happened to your mom?" Will asked.

"You're not gonna believe this," Claire said. "But the same thing that happened to your mom..."

"What?" Will quietly exclaimed.

"Emily told me about what happened to your mom...how she was killed during that bank robbery three years ago," Claire shared.

"Yeah," Will said, nodding.

"Well...my mom was there too," Claire continued.

"She was? Oh, Claire...I'm sorry..." Will empathized.

"Me too..." Claire replied as she put her hand on Will's.

"I know what you mean about it feeling like a bad dream," Will said after he had reflected for a while. "I guess that feeling never completely goes away...it just fades a bit with time..."

They continued to sit in silence for a while until Claire finally turned to Will with a serious expression.

"Will, something's been bothering me about the other night," Claire quietly disclosed.

"What is it?" Will asked.

"My father seemed to be working with that automaton and whoever that other person was," Claire noted.

"I've been thinking about that too, and I think you're right," Will agreed.

"What kind of business was my dad mixed up in?" Claire pondered aloud. "I've always known him to be on the level. This just doesn't make sense."

"I don't know, Claire," Will said. "That automaton and its partner are a complete mystery. Even my friend, Sam, who worked with your dad at Automata Innovations, didn't know anything. He was surprised when I told him about the things I saw that automaton do...he said he had never seen or heard of an automaton with those kind of capabilities."

"There's something else," Claire said. "Remember when my father showed up at the warehouse and gave me a quick hug?"

"Yeah," Will replied.

"Well, he whispered something to me before Moe pulled him away," Claire continued.

"What did he say?" Will asked.

"He said, 'Mom is the key'," Claire answered.

"Mom is the key?" Will repeated. "The key to what?"

"I don't know," Claire stated with a puzzled expression. "That's all he said...Maybe it has to do with whatever he was working on...those plans that Moe kept asking about..."

"Hmmm...you might be right," Will said. "Maybe he hid them somewhere, and he was trying to tell you how to find them. Did your parents have a favorite place?"

"No...not that I know of," Claire replied after taking a moment to think.

"Where was your mom buried?" Will asked.

"She wasn't," Claire answered. "She was cremated. Her ashes are in an urn at the house."

"Well, maybe your dad was referring to the urn then," Will suggested.

"I dunno...that seems a bit morbid, don't you think?" Claire said.

"Maybe you're right," Will replied. "Are there any pictures or paintings of your mom at your house?"

"Only a few photos in frames here and there," Claire answered.

"Hmmm...well, maybe we should head over there tomorrow and take a look around," Will suggested. "What do you think?"

"I'd like that," Claire replied. "Whatever it is, it must be important, or my father wouldn't have mentioned it. He must have wanted me to look for it...And hopefully it'll help me find some closure to all this."

Will nodded and gave Claire's hand a squeeze.

"I'll give Hank a call right now and ask him to come over first thing in the morning to stay with Emily so we can go," Will stated.

"Thank you," Claire said, smiling. "You know...when I told Emily about my mom being killed and my dad going missing, she said we were the same...except I was all alone, and she had you. She's lucky to have you, Will."

"Thanks," Will replied with a smile. "But I think I'm the lucky one. She's the best little sister a guy could ever want...I think she's more right than she realized though...You both are the same...and you both have me."

Claire looked at Will lovingly, and he smiled and squeezed her hand again before trotting off to call Hank.