A Web of Lies

Chapter 9

Trevor’s hand hovered before the handle to Dr. Codsworth’s office.

            “Careful, Trevor.” Lord Chesterton said. “You may not like what you find in there.”

            “The truth is in there. I have to find it regardless of whether I like it or not.”

            Both spiders heartily agreed, though they still remained apprehensive as Trevor opened the door. So tense was the moment, that were there any way of telling, Trevor could have sworn that both he and his companions were holding their breath.

            The door creaked open, and the automatic lights clicked on. One of the fluorescent tubes flickered in protest before joining the others at full strength. Trevor closed the door lightly behind him before stepping further into the room. The shelves were lined with books in all sorts of languages and artifacts of engraved stone and other ancient fragments stood as book ends. There were a couple chairs for visitors, though they were currently overflowing with stacks of various papers and magazines. The chair behind the disk was vastly superior to the other two, rising nearly three times their height. It was studded with brass and covered in a finely treated leather. As far as desk chairs go, it was a veritable throne. This wasn’t surprising to Trevor, as he could immediately see Dr. Codsworth sitting like a king, crowning himself monarch of all ancient knowledge, using some third dynasty crown he nicked from an exhibit.

            But musing about what Codsworth did in his spare time was not why they were here. Trevor had hoped it would have been easy to find the hidden fossils as it was difficult to hide much of anything in an office this small. It quickly became apparent that the crates of precious cargo were not here. Trevor was undeterred.

            “Take a look around, see if you can find anything out of the ordinary, any kind of evidence. I know there’s something here to find.” Trevor said. Richard immediately got to work, but Chesterton was hesitant.

            “Trevor, my good lad, would it not be better to inform the authorities of our suspicions, whereupon, they might conduct a more thorough investigation? While I do not believe our pursuits to be criminal, it is possible that others may not see our endeavors as entirely noble. One must think of their reputation.”

            “Oh, believe me, Lord Chesterton, I thought of that as well. The problem is, if I just start on about my suspicions of Codsworth, the cops might think I’m just trying to shift blame from myself. Or worse, it could start a blame game and end in a witch hunt. Don’t worry. We’ll tell the police when we actually have something to tell.”

            “Very well. Let us crack on then.” Chesterton said. He crawled along Trevor’s elbow dropped to the desk, and scurried into a drawer. Trevor cast his eyes about the room, not sure what he was looking for. He suddenly felt the need to pull out a magnifying glass and start starring at footprints. He knew enough not to disturb anything, but that also limited his ability to actually search. He was just about to call it off when he heard a gasp from Sir Richard.