SIXTEEN
PRESTBURY, CHESHIRE, 2023 AD
When Jake told Matt Dawson, “I really must fly,” he meant it literally. Having deposited Matt at North Hill, his car at Shebbear and pecked Alice on the cheek, he was now in falcon shape, perched in the tree outside of Dr Darke’s mansion. It had been a long day, but his wait would extend until after the children’s bedtime. Since he could not see into the house from his branch, he needed to repeat his operation of some days before to enter the building. Inside, as a mouse, silent and unseen, hidden under furniture, with acute hearing, he would know when to confront Aubrey Darke alone.
His entry went to plan so that he took up position in the sitting room under a settee, where nobody suspected his presence. The children were playing a board game with t
