‘So what was it?’ Eddie asked, excited now despite not really following everything he’d been told.
‘That is the question,’ Sir William replied.
‘And the answer,’ Liz said, ‘is in the Crystal.’
Eddie frowned. ‘Does he mean the park? Or the Crystal Palace itself?’
‘Just what we were wondering when you arrived,’ George said.
‘And I was about to say that I believe it is neither,’ Sir William said. He stood up and walked slowly round the table as he spoke. He tapped his index finger against his chin, deep in thought. ‘Now Sir Henry died soon after that. He had been ill for a while, so that is probably why no one seemed surprised he had to leave early. But we know from this extract that he took something with him to the dinner that evening. Something that would demonstrate in some way the astonishing and astounding information he had to impart. Something that will tell us what it is that Lorimore seeks so desperately to discover.’
‘And he says that he lost it,’ George said.
‘Not exactly. Because he also says he knows exactly where it is.’
‘But if it’s important, why didn’t he go and get it back then,’ Eddie wanted to know.
‘Or was he too ill for that?’ Liz suggested.
Sir William shook his head. ‘He did not retrieve it, because while he knew where it was, it wasn’t possible to get it back. Think — where is he most likely to have accidentally left it?’
They all thought. And they all reached the answer at the same moment, their faces slowly clearing into realisation. It was Eddie who put it into words:
‘It’s still there,’ Eddie said excitedly, ‘whatever it is. The answer lies in the Crystal Palace igu-whatsit- thing.’
Sir William nodded vehemently. ‘Literally it does. After the meal, the statue was completed. The top was lowered into place, and sealed. The tent around the statue was dismantled and the iguanodon still stands guard in the Park. It still keeps Sir Henry Glick’s secret safe inside. As he himself says: ironic.’
There was silence for several moments while they all thought about this.
‘So what do we do?’ Liz asked at last.
‘Why I should think that was obvious. We must go at once to the Crystal Palace, and find out what is hidden inside the iguanodon.’
Once again, Stephen managed to get a cab within seconds, despite the fact it was now gone midnight. George, Liz and Eddie piled into the carriage. Sir William paused to give instructions to the driver before he squeezed in beside them.
The driver cracked his whip, and Stephen watched it depart into the lingering shreds of fog. Then he turned and walked back inside the warmth of the Atlantian Club.
Had he hesitated just a few moments, he might have seen two figures standing in the shadows on the opposite side of the street. One of them turned to the other.
‘Mr Blade was right,’ he said. ‘Sir William’s club — obvious place for them to come really.’
‘Just luck, that’s all,’ the other replied.
‘Doesn’t matter. Let’s find Mr Blade, fast as we can. He’ll want to know where they’re headed: the Crystal Palace.’
Chapter 17
Mist still hung heavily over the sloping ground of the park. It shimmered and shivered in the light breeze, like a moving blanket of smoke. The grass was wet with dew and the moon struggled to find its way through the thinning clouds. The Crystal Palace stood majestic in the moonlight. Its glass walls glinted and glistened, reflecting pale ghosts of the hazy parkland.
Sir William led them along one of the paths that swept down the hill and round the Crystal Palace towards the lake. Despite the fact that they were probably the only people in the entire park, they still spoke in hushed whispers.
‘Do you know where we’re going, sir?’ George asked.
‘It has been a while,’ Sir William admitted, ‘but yes, I think I can recall the way.’
‘What are we looking for?’ Eddie asked.
‘An iguanodon,’ Liz told him. ‘A dinosaur.’
‘What’s it look like?’
‘I expect you’ll know it when you see it,’ George replied.
‘Big and lizard-like,’ Liz said. ‘Remember?’
Eddie did remember. ‘And it’s a statue, right? And somehow we have to get inside it?’
Sir William paused. ‘Yes,’ he said slowly. ‘You know I hadn’t really considered that. I wonder how we can get it open.’
‘It depends how the thing is put together,’ George said. ‘We may need to come back with tools.’
‘Or we could smash our way in,’ Eddie suggested.
‘With our fists?’ Liz said. ‘What’s it made of, this statue?’
Sir William led them off the path now, over the wet grass and into a thicker patch of mist. ‘Cast iron, brick, stone …’ His voice faded with him into the night. Eddie and the others hastened after him.
‘We won’t need tools,’ Eddie muttered to George. ‘We’ll need a gang of navvies.’
The ground rose, disappearing into the mist. They were skirting a small lake when Eddie heard the noises. The bank was steep and the grass was slippery, so they were all concentrating on keeping their balance.
‘It’s just along here somewhere, I feel sure,’ Sir William called back to them.
But Eddie had stopped. ‘What’s that?’
They all stopped and listened. The sound was muffled by the heavy air, but in the silence they could all hear it — the distant sound of people talking, of undergrowth and branches being forced aside.
‘They’re looking for us,’ Eddie knew instinctively.
‘We can’t be sure of that,’ George replied quietly.
‘Why else would they be here?’ Eddie said. ‘In the middle of the night?’
‘It does seem likely that somehow we have been traced or followed,’ Sir William admitted. They were all talking in hushed tones now.
‘Then let’s get moving,’ Liz whispered.
They hurried on along the bank for several minutes, and it seemed — to Eddie’s relief — that the voices and sounds receded into the night behind them. After a while, Sir William stopped, pointing up the steep slope. A large dark shape loomed up above them, barely more than a charcoal silhouette in the mist that rose from the lake beside them.
‘Ah, here we are.’ Sir William stepped aside, at the base of the rocky outcrop. Above him, through the mist, a shape was forming — gaining substance as Eddie got closer. A scaly, reptilian head thrust out of the gloom. A vicious spiked horn protruded from the creature’s nose, and large glassy eyes regarded Eddie suspiciously.
‘The monster!’ Eddie gasped.
‘What? Oh nonsense,’ Sir William told him. ‘It’s just the statue of an iguanodon. And not terribly accurate at
