Chapter 7: The Tour Continues

The train got into Los Angeles just before lunch the next morning. In the two hour wait for our connection to San Francisco, I made a teleson call to Headquarters to report the successful conclusion of the cases of the faceless body and of the missing Midshipman. Then I made a call to the Mossier Inn in San Francisco to book our rooms.

At ten o'clock that night, after one more train change, we pulled into San Francisco. We made straight for the inn and our beds. The next morning, I left the others to see the sights while I hired a hansom to carry out my business. First, I called on the resident Supervisory Investigator of NEBI. I needed his company to enable me to visit Alcatraz. His presence would enable me to interview Anton in his cell.

I was hopeful that Anton would welcome some amelioration of his conditions of imprisonment. In return, I hoped to extract some help with Frederyk. The visit proved useless. Anton point blank refused to instruct Frederyk to cooperate with us in exchange for better conditions. When I left him I was feeling somewhat depressed.

We then returned to the NEBI office to send a report on my interview with Anton back to the Director in Washington DC. I made the suggestion that an agreement should be made unilaterally with Frederyk regarding the improvements to Anton's living conditions. I also told them about our immediate intentions of visiting Holdrege and then Coopersville, and that I would make contact again after we had reached Coopersville. Returning to the inn, I had a late lunch and retired to our room in an attempt to catch up on my sleep.

I woke when Sarah returned to get changed for dinner.

"We've got tickets for the theater tonight. It's Richard Shakespeare's 'King Arthur, the Good'. I said you'd like to go."

"Fine. I need cheering up. The interview with Anton didn't go as well as I had hoped."

The visit to the theater cheered me up no end. King Arthur was the successful son of a successful father, Richard Coeur de Lion, and Shakespeare's play skillfully demonstrated the highlights of his life.

Wednesday morning and we first planned the next stage of our vacation; the visit to Sarah's parents In Nebraska. The big drawback was that the train arrived there nearly an hour after midnight. Sarah left us to make a teleson call. She was beaming when she returned.

"That was easy! I spoke with my grandfather. He's the Judge in Holdrege. He'll put us up and will send a carriage to meet us at the station."

"What? A carriage to pick us up at five to one in the morning?" I asked.

"Yes. After all, it is Saturday and we can sleep in late," Sarah replied.

It was another fairly early day as we had to take the coach across the bay to Emeryville to catch the train just after nine.

At five to one o'clock on Saturday morning, we descended sleepily from the train at Holdrege. We passed through the single story station building to the street. There waiting for us was a carriage. The sleeping driver was stretched out on his bench seat. Sarah went up to the carriage, reached up and gently shook his shoulder.

"Wake up Henry. We're here!"

The driver jerked and shook himself.

"Sorry Demoiselle Sarah. I must have dropped off. Where are all your bags?"

"We're carrying them. We travel light in the Bureau of Investigation, Henry," Sarah said, smiling.

We all climbed into the open-topped carriage, which then set off away from the station. A few blocks later Sarah pointed out the court house on our left illuminated in the moonlight.

"That's where Grandfather presides. We're about half way home."

A few blocks further on, we turned off into the yard of a three story house. Stepping down from the carriage, Sarah approached the driver. "I'm sorry that we kept you up so very late, Henry."

"No bother, Demoiselle Sarah. I'll get to sleep in as long as you in the morning. Your Grandfather isn't going anywhere, so he'll not need me! Good night, Demoiselle Sarah."

"Good night, Henry," she replied, before leading us around to the front of the house, where the door was open. Just inside the door an elderly lady stood with a young maid standing behind her.

"Welcome to you all. Please come in."

She stood back as we all trooped inside. Sarah went up to her and gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek. Sarah turned to us and introduced us to Maria, her grandfather's housekeeper. Maria continued, "There's refreshments laid out in the morning room. When you're done," she indicated the maid, "Susie will show you to your rooms. I'll see you in the morning. Good night!"

She left and Susie led us into the morning room. There were several plates of sandwiches and a selection of cold drinks. When we had had our fill, Susie showed us all to our bedrooms.

I awoke the following morning because the light was shining through a gap in the curtains. When I descended to the morning room, I found the others enjoying their breakfast.

Sarah looked up at me and said, "Help yourself to what you want. Take plenty as you won't get fed again until dinner. Unless, of course, you go and make yourself very pleasant to the cook!"