And Jack led the way down the staircase to backstage. Much of the backdrop had collapsed beneath the fallen chandelier and Jack was able to look out across the empty stage, over the silent orchestra pit and the deserted auditorium.
Eddie Bear raised an ear. “I hear police sirens in the distance,” he said.
“Let’s make haste, then,” said Jack, and he began to sift amongst the ruination that had been the chandelier.
“Anything?” Eddie asked.
“You might help,” said Jack.
“No, I might not,” said Eddie. “That’s a lot of broken glass – I could cut myself and lose my stuffing.”
Jack did further siftings and added some rootlings to these. “There’s something,” he said.
“Bodies?” Eddie asked. Hopefully.
“No,” said Jack. “Their machine is here, all broken in pieces. Which is something, though not very much.”
“But no bodies?”
“No,” said Jack. “Ah, I see.”
“You see bodies?”
“I don’t see bodies. But what I do see is the trap door.”
“And it’s open, I suppose.” Eddie made low growling sounds. “They’ve escaped.”
Jack was dragging ruined chandelier to this side and the other. “Then we’ll go after them,” he said.
“What? When they seem capable of vanishing away in a puff of smoke? Like my one did at Old King Cole’s?”
“I don’t think they’ll find it quite so easy this time,” Jack said. “Their machine is busted, after all.”
“Their killing machine? What has that to do with them making their escape?”
“It has to double as a means of transportation, surely?”
“That doesn’t really follow,” said the Phantom, who hadn’t said much lately and had done absolutely no rootling or sifting either. “You are making a supposition there that is not based on any empirical evidence.”
“Please keep out of this,” said Jack. “You saved our lives and for that we are extremely grateful, but Eddie and I must now pursue these monsters. Pursue them to their lair.”
“And destroy them,” said Eddie.
“Well, apprehend them, at least.”
“Destroy them,” said Eddie. “At least.”
“Well, we’ll see how things take shape when we catch up with them.”
“And how will we do that?” Eddie asked.
Jack now made a certain face. “Now, excuse me,” he said, “but don’t I recall you telling me at some time or another – yesterday, in fact – how bears are noted for their tracking abilities?”
“Ah, yes,” said Eddie. And he sniffed. “And I have the scent of the other me in my nostril parts right now.”
“Then sniff on please, Mister Bear,” said Jack.
“Mister Bear,” said Eddie. “I like that, Mister Bear.”
“Then sniff on, if you will.”
“I will.”
Jack thanked the Phantom once more and promised that he would return as soon as matters were sorted and take he, she or it out for a beer, or a cocktail, or a measure of motor oil. Or something. Eddie Bear too said his thanks and then he and Jack descended into the void that lay, uninvitingly, beneath the open trap door.
And not before time, as it happened, for now laughing policemen swarmed into the auditorium. And rushed in the direction of the stage. But there they found nothing, for the trap door was closed and the Phantom had melted away.
“Which way?” Jack asked. “I can’t see a thing.”
“Follow Mister Bear,” said Eddie. “And I’m here – stick out your hand.”
And Jack followed Eddie and Eddie Bear sniffed the way ahead. Which just went to show how subtle a bear’s smelling sense can be, considering the stink of all that business down there.
“They might be hiding down here,” Jack whispered, “waiting to get us.”
“They’re not,” said Eddie. “My nose tells me that. But if they’re still upon our world, then Mister Bear will find them.”
Jack was about to voice words to the effect that he might soon grow tired of Eddie calling himself Mister Bear, but then he considered that he probably wouldn’t. Mister Bear sounded good; it lent Eddie dignity.
“After you, Mister Bear,” said Jack.
And Mister Bear led on. And soon he and Jack were no longer in the Opera House; they were outside in the car park. Police car roof lights flashed around this car park, and Eddie and Jack moved with stealth.
“Actually, why are we moving with stealth?” Jack asked.
“Because,” said Eddie, “this would be the moment when the misidentification scenario kicks in and we both get arrested.”
“I’ll bet I can move with more stealth than you,” Jack said.
“And I’ll bet you cannot.”
Eddie did further sniffings at the evening air. “To use one of your favourite words,” he said, “damn.”
“They took a car, didn’t they?” Jack asked.
“That is what they did, but I can still track them. We’ll just have to get the Anders Faircloud and skirt around the police cordon until I can pick up the scent again.”
“Right,” said Jack, and he plucked up Eddie. “Then let’s do this fast.” And with that Jack took to his heels in a stealthy kind of a way.
There followed then far more skirting around the police cordon than either Eddie or Jack might have hoped for. Jack drove with his head down, but Eddie had to stick his out of the window.
They were outside Tinto’s Bar when Eddie picked up the scent once more.
“That’s typical,” said Eddie. “How dearly I’d like a beer.”
“Beers later, justice first,” said Jack.
“Nice phrase,” said Eddie. “We could put that on the door of the office. And on our business cards. Put your foot down, Jack, that way.”
Jack now put his foot down, but the car just poodled along.
“I’ll paint it on the door of the car, too,” said Jack. “After I’ve given it a service.”
And so they moved off, in cold pursuit. Which indeed was a shame, because there’s nothing like a good car chase to spice things up. A good car chase always has the edge, even over falling chandeliers.
Eddie kept on sniffing and Jack kept on driving.
And sometime later Eddie said, “We’re getting close now, Jack.”
And Jack looked out through the windscreen and said, “We’re approaching Toy Town again.”
“Damn,” said Eddie once more, and he smote his head with a paw. “It was obvious they’d return here. We should have reasoned it out. We’ve wasted too much time.”
“We might still have the element of surprise on our side.” Jack switched off the headlights and the car did poodlings to a halt. “Down the hillside once more,” said Jack, “and this time we’ll keep a careful lookout. Any big bright lights and we run like bitches.”
“Like what?” Eddie asked.
“Lady dogs,” said Jack. “What did you think I meant?”
And down the hillside they went, through those briars and that gorse and even those nettles and stuff. And Jack held Eddie above them all, and troubled not about his trenchcoat.[19]
“To Bill’s house, is it?” whispered Jack.
“That’s what my nose tells me,” said Eddie.
Across the yellow-bricked road they went, across the town square and through that darkened alley. Finally, Jack set Eddie down.
“You could have walked the last bit,” he said.
“I was conserving my energy.”
“Still have the key?”
“Of course.”
But Jack didn’t need it. The door to Bill Winkie’s was open.
“Stay here,” said Jack. “I’ll go inside and see what’s what.”
“What’s what?” Eddie asked.