Mr Blood, Edgar and Mary arrived at the small town of Grimstock at noon.
The sun was high in the sky but the town looked dark and gloomy. But the people of the town were happy. They stood along the High Street waving and cheering as Mr Blood walked towards the town hall.
Mary smiled and waved back. Edgar did not.
“People are always happy to see us arrive,” Edgar said. “But it never seems to last.”
Mary didn’t listen to him. “Oh, I could get used to this!” she said.
“Keep alert,” snapped Mr Blood. “You never know what is about to happen. We need to find out why they called us here.”
They walked up some steps to the Town Hall and went in.
Inside, the hall was packed with people. They were cheering and waving too.
Around the edges of the hall were tables laden with cakes and drinks. It looked like a huge fair.
Mr Blood led the way towards a large desk at the far end of the hall.
Behind the desk, a large, round man in a red gown stood up to greet them.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Mr Blood. Come and sit down.”
He leaned over the desk to shake Mr Blood’s hand and pointed to three chairs.
“Welcome to Grimstock,” he said. “I am the Mayor.”
“Ah,” said Mr Blood. “It was you who sent for me. How may we help?”
“Plenty of time for that,” said the Mayor. “You must be thirsty.”
He nodded to someone in the crowd who placed a tray of drinks and cakes on the desk.
“You are kind,” said Mr Blood. “But please tell us, why are we here?”
And so the Mayor told the story…
