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EVEN THOUGH CARL AND the other number crunchers had been given exact longitude and latitude of where to meet after leaving the house of chaos, Carl could not locate the meeting place. They had been driving around in the desert for forty-five minutes without seeing a structure.
Ryan looked down and said, “Wait, there’s a notation on these directions that says to follow instructions exactly to the latitude and longitude. Stop at these coordinates and wait.”
Carl glared at Ryan and hissed, “Now you tell me.”
“Well, I thought once we got in the general area, we would see the house or building or whatever, and I wouldn’t have to read anymore. There’s no reason to get so snippy. Reading while driving makes me nauseous.”
“You are not driving, and I am not snippy.”
“You know what I mean. Do you have to drive so fast, urp.”
“Hey you better not. I have a sympathetic gag reflex. So what are the coordinates again? Never mind, let me read them.”
As Carl grabbed the directions from Ryan, he saw they were only a few miles from the meeting spot. He was still looking at the directions a few minutes later when he nearly ran down Mr. Millwood. Carl had been reading the instructions when Ryan shouted. When Carl looked up, it appeared that Mr. Millwood had suddenly materialized in the middle of the desert. Carl slammed on the brakes, giving everyone in the car a mild case of whiplash. While Carl, Ryan, Ashley, and Bernard looked battered and exhausted, Mr. Millwood looked as though he was out for a stroll in a sunny garden and had come across old friends. He gave a cheery wave and walked over to the driver’s side of the vehicle.
“This is quite the unusual house, isn’t it? I must say, I underestimated those two. What you see, or rather don’t see, is the fantastic blending of two architectural designs. Part of the house is mirrored; the rest is a shell-like exterior that mimics the surrounding landscape. Makes it quite invisible. Carl, isn’t it? Just park the Marauder inside.” Mr. Millwood looked at his watch, made a little tsk-tsk sound, and said, “Where has the time gone? I must check in with a colleague. I will explain things in one moment, and attempt to answer any of your questions.”
He pushed a button on a garage door remote that looked to Carl as if it had just materialized in Mr. Millwood’s hand. An opening unexpectedly appeared in the desert, and the interior of a garage appeared. “I will meet you inside in a few moments. As you enter through the garage, make your way into the living room area. Refreshments have been set out in for you there. Please help yourself. I think you may be quite interested in the news.”
In the living room, the group found a large, flat-screen TV on, tuned to a news channel. The news anchor seemed to be covering a story about the last few hours inside the house they had just left.
Mr. Millwood ushered another houseguest into the home’s study. He had just finished speaking into his mic and turned to the person next to him, “Due to a wonderful turn of events, our little cleanup problem is now solved. Gerald, my good man, the remaining problem of the day seems to be your unstable stepbrother.”
Gerald smoothed the few hairs he had left on his perspiring head and smirked. “I don’t think that will be a problem. It looks like he is about to fall on his own leopard.”
Millwood gaped at Gerald, nonplussed, started to say something, stopped, paused, and with great effort managed to say, “Oh, what the hell. You mean petard?”
“Yes, I was giving it the French pronunciation, pleopardt.”
“Oh, Lord. Shall we adjourn to the other room? Our other guests shall be arriving shortly.”
Mr. Millwood addressed the group in the living room, “Why don’t all of you freshen up a bit, and then I think we can expect some people to drop by.” A flurry of questions came at Mr. Millwood. He held up his hands. “Yes, yes, I know I said when you arrived I would answer any questions. However, it will be much easier to wait a few minutes, and things will become clearer. In the meantime, you must be famished. Please head down the hall to refresh yourselves, and when you return a warm meal will be waiting for you. I am expecting the rest of your friends shortly, and we can all have a long chat over a lovely meal.”
At the mention of food, the grumbling turned to happy sounds.
“Hot meal! I haven’t thought of food until he mentioned it, and now that’s all I can think of,” Ashley said to the others as they all headed down the hall toward the bedrooms.