Inside the Shadow City (40 page)

“It was the only thing left. They sold all of the other jewels. That's why they robbed the Chinatown Savings and Loan. They needed more money.”

“Your mother would be very proud.” Verushka beamed.

“You know what this means, Verushka? We won't have to hide anymore. We'll have Livia thrown in jail. And we'll clear your name and live like normal people.”

Verushka shook her head sadly.

“No, my darling. It is not so simple. The proof we need is still in Pokrovia. We cannot return to get it now.”

“But Livia and Sidonia may have the bottom layer of the NYCMap. And Sidonia stole the map of the Shadow City from our house on Bank Street. We have to get out of New York.”

“We are going nowhere. We cannot leave while this city is still in danger. You are worried that a spoiled little girl and her mother are going to hurt us?”

“It's not them I'm worried about. I'm worried about Sergei and the other bodyguards. The ones who shot you.”

“Stop and think,” said Verushka. “Bodyguards do not shoot other people for free. Now that their money is gone, how will Livia pay these men to shoot us?”

The words had a magical effect on Kiki. Her brow unfurled and a wide grin stretched across her face. DeeDee crawled over to where I lay, her body too exhausted to stand.

“Would you mind telling me what's going on,” she panted. That's when I realized that she and Luz had missed most of the show.

• • •

Once we were able to walk, Verushka ushered us into the house. We sat around the kitchen table as she prepared breakfast.

“You have all been very brave,” Verushka told us as she drew a large knife from a kitchen drawer and skillfully attacked a potato. “Now it is time for us to trust you with our story.

“For twenty years, I was a member of the Pokrovian royal guard. It was my duty to protect Kiki's mother, Princess Sophia. It should not have been a difficult job. The people of Pokrovia loved Sophia. When it was time for her to become queen, the country celebrated. The only person who was not happy was Livia, Sophia's younger sister.

“Livia believed she had been born to be queen. She hated Sophia, and I knew that Livia could not be trusted. One day, I saw Livia's maid in the palace kitchen, stirring a pot of soup that was intended for Sophia. Only the cook was allowed to touch the food of the royal family, so when
the maid had gone, I fed the soup to the kitchen cats. The first cat to lick the pot died within minutes.

“Of course I told Sophia what I had seen, but she would not arrest her only sister. Like her daughter, Sophia could be very stubborn. She wanted to make peace with Livia, but I knew it would never work. I convinced Sophia to write a letter in her own hand describing her sister's attempt on her life. She hid the note in a secret place in the palace. If something happened to her, she told me, I would find directions to the letter. They were inscribed inside the band of her favorite ring—a ring that she swore would never leave her finger until the day she was dead.

“On the night that Sophia was murdered, I was on duty with a young guard named Sergei Molotov. It was the evening before Sophia's coronation, and she was dining with her husband and young daughter. The baby was sleeping when the food was brought in, so the adults ate first. Sophia had started to feed Kiki when she became ill. Sophia and her husband died quickly—and with great pain. When I knew I could not save them, I grabbed the ring and the baby. Sergei tried to stop me. He claimed he had seen
me
poison the food. He took the ring and arrested me. I escaped with Kiki and ran to the royal doctor, but he told me that Kiki would not live. She had eaten too much of the poison. And if she did survive, she would never be a normal child. He said it was better to let her die.

“I refused to believe him. I took Kiki and left Pokrovia. It was good thing. The doctor was an informant. He told Livia that Kiki was still alive. When the revolution forced Livia to flee, we followed her from
country to country. I hoped that someday we could make her pay for what she had done. So I taught Kiki everything I knew—languages, the martial arts, weaponry. I tried to keep the terrible secret from Kiki until she was older, but she found a journal I had kept for her. After that, it was impossible to stop her.”

Verushka handed each of us a plate filled with grilled sausages and potato pancakes. In front of Kiki, she set only a bowl filled with a pale, lumpy substance.

“What is
that
?” Oona asked, her face wrinkling with disgust.

“Gruel and vitamins,” said Kiki. “It's the only thing I can eat.”

“Livia should pay just for making you eat that crap,” Oona said.

“She will,” said Luz, as if there wasn't a doubt in her mind.

“So wait a second,” I said to Kiki. “All this time, you were just trying to prove that Verushka was innocent?”

Kiki swallowed a spoonful of gruel.

“When I read Verushka's journal, I knew that I had to find the letter that could prove that Livia killed my parents. When I heard that she'd given the ring with the directions to Sidonia, I knew I had my chance.”

“That's why you came to the Atalanta School?'

“Verushka thought I needed some friends, so she convinced me to join the Girl Scouts. That's where I first saw Oona selling counterfeit badges. I paid her to forge the documents I would need to get into the Atalanta School. I thought if I were close enough to Sidonia, I could sneak a peek at the inscription inside the ring.

“I almost did it, too. I found out that Sidonia left the ring in her locker during her swimming class. If I wanted to see it, all I had to do was get past the combination lock. But another girl beat me to it. I was there when Naomi stole the ring. But Sidonia thought
you
had taken it, and I had to set her straight. After I wrote the note, I couldn't go back to the Atalanta School. I knew Sidonia might have identified me. I had to find another way to get my hands on the ring. And I had to do it fast. Once Livia suspected Verushka and I were in New York, it was only a matter of time until she found out we were living just a few blocks away.

“Fortunately, I had another plan. When I found
Glimpses of Gotham,
I learned there was an entrance into Livia's house through the Shadow City. I asked Oona to forge a birth certificate so that I could get access to the tunnel in the Marble Cemetery. I wanted to sneak into Livia's house at night and take the ring. But Verushka wouldn't let me do it alone. So I recruited you guys to help me.

“My plan might have worked if I hadn't been so impatient. Livia was close to discovering our hiding place, and I made the Irregulars move too fast. After the explosion, I knew she would figure out who was responsible. I ran back that night to check on Verushka. But Sergei Molotov saw me on the street and followed me to the hidden house. He shot Verushka and we barely escaped. We hid in Chinatown for two years, and I had to make the kungfu movie to pay our bills.”

“Why didn't you call us?” asked Luz. “We could have helped. We made a killing on the Reverse Pied Piper.”

“I wanted to tell you what had happened, but Livia
would have killed you. So I had to let you all believe I had disappeared. In fact, if it hadn't been for the robberies and kidnappings, I would have stayed in hiding. Sidonia's scheme
was
brilliant. She made me come to her. I'm just sorry for dragging you along with me.”

“That is enough,” said Verushka, who had taken a seat at the table. “I am tired of these old stories. When can I hear about last night's adventure?”

The five of us told Verushka everything—starting with the Bannerman Ball and finishing with Livia's wig. She was a perfect audience, clapping with excitement in all the right places and gasping at the proper moments. When we were done, she sat back and stroked her chin.

“There is one thing I do not understand. If you made her drink the Devil's Apple, how did Sidonia escape?”

“We don't know,” I admitted.

“The answer is important,” Verushka counseled. “I think it is time for you to visit your friend Betty in the hospital. She may know something that you do not.”

“That's our next stop,” said Kiki as she gulped down the last of her gruel.

• • •

On the way to St. Vincent's Hospital, we stopped by Betty's house. We planned to smuggle her out of the hospital before the police could ask too many questions, and we needed a disguise. We picked the lock on her apartment and grabbed a blond wig and a fake nose. DeeDee left a note on the kitchen counter for Betty's parents, who, thanks to a false order for Matador costumes placed earlier by Luz, were still not back from work. Betty was
spending the night at a friend's house, DeeDee wrote. She'd be home in the evening. That gave us a few more hours for Betty to wake up. But once we were standing over her hospital bed, we wondered if our expectations might have been unrealistic.

Betty's white dress had been exchanged for a hospital gown, and the makeup and grime that had covered her face had been carefully wiped away. She was still in a deep sleep, and her head tossed from side to side as if she were having a vivid dream.

“They'll know,” she mumbled into the pillow. “You can't trick them.”

“Betty,” whispered DeeDee, gently patting her arm. “You're just dreaming.”

Betty forced her eyes open, straining as if her eyelids were made of lead.

“DeeDee!” she whispered hoarsely. “It's the Princess. She kidnapped herself. She knew Kiki would have a spy at the party. You've got to warn her!”

“I'm right here,” said Kiki. “We're all okay. How are
you
feeling?”

“Where am I?” asked Betty, her eyes darting around the room.

“St. Vincent's Hospital,” I told her. “You hit your head. But you're going to be fine.”

“What time is it? I've got to get out of here,” said Betty, sitting upright in bed. “My parents are going to kill me.”

“Relax. We left them a note,” Kiki said. Betty fell back on the pillows.

“I watched you at the party,” I told her. “You were very brave.”

“Believe it or not, it wasn't that bad,” said Betty. “I was almost enjoying myself. Maybe I'll go to more parties. Wait! Did you catch the Princess?”

“No,” admitted Kiki. “She got away.”

“What happened?” asked Betty.

“We drugged her, but somehow she managed to escape.”

“Oh, no,” Betty moaned. “If I had been awake, I could have told you. She found the Morlock's Miracle Mixture in my bag, and figured out why the Devil's Apple wasn't affecting me. She drank the rest of it herself.”

I looked at Kiki. The news was not good. “The Princess was only pretending to be asleep when we left,” I said.

“We'll worry about that later. Let's take Betty home,” was all Kiki said.

We borrowed a wheelchair and rolled a disguised Betty out of the hospital room. Doctors and nurses passed us without so much as a second look. We were almost out of the building when a woman's voice called out, “Kiki Strike!”

“Get Betty outside and grab a cab,” I whispered to the other girls.

Luz, Oona, and DeeDee rolled Betty out of the hospital. Kiki and I turned to greet Penelope Young's mother, who sprang on us like an affectionate puppy.

“Thank you so much! Penelope told me you rescued her. The doctors say she's okay, thank goodness, just a little messy. Can you believe that a bunch of kids were behind it all? The police caught them, but I'm sure you know that, don't you.”

“Yes, we know,” said Kiki.

“So you'll be collecting the reward, right?”

“Reward?” I asked.

“We offered a ten-thousand-dollar reward for Penelope's return. Of course, there's not enough money in the world to give you what you really deserve.”

“I don't need any money,” said Kiki. “Penelope's safety is reward enough. She's a wonderful girl.” I saw the sides of her mouth twitch as if she were forcing back a smile.

“What?” scoffed Penelope's mother, as if the notion of a good deed were too ridiculous to contemplate. “But you rescued our daughter. You're a hero. I can't let people think that you weren't rewarded for all you've done.”

“If you don't mind, Mrs. Young, I'd prefer it if nobody knew.”

“But you could be famous!”

“I'd rather not,” said Kiki. “If you insist on rewarding me, you can reward me with your silence.”

“But …” Penelope's mother started to say until she realized she was getting a fantastic deal. “Well, if that's what you want, I'll be happy to oblige.”

“I'd appreciate it, Mrs. Young. Now if you'll excuse me, I really have to go.”

We quickly walked out of the hospital and found a cab waiting for us on the corner.

“Jump in,” said Oona. We crammed our bodies into the backseat and made our escape with the rest of the Irregulars.

• • •

By the time I got home, the story of the foiled kidnapping had broken. I switched on the evening news and came
face-to-face with the same overeager reporter who had covered the robbery at the Chinatown Savings and Loan.

“Good afternoon, Janice! I'm standing in front of a warehouse in Chinatown where last night, police foiled a kidnapping. I'm afraid stories don't get any stranger than this, Janice. At four o'clock in the morning, police responded to an alarm at the Chinatown Savings and Loan, the site of a recent robbery. There they found two girls. One was Penelope Young, the schoolgirl who was kidnapped eight days ago. The other girl has not been identified and has since vanished.

“According to police, an anonymous tip led them to the warehouse behind me, where Penelope Young says she was held without access to clean clothes or running water. After a fierce battle with a Chinatown gang, police found the kidnappers unconscious in a secret room beneath the warehouse's basement. According to police, the leader appears to have been Jacob Harcott, son of real estate magnate Oliver Harcott, and his teenage girlfriend, Naomi Throgmorton. In an even more surprising turn of events, the warehouse, which is owned by Mr. Harcott's father, was found filled with counterfeit goods. Police are now seeking Oliver Harcott for questioning.