But none of this meant it wasn’t fun infusing much more chaos into the world. After all, the powers he possessed weren’t only killing people. Making entire cities fall asleep was another good one.
He stood up, walked toward two other presidents, and with a couple of moves killed them, then simply announced more cities going to sleep. A slow boring death, he liked to call it. We all went to sleep — died every night — and woke up, never being appreciative of the gift of life. Funny how this came from Death himself.
The Chessmaster announced the new sleeping cities on the news, warning of London being the next one on the list. Then he sat back, daydreaming about all the hell he will soon bestow on Alice. Oh, how long he’d waited for this to happen.
Chapter 53
Director’s Office, Radcliffe Asylum, Oxford
“The twelve men were called Carter Pillar?” Tom Truckle said.
“See?” Inspector Dormouse said. “I told you I know something.”
“But what does it mean? Why would people named Carter Pillar change their name in the same year?”
“I have an idea, not much, but I am curious to know your theories.”
“I don’t know,” Tom Truckle said. “Maybe they knew about him being a crazy madman and didn’t want to have anything to do with him.”
“Sounds too far-fetched to me.”
“Then maybe he made them change their names. I wouldn’t dismiss the idea. The Pillar is a lunatic. I imagine his ego drove him to want only one man called by his name.”
“It still makes no sense. He is a madman, and he fooled me by pretending to be some animal activist called Petmaster, but it’s not it,” Dormouse said. “Want to hear what I know?”
“If you don’t mind.”
“The twelve men are foreigners. They haven’t been born in Britain, and none of them come from the same country.”
“It’s getting more interesting now. What else?”
“They come from all over the world, even from countries where you normally wouldn’t find a name like Carter or Pillar.”
“But you said their names were a translation to Carter Pillar in their own language.”
“Indeed, but even some of those translations are never used as names in their countries.”
“I see. So they arrived here a few years ago? Why?”
“For all kinds of reason. None of them suspicious or unusual.”
“That’s a dead end,” Tom Truckle said. “Did they know each other?”
“Now you’re on the right track. They all met annually. Once every year.”
“You don’t say.”
“A secret meeting, and guess where?”
“That’s hard to guess.”
“In Oxford University.”
“Does that mean they knew the real Pillar?”
“In fact, yes,” Inspector Dormouse said. “I had to dig into the university’s archive to figure it was our Carter Pillar who arranged the secret meetings.”
“What were they about?”
“Some kind of ritual.”
“You lost me. Ritual?”
“About Wonderland.”
“This can’t be.”
“Oh, it can,” Inspector Dormouse said. “I’ve bribed a cook who worked in the kitchen below in Oxford to tell me all he knew about the meetings.”
“And?”
“He heard them talk about Wonderland all the time. But the boy thought they were nuts. He was fooled by Carter Pillar pretending to be a nerdy professor at the time, so he dismissed the nonsensical talks, and hardly overheard a few things.”
“Like what?”
“Like what they called their meetings.”
“They had a name for a meeting?” Tom Truckle said. “I’m curious. What did they call it?”
“Are you ready for it?” Inspector Dormouse seemed too awake and alert now.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because I think it may tie a few things you already know together — in a vague way, though.”
“I know you’re a detective who likes suspense, but I’m not into that,” Tom Truckle said. “So tell me what they called their meetings.”
“I suggest you suck down a few pills first,” Inspector Dormouse said. “You will need them.”
“Damn it. Just spill it out. What did they call their meetings?”
“The Fourteen.” Inspector Dormouse said, watching Tom Truckle pop down a few pills right away.
Chapter 54
Chess City, Kalmykia, Russia
The Pillar still hesitates at stepping onto the white tiles.
“Please,” I tell him. “You owe me this.”
His right foot is slightly higher, presumably ready to step onto the white tiles. I’m not sure if he is tricking me into playing one of his games, but he looks a bit thin skinned at the moment. Something is showing through, but I can’t quite see it.
“Like I said, I will not kill you, no matter what,” I say. “I will not even hate you. It seems impossible to do so now, not after all we’ve been through, not after you’ve believed in me so much. But I need to know who you are.”
“Beware of what you wish for,” he says, almost mumbling it.