Talk to Larken about it
"His name wasn't listed?" Larken asks. You nod.
"Well, then, he must have given a false name to keep his good
name intact...and knowing Mr. Anderson as I do, I think I know what
name he could have given," Larken says.
"What?" you and Rosa ask eagerly.
Larken beckons for you to come closer and whispers, just in case
someone is listening,
"His two favorite books are Oliver Twist and Pride and Prejudice.
He might have used Oliver Darcy--a combination of two of the
characters' names from those novels."
"Oliver Darcy," Rosa repeats softly. "Are you sure,
Larken?"
"No--no one's ever sure about these things, but it's my best
guess."
"OK--let's head back to the jail, then, and ask if they have an
Oliver Darcy," you suggest. Larken agrees, and the three of you
head out together.
When you return to the jail, a different policeman from the one before
is behind the desk. When you ask for Oliver Darcy, he agrees that yes,
he has a man by that name listed for the crime of arson.
"Good--we have the money...we've come to post his bail,"
Larken says.
"Absolutely not, lass!" the policeman snaps.
"Oh, but we were told that the only crime that you couldn't post
bail for was murder..." you protest.
"I said NO. Go on home now, girls." With that, the policeman
stomps off.
You look at Rosa and Larken, and for a minute, you are all completely
stumped. Then suddenly, Larken figures it out,
"That police officer is in cahoots with the headmistress...she
must've told him not to accept any bail money."
That, you know, makes perfect sense, but what should you do about
it?
When you return to the school with Rosa, Larken meets the two of you
in the hallway and asks frantically where you have been. In the
privacy of Rosa's room, you explain your story.
