Chapter 12: Send in the Clowns

The airplane arrived as scheduled 12:34 on a private airstrip connected to Heathrow. Gabriel sat by the window and watched as they rolled up to the gate. As expected two police cars and two motorcycles were waiting for them and holding back the black limousine sent from the mansion to pick them up as usual. Behind all this was a line of cameras, flashes going off already and at least two reporters broadcasting live. He turned and looked at Matthew who had already gotten up and was putting on his long coat. Gabriel rose as well and helped correcting the tie one last time before he looked gravely at his father.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" he asked worried. Matthew brushed back his hair as he straightened and gave his son a self-assured smile, even the icy eyes shone with the courage it took any man to freely take on accusations of child abduction. In Gabriel's mind it was insane. Child abduction often enhanced thoughts of child abuse, and those accusations would hang above any innocent man's head for life.

"Darling, if I had a nickel for every time someone said that to me, I'd be just as rich as I am," Matthew answered and stroked Gabriel's cheek before placing one final kiss on his forehead. Shade and Nathaniel strapped on their gun holsters and headed towards the pressure door. Matthew walked along, no glances back at Gabriel, Zacharias and Aenriques, who followed suit. Aenriques put a comforting hand on Gabriel's shoulder.

"Don't worry," he said reassuringly. "Your father will be out in the blink of an eye and nobody will remember any of this."

"I'm not so sure about that, Ricky," Gabriel answered and took a deep breath as the pressure door was opened and they moved. They put on their sunglasses and stepped outside where Shade and Nathaniel already were halfway down, Matthew as well. Not far from the stair, three uniformed police officers approached them. Gabriel tried to hurry up as well as he could and reached the bottom of the stair as the retinue came to a halt in front of Matthew, flanked by Shade and Nathaniel.

"What is the meaning of this?" Matthew asked sharply and disguised his smile when he saw Lynne's sour grimace.

"Matthew James Darklighter, I'm arresting you under the suspicion of the abduction of Betty and Claire Preston," Lynne said. Thomas stepped forth from behind her and cuffed Matthew behind the back.

"What?! Father!" Gabriel started forward but by his master's order, Shade held him back abruptly. Matthew glanced at Gabriel with a warning to stay put.

"Gabriel, don't worry," he said calming. "It's not true. I promise." He turned his attention back to Lynne and smiled thinly. "If this is the way you want to play, Mrs. Wright, I'm afraid you're making the biggest mistake of your career yet."

Lynne's lips turned into a sneer and she stepped closer. "Get this monster out of my sight."

Matthew looked at her quite expressionless as Thomas grabbed him by the arm and began leading him to the police car in the front formally informing him of his civil rights.

"It's the biggest mistake in your life, Lynne. Don't do this. You're wiser than this," he called out to her, ignoring Thomas. Gabriel tried to fight his way past Nathaniel and Shade, calling for his father, who glanced over his shoulder once in a while. Aenriques helped holding Gabriel back while Zacharias dialed a number and got hold of Isobel back at the mansion.

"The panther is in the cage. Send in the clowns."