Evening Escapade

The Mob

At the sight of Sunny's siblings and Jacques, Hector ran faster toward them. 

Sunny, sitting on top Hector's shoulders, was of course grateful for his speed, but also had to cling to his shirt. As soon as she reached her siblings, she moved from Hector's arms to Violet's, who held her tightly. "Frire?" Sunny asked, which meant something like "What happened?" 

Klaus explained while Violet turned to Hector. 

"Mr. Lesko is dead," she said. "Olaf shot him! What should we do?" Hector paused. Officer Luciana and Detective Dupin were gone, having escaped in the commotion, leaving Violet, Klaus, and Jacques alone. 

"Mr. Lesko!" cried Mrs. Morrow, another elder, in delighted shock, rushing to the body. 

More and more people came to see the commotion, both curious and upset. "They did it!" said one of the elders, his crow hat bobbing in excitement.

The Baudelaires looked at Hector, silently pleading for him to overcome his skittishness and defend them. His mouth twitched slightly. "Well..." 

But before Hector could speak, another elder cried out. "The children freed Count Olaf and murdered Mr. Lesko!" 

"They're criminals!" 

"They need to be burned at the stake!" 

"Go grab pitchforks!"

"And torches!"

"And kindling!"

"Mob psychology," Klaus whispered. "It's like what I read about." 

Jacques put a hand on Klaus's shoulder, then Violet's. "Baudelaires, follow me."

"Hector coming?" Sunny asked, and the four of them turned to look. Slowly, Hector nodded.

Jacques led them away from the square, moving so quickly and unpredictably that it was hard to keep up with him. They could all hear the village's clamor, eager to find them. 

The buildings got more and more sparse as they walked until the Baudelaires could see the expanse of flat land. They reached the outskirts of the village, Hector's house still visible in the distance. The distant voices seemed quieter, so they stopped for a moment to catch their breaths and talk. Hopefully, they all thought, they would not be found.