What Makes A Detective.

Chapter 8

"What the hell?"

Quinne stood at the door to the Snug, staring in horror at the mess it was in. Toby by now was crouched like a wild animal on the open chest, rooting through the books inside. Their notice board was drowned in scribbles, notes and doodles, and some of the notes spread halfway across the wall. The only clear space was the bookshelves, as the floor was now carpeted with the contents. 

"Toby!" Quinne groaned, wading through the sea of paper and leather before picking his brother bodily off the chest. "Number one, you're sat in my spot. Number two, what the hell are you doing?"

"Looking for the Other Mother" Toby replied grumpily, slipping free like a snake and clambering back to where he had been. "I've found Maleficent and the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, that's all in already, but I know I have to find the Other Mother, which I suppose is kind of silly, since I already know I'm right, I'm just checking, but all the same it might show me something else and..."

Quinne tackled his little brother to the floor, pinning him down before tying his hands behind his back with his school tie. Toby glowered as he was seated quite firmly on the desk. Quinne glowered right back.

"Look at the state of this study!" the elder brother snapped. "No, don't speak, just look."

Toby gave his brother a death stare, but obediently looked. It was  a complete tip, there was no denying. Oops. 

"Right" Tarquin carried on. "If our mother walked in right now, and read some of this stuff you've been looking up, what would she say?"

Toby wriggled uncomfortably, trying to free his hands.

"Answer me" Tarquin ordered.

Toby stuck out his tongue.

"Fine" he said. "She'd have a fit, cos I'm not supposed to be investigating, and I'll get myself killed, blah blah. Now get me out!"

Tarquin seemed to relent.

"I'm only letting you go so you can help clean this mess up" he told his little brother firmly. Toby scowled again as Quinne undid his hands.

"And once we've done that, we can go about this investigation in a tidy and organised  manner" Tarquin carried on, scooping up a whole pile of books and beginning to put them away neatly. Toby did a double take.

"You're kidding" he said.

"I'm not kidding" Quinne replied, grabbing another pile of books and beginning to place them back on the shelves.

"I thought you were going to be mad!" Toby spluttered, still not quite believing it.

"I am mad" Tarquin snapped suddenly. Toby sobered up.

"I'm mad because of the state of this study!"  the elder Smart brother groaned frustratedly. "Toby, it's a bombsite! I can't think how you got it like this, it's so untidy..."

"Quinne, I get it!" Toby sighed relievedly. "I'm sorry, and I won't do it again. Let me help."

With them both working together, tidying the Snug didn't take long. When they were done, Toby collapsed on his armchair, and Quinne settled himself on the top of the chest once more.

"Now then" the latter sighed. "What were you rabbitting on about when I first came in?"

Toby took a deep breath in. This was going to take a while, he reckoned.

"Right" he began. "We originally thought that there were only two fairytales being alluded to here. In fact, I reckon there are four. Through The Looking Glass, Sleeping Beauty, and Alice In Wonderland  are the ones I know for definite, but there is a fourth, which has something to do with a character called the Other Mother. That's what I've been trying to find all afternoon..."