A Murder Most Dapper | A Werewolves in Space novella

An Epic Conclusion

Oliver and Juliet ran after Deckerton.

"What in blazes is going on?" Dappersby cried. "I want every officer on duty out there right now! Catch that man!"

Oliver and Juliet ran into the square, followed by half the police station. Mortimer had a head start, allowing him to run for a far corner by City Hall. Wide flagstone steps lead up to a platform where some of the giant balloons that supposedly carried the weight of the floating city were anchored.

Ropes as thick as your arm were knotted around a loop of iron set in concrete in the middle of the platform, leading high into the sky where they held tightly to the large beige balloons. Around it, the platform was fenced in brasswork and several hot air balloons lay flat, ready for inflation and use. All except for one in which two men were just finishing up with the hot air.

"Out of my way!" Deckerton cried, pushing one of the men over with his cane and jumping into the balloon basket.

"Hey!" The man shouted from the ground. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Stop that man!" Juliet yelled, climbing the last steps up to the platform. "He's a criminal!"

"We know!" Shouted the man still standing next to the balloon. "He's stealing our balloon!"

Deckerton untied the ropes holding the basket down, taking off into the air. Somewhat.

"What is wrong with this thing?" Deckerton snarled, clinging to the basket so as not to fall as it drifted sideways.

"Well, we weren't quite done filling it!" The man on the ground yelled. "If you had just waited we could have told you that. It's not done with the hot air!"

Deckerton released a few of the sandbags from the sides, trying to help it climb higher, but it wasn't doing much. And to make matters worse, the awkward tilt of the balloon was letting out some of the heat, causing the sideways drifting problem to only get worse.

"He's heading over the train tracks!" Oliver shouted as he ran back down the steps. "We can still catch him!"

Oliver and Juliet ran down the stairs just as the police were running up.

"Turn around!" Juliet said. "Deckerton is in that balloon!"

But Oliver and Juliet already had a head start, and as the cluster of officers untangled themselves to turn around, the pair of unlikely detectives were already boarding the Brasslantis Grand Express.

"Off the train!" Oliver cried. "We're having a balloon chase!"

"Did someone say balloon chase?" The engineer popped open his door, a boyish gleam in his eyes. "I've waited for something like this my whole career! Hop in you two, we'll catch this balloon."

Alarmed Brasslantians scurried from the slow train as it took off suddenly at the unprecedented pace of a casual stroll. Juliet helped the last few passengers hop off as the train wound around it's circle of track that allowed it to turn around and head back down to the bottom of the city. Oliver just finished putting more coal in the boiler, and then the pair joined the engineer in his car.

"Over there!" Oliver pointed to the balloon Deckerton had stolen, it was somewhat righting itself again, but it was also clear that Deckerton did not know what he was doing.

"He's still going down a bit," Juliet said. "But it looks like he's mostly staying over the tracks."

"Full speed ahead then!" The engineer giggled as he pulled a lever on the train. "We're going to catch that balloon!"

The train picked up its pace, taking on the speed of a person walking home when the sky looks just gray enough to potentially sprinkle within the hour while they are carrying an armful of groceries. Pushing the limits of the Brasslantis Grand Express and blazing down the tracks at speeds it wasn't made to reach.