Part 17 (1/2)

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. 'And you think she listens to me either?' he asked. Then he smiled at Sarah. 'Try and be a good patient, please, Sarah Jane.'

Waving her bandaged hand, Sarah snapped, 'This is all that's wrong with me, and it'll heal just as well out of bed as in it.' She glared at Alice. 'Are you going to get me my dress, or do I have to walk around the house in my nightgown?'

Alice blushed, but didn't back down. 'You're an immoral girl, Sarah.'

There was no way that Sarah could scowl after a remark like that. She collapsed, laughing. 'If you'd seen some of the gear I wear,' she gasped, 'you'd be certain of that.'

'Why don't we compromise?' suggested Doyle. 'You stay in bed till lunchtime, then get up but only if you promise to come back to bed if you don't feel well.'

Sighing, Sarah nodded. 'Deal,' she agreed. 'Now, will the pair of you tell us what's going on out in the bay? I gave Alice the gist of what I know, and neither of us is very enlightened.'

'I think she must have cracked her head, Doctor,' Alice explained. 'She claims that she was saved last night by a mermaid. And everyone knows that there are no such things.'

'Then everyone is wrong,' the Doctor replied. 'Because I caught a glimpse of one, too.' He looked vaguely puzzled.

'I'm not sure how it was created, but there definitely are mermaids living at the bottom of your garden, so to speak.'

'Told you so,' said Sarah smugly. She turned to the Doctor. 'Then what was it that attacked me?'

'There are two different kinds of creature down there,' he answered. 'The young well, let's call her a mermaid for now, for want of a better word is one, and that other creature looked more like some mutant seal.'

'Obviously the creature that killed old Ben Tolliver,' Doyle commented.

'Yes,' the Doctor agreed. 'Some kind of a guardian, I'd venture to say. It is supposed to kill or scare off anyone who gets too close to the lights we saw.' He slapped Doyle on the back. 'But you killed one, and its companion took it away to prevent us from getting a good look at it.'

'But it's got to be related to that hound in the outhouse,' Sarah commented. 'Right?'

'Yes.' The Doctor frowned. 'It's certainly more than any seal born naturally on this world. The basic structure appeared to be a common grey seal, but it had been enhanced.'

Doyle nodded. 'You think, then, that it was another constructed beast, like that hound? A child mutated somehow into a seal?'

'Not exactly,' the Doctor answered. 'I think it was the other way around: a seal that had human characteristics like enhanced intelligence grafted onto it.'

Sarah was almost ahead of him. 'And that mermaid,' she said slowly. 'She was real, so she must have been a child merged somehow with a fish.'

'Not a fish,' the Doctor argued. 'More likely a dolphin or a porpoise. I only had a glimpse of the girl in poor light, but her tail was smooth, not scaled.' He snapped his fingers. 'Of course! Mammalian natures combined. Just like the boy and the dog.'

Doyle nodded. 'Something that occurs to me, Doctor,' he offered, 'is that the Hope Hope has plenty of mammalian matter aboard it in the form of whale and seal products. Perhaps Captain Gray's business with Breckinridge had something to do with those, do you think?' has plenty of mammalian matter aboard it in the form of whale and seal products. Perhaps Captain Gray's business with Breckinridge had something to do with those, do you think?'

'Right!' exclaimed Sarah. 'And Breckinridge is fascinated with the sea. Maybe he's behind these mermaids?'

'It's quite possible,' agreed the Doctor, holding up a hand. 'But this is mere supposition. We have no evidence linking him to the mermaids, do we?'

'We could get it,' said Sarah, 'if we sneak into the factory and have a good look-see.'

'Oh, no,' said Alice. 'You are staying here, Sarah.' She looked very crossly at the other woman. 'I can't follow everything that you've been saying, but this is obviously quite dangerous. It is no task for a woman.'

The Doctor grinned. 'She's right that it's dangerous, Sarah. You rest up, while Doyle and I check into it.' He winked at her. 'Maybe you could talk to Alice and explain a little about women's lib.'

'Darned right,' Sarah growled. 'If I have to stay here, I'm going to set her straight.'

'Women's lib?' asked Alice blankly.

The Doctor nudged Doyle. 'Come on,' he said. 'Want to wager that by the time we return Sarah will have turned the whole social order at the house upside down?'

'Good Lord!' exclaimed Doyle. 'She's not one of these militant females, is she?'

'Of course not,' the Doctor answered. 'Nothing that mild.'

The Doctor dismounted from the horse that Fulbright had loaned him before he reached Breckinridge's factory. Doyle, puzzled, reined in his own steed, but didn't dismount.

'We've still got a half mile or more to go, Doctor,' he said. 'Or were you planning a side trip?'

'Not exactly,' the Doctor answered. 'Just a thought that struck me.' He pointed ahead of them at the ugly brick building.

'That's Breckinridge's factory, right?'

'Indeed.'

The Doctor swung around about forty-five degrees until he was pointing out to sea. 'And that's the bay we were in last night, isn't it? I wonder if it's no more than coincidence that the factory overlooks the bay?' He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. 'I wonder if you can see the bay from the top floor of the factory? That's where Sarah said Breckinridge has his private retreat.'

Doyle shrugged. 'From the angle, I'd say it was quite likely. Why?'

'Because Breckinridge should have been able to see the wheel of light from up there, in that case. And yet he's never reported doing so. I wonder why?'

'Perhaps he never works late, Doctor,' suggested Doyle.

'He's a self-made man,' the Doctor snapped. 'You never get to be one unless you're prepared to work long hours. I think Sarah's right, and that he's mixed up in this affair somehow.'

Doyle frowned. 'Perhaps he is. Hadn't we better move on and see if we can get in to talk to him?'

'In a moment,' the Doctor answered. 'I was rather hoping that the boy hiding behind that tree over there would come out and talk to us before we left.'

'What?' Doyle stared at the trees, but could see nothing to indicate they were other than alone. 'Are you sure there's somebody there?'

'I'm sure.' The Doctor gave a large grin. 'Billy, isn't it?'

There was a stir of movement, then a thin, ragged boy stepped out from the trees. His face held a look a little way between annoyance and awe. 'How did ye know I was there?'

'It's my business to know things, Billy,' the Doctor replied evasively. 'How do you do. I'm the Doctor. I believe we have a mutual friend in Sarah Jane Smith.'

Doyle shook his head in amazement. 'Astounding, my dear Doctor.'

This was an opinion Billy evidently shared. He gave the Doctor a look of respect. 'Not many can spot me, mister. You be pretty clever.'

'Thank you, Billy. Now, did you just come here to tell me how brilliant I am, or do you have some news for me?'