Read Midnight for Charlie Bone (Children Of The Red King, Book 1) for Free Online Page B

Charlie," said Miss Ingledew. "They're his what shall I call them inventions. They only arrived yesterday He sent them by courier the day before he died. Goodness knows why he left them to me." She got one of the boxes, removed the lid, and took out a metal robotic-looking dog.
                "It's no good to me," she said. "Do you want it?" Charlie thought of Runner Bean, and then of Benjamin. "Does it do anything?" he asked. Because inventions usually did something.
                "Of course. Let me see." She pulled down the dog's tail. It barked twice, and a voice said, "I am number two. You have already pulled my tail, so you know how to make me play To fast-forward press my left ear. To rewind press my right ear. To record press my nose. To stop pull my right foot up. To replace tapes open my stomach." The voice that gave these instructions was familiar to Charlie.
                “Any use to you?" asked Miss Ingledew. "Or would you like to see the others?"
                "It's perfect," said Charlie. "Brilliant. But the voice, is it your...?"
                “Yes. My brother-in-law. Dr. Tolly The device was one of his earliest, but he never bothered to sell it. Once a thing was made, that was it. He was a lazy man, Charlie. Clever, but lazy."
                "It's him in the photo, isn't it?" Charlie didn't mention that he'd recognized the voice. How could he?
                "Yes, that's Dr. Tolly He did something terrible once." Miss Ingledew's mouth closed in a grim line.
                "Why did you want his photo, then?" asked Charlie. The bookseller darted him a quick look, as if she were sizing him up.
                "It's the baby I want," she said at last. "It's all I have to remember her by." And suddenly Miss Ingledew was telling Charlie about the dreadful day when her sister Nancy died, just before her daughter's second birthday and how a few days later, Nancy's husband, Dr. Tolly had given his daughter away.
                "I didn't think you could give children away,” said Charlie, horrified.
                "You can't," said Miss Ingledew. “I was sworn to secrecy.
                I should have taken her, you see. But I was selfish and irresponsible. I didn't think I could cope. Not one day has passed, since then, when I haven't regretted my decision. I tried to find out whom she'd been given to, where she had gone, but Dr. Tolly would never tell me. She was lost in a system of lies and tricks and forgery She'd be ten years old now, and I'd give anything to get her back."
                Charlie felt very uncomfortable. He was being drawn into a situation he didn't much like. If only he hadn't heard the voices in the photograph. How could he possibly tell Miss Ingledew that three cats thought the lost baby was at Bloor's Academy She would never believe him. In a shadowy corner, a grandfather clock struck twelve and Charlie said, "I think I'd better go home now Mom'll be worried."
                "Of course. But take the dog, Charlie, and"-she suddenly darted to the table and withdrew a long silver case from the bottom of a pile -"will you take this one as well?"
                She didn't wait for an answer, but plunged it into a bag marked INGLEDEW'S BOOKS. Handing the bag to Charlie, she said, "You can put the dog in as well, there's just enough room."
                The bag was unbelievably heavy Charlie carefully placed the dog, in its box, on top of the metal case. Then he stumbled to the door, wondering how on earth he would manage to heave the bag all the way home. Julia Ingledew helped him up the step and opened the shop door, which gave another melodious ring.
                "I hope you don't mind my asking," said Charlie, "but what's in the case?"
                The answer was rather surprising. "I don't know,” said Miss Ingledew. “And