Free Midnight for Charlie Bone (Children Of The Red King, Book 1) by Jenny Nimmo

indentation in the side. Slowly his fingers traced the words: Tolly Twelve Bells. Benjamin's mind was racing as he went to open the door. He tried to imagine who would be on the doorstep so early on a Sunday morning. Should he let them in, and if he did, could he get back to Charlie who, he now realized, he'd left in the dark?
                Benjamin opened the door, just a little, and peered around it. A woman stood on the step. She had black hair and she wore a dark, sleek-looking coat. Although she'd been half-hidden by an umbrella the last time he saw her, Benjamin had a very good idea who she was. He recognized the red boots. It was one of Charlie's Yewbeam aunts.
                He said, "Yes?" but didn't open the door any farther.
                "Hello, dear!"The woman had a sticky sweet sort of voice. "You must be Benjamin."
                "Yes," said Benjamin.
                "Is my great-nephew here? Charlie? I know he's a friend of yours." She smiled sweetly.
                Benjamin was saved the trouble of answering immediately because Runner Bean gave a deep, throaty growl.
                The woman laughed halfheartedly. “Oh, dear. He doesn't like me, does he?" she said.
                Benjamin had come to the conclusion that he must on no account tell this Yewbeam person where Charlie was. "He's not here," he said. "I haven't seen him since yesterday."
                "Really?" The aunt raised a long black eyebrow She wasn't smiling anymore. "How strange. He said he was coming to see you."
                "No, he didn't," said Benjamin.
                "Oh, and how would you know?" She had lost every ounce of her sweetness.
                "Because he'd be here if he had," said Benjamin, without a moment's hesitation.
                At this moment, Runner Bean began to bark quite ferociously and Benjamin was able to close the door in the woman's face. When he'd locked and bolted it, he peeked through the spyhole and saw the woman glaring in at him, her face white with rage.
                Benjamin jumped away from the door and tiptoed back to the cellar.
                "Charlie," he whispered, opening the cellar door. "It's one of your aunts."
                "No!" Charlie's harsh whisper swam out of the darkness. "Turn the light on, Ben."
                "Sorry." Benjamin pressed the light switch and looked down to see Charlie kneeling beside the case.
                "Which aunt is it?" asked Charlie.
                "She's got black hair, a long dark coat, red boots, and a white face," Benjamin said softly.
                "Venetia," Charlie breathed. "She's the tricky one."
                "She doesn't look as if she's going to move off our front step. You'd better go out the back way."
                But Charlie had four more keys to try before he gave up in disgust. None of them fitted. "I've got to find it," he cried.
                "Shh! She'll hear you," Benjamin warned.
                "I'm coming up." Charlie began to climb the steps.
                It was harder this time. Some of the steps had broken on his way down, and in some places he had to pull himself up with his hands. "Ouch!" he gasped as a splinter speared his thumb.
                "Shhhhh!" hissed Benjamin.
                At last Charlie reached the top step and, together, the boys crept down the passage to the front door.
                Benjamin pressed his eye to the spyhole. "She's gone," he said.
                "I don't know if that's worse or better," said Charlie. "She could be anywhere, waiting to pounce."
                "Go through the garden at the back, and then you can look over the wall and see if she's there," suggested Benjamin. "You'll have a better chance that