Free Astrid Maxxim and Her Amazing Hoverbike by Wesley Allison

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    They hurried as fast as they could for the front door, Astrid pulling her phone from her pocket as she ran.  She had dialed 911 just as she reached the foyer where she ran smack into her mother.
    “ Astrid ! ”
    “ Run Mom!  Ther e’ s a strange naked man in our house ! ”
    “ Calm down, Astrid.  Wha t’ s the matter ? ”
    “ Ther e’ s somebody in the house ,” said Astrid to her mother.  Then realizing that her phone was pressed to her face, she spoke into it.  “ I need police at 415 Acacia Street . ”
    “ Give me that ,” ordered Mrs. Maxxim, snatching the phone away and speaking into it.  “ This is Kate Maxxim.  W e’ re fine, but send a car just to be safe . ”
    “ W e’ re not fine ,” said Astrid.  “ Ther e’ s a strange man in the house . ”
    “ And there he is !” squeaked Austin.
    The man they had seen in the mai d’ s room just moments before stepped into the room.  He was now dressed all in black, and he had a gun.
     

Chapter Twelve: An Afternoon at the Maxxi m’ s
     
    The man in black stepped forward.  He was n’ t wearing a jumpsuit, but rather a black sweater and black slacks.  He wore a shoulder holster with a large pistol tucked into it.
    “ Back off, buddy ,” said Austin, stepping toward the man, though Astrid could see that he was shaking.  “ You do n’ t want to mess with me!  I’ m crazy ! ”
    “ Yes, that seems self-evident ,” said the man, a cultured English accent making him seem even more droll than his words did.
    “ Is it my understanding, Mr. Toulson, that you are wandering around my house in the nude ?” asked Mrs. Maxxim.
    “ No m a’ am, I was in my room changing . ”
    “ Your room ? ”   Astrid looked around at her mother.
    “ Mr. Toulson, this is my daughter Astrid.  Astrid, this is Mr. Charles Edward Toulson . ”
    Austin let out a deep breath and seemed to lose about two inches of his height.  Astrid put an arm around him for fear he would fall over.
    “ And who is your brave friend ?” asked Mrs. Maxxim.
    “ This is Austin Tretower, my friend from school . ”
    “ Are you Pearl Tretowe r’ s grandson ? ”
    Austin nodded as he shook her hand, and then walked toward the closest chair.  Astrid, remembering herself, stepped toward Mr. Toulson and stuck out her hand.
    “ Sorry about the misunderstanding and, um, you kno w… barging in on you when you were changing.  I t’ s nice to meet you, Mr. Toulson . ”
    Toulson shook her hand.  “ Call me Charles . ”
    “ Sh e’ s been taught to call adults by their surnames ,” said Mrs. Maxxim.
    “ I prefer to be on a first name basis with the primary ,” said Toulson.  “ It makes things much less complicated in an emergency . ”
    “ Primary ?” wondered Astrid.
    “ W e’ ll talk about it at dinner ,” said her mother.
    “ I’ m your bodyguard ,” said Toulson, ignoring the sharp look he received from Mrs. Maxxim.
    “ I do n’ t want a bodyguard ,” said Astrid.
    “ W e’ ll talk at dinner ,” her mother repeated.
    “ Come on Austin ,” said Astrid, leaving her mother to deal with Mr. Toulson and the soon to arrive police.  “ Le t’ s go upstairs.  I’ ll let you ride on the stair elevator . ”
    She took the boy by the hand and pulled him over to the bottom of the staircase.  The steps were more than eight feet wide and were hemmed in on the outside by a heavy hand-carved railing.  On the opposite side, along the wall, was a steel track that followed the stairs upward.  Astrid pulled open the door to a small compartment on the wall and pressed a button.  Another larger door at waist level popped open, and a chair running on the rail emerged from the wall.
    “ This is the stair elevator.  It was put in a long time ago, before I was born.  It was for my grandpa when he started having trouble walking up and down the stairs.  Still works though.  Hop on . ”
    Austin sat down in the padded seat.
    “ Press the green button on the