The Mystery of the Underwater Car

by Moxham, Paul

  The inside of the house looked as uncared for as the outside. Paint was peeling off the walls and, even though there was some furniture, it looked as though it had not been lived in for some time.

  Once Vlad reached the bottom of the staircase, he stopped. “Yuri, you go and lock the children in one of the bedrooms.”

  “What about me?” Ronald asked.

  “I want to talk to you about the car before the boss gets here tonight,” Vlad replied. “So come into the living room.”

  The bedroom was just like the rest of the house in that it was sparsely furnished. In fact, all that was in the room was a double bed and a chair. The children were silent as they waited for Yuri to leave.

  Once he had closed the door and walked away, Joe turned to the others. “We need to escape before the boss gets here.”

  “I thought Vlad was the boss,” Sarah said.

  Joe nodded. “I did too, but obviously that’s not the case. Whoever is coming in a few hours must be going to take possession of the car. So, we can either sit in this room and do nothing until the men set us free later, or else we can try to stop the men from handing the car over to the boss.”

  Will sighed. “If the boss gets the car, there will be no way to find it ever again. If we’re going to do something, we do need to take action now.”

  “But how are we going to do anything when we’re locked in this room?” Amy walked over to the door and tried the handle just in case Yuri had forgotten to lock the door. But he hadn’t. She put her eye to the keyhole and saw that the key was in it.

  “I read something about someone getting out of a locked room in one of my books,” Joe said. “However, I can’t quite recall how they did it. It had something to do with them poking something into the keyhole—”

  “But we don’t have anything to poke into the keyhole,” Sarah interrupted.

  Joe shook his head. “No, plus we also need a sheet of paper so that when the key drops out of the keyhole, it falls onto the paper and you can slide it under the door.”

  Will reached into his pockets. “I don’t have anything except a handful of coins.”

  “So if we can’t escape through the locked door, how do we get out?” Sarah walked over to the window and peered through it. “If we were on the ground floor, we could just open the window and climb out.”

  “But we’re not, so let’s just focus on how we can get out of this room,” Amy said.

  “Wait a minute.” Joe joined Sarah and looked through the window. “Even though we’re not on the ground floor, there might be another way to get out.”

  “Such as what?” Amy asked.

  Joe didn’t answer for a moment as he attempted to open the window. “Hey, Will, give me a hand.”

  With Will helping, the window creaked open a few moments later. All four children gazed down. Just like the front of the house, the walls were covered in thick ivy.

  “Is that what you were thinking of?” Amy asked. “Climbing down the ivy?”

  Joe nodded. “Since the front of the house was covered in ivy, I thought there was a good possibility it would be the same on this side of the house.”

  Sarah looked worried as she peered down at the huge expanse below her. “I’m not sure if I could climb down the ivy.”

  “There’s no need for us all to climb down,” Joe said. “Only one of us needs to do so.”

  “I’ll do it,” Will volunteered. “I climbed down the ivy at Chandler manor during our first adventure and that room was higher up than this one.”

  Joe nodded. “Yes, you shouldn’t have any problems. As soon you reach the ground, find the nearest house.”

  “Hey, what if one of the men comes to check up on us while Will is trying to find help?” Amy questioned.

  “That could present a problem.” Joe thought for a moment. “We have no idea if this house is located in a remote area or quite close to a village.”

  “I doubt the men would hide in a house that was near other houses,” Amy said.

  Will nodded. “I agree, which means that it could take me ages to notify the police.”

  “Yes, it could be too long,” Joe said. “However, if we could all climb down, that would solve that problem.”

  “But what about Ronald?” Amy asked. “If we all climbed down and went to get help and left Ronald behind, the men could just put him in the van and disappear, never to be seen again.”

  “What if all five of us escape?” Will said. “That way, even if the men discover that we have disappeared, it won’t matter.”

  Joe nodded. “That’s the only solution. And I’ve got the perfect way to achieve it.”

  “Just as long as it doesn’t involve me going down the ivy,” Sarah said.

  “No, it doesn’t,” Joe replied. “Will can climb down the ivy by himself and then, instead of trying to contact the police, he can creep into the house and unlock the bedroom door and free us.”

  “But what about Ronald?” Amy asked. “How are we going to rescue him if he’s talking to Vlad in the living room?”

  Joe frowned. “I forgot about that. Well, that messes up that plan.”

  “We could just leave Ronald here and hope we get to the police in time,” Will said.

  “Or we could wait,” Amy suggested.

  “Wait for what?” Joe asked.

  “For Ronald to join us here in the bedroom,” Amy said. “I’m sure Vlad won’t want to talk to him for too long, and once he’s finished talking, he would probably lock him up here with us.”

  “That could work,” Joe admitted. “However, I don’t like sitting here doing nothing.”

  “I agree with Amy,” Will said. “We should wait until the men lock Ronald up and then—”

  “I disagree,” Joe interrupted. “We have no idea when, or if, they will lock Ronald up. And, for all we know, they could lock him up in another room. I say we don’t waste a single second and…”

  Joe suddenly paused as the key turned in the lock and the door opened. A second later, Kiril entered. He was carrying a plate with a loaf of bread on it. He handed it to Joe. “I thought you might be hungry.”

  Suddenly, everyone heard the sound of a car engine. Will frowned. “What’s happening?”

  “Ronald is showing Vlad how the car works,” Kiril said. “After that’s done, you’ll be reunited.” He turned around and strode out of the room, locking the door behind him.

  As his footsteps receded, the children looked at one another. Amy was the first to speak. “Now we know what’s happening, we have no other choice but to wait.”

  Joe nodded. “Yes, we can’t afford to try and escape between now and the men coming into the bedroom. If the men find out we’re planning to escape, they’ll lock us up in another room or keep watch on us until the boss arrives and then we’ll never get away.”

  The children ate some of the bread, but not too much since it was somewhat stale and they weren’t too hungry. Then, with nothing else to do and nothing else to talk about, the children lay on the double bed and rested. It was a bit squashy but it was a lot more comfortable than lying on the wooden floor. Time passed slowly and the children were relieved when they heard the sound of footsteps and the key turning in the lock.

  As they sat up, the door swung open and Ronald, still handcuffed, entered. Kiril reached down and took the plate of bread from where it had been on the floor and closed the door.

  The children made space on the bed for Ronald and he sat down. “I pleaded with the men to let you four go, but they told me they’ll only do that after the boss arrives.”

  “When is that?” Will asked.

  “Sometime tonight,” Ronald replied.

  “Then we don’t have any time to waste if we’re going to catch these crooks.” Joe walked over to the window and peered out. “The coast is clear.”

  “What’s happening?” Ronald asked, mystified.

  “We’re getting out of here,” Joe said.

  And so, while the rest of the child
ren explained the plan to Ronald, Will climbed over the windowsill and took a firm hold on the nearest vine. It was a thick one and he was sure it would hold his weight.

  But not forever, so he clambered down as fast as he could. As soon as he reached the grass below, he waved his hand and headed for the front door.

  Keeping close to the wall, Will stealthily made his way around the corner of the building, stopping when he reached the door. He suddenly realised something that could upset the escape plan. What if the door was locked? None of the children had thought of this possibility, but it certainly was one, especially since the men were using the house as a hideout.

  Luckily, the door was unlocked. Breathing a sigh of relief, Will entered the house and closed the door softly behind him. As he made his way down the hallway, he heard people talking. He stopped. There wasn’t just one voice, or even three, but a whole lot of them. And they all sounded different. Then, as someone laughed, he realised it was the radio. The men were probably listening to the radio while they relaxed in the living room.

  As he reached the doorway that led to the room, he paused and peered into it. Just as he had guessed, the three men were sitting on the sofa, drinking and listening to the radio. By the look of it, they were celebrating. Glad that they were doing this and not keeping a strict eye on their prisoners, Will crept across the doorway and continued to the staircase. Once up the stairs, he made quick progress and had soon reached the door with the key in it.

  In one swift motion he had unlocked the door and pushed it open. The children, along with Ronald, were waiting anxiously.

  “The radio is on,” Will stated, “so that should cover any noise we’ll make going down the stairs.”

  With the red haired boy leading the way, the five tiptoed down the stairs as quietly as they could, then, one at a time, they hurried past the open doorway. Luckily, the men didn’t even glance towards the door.

  As Joe, who was the last out, closed the front door behind him, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They knew that they were not out of the woods yet, but they had dealt with the hardest part.

  “If only we knew how far away the nearest village was,” Will said. “Who knows how long it’s going to take to notify the police.”

  “We’ll, we still have plenty of time before the boss arrives,” Amy said.

  Suddenly, everyone heard a commotion from inside the house. Joe turned to the others. “I think our escape has been discovered.”

  “Yes, which means we don’t even have a minute.” Ronald turned to Will. “Do you think you could drive the car? It seems to be our only means of escaping.”

  “Yes, I think I can,” Will replied without a second thought.

  As the girls leapt into the back seats, Joe helped Ronald into the front passenger seat before jumping in himself.

  Suddenly, Vlad burst through the front door and yelled out. “Stop!”

  “Quick!” Amy yelled.

  Even though he hadn’t started a car before, Will had no trouble doing so. Then, recalling what Ronald had told him, he pushed his foot down on the accelerator as hard as it would go.

  As the car sped away from the house, Vlad raced towards them. The children, apart from Will, cheered as the man came to stop and shook his fist at them. However, their faces soon took on a more sombre expression as they saw Vlad head towards the sedan.

  Ronald turned to Will. “You’re doing well, but we’re not safe yet. The men are coming after us.”

  “So what shall I do?” Will said, still staring straight ahead as he manoeuvred the car down the dirt road.

  “Just keep on doing what you’re doing,” Ronald replied. “But slow down a little bit. We don’t want to go any faster than we have to. If there’s a pothole or a bump, the extra speed could easily cause the car to go off the road. Oh, and bring the car to a stop when we reach the intersection up ahead.”

  Will did as he was told and brought the car to a halt, putting his foot firmly on the brake. The car jerked forward before stopping completely.

  “Left or right?” Will asked.

  Ronald looked in both directions before he answered. “Right!”

  The car skidded on the dust as it turned onto the road. Luckily, there wasn’t a single car in sight, so Will didn’t have to worry about staying on his side of the road, which was a good thing since, every few seconds, the car would swerve onto the line that ran down the middle.

  Even though he had watched his father drive, there was nothing that could have prepared Will for this. The adrenaline that raced through his body was unlike anything he had felt before.

  While Ronald told him when to accelerate and slow down, the others gave him updates on the sedan that was pursuing them.

  “They’re catching up!” Sarah yelled out.

  “Shall I go faster?” Will asked, his eyes not leaving the road.

  “No, I’ve got a better idea.” Ronald reached forward and, even though his hands were still handcuffed, he was able to press one of the many buttons that were near the steering wheel. “The smoke should slow them down.”

  “Smoke? What smoke?” Joe glanced behind him and, despite the grim situation that they found themselves in, couldn’t help grinning as he saw plumes of smoke exit the rear of their car.

  It took only seconds for the blue sedan to disappear from view. He kept peering into the hazy conditions for a number of seconds, but as he still saw no sign of the car, he relaxed.

  “What else can this car do?” Amy asked.

  “Not much right now,” Ronald admitted, “since the car is still a work in progress. However, there is still one more button I could press if the sedan gets close again. But hopefully we won’t need it, since that’s all the surprises I have left. I just wish I knew where we were.”

  As Will reached another intersection and slowed down, Joe rejoiced as he saw a sign. “Look! That way to Southport!”

  Ronald smiled. “At the speed we’re going, we should be there in under ten minutes.”

  Even Will was smiling as he turned to the right and drove down the road.

  Suddenly, Sarah yelled out. “The men are catching up again!”

  “Blow!” Joe muttered. “If only they hadn’t seen which way we were heading, they might have gone the other way.”

  “What do I do now?” Will asked.

  Ronald looked ahead and saw a yellow Volkswagen. The car was going quite slowly and they were catching up. “You’ll have to overtake it. Just take it nice and slowly and give the car a wide berth.”

  Will nodded and did as Ronald instructed. As he swerved back into the correct lane, he breathed a sigh of relief. However, this did not last long as the blue sedan suddenly appeared out of nowhere and overtook not only the Volkswagen, but the red car as well.

  “We’re trapped!” Amy yelled out.

  “Press the button!” Joe shouted.

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that since the sedan is now in front of us,” Ronald said. “The button releases oil out of the rear of the car, so it’s not going to affect the sedan.”

  As the sedan slowed down, Will realised that the men were attempting to trap them between the sedan and the Volkswagen.

  Suddenly, Ronald yelled out. “Overtake them! It’s the only way!”

  “Okay!” Will shouted as he clung tightly to the wheel. He sharply swung it to the right and pressed his foot down on the accelerator at the same time.

  As the car veered into the other lane, Will got a nasty shook. A lorry had just appeared around the bend and was coming directly towards them!

  He didn’t know what to do. Instinct took over and he accelerated. The car shot forward. It zoomed past the blue sedan and headed directly for the cream lorry. Will turned the steering wheel to the left, narrowly avoiding the lorry as the driver’s brakes squealed and he blasted his horn.

  But the speed at which the boy had been driving now caused the car to swerve off the side of the road and onto the gravel. It continued on, ploughing through bushes
and scrub and onto the edge of a pebbly beach. It didn’t stop until its wheels sank into the sand.

  Will breathed a sigh of relief. “I almost had a heart attack.”

  “It was my fault,” Ronald stated. “I should never have told you to overtake the sedan.”

  “That part was okay,” Will said, “but it was the next part that I messed up on. I didn’t slow down fast enough after I overtook the—”

  “Hey!” Amy shouted. “The men are coming!”

  Joe glanced behind him and saw that his sister was correct. The three men had left the sedan at the side of the road and were racing across the grass towards them.

  Will pressed his foot down on the accelerator, but the back wheels just spun. Dismayed, he realised they were stuck. “What can I do?”

  Ronald thought for a moment. “There’s no way we’re going to get this moving.”

  “Let’s run then!” Amy suggested.

  The man and the four children climbed out of the red car and raced away from the men and towards the road. As they reached it, Will yelled out. “Look, a police car! Let’s wave him down.”

  The children waved their arms furiously as the vehicle approached. As soon as it came to a stop, Ronald quickly explained the situation to the young police officer.

  The officer radioed for backup and then turned to the others. “Let’s see what the men are doing now.”

  Everyone hurried towards the beach and peered down. The three men were attempting to move the red car.

  “Are you going to arrest them?” Sarah asked.

  The police officer nodded. “I will, but I’ll wait for backup to arrive. We’re quite close to Southport, so my team should be arriving in a matter of minutes.”

  “Let’s hope the car is well and truly stuck then,” Will said.

  As the next few minutes ticked slowly by, Joe hoped that the police would arrive in time to prevent the men from getting away with the car.

  Suddenly, the children heard the ear splitting sound of several police sirens blaring. Half a minute later, three police vehicles could be seen speeding down the road. They came to a halt beside the parked police car and six officers quickly exited the vehicles.