by Paul Moxham
She hung onto the railing as the boat pitched to and fro and the wind blew at her hair. The storm hadn’t subsided at all and was still fierce, but at least she knew that none of the crewmembers would be out in this wild weather.
After reaching the bridge, she could just make out the radio room and the wheelhouse. Both of the doors were shut, so she didn’t know if there was anyone inside. Just as she was about to head towards them, the door to the radio room opened and a crewmember walked out. He hurriedly went into the wheelhouse.
Now was her chance. She didn’t know how long he would be away for, but with her fingers getting colder by the second she stayed out in the wild weather, she had to take the risk.
Sarah hurried to the door and went to open it. It was hard work because of the wind blowing against it, but she finally managed to open the door. After entering, the wind slammed the door shut. She sat down at the desk where the radio was.
She took out the diagram that Mr Spencer had given her, which luckily hadn’t got wet, and switched on the dials. After putting the earpiece on, she started saying mayday repeatedly. No one answered. She switched the frequency and tried again. No luck.
She repeated this process for two or so minutes before, finally, a person answered. “Hello? Is anyone there?”
Sarah’s heart leapt for joy. “I need you to contact the police. Crooks are landing at Toulville—”
“Hold on there a moment, young girl. This isn’t a joke, is it?”
“No. You’ve got to believe me. My friends and I are being held captive aboard a fishing boat bound for France.” She pleaded with the voice. “Please contact Inspector Price.”
“Inspector who?”
“Inspector Price. He lives in Edgeworth. Just tell him that Mr Spencer says that the crooks that he’s searching for will be landing at Toulville in a short while.”
“You sure this isn’t a joke? It’s after midnight here and I don’t want—”
“Just do it, please. If…” Sarah paused as she heard voices. She glanced over and saw the door handle turn. Her heart caught in her throat. She froze with fear as the door opened.
A voice called out and the door half shut. The crewmember began talking with another fellow.
“What’s going on?” the voice asked from the radio.
“I’ve got to go.” Sarah whipped off the headphones, turned off the radio, and glanced around.
As the two men continued talking, she searched desperately for a way out. But there was none. The room was small and only contained the desk, radio, and a small bunk bed. She rushed over to the bed and tried to see if she could fit underneath it. But she couldn’t.
She could hear the men saying their goodbyes, so she rushed towards the only other place that she could think of. The desk was quite large and, maybe, just maybe, if she pressed herself up against the wall, the man wouldn’t notice her. She crawled underneath just as the door opened and the man entered.
The man made his way to the desk, pulled the chair out, and sat down. He was so close that if Sarah reached her hands out, she would have been able to touch the man’s legs.
Sarah stayed as quiet as a mouse. She was frightened beyond belief. She knew that if she was discovered in the radio room, Constable Howard would no longer head to Toulville and the police might never catch them.
The fate of everyone rested upon Sarah’s shoulders. She could either become a hero and be the one that caught the crooks, or be the one that helped them escape. She closed her eyes as the man fiddled with the controls of the radio and, for a moment or two, she wondered if he would notice that the frequency was different. But he didn’t.
Sarah tuned out as the man began speaking to someone. But, as she heard the other person talking, her eyes shot wide open. She listened intently. She wasn’t interested in the conversation, which appeared to be about the weather, she was only interested in the voice of the other person. She was sure that she had heard the thick cockney accent before. But it couldn’t be someone who was on the boat, and yet it had to be a crook. But that meant that one of the crooks had stayed behind.
Sarah frowned. It just didn’t make sense why someone would stay behind.
The man turned off the radio and headed over to the small bed. Sarah heard the bed creak as the man lay down.
Sarah attempted to lie down, but it was difficult, not to mention uncomfortable. Instead, she stayed where she was. There was no way she could try to leave the room while the man was still there.
Resigned to the fact that it was going to be a long few hours, she stretched out as best as she could. She hoped that when the vessel entered the harbour at Toulville, the police would be waiting, but there was no guarantee that the fellow she had spoken to had taken her seriously. And, even if he had, it was after midnight, so it could be any number of hours before Inspector Price found out about them. Had she taken the risk all for nothing? Would she ever see her parents again? Or would she be a prisoner forever?
~
Down below in the small cabin, the others rested. No one spoke because there simply wasn’t anything to say.
Joe gazed out of the small porthole and watched as the storm died down. He had no idea if Sarah had managed to make contact with the police, but he assumed that she hadn’t been captured. If she had, the crooks would have brought her back to the cabin, which they hadn’t.
Time slowly passed. As the lights of the coast came into view, Joe had no idea what was going to happen next. He glanced towards Mr Spencer. “Do you think she made it?”
Mr Spencer grinned. “Of course she did. I bet you that right now there are several police boats waiting for us.”
“Do you really believe that?” Amy asked, gazing earnestly at him.
Mr Spencer paused. “Well, until we know for certain, why not be optimistic? Isn’t that better than expecting the worst?”
“But what if the police don’t make it in time?” Will said.
Mr Spencer sat down next to his son and tousled his red hair. “When the doctors told me that there was nothing that they could do to save your mother, I didn’t give up hope.”
“Why not? If the doctors—”
“Hope was the only thing that I had left. Though your mother did sadly pass away, that hope helped me through the tough times. No one can have too much hope. Anything is possible anytime, anywhere.”
“So what you’re saying is that we should never give up hope, right?” Joe asked.
Mr Spencer nodded. “Life is tough, and I’m not just talking about this situation. If you always have hope that things will eventually turn out for the better, I believe that’s the best way to go through life.”
Amy went over to the porthole and glanced out. “We’re entering the harbour.”
Everyone rushed over and peered out. Apart from distant lights on the shore, nothing could be seen.
They waited anxiously as the boat headed towards Toulville, slowing down as it approached a pier. Soon afterwards, the vessel stopped and the anchor was thrown overboard.
Joe couldn’t stand the suspense any longer. “Where are the…” He paused as the silence was suddenly shattered.
Chapter 27: The End Of The Adventure
Lights blazed and sirens sounded. A big commotion broke out on the upper deck and they could hear voices ordering the crooks to stay where they were.
As Amy glanced out of the porthole, she saw a French police boat pull up beside them.
Mr Spencer grinned. “I told you things would be all right.”
The others smiled as they eagerly banged on the door and yelled out. “Hello! We’re locked in here!”
They waited for what seemed like ages before the door was pushed open and a French police officer smiled at them.
But before he could say anything, someone rushed past him. It was Sarah!
Chatting eagerly to one another, the group made their way upstairs to the bridge.
There they found themselves in the presence of a jolly looking French p
olice officer. “Bonjour!” he said, with a strong French accent. “I’m Inspector Dupont.”
Mr Spencer thrust his hand out and warmly shook the officer’s hand. “I’m Arthur Spencer. This is my son Will, and the others are his friends Joe, Amy, and Sarah.”
Inspector Dupont looked up from a piece of paper that he was holding in his hand. “You’re a long way from Smugglers Cove.”
Mr Spencer smiled. “You already knew who we were, didn’t you?”
Inspector Dupont smiled. “I just wanted to confirm who you were. Inspector Price told—”
“You spoke to him?”
“How did you think this operation came about?” Inspector Dupont glanced over at the crooks that were being lined up on the nearby pier. “I suspected that something fishy was going on in these parts, but could never put my finger on it. So thanks.”
Mr Spencer looked at the children. “Thank them. Especially Sarah. She’s the one who made the radio call.”
The inspector nodded as he shook each child’s hand. He paused in front of Sarah. “Great job.” He glanced at the whole group of them. “I expect you want to get back to England.”
Mr Spencer nodded. “It’s been a long couple of hours, so the sooner I can lie down on a nice comfortable bed the better.”
“Well,” said Inspector Dupont, “the authorities in England will want to take charge of this gang of crooks, so once we process them here, we will send them back. So, if you would like to have a rest at the station—”
“Thanks, we will,” Mr Spencer replied.
~
At around nine that morning, a French police boat entered the harbour of Smugglers Cove and pulled up alongside the pier.
As police officers transferred the crooks from the vessel to the waiting police cars, the children and Mr Spencer shook hands with the inspector before they walked down the gangplank.
They were met by Inspector Price and Sergeant Wilmore. “Good job everyone,” the inspector smiled. “And you did especially well, Sarah. I received your radio message just in time to contact Inspector Dupont.”
Sarah smiled. “I was terrified, but it was worth it to see the crooks caught.”
“Are you sure that you have captured all of them?” Joe asked.
Sergeant Wilmore nodded. “We have caught six crooks, which includes the five we previously caught as well as Constable Howard. He was a surprise catch, but we did know that the boss was someone with a link to the police force, so…” He paused as Constable Howard was led past.
The constable glared at Joe. “How did you know it was me?”
“Your cough,” Joe replied, grinning.
Constable Howard frowned. “My cough?”
Joe smiled. “Yes. It was so distinct that day at Chandler Manor that it was impressed in my memory. So, when you coughed in the cave, it got me thinking. And when I passed the tunnel and you found it, as though you had been there before, I knew for certain.”
The constable growled as he was led away. Inspector Price looked towards the children. “I’ll make sure he’s locked up for a long, long time.” He glanced at his watch. “I’d better get going. I’ll drop in next week to let you know how things turn out.” He waved and hurried to his vehicle.
Mr Spencer looked at his watch. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Who feels like going to Darby’s for something to eat?”
The children smiled. “Yes, please,” they responded in unison.
“Let’s get going then.” He headed down the pier. Everyone except Sarah followed.
Joe glanced back. “Are you coming?”
Sarah frowned. “I don’t think all the crooks have been caught.”
“What? But you heard what the police officer—”
“He was wrong,” Sarah said.
Joe frowned. “What do you mean?”
~
As Will finished off his third scone and quenched his thirst with a glass of lemonade, he glanced around the table and saw that everyone else was enjoying the food as much as he was. At least, everyone who was there.
The bell rang as the door opened and in came Joe. “Hope you left some food for me.” He hurried over to the table and piled two scones, a jam tart and a slice of chocolate cake on his plate.
“Where did you suddenly disappear to?” Amy asked.
“One moment you were right behind us, and the next moment you had disappeared,” Will said. “Sarah told us you had to see someone, but she didn’t know who.”
“So who did you see?” Amy asked.
Mr Spencer smiled as he looked at Joe who had his mouth full. “Let the boy eat first.”
The others resumed eating. Ten minutes later, all the food was gone and everyone was full.
Mr Spencer leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach. “That was filling.”
“I’m stuffed,” Joe said. “I shouldn’t have eaten so much.”
Amy glanced at him. “Stuffed? Really? Can it be true?”
Joe nodded. “Yes.”
“So you’re human after all,” Will said smiling as he reached for his lemonade and gulped it down. He placed the glass back on the table just as the bell rang and the door opened.
In walked the inspector and the sergeant. They headed over to them and pulled up two chairs.
Mr Spencer smiled. “I didn’t know you ate here.”
“I don’t,” Inspector Price replied, “but Joe asked me to meet him here.”
“He did?” Will looked at Joe, puzzled.
Joe looked at the inspector. “Is everything in place?”
Inspector Price nodded.
Joe glanced around at the others. “While we were making our way back to Smugglers Cove, something was bugging me. And, when Sarah talked to me on the pier, everything made sense.”
“What made sense?” Will asked.
Joe glanced at Mr Spencer. “Just before you got knocked out at Chandler Manor, you saw someone wearing a police uniform helping the crooks escape from the locked van. We thought that Constable Howard could have somehow sneaked back through the tunnels and helped them, but that didn’t happen.”
“How do you know?” Sergeant Wilmore asked.
“I just spoke to the two officers who were on duty then, and they said that the constable was within sight of them at all times.”
“Maybe the crooks escaped by themselves,” Will suggested. “Either way, does it really matter now that we have caught all the crooks?”
“What about the person wearing the police uniform?” Joe said.
“Maybe one of the crooks put it on to disguise himself,” Sergeant Wilmore said. “But, as Will said, we have caught all the men who were in the gang.”
“How do you know we did?” Joe reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “I just had a word with Constable Howard and he told me that someone else was paying him to pretend to be the boss.”
“Did he know who?” Mr Spencer asked, leaning forward in earnest.
Joe placed the paper down in front of him. “This has one name on it. Constable Howard wrote it down for me.”
Everyone reached for the paper, but the inspector got to it first. He opened it up and glanced at it. He folded it back up and offered it to the sergeant. “Care to take a look?”
Sergeant Wilmore stared at the piece of paper and then took it. He gingerly opened it and then, seeing what was written, leapt up and rushed to the door. But he didn’t get far. There were two police officers standing outside the shop and they took him down.
Inspector Price looked out of the window as the officers led him away. “Good job, Joe.”
Amy grabbed the piece of paper and opened it. It had two words on it: Sergeant Wilmore. She glanced over at Joe. “This is your writing.”
Joe nodded. “Yes.”
“But you said Constable Howard—” Sarah said.
“I lied,” Joe said. “He didn’t confess, but I took a gamble that the sergeant wouldn’t know what the constable’s handwr
iting looked like, so I wrote the name myself.”
“But how did you know it was him?” Will asked.
Joe looked at Sarah. “I have Sarah to thank for that. Tell the others what you told me.”
“Well,” Sarah said, “When I was on the boat, the radio man contacted someone, and when I heard the person reply, the person spoke with a thick cockney accent. I straight away thought of the sergeant.”
“But surely there are a ton of people who have cockney accents?” Amy said.
“Well, maybe so,” Joe said, “but when Sarah told me about the accent, I realised that we hadn’t found out how those crooks escaped from the locked van in the driveway of Chandler Manor. Having the sergeant as one of the crooks explained everything. I must admit that there was a slight chance that I was wrong, but luckily it paid off.”
“But why would he do it?” Amy said.
“Who knows?” the inspector replied. “Regardless, at least we have caught him. I must admit that, if Joe hadn’t had a private talk with me beforehand, I would have been none the wiser.” He looked at the young boy. “If you feel like joining the police force when you grow up, give me a call, and I’ll put in a good word for you.”
Joe smiled. “Thanks, but…” He glanced around at the others. “It was a team effort.”
Inspector Price stood up. “Well, thanks once again. Now I need to see that the crooks are safely taken to Edgeworth.” He headed out of Darby’s.
Mr Spencer glanced at the others. “I’d better get going as well. My publisher isn’t going to be too happy if I don’t deliver the first draft of my book on time.” He stood up, paid the bill, and headed out.
Joe twirled his glass around on the table. “I can’t believe it’s all over.”
“It was scary,” Amy admitted, “but also fun.”
Sarah nodded. “Now that it’s over, it doesn’t seem so scary. But when we were trapped on that boat and heading to France, I thought it was all over.”
“Well, that adventure’s over, but there’s still plenty of exciting stuff to do in Smugglers Cove,” Will said.
“Like what?” Joe asked, intrigued.
