by Paul Moxham
Joe nodded. “Yes, I’d say you are right. So let’s make sure that doesn’t happen. Hopefully, there will be a policeman at the station.”
The children were in luck. Just as the train steamed into the station, Joe caught sight of a policeman striding down the platform. “Look!”
“If only we can get his attention before Chang disappears,” Will exclaimed.
“I’ll run and tell him.” Joe stood up and left their compartment and ran down the corridor to the end of the carriage.
As soon as the train came to a stop, Joe opened the door and leapt out onto the platform. He yelled at the policeman. “Officer!”
The policeman came to a stop and gazed at Joe as the boy ran up. “What’s wrong?”
“Follow me!” Joe shouted. “There’s an escaped prisoner aboard the train.”
The police officer ran after Joe. They climbed into the carriage and hurried down the corridor.
As Joe reached the compartment where the others were, Will spoke up. “Chang hasn’t left.”
Joe smiled. “Good. I was half afraid he would have slipped away.” He turned to the police officer. “There’s a Chinese man in the second last compartment. He’s a possible suspect in the stealing of the crown jewels.”
The police officer nodded. “I see. Is he armed?”
“I don’t know,” Joe admitted. “But you’d better be careful. He’s a dangerous man.”
“Then you’d better stand back.” The police officer pulled out his pistol and slowly walked towards the compartment.
The children watched anxiously as the man advanced. As he reached the door, he whipped it open and pointed his weapon into the compartment.
However, a second later, he lowered his weapon and walked back to the children. “There’s no one in the compartment.”
“What?” Will exclaimed.
“There has to be!” Amy shouted.
All four children rushed to the second last compartment and peered in. It was just as the police officer had said.
Empty. Completely empty.
Chapter 7: The Disappearing Act
Joe’s expression was one of shock. “He must have slipped out when we weren’t looking.”
“Or maybe you think it’s fun playing pranks on people,” the police officer stated.
Will shook his head. “We have never done such a thing. I promise you, there was a crook in that compartment when we started this train journey.”
“And we didn’t see anyone leave the compartment whenever the train stopped at a station,” Sarah piped up.
“What about when the train was moving?” the police officer asked.
Joe nodded. “That must be the answer. He must have changed carriages when the train was moving and then got out at one of the stations we passed.”
As the police officer walked away, the four children made their way back to their compartment.
“Chang must have known we were following him,” Will stated.
“Yes.” Joe sighed. “We weren’t as clever as we thought.”
~
Later that afternoon, the children told Nadia and Christo all about their train adventure. Afterwards, Christo contacted one of his friends, a police officer, and learned that Chang, and a number of fellow Golden Dragons, had managed to escape from prison during a blackout caused by a wild storm.
Chang and his companions had been on the run for the past month. The police had managed to capture everyone except Chang, who had last been seen prowling in the woods near the king’s palace one week ago.
Joe sighed. “There’s no doubt in my mind that Chang was the mastermind behind the theft of the crown jewels.”
Will nodded. “Yes. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he was spotted near the palace and then, less than a week later, the jewels were stolen.”
“But for what purpose?” Sarah asked.
“He’s a member of the Golden Dragons,” Amy replied. “That’s reason enough.”
“But the Golden Dragons are no more,” Sarah stated.
“Not in Monrovia,” Christo said. “But it’s another story elsewhere. For instance, in Zakova, they are currently in control of the country.”
“Do you think Chang intends to hide out there with the jewels?” Will asked.
Christo nodded. “Once he reaches Zakova, we won’t be able to touch him. However, thanks to you, the border guards have been alerted and armed police officers are patrolling the entire north section of Monrovia. Hopefully, the police will spot him once he makes his move.”
“Do you have a map of Monrovia?” Joe asked.
Christo nodded. “Yes, in the study. Why?”
“A thought just crossed my mind,” Joe replied. “What if Chang isn’t heading for the border?”
“But we saw him get on the train that went all the way to the border,” Sarah stated.
“Yes, but he got off before the train reached the border,” Joe replied. “Earlier, I thought it was because he had spotted us, but what if it wasn’t? What if that had been his intention all along?”
“What are you getting at?” Will questioned.
“I’ll answer that question when I see the map,” Joe replied.
“I’ll go and get it now.” Christo left the room and returned a minute later with a rolled up map. He laid it out on the coffee table, placing two books on either side of it so it stayed flat. “What is it that you wanted to see?”
“Just let me get my bearings.” Joe peered at the names of the towns. A moment later, he traced the route that the train had taken earlier with his finger.
Amy couldn’t bear the suspense any longer. “What’s on your mind, Joe?”
Joe leaned back in the comfy chair. “This might sound crazy, but what if Chang was heading to his old headquarters, Dragons Den?”
“That does sound crazy,” Sarah piped up.
“Wouldn’t that be the first place that the police would search?” Will questioned.
Christo nodded. “I’m sure the police have already searched that place from top to bottom.”
“I’m sure they would have at one stage,” Joe said, “but I would imagine that was right after the prison escape. But if you look at this map, one of the stations that the train stopped at is actually quite near the woods where Dragons Den is.”
“Why would he go there?” Will asked. “There’s nothing there. I’m sure the police took away everything that was valuable and important at the same time they locked up Chang and the rest of the Golden Dragons.”
“I don’t know,” Joe admitted. “But if there is one thing that I do know, it is that Chang is smart. We still don’t know how he stole the jewels, but if he’s smart enough to do that, he’s going to be smart enough to have a plan to escape from Monrovia.”
“What if there’s a secret room in Dragons Den that no one knows about?” Amy asked. “Some kind of supply room, or radio room—”
“That’s it!” Joe shouted. “He must have gone there to communicate with his people in Zakova. Once he tells them he has the jewels, they’ll send a plane to pick him up.”
Will nodded. “That could be possible.”
“Chang could literally be anywhere in Monrovia right now,” Christo said. “So I think you’re getting ahead of yourselves talking about a plane and—”
“But it’s possible, isn’t it?” Joe asked.
Christo sighed. “Possible, but not probable. If I was Chang, Dragons Den would be the last place I’d head towards.”
“That’s what makes it a perfect place,” Joe said. “No one would think of searching it again.”
Christo took another look at the map. “Dragons Den is quite a distance from the border, so if he did head there, he wouldn’t be planning to cross the border on his own.”
“So either he’s meeting up with someone who already has some form of transport,” Joe suggested, “or there’s a secret room with radio equipment that’s still working.”
“Well, if it’s going to ma
ke you feel any better,” Christo stated, “I’ll let my friend, Constable Lubic, know your thoughts about Dragons Den. I’m not sure if he’ll do anything about it, but that’s all we can do.”
Joe shook his head as he glanced at his watch and then gazed out of the window. “We still have a couple of hours of daylight left. So why don’t we go there now and see for ourselves?”
“Go where?” Nadia said, as she entered the room with some biscuits and lemonade.
“The children want to go to Dragons Den,” Christo replied.
Nadia frowned. “Dragons Den? Now? But it will be getting dark soon.”
“We think Chang may have headed there this afternoon,” Joe explained. “And, if that’s the case, we have to go now. If we wait until morning, it may be too late.”
“Why don’t you tell the police your theory?” Nadia questioned.
“Because that’s all it is, a theory,” Joe said. “They might say they have other pressing matters to attend to.” He turned to Christo. “If we leave immediately, I’m sure we can get to Dragons Den with enough daylight left to search the place.”
Christo thought for a moment before he took another look at the map. “What do you think, Nadia?”
“I’ll leave the decision up to you,” Nadia replied as she leaned down and kissed Christo on the cheek. “After all, that’s one of the reasons I married you. You always seem to know the right thing to do.”
“So, what’s your decision?” Joe asked.
“I’ll telephone my friend and see what he says,” Christo said.
As the man left the room, Sarah looked at Amy. “Are you going to go with the boys if they go?”
Amy nodded. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Well, I was just thinking about what happened the last time we were there—” Sarah said.
“That was different,” Amy interrupted. “Mr Ming was in charge then. This time, no one will be in charge. The place will be empty.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Sarah said.
“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” Joe pointed out.
Sarah shook her head. “I’m not staying here all alone.”
“Nadia won’t be going anywhere,” Will said.
Before Sarah had a chance to respond, Christo walked back into the room. “My friend didn’t think it was likely that Chang would be at Dragons Den, but he’ll let his superior know your theory next time he speaks to him.”
“But it will be too late then!” Joe exclaimed.
“Maybe not,” Amy said. “If there is a secret room in Dragons Den then Chang might stay there for some time.”
“But an aircraft could come tonight!” Joe turned to Christo and pleaded with him. “Can you please drive us to Dragons Den so we can see for ourselves if Chang is there or not?”
Christo glanced at his watch. “Well, I don’t have any other plans this evening, so I suppose I could drive you there.”
Joe stood up and headed for the door. “Let’s go then before it’s too late.”
Chapter 8: Something Is Wrong
By the time Christo’s white van reached the woods that surrounded Dragons Den, it was sunset. The man continued driving for a few minutes before he brought the van to a halt.
As Christo climbed out of the vehicle, he glanced at the three children. “Remember what I told you earlier. If you see any sign of Chang, or anyone else for that matter, tell me immediately. I doubt we’ll come across anyone, but if we do, we need to contact the police.”
Joe nodded as he glanced over at Will and Amy. “Shall we split up to cover more ground?”
“Since it’s just the three of us, I think we should stay together,” Amy said. “If Sarah had decided to come then we could have done so, but—”
“Yes, stay together,” Christo interrupted. “Even better is if you stay in sight of me. I’d hate to inform Nadia that something had happened to you.”
Joe glanced at his watch. “Let’s start searching before it gets too late.”
With Christo leading the way, the children followed him through the woods. While it would have been easier to drive right up to the main gate, Christo had decided it would be better to park the vehicle some distance away from the property and then advance on foot. That way, if Chang was in the vicinity, he wouldn’t hear them coming.
So, after walking for roughly five minutes, they arrived at the clearing. They paused and peered down the small slope.
From a distance, it looked the same as when they had last seen it. Even though there weren’t any men with dogs patrolling the grounds this time, it still had an unfriendly look about it.
A tall, stone wall surrounded the entire property, however, in places it had been damaged and so, after a quick discussion, Christo led the children to one of the damaged sections.
Upon reaching the crumbling wall, Christo helped the children though the gap. As they walked past the few trees that still stood in the front garden, Joe peered towards the large steel gate. The two ferocious looking stone dragons that guarded the entrance were as before, but the gate lay in ruins.
It was the same story with the garage. The structure was still standing, but the inside was gutted. As the group approached the main building, they came to a stop and peered at all the bullet holes that riddled the walls around the doors and windows.
“I didn’t realise this place would be in such bad shape,” Will said.
Amy nodded. “Me neither. But, by the looks of it, the Golden Dragons put up quite a fight before surrendering.”
“I can only imagine what the inside must look like,” Joe said.
Christo led the way into the building. The front door was unlocked and, as the group went from one room to the next, they could see why. Anything valuable had been taken away. The only things that remained were some chairs, sofas, tables, and that sort of thing.
As Will stood in one of the rooms, one with a big fireplace, he glanced up at the walls. “Do you recall the Chinese paintings that hung on these walls the last time we were here?”
Joe nodded as he glanced around. “Yes. I can even recall the gold velvet curtains that covered the windows. Hey, I wonder if the police discovered the secret room behind the fireplace.” He hurried over to the fireplace and then frowned. “How did we get the fireplace to swivel around?”
“We pressed a stone,” Will replied, “but I’m not sure which one it was.”
“But weren’t you two on the other side?” Amy asked.
Joe nodded. “Yes, we were, but it should still be the same stone.”
As Christo watched the children pressing one stone after another, he glanced at his watch. “I’ll head upstairs and see if those rooms are as empty as these ones.”
“Okay, we’ll join you in a minute,” Joe replied. “I just want to see if we can get into the other room.”
“I’m sure the police would have discovered the room,” Amy said, pressing one particular stone. After nothing happened, she walked towards the windows and gazed out.
The boys continued pressing stones. Finally, after a few minutes, Joe sighed. “I give up. Let’s join up with Christo.”
“I don’t understand it,” Will said. “We pressed every stone and yet nothing moved.”
“Maybe the police removed the mechanism so that no one could open the door,” Amy suggested.
Will nodded. “That must be the reason.”
The three children left the room and walked up the staircase to the upper floor. As they walked from one room to the next, it was clear that whoever had ransacked the lower floor had also done the same thing to this floor. Almost nothing remained. And, the few small things that had been left behind, were covered in cobwebs and dust.
As Joe reached the end of the hallway, he frowned. “Where’s Christo?”
“You don’t think anything has happened to him, do you?” Amy asked.
Joe hesitated. As he saw the fear in his sister’s eyes, he shook his head. “No, he’s probably downs
tairs. He must have been searching the rooms on the left side while we were searching the right.”
The three children walked back down the hallway, pausing as they reached the large staircase. Joe waited a moment to see if he could see anyone before he walked down the stairs.
As they walked past the room with the fireplace, Will’s face went pale. “Look!”
Joe and Amy were just in time to see the fireplace moving back into position.
“What’s going on?” Amy asked.
“It must have been Christo,” Joe replied. “He must have discovered how to move the fireplace.”
“If it was him, then the fireplace should start moving again shortly,” Amy said.
Joe nodded as he stepped into the room and walked over to the fireplace. “Yes, so let’s surprise him when he comes back into this room.” As he glanced around, he saw that no one was following him. “What’s wrong?”
“What if Chang opened up the entrance to the secret room?” Will whispered.
Joe frowned. “But we haven’t seen any sign of him here.”
“Exactly,” Amy replied. “Which means he could be anywhere.”
Joe took one look at the fireplace and then one look at the others in an effort to decide what to do. He finally walked back to the others. “So, assuming it was Chang who moved the fireplace, what do we do now?”
“I don’t know,” Amy admitted. “But you boys are older than me, so you should be able to think of something.”
“Just because we’re older than you doesn’t mean we’re smarter,” Will said.
Despite the situation, Amy let out a small smile. “I’ll remember that.”
“Okay, let’s get serious,” Joe said as he glanced at his watch. “It’s going to be dark in less than an hour, so whatever we decide to do, keep that thought in mind.”
“Why don’t we call out to Christo?” Amy suggested. “That way, if he’s in any of the other rooms, he’ll answer back.”
“And what if he doesn’t answer back?” Will replied. “What then?”
“Well, then it means that he’s in the secret room,” Amy said.
“But is he in the room alone?” Joe sank to the floor and put his head in his hands. “I shouldn’t have asked Christo to come here tonight. I should just have been content to let the police follow this up.”
