Where the Action Is

Chapter 10 - Shore Leave

The last few days on the forts seemed to pass very quickly. There were no more uninvited guests, and everything was quiet. Maybe the men were making plant how to attack the forts another way. Someone was kept on watch at all times now, and this would be done even after the children left the radio station.

The day came when they had to leave. Adrian, who was better now, he had been able to go on the air for two or three days, had all he needed for his week on shore ready, so did Alan and Dirk. Jack, Juliett, Max and Impie collected up the things they had brought with them, and gave them to the crew to be put on the tender. Soon the time came to leave. Final farewells were said to the people who were staying on the fort, and the children were invited to go out to the fort again when things were less hectic. Then Jack and Juliett were winched down to the tender in the small cage they had gone up to the fort in, followed by Max and Impie, and the crew told them where to sit so that they would be hidden, in the small cabin. They were joined by Adrian, Alan, Dirk, Job Konrad and Marty the Engineer. Another engineer, Jonny, had taken his place on the fort.

When all were aboard, the tender left the forts, and the children watched as their home for nearly a fortnight seemed to sink beneath the horizon, and grow smaller. The shore of Thelstone grew larger as the forts grew smaller, seeming to rise and fall as the boat did. The journey took nearly two hours, the sea was more rough than the last time they had crossed to the forts, and Jack felt rather seasick. But at the last they drew near to the shore.

Within ten or so minutes the tender was moored at Felix pier. There was a crowd gathered there waiting to see the disc jockeys as they came ashore, so Jack, Juliett, Max and Impie had to stay hidden in the cabin. After everyone from the radio station had left the boat, it moved away from the pier again, and rounded the headland, making for Dana Cove. It did not take them long to reach the cove, and the tender was moored at the jetty. There was no-one else around, nearly everyone had gone to Felix Pier to see the people from Radio Madeleine. So Jack and Co went ashore, and, after a few minutes rest, for Jack was somewhat seasick, they climbed the narrow cliff path to the top, where Constable Any Esmond was waiting with a car. He drove them into Dana, and took them to the large, old village inn there, where rooms had been kept for them. They were met by the Blundells, who took them to their rooms, and made them feel at home. However, they had been seen by one of their enemies when Andy had collected them in the car. He had followed them to the inn, and now he was going to tell his confederates about what he had seen.

When she had shown the children their rooms, and they had left the few things they had brought with them from the forts in the rooms, Mrs Blundell took them all together into the lounge of the inn. They were alone, and Mrs Blundell talked to them. She told them that now they were on-shore they could not have the run of the place as they had on the forts. They would only be able to go into the inn gardens, not go far there, and would not be able to go out of the inn area, in case the smugglers saw them.

‘If they find you, you’ll be in trouble, for they are murderers,’ said Mrs Blundell.

Jack looked sulky.

‘Surely they must be doing something about catching them?’

‘Yes, they had found one of their cases of whisky in a cave, probably to be taken out of the country. The Customs is helping now, and they are searching everyone who leaves or enters the country.’

‘What about us, we were smuggled back!’ cried Juliett, alarmed.

‘Idiot!’ said Mrs Blundell. ‘You were smuggled in, as you put it, to deceive the smugglers. Besides, the Customs knows about you. The matter is mostly in the hands of the Police now, and they are doing well, so don’t you go messing things up by being caught by these murderers, will you?’

‘No,’ said Jack sullenly. She had hoped to be able to see Adrian Leslie at the Silver Star Discotheque in Thelston, for she had a free ticket for the show that Adrian had given to her before they had parted at Felix Pier. Now, it seemed, she would be cooped up in this boring old inn for heaven knew how long. After Mrs Blundell had finished talking to them, Jack went up to her room. She unpacked her case, and took out her radio, turned it on, and sat down on the bed to sort out the rest of her things. She found the ticket, which could admit two, and looked at it longingly, wishing she was free to use it. While she had been on the fort, James Dennis had given her a framed photograph of Fort Madeleine. Now Jack stood it on the table by the bed, and wished she was still there. It was strange, being on land, not being able to see the sea beneath the window, and she missed Adrian, and his friends.

She stayed in the room for about half an hour, listening to the radio, wishing she was still on the fort. At the end of the half hour Angus McDuncan, who was on at the time, read out a commercial for the Night Out at the Silver Star. He said, “Adrian Leslie, our top DJ, will be there, also the resident DJ Keith Jones. There will be top pop groups, among them the famous Night Riders….’

He went on to mention other delights, and suddenly Jack realised that she had to go, come what may. It was the next night, starting at half past eight, and she had a pretty dress to wear. As she sat making plans for how to get out without being seen, Juliett knocked and came in.

‘Hello, Jack,’ she said, ‘coming into the garden with me? You’ve been up here alone for ages!’

‘Alright,’ said Jack, sullenly. Then she cheered up, for she realised that she could look for a back gate to slip out by.

‘Yes, let’s, Juliett,’ she said, ‘it’s lovely out there.’

They went downstairs and out into the sunshine. The inn had quite a large garden, with a small roped off part which had tables and sunshades, for customers to take their drinks. There was no-one there at the moment. Hidden from the beer-garden by bushes, was the private garden where guests could go, bright with flowers and sweet-smelling herbs. Jack kept a look-out for doors in the high stone wall that surrounded the garden. Juliett noticed a seat in the corner of the garden.

‘Come on, Jack, let’s sit down,’ she said.

Jack came out of her reverie.

‘What…. Oh yes,’ she said.

When they had sat down on the seat, Juliett said to her, ‘I can see you’re not yourself. You miss being on the fort already, don’t you?’

Jack said, yes, she did.

‘You know,’ said Juliett, ‘I sort of forgot about poor Clarence when we were on the fort. I suppose it was the excitement of the radio station and the unfamiliar surroundings that did it. But I sure miss him now!’

‘I know what you mean. I feel the same way. He was my friend.’

‘He was my brother … Oh, Mr Blundell says that they had the inquest just after we had gone to the fort. They used the statements we wrote, remember. The verdict was wilful murder by persons unknown.’

‘So now it’s officially murder.’

‘Yes, and those men are murderers, we must steer clear of them. They must still want us, for we still are the only ones who could positively identify them.’

‘What about Adrian, isn’t he taking a bit of a risk, staying on land?’

‘I wondered about that, too,’ said Juliett. So I asked Constable Esmond, after you had gone into the inn. He said he is taking a risk, but the smugglers might chance it, as it was dark when they were fighting. Anyway, Adrian is willing to risk it.’

‘If they kidnapped Adrian, people would be bound to notice, anyway.’

‘Not if they were careful, it could be done, but all the same I doubt if they’d try it. But now, let’s try and forget, although it’s hard,’ said Juliett softly.

So they sat and talked of other things for a while. Then, they got up from the seat and looked around the garden again. Then Jack saw the door in the wall, half covered with ivy. It was in the darkest corner of the garden, so if she slipped out she would not be seen. But she pretended not to notice.

For the rest of the day, Jack tried to look as if she was not planning anything. She pretended she liked it at the inn, but all the while she was planning her getaway. When night fell, she went up to her room under the pretence of feeling tired. Lucky she had a separate room, she thought if she shared a room it would be impossible to go out at all.

Now she was alone, she started to make her plans for getting out of the inn and to the Silver Star Discotheque. She remembered that buses ran along the Old Coast Road into Thelstone. They ran quite frequently, so that was no problem. The only problem was in getting as far as the Old Coast Road. There were few buses down the Two Mile Lane which ran from Dana to meet the Old Coast Road at the Folly. She would have to find a timetable from downstairs.

She crept down, and, having made sure no-one was around, she grabbed the bus timetable from where it was kept on the desk by the telephone, and took it upstairs with her. It was easy now to work out her plans. She sorted out the best of the dresses she had with her, sorted out enough money out of the little she had with her to get her there and back, and enough if any was needed at the discotheque. Finally, having worked it all out, she put away anything that looked suspicious, and returned the bus timetable to its place. Then she joined Juliett, Max and Impie who were in the lounge, playing Ludo and other games with the visitors’ children. The adults were in the bar. They were surprised to see Jack, but she said she didn’t feel so tired now, so no-one asked any awkward questions.

However, Jack had not been the only one who had been secretly planning. The smugglers, in their secret hideout, were discussing what to do about the children, now they were at the inn.

‘You’re positive it was then you saw, Alec?’ asked the leader.

‘Course I’m sure!’ said Alec.

There followed a discussion on what to do.

‘We can’t take over an inn like we tried to the fort,’ mused the leader.

‘No more of that!’ said Ben. He had been the one Adrian had fought and who had fallen into the sea.

In the end, it was decided to watch the inn at all times, with at least two of the gang around. Then, if anyone ventured forth, they could be captured and taken to the gang’s nearest hideout. Little did Jack know what she’d fall into.