Where the Action Is
Where the Action Is |
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Richardson was in his office, sitting at his desk surrounded by pieces of paper.
‘Yes, Adams?’ he asked.
‘Might I ask you a few questions, sir?’ enquired John.
‘Oh, don’t waste my time!’ grumbled Richardson.
‘I shan’t waste your time, I assure you.’
‘Very well then.’
‘Do you know who the leader of this gang is, and where the rest are?’ asked John.
‘Why do you ask me this,’ said Richardson oddly, ‘have you found out?’
‘Yes,’ replied John, ‘yes.’ He took the bull by the horns. ‘The evidence, sir, points to … you!’
A moment of silence, tense, terrifying somehow. Richardson’s face changed. He became evil; John was frozen to the spot, he was right! And in that moment, Richardson moved, surprisingly swiftly for one of his bulk, and was past John, at the door, through it, and a gun was in his hand!’
As he passed through the door at speed, all eyes in the corridor outside were on him, and they saw the gun, and they knew that he would use it. He crossed the corridor in a moment of silence, and was at the door when John Adams cried out, ‘He’s the leader. Careful, he’s armed!’
But he cried out too late. For a brave young constable, in fact one of the men who had been on the fort earlier that evening, leapt forward to stop Richardson. A shot rang out, and to the horror of the watching company, the PC fell to the ground! Frozen in their horror, no-one moved for the vital few seconds needed for Richardson to escape through the door.
In the corridor, and seeing all this, were Adrian Leslie, Noel Llewellyn, Alan Love and Jon Konrad. Terry Regan, James Dennis and Johann were upstairs with Ed Muldoon at the time. Jack and Juliett were with Andy, also making statements.
‘Come on,’ yelled Jon, ‘after him!’
And while the police gathered round the man who had fallen, the four streaked out of the door. This all took place in a few short seconds, and the police were soon in action too. But when they got outside, there was no sign of Richardson or his pursuers.
Richardson saw his followers and he fired a shot at them, but his gun was now silenced, and so the police did not hear. The shot missed, and he saw they still followed him. He fired again in his fury, and again he missed. Adrian ran ahead of the others, Jon close behind him. Adrian came close behind Richardson, who fired his revolver again, but Jon threw Adrian down and neither were hit. The renegade detective ran on, his pursuers dropped behind.
‘Listen,’ said Jon, ‘that gun he had is a six-gun. He will run out of ammunition, then we have an advantage over him.’
‘He’s already used up four!’ cried Noel. ‘If we can make him use up those two, and don’t let him reload, we have a chance!’
‘It’s dangerous, but I’ll risk it, if you will,’ said Jon.
They agreed, and Alan wanted to get his own back. He was not hysterical this time, it was the waiting when they had been captured which was so terrible. So they ran up behind him, and Alan cried, ‘Richardson, stop!’ and ducked behind one of those green boxes that have mysterious electrical things in them.
Richardson did stop, turned and fired, two shots!
‘His gun’s empty now,’ whispered Jon to the others behind the box’thing. ‘Let’s go!’
They ran, and caught him up. He tried to fire, but all there was was a decisive ‘click’. Adrian tried to trip him, and Richardson tried to hit him with the gun, but Alan grabbed his hand. Jon seized his other arm, but Richardson somehow got free of the other two. Jon tried to pull him down, Noel tried to knock him down and succeeded. Jon fell on top of him, Alan and Adrian untied themselves from the ground, and ran to help Noel and Jon. Then a moment of confusion followed, and no-one was ever sure what happened, but Richardson had thrown off Jon, in spite of all Jon’s strength, and he had a hand on Noel Llewellyn’s throat!
‘You,’ he cried, ‘get back or I kill him! I mean it!’
Noel was choking, and the others dared not move. It seemed likely that he would murder Noel anyway, then a figure appeared round a corner, behind Richardson, who was facing his three antagonists and was somewhat absorbed in what he was doing!
Suzie! And in fighting mood, armed with a heavy blunt-edge weapon, to wit, a handbag. Seeing the action and taking it in, she crept up behind Richardson, and ‘Bang!’ she gave him a tremendous blow with the said weapon. He was momentarily off balance and let go of Noel, who just managed to crawl out of the way before the other three leapt forward onto Richardson, who was still dazed. Jon seized his arms, Alan helped to stop his struggles, and Adrian seized the empty gun that had fallen to the pavement. Then, he received immense satisfaction when he brought the handle of the gun down on Richardson’s head. He didn’t do much damage, he just subdued the man for the police, whom Suzie had gone to find. Richardson was handcuffed and led back to the police station, or rather, half-carried. Adrian had really dazed him.
The others returned to the police station also, Jon and Suzie arm in arm, Noel now recovered, fingering his bruises, but not seriously damaged. When they reached it they found chaos and an ambulance, and news of a murder: the PC, shot in the head by Richardson.
Finally, the confusion became unravelled, and Richardson was charged and put in the cells, there was just room for one more! Adrian, Alan, Jon, Noel and Suzie were the heroes (and heroine) of the hour. They were congratulated all round, but then John Adams, now in charge, decided to send everyone home, for it was now early in the morning and everyone was very tired. So they went, but were warned of being needed the next day.
Before they left the police station, everyone met after they had been finished with by the police. Jack and Juliett spent a long time being wildly happy about Adrian and Alan’s capture of Richardson. Of course they were not the only ones who helped to bring him in, but they were all Jack and Juliett thought of. Meanwhile, Terry Regan was allowed to call the hospital where Marty was, and ask about Marty’s chances.
‘He is now comfortable,’ said the hospital, ‘no bones were damaged (the bullet apparently hit him in the shoulder), ‘but he will be here a while because of the shock.’
Terry came back and told the others of this, which relieved them somewhat. Then everyone left, because it was very late. Jack and Juliett were driven back by a police car, but Terry and his staff did not have far to go, so they walked home, and had the best sleep they had had for ages, apart form the fact that their bruises ached. The terror was almost over, and soon all would be normal again.
John Adams and his men had very little rest that night, there was still much to be done. The Chief Constable of the County, when aroused from his slumbers, arranged for them to have more men, so they got a little rest. Andy Esmond was sent home, so was Inspector Jones, they would be needed the next day.
John Adams had one of Scott-Gibson’s gang seated in front of him, and he questioned the man; it was Ben, Benjamin Rodgers, who confessed to Clarence’s murder, for on his own he was not brave or violent, but a mouse. He had not known who the true leader was, he said, Scott-Gibson gave all the orders, the ‘boss’ remained unseen, unknown.
‘What about taking them off White Sands Fort after the murders had been done?’ John asked. After a while the man answered him: ‘OK, I’ll tell. The others were to come out in a small boat to collect us later on.’
‘What time?’ cried John, ‘When?’
‘I’d say about now!’ said the man, and then John was gone, leaving the man in the care of a PC.
The launch was sent out again, and a boat was seen, and captured, for there were only three men on board, and they were not armed. They were brought in, and through the early hours of the morning the smaller members of the gang were rounded up. The men ‘spilt the beans’ - disillusioned.
This work went on through the next day, and a great round of trials, questioning and searching began. It took a week, Terry Regan and his staff, and the children, were witnesses, Interpol set after the international part of the gang, and smuggled goods were impounded.
Neither were others idle, for in between helping investigations Terry had to restore his transmitter to working order, restore his organisation, cajole the advertisers into trusting him again, and so on. The children and all the other inhabitants returned to Grey House and the Manor in safety, and gradually a feeling of relief came over Thelstone. The terror was over.
