Where the Action Is

Chapter 6 - Investigations

Soon, there was a hive of activity around the Folly. The detectives had arrived. Detective Inspector John Adams and Detective Sergeant Ed Muldoon, to be precise. They had made a chalk line all around Clarence’s body, then let the police surgeon examine him. They had looked everywhere for clues, asked everyone questions, sent Fred to get an ambulance to remove the body to the mortuary, and generally organised the place. They decided that Jack, Juliett and the children were too upset to say much at present, so they sent them off home, accompanied by Constable Fairhead and a Woman Police Constable, who also had the unpleasant job of telling Lord and Lady Thelstone the news of their son. So they set off in the Police car, and left the place much less crowded.

When the others had gone, John Adams and Ed Muldoon really took over. Ed examined the ground, which was soft from a recent shower of rain. He found two sets of footprints, fresh, and definitely those of men, behind the Folly. It was decided to take plaster casts of them, for they were probably important. John Adams found the same prints inside the Folly, too.

‘Do you think it’s those smugglers again?’ said Ed Muldoon.

‘Could be, could be,’ said Inspection John Adams, stroking his moustache.

‘Do you think we can handle this ourselves, or should we call in Scotland Yard?’ said Sergeant Ed Muldoon.

‘There isn’t much crime in this district, so I think that if nothing else crops up, we can do it,’ answered the Inspector.

Then up came the police surgeon.

‘Well, what is it?’ said John Adams impatiently, ‘what’ve you found?’

‘He was shot twice, sir. The first shot hit him in the shoulder. The second was the fatal shot. Through the heart. He would have died almost immediately.’

‘It must have been someone else who shot him? No chance of suicide?’ asked Ed.

‘No, I don’t think so. Besides, there’s no gun around, and you can only shoot yourself with a gun! No, murder, I’d say, wouldn’t you sir?’ replied the surgeon.

‘Yes, but we cannot call it murder until a verdict is reached,’ answered the Inspector.

Then the ambulance arrived, and there was a moment of activity while Clarence was loaded therein. Fred returned as well.

‘My first murder case!’ he was heard to murmur.

There was a kind of excited light in Ed Muldoon’s eyes, too, if one had looked close enough. He had never had a case quite like this before, and it seemed as if it might be good. He might get fame at last!

Back at Grey House, Constable Fairhead, having brought home Jack, Max and Impie, was talking to their Aunt and Uncle. The WPC had taken Juliett, in the car, to Thelstone Manor, where she would have to tell Lord and Lady Thelsone the terrible news.

Naturally, the Blaires were shocked by the policeman’s story of what had happened up at the Folly. They had send Jack, Max and Impie to their bedrooms with an aspirin and hot drink each and Mrs Webster, the housekeeper, for company. They were now telling her of it, for if they talked about it, was not so bad. In fact they had forgotten Adrian and the radio station, but they were soon to remember. Fairhead asked their Aunt and Uncle if they had seen anything strange around before this. Graham Blaire said, 'I warned them not to meddle in such things. But they did tell me that they had seen movements and lights out at White Sands Fort. I thought it was just their imagination, but maybe it was not...'

'Why didn't you inform the Police about this before all this happened?' asked Fairhead.

'Well, you know how imaginative teenagers are,' answered Graham Blaire.

'Yes, but all the same, you should have informed the Police, you know,' said Fairhead.

Graham Blaire sheepishly nodded. 'I did tell them to inform you if they saw anything else, but they told me of nothing else, so I presumed that it was their imaginations.'

'Seems it wasn't though. Have you seen any more lights, or heard anything more?'

Graham Blaire said, no, he hadn't. Fairhead then asked him to tell him all he could about what the children had seen at the fort. Graham told him all he could.

Meanwhile, at Thelstone Manor, WPC Arnold had delivered Juliett to her parents, and broken the news to them. Tehy were naturally shocked, and Lady Thelstone burst into tears. WPC Arnold decided to leave them and not to bother them with questions yet. So, telling them that of course they would have to be questioned later, she left them to their grief.

Next day the investigations continued. Inspector John Adams called round to Grey House, accompanied by Detective Constable Andy Esmond. They called to ask Jack, Max and Impie questions about what they had seen at the Folly. They were still upset, but able to tell the Police all they had seen. John Adams became worried when he heard of how they had been chased by the smugglers.

'Did they recognise you?' asked John.

'Yes, I think they did, yes, I heard them say that they knew where we lived,' answered Jack.

'Then they'll come after you to kill you so you can't identify them. You will need Police protection,' cried John. 'And the other girl, Juliett, she will need protection too. Esmond, will you phone the station; tell them that we need more men to protect these people.'

'Of course, sir!'

By that afternoon, John Adams had questioned Juillett, who was still upset, and posted men on guard in front of Grey House and Thelstone Manor. And, by the afternoon post, came the letter from Radio Madeleine telling Jack what to do to get out to the fort. It had been forgotten in the frenzy of the day before. The letter had been posted the day before Adrian had read out their names over the airwaves of 288, so that there was not too much delay. Jack was disappointed, for she thought that the Police investigation would put paid to all plant to visit the radio fort.

That night, in spite of the Police protection, an intruder slipped silently into the garden of Grey House, intent to kill. He crept up to the back door, and picked the lock. But the bolt foiled him, so he stood on a box and broke a window. He turned the latch and slipped through. Walls, however, have ears, and so, when he knocked over a pile of plates, the walls heard. Graham Blaire had been awake, listening for sounds, any sounds. His training as a soldier had alerted all his senses. Now, he slipped on his dressing gown, crept downstairs to the kitchen. However, the intruder sensed that he was there, and escaped before Graham could do anything. Graham immediately went out to the policeman who was watching the back of the house, who said that he had seen nothing. The guard was kept more closely for the rest of the night, but all the same, this incident showed that the guard was not good enough.

So, in the morning, Inspector John Adams held a discussion on what-shall-we-do-about-the-Irvings? The subject was a difficult one, for it was obvious that the smugglers could get past a guard unseen, and that the Irvings and Juliett were in constant danger. The only solution seemed to be to take them away from Thelstone, without the smugglers knowing it. However, they did not know where to send them. Protective custody seemed the only answer.

After the discussion, John Adams went round to see the Blaires to tell them of the decision. They were not happy about it, but it seemed the only answer,until Jack remembered about Adrian's competiton, and the visit to the fort. She told John of it, and asked him if it would not be a good idea for them to go there, for the smugglers would never guess that they were there.

'It might be an idea, you know, if the owner of the station did not object to your being there. We could find out. I will see Lord Thelstone and see if he agreed to let his daughter go with you. If you go, you must write statements to be used at the inquest.

It was decided that this was the answer, so John Adams went over to Thelstone Manor to see if the Thelstones were in agreement.

They were, and so the Police went about asking the staff and directors of Madeleine if they could possibly let Jack, Juliett, Max and Impie take refuge on their fort, and if so, as soon as possible. They contacted Terry Regan, Managing Director of the station, and he agreed, saying that the news would be immediately sent out to the fort, and that he would inform them when they could come.

He was as good as his word. At about seven o'clock that night he called the police station at Thelstone, saying that they could go out by the tender the next day. Ed Muldoon hurried round to tell the Irvings and Juliett of this. So they made preparations to leave the next morning, and wrote out statements of what they had seen. The guard was doubled that night, but no intruders appeared, for they were laying plans on how to get the childred at no risk to themselves. And as yet they knew nothing of the Irvings' plan to take refuge on the fort.

When morning came, the Irvings and Juliett got up early, finished packing oddments to take with them, and got dressed and ready. They were to drive down to the pier in a hired car, and be put on the tender, which would set off early so that they would not be seen by too many people. The hired car would be driven by a plain-clothes detective, who had hired the car under a false name, so that it would be hard for information to leak out about it. the only danger was the closeness of Fort Madeleine to White Sands Fort. But as the latter now seemed unused, the chances of discovery by the smugglers were very small.

And so, Jack, Juliett, Max and Impie set off to adventure.