Where the Action Is
Where the Action Is |
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It took about three-quarters of an hour to restore things to order. By that time it was late at night, and very dark. A police launch arrived at the towers, with Ed Muldoon in charge. Ed was winched aboard the fort, and Captain Jan told him of what had happened.
‘I think they have left us now. They went when the second one fell in the sea,’ said Jan.
‘We did not see them as we came out,’ aid Ed. ‘I wonder where they went? They aren’t round here, because we looked around when we got here, before we called you with the loud-hailer.’
‘It’ a good thing you did call us, or we’d have thought you were the boarders!’ grinned Jan.
‘Oh, Captain Neilson, there’s just one thing that puzzles me, and it’s this. How did the man fall of the tower, because I see that the railing around it is quite high?’
‘He just happened to be standing at a point where the railing has been broken, so that it’s only half of its usual height. That’s how Adrian managed toget the gun to go over the edge as well.’
‘I’ll see your hero while I’me here, by the way,’ said Ed. ‘I know about first aid and I can tell you how bad he is.’
‘Right, I’ll take you over to see him.’
On the way over to the South Tower, Ed asked Jan whether they would be needed.
‘If not, we’ll go back to Thelstone, and come out again in the morning. We’ll have to question you, you know,’ he said.
‘I don’t think they will return tonight, so really you aren’t needed. I think it would be better if you came out in the morning, because my crew and the other boys are tired.’
‘OK’, said Ed. ‘I’ll just make sure your casualty is alright.’
They soon reached the South Tower. They went into the tower and were soon in Adrian’s room. Jack, Juliett, Impie and Rick the steward were there, too, so it was rather crowded. Ed went over to where Adrian lay. He was still very dazed, but he was conscious. Ed looked at the cut on Adrian’s head, made sure that he was breathing properly, and generally gave him a check to see if he was badly hurt or not. Finally he turned to the others, who were in a crowd over the other side of the room and said,
‘He’ll be alright. Just let him rest for a while, and not exert himself. He wasn’t hit very hard, so there’s nothing to worry about.’ Then, turning to Captain Jan, ‘We’ll come out again tomorrow to sort out what happened properly.’
Jan agreed. After talking to Jack and Juliett, who decided to stay on the forts, Ed rejoined the other policemen on the launch, and they left the fort for Felix Pier.
The night passed. Radio Madeleine closed down at midnight instead of three a.m., so as to give everyone some rest, which they needed. There was no more trouble, all was peaceful again. Morning came, clear and blue, and with it came Ed Muldoon and the Police. Also on the launch was Terry Regan, Managing Director of Radio Madeleine.
The Police were taken aboard, and Terry Regan with them. They wanted to know everything that had happened, and from everyone. Captain Jan Neilson took them to the mess, and summoned everyone else there, unless they had important work to do. This time Norman Clive was on the air, so he was left to be questioned last. Adrian was better, so he was there, too.
Terry Regan told his staff to tell the Police all they could. He warned them that if precautions for their safety were not taken now, there might be a lot more trouble.
‘I think the children will have to be taken off the fort as soon as possible,’ he said.
Ed Muldoon agreed. ‘We’ll find somewhere else for them to stay, but I don’t think that we’ll let the smugglers know about it. We might be able to catch them if they think the witnesses are still here.’
‘I won’t put my staff in such danger!’ cried Terry Regan, ‘it’s not right!’
‘Too late now, they have also seen these men, and it’s likely that even if the young people leave, they’ll still attack.’
‘Oh, then I’ll have to rely on you,’ said Terry, but he wasn’t very sure.
‘Now, down to business,’ said Ed Muldoon. ‘Who first?’
The engineer Marty was first, because he had been the first to see their grappling hook.
‘Right, Marty, tell us all you know. Constable Esmond, take down notes will you/ Now then, tell us.’
Marty told him what had happened on Shore Tower.
‘Their boat was so silent, we did not hear them. The others were over the other side. Then I saw the hook over the railings.’
‘How did they get it up onto the rails?’
‘They had a kind of gun, I think, when I looked down. That’s how they did it.’
‘Where would they have got that from, I wonder,’ mused Ed half to himself.
PC Fairhead, who was also there, answered him,
‘They’re clever men, you know. They’ve eluded us for ages, so I should think they were clever enough to make it themselves. Or else they brought it with them from the Continent in a boat.’
‘Yes, that’s probable. Anything else, Marty?’
Marty told them all he knew. Then it was the others’ turn. Each of them told all they knew. Jon was asked whether he had seen the face of the man he knocked into the sea.
‘I only saw him vaguely, officer, it was dark, y’know. He was a nasty man, real nasty. He was thick-built, but that’s all I know, sorr.’
‘Never mind, it may help.’
Lastly they came to Adrian. He was now the only one who could give them any description. So Ed turned to him. Gently he asked,
‘Now, you were the only one to come into close contact with anyone from the boarding party. Can you remember anything about them?’
‘Yes, I think so,’ said Adrian slowly. ‘The moon came out as he came up to me … yes, he was quite tall, about six feet, dark haired. He was very hard-faced, thin mouth. He was about thirty-five, six.’
‘Anything else? Did you see any others?’
‘I didn’t see any other men, only this one.’
‘Did he have any distinguishing marks on him?’
‘Well, he moved too fast for me to really see. I … I think he had a mole on his chin, but it was too hard to really tell.’
After a few more questions, they gained a little more information, but not really enough. After the Police had left to see where the men had tried to board the fort, Terry Regan turned to Adrian.
‘How long will it be before you’re well enough to do a show again?’ he asked. ‘For at the present minute it makes us slightly short-staffed. Do you think you should come back to the shore with us now?’
Adrian answered him, ‘I think I’ll be alright tomorrow, because I wasn’t hit that hard, and I think I’ll stay on. See, I’m feeling better already!’
Then Max, who was always to the point, turned to Adrian and said,
‘Oh Adrian, how come you’re still alive after he hit you with that heavy thing?’
‘Max!’ exclaimed Jack.
But Adrian laughed. ‘I’m not quite sure, because I can’t remember what happened after he grabbed hold of me. Everything went black.
John Konrad, however, had the answer.
‘It’s because we startled him, and he fell one way and Adrian the other, so he only hit him a glancing blow. It laid you out, did not it, Adrian?’
‘Yes, it did rather!’ Adrian answered him.
When Ed Muldoon and the two constables returned from their tour of the fort, Norman Clive had finished his show and handed over to Yale Ross. Ed Muldoon questioned Norman, but got nothing new, for Norman had been guarding the East Towers. He had not even seen the fight on the Central Tower.
After that, he turned to Terry Regan and warned him:
‘Of course, you realise that, being outside the three mile limit, we really have no jurisdiction over your radio station. However we need you to co-operate with us now to help get these dangerous men caught. It’s risky, I warn you, but will you help us?’
Terry Regan thought for a moment. Then he said, ‘I’m not sure. How can we help you?’
‘As I said before, keep on as if these young people are still on the fort. It you do this, it will draw the smugglers out into the open, we hope! Also, you can tell us if you see anything suspicious.’
‘That’s a tall order, Sergeant Muldoon.’
‘I know, but can you chance it?’
‘I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it.’
Adrian turned to him and said,
‘Don’t worry about us, we’re willing to help. These men have been troubling the district for too long as it is.’
Terry Regan tried to dissuade him, but he was adamant, and the others supported Adrian. So Terry Regan said to Ed Muldoon,
‘My staff are in agreement that we help you, so we will. Tell us what we must do.’
‘What you must do, is this. The next time a relief tender comes out to the towers, along with the staff who must go on leave, these young people will leave also, except they must not be seen.
‘Where will we go from there?’ asked Juliett.
‘Wait, I’ll tell you! When you leave the fort, you will stay in the inn at Dana with your cooks, the Blundells. As for the rest of you, carry on as usual, but keep a look out for boarders, for they may try again. I hope they will, then we can get them red-handed. Don’t worry, we’ll keep watch from the shore.’
‘What about the other fort,’ asked Jack. ‘We saw lights there, you know.’
‘We have searched that fort, but there’s nothing there now. It’s not really worth guarding there until we are sure that they are using it. We haven’t enough men.’
For the rest of the time the police were on the forts, plans were made for the capture of the smugglers. When their plans were thoroughly worked out, Ed Muldoon and the other policemen left. Terry Regan left with them. The plan was this. When the next tender came, Adrian Leslie, Alan Love, Dirk Harvey and some of the other staff would leave, and under cover, Jack ,Juliett, Max and Impie. When the tender docket at Felix Pier, the disc jockeys would leave it and go onto the shore, to meet the crowd that was always there. Then the tender would leave the pier, still with Jack and company on board, and go to Dana Cove, where there was a small jetty. The children would then leave the boat, and climb the cliff path. On the top of the cliffs the police would have a car waiting, to take them to the inn at Dana.
