CHAPTER 21
The farmhouse kitchen was warm and welcoming, particularly if you had spent some time expecting to die in the dark. Some Christmas decorations were already up, and the atmosphere was wonderfully festive.
Once they had washed their faces and hands and had their hair tidied, the farmer's wife gave them all hot soup from the pot on the Aga. James and Rodney told their story to the detective and the WPC, followed up by Mandy's adventures in the wood.
"Well, I never did," said the detective. "That teacher who came to the police station with you. What cheek! He must have felt safe!"
"Was he the ghost I saw in our field?" asked Peter.
"I expect it was his accomplice," said Derek. "I don't think he would risk that. But it was a good way of putting people off investigating further, considering how superstitious country people are."
The policeman's radio crackled into life. "Suspect's car apprehended on the Dover road," it said. "Two men taken into custody in possession of stolen goods."
"So there you are," said the policeman. "We've got them. I'm not so sure about the 'stolen goods' though. It could be said to be treasure trove. Still, we've got them for GBH on that engineer and attempted murder on you two. And there's other charges we can probably stick on them."
"You will have to come to the police station and identify them," said the WPC. "But tonight I think you can safely go home to your Mums, have a hot bath and go to bed."
"Yes," said Derek. "Take them home in the squad car. I'll follow to the station later."
******************************
"So," said Uncle Bill. "It's thanks to you they got the man who bashed me."
James, Rodney and Mandy had called to visit him, and they were all sitting in the back room round the Christmas tree.
"Yeah, it was that Mick. He admitted to being the ghost as well. He'd been at it for some time, while he and Mr Bates were trying to find the Abbot's treasure," said James. "He even used luminous paint on his robe!"
"They had been working together stealing antiques and selling them abroad," added Rodney. "Apparently it has been going on round here and in other parts of the country for ages, and the police didn't have a clue."
"Yes, and then they worked out that it all fanned out from Ravenshurst, so Inspector Derek Rogers took an undercover job at the factory so he could move down here without anyone getting suspicious.." went on James
"... And fell in love with your Mum," grinned Rodney. James glared at him.
"Will they ever come to court?" asked Jane.
"I don't think so," said James. "You see, that eternal light was radioactive. Yes - we had to have tests to see if we had been - what's the word?"
"Irradiated," said Uncle Bill.
"Yes, that's it. Well, we were all right, because we weren't exposed for long. But Mr Bates and Mick Grimwald, well they had kept touching it, and passing it from one to the other. They're in the military hospital, but they aren't expected to live."
"Wow!" gasped Jane. "What about the police who handled the thing - let alone Abbot William?"
"That's the odd thing. They're all right as well. You know, Abbot William said "Let him who is worthy find it" or words to that effect. Mr Bates and his friend weren't worthy, were they?"
"What happened to the light?" asked Uncle Bill. "After all, it could put me out of business!"
"Oh, that's at Sellafield, or somewhere like that. Doubt if it will appear in the world at large again. Military uses, I expect! By the way, don't spread that around, will you?"
"What was in the box?" asked Jane.
"That was even odder," said James. "It looked like gold bars, but when they tested it, it wasn't. Apparently it was some kind of mixture of gold and other metals, which was treated in a special way to bring the gold to the top. So it looked like solid gold. It's in Mandy's notebook - she wrote it all down."
Mandy passed the book. "Yes, that's it," said James. He read out.. "'Depletion gilding', it's called. It's one of the secrets of the ancients."
"Not real gold at all. Oh that's sad," said Jane.
"No, not real," sighed Rodney.
"Sad indeed," said Auntie May. "But why go to all that trouble to hide fake gold?"
"Well, we think he did make real gold at one time. If he had some nuclear secret, then he could have done that all right. But he probably used it all up, or the government's agents took it, so he hid the fake stuff, meaning to come back for it, but Henry VIII destroyed the Abbey before he could get back. Perhaps he died - maybe he got sick from all that radioactivity."
"What, and him with the secret of eternal life?" asked Uncle Bill.
"Who knows? There was a small crystal bottle in the box with the 'gold', but whatever was in it had gone. I suppose it dissolved away with time."
"Evaporated, you mean?"
"Yes, that," agreed James. "You know, it's weird. You know we told Ms Adams at the Cathedral all about what happened, and we asked her what became of old William. She said no-one knows, he just disappears out of the history books."
"You know," said Mandy, "we never really found out who was watching us at the well, did we. It was probably Mr Bates, or was it?"
"What about Derek Rogers, now?" asked Auntie May.
"He marries Mum on the Saturday after Christmas," said Mandy. "I'm going to be bridesmaid! Only a week away now!"
"I'm best man!" said James. "Oh dear, I was wrong about him. I hate being wrong, but there it is." But I did find the treasure!"
"Yes," said Rodney. "And did you realise that when you called for your Dad, Derek appeared to save us?"
James said nothing.
"I shall be in the church orchestra at the wedding!" said Rodney. "On the triangle for now, but I expect great things will come of it!"
