Five Get Into Trouble (14 page)

The car stopped at last. Richard listened intently. Was it stopping just for traffic lights — or was Mr Perton getting out? If so, that was his chance to escape!

He heard the car door slam. Ah — Mr Perton was out of the car then. Richard pressed hard at the cover of the boot. Julian had wedged it rather tightly, but it gave at last, and the lid of the boot opened. It fel back with rather a noise.

Richard looked out cautiously. He was in a dark street. A few people were walking on the pavement opposite. A lamp-post was some way away. Could he get out now — or would Mr Perton be about and see him?

He stretched out a leg to slide from the boot and jump to the ground — but he had been huddled up in an awkward position for so long that he was too stiff to move. Cramp caught him and he felt miserably uncomfortable as he tried to straighten himself out.

Instead of jumping out and taking to his heels at once, poor Richard had to go very slowly indeed. His legs and arms would not move quickly. He sat for a half-minute on the open boot-lid, trying to make up his mind to jump down.

And then he heard Mr Perton's voice! He was running down the steps of the house outside which he had parked the car. Richard was horrified. It hadn't dawned on him that he would come back so quickly.

He tried to jump from the boot-cover, and fell sprawling to the ground. Mr Perton heard him, and, thinking someone was trying to steal something from his car he rushed up to the boot.

Richard scrambled up just in time to get away from his outstretched hand. He ran to the other side of the road as fast as he could, hoping that his stiff, cramped legs wouldn't let him down. Mr Perton tore after him.

'Hey, you, stop! What are you doing in my car?' shouted Mr Perton. Richard dodged a passer-by and tore on, panic-stricken. He mustn't be caught; he mustn't be caught!

Mr Perton caught up with him just under the lamppost. He grabbed Richard's col ar and swung him round roughly. 'You let me go!' yelled Richard, and kicked Mr Perton's ankles so hard that he almost fel over.

Mr Perton recognized him! 'Good gracious — it's you!' he cried. 'The boy Rooky wants!

What are you doing here? How did you . . .?'

But with a last despairing struggle, Richard was off again, leaving his coat in Mr Perton's hands! His legs were feeling better now, and he could run faster.

He tore round the corner, col iding with another boy. He was off and away before the boy could even cal out. Mr Perton also tore round the corner and collided with the same boy — who, however, was a bit quicker than before, and clutched Mr Perton by the coat, in a real rage at being so nearly knocked over again.

By the time Mr Perton had got himself free from the angry boy, Richard was out of sight.

Mr Perton raced to the corner of the road, and looked up and down the poorly lighted road. He gave an exclamation of anger.

'Lost him! Little pest — how did he get here? Could he have been at the back of the car? Ah — surely that's him over there!'

It was. Richard had hidden in a garden, but was now being driven out by the barking of a dog. In despair he tore out of the gate and began running again. Mr Perton tore after him.

Round another corner, panting hard. Round yet another, hoping that no passer-by would clutch at him and stop him. Poor Richard! He didn't feel at al heroic, and didn't enjoy it a bit either.

He stumbled round the next corner and came into the main street of the town — and there, opposite, was a lamp that had a very welcome word shining on the glass.

POLICE

Thankfully Richard stumbled up the steps and pushed open the police station door. He almost fell inside. There was a kind of waiting-room there with a policeman sitting at a table. He looked up in astonishment as Richard came in in such a hurry.

'Now then — what's all this?' he asked the boy.

Richard looked fearfully back at the door, expecting Mr Perton to come in at any moment. But he didn't. The door remained shut. Mr Perton was not going to visit any police station if he could help it — especial y with Richard pouring out a most peculiar story!

Richard was panting so much that he couldn't say a word at first. Then it all came out.

The policeman listened in amazement, and very soon stopped Richard's tale, and cal ed a big burly man in, who proved to be a most important police inspector.

He made Richard tell his tale slowly and as clearly as he could. The boy was now feeling much better — in fact he was feeling quite proud of himself! To think he'd done it —

escaped in the boot of the car — got out — managed to get away from Mr Perton —

and arrive safely at the police station. Marvel ous!

'Where's this Owl's Dene?' demanded the Inspector, and the constable near by answered.

'Must be that old place on Owl's Hil , sir. You remember we once went there on some kind of police business, but it seemed to be al right. Run by a hunch-back and his sister for some man who is often away abroad — Perton, I think the name was.'

'That's right!' cried Richard. 'It was Mr Perton's car I came here in — a black Bentley.'

'Know the number?' said the Inspector, sharply.

'KMF 102,' said Richard at once.

'Good lad,' said the Inspector. He picked up a telephone and gave a few curt instructions for a police car to try to trace the Bentley immediately.

'So you're Richard Thurlow Kent,' he said. 'Your mother is very upset and anxious about you. I'll see that she is telephoned to straight away. You'd better be taken home now in a police car.'

'Oh but, sir — can't I go with you to Owl's Dene when you drive up there?' said Richard, deeply disappointed. 'You'l be going there, won't you? — because of all the others —

Anne, Dick, George and Julian.'

'We'll be going all right,' said the Inspector, grimly. 'But you won't be with us. You've had enough adventures. You can go home and go to bed. You've done well to escape and come here. Quite the hero!'

Richard couldn't help feeling pleased — but how he wished he could race off to Owl's Dene with the police. What a marvel ous thing it would be to march in with them and show Julian how well he had managed his part of the affair! Perhaps Julian would think better of him then.

The Inspector, however, was not having any boys in the cars that were to go to Owl's Dene, and Richard was taken off by the young constable, and told to wait til a car came to take him home.

The telephone rang, and the Inspector answered it. 'No trace of the Bentley? Right.

Thanks.'

He spoke to the young constable. 'Didn't think they'd get him. He's probably raced back to Owl's Dene to warn the others.'

'We'll get there soon after!' said the constable with a grin. 'Our Wolseley's pretty well as fast as a Bentley!'

Mr Perton had indeed raced off, as soon as he saw Richard stumbling up the police station steps. He had gone back to his car at top speed, jumped in, slammed the door and raced away as fast as he could, feeling certain that the police would be on the look-out for KMF 102 immediately.

He tore dangerously round the corners, and hooted madly, making everyone leap out of the way. He was soon out in the country, and there he put on terrific speed, his powerful headlights picking out the dark country lanes for half a mile ahead.

As he came to the hil on which Owl's Dene stood, he hooted loudly. He wanted the gates opened quickly! Just as he got up to them they opened. Someone had heard his hooting signal — good! He raced up the drive and stopped at the front door. It opened as he jumped out. Rooky stood there, and two other men with him, all looking anxious.

'What's up, Perton? Why are you back so quickly?' cal ed Rooky. 'Anything wrong?'

Mr Perton ran up the steps, shut the door and faced the three men in the hall.

'Do you know what's happened? That boy, Richard Kent, was in the car when I went out! See? Hidden in the back or in the boot, or somewhere! Didn't you miss him?'

'Yes,' said Rooky. 'Of course we missed him. Did you let him get away, Perton?'

'Well, seeing that I didn't know he was in hiding, and had to leave the car to go in and see Ted, it was easy for him to get away!' said Mr Perton. 'He ran like a hare. I nearly grabbed him once, but he wriggled out of his coat. And as he ended up finally in the police station I decided to give up the chase and come back to warn you.'

'The police wil be out here then, before you can say Jack Robinson,' shouted Rooky.

'You're a fool, Perton — you ought to have got that boy. There's our ransom gone west —

and I was so glad to be able to get my hands on the little brute.'

'It's no good crying over spilt milk,' said Perton. 'What about Weston? Suppose the police find him. They're looking for him al right — the papers have been ful of only two things the last couple of days — Disappearance of Richard Thurlow Kent — and Escape from Prison of Solomon Weston! And we're mixed up with both these. Do you want to be shoved back into prison again, Rooky? You've only just come out, you know. What are we going to do?'

'We must think,' said Rooky, in a panic-stricken voice. 'Come in this room here. We must think.'

The four children had heard the car come racing up the drive, and had heard Mr Perton's arrival. Julian went to the kitchen door, eager to find out what he could. If Mr Perton was back, then either Richard had played his part wel , and had escaped — or he had been discovered, and had been brought back.

He heard every word of the excited talk out in the hall. Good, good good! — Richard had got away — and was even now telling his tale to the police. It surely wouldn't be very long before the police arrived at Owl's Dene then — and what surprising things they would find there!

He tiptoed out into the hall, when he heard the men go into the room near by. What were their plans? He hoped they would not vent their rage on him or the others. It was true they had Timmy — but in a real emergency Rooky would probably think nothing of shooting the dog straightaway.

Julian didn't at al like what he heard from the room where the men talked over their plans.

'I'm going to bang al those kids' heads together as hard as I can, to start with,' growled Rooky. 'That big boy — what's his name? — Julian or something — must have planned Richard Kent's escape — I'l give him a real good thrashing, the interfering little beast.'

'What about the sparklers, Rooky?' said another man's voice. 'We'd better put them in a safe hiding place before the police arrive. We'll have to hurry.'

'Oh, it'l be some time before they find they can't open that gate,' said Rooky. 'And it'l take a little more time before they climb that wall. We'll have time to put the sparklers into the room with Weston. If he's safe there, they'l be safe too.'

'Sparklers!' thought Julian, excited. 'Those are diamonds — so they've got a haul of diamonds hidden somewhere. Whatever next?'

'Get them,' ordered Mr Perton. 'Take them to the Secret Room — and be quick about it, Rooky. The police may be here at any minute now.'

'We'll spin some tale about that kid Richard and his friends,' said the voice of a fourth man. 'We'll say they were caught trespassing, the lot of them, and kept here as a little punishment. Actually, if there's time, I think it would be best to let the rest of them go. After all — they don't know anything. They can't give away any secrets.'

Rooky didn't want to let them go. He had grim plans for them, but the others argued him over. 'Al right,' he said sullenly. 'Let them go, then — if there's time! You take them down to the gate, Perton, and shove them out before the police arrive. They'l probably set off thankful y and get lost in the dark. So much the better.'

'You get the sparklers then, and see to them,' said Mr Perton, and Julian heard him getting up from his chair. The boy darted back to the kitchen.

It looked as if there would be nothing for it but to let themselves be led down to the gates and shoved out and Julian decided that if that happened they would wait at the gateway til the police arrived. They wouldn't get lost in the dark, as Rooky hoped!

Mr Perton came into the kitchen. His eyes swept over the four children. Timmy growled.

'So you made a little plan, did you, and hid Richard in the car?' he said. 'Well, for that we're going to turn you all out into the night — and you'l probably lose yourselves for days in the deserted countryside round here — and I hope you do!'

Nobody said anything. Mr Perton aimed a blow at Julian, who ducked. Timmy sprang at the man, but George had hold of his col ar, and he just missed snapping Mr Perton's arm in two!

'If that dog had stayed here a day longer I'd have shot him,' said Mr Perton, fiercely.

'Come on, all of you, get a move on.'

'Good-bye, Aggie,' said Anne. Aggie and Hunchy watched them go out of the kitchen door into the dark garden. Aggie looked very scared indeed. Hunchy spat after them and said something rude.

But, when they were half-way down the drive, there came the sound of cars roaring at top speed up the hil to the gates of Owl's Dene! Two cars, fast and powerful, with bril iant headlights. Police cars, without a doubt! Mr Perton stopped. Then he shoved the children roughly back towards the house. It was too late to set them free and hope they would lose themselves.

'You look out for Rooky,' he said to them. 'He goes mad when he's frightened — and he's going to be frightened now, with the police hammering at the gates!'

Julian and the others cautiously edged into the kitchen. They weren't going to risk meeting Rooky if they could help it. Nobody was there at all, not even Hunchy or Aggie.

Mr Perton went through to the hall.

'Have you put those sparklers away?' he called, and a voice answered him: 'Yes.

Weston's got them with him. They're O.K. Did you get the kids out in time?'

'No — and the police are at the gates already,' growled Mr Perton.

A howl came from someone — probably Rooky. 'The police — already! If I had that kid Richard here I'd skin him alive. Wait til I've burnt a few letters I don't want found — then I'l go and get hold of the other kids. I'm going to put somebody through it for this, and I don't care who.'