by Paul Moxham
There was no need to stay any longer, so he went back down the staircase. As he passed the cans, he decided they would need more than one, so he found two more and, taking one in each hand, headed to the rocks.
As he reached them, a big wave crashed over, showering him with spray. Without waiting for the next one, he raced over the rocks. He nearly slipped, but then he was off the rocks and on the grass. Glancing around, he couldn’t see any sign of the men, so he set off at a brisk pace towards the tree house.
~
It had taken Will a while to convince the others of his plan, but as soon as they had agreed, they went to work.
“Are you sure this is going to work?” Amy asked as she picked up one of the cans and spread the oil in a circle about six feet from the tree trunk.
“As long as it doesn’t rain,” Will replied.
The three went around the tree, pouring oil. Will’s can wasn’t as full as the others, so he finished first. Standing back, he made sure that the others were not pouring too close to the trunk. He didn’t want to burn down the tree with them in it.
“I think that’s enough,” Will said after the others had gone around twice.
Amy dropped her can down. It hit a rock and fell on its side.
Will frowned. “Is that empty?”
“Ah, no,” Amy replied as she reached down and righted it. “It has some oil left.”
Will walked over and peered in. “We could drop it onto the men as they climb the tree.”
Joe looked around. “We should see where the men are. Stay near the tree house in case I come back in a hurry.” He hurried up the hill, glancing up at the sky as he did so. They had been pretty busy so he hadn’t thought about the weather, but seeing the dark clouds that were heading towards him, he realised why it was so dark.
A storm was building. He didn’t know what time it was, but with the sun behind the clouds, it made it much darker than it would normally be.
Reaching the top, he glanced around. There seemed to be movement by the church so he reached for the binoculars that hung around his neck and looked through them.
Two men were talking. Turning to the inlet, he could see that the seaplane wasn’t yet back. He had no idea where it had gone, but he was sure that it would return sometime.
He sat down, wanting to see what the men would do. They continued talking for a few minutes before they split up. He kept his gaze on the bald one whom he knew was the leader. The man walked to the beach and then to the wood before disappearing.
Joe waited for a few minutes before he thought he had better get back to the others. He stood up and started to go down the hill, pausing as he heard a noise.
Stopping, he glanced to the side where the noise had come from. He waited to see what it was.
A moment later, the bushes parted to reveal Luke. Startled, Joe turned and ran down the hill.
Luke sprinted after Joe. “Stop! I want to talk!”
Joe heard the footsteps pound after him and he realised he needed to head for the vines and rope that he had placed between the trees. He changed direction and was nearly caught in doing so as the man reached out. He swerved back and forth as he raced through the bushes.
Chapter 28: Running Out Of Time
Sarah stared out at the raging water that seemed to grow more ferocious with every passing second. Dark clouds were gathering overhead and, while it hadn’t yet started to rain, it looked very ominous.
Moving away from the railing of the police patrol boat, she headed towards the wheelhouse just as Quigley, along with Inspector Price, stepped out.
Sarah had only got to know the inspector two weeks earlier, but already she thought that the jovial, bald-headed policeman was one of the nicest people that she had ever met.
“Are you going to land where we landed?” Sarah said.
The inspector glanced at the storm clouds. “It would be a tight fit in these conditions, so we’ll try the inlet where the seaplane landed. If we can get in there, we’ll also be a lot closer to the criminals.”
“But will you have enough room if the plane is still there?” Sarah said.
“We should, according to the map,” the inspector said, “but only time will tell.” He looked at his watch. “We should be within sight of the island in five minutes, so excuse me while I make some last minute arrangements.”
As the police inspector hurried away, Sarah turned to the fisherman. “Do you think the others are okay?”
Quigley put an arm around Sarah. “I’m sure they are. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if they already have the men all tied up.”
~
As Joe rounded the corner he saw, with relief, the vine that he had tied between the two trees. Hoping that the man only had eyes for him, he leapt over it. He didn’t glance back or slow down his stride, but as he heard a thud, he looked back. The man was lying flat on the ground.
Joe did a little leap for joy as he raced around the next bend and to the tree house. He yelled out to the others as he came in sight of them. “I just tripped up one of the men using the vines.”
“What about the others?” Will asked.
“They weren’t with him, but we’d better hurry and get up the tree,” Joe said.
Will kept look out as the other two climbed up. Once they were halfway up, he followed, grabbing the remaining can of oil as he did so. He heard a yell as he saw Luke run towards him.
As Joe and Amy had already reached the top by now, Will moved to one side and yelled out. “Throw the cones!”
Joe grabbed two, aimed, and let go.
The man let out a yell as the cones made contact with his head. He shook his fist at them. “Just you wait!” He turned and hurried away.
Will resumed climbing and was soon at the platform. “Thanks for that. I was worried for a moment that he was going to reach up and grab me.”
“He’s probably gone to get the others,” Amy said.
Will put the can that he had carried up into the corner and glanced around. “Let’s make sure we’re ready. Where’s that pine cone, the one that we’re going to use to light the oil with?”
“It should be somewhere in that pile,” Joe said.
Will shuffled through the numerous pine cones until he found one that had a bit of cloth around it. “Good. Now, who has the matches?”
“I have them.” Amy reached into her pocket and frowned. “They’re not here.”
“Did you take them out?” Joe said.
Amy thought. “No.” She searched in the other pocket and frowned. “There’s a hole in this pocket. They must have fallen out.”
Joe glanced around. “They could be everywhere.”
The three of them quickly searched the tree house from top to bottom, but no matches could be seen.
Will peered down and caught sight of something. Taking the binoculars from Joe, he looked down. He grimaced as he saw the matches. “They’re on the ground by the base of the tree.”
“What?” Amy exclaimed. She looked down and saw that he was right. “Golly, what do we do now?”
“It would be risky to go and get them now,” Joe said.
Will nodded. “I know, but someone has to. There’s no way we can light the oil without the matches.”
“Maybe we won’t need to,” Amy said. “The police should be here soon.”
“The oil won’t burn forever, but what if it turns out to be the difference between being captured or not?” Will looked towards the corner of the structure where the two paintings leaned against a branch. “We can’t let the men get those paintings.”
“If I hurry,” Joe said, “I should be able to get back up in time.”
“I can go,” Will offered.
“No. You went in the seaplane. It’s time I did something,” Joe replied. “Yell out if you see any sign of the men.”
Amy nodded as Joe started to climb down. “Will do.” The seconds ticked by slowly as he got closer and closer to the bottom. Just before Joe reached the ground, s
he heard a low murmur of voices and realised it was the men. “The men are coming!”
Joe had stuffed the matches into his pocket when he heard Amy call out and he froze. Listening, he heard the footsteps. Glancing up at the tree house, he realised that there was no way he would have time to climb up. There was only one thing to do. He yelled to the others. “Throw down the pine cone!”
The seconds ticked by and, as the men came into view, the pine cone fell towards the ground. After rushing over to it, Joe bent down and opened the box of matches. He was in such a hurry that the matches fell in every direction.
Marvin strode towards the boy. “Where are my paintings?”
With the matches falling all over the place, Joe grabbed one and lit it. Holding it below the rag, he managed to light it. With the men staring at him, he shoved the remaining matches into his pocket.
“Trying to scare us with a little fire, hey?” Luke said.
“It’s not going to work, kid,” Kenneth snapped.
As Joe backed towards the tree, he let go of the pine cone and flung it towards the oil. He watched it roll along the ground and hit the oily substance as Marvin walked towards him.
Nothing happened. Joe stared as the cone just sat there. And, as Marvin got closer, he realised that it was all over. Within moments, he’d be captured and the others would be forced to hand over the paintings.
All their hard work had come to nothing. And all because the pine cone, the most vital part of the plan, had not set fire to the oil.
Chapter 29: Fire!
Suddenly, there was a whoosh as the oil lit. Within a matter of seconds, it was a raging furnace.
With the searing heat warming his clothes, Joe turned and scrambled up the tree faster than he had ever done before.
It wasn’t until he was halfway up that he dared look back down. He saw that the men had retreated to a safe distance away from the flames.
Joe resumed climbing and the others helped him up as he reached the platform. He collapsed onto the floor of the tree house as he recounted his close call. “I thought I was going to get captured. I really did.”
“Me too,” Amy said, “it was too close for my liking.”
Will patted Joe on the shoulder. “You did a good job. With any luck, the fire will keep burning until the police arrive.” He looked down once more at the fire and grinned. But, within moments, his grin had turned to a frown. “Hey, did any of you put oil close to the tree?”
Joe sat up and joined Amy as the two of them glanced down and stared at the spot that Will was looking at. A spot of fire was burning halfway between the trunk and the circle.
Joe frowned. “That’s weird.”
“Maybe some of the oil dripped,” Amy said. “Anyway, does it really matter?”
“As long as it doesn’t come too close to…” Will paused as the fire reached the trunk and started going up it.
“How could oil get on the tree?” Joe questioned.
Will shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know.” He turned towards the can of oil that he had brought up earlier. “I wonder.”
“Wonder what?” Amy said.
Will took hold of the can and peered inside it. It seemed as though it was almost empty. Tipping it upside down, he saw a hole. “Oh no! The oil was leaking out.”
“So? What does that mean?” Amy asked.
“It also feels lighter now that I think about it.” Will looked back down the tree and saw that the fire was gradually moving upwards.
As it did so, the others connected the dots. Joe pointed to the can. “So that’s why the fire is on the tree trunk.”
“The hole probably occurred when it hit that rock,” Amy said, disappointed. “It’s all my fault.”
“No, I should have realised that it was getting lighter,” Will replied. “I just hope that not a lot dripped out.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Amy said.
Will shook his head. “No. We just have to hope that the fire dies out soon.”
As smoke started to drift upwards, Joe sighed. “It looks as though we have gone from one lot of danger to another, except this one is much worse.”
Will nodded. “And whatever happens is out of our hands.”
~
With a pair of binoculars glued to his eyes, Inspector Price watched as a seaplane landed in the inlet. The wind blew it towards the beach and, within moments, it had beached itself on the sand.
Standing by the railing, Sarah looked back at the patrol boat that was following them. “How many men do you think we have?”
Quigley shrugged. “Don’t know, but it will be enough.” He turned as he saw the seaplane. “It looks like they haven’t left…” He stopped speaking as shots rang across the inlet.
As bullets began hitting the side of the craft, the inspector turned and yelled to the wheelman. “Turn it around on the double!”
Quigley and Sarah dropped to the floor straight away and stayed there as the vessel swung around. But the inspector didn’t move. Peering through the binoculars, he tried to see where the shots were coming from.
He saw a man by the seaplane. He got out his pistol and aimed it towards him. He pulled the trigger twice and watched in satisfaction as the man retreated.
“Did you hit him?” Quigley asked.
“No, I only scared him,” the inspector replied. “But it’s too dangerous to land men here in case the other criminals are lying in wait.” He looked at Quigley. “What’s the next possible landing spot?”
Quigley frowned. “Well, this was the main one. You could always take your chance on the rocks, but in these conditions—”
“No, we can’t take any chances,” the inspector said. “I want these men brought to justice and I want it done before the sun goes down.”
“What about the place where me and the others landed?” Sarah suggested.
Quigley nodded. “That’s the only other one. It will be a tight fit with the dinghies, but better than taking a chance on the rocks.”
The inspector yelled out to a police officer. “Take her around the island.”
~
Just as Joe was wondering if the fire would go out or not, thunder broke overhead and rain poured down. He had forgotten about the mass of dark clouds that he had spotted half an hour or so ago. The three of them huddled underneath the branches as the rain pelted the area.
“This will put the fire out,” Will said.
“Good,” Amy said. “I was getting worried that the fire was gaining ground.”
Joe looked down and saw smoke drifting up as the fire was smothered. He couldn’t see any sign of the men. He turned to the others. “If the rain continues like this, the men might not climb up.”
Silence reigned as the rain continued to pour down. Lightning flashed nearby and thunder crackled overhead as the storm intensified.
“We don’t normally get storms like this in summer,” Will said.
“It’s a good thing we’re getting this one,” Joe replied, speaking louder so the others could hear him over the noise of the pouring rain.
Several minutes passed before the rain started to ease. Thunder still rumbled in the distance, but a minute later, the rain had stopped.
Peering down, Joe saw the men emerge from beneath a tree and head for the tree trunk. As he watched, Luke and Kenneth began climbing up.
“When shall we use the pine cones?” Amy said.
“Now!” Joe grabbed a pine cone and hurled it. It sailed past Luke, missing him by a foot. “Blow!” He took another cone and threw it down. This time, it hit Luke on the head. He yelled out, but continued climbing.
A torrent of pine cones rained down upon the men as they climbed up. As soon as Luke reached a branch, he hid underneath it.
Joe turned to the others. “We have to hold the men off as long as possible, so don’t throw another cone until they move.”
Amy and Will nodded. The men didn’t move for a minute and then, after glancing up, resumed climbing. The chi
ldren threw down more pine cones.
“Let’s use the sand,” Joe said as he noticed that they were getting low on pine cones. After grabbing a handful, he let it go directly above the men. Being wet, it stuck together as it fell, and it had almost the same effect as the pine cones.
“Yes!” Joe cried out as it hit Luke on the forehead.
For the next five minutes, sand was thrown down and the men yelled out as most found their target. But, before they knew it, the sand was all gone. “We’ll have to use up the rest of the pine cones,” Will said.
The pile got smaller and smaller as the two men ducked back and forth amongst the branches as the children used up the rest of the pine cones.
As Joe reached to grab another one, he realised that Will had just picked up the very last one. He and Amy watched as Will peered over and dropped it.
It was right on target. Luke hid underneath another branch, as did Kenneth.
Will glanced around the empty tree house. Only a rucksack, torch, and the two paintings remained.
“What do we do now?” Amy asked.
Will looked down and saw that the men were still not moving. “We hope that the men stay where they are.”
“I’m sure the police must be on their way,” Joe said. “We just need a bit more time.” As he heard Marvin yell out, he glanced down and saw with annoyance that Luke and Kenneth had emerged from their hiding places and resumed climbing. He turned to Will who was looking through the binoculars to see if he could see any sign of the police. “Can you see anything?”
Will shook his head. “No.”
Chapter 30: A Leap Of Faith
Reaching the inlet, the two patrol boats came to a stop. The inspector shouted orders to his men as a dinghy was lowered from each craft into the heaving water.
Climbing into the lead dinghy, the inspector yelled out to Sarah and Quigley. “You two come with me.”
Sarah climbed down into the craft as the wind whipped at her blonde hair. For once she was glad that she didn’t have long hair like her sister.
As Quigley joined her in the dinghy, two officers took the oars and started rowing towards the inlet. Followed by the other craft, they headed towards the frothing water, where rocks could be seen above the surface.