Edge of Indigo

by Mark Walker

  When dinner was over, and they had had their cheese and coffee, Riggs was the first to retire. Standing, he said, “Well, it’s been a long day, and I think we’d all better get some rest.” And, for a change, until the early cry of the gulls the next A.M., they did, all that is except Kelly Riggs. He lay awake for some while wondering who might have taken Mr. Gee’s dagger that he’d left lying on the bar.

  Part Three

  1

  KELLY RIGGS WAS SUDDENLY AWAKE. The luminous dial on his old army twenty-four-hour watch read four-twenty A.M. He did not know what had woken him, but the inn was quiet, other than the steady boom and crash of the waves. Suddenly he knew what he wanted to do. He rose, and the remnant of the war—the ache in his left shin told him the AG forces were fully in effect. He splashed some water on his face, dressed hurriedly, taking with him the electric torch and his Browning automatic. He unlocked his door and peered about stealthily. It was still silent, so he crept down the stairs to the Great Room.

  There was still no one about, and he crossed to the end of the bar, and the dark form of the shrouded cage. He set the flash on the bar, aiming it at the cage and turned it on. Raising the black cloth, he tried the door, and winced as it opened with an angry squeak. But to his surprise, the cage was completely empty. He searched about the bottom of the cage and shined the torch directly inside, but there was nothing there.

  The map was gone!

  His immediate thought was to give thanks that his wise partner Sergeant Bellows had made his own copy of the map. But his next concern was why it had been taken, and by whom. Had the pirates gotten wind of the map’s discovery, or was it already in their possession or plans, or perhaps just an afterthought? And who else might have known of its existence? He had just lowered the shroud when his ruminations were interrupted by a noise behind him.

  Caught by surprise, Riggs quickly doused his torch, pulling the Browning from his coat pocket. As he spun around, one of the electric lights came on overhead and there was Tom Melville at the door to his room, looking as startled as he. But Tom recovered more quickly, and quipped in a whisper, “Well, looks like my first catch of the day is what they call ‘a whopper.’” He chuckled, as did Riggs, who rejoined in low tones with, “It must be all of Doris Potter’s fine cooking, but actually I was just making a couple of early morning investigations.”

  “Oh, now, that’s all right, Inspector,” said Tom, coming forward, “ye got yer work to do, and anything to be rid of our resident ruffians, the better. I’m up a bit early meself—with these AG fluctuations (he mispronounced as “fluctuary-ations”) I’m sure to have a good catch—probably be at it all day long, but the more’s the better.”

  He headed for the kitchen, where he made a pot of coffee, and since Riggs was already up, they conversed briefly over the wonderfully strong brew, before Tom headed out to tend to his nets and lines. Riggs went back to his room and knocked softly on the communicating bathroom door to wake Fred Bellows, who was already stirring. They were just ready to leave, when the children surprised them, already wide-awake, dressed and ready to explore. It was still hardly dawn, and the rest of the house had yet to stir. Riggs left a hastily scrawled note to let the Potters know the children were with he and Bellows and then they were off.

  It was barely light on the cold rugged coast when the five of them sallied forth to explore the caves further. They traveled single file by the cliff side path, slowly rising to the point near the grave of the Sea Ghost—a considerable shortcut from the moor road. Riggs had warned them to take extra care due to the Anti-Gravity forces.

  They entered by way of the Howling Rock, and Riggs was impressed with the remnant of the Fancy Anne. Continuing, they were all ready for the trick skulls this time, but Riggs wanted stop and consult Bellows’ copy of the map.

  “Right. Now the map shows the cave and the cove, but not the mine. So, we can assume it was drawn long before. Now this large X shows Black Rock Island, and this X here the Howling Rock entrance. The line connects with one going from there back to the cave, but there’s another line that runs almost parallel to it and beyond. That must be the one with the rail track. The skull and crossed bones must indicate the graveyard we found yesterday. If we follow the lines, they seem to lead back to the Black Rock. First, let’s retrace the way we came yesterday. I want you to see the tin mine entrance and the cave. Oh, and the skeleton hoax will amuse all of you.”

  He led them down the path he and Kendra Danes had followed the day before. When they came to the skeleton, they edged past the lever, all except Sergeant Fred Bellows, whose girth tripped it, drawing giggles from the children, and some gentle ribbing from Kelly Riggs.

  For about an hour they explored the mine, the hidden cave, and cove. When they came to the locked door, even Sergeant Bellows failed in his repeated attempts to breech it, and finally he gave up. They then returned the way they had come. Riggs reset the trick skeleton behind him, and after about thirty minutes, they came upon the main tunnel. Here there was more evidence of recent human habitation. Skulls with candles perched eerily upon the tops of their heads had been set here and there on ledges and rocks in the cavern walls. Occasionally they found old-fashioned oil torches in brackets affixed to the walls, like the one Riggs had started to light the day before. They lit some of these to help their find their way back. A cool breeze wafted up and down the tunnel, and breathing was easy.

  Sometime later, the party came upon another of the side chambers. Again, they were surprised by what they found: Piled high were stores of food, and even a small camp stove. The food items ranged from tinned mussels, sardines and kippers, beans, and potatoes, to coffee, oatmeal, bread, dried fruit, cheese, beef jerky, and summer sausage. There was even fresh water.

  Fred Bellows bellowed with laughter. “I see why our pirate friends don’t eat much around the inn. They have their own private delicatessen! Should have given some to the poor old Sea Ghost back there—put some meat on his bones!”

  Since they’d all skipped breakfast, they decided to have themselves a brunch feast before going on and helped themselves to the pirate’s private stash.

  The tunnel continued to descend, winding and curving deeper into the ground, growing cooler and damper with each step. Along the way there were a myriad of separate caves, tunnels and cull-de-sacs, and it was almost impossible to keep one or the other of the children from exploring these and getting lost.

  But then came a surprise: another tunnel intersected theirs, and the tracks appeared again, running down the same tunnel they were following. Next, they came across a cart with wheels set off into a depression beside the rails. They examined the wheels, and found they fit the tracks exactly, and surmised they were for transport, probably left from the old tin mine. The rails and the cart both bore signs of recent use. The detectives continued along for some time, and though the slope was not steep, they were all getting quite a workout. Presently, Riggs’s torchlight reflected on the tunnel walls up ahead, but past that, deep in the dark, were glowing orbs dotting the blackness.

  The tunnel began to narrow perceptively, allowing only enough room for the rails and they had to travel single-file. Riggs and Bellows noted how smooth the rock was here—natural rather than manmade. But there was no doubt about the manmade track, and more:

  The eerily glowing orbs turned out to be skulls splashed and covered with luminous paint set into coves and niches here and there along the route, and in each niche stood a cart. The luminous skulls themselves provided so much light Riggs and Bellows were able to douse their torches, though with each step along the passage it seemed to grow chillier.

  “There’s been enough activity here in the last twenty-four hours to keep these skulls still glowing,” said Bellows. Then the tracks ended abruptly with an empty rail car standing alone, and at the ready.

  Riggs and Bellows turned their torches back on, and they found themselves in a small cul-de-sac. Immediately they both noted the sound of running water and the damp s
mell that ran with it. They soon found the source, for indeed there was a trickle of water running down the left-hand side of the dark cavern wall. Riggs tested it with his hand and put some to his lips.

  “Fresh water, Sergeant,” Riggs said. “Interesting.”

  Then off to the right, their lights revealed what appeared to be recent signs of demolition work. A huge pile of dirt, rocks, and debris sat off to the right, a pair of spades sticking out. Behind the rubble was a great gaping hole, shored up by timbers.

  Their torches played inside the hole and reflected back golden, fiery glints of light! Excitement shone in the eyes of all five of them, as they moved cautiously forward and entered through the blasted hole in the rock. Had they discovered a smugglers’ paradise?

  2

  WHAT THEY SAW LEFT THEM momentarily speechless. Barrels, crates and chests were standing in a row. But only one, the last chest stood open and was brimming with treasure. Consisting not only of coins, the treasure was made up of jewel-encrusted goblets, plates, small chests, and boxes. There were jade and ivory figurines, golden elephants, statuettes, baubles, and loads of jewelry that spilled out, and onto the ground. Fred Bellows stared with wonderment at the chest, letting out his breath in a low whistle, murmuring, “Great galloping golly-whoppers—simply amazing. Never seen such wealth. Well, not since the last time me and the missus went to the Tower to see the crown jewels at any rate.”

  Little Jenny was wide-eyed and jumping with joy, “We found it! We found it! We found the treasure!”

  “Possibly we have wee lass,” Riggs confirmed doubtfully, “or a small portion of it at any rate. Now calm down and let us investigate.”

  The detectives found two lanterns that they lit, and began to examine the other barrels, chests, and crates—yet to their dismay, one by one, each proved empty! Other than a small smattering of coins lying here and about on the cavern floor, only the one chest held any treasure.

  “Well, all these containers ‘contained’ something,” said Riggs perplexedly.

  “Look over here, sir,” said Bellows, indicating the opposite side of the cavern.

  There stood a pile of empty crates and the debris of a half dozen chests; evidence that meant the considerable bulk of the treasure had already been moved.

  “And not a trace of anything along the way…” said Bellows in wonderment.

  “There’s that locked room back at the mine, observed Riggs, “and the lock shows recent use. They must be transporting the treasure a bit at the time and storing it in the locked room at the mine until the ship comes.”

  The Sergeant made some quick mental calculations. “I think you’re right, sir. There must be loads of the stuff, and this can’t be all of it, I’m sure. They couldn’t possibly move much at one time owing to the width of the tunnel and the size of the rail cars we’ve seen.”

  Meanwhile, the children were enthralled with various objects d’art and coins, and jewels. Jen was already bedecked like a little princess, Mandy wrapping her in a tattered old silken sari they had found amongst the treasure. Michael was endeavoring to heft a large cutlass, without much success, as it was almost as big as he. Although Riggs was amused by their antics, he said thoughtfully to Bellows, “It looks as though they’re on the move, getting ready to pull out. Perhaps our arrival has hastened their hand.”

  They began to examine the walls of the surrounding cavern, that was much like the black rock Riggs had observed a couple of days before. “This section seems to be quite old,” commented Bellows, “but the outer hole that’s been blasted—that’s very recent, sir—it could only be dynamite, or some kind of explosive.”

  Riggs nodded in agreement. “I think you are quite right, Sergeant. It looks like there was a cave-in of some kind, and they’ve blasted it out. Now where would our old salts get hold of something like dynamite… I wonder…”

  “Look here!” exclaimed Bellows excitedly. He had been poking behind some upright boards, which he pulled open—it was a door! And behind the door, was a wooden ships’ stairs, leading up about two and half meters to a hatch built into a wooden base, set into the rock.

  “After you, sir,” gestured Bellows, and Kelly Riggs eagerly climbed the steep stair and prodded the hatch. It had no visible locks or hinges and instantly yielded to his touch.

  He placed the wooden hatch off to one side, and stuck first his torch, followed by his head and shoulders through the opening. Riggs climbed on through, shining his flash along curved wooden walls, floor and ceiling. He couldn’t quite stand to his full height and had to stoop slightly.

  “Aha!” he exclaimed. “Come on up, you’ll find this quite interesting!” he called back to his companions. Bellows helped the children through and struggled to get up and through the hatch. They were inside one of the casks in the cellar of the Roundhouse Inn!

  “So, the X on the map isn’t just Black Rock Island—it’s where the treasure was buried all the time,” said Riggs shaking his head in wonderment, “practically right under everyone’s noses.”

  “And how cleverly they must’ve concealed the entrance,” said Bellows, as he began to examine the opposite end of the cask. It was padded with heavy canvas stuffed with cotton baling. Riggs and Bellows searched every centimeter of the cask for an opening yet could find none.

  “And you searched the cellar yourself, Sergeant Bellows.”

  “I did indeed, sir, and by Jove if they haven’t foxed us this time. I even knocked against the casks, but the padding they’ve used prevented it from sounding hollow. And on the outside, they’ve used something to make it look like dust covering up this particular cask hiding their secret entrance.”

  “I wonder which cask it is,” mused Riggs. “Anyway, we’re not likely to get out this way, so we’ll have to go back the way we came.” He consulted his watch. “It’s almost thirteen hundred hours, so we haven’t much time. Let’s get going.”

  The children began climbing down first, and it was Michael who exclaimed, “Oh, I bounced!” And all three felt the lightness of the AG effects taking on. So, did Kelly Riggs, and especially Fred Bellows.

  “Let’s leave things as they were as much as possible,” said Riggs, “we don’t want it to look like it’s been disturbed.”

  “But what are we to do?” asked Michael.

  “Not a thing or it will give the whole show away! Not a word. Not a word to a soul about what we’ve discovered. Not a soul! Not Miss Danes, or even the Potters.

  “Tell no one!”

  He looked inquiringly at the children, “Can I have your solemn oath?”

  “We promise,” answered Michael for all three of them, and the girls nodded their assent, with Jen repeating, “Tell no one!” over and over. They returned the way they had come, stopping for another quick snack at the expense of the pirates, and an hour later, were back at the Roundhouse Inn.

  Directly, Riggs and Bellows went into Eel’s Cove, using the BSA with sidecar, a welcome respite after their rather arduous trek through the tunnels. They checked in at the police station, where they received some answers to the inquiries from London and conferred with their colleagues over the most recent findings. Then they went over to the nearby airfield where the Dunwoodie Whoopster was housed. Although the children had begged to be taken for a ride in the plane, they were told that this was official police business. Besides, there would not be enough room in the X–2 to accommodate two detectives, (one grown, the other slightly overgrown) and three children.

  Fortunately, there had been extra space in one of the tin hangers to shelter the plane from the coming storm, and Kelly Riggs decided they should take advantage of the break in the weather to take the bird up one last time for a recce out to sea. After their discoveries earlier, it was important to try and locate the pirate’s ship, and the best place to do that was from the air.

  The local mechanic, in dark blue overalls, set the single prop in motion, knocked out the chop blocks under the tires, and off they went into the wild blue yonder�
�and quite wild and blue it was. The air currents were now stiff from the west/ northwest, biting into to them, chilling them. “We’ll have to make our time count, Sergeant. It looks like the rain cometh yet. Take the chart, and we’ll take it from here due south, following the coastline and do runs back and forth, taking a quadrant at a time.”

  Flying low, they traveled south for about fifteen minutes, banking further out to sea on each pass and coming back north again. Other than a few shipping vessels, they had made a couple of runs without incident, but just as they turned for another pass, Fred Bellows spotted a ship rather far out to sea that piqued his interest.

  “Sir, at eight o’clock there’s a craft we should take a look at.” Before he heard a reply, Kelly Riggs banked into the biting wind, and flew further out to sea. There was a ship indeed, and as they approached, he called, “Got your binoculars handy? Try to get a bead on the name.” With her great speed, the Dunwoodie Whoopster was already almost upon the ship, and Riggs came up on it from the rear to give Bellows a chance to use his binoculars.

  It was a cargo steamship, with a single smoke stack.

  “Sir! I think we may have something here. Can you run her by again?” Riggs did just that, and Bellows called excitedly into the tube, “Great galloping golly-whoppers, we’ve got her, sir—the Amanda Lee, sure as the day is long.”

  It was a simple cargo ship, steaming north, with a single deck, its single stack smoking, and looked to Bellows to be about seventy meters long. He could barely contain himself, nor could Riggs, who called back into the tube, “Excellent, old boy! What a day! What a week! What a case… So now we know the score, or at least most of it.”

  They flew back north, leaving the pirate ship behind, flying past Eel’s Cove and the Roundhouse Inn in turn, continuing to the old tin mine, where Riggs made a couple of runs, circling over the pirate’s staging area. Other than seagulls, they saw no fresh signs of activity around the mouth of the cave or on the strip of beach. But both detectives were certain the plan was for the Amanda Lee to make its way there as soon as possible. Would it be before or after the storm?