by Paul Moxham
Boris slumped down on the sofa as the others sat down nearby. “Yes, but don’t be too long.”
“Constable Biggens told us everything about you,” Joe said.
“Then you should know that all I want to do is to return to Russia,” Boris replied. “So if everyone stays out of my way, no one will get hurt.” He looked up as Amy came back into the living room carrying a small container. “Is that a first aid kit?”
Amy nodded as she placed it down beside the man. “Yes, it is.”
As Boris opened the container, Joe glanced at the others. They were silent, but he was sure that they were thinking the same thing as he was. What was the man going to do once he had bandaged his leg? And how could they inform the police that the spy was here without any of them being harmed?
Unfortunately, their parents wouldn’t be home for a number of hours, so it was just the four of them against the man.
The minutes passed as Boris took out a number of bandages and wrapped them around the lower part of his left leg. When he had finished, he put the lid back on the tin and walked around the room flexing his legs. After doing this for a minute or so, he turned to the children. “Where is your sailboat?”
None of the children answered, so Boris walked over to Sarah and stared into her green eyes. “I don’t want to harm you. I just want to know where your sailboat is.”
“It’s at the pier,” Sarah stammered.
“Good.” Boris pointed to Joe and Will. “You two can go and get the sailboat and bring it around to the beach nearby. I assume there is a path that leads from the beach up to the cottage?”
Joe nodded. “Yes, there is one.”
“Now, remember,” Boris continued, “if I see any sign of the police, then I’ll use my gun to defend myself. And, if there are bullets flying back and forth, who knows what will happen to the girls? So, best if you don’t let anyone know I’m here.”
“You can count on us,” Will stated. “We won’t tell a soul.”
“Will you let us go then?” Amy asked.
Boris nodded. “All I want is the sailboat. So once I’m in the boat, that will be the last you four will see of me.”
Joe stood up. “Come on, Will, let’s get going.”
As the boys left the room, Sarah looked towards her sister with a worried expression on her face. “What if they don’t come back?”
“Of course they will,” Amy said. “Why wouldn’t they?”
“I don’t know,” Sarah muttered. “I’m just scared.”
Amy sat down beside her sister and put her arm around her. “Don’t get upset. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“But the man’s got a gun!” Sarah whispered.
“I’m not a man of violence,” Boris said. “I’m a scientist.”
“Then why do you have that gun? If you don’t use it to shoot at people, what do you use it for?” Amy questioned.
“I don’t normally have a gun,” Boris explained. “In fact, it wasn’t until the other night when a man from the Russian Embassy came to my door and gave this to me that I had ever held a gun. He told me to get out of England because the police were on their way. Believe me, I don’t want to harm you, I just want to leave England and never come back. So, if the two boys do as I asked, there’ll be no trouble whatsoever. Now, in the meantime, why don’t you and your sister make a sandwich for me? I’m feeling rather hungry.”
Not wanting to anger the man, Amy and Sarah left the living room and went into the kitchen.
~
As the boys reached the bottom of the hill, they hurried down the path that led to the harbour.
“If only we could tell the police that the spy was at Rose Cottage,” Will said.
“I’d love to tell them,” Joe replied, “but we can’t. If we were to do that, there might be a shooting. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to Amy or Sarah. Would you?”
Will didn’t even need a second to think about it. He shook his head. “No, absolutely not.”
“Besides,” Joe said, “as soon as the man gets into our sailboat and sails away, all we have to do is go back to Rose Cottage and telephone the police. The police boats are a lot faster than our sailboat, so they’ll be able to catch Boris before he gets very far.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Will agreed. “That does make sense.”
The two boys fell silent as they hurried down to the pier. As they climbed into the Whispering Wind, which was moored near the front of the wooden pier, someone called out. “Hello, boys!”
Joe glanced behind him and smiled as he saw Quigley standing beside a boat. He waved back. “Hi!”
“Going out sailing, are we?” Quigley called out.
“Yes,” Joe replied. More than anything, he wanted to tell Quigley what was happening, but he knew that Quigley would only want to tell the police, and then who knew what would happen?
So, without another word, the boys put up the sail and took hold of the oars. Fortunately, there was enough wind to fill the sails so they didn’t need to row too hard and soon they reached the sandy beach which was directly below Rose Cottage.
As soon as they had beached the Whispering Wind on the sand, the boys climbed out. They hurried up the cliff path and were soon at the front door of Rose Cottage. Finding that the door was locked, Joe knocked.
There was no answer. Joe frowned. “I wonder if something’s happened.”
“Like what?” Will asked.
“I’m not sure.” Joe knocked once more and was relieved when the door was opened by Sarah a moment later. As he saw that she looked upset, he put his arm around her. “Are you okay? Boris hasn’t hurt you, has he?”
Sarah shook her head. “No. We were just in the kitchen talking.”
The three children walked down the hallway and into the kitchen. As Boris saw the boys, he stood up. “Is the sailboat on the beach?”
Joe nodded. “Yes.”
Boris tucked a sandwich into his jacket pocket. “Then let’s go down and I’ll be on my way.”
“But why do you need us?” Will questioned. “I thought you just wanted the boat.”
“I do, but I won’t be able to push the boat off the sand by myself with my sore leg,” Boris replied.
“I suppose not,” Will agreed.
“Come on, let’s just get it over with,” Amy said.
The group left Rose Cottage and walked down the winding cliff path. They were soon beside the sailboat and all helped to push it into the water. The children waited for Boris to climb in, but he didn’t.
Instead, he pulled out his gun and waved it in the air. “I don’t want to use this, but I suddenly realised that if I let you go now, the police will be after me very soon. Which means that the only way I’ll be able to get away is if you come with me.”
“But you told us you were going to let us go!” Sarah cried out.
“I was,” Boris admitted, “but I’ve changed my mind. “Now climb in.”
Reluctantly, the four children climbed into the Whispering Wind.
“Just head out to sea for the time being,” Boris ordered.
Fortunately, the wind was still blowing strongly, and so none of the children had to row. As the sail billowed and the boat headed out to sea, Amy glanced back at Rose Cottage as it got smaller and smaller. She wondered when she would see it again.
As the sailboat headed away from the shore, Boris put the gun away and pulled out a map from his pocket.
Joe frowned as he recognised it. “Hey, that’s my father’s map! How did you get it?”
“I gave it to him,” Amy said.
“Why did you do that?” Joe asked.
“I asked for a map and she was helpful enough to give me one,” Boris replied. “Now, I want you to set course for Heron Island.”
“Okay,” Joe replied.
“How long do you think…” Boris suddenly stiffened as caught sight of something. “Blast!”
The children turned in the direction in which he was looking and they all
smiled. It was a police boat, heading directly towards them.
“You’ll have no choice but to give yourself up now,” Will said.
“Not while I’ve still got a hostage.” Boris grabbed hold of Sarah’s arm and pulled her close to him. “I’m going to hide in the cabin with the girl. Remember, I’ve got a gun, so don’t do anything foolish.” The man hurried towards the cabin door. As he pushed Sarah into the small room, he turned around. “Tell them you’ve seen me somewhere else.”
“What are you talking about?” Amy asked.
“Just tell them something so they’ll search someplace other than Heron Island,” Boris replied.
As the door slammed closed a moment later, Amy looked at the boys. “We had better do as he says.”
Joe nodded. “Just let me think for a moment.”
“There’s nothing to think about!” Amy said. “We can’t let anything happen to Sarah.”
“I’m not suggesting that.” Joe glanced behind him at the police vessel. It was closing fast. As the seconds ticked by, he turned around. “Just let me do the talking and, whatever happens, don’t interrupt.”
“But what—” Will said.
“Just don’t interrupt!” Joe ordered.
Amy nodded. “We’ll do as you say. Just promise me you are not going to say anything that might harm Sarah.”
“I promise.” Joe turned towards the police boat as it pulled up alongside them and waved as a policeman emerged from the wheelhouse. “Hello!”
The policeman smiled. “Having fun, are we?”
Joe nodded. “Yes, we are. You wouldn’t be searching for that spy, would you?”
The policeman frowned. “You don’t mean Boris Ivanov, do you?”
“Yes, I do,” Joe replied. “You see, I was looking through our binoculars as we left Smugglers Cove and we saw a man running up the hill to the castle.”
“What castle?” the policeman questioned.
Joe hesitated for a moment. “I can’t remember the name, but tell Inspector Price that it was the castle where we found the notebook.”
The policeman frowned. “Notebook? What are you talking about?”
“Just give the inspector my message, please?” Joe begged. “Tell him my name as well, Joe Mitchell.”
“Okay, I’ll give him your message. Thanks.” The policeman walked back into the wheelhouse.
Moments later, the boat was chugging away, heading for Smugglers Cove.
“What was all that about?” Will asked.
“I’ll explain later,” Joe whispered.
“But why did—” Amy began.
“Quiet!” Joe turned towards the closed cabin door. “You can come out now. The police have gone.”
As the door was flung open, Sarah rushed out and ran over to stand next to Amy. Boris appeared a moment later and crouched low as he scanned his surroundings. Then, when he appeared to be satisfied with everything, he turned to Joe. “How long do you think it will take us to get to Heron Island?”
Joe shrugged. “It depends on the wind. Maybe an hour.”
“Good. Let’s get sailing then.” Boris sat down and kept watch on the police boat that was getting further and further away from them.
~
Just over an hour and a half had passed before the small island came into view. After studying it for a moment or two, Boris turned to the children. “Is that Heron Island?”
Will nodded. “Yes, it is.”
“Are you sure?” Boris asked.
“Of course he’s sure,” Joe said. “We’ve been…” He hesitated, unsure of what to say. He was just about to tell the man that he and the others had been to the island once before, but then he realised that if the man knew that, he would probably keep a closer eye on them. But if the man didn’t suspect that they had been to Heron Island before, he might allow the children a bit more freedom and thus give them a chance to escape.
“You’ve been where?” Boris questioned.
“Around here,” Joe said. “Besides, it’s the only island in this vicinity. Have a look at the map if you don’t believe me.”
“No, that’s fine,” Boris replied. “I just wanted to make sure it was Heron Island. I can’t afford to be on the wrong island.” He then took the rudder from Joe. “Go and sit down next to the others.”
Joe did as he was told. The children were silent as the spy manoeuvred the craft closer to the island and they watched on as he sailed into the same cove that they had chosen last time they had been to the island.
Once the boat was moored next to some rocks, Will helped tie a rope around a sturdy rock to make sure that the sailboat didn’t drift away.
Boris climbed out of the craft and stretched his legs. As he did so, he looked around. “It doesn’t look like much of an island.” He glanced at his watch. “We’re going to be here until the sun goes down, so—”
“But I thought you were going to let us go now!” Amy interrupted.
“Not quite yet,” Boris replied. “Someone from France is coming to pick me up at around nine. Until then, you’re going to stay with me. So why don’t we all make ourselves comfortable and find a place where we can keep an eye on any passing boats?”
Joe was annoyed that the man had lied again, but he felt sure that if the inspector had received his message and realised what he meant, help would soon be on its way. So, feeling confident, he pretended to admit defeat and turned to the others. “Let’s do as he says. There’s no point in arguing.”
Boris smiled. “That’s a good boy. Remember, I don’t want to harm you. I just want to get away from here unseen and, in order to do so, I have to wait until nightfall. Now, follow me.”
The children followed the spy as he walked across the rocks and onto the beach. Boris found a spot on the bank which was sheltered from the wind but still had a good view of the sea. He sat down on the grass. “This will do nicely.”
The children sat down next to Boris as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the sandwich which he had tucked into it earlier. As he munched on the food, the children were silent. After the man had eaten, he yawned. “I think I’ll have a rest. But don’t try escaping. I expect to find you exactly where you are now after I’ve finished my nap.”
Boris lay down and closed his eyes. After a while, the children looked at one another and, without saying a word, attempted to move away from the man. One by one, they stood up. However, when Amy did so, Boris suddenly sat up and looked at her. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“My legs were sore,” Amy said. “I wanted to stretch them.”
“I see.” Boris looked at Will who was also standing up. “And what about you?”
“My legs were also stiff,” Will lied.
Boris turned to Joe. “Go and get the rope in the sailboat.”
“Rope?” Joe repeated. “What do you want rope for?”
“Just get it!” Boris ordered. “And come back here immediately.”
Joe sped off without another word. He was back a few minutes later. Once Boris had the rope, he began tying one end around his leg. He then ordered Amy to sit back down and, after she had done so he tied the other end around her left leg. “I doubt you are going to leave one of your own behind, so this should be enough to remind you to stay here.”
“But we weren’t going anywhere!” Will insisted. “We were just stretching.”
“Well, just think of this as a safety measure just in case you decide to go anywhere.” Boris lay down again and closed his eyes.
Disappointed and annoyed, the children sat back down. After a while, the man began to snore. As Joe, Will, and Sarah hadn’t been tied to the rope, they were able to scoot away. Once they were a safe distance away, they began to talk quietly amongst themselves.
“What are we going to do?” Will asked.
“We can’t leave Amy tied to the spy,” Sarah said.
Joe nodded. “Sarah’s right. Whatever happens, we can’t leave Amy.”
“But the rope i
s tied between him and her. If she moves her leg, then Boris will awake,” Will argued.
“Then we need to untie the knot,” Joe stated.
“Hey, what were you telling that policeman earlier?” Will questioned. “It seemed so confusing. One moment you were talking about Brackness Castle, then the next minute you were talking about Heron Island.”
“I wanted Boris to think I was telling the policeman to head to Brackness Castle so I mentioned a castle, but then I mentioned the notebook so he would think of Heron Island,” Joe explained.
“Of course! Because Heron Island is where we found the notebook!” Sarah exclaimed. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that earlier.”
Will gazed out to sea. “The inspector should be arriving any moment.”
“Hopefully, but he may not have understood my message,” Joe said. “Anyway, let’s try to rescue Amy because even if the inspector comes, if Amy’s still a hostage, Boris will have the upper hand.”
“We could try to get the gun away from him,” Will suggested.
Joe frowned. “That would be even harder, almost impossible to do. To reach into the man’s pocket and to remove it without making him wake up would require nerves of steel. Just the slightest mistake, the slightest noise, and he’d wake up. We’ve only got one chance at this. If Boris thinks we’re trying to escape, he’ll tie us all up.”
“So what do we do?” Sarah asked.
“We’ll see if one of us can untie the rope that’s around Amy’s leg.” Joe turned to Will. “How good are you at untying knots?”
“I should be able to do it,” Will said. “I’ve been around boats a lot longer than you have and untied my fair share of knots, so—”
“Okay,” Joe interrupted. “Just remember to be slow, real slow. Don’t make any noise. Otherwise, you won’t have a chance.”
Will nodded. “I’ve got it.”
Leaving Sarah and Joe by the trees, Will walked over to Amy. As he got closer, he crouched down and whispered into her ear. “I’m going to see if I can untie the knot.”
As Amy nodded, Will slowly inched his way over to her left leg and studied the rope up close. The knot was unlike any he had ever seen. It was clear Boris wasn’t a sailor. He had simply got the rope and looped it around and around and this way and that until it had held firm.