by Moxham, Paul
Tex nodded as he switched off the ignition. “Yes, it’s a bit cramped. However, I’m going to see if I can rearrange some stuff so I can get a longer mattress before I start my journey. I also need to get the radio fixed and make sure the levers are all working. One of them has been getting stuck from time and time and I don’t want to run into that problem if I’m halfway through my big trip around the world. Anyway, let’s get out of this hot vehicle.”
Everyone climbed up through the hatch and, while Tex went into Darby’s to order some food, the children cooled off in the shade of a tall tree that grew beside the cafe.
A few minutes later, Tex reappeared. “So, what time shall I see you at Rose Cottage?”
“How about six?” Amy asked.
Tex nodded. “Sounds good. How do I get there?”
Amy proceeded to give him directions to the cottage. She had just finished talking when two men, who were having a drink at a nearby table, suddenly stood up and walked over to them.
The tall, clean shaven one, held out his hand and introduced himself to them. “The name’s Elmer, Elmer Cousins.” He gestured towards his bearded companion who was dressed like a fisherman. “He’s Frenchie.” He then walked over to the jeep and patted it. “This is a very interesting vehicle. I haven’t seen anything quite like it before.”
“It’s an amphibious jeep,” Tex replied.
“You don’t say?” Elmer took a moment to gaze at the vehicle. “You must have modified it.”
Tex nodded. “I can see you’re somewhat of a vehicle enthusiast.”
“Both of us are,” Frenchie piped up, his strong French accent making it somewhat difficult to understand what he had said.
“Would you mind if we had a look at the inside of the vehicle?” Elmer asked.
“Why, certainly not.” Tex turned to the children. “I’ll see you at six this evening at Rose Cottage, okay?”
Amy nodded. “Okay. Bye!” She turned to the others. “Let’s tell Mum in case she needs one of us to pick up some food from the shops.”
“Yes, but we need to pick up our bicycles first.” Joe glanced at Will. “Why don’t you come to Rose Cottage with us? We could play shuttlecock in the garden.”
Will nodded. “Okay.”
~
By the time six o’clock arrived, the delicious smell of baked vegetables filled Rose Cottage as Mrs Mitchell, helped by the children, prepared the meal.
From time to time, Joe peered through the kitchen window. Suddenly, he yelled out. “He’s here!”
The other three children followed him outside and greeted Tex as though he was a long lost friend, even though they had only known him for a very short time.
Almost as soon as they met, Joe had got the feeling that he was one of those people you could trust. He’d had that very same feeling when he met Will.
When Joe and his sisters had met the red headed boy within a few days of arriving in Smugglers Cove, he knew instantly he was going to be a friend for life. But, what he hadn’t known then, was that the four of them would go on numerous adventures together before the year was out.
As Tex walked down the path to Rose Cottage, he suddenly paused and looked at Monty. “I hope Monty can come inside with me. He might get a bit lonely if he has to stay in the jeep all by himself.”
“Of course he can come inside,” Joe said. “There’s no problem having a dog inside as long as he doesn’t chew things up.”
Tex laughed. “No, that’s not going to happen. Monty may be many things, but he’s not a chewer. All he wants to chew is a good bone. And he loves having someone to pat him from time to time.”
Amy smiled. “That sounds like the kind of dog I would like to have.”
“Then why don’t you get a dog?” Tex questioned as he followed the children into Rose Cottage.
“Well, it’s because I love dogs so much that I don’t have one,” Amy replied. “I know that if I had one as a pet I would have to spend a lot of time taking care of him, and I don’t have that much free time. With solving mysteries and going to school and cycling around Smugglers Cove, caring for a pet isn’t something that I have time for now. But maybe in the future.”
Mrs Mitchell suddenly appeared from the kitchen. “Ah, there you are. You must be Tex.”
Tex nodded. “And you must be Mrs Mitchell. I’m thankful for your hospitality. I hope it isn’t an intrusion.”
Mrs Mitchell shook her head. “No intrusion at all. We don’t have many guests over, so it’s a pleasure to have someone visit us.” She knelt down and patted Monty. “Make that two. And I’m sure he will like my cooking as well.”
Tex laughed. “I’m sure he will. He even likes my cooking, which is saying something.”
~
One hour later, every scrap of food had been eaten and everyone was feeling quite satisfied. Even Joe didn’t mind that there was no food left since he was full.
Once the dishes were washed and dried, everyone headed into the living room and got comfortable as Tex told them all about his plans for the future as well as his adventures from the past.
The hours flew by as the man described harrowing tales of survival, such as the time he and Monty went hiking in Alaska and got buried in an avalanche. And also about the time when the two of them were stranded at sea after their boat broke down while attempting to cross the Gulf of Mexico.
Suddenly, Monty got up and started to whine at the door.
Amy glanced at the dog. “What do you want, boy?”
“He probably wants to go outside and do his business,” Tex drawled.
“I’ll let him out then. Come on, boy!” Amy left the room and made her way to the front door, Monty trotting ahead of her. She opened the front door and Monty went bounding up the path and ran towards some trees. After glancing around at the setting sun, Amy rejoined the others in the living room.
It wasn’t until more than half an hour had passed that Amy realised Monty was still outside. She turned to Tex. “I’d better go and let Monty in. He’s been gone a long time. He’s probably waiting outside the door.”
Tex dismissed her concerns with a wave of his hand. “Don’t worry. He’ll start barking when he’s ready to come in.”
Sarah stood up and walked over to the window. “Are you sure he’ll be alright in the dark?”
“Of course,” Tex replied.
“I’ll just have a look outside,” Amy said.
“I’ll come with you,” Sarah offered.
Sarah followed Amy out of the living room and, after collecting a torch from the kitchen, the girls made their way outside.
The sun had sunk below the horizon and the moon was slowly rising. Amy shone the torchlight around as she walked down the garden path. As she reached the road, she called out. “Monty!”
There was silence.
“I wonder where he is,” Sarah said. “Hey, the hatch on the jeep is open.”
Amy nodded. “Yes, I noticed that earlier. I didn’t mention it to Tex since I assumed he did it on purpose so that the jeep could cool down.”
“My sunhat!” Sarah suddenly exclaimed.
“What about your sunhat?” Amy questioned.
“I took it off when I was in the jeep and put it on the bunk,” Sarah replied.
Amy nodded. “Now that you mention it, I don’t recall seeing you wear it after we left the jeep. Let’s go and see where it is.”
Amy walked over to the jeep and climbed up the ladder. She was soon at the hatch and climbed down into the cabin. With Sarah right behind her, the two girls headed to the sleeping compartment.
As the torchlight swept over the bunk, it only took an instant to see Sarah’s sunhat near the pillow.
“Good thing I remembered it then.” Sarah walked over and picked it up. “If I had thought about it tomorrow, it would have been too late.”
“Well, Tex should have spotted it in the morning. Anyway, it doesn’t matter…” Amy paused and frowned as she felt a rocking sensation. A moment la
ter, she heard the sound of someone climbing down into the cabin.
A second later, a man’s voice called out. “Start pushing in ten seconds.”
Amy instantly switched off her torch and retreated to the sleeping compartment, grabbing hold of her sister’s arm as she did so.
Sarah followed her without resistance as they heard the man’s footsteps as he walked to the driver’s seat.
After waiting a few seconds, Amy edged towards the doorway and peered towards the front of the vehicle. As the man had switched on his torch, she was able to get a good view of the back of his head.
But that didn’t tell her anything. Suddenly, the jeep started to move. She recalled the man’s comments and realised that someone was pushing them.
Since Rose Cottage was on the top of the cliff, it didn’t take long for the jeep to gain momentum. As it did so, Amy heard a clatter and footsteps above her.
She realised that the man’s companion had stopped pushing and was now climbing aboard. She waited anxiously as the newcomer made his way down the hatch and into the cabin.
With shock, she realized it was Frenchie!
As the man climbed into the passenger seat, she saw that the man driving the jeep was none other than Elmer, his friend.
“Good thing this was parked on a slope,” Frenchie said.
“Now we just have to hope no one sees us leave,” Elmer replied. “As long as they don’t raise the alarm within fifteen minutes we’ll be safe since we’ll be on our way to France…”
Just then, the engine rumbled to life and Amy could no longer hear the conversation. Even though this was a bad thing, Amy realised that it was also a good thing since it meant that the men would be unable to hear her and Sarah speaking.
She left the doorway and sat on the edge of the bunk where Sarah was waiting anxiously to hear what was happening.
“It’s Elmer and Frenchie, the two men who were at Darby’s,” Amy said. “It sounds as though they’re going to France.”
Sarah’s green eyes widened in surprise. “What? Why?”
“I don’t know,” Amy admitted. “I couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation. Now, as much as I don’t want to go to France, I think it’s best if we try to stay hidden. I can’t see them letting us go since they just stole this jeep, so our only chance is if they don’t know we’re here.”
Sarah quickly glanced around. “But there’s nowhere to hide.”
“We could hide under these bed sheets,” Amy said.
Sarah shook her head. “We’d be spotted for sure.”
“Maybe, but it’s better than nothing.” Amy thought for a moment. “I just wish I knew why the men want the jeep. After all, this is a unique vehicle. You can’t just sell it. Who would want to buy such a vehicle? All Tex would have to do would be to ask the police to be on the lookout for the jeep and then whoever had bought it would soon be found. And then they might tell the police who sold it to them. No, whatever they’re planning to do with this vehicle, it’s going to happen within the next twenty four hours.”
“Then we need to tell the police!” Sarah peered through the rear window. “If it wasn’t so dark we could wave to someone if they passed by.”
“Yes, which means that the only way to let the police know what is going on is for us to tell them ourselves. But, since there is only one way one out of this vehicle, which is in view of the men, we just have to wait and hope an opportunity arises where we can leave the jeep without being seen.” She smiled and put her arm around her sister. “We’ll be okay. Nothing’s going to happen to you, not while I’m here.”
A few moments later, they were tossed about as the jeep left the road. The girls peered through the windows and saw they were now crossing the sand.
It was a very strange sensation half a minute later as the amphibious jeep entered the water. It felt as though they were in a boat, which they almost were.
“At least it’s good weather tonight,” Sarah said.
Amy nodded. “Yes, it could have been winter and in the middle of a storm and then we’d have waves crashing up against the side of the jeep.”
She gazed up at the stars. They seemed brighter somehow, maybe because they were now quite a distance away from any manmade lights. Not a cloud could be seen in the sky and not a breath of wind could be heard. It was the perfect night to be out boating.
Amy just wished it could have been under better circumstances.
~
As the hours slowly passed, Amy began to get worried. She couldn’t understand it. If they had been sailing to France, they would surely have reached land by now. But, every time she looked through the window, all she saw was the inky blackness of the sea.
It didn’t make sense. All she could think of was that the men had never intended to sail to France. For all she knew, the men could be sailing to Spain.
Sarah yawned. “I’m getting tired, but I don’t want to go to sleep in case the jeep stops.”
“Well, how about you lie down on the bunk bed while I keep watch?” Amy suggested.
“Okay, that sounds good.” Sarah yawned yet again and lay down.
Amy sat on the edge of the bed and waited. Every now and then she peered down the narrow passageway. She had no idea if the men had been talking or not since the engine noise was so loud.
Fortunately, Amy wasn’t feeling tired. Maybe it was the sense of adventure, the sense of not knowing what was going to happen next, or what would happen if the men entered the cabin, but her senses were wide awake.
She thought about the others in Rose Cottage. She was sure that by now they would have contacted Constable Biggens and he would have alerted the coast guard, but she didn’t think even they would be able to find them.
After all, they would have no idea in which direction the jeep had gone. They didn’t even know if the jeep had stayed on the land or entered the water. She glanced at her watch. It was approaching midnight.
She suddenly heard the two men talking. Wanting to know what they were saying, she climbed off the bunk bed and crept to the passageway. However, even then she still couldn’t decipher what they were saying.
So, despite the risk, she crept forward. She had no fear of the men hearing her footsteps since the noise of the engine was overpowering, but she did fear that one of the men might suddenly turn around for some reason.
Luckily, it was dark in the amphibious jeep, the only light coming from the torch that the men had. So, even if one of the men did glance back, they might not see her. However, Amy didn’t want to take that risk and, as soon as she could, she ducked into the radio room. Once there, she was able to listen to every word the men said.
“I still think I ought to go on top and direct you,” Frenchie said.
“But I know the way into the cove like the back of my hand,” Elmer said. “I know the location of every rock in this cove.”
“But there’s no point in taking any risks,” Frenchie said. “It’s a pity a rowboat didn’t suit our purposes. This jeep can’t stop instantly, so if you hit a rock, it might tear a hole in it.”
“Well, this jeep is pretty sturdy,” Elmer said. “And I’ll go as slow as possible. I know you’re a sailor, but that isn’t why I recruited you. I just hope that the setup hasn’t changed during the time you’ve been in prison.”
“It won’t have,” Frenchie said. “If there is one thing that Lord Bismarck is renowned for, it’s routine. When I worked as his personal driver—”
“You don’t need to remind me of your story,” Elmer said. “But since I was unable to get hold of a weapon, it’s going to be touch and go if we run into the guards.”
“Don’t you worry.” Frenchie chuckled. “I just wish I could see the expression on Lord Bismarck’s face when he sees that all his precious valuables are missing. He’s going to—”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Elmer interrupted. “We still have to hope that Lord Bismarck didn’t return home early. And, while the weather is fine now, it c
ould take a turn for the worse. So let’s not count our chickens before they’re hatched.”
As the men ceased speaking, Amy realised she needed to head back to where Sarah was. It was a risk to move when the men weren’t speaking but, since the engine noise was so loud, she took the risk and crept back to the sleeping area. Once there, she sat down and quietly told Sarah what the men had been talking about. She had just finished speaking when she heard one of the men moving.
She then heard someone climbing up to the hatch. By peering out, Amy saw that one of the men was still at the wheel. However, she couldn’t see who it was since the torch wasn’t switched on.
“Who went up the hatch?” Sarah asked.
“I’m not sure.” Amy walked over to the window and peered out. Something seemed different and it took her a few moments to realise what it was.
The stars and moon could no longer be seen. Amy thought for a moment as she sat back down on the bunk. “The clouds must have moved in.”
“What has that got to do with anything?” Sarah asked.
“Everything,” Amy replied. “One of the men wanted to go outside and give directions, but the other man didn’t think that was necessary. But now that the weather conditions have changed, it’s going to be harder to see where the rocks are, which explains why the man climbed up the ladder.” She took another look through the window and this time saw a dim light some distance away and higher up. “Hey, maybe that’s the place they’re going to rob.”
Sarah gazed at the light. “It must be quite high up.”
Amy nodded. “Yes, it looks as though it’s on top of a cliff.”
The girls fell silent once more as the light disappeared from view. Amy thought that it was an unlucky coincidence that Elmer and Frenchie had met Tex. After all, she doubted they knew he was coming to Smugglers Cove.
They must have been planning the theft for some time and were probably waiting for the right moment to strike when Tex had arrived in the amphibious jeep. If Tex hadn’t shown them how to drive the jeep, or if he hadn’t talked about spending the evening at Rose Cottage, then none of this would have happened.
But that was in the past. The men had stolen the jeep and, if Sarah or she didn’t do something, the men would not only get away with the jeep, but a whole lot of valuables.