Finally, after about two hours, a police car pulled into the drive. It was followed by a second car and a van. The front door of the first car opened and the sergeant walked across to the door of the farm. The constable inside the house opened the door and talked animatedly with his superior. A faint smile appeared on the junior policeman’s face. Then the sergeant walked into the living room. As he did so, Jack Hammond stood up and voiced the question they all wanted to ask.
‘Well, Sergeant, any news?’ His voice was nervous.
‘Yes, sir. We tracked the van down to the coast and were just in time to see them pull out on a motorboat. We radioed the coastguard, who picked them up about half an hour later. They’re in custody now, on their way to be interviewed. It would seem that these lads here have uncovered a pretty large smuggling organisation. We picked up over a dozen pictures and quite a lot of other bits and pieces, all going abroad.’
‘But what about the metal boxes?’ Mark asked, impatiently.
‘They are quite ingenious really. They were made to look like little souvenir boxes. We don't know for sure yet, but I reckon we recovered about a hundred kilos of a Class A drug.’
‘And any other news, Sergeant?’ Jack Hammond was aware that his daughter’s face was looking increasingly less cheerful.
‘Yes, sir. I think you’d better all sit down for this.’
When they were sitting, he continued. He looked at the constable by the door as he started to talk.
‘Firstly, we had a bit of help. God only knows how he got there, but I believe this is yours.’ At this point Archer appeared at the door. His front right leg was bandaged and he limped forward.
‘Archer!’ James, Mark and Rebecca all cried out together and Mark bent down to cuddle the dog as he limped forward into the room.
‘He’ll be all right. He got in the way of a couple of bullets and undoubtedly saved someone’s life. He’s a proper hero. He’ll probably get a canine commendation or something.’ The sergeant was becoming more jovial. ‘The local vet has fixed him up. He just needs to take some antibiotics for a few days. ‘Which,’ said the sergeant, ‘brings me to the last piece of news. Your dog here saved someone’s life tonight. No doubt about it. I’m pleased to say, sir, we have found your wife. She’s alive and apparently well, but as a precaution she’s been taken to the local hospital. There’s a car outside waiting to take you when you’re ready.’
It was much later that evening when the whole family sat together in the living room once again. Archer lay on the floor gnawing a huge bone. The adventures of the day had left him quite worn out. Every now and again one or other of the youngsters patted him affectionately.
The brothers an their cousin sat on the floor as the events of the afternoon were related, each person telling their own story in turn. Jack and Mary Hammond sat on the sofa holding hands. Mary Hammond looked a little the worse for wear and was obviously glad to be home. Jack had phoned his brother and told him the whole story. The boys’ father was so pleased that he promised to let Archer stay. Archer had barked his thanks and everyone had laughed. Then at some point Rebecca looked at her mother and said, ‘How come you got involved in all this?’
‘Well, dear, I came back from the shops that day and heard sounds in the tool shed. I ambled over to hear what was going on. Tom was talking to someone about doing some jobs or something. Anyway I must have made a noise because a second later Tom came out of the shed and saw me there. He looked surprised, but was polite and bid me a good day. I went indoors then. About an hour later there was a knock at the door. When I went to open it I was grabbed and bundled into a van and driven away. Since then I’ve been kept locked up all over the place. You know, until today I never thought they’d harm me - but good old Archer, I reckon he saved my life.’
THE END
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Archer's Mystery At Mainswell Page 17