Deep Wild Blue

by Michael Maguire

  *

  The following morning found Troy, Jacob and Archie tidying things up around the boathouse. No-one was enthusiastic about the job but Jacob had insisted that a clear-up was important with visitors arriving.

  ‘Who are these house-hunters, Uncle?’ Archie probed, watching Oscar scamper around with a ball he’d found under a pile of rubbish. ‘Do you know them?’

  Jacob shook his head. ‘I think you know them better than me, Archie…’ He paused. ‘Or should I say you’ve been closer to them.’

  Archie stopped sweeping a pile of wooden off-cuts left by the carpenter and blinked at Jacob. ‘Who me?’

  ‘Troy told me that when you were on a mission to find the treasure ship you nearly got hit by Cornish Destiny’s hull.’

  ‘They were peeing about at Valentine Cove looking at the Riddles,’ Troy added. ‘The private yacht went right over the top of Kristo.’

  Archie swallowed. ‘Oh, yes… Lord Bristow’s yacht.’

  ‘Lord Braxton,’ Jacob corrected. ‘And he’s coming with his daughter to view Gull Cottage.’

  ‘He’s a VIP millionaire,’ Lucy put in.

  ‘So I want you all on your best behaviour,’ Jacob said.

  Archie was about to reply when he spotted Len Riddle making his way towards the boathouse. Oscar spotted him too and began to growl.

  ‘Keep that vicious little tyke away from me!’ Riddle shouted. ‘I’ve got unfinished business here.’

  Troy clipped Oscar on his lead and handed him to Lucy. ‘What the hell do you want?’ Troy asked, moving closer to Riddle.

  Archie also moved forward. He was standing in front of Riddle now in an attempt to show Len he wasn’t frightened. Troy, seeing Archie was clenching his fists grabbed the boy by the neck of his T-shirt and held him. Len crouched down to Archie’s height, so their faces were almost touching.

  ‘I see you’ve fixed the boathouse doors,’ Riddle chuckled. ‘Very professional – you have been busy.’

  Archie took a step back. ‘Your breath stinks,’ he cringed. ‘Garlic… Yuk!’

  ‘That’s white bean and roasted garlic soup,’ Riddle replied, praising his brother. ‘It’s one of Joe’s special homemade dishes.’

  ‘It smells disgusting.’

  Riddle burped in Archie’s face.

  Troy took a stronger grip on his brother’s T-shirt to keep him in check. He knew Archie was stubborn and had a temper and he didn’t want any trouble.

  ‘Leave the boy alone,’ Jacob interrupted, crossing to Riddle. ‘Why are you here? You’re not welcome at Gull Cottage.’

  ‘I’ve come for our truck, old man. The one you stole from the scrap yard,’ Len Riddle said.

  ‘It’s parked at the entrance,’ Troy told him, tossing the keys from his pocket. ‘Now shift yourself off our property.’

  ‘Your truck’s a wreck,’ Archie piped up. ‘I walked round it this morning and it’s only the rust that’s holding it together.’

  Riddle went to grab Archie’s throat but Troy knocked his arm away.

  ‘You’ve got a gobby little mouth, kid,’ Len cursed. ‘Now get outa my way!’

  ‘Take your truck and leave,’ Jacob said forcefully.

  All conversation stopped as a couple of beeps from a car horn drifted towards them. Two vehicles arrived and parked by the boathouse. One was an average black hatchback car; the other was an expensive and classy gold coloured 4x4.

  Len Riddle took a close look at who was driving each vehicle before dodging past the boathouse. He found the scrap yard’s truck wedged in behind some garbage bins and had to spend some time moving them. He swore loudly as he started the truck and revved hard as he left the boathouse behind him and headed towards Milford and the scrap yard.

  ‘Who was that man, Daddy?’ Scarlett Braxton shifted in the seat of the 4x4 and looked at her father. ‘Does he own Gull Cottage?’

  There was a tap-tapping on the driver’s window. Richard Mason, from the Milford Estate Agency, had exited the black hatchback car and wanted to get Lord Braxton’s attention.

  As the window dropped, Mason straightened his tie and pushed his grinning, well-fed face inside the vehicle.

  ‘Here we are, Lord Braxton, the first on our viewing list, “Gull Cottage.”’

  ‘This is my favourite,’ Scarlett said. ‘Its position must have beautiful sea views.’

  ‘I’ll get Mr Scott to show you the inside of the property,’ Mason replied.

  ‘Was that him who peered at us through the windscreen?’ Lord Braxton climbed out of the 4x4.

  ‘No, absolutely not, sir. That was Mr Riddle who is also interested in buying the property.’

  ‘Well he can’t have it!’ Scarlett spoke up.

  ‘Shh, sweetheart.’ Lord Braxton took her hand and helped her out of the 4x4.

  Jacob, Troy, Archie and Lucy had gathered round the vehicle. Jacob shook hands with Lord Braxton and introduced Troy and the twins. Scarlett made a huge fuss of Oscar and told them she used to own two King Charles’ spaniels.

  ‘Do we have to call you Your Lordship?’ Archie queried, ‘It seems a bit of a mouthful.’

  ‘It’s called being polite,’ Mason jumped in. ‘Showing respect to someone who has earned the title.’

  Lord Braxton laughed and ignored Mason. ‘I didn’t earn the title, Archie, I inherited it. I would be very pleased if you called me Andrew.’

  ‘Wow cool… thanks Andrew.’

  ‘No problem, Archie. I consider us all friends.’

  Richard Mason was getting irritated. He suggested that Lord Braxton followed Jacob into the cottage for an inside viewing.

  ‘Perhaps the young people would like to explore the beach,’ Braxton recommended. ‘Scarlett can view the problems you’re having with coastal slippage.’

  ‘A very good idea, your Lordship,’ Mason agreed, bowing his head in a sickly manner.

  The two men followed as Jacob led the way up the cliff path to Gull Cottage.

  ‘You have a beautiful daughter,’ Jacob said, waiting for the new security system to recognise him and open the front door.

  ‘Oh, yes, yes, you do,’ Mason cut in, nodding at Braxton. ‘I meant to say that earlier… She has gorgeous red hair. She’s a very lovely young lady.’

  Scarlett was chatting to Troy as they walked along the beach. She was wearing a pink baseball cap, pink joggers, and a loose tie-front check shirt.

  She paused where the running rails entered the sea, and Troy had to think fast.

  ‘W-we used to have a speedboat,’ he stumbled over the words. ‘And using the rails was a quick way of getting it to and from the boathouse.’

  Scarlett seemed to accept the explanation. ‘Well it is a private beach,’ she said, before pausing and pointing out to sea. ‘You won’t believe this but yesterday I saw a shark out there.’

  Troy deliberately laughed. He didn’t like telling lies but Kristo’s secrecy was uppermost in his mind. ‘I’m sure you saw something,’ he agreed, ‘but we don’t get sharks around the Cornish coast.’

  ‘Daddy said the same.’

  ‘A lot of stuff was washed to the surface after the Navy performed the explosion.’

  ‘That must be it. I suppose I’m just being silly.’

  ‘A bit confused maybe. Things floating in the sea can fool us all sometimes.’

  Oscar’s ball whizzed past Troy’s feet and the action broke up the conversation. Troy let out his breath, grateful for the interruption.

  ‘Scarlett and Troy make a lovely couple,’ Archie whispered to Lucy with a cheeky grin as the four joined up on the beach.

  ‘They seem the right age,’ Lucy played along with the joke.

  ‘I’d like the cottage for my 18th birthday,’ Scarlett said. ‘Of course you would all be invited to the party.’

  Troy s
tayed silent.

  Scarlett was quick to pick up on the change of mood. ‘Are you angry because we might buy Gull Cottage, Troy?’

  ‘No, not angry… just a bit miserable that we won’t be able to come here for holidays. It will be a sad day for Uncle Jacob.’

  ‘But Mr Mason said he would find Jacob the best retirement home in the County,’ Scarlett remarked.

  ‘Uncle wouldn’t want to be bunged away,’ Archie cut in. ‘He needs his space. He’s a brilliant inventor.’

  ‘You’re making me feel bad,’ Scarlett said. ‘I wouldn’t want to take Jacob’s home away from him.’

  Troy decided to be blunt about the situation. He told Scarlett that there were no easy answers to the problem and that Gull Cottage had to be sold.

  ‘Nobody really wants to buy it,’ he added. ‘It’s slipping into the sea and would either need to be rebuilt or an absolute fortune spent on sea defences to stop the cliff from crumbling anymore.’

  ‘I’m sure Daddy could come up with an answer,’ Scarlett told Troy. ‘He owns lots of companies with engineers who deal with all sorts of problems.’

  ‘And he is a multi-millionaire,’ Archie stated.

  ‘Perhaps Uncle could live on Lord Braxton’s boat,’ Lucy said.

  ‘Well, it is big enough,’ Archie chuckled.

  Scarlett pushed her sunglasses up so they rested on her hair. ‘That reminds me…’ She looked at Troy. ‘Would all of you like to join us on a fishing trip tomorrow?’

  ‘Only if you let me take you for dinner tonight in Milford,’ Troy responded.

  ‘That would be lovely,’ Scarlett said.

  Troy’s mood lifted. ‘Great. Then we’d love to look over your yacht.’

  ‘Daddy really enjoys his sea fishing.’

  ‘Perfect. Where do we meet up?’

  ‘Cornish Destiny is moored at Milford Marina.’

  The wink to Lucy and the huge grin on Archie’s face said it all.

  *

  Lord Braxton’s yacht was thirty-two meters long and it shadowed all the other yachts in the Marina.

  The main saloon and dining room adjoined the aft deck and it could accommodate nine guests in four staterooms. It was air-conditioned plus a Jacuzzi spa and had a top speed of thirty knots. Its engine room filled almost a third of the hull, and Troy was overwhelmed by the powerful engines.

  Lucy had borrowed a bikini from Scarlett and both girls were dipping their toes into the foamy luxury of the Jacuzzi. Jacob preferred dry land to the sea and had remained at home. Archie was on the foredeck chatting with Andrew Braxton.

  The yacht had a crew of four members and all were kept busy as Cornish Destiny gushed along at speed to clear open water.

  ‘This looks a good spot,’ Braxton said, reaching for the deck phone and requesting the crew slow the yacht and drop anchor. ‘I have caught a blue fin tuna around here, Archie. It took two of the crew an hour to land it.’

  ‘Did you eat it?’

  ‘No, we took a photograph and tossed it back.’

  ‘I wish I’d seen it.’

  ‘Go below deck to the stateroom, along the passage to the trophy room and you’ll see the picture on the wall.’

  Archie dodged past Troy who had appeared on the foredeck step. He made his way through the huge stateroom and along the passage before being faced by three doors. He stood for a moment not knowing which led to the trophy room. He heard a muffled noise through one door and guessed it was a crew member.

  He guessed wrongly.

  One of the slide-up windows was open wide and a man’s leg in dirty jeans was dangling over it. The man had a hood pulled over his face, but the scorpion tattoo on his forearm told Archie it was Len Riddle. All the drawers were open and the glass shelves were empty. A half-filled sack was under the window and bulging with gold and silver antiques and ornaments.

  ‘Riddle!’ The word burst from Archie’s throat.

  Len almost fell out of the window, but he didn’t lose a grip on the sack. He pulled the ties tight, and then threw the sack over his shoulder to the outside. It didn’t make a splash so Archie guessed that Joe Riddle was floating alongside in a boat catching the sacks of precious metal.

  Archie moved forward and Riddle jumped out.

  As before there was no splash and this time Archie could see why. Looking over the window ledge he could see the Stinger below and a hooded Joe Riddle pulling Len into the craft through the pressurised rear hatch.

  Within seconds there was a whoosh and a huge blast of tiny bubbles as the Stinger dived below the surface.

  ‘What’s been going on?’ Lord Braxton stood at the door of the trophy room.

  ‘You’ve had a robbery,’ Archie said. ‘It was the Riddles in their mini-sub.’

  Braxton picked up the trophy room phone and spoke to a member of the crew. He told them to lower the speedboat and comb the area in case the mini-sub surfaced.

  ‘Has the speedboat got a wooden or metal hull?’ Archie was quick to ask the question.

  ‘Metal, why?’

  ‘Uncle has seen photos of their mini-sub and he spotted a loop of electrified panels. I can’t remember all the details but if another vessel made of metal touches them your speedboat would get a huge electro-shock. I reckon that’s why they call it the Stinger.’

  Braxton was back on the telephone, warning the crew about the electrified panels and telling them to avoid touching the Riddles’ mini-sub.

  ‘We’re lucky that Cornish Destiny is made from fibreglass,’ he told Archie.

  Troy appeared out of breath as he reached the trophy-room doorway. ‘I’ve just seen the Riddles’ Stinger,’ he declared. ‘It’s surfaced at the rear of the yacht.’

  The crew in the speedboat had seen it too. The Stinger had turned and was heading straight for them.

  Lord Braxton told the men to jump clear and swim for the yacht. He shouted that the steps would be rolled down on both sides.

  ‘Can you two boys lend a hand?’ he requested.

  He only asked the once before Troy and Archie sprinted out of the trophy-room. Troy went to the stern of the yacht whereas Archie covered the foredeck. The chromium plated steps were unrolled and the crew members clambered to safety.

  Scarlett and Lucy were there with huge dry towels and thick bath robes. The crew took them gratefully and made their way down the steps to the yacht’s changing rooms.

  ‘It’s still there,’ Archie scowled and pointed. ‘The Stinger is doing loops round the speedboat.’

  ‘A show of swagger, that’s all,’ Lucy said. ‘That’s typical of the Riddles.’

  Troy’s mouth dropped open as the front of the Stinger dragged itself along the side of the speedboat.

  He remembered what Jacob had told him about the stainless steel panels that held a pulse pattern of electricity and now he was seeing it. It was like a firework display as sparks shot upwards for several seconds scorching the speedboat, until a swell of several waves smothered them.

  Luckily a fishing boat was nearby and had been watching the action. They managed to get ropes on the empty speedboat and were towing it back to Cornish Destiny.

  ‘That mini-sub has a fair bit of power,’ Braxton said, as he watched the Stinger dive and disappear. ‘Unfortunately Cornish Destiny only has radar and not an underwater tracker.’

  ‘Will you need help sorting out the damage to the speedboat?’ Troy asked.

  ‘Any help would be welcome, Troy.’

  ‘Consider it done. I’ll be over tomorrow.’

  Archie told Troy how he’d stumbled across the thief as he’d entered the trophy room.

  ‘Have you lost a lot of stuff?’ Troy asked Lord Braxton.

  ‘Most of my trophies have been stolen,’ Braxton stated, ‘Plus silver and gold antiques. I’m insured, of course, and I’ll tell the P
olice and Coastguard what’s happened.’

  ‘They had hoods on,’ Archie said, ‘I know it was the Riddles but I can’t prove it.’

  ‘We can still report our suspicions.’

  ‘They’ll be full of revenge if the Police give them grief,’ Archie added.

  Troy gave Braxton a detailed account as to why the Riddles should be avoided. He was careful not to mention anything about Kristo.

  ‘Aren’t these the two brothers who wanted to buy Gull Cottage?’ Braxton queried.

  ‘They are two fleabags,’ Archie piped up. ‘They want to knock down Uncle’s home and turn the cliff top into a caravan park for tourists.’

  ‘Well, I’d like to buy it for Scarlett’s 18th,’ Braxton put forward. ‘The girl’s got her heart set on Gull Cottage.’

  Troy and Archie exchanged glances.

  ‘If it must be sold then we’d prefer you and Scarlett bought it – rather than the Riddles,’ Troy put forward.

  ‘Agreed,’ Archie murmured.

  ‘I have a coastal engineer visiting the site for an assessment of the slippage. Will you be around?’ Braxton asked.

  Both boys nodded, but both found it difficult to be thrilled by the news.

  Chapter Seven

  The Riddles were back at Valentine Cove and had manoeuvred the Stinger onto the beach and into the old workshop garage. Joe was lifting the sacks of gold and silver from inside the mini-sub and handing each one to Len.

  ‘Where you gonna hide this stuff? Old man Braxton will report the robbery and then this place will be crawling with cops.’

  ‘Braxton didn’t see us.’

  ‘But that smart-ass little brat did.’

  ‘We were wearing hoods,’ Len said. ‘If the stolen stuff is hidden well, then nothin’ can be sussed.’

  Joe went to the workshop tool-box and raked out a battery drill and an assortment of metal rings. He pocketed a screwdriver and told Len to pull on a pair of large wading boots which were hanging on the wall.

  The Riddles had kept two rowing boats, one red, one blue, with small outboard engines. They were a couple of meters from the sea edge and now they were going to be put to good use.