Five Fall Into Adventure (17 page)

“Famous Five 09 - Five Fall Into Adventure” By Enid Blyton
76

So they talked. They told about every single thing. First George told a bit, then Jo, then Dick then Julian. At first the sergeant was bewildered, but then the bits of information began to piece themselves together in his mind like a jigsaw puzzle.

‘Will my father go to prison?’ asked Jo.

‘I’m afraid so,’ said the sergeant.

‘Bad luck, Jo,’ said Dick.

‘I don’t mind,’ said Jo. ‘I’m better off when he’s away - I don’t have to do things he tells me then.’

‘We’ll see if we can’t fix you up with a nice home,’ said the sergeant kindly. ‘You’ve run wild, Jo - you want looking after.’

‘I don’t want to go to a Home for Bad Girls,’ said Jo, looking scared.

‘I shan’t let you,’ said Dick. ‘You’re one of the pluckiest kids I’ve ever known. We’ll none of us let you go to a Home. We’ll find someone who’ll be kind to you someone like -

like...’

‘Like me,’ said Joan, who was listening, and she put her arm rouund Jo and gave her a squeeze. ‘I’ve got a cousin who’d like a ragamuffin like you - a bad little girl with a very good heart. Don’t you fret. We’ll look after you.’

‘I wouldn’t mind living with somebody like you,’ said Jo, in an offhand way. ‘I wouldn’t be mean any more then, and I daresay I wouldn’t be bad. I’d like to see Dick and all of you sometimes, though.’

‘You will if you’re good,’ said Dick, with a grin. ‘But mind - if I ever hear you’ve got in at anyone’s pantry window again, or anything like that, I’ll never see you again!’

Jo grinned. She was very happy. She suddenly remembered something and put her hand into the little rush basket she still carried. She took out an enormous key.

‘Here you are,’ she said to the sergeant. ‘Here’s the key to the tower room. I bet Red and the others are still locked up there, ready for you to catch! My, won’t they get a shock when you unlock the door and walk in!’

‘Quite a lot of people are going to get shocks,’ said the sergeant, putting away his very full note-book. ‘Miss Georgina, you’re lucky to get away unharmed, you and your dog.

By the way, we got in touch with a friend of your father’s, when we tried to find out about those papers that were stolen. He says your father gave him all his important American papers before he went - so this fellow Red hasn’t anything of value at all. He went to all his trouble for nothing.’

‘Do you know anything about Red?’ asked Julian. ‘He seemed a bit mad to me.’

‘If he’s the fellow we think he is, he’s not very sane,’ said the sergeant. ‘We’ll be glad to have him under lock and key - and that man Markhoff too. He’s not as clever as Red, but he’s dangerous.’

‘I hope he hasn’t escaped in that helicopter,’ said Dick. ‘He meant to go tonight.’

‘Well, we’ll be there in under an hour or so,’ said the sergeant. ‘I’ll just use your telephone, if I may, and set things going ’

Things were certainly set going that night! Cars roared up to Red’s house, and the gate was broken in when no one came to open it. The helicopter was still in the yard - but alas! it was on its side, smashed beyond repair. The children were told afterwards that Markhoff and the other two men had tried to set off in it, but there was something wrong

- and it had risen some way and then fallen back to the yard.

“Famous Five 09 - Five Fall Into Adventure” By Enid Blyton
77

The old woman was trying to look after the three hurt men, who had crawled from their seats and gone to bathe their cuts and bruises. Marthon had hurt his head, and showed no fight at all.

‘And what about Red?’ the sergeant asked Markhoff. ‘Is he still locked up?’

‘Yes,’ said Markhoff, savagely. ‘And a good thing, too. You’ll have to break that door down with a battering-ram to get him and the others out.’

‘Oh no, we shan’t,’ said the sergeant, and produced the key. Markhoff stared at it.

‘That kid!’ he said. ‘She gave me the key of the larder. Wait till I get her - she’ll be sorry.’

‘It’ll be a long wait, Markhoff,’ said the sergeant. ‘A long, long wait. We’ll have to take you off with us, I’m afraid.’

Red, Simmy and Jake were still locked up, and were mad with rage. But they saw that the game was up, and it wasn’t long before all of them were safely tucked away in police cars.

‘A very, very nice little haul,’ said the sergeant to one of his men. ‘Very neat, too - three of them all locked up ready for us!’

‘What about that kid, Jo?’ said the man. ‘She seems a bad lot, and as clever as they make them!’

‘She’s going to have a chance now,’ said the sergeant. ‘Everybody has a chance sometimes, and this is hers. She’s just about half-and-half. I reckon - half bad and half good. But she’ll be all right now she’s got a chance!’

Jo was sleeping in Joan’s room again. The rest were in their own bedrooms, getting ready for bed. They suddenly didn’t feel sleepy any more. Timmy especially was very lively, darting in and out of the rooms, and sending the landing mats sliding about all over the place.

‘Timmy! If you jump on my bed again I’ll slam the door on you!’ threatened Anne. But she didn’t, of course. It was so lovely to see old Timmy quite himself once more.

The telephone bell suddenly rang, and made everyone jump.

‘Now what’s up?’ said Julian, and went down in the hall to answer it. A voice spoke in his ear.

‘Is that Kirrin 011? This is Telegrams. There is a cable for you, with reply prepaid. I am now going to read it.’

‘Go ahead,’ said Julian.

‘It is from Seville in Spain,’ said the voice, ‘and reads as follows:

“HERE IS OUR ADDRESS. PLEASE CABLE BACK SAYING IF EVERYTHING ALL

RIGHT - UNCLE QUENTIN”.’

Julian repeated the message to the others, who had now crowded round him in the hall.

‘What reply shall I give?’ he asked. ‘No good upsetting them now everything is over!’

‘Not a bit of good,’ said Dick. ‘Say what you like!’

‘Right!’ said Julian, and turned to the telephone again. ‘Hallo - here is the reply message, please. Ready?

“Famous Five 09 - Five Fall Into Adventure” By Enid Blyton
78

“HAVING A MOST EXCITING TIME, WITH LOTS OF FUN AND GAMES, EVERYTHING OKAY - JULIAN”.’

‘Everything okay,’ repeated Anne, as they went upstairs to bed once more ‘That’s what I like to hear at the end of an adventure. Everything okay.’