Mystery of the Hidden House (16 page)

“Yes. It is a bit clever,” said Fatty, thoughtfully. “But in desperation Ern might be cleverer than he usually is. Tell me, Bets - what time did Ern leave you?”

“About half-past ten,” said Bets. “He said he was going off to meet you straightaway. He should have met you coming back about three-quarters of the way there.”

“I’m going out to make a few inquiries,” said Fatty. “Stay here, all of you. I’ll be back.”

Fatty went into the village, and then turned up the way to Maylins Farm. He saw a small girl swinging on a gate and called to her.

“Hallo, Margery. Did you see Ern Goon here yesterday? You know Ern, don’t you? The policeman’s nephew.”

“Yes,” said Margery. “I saw him going up this way yesterday morning. He didn’t see me because I was hiding.”

“Did you see him come back again?” asked Fatty. “You saw us all walking back, didn’t you, later on? Did you see Ern again?”

“No, I didn’t,” said Margery. “There was a big car came down a little while after, and nearly knocked me over. Then you came with the others. That’s all. What’s Ern done?”

“Nothing,” said Fatty. “Here’s a penny. Catch!”

He walked on up the road thinking hard. Ern had gone to meet them up there - but hadn’t come back. But a car had come along soon after. Was it Holland’s car, cruising round to snoop for Fatty perhaps - and finding Ern instead, thinking he was Fatty.

Some way up, in a very lonely part of the road, Fatty saw where a car had suddenly put on its brakes and swerved a little to a quick stop. He looked at the marks on the road thoughtfully, his mind working. This was probably where the men in the car had met Ern, thought he was Fatty, stopped suddenly, asked Ern some questions to get him into the car - and gone off with him.

The car wouldn’t go to Harry’s Folly in the daytime, that was certain. It was more likely it would have gone to Marlow or to the other garage Holland owned. The men would have locked Ern up somewhere for the day - and then perhaps they would have brought him back to Harry’s Folly.

“And when Ern saw he was going through Peterswood he suddenly thought of chucking out all the clues he had, knowing we’d recognize them, and read them correctly!” said Fatty. “Well! If Ern really did do that he’s cleverer than we ever thought him!”

He went back to the others, Buster trotting soberly at his heels. Buster always knew when his master was thinking hard, and never bothered him then.

Fatty told the others what he thought. They listened in silence. “It was Bets’ sudden idea that put me on to everything else,” said Fatty. “Well - I’ve got to go and rescue Ern if I can - and perhaps I can solve this mystery at the same time! I’ll go tonight.”

“Oh Fatty - don’t do that!” begged Bets. “Can’t you ring up Inspector Jenks and tell him all you’ve said to us.”

“No,” said Fatty. “Because I might be absolutely wrong in everything! Ern might be hiding in an old barn somewhere, sulking, to give Goon a fright. And what do we really know of this other mystery? Hardly anything! Not as much as Old Clear-Orf knows of the imaginary one!”

“We’ll come with you then, Fatty, if you’re going tonight,” said Larry.

“You can’t. You’re forbidden,” said Fatty. “In any case I wouldn’t let the girls come.”

“But we’re not going to solve a mystery - we’re going to rescue Ern,” protested Pip. “That’s quite different.”

“I’m going by myself,” said Fatty. “I shall take a rope-ladder to get over the wall - and sacks to put on those spikes at the top so that I can climb over easily. Then - aha - there’ll be dark dire deeds, as Ern would say!”

“Oh don’t,” said Bets, with a shiver. “I wish you wouldn’t go, Fatty. Please don’t!”

“Well, I feel rather bad about Ern,” said Fatty, seriously. “I feel as if he’s had very bad luck all round - what with us pulling his leg - and Goon caning him for what he hadn’t done - and then getting kidnapped because I once disguised myself as Ern. It’s up to me to do something. I really must go, Bets, old thing.”

“I suppose you must,” said Bets, with a sigh.

They hunted for the rope-ladder, which was at last discovered on a shelf, neatly rolled up. Then they found sacks. Larry examined Fatty’s torch to make sure the battery was all right. Bets slipped a bar of chocolate into his pocket. They all felt rather solemn, somehow, as if Fatty was going on a long long journey!

‘I’ll start about half-past eight, after I’ve had dinner with my mother and father,” said Fatty. “They are going out to a bridge party afterwards, so I shall be able to slip out easily without any one knowing.”

“Half-past eight?” said Larry and Pip together. “Sure you’ll start then?”

“Yes. The moon won’t be up. I shan’t be seen at all,” said Fatty. “I shall take the same path over the field by the stream as we did before. Sorry you can’t come with me, Pip and Larry.”

They looked at him solemnly. “Yes,” said Pip. “Spitty! Well - good luck, Fatty!”

Into the Heart of the Mystery

Fatty set out after dinner that night, exactly at half-past eight. He had with him the rope-ladder, and the sacks. Buster was left at home, whining and scratching at the shed-door. He was very angry that Fatty should have left him behind.

Fatty made his way to the little bridge across the Bourne. He then walked cautiously along the frosty bank of the stream. Two shadowy figures came out from behind a tree and followed him quietly.

Fatty’s sharp ears caught the soft crunch-crunch somewhere behind him. He stopped at once. He stiffened when he heard the footsteps coming quietly nearer. He saw the dim outline of a tree nearby and slipped behind it.

The footsteps drew nearer. He heard whispers. Two people then. Were they after him? What were they doing in the fields at that time of night?

Just as they passed, Fatty’s sharp ears caught one word in the whispered conversation. “Buster…”

He grinned. He knew who it was following him now. It was Larry and Pip! They weren’t going to be left out, whether they had been forbidden or not! Good old Larry and Pip!

He tiptoed after them. They soon stopped, not being able to hear Fatty in front of them any more. He spoke in a mournful voice just near them.

“Beware! Beware!”

Larry and Pip jumped violently. Then Pip stretched out his hand and touched Fatty. “Fatty! It’s you! Idiot! You did make us jump!”

“We had to come, Fatty,” said Larry. “We couldn’t let you go alone. We’ve decided that, mystery or not, we’re all in it!”

Fatty gave Larry’s arm a squeeze. “Nice of you. Glad of your company, of course. Come on.”

They went on together, the three of them. After some time they came to where the narrow cart-track to Harry’s Folly ran near to the stream. They left the bank and went into the little lane. They walked on steadily and silently in the darkness till they came to the iron gates. They were shut, of course. A light shone in the lodge nearby.

“We won’t get over the wall here,” said Fatty. “I don’t think there are any dogs belonging to the lodge-keeper, but you never know. We’ll walk round the wall a bit and choose a place some way off.”

They walked round the high wall. The sky was clearing now, and there was a faint starlight which helped them to see things better.

“This will do,” said Fatty. He hunted about and found a heavy stone. He tied it to the end of a rope he had, which, in its turn, was fastened to the top of the rope ladder.

“Help me chuck this stone over the wall,” said Fatty to Larry. The two boys took the stone between them. “One, two, three, go!” said Fatty, and they heaved the stone up as hard as they could. It rose up and went neatly over the wall, dragging its short tail of rope behind it.

As the stone fell heavily to the ground on the other side, the rope-ladder was pulled up the wall by the rope attached to the falling stone. It rose up and stayed hanging up the wall. Fatty gave it a tug.

“Just right! Part of it’s over the other side - and one of the rungs has got firmly held by the spikes at the top. Pip, you’re the lightest. Shin up to the top, and we’ll chuck the sacks for you to put on the spikes. Then sit on them, and make the ladder fast for us. Larry and I are heavy.”

Pip was light. The ladder shifted a little as he went up, but held firmly enough. The others threw him up the sacks. Pip arranged them on the top of the wall so that they lay like a cushion over the spikes, preventing them from using their sharp points.

Pip sat on the sacks, and made the ladder as firm as he could for the others. Fatty gave it a hard tug. Yes. It was all right.

He made Pip come down again. Then he himself went up, sat on the sacks, pulled up the rope-ladder so that half hung down one side the ground and half the other - made it fast so that it could not slip, and then went down the other side, into the grounds of Harry’s Folly. The others followed, clambering up one side and down the other.

“Good!” said Fatty, in a whisper. “Now, we’ll find the house!”

They made their way through thick trees. Fatty marked them with white chalk as he passed, for he was a little afraid that without some guide he might not be able to find his way back to the rope-ladder - and they might be in a hurry later one

After quite a long walk the old house loomed up before them in the starlight. It looked forbidding in the dark night. Pip pressed close to the others, rather scared.

There was not a light to be seen anywhere. Fatty could dimly make out great shutters bolted across the windows. Then they came to a long flight of stone steps. The boys went up them silently. They led to a nail-studded front door, also tightly closed. The mansion seemed completely and utterly deserted.

“Do you think Ern is hidden somewhere here?” whispered Larry, his mouth close to Fatty’s ear.

“Yes,” whispered back Fatty. “There’s some mystery about this place - it’s used for something it shouldn’t be used for. I’m sure, though I don’t know what. And I’m certain Ern is here somewhere. Come on - we’ve still got a good way to go round the house.”

In the darkness the house seemed really enormous. The walls were endless to the boys as they walked cautiously beside them. There was no light anywhere and no noise at all.

They came to the back of the old house. A pond gleamed dully in the starlight, frozen over. Two big flights of steps led down to it.

“What an enormous place!” whispered Pip. “I wonder what its history is.”

“Shhhhhh!” hissed Fatty, and they all stood like stone, pressing against one another. They had heard a noise - a very curious noise. It seemed to come from underground!

“What is it? It’s like some great machine at work,” whispered Larry. “Where is it?”

They went on round the house, and came to what must have been either stables or garages. These also were enormous. A small door stood open in one of the garages, for Fatty could hear it creaking a little as it swung in the cold night wind. He made his way to it, the others following.

“Come on. This door’s open. Let’s go into the garage,” whispered Fatty, and in they went. It was dark, and the boys could see nothing at all. The noise they had heard was now quite gone.

Fatty cautiously got out his torch and shone it quickly round. They saw a vast garage, with shadowy corners. In front of them was a smooth expanse of floor.

Then a most terrifying thing happened! The floor in front of them suddenly made a noise, moved, and sank swiftly down out of sight, into darkness! Fatty was so tremendously amazed that he couldn’t even switch off his torch! He just stood there with it still shining, and in its light the boys saw the floor sink away below them. Another foot or two and they would have gone with it into blackness, goodness knows where!

Fatty snapped off his torch. Larry gripped him in fright. “Fatty. What happened? Did you see the floor go?”

“Yes. It’s a movable floor, worked by machinery,” said Fatty. “Gave me a scare to see it disappear like that, though! It hasn’t gone down for nothing. Let’s hide behind these big barrels and see if the floor comes back again.”

They hid behind the barrels for some time, getting cold and chilled. Nothing happened. Fatty flicked his torch quickly on and off again. The floor was still gone! A vast empty hole yawned below.

Fatty cautiously went to the edge, put on his torch and tried to light up the depth of blackness below him. A noise warned him to get back into hiding. He ran for his barrel.

A light, first dim and then brighter, now came up from the hole where the great floor had been. Noises came up from below too. Then voices shouted. Then came a curious whining sound - and the floor came up again, fitting into place! It really did behave like a lift that was nothing but a floor.

On the floor were three cars. None had any headlights on, only side-lamps.

Low voices spoke.

“All ready? Five minutes between each of you. You know what to do. Go now, Keaton.”

The great garage doors now rolled silently back. The first car rolled off the floor and went quietly out of the garage. It disappeared down the drive. When it came to the gatekeeper’s lodge, it switched its headlights on and off once and waited. Peters came out, opened the gates quickly, the car slid out, and the gates closed again.

Five minutes later the three boys saw the second car go. Then after another five minutes the third one went. Then the garage doors were shut again, and the only man left in the garage whistled softly.

He went and stood on the floor, and waited. After a minute or two the floor slid downwards again, leaving the same yawning hole as before. Then there was a dead silence and complete darkness.

“Larry! Pip! Are you there?” came Fatty’s whisper. “We must do something or other now. We’ll have to get down underground, I think. That’s apparently where everything goes on. Are you game to?”

“Yes,” said both, in a whisper. Fatty switched on his torch in a corner and showed the others some strong coiled wire rope he had found, used for towing one car behind another.

“If we tie this to that beam, see - and let the rope drop down the hole - we can swarm down it one by one.”

It didn’t take long to make the rope secure to the beam. The end was dropped into the hole by Pip. Then Fatty tested it. It held all right. He sat down on the floor and took hold of the rope.