Mystery of the Strange Messages (19 page)

going on not far off. He didn't know that it was Ern well and
truly imprisoning the men in the coal-cellar!

"Hallo, Fatty," said Ern's voice. "You better come
on, I'll take you home. You lean on me. No, don't ask any questions now—you'll
be all right tomorrow. I'll answer them then."

And so the still-dazed Fatty, frowning with an enormous headache,
went slowly home, leaning on Ern's shoulder. His head was in a muddle. All he
wanted was to lie down and rest in bed. Good old Ern—he'd explain everything to
him tomorrow! Fatty simply couldn't be bothered to worry about anything just
then!

A most surprising finish.

Ern slept the night in Fatty's room, so that if the boy wanted
anything in the night he could get it for him. He curled himself up in a chair,
dressed as he was, meaning to keep awake and think over the exciting happenings
of the night. Coo—think of Uncle in that cupboard with Buster barking in his
car. A very very pleasant thought for Ern!

He fell asleep—and as for Fatty, once his headache had cased, he
too slept like a log. He sat up in bed at half-past seven next morning as
lively as a cricket, and was most amazed to see Ern asleep in his arm-chair.
His mind groped back to the evening before. What had happened?

"I can remember as far as being attacked by those men—and
being thrown into the cupboard—but all the rest is hazy," thought Fatty,
and gently felt the bump on his head. "I suppose they knocked me out. How
did I get here? Ern! Wake up, Ern!"

Ern awoke with a jump and uncurled himself. He went

to Fatty's bed. "Coo, Fatty—you've got an awful bruise on
your head," he said. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," said Fatty, getting out of bed. "Ern, how did
I get back here? What on earth happened last night? How did
you
come
into it? You weren't even there!"

"Oh yes I was. Fatty," said Ern. "You just listen.
Get back into bed and I'll tell you the best story you ever heard in your
life."

"Well, make it short," said Fatty. "I've simply
got
to phone the Superintendent now!"

"Yes, you have. But there's no hurry," said Ern,
grinning "I've got everyone nicely in the bag for you."

"What do you mean, young Ern?" demanded Fatty.
"Don't sit there grinning—tell me everything."

"Well—my uncle's locked up in the cupboard where
you
were,"
said Ern, "and Buster's with him, and the two men are imprisoned in the
coal-cellar. I scared them and they ran out and didn't see the opening—and fell
down it Good thing you didn't put the grating back, Fatty. I pulled it across
the hole, and my word, it was heavy, and I stood the dustbin on top as well and
filled it with big stones from the rockery."

Fatty was too astonished to say a word He stared at Ern as if he
couldn't believe his ears. "Is this true?" he said at last. "How
was it you were there?"

"I followed you," said Ern. "I was afraid something
might happen to you I left Buster in the shed, but he must have got out
somehow. He chased those men all over the place."

"Ern—thank you," said Fatty. "Thank you more than I
can say. I made a mess of things—and you didn't. You—you did magnificently. My
word, Ern, what a time you had!"

"Coo, I did!" said Ern. "I dragged you out of that
cupboard. Fatty, and put you outside in the drive—you did look awful. I was
that upset and scared. Then suddenly I wasn't scared any more, and, well—I
suppose I sort of went mad, and swept all the pans off the shelf,

clitter-clatter, and booed at those men at the top of my voice,
and chased them'" Ern began to laugh as he remembered "Honest. I
didn't know I could do it "

"You'll have to write a poem about it, Ern," said Fatty,
getting out of bed again "Well. I can see there's a lot of loose ends to
tie up this morning! My word—fancy old Goon having to spend the night in a
cupboard with Buster—I bet he didn't enjoy that."

Fatty was soon very busy indeed He felt perfectly all right now,
though the bruise on his head was sore He telephoned immediately to the
Superintendent's office, and oh, what a relief, he was there! Fatty was put
through to him at once.

"This is an early call, Frederick," said the
Superintendent's crisp voice "What's up?"

"Plenty," said Fatty. "Superintendent, will you
turn up details of a big diamond robbery over twenty years ago, when a Wilfrid Hasterley
of The Ivies, Peterswood, and two friends, got away with an enormous haul of diamonds
"

"I don't need to turn it up." said the Superintendent.
"I was a young man then, and happened to be one of the men put on the job
Wilfrid got a jail sentence and died in prison. One man fled abroad, and we
never heard of him again. The other man went to jail, and came out a few months
ago We meant to watch him, hoping he'd know where Wilfrid had hidden the
diamonds, but he was too wily and went to ground What about it? It's a very old
case now "

"I know. But two of the men came back to Peters-wood—to The
Ivies, which is now called Fairlin Hall," said Fatty "And…"

"Frederick! You don't mean this!" said the
Superintendent's voice, sounding amazed. "Where are they''"

"Well, at the moment they're imprisoned in a coal-cellar at Fairlin
Hall." said Fatty, chuckling. "And you'll be surprised to know that
that was the work of young Ern, Superintendent—Goon's nephew, you know."

"Good heavens!" said the Superintendent, sounding more
astonished than ever. "What about Goon? Is he in on this too?"

"Well—he was at the beginning," said Fatty. "But he
didn't last till the end, I fear. He gave up half-way. At the moment, I regret
to say, he's locked up in a broom cupboard at Fairlin Hall, with Buster. He's
been there all night."

There was a dead silence, then the Superintendent spoke again.
"This isn't a joke, is it, Frederick?" he said.

"Oh no. It's all absolutely true," said Fatty,
earnestly. "Can you come over? We could go down to Fairlin Hall and you
can examine the various people there who are imprisoned in one way or
another!"

"Right. I'll be along in twenty minutes," said the
Superintendent, briskly. "With a few men. Meet me there, Frederick. Good
heavens—this all sounds
quite
impossible!"

Fatty put down the telephone and turned to Ern, who was listening
nearby. "Ring up the others for me, Ern," he said. "Tell them to
meet us at Fairlin Hall quickly—even if they're in the middle of breakfast.
This is going to be exciting. I'm going to get some biscuits for poor old
Buster—he'll be starving!"

In fifteen minutes' time Larry, Daisy, Pip, Bets and Ern were all
in the drive of Fairlin Hall, in a state of the greatest excitement. Fatty was
at the gate waiting for the Superintendent and his men. Ah—here they come in
two black police cars. The Superintendent jumped out and said a few words to
the man with him. Then he strode toward Fatty.

"Now let's get down to business," he said, clapping
Fatty on the back. "Lead on!"

"We'd better rescue poor Mr. Goon first," said Fatty. "And
Buster too. I'm afraid Mr. Goon will be in a fearful temper, sir."

"That won't matter," said the Superintendent hardheartedly,
"Hallo, Bets! You here! And all the others too! Well, I'm blessed!"

They all went to the kitchen door and Fatty pushed it open. A loud
barking was coming from the locked cupboard. Fatty went over and unlocked it.
Out leapt Buster, mad with joy at seeing Fatty again, and being free once more.

"Steady, Buster, steady," said Fatty. There came a noise
from the cupboard and Mr. Goon walked out, looking as if he was about to burst
with rage! He advanced on Fatty.

"You're
at
the bottom of this!" he roared. "Toad of a boy! And you, Ern, what do
you mean by getting me here in the middle of the night, and ... oh ... er ...
good morning, Superintendent. Didn't see you, I'm afraid. I've got a complaint
to lay against this Frederick Trotteville. Always interfering with the law, he
is, sir. After I'd settled a case, he goes on with it, poking his nose in, and
..."

"That's enough, Goon, for the moment," said the
Superintendent. "Where are these other men, did you say, Frederick?"

Goon looked astounded. Other men? What did the Superintendent
mean? He followed Fatty and the others out into the yard. A voice came from the
coal-cellar.

"Let us out! One of us has a broken ankle. We give up!"

Goon stared in surprise at the dustbin full of big stones, as one
of the policemen heaved it off the grating. He stared even more when the
grating was taken off too, and a constable shouted down into the cellar.

"Come on up—you're wanted for questioning. We know you're the
fellows in that Diamond Case years ago."

The men had to be dragged up, because the ladder had broken in
half. Goon was overcome with astonishment. What
was
all this?

"We can explain everything," said one of the men.

"You've got nothing on us. We only came back here to visit
the old place—to see old Mrs. Hasterley."

"People don't live in empty houses," said the
Superintendent curtly. "Frederick—we'll all go somewhere and talk over
this, I think."

"There's nothing to talk about." interrupted Goon.
"It's just a case I cleared up myself. These fellows sent notes to me,
telling me about a caretaker here—man run in for being a traitor—and ..."

"Sir—could we go into Fairlin Hall for a few minutes?"
said Fatty. "There's still a little matter to be cleared up there, if you
don't mind. We could go into the kitchen."

"Very well," said the Superintendent, and he and Goon,
and all the children filed in. The Superintendent sat down in the old
arm-chair.

"You know all about that long ago diamond affair, sir,"
began Fatty. "Well, as soon as those two fellows you caught just now got
together, when one of them came out of prison, they decided to come back here
and find the diamond haul, which Wilfrid Hasterley had hidden safely away. They
found caretakers in the kitchen quarters, so they couldn't search. They then
discovered that Mr. Smith, the caretaker, had a shady past—had sold sonic
secret papers to a foreign government. .."

"And I turned them out of here!" said Goon. "Quite
right, too. Couldn't have a fellow . . ."

"Quiet, Goon," said the Superintendent. "Go on,
Frederick."

"Well, as Mr. Goon said, he turned them out—and so left the
place clear for the two thieves to search," said Fatty, "which is
exactly what they wanted! Well,
we
were on the trail, as well—we knew
about the messages to Goon, you see—and we guessed the two fellows were after
the hidden diamonds. So we came to search too!"

"Gah!" said Goon, in disgust.

"Well, we didn't find them. But last night I came back here
again, and the men were here too—and to cut a long

story short, sir. Ern here imprisoned the two men in the
coal-cellar, got me out of a cupboard where I'd been locked, and ..."

"But how did
Goon
get locked in?" said the
Superintendent, looking suspiciously at Ern.

"Oooh.
I
didn't lock my uncle in," said Ern,
hastily. "I wouldn't do such a thing. The
men
locked him in,
sir."

"And did those fellows give you any hint as to where the
diamonds were?" asked the Superintendent, looking at Fatty expectantly.

"No, sir." said Fatty. Everyone groaned—what a pity! No
diamonds after all!

"Well—that's rather an anti-climax," said the
Superintendent, looking disappointed.
"Sure
you don't know where
they are, Frederick?"

"Well—yes, sir, I think I
do
know where they
are—though I haven't
seen
them!" said Fatty.

what
a sensation that made! Everyone gaped at Fatty, and the
Superintendent stood up at once.

"You
know
where they're hidden!" he said.
"You actually
k
now?"

"Well—I can make a jolly good guess," said Fatty.
"If I were a plumber I could find out at once."

"A
plumber!
What do you mean?" said the
Superintendent. "Come on, Frederick—no more mystery, please!"

"Well, sir—come into the bathroom." said Fatty, and
everyone squeezed into the tiny bathroom, even Goon. Fatty tapped the
cold-water pipe, that still sent out a tiny drip at the loose joint.

"I think the diamonds are all jammed into this pipe,
sir," he said. "It was Mrs. Smith who first mentioned the pipe to
me—she said the flow of water was very poor indeed. Then when I examined it, I
saw that the joint was loose—it's been badly done, sir, if you look—not a
professional job at all. And I just put two and two together, sir. and thought.
'Well, this is about the only place where nobody's looked! They must be here!'
"

"Can't be!" said the Superintendent, staring at the
pipe. "What an idea! But what a hiding-place! What do
you
think,
Goon?"

"Diamonds in a water-pipe?" said Goon, scornfully,
delighted at being asked his advice. "Never heard of such a thing in my
life. You have that pipe cut, sir—we'll flood the bathroom, but that's about
all we'll do!"