The Mystery of Smugglers Cove (The Mystery Series, Book 1)
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Authors: Paul Moxham
The Mystery of Smugglers Cove
The Mystery Series – Book No. 1
By Paul Moxham
Contact Author:
Website:
www.paulmoxham.com
Email:
[email protected]
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Version
Updated:
22
nd
December 2013
All rights reserved, without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means
without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands and incidents
are either
the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE MYSTERY SERIES
This adventure series set in 1950’s
Britain
will delight children of all ages.
~*~*~
Full Length Novels:
The Mystery of Adventure Island
~
Short Stories:
The Mystery of the Missing Money
The Mystery of the Missing Gnomes
The Mystery of the Mysterious Man
The Mystery of the Strange Notebook
~
Box Set:
The Mystery Series Collection (Short Stories 1-4)
The Mystery Series Collection (Books 1-3)
PRAISE FOR THE MYSTERY SERIES
"I was drawn in by the fast-paced plot. I enjoyed reading the book and couldn't wait to see how things turned out."
--- Smashwords Reviewer
"Paul Moxham takes the reader on a whirlwind of chase scenarios that up the ante with each narrow escape."
--- Amazon
USA
Reviewer
"I love this book, could not put it down and I felt as if I was standing beside the characters."
--- Shelfari Reviewer
"This is an entertaining adventure story that would make pleasurable holiday reading for 7 to 10 year olds."
--- Amazon UK Reviewer
"It's packed with adventure and courage, reminiscent of The Goonies."
--- LibraryThing Reviewer
NOTE:
This story is set in 1950’s
Britain
and is written in British English - not American English - so bear this in mind regarding the spelling of some words.
-----------
This story is the first in
The Mystery Series
.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Smugglers Cove
The bicycle skidded to a halt as Joe Mitchell stopped beside a huge oak tree. His slim frame rocked forward, causing a lock of brown hair to fall into his eyes. He glanced back at his two sisters who were still pedalling furiously. Grinning broadly, he called out to them. “I told you I’d win!”
“Well, your legs are much longer than ours,” Sarah panted. “Next time we race, Amy and I need a head start to make it fair.” Only eight years old, she was the younger of Joe’s two siblings and had short blonde hair.
“Hey, look!” Joe exclaimed as he caught sight of a large house in the distance. “Let’s check out that old place. It looks interesting.”
They headed down a dirt road and, a minute later, found themselves in front of two big, steel gates. At the end of a long, overgrown driveway was a three-storey mansion.
“I wonder who lives there,” Amy said. “It looks terribly old.” The curious ten year old twirled a strand of her brown hair around her finger.
“I bet nobody does,” Sarah said, her green eyes filled with doubt. “Look at all those weeds and bushes everywhere. If someone lived there, wouldn’t they keep the garden tidy?”
“Let’s see if the gates are open,” Joe said. Like many twelve-year-old boys, he was always on the lookout for an adventure, and this place looked very intriguing. He tried to open the gates, but they didn’t budge. “Help me, you two.”
The girls threw their bicycles on the grass and joined Joe in trying to move the rusty gates but they had no luck.
“I wonder what this place is called,” Joe muttered as he stepped back and glanced around.
“
Chandler
Manor!” Amy exclaimed triumphantly a moment later. She pointed to an old metal nameplate attached to the gatepost.
“Yes, that’s right,” a cheery voice said from behind them.
The children spun around and saw a boy of about Joe’s age with flaming red hair. His freckles and cheeky smile gave him a goofy look, but he looked as though he would be fun to have as a friend.
“My name’s Will,” the boy said. “Actually, it’s William, but most people call me Will.” He glanced at the three of them. “You’re new here, aren’t you? I haven’t seen you around Smugglers Cove before.”
“We just arrived yesterday,” Joe said. “We’re staying at Rose Cottage. It’s a little place on the cliff overlooking the cove.”
“What a coincidence,” Will said. “That’s where my father and I stayed while we were looking for a house to buy. “Have you got the bedroom with the skylight?”
Joe grinned. “Yes, it’s fantastic.”
“There was a fire at our house,” Sarah piped up. “That’s why we came here.”
“Were you there at the time?” Will asked.
“No, it happened while we were at school,” Amy said. “The house was too badly damaged to stay in, so our parents decided to rent a place here for the summer holidays. It’s a lot smaller than Danfield, though.”
“Hey, isn’t that in
London
?” Will said.
“Yes, but how did you know?” Joe asked.
Will grinned. “We used to live quite close to Danfield.”
“Why did you move here?” Amy asked.
“My dad wanted some peace and quiet so he could write his novels,” Will said, “so we moved here after the war ended.”
Joe turned back towards Chandler Manor. “Does anyone live here?”
Will shook his head. “No. The owner died five years ago, just after we moved in.”
“It looks very mysterious. I wouldn’t mind exploring it,” Joe said.
“If you want to do some exploring, I know just the place,” Will said. “Have you heard anything about the history of Smugglers Cove?”
“No, do tell us,” Amy said.
“How about we go and buy ice creams and I tell you all about it?” Will said. “There’s a place called Darby’s that sells really yummy ones.”
“But we don’t have any money,” Sarah said.
“
Don’t worry
, my dad gives me heaps of pocket money,” Will replied, “so I can buy ice creams for all of us.”
The four children rode back into the village. As they passed the police station, they saw the local constable talking to the baker. Both of them were plumpish with round faces, but the constable was taller than the baker and wore thick-rimmed spectacles.
They brought their bicycles to a halt a few moments later outside
Darby’s
. It was an attractive little shop with tables and chairs both inside and outside.