The Mystery of the Stolen Secrets

©2017 Richard Humphreys

It's going to be a white Christmas and Fatty's Uncle Harold comes to stay. However, before long Fatty begins to notice that his uncle is acting suspiciously. Why did he go out secretly in the middle of the night? Did he steal some keys from a local house agents' office? Who is the man with a limp? The Find Outers get on the case and are soon embroiled in a mystery that involves spies, stolen secrets and a dangerous chase along the river in the dead of night...

Chapter 20: Prisoners

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Fatty let Buster off the lead and threw a snowball, which he chased after. Laughing and joking in loud voices, Fatty and Eunice strolled along the river path until they were next to the boat, at which point, Fatty pretended to slip on the ice. He let out a yelp of pain, which startled Buster and made him bark loudly.

'Eunice,' he shouted, 'I've twisted my ankle. Ooooh.'

'Steady on, Frederick,' Eunice said kneeling down beside him. 'Is it broken?'

'Ooooh, I don't know, get some help,' Fatty yelled.

Eunice stood and without hesitation climbed onto the deck of the boat. 'Hello,' she called, 'is anybody there?'

There was a door that led down to the interior of the boat and she banged on it loudly. 'Hello,' she yelled. 'My friend is injured, can you help please?'

She grabbed the door handle and twisted it, but it was locked. She turned and looked at Fatty.

'There is someone here,' she called to him. 'I saw him a short while ago.'

Just then, Eunice heard a noise from inside the boat and the door opened. A man stepped up onto the deck. He was the man she had seen earlier. 'What do you want?' he asked.

'My friend, over there,' Eunice said, 'he's fallen over on the ice and hurt his ankle. I think it's broken.'

The man turned and looked at Fatty. 'And what do you want me to do about it?' he asked.

'Well, I thought you might look after him whilst I go and get a doctor,' Eunice said. 'He can't walk.'

'We're just about to leave,' the man said. 'You'll have to ask someone else.'

Just then, another man appeared on the steps that led down into the boat. 'What's going on?' he asked.

'Just some kid that's twisted his ankle,' the first man said over his shoulder.

'He's in terrible pain,' Eunice said to the second man. 'If you'll just let him stay for a few minutes I'll go and get a doctor.'

'I've told you, we're just about to leave,' the first man said with a hint of annoyance in his tone.

Fatty made a big effort to stand, but collapsed dramatically and cried out in terrible pain. A very concerned Buster started barking again and licked Fatty's face. He thought his beloved master really was in pain.

'You can see how badly he's hurt,' Eunice said. 'I'll never get him to the doctor's on my own.'

The second man pushed his way onto the deck. He was bald, with glasses and was unshaved. 'I'll take a look at the boy,' he said.

He jumped down from the boat and knelt down next to Fatty. 'Let me feel your injured ankle,' he said. 'Which one is it?'

'The right one,' Fatty said. 'It's awfully painful.'

The man carefully slipped off Fatty's right shoe and gently felt his ankle. Fatty winced very convincingly.

'Well, it doesn't appear to be swollen, so I don't think it's broken,' the man said. 'You've probably just twisted it badly, that's all.'

'But I can't walk,' Fatty said. 'I need to rest it. Any chance of coming aboard for a short while until I'm able to walk on it again. I don't particularly want to drag a doctor all the way out here?'

The man looked uncertain. 'Er, well, um.' He looked up at the other man that was still standing on deck with Eunice. 'The boy needs to rest his ankle for a short time,' he said. 'A cold compress on it and he should be all right in thirty minutes or so. He can rest in my cabin.' He left Fatty and went to join the other man on the boat. 'Go and see to your friend,' he said to Eunice.

'We can't have him here on the boat,' the first man whispered.

'It's either that or have some doctor nosing around,' said the second man. He turned to Fatty and Eunice. 'You can sit in my cabin until you're able to walk,' he called. 'I'll come and help you aboard.'

He and Eunice supported Fatty as he hobbled and limped onto the boat and down the narrow steps to below deck.

'This is my cabin,' the man said opening a door.

Fatty stumbled awkwardly into the tiny cabin and slumped down onto a bunk. 'Thank you Mr...?' he said.

'Smith,' the man replied quickly. 'I'll get some snow and make a cold compress for your ankle, that should help with the pain. Please remain in the cabin.''

'Yes, we will. Thank you, Mr. er, Smith,' Fatty said, not believing for one moment that that was his real name.

Mr Smith left the room and Fatty grinned at Eunice.

'Well, that was easy,' he said. 'And if I'm not mistaken, I've seen our Mr Smith's face somewhere before.'

'Really, where?' Eunice asked.

'In the newspaper,' Fatty said lowering his voice. 'I think he's one of the missing scientists although he has a stubbly beard now, and I'll wager anything the man with the cap and binoculars is the other one.'

'And you think they're holding your uncle prisoner on this boat?' Eunice asked.

'Well, he was certainly looking for this boat, and if he found it, he might well have been caught. When we get out of here, I'll phone the police.' He then looked around. 'Where's Buster got to?' he asked.

'Crumbs,' Eunice said, 'in all the excitement, I've lost track of him. I'll see if he's outside.'

She opened the door of the cabin and looked along the corridor. Buster was at the far end sniffing at the door of another cabin.

'Buster,' she whispered loudly. 'Buster, come here.'

Buster, however, did not want to obey Eunice. He looked at her and then began to scratch at the door.

Suddenly, Mr Smith appeared down the steps. 'I thought I asked you to stay in the cabin, young lady,' he said sternly.

'I'm sorry,' Eunice replied. 'Our dog has wandered down the corridor. I'll just get him.'

She hurried up to Buster. 'Come along,' she said taking hold of his collar. 'We shouldn't be out here. Nice Mr Smith is seeing to your master.'

She dragged him back to the cabin and in through the door. Mr Smith followed them in. He had collected some snow and put it into a hand towel, which he then wrapped around Fatty's ankle.

'There,' he said, 'that should numb the pain a bit.'

'Thank you again, Mr Smith,' Fatty said wincing. 'You should have been a doctor.'

'I'm afraid you only have half an hour, then you'll have to get off the boat regardless of how your ankle feels,' Mr Smith said.

'Are you moving on, then?' Fatty asked.

Mr Smith did not answer that question, he simply gave a weak smile to them both and left the cabin.

Fatty instantly jumped to his feet and strode over to a chest of drawers. 'Let's have a look through this,' he said opening the top drawer.

'Buster was very interested in one of the other cabins,' Eunice said.

'Really?' Fatty replied absently as he rummaged through the drawers.

'Yes, he even scratched at the door of it when I called him. The one down the corridor on the left, I mean port,' Eunice said.

Fatty turned to face her. 'Did you say he scratched at the door?' he said.

'Yes, he was quite insistent,' Eunice said and then her jaw dropped. 'You don't suppose your uncle's in that cabin?'

'Buster's very fond of Uncle Harold,' Fatty said. 'Look,' he continued, 'I need to have a look in that cabin, but it's going to be difficult with Smith and the other man wandering about.' He looked at Eunice. 'Any chance you can keep them occupied whilst I have a look see?'

Eunice frowned. 'Why don't you keep them occupied whilst I have a look?' she asked.

'Because I'm supposed to have a gammy leg, aren't I?' he said. 'If they think I'm in here nursing a sprained ankle they're less likely to think I'm getting up to something if I'm left on my own.'

'Oh yes,' Eunice said. 'I see your point.'

'Have you got Buster's lead?' Fatty asked.

'Yes, it's here in my pocket,' Eunice said. 'Why do you ask?'

'I'd like you to go up on deck and tell them you've lost Buster's lead and then start looking for it,' Fatty said. 'Try to keep them up there as long as possible.'

'Well, I'll try,' Eunice said, 'although I don't know how I'm going to do it.'

'You'll think of something. Tell them you've always wanted to own a boat like this, that sort of thing,' Fatty said. 'Chin up.'

Eunice carefully opened the door and looked towards the steps that led up to the deck. She could hear the two men talking and moving things around.

'I'll go now,' she said over her shoulder.

Fatty waited until Eunice had gone up the steps and through the door at the top and then scooted down the corridor to the cabin Buster had scratched at. He knocked on it gently and tried the handle, but it was locked. 'Uncle Harold,' he called with his mouth pressed against the door, 'are you in there, it's Fred?'

He put his ear to the door and listened. He could hear nothing, so he tapped again. Suddenly, Buster put his head on one side and began sniffing along the bottom of the door excitedly and from inside came a couple of knocks as though someone had tapped on the floor of the cabin.

'If that's you, Uncle,' Fatty called gently, 'knock twice.'

Again, he pressed his ear against the door and heard, to his delight, two knocks.

'It's all right, Uncle,' Fatty called. 'Hold on, I'll try and think of a way of getting you out.'

Just then the door at the top of the steps burst open and a man jumped down. 'What are you doing, boy?' he shouted.

'My dog got out of the cabin and I came to get him,' Fatty said grabbing hold of Buster's collar. He did not recognise this man and he noted that he had a foreign accent.

'Did you indeed?' the man said with an unpleasant sneer in his voice. 'And you with such a painful ankle, too.'

Another man that Fatty hadn't seen before also came down the steps followed by Eunice, Smith and the man with the binoculars.

The man that had spoken to Fatty turned round. 'You fools,' he snapped. 'These two are more than just a couple of, how do you say, nosey parkers. You should have known better. Trotteville has been staying with his brother in Peterswood and this boy is his nephew.' He turned back to Fatty and laughed. 'Yes, that's frightened you, hasn't it? You see, I know all about you.' He walked up to Fatty. 'I know everything that goes on in this village.' Then without warning he kicked Fatty hard in the ankle. Fatty yelled in pain and Buster started barking hysterically and almost broke free from Fatty's grip. 'Oh, I'm so sorry, was that your bad ankle?' the man said with a sarcastic laugh.

'How dare you do that, you bully,' Eunice yelled.

'Steady on, Anton,' Mr Smith said. 'He's only a boy, after all.'

'Don't you dare touch him again, you beast,' Eunice shouted trying to shove her way past Mr Smith.

'Miklos, shut that girl up,' Anton said over his shoulder.

Miklos, the other man that Fatty had not seen before, immediately grabbed Eunice by the arm and twisted it behind her back making her scream in pain and fright.

'Look, these are just kids,' the man with the binoculars said. 'They can't know anything.'

'Henderson, you're an imbecile,' Anton said contemptuously. 'They know more than enough to send us all to prison for a very long time.' He took a key from his pocket. 'They can go in here.' He looked at Fatty again and smiled showing a mouthful of discoloured teeth. 'It'll be something of a family reunion.'

He opened the door to the cabin and pushed Fatty inside followed by Eunice. The door was then slammed shut. In the dim light, Fatty could see someone sitting in a chair. He quickly flicked on a light switch and saw it was Uncle Harold, tied up and gagged. Buster was delighted and began barking for joy. Eunice removed his gag and Fatty set about untying him.

'Fred,' Uncle Harold said. 'What on Earth are you doing here?'

'Rescuing you, Uncle,' Fatty replied struggling to untie the knots that bound his uncle's wrists. 'And this is Eunice a very good friend of mine.'

Fatty finally managed to untie the ropes around his uncle's wrists and those that bound him to the chair. Uncle Harold stood rather unsteadily. 'My joints are stiff,' he said bending his knees and rubbing his wrists. 'I've been tied up in here for hours.'

It was then that Fatty noticed that his uncle's face was badly bruised and there was some dried blood around his nose and on his chin.

'Is there any water in here, I'm really thirsty?' Uncle Harold said looking around. He began opening cupboards, but found nothing. 'I feel like the Ancient Mariner,' he said with a weak grin. 'Stuck on a boat with a raging thirst. You know, water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink.'

'They've knocked you about a bit, haven't they?' Fatty said looking at his uncle's face.

'Well, Anton, he's the nasty one, recognised me from Borovia,' Uncle Harold said. 'It was my fault, I should have been more careful.' He then frowned and looked at Fatty and Eunice. 'Sit down on the bed, the pair of you,' he said. 'As much as I appreciate your coming to rescue me, I'm afraid you've walked straight into a very dangerous situation.' He cleared his throat. 'You see, they're no longer waiting for the lock downriver to open again, they've decided, instead, to turn round and go back upriver. They've made contact with their controllers and have arranged to be taken over the channel in a helicopter.'

'So we can't stop them taking their secrets with them,' Fatty said.

'No we can't,' Uncle Harold said. 'But that's not the half of it, Fred. You see, they're going to cruise this boat into a quiet backwater and then they're going to scupper her.'

Eunice stood up, her eyes wide. 'You mean sink the boat?'

'Yes, Eunice, I do,' Uncle Harold said slowly. 'And the worst of it is, I think they intend to send us to the bottom with it.'

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