The House in the Woods, page 15
The next morning, after the first good night’s sleep everyone had had for a while, Eve, Tom and Clovis were enjoying a hearty breakfast. They were also happy in the knowledge that they didn’t have to go to school. The rain battered against the window and Eve watched the sky change colour from a dirty grey to an angry black.
‘I hate this weather,’ she said, popping the last of her toast into her mouth.
‘Yeah, me too. If the football fields get waterlogged we can’t play,’ sighed Tom.
‘Well, I like this kind of weather. Just means I can spend more time indoors reading,’ grinned Clovis.
‘Well, I think we’ll all be doing a lot of that. Unc has promised the school that we’ll catch up with our work over the weekend,’ said Eve, starting to clear her plate away.
‘Oh no, do you think so?’ moaned Tom.
‘I know so, I heard him talking on the phone with the head last night. C’mon, it’s not that bad, let’s go find him and see if we can listen to the EVP recordings.’
Everyone made their way up the twisting staircase, including a panting, flatulent Boris. At the top, Eve knocked and opened the door.
They found Uncle Rufus twiddling with some wires on the floor in front of Messenger One.
‘You OK, Professor?’ asked Clovis, rushing over to assist.
‘Yes, yes,’ came a muffled response. ‘I’ve just listened to the EVP recordings and I’ve edited it all together so now we can listen to it in full. It really is quite exceptional.’ Uncle Rufus ran his hand through his hair, took his glasses off and wiped them clean with a handkerchief. ‘I’m excited for you all to hear it. But I’m just waiting for our special guest to arrive.’ He looked at his watch, popped his handkerchief back into the top pocket of his waistcoat and then began to pace back and forth.
As if on cue the doorbell rang: ‘Ah ha! Perfect timing,’ said Uncle Rufus, stepping over Boris, who was by now fast asleep. He left the room, and everyone strained their ears, listening to the voices below.
‘I wonder who it is?’ said Eve.
‘Could be the police. The professor said they were coming over today,’ suggested Tom.
Clovis had gone to the door and was leaning over the bannister to see if he could get a look at who was joining them. He came running back in. ‘It is the police,’ he whispered. ‘You know... that strange old lady.’
Footsteps thumped up the stairs and Uncle Rufus could be heard chatting happily with the new visitor.
‘Well, everyone,’ he said, smiling broadly as he entered the room. ‘Let me introduce to you Detective Inspector Rutherford.’
The police officer really was a strange sight to behold. She began to unbutton her red cape, which Uncle Rufus took from her. Once her red tasselled hat was dethroned, she patted her silver curly hair and clapped her hands together.
‘Well, well,’ she said in a very posh voice. ‘I’ve been looking forward to meeting you all for a while. I’ve heard so much about you over the years.’
Over the years?
Clovis, Eve and Tom had all stood up and arranged themselves, without realising, in a line. The strange policewoman walked slowly past them as if she were inspecting the troops.
‘You must be Tom, a footballer, I hear, and a very good one too.’ Tom smiled and blushed bright red.
‘You are Clovis, the logical thinker, the brains of the outfit.’ Clovis grinned from ear to ear while Tom and Eve tried to not laugh. ‘A cracking start, young man,’ said the detective inspector.
And then she moved onto Eve. ‘And this, of course, is... Eve. The curious one. I believe this latest adventure is down to you, isn’t it?’ The detective inspector winked as she looked closely at Eve.
Eve was about to respond but the woman held her hand up in a signal for her not to say a word. Eve closed her mouth like a trapdoor slamming shut.
‘Well, now, first things first. I’m afraid I have some grave news.’ Detective Inspector Rutherford looked uncomfortable. ‘I’m sorry to say that your friend Jane Bains passed away last night.’
Everyone let out a gasp. Eve began to cry and Uncle Rufus looked distraught.
‘Who found her?’ whispered Uncle Rufus. He was looking at the floor, and no one could see his face.
‘I did, Rufus,’ replied the detective inspector. ‘I went over there to tell her the news about the discovery of her father’s body, and also to tell her what a hero he was. You can imagine my dismay when I found her. She was sitting in her chair in the front room. She must have died in her sleep. I know this sounds strange, but she actually had the most glorious smile on her face.’ Detective Inspector Rutherford touched Uncle Rufus’s arm gently. ‘I’m so sorry for you all. I know you’d been friends for a long time, Rufus.’
‘Poor Jane,’ whispered Clovis. ‘I really liked her.’
‘Yeah, me too,’ said Tom. ‘We were going to see her this afternoon.’
‘She must be with Finlay now. I think that’s why she was smiling,’ said Eve, looking a little brighter.
‘I think you’re right, my dear,’ agreed Uncle Rufus. ‘It’s funny, but the last thing she said to me was that she could rest now. I think perhaps she knew she was going to die.’
‘Yes, Professor,’ agreed Clovis, ‘it’s been scientifically proven that many people know when they are about to die. I think she was ready to join her dad.’
‘I know she didn’t have any family, Ruthers, so I would like to arrange Jane’s and Finlay’s funerals.’ Uncle Rufus took his handkerchief out again and blew his nose.
‘Of course, and if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know,’ she said. ‘In fact, first things first, let me go and put the kettle on, I think we all need a hot drink.’ And Inspector Rutherford bustled off down the stairs.
The others sat motionless, sad but strangely content.
‘Does anyone else feel guilty for feeling happy that Jane is with Finlay?’ asked Eve.
‘Not at all, that’s quite normal,’ replied Uncle Rufus.
‘It’s certainly been an adventure I will never forget,’ said Clovis.
‘Me too,’ said Tom. ‘Especially all the screaming you did, Eve.’
‘Me, scream? Get lost! What about you, you big cry baby.’ Eve leaned over and playfully punched Tom on his arm.
Detective Inspector Rutherford coughed loudly as she came back into the room. She carried a large tray of mugs, cups and biscuits. Dark brown liquid sloshed about as she jiggled the tray into position on a nearby table.
‘I made tea; it was a guess. I hope it was right.’
‘Thank you, Ruthers, it’s perfect. Just what we all need,’ smiled Uncle Rufus.
Everyone helped themselves to a hot drink and a biscuit and began to chat, but the detective inspector had other ideas. She coughed loudly, bringing the attention back to her. She sucked in air, making a strange whooshing noise. Her mouth formed a perfect circle, and then she began to swing a clacking black beaded necklace that hung about her neck. ‘So, did you all enjoy your exploits the other night?’ Her head was lowered but her eyes were locked on the three friends.
Not sure how to answer, no one replied. Were they in trouble for entering the house? How much could they tell a policewoman about the paranormal things they’d seen? Would she believe them?
‘Come, come,’ the detective inspector continued. ‘You mustn’t be shy. The professor and I are old friends and he’s been keeping me in the loop about your adventures.’ For an old lady she certainly moved around fast. Grabbing a heavy wooden chair with gusto, she brought it over, plonked it down in front of Eve, Tom and Clovis and perched her small body on the arm.
‘So, shall we listen to what you’ve captured on Messenger One?’ she said, smiling and winking at them all.
‘Erm, I didn’t know you knew about my uncle’s inventions, Detective Inspector,’ said Eve quietly, not sure what to make of this policewoman.
‘Oh, please call me Ruthers. All my friends do. I met your uncle years ago when I was investigating a case near his university. I needed some professional advice from him about a case with a paranormal element, and we’ve been firm friends ever since.’ She looked at Uncle Rufus fondly and fiddled with the long string of black glass beads.
‘What did you make of all the footage I sent you?’ asked Uncle Rufus.
‘Extraordinary, quite extraordinary.’ She was up now, pacing about again, hands clasped firmly behind her back. She clicked her tongue, walked over to Uncle Rufus and slapped him hard on the back. ‘First rate, dear boy! I can’t wait to hear what auditory phenomena you have captured.’
Tom, Eve and Clovis were dumbfounded. They looked at each other in total disbelief. How come this woman knew so much about everything and how come this was the first time they had ever met her or even heard about her?
‘Chaps,’ said Uncle Rufus. ‘Please don’t be alarmed. Detective Inspector Rutherford knows all about my work. She respects it very much and is here to help. I promise to tell you everything later.’
‘OK,’ said Eve quietly.
‘So, we’re not in trouble then?’ asked Tom.
‘Certainly not,’ replied the woman. ‘On the contrary. In fact I’ve come here to congratulate you. Not only have you done Finlay and Jane a great service, but you’ve also done a great service to the country.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Tom.
Detective Inspector Rutherford sat back down on the arm of the chair, perching like a rather large bird. ‘The coordinates you found on the stone are for the location of a statue of a very famous king. Alfred the Great’s statue, which stands in Winchester. Do you know it?’
The three shook their heads.
‘It’s a beautiful monument to one of our most influential leaders in history. In his hand he holds a sword which is pointing downwards towards the plinth he stands on. Well, yesterday, a special military team went to the statue and excavated under it. To their amazement they discovered some very special top secret blueprints.’
‘Blueprints? Of what?’ asked Clovis, clearly very excited now. His long legs began to jiggle up and down.
‘Well,’ continued Detective Inspector Rutherford, ‘the blueprints are for a device it seems the Nazis invented during World War Two. This invention was a weapon; in fact, it was such a powerful weapon that if built, could have obliterated cities, even countries, in a matter of minutes. Fortunately, it was never constructed but someone had the idea to hide the plans – and where better than to place them than in the care of one of this country’s finest kings.’ The detective inspector paused to look at the shocked faces staring back at her.
‘The invention is called the “sun gun”,’ she continued. ‘A one hundred metre diameter concave mirror that reflects the sun’s rays onto the Earth. Even today in the wrong hands this weapon, if made, could be globally disastrous.’
‘So, it’s like a huge ray gun?’ asked Tom.
‘Exactly,’ replied the detective inspector, smiling.
‘So, who hid the blueprints inside the statue?’ asked Clovis.
‘Finlay did. He was an exceptional man, and one of the best undercover operatives this country has ever had. We now know that the week before he discovered the Nazi war rooms and disappeared, he had been on a secret operation in Berlin. According to government sources, his mission was to steal the blueprints of the terrifying weapon the Germans were beginning to assemble. He was obviously successful, but before moving onto his next mission, not having time to securely pass them onto the British government, he placed them into the plinth of King Alfred’s statue until he could retrieve them later.’
‘But why that statue, Detective Inspector?’ asked Tom.
‘We are not too sure, but what we do know is that Finlay was stationed at a secret training facility in Winchester. As you can imagine,’ continued the policewoman, ‘his last days in that Nazi bunker must have been terrible. Not only would he have been interrogated for British war secrets, but he must have been desperate to try somehow, some way, to leave a clue as to the whereabouts of the hidden blueprints.’
‘Oh, God, he must have known he was going to die in that horrible room!’ said Eve, her voice choking.
‘So, he scratched the coordinates onto the stone and has been waiting for someone to come to the house all these years.’ Tom was astounded, as were the others.
Detective Inspector Rutherford leaned back; a satisfied look spread across her round face. ‘Indeed. When the Germans captured Finlay, all hell must have broken loose. They knew they were on borrowed time. If one British soldier had uncovered their secret bunker, how long would it be before more arrived?’
‘So,’ continued Uncle Rufus, ‘they killed Finlay and made a dash for it.’
‘It’s like a war movie,’ said Clovis.
‘So where are the blueprints now?’ asked Eve.
‘They are quite safe, my dear, and thanks to you all, they will never see the light of day again. But our biggest thanks has to go to Finlay. He is a true hero, not just for the many dangerous missions he completed during the war, but for keeping such a lethal weapon out of the wrong hands. A weapon which could still do untold damage today.’
‘Well, I’m shocked,’ said Eve, standing up. ‘All we wanted to do was have a spooky night on Halloween. It’s just all so incredible.’ She walked over to her uncle and placed her arms around his neck. ‘What an adventure. Thank you, Uncle,’ she whispered.
Detective Inspector Rutherford clapped her hands in excitement. ‘Now let’s get back to the phenomena you’ve all captured.’
‘Yes, let’s listen to Messenger One,’ said Uncle Rufus. He stood by the huge machine, and pressed a red button under one of the ginormous horns.
Instantly the sound of static emanated around the room, then suddenly to everyone’s utter delight, ghostly voices could be heard, lots of them. Men and women all talking at once. The others couldn’t understand what was being said as it was all in German. Uncle Rufus translated.
‘These must be the voices of all the people who worked down there. They are talking on phones and discussing an invasion. How utterly fascinating. They still think the war is occurring. They still think it’s nineteen-forty!’
Clovis, Eve and Tom all recognised the soldier who had shouted ‘NEIN!’ at them and were astounded to hear the same voice shouting and muttering other words that none of them had heard that night.
‘I can’t repeat what he’s saying. It’s too rude,’ laughed Uncle Rufus.
The watches had seemingly picked up many different voices and sounds including the shushing ghost and the terrible gas-masked apparition giving Tom and Clovis a warning. Then finally they all heard Finlay thanking them.
No one could believe just how well Messenger One had managed to interpret the voices of the dead.
The static noise came back again, and everyone waited just in case there were any more voices to come through – but there were none.
Uncle Rufus pressed another button on the machine and a little USB stick popped out of a tiny compartment.
‘This is for you, Ruthers. I think it will be useful if you need to explore the case any further. You know, put it on file.’
The detective inspector took the tiny device from him, gave him a knowing smile, then put it in her pocket.
‘Well, now,’ she said. ‘I have to say, that was all wonderful. I have never heard such clear voices from the other side. Messenger One really is everything you said it would be and more, Professor. I don’t think you realise just what an important thing you have all done. Each and every one of you has achieved amazing work.’ She got off the chair and began to gather her things. She swung her cape about her shoulders and fastened it at the neck, then she plopped her red tasselled hat on her head and nodded at them all.
‘You look relieved, my dears, to think this ghost stuff is over. But let me tell you, it’s not. This is just the beginning. There’s a lot more to do and I will be seeing you all again a lot sooner than you think.’
Smiling, she turned around quickly, causing her cape to billow out in a perfect circle, stepped over a snoring Boris, and made her way downstairs.
‘Oh, by the way, I nearly forgot.’ The detective inspector’s voice bellowed back up the staircase. ‘There’s something downstairs for you all. It has no manners whatsoever. Jane’s friends and neighbours didn’t want it, so I thought you might.’ Detective Inspector Rutherford giggled like a small child, then her footsteps could be heard trotting down the long staircase. Finally, the front door gave an almighty slam.
‘What does she mean?’ asked Tom, looking confused.
‘I have an idea,’ answered Uncle Rufus, smiling.
‘Let’s go and see,’ exclaimed Eve, pushing everyone out of the way to get to the stairs first. They all ran down to see what the detective inspector had been talking about. Boris was the last to follow and he didn’t look very happy at all.
In the hallway, placed in the middle of the floor, was a cage. And in it, sitting on his perch, was a very angry, frazzled-looking parrot.
Boris was not amused. Turning his flat nose up in the air he slowly but purposefully walked past the cage and promptly let out an enormous, raucous fart.
Mister Pig responded with some choice words that Uncle Rufus spluttered and coughed over while Tom, Clovis and Eve collapsed on the floor laughing.
‘Welcome to the family, Mister Pig,’ said Eve, wiping away a tear of laughter.
Mister Pig replied with one simple word.
‘Arse!’
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my husband Karl Beattie for his continued support and love. Thank you for always being there. I love you. Thank you to my wonderful children, Will and Mary. Always in my heart.
Also, Charlie Sheppard, Publishing Director at Andersen Press. Thank you for believing in me.
Chloe Sackur, Commissioning Editor at Andersen Press for making me look at things differently.
And lastly thank you, Mum. Love you.
Yvette Fielding was the youngest ever Blue Peter presenter at age eighteen, and she’s since gone on to host and produce Ghosthunting With... and Most Haunted. After years of studying ghosts, she’s become television’s ‘first lady’ of the paranormal. She lives with her husband and two children in Cheshire.
