27

a lot of things are made clear

‘i’ve got some weird things to tell you,’ said jack eagerly. ‘first of all, whatdo you think i found? a cave absolutely chock full of money – papermoney – notes, you know. well, i should think there must have beenthousands and thousands of pounds’ worth there – you’ve simply no idea.’

‘ah,’ said bill smugs, in a voice full of satisfaction. ‘ah! now that reallyis news. fine, jack!’

‘then i saw a lot of machines at work,’ went on jack, pleased to find thathis news was so intensely interesting to bill. ‘and an engine. i thought itwas to smelt or roast the copper, or whatever they have to do with it, butone of the machines looked like a printing-press.’

‘ah-ha! said bill, with even greater satisfaction in his voice. ‘this iswonderful news. amazing! jack, you’ve solved a five-year-old mystery – amystery that has been puzzling the government and the whole of the policefor a long time.’

‘what mystery?’ asked jack.

‘i bet i know,’ put in philip excitedly. ‘bill, that machinery is for printingfalse paper money, isn’t it? – counterfeit notes – dud money. and themoney, in notes, that jack found, is stored there after being printed. it willbe taken from this island and used by the crooks or their masters.’

‘you’ve just about hit it,’ said bill. ‘we’ve been after this gang for years– couldn’t find where they had their printing-outfit installed – couldn’tmake out where the money appeared from. it’s excellently done – only anexpert can tell the difference between a real bank-note and these dud ones.’

‘bill! so the men aren’t working the copper mines then!’ cried jack, inastonishment. ‘we were wrong about that. they chose these old mines, notto work any copper in them, but to hide their printing machines, and to doall their work in safety. how clever! how awfully clever!’

‘very smart indeed,’ said bill grimly. ‘all they needed was a go-between– someone who could sail out to the island with food for them, and othernecessities – and take away back to the boss, whoever he is, stacks of thedud notes. well – it was the go-between that gave the show away, really.’

‘who’s the go-between?’ asked jack interestedly. ‘anyone we know?’

‘of course,’ said bill. ‘i should have thought you would have guessed atonce – joe.’

‘joe!’ cried the two boys, and in a flash they saw how everything fittedin, where joe was concerned.

‘yes – he had a boat, and he had only to say he was going fishing in it, inorder to get over to the island and back,’ said philip. ‘he could go at nighttoo, if he wanted to. those signals jack saw were from the men on theisland – and it was joe up on the cliff, signalling back, that night jack methim there.’

‘yes, it was,’ said jack, remembering. ‘and when he went off shoppingin the car he’d take some of that counterfeit money with him, i guess, anddeliver it to his bosses, whoever they were. no wonder he would never takeus out in the car with him, or in the boat. he was afraid we might suspectsomething.’

‘do you remember those boxes and crates down in the second cellar,behind that door he kept hidden by piled-up boxes?’ said philip. ‘well, i betthose didn’t belong to aunt polly. i bet they were joe’s stores, waiting to betaken across to the island next time he went in his boat.’

‘his tales about “things” wandering on the cliffs at nights were onlystories to frighten us and keep us from going out at night, and finding outanything he was doing,’ went on jack. ‘gracious, how everything fits innow, doesn’t it?’

‘it certainly seems to,’ said bill, in an amused voice. he had beenlistening to this conversation with great interest.

‘why did you come to this coast, to live in that tumbledown shack?’

asked jack suddenly. ‘were you really a bird-watcher?’

‘of course not,’ said bill, laughing, ‘i didn’t bargain on meeting a realbird-lover when i told you i was a birdwatcher. you nearly tripped me uplots of times. i had to read up a whole lot about birds i wasn’t in the leastinterested in, so that you wouldn’t suspect i didn’t know much about them,jack. it was really very awkward for me. i couldn’t tell you what i reallywas, of course – a member of the police force, detailed to keep an eye onjoe and see what he was up to.’

‘how did you know joe was up to anything?’ asked philip.

‘well, he’s pretty well known to the police,’ said bill. ‘he has beenmixed up in the counterfeiting of banknotes before, and we wondered if hehad anything to do with this big-scale printing that was going onsomewhere, we didn’t know where. we thought it just as well to watch him,once we knew where he was. he has a mighty fine way of disappearing.

he’s been with your aunt for five years now, as odd-job man, and nobodyever suspected he was a fellow with a very bad record. but one of our menspotted him in town one day and found out where he worked. then down icame, this summer, to keep a quiet eye on him.’

‘what a hornet’s nest you’ve stirred up!’ said jack. ‘bill – did we help atall?’

‘a lot,’ said bill, ‘though you didn’t know it. you made me certain thatjoe was the go-between. you made me sure that it was the isle of gloom hekept going to. so i went there myself one day, and explored the mines alittle way. that was when i dropped my pencil, i expect. but i must say ididn’t find anything that made me suspect there were men in the mines,doing their illegal bank-note printing on hidden machines.’

‘but we found out about it,’ said jack proudly. ‘what are you going to doabout it, bill?’

‘well,’ said bill, ‘last night i spoke over the radio to my chiefs. i toldthem i was pretty certain what was going on here, and that i was going overto the island to rescue someone from the mines, and would they get busy,please, and begin to clear the matter up?’

‘what will they do?’ asked jack, thrilled.

‘i shan’t know till i get back and report,’ said bill. ‘we’d better go now, ithink. we’ll go back through the sea passage, the way philip and i came.’

‘i suppose it was joe who smashed your boat up,’ said philip. ‘he musthave suspected something. i think he knew you were our friend.’

‘joe is a remarkably clever rascal,’ said bill, getting up and stretchinghimself. ‘all the cleverer because he pretends to be stupid. come along.’

‘bill – i want to get kiki,’ said jack suddenly. ‘i can’t leave her here. themen will kill her – or she’ll die of starvation or fright. can’t we go and gether?’

‘no,’ said bill. ‘there are more important things to be done.’

‘let’s get her, bill,’ said philip, who knew that kiki was to jack what adog was to other people. ‘we’ve only got to get out the map, find that mainpassage, and then slip along to the caves there. jack will know where thecell is where kiki got locked in. i think it sounds like the same one the girlsand i were imprisoned in.’

‘well – we’d better be quick then,’ said bill doubtfully. ‘and mind – nonoise at all. we don’t want to attract attention.’

they spread out the map, traced out where they were, and where themain passage was, and set out. it was not long before they were walkingdown the wide passage, silently and carefully.

bill heard the clattering and banging noise. the machines were at workagain. he looked grim and listened intently. yes – that was a printing-pressall right.

just as they were coming to the cell cave in which kiki was imprisoned,they heard sounds of voices. they crouched against the wall, hardly daringto breathe.

‘that’s jake,’ whispered philip, his mouth close against bill’s ear.

there were three men, and they were at the door of the cell where theparrot was. they were listening in astonishment. a voice came from thecell, raised high, and the words could be heard.

‘don’t sniff, i tell you! where’s your handkerchief? how many timeshave i told you to wipe your feet? poor old kiki, poor, poor old kiki! putthe kettle on!’

‘the boy’s gone mad,’ said jake, to the other two men. evidently theystill thought they had shut jack up in the cave.

‘pop goes the weasel!’ announced kiki dramatically, and then made anoise like a runaway engine going through a tunnel and whistling.

‘he’s off his head,’ said olly, amazed.

there came a terrific screech, and the third man spoke suddenly.

‘that’s a parrot. that’s what it is. the boy has got his parrot in there.’

‘open the door and we’ll see,’ said olly. jake put the key into the lock.

the door swung inwards. kiki at once flew out with a screech that madeeveryone jump. the men flashed their lamp into the cave.

it was empty. jake turned fiercely on olly. ‘you fool! you put the parrotin there and let the boy escape. you deserve to be shot.’

olly stared into the empty cave. it was true. only the parrot had beenthere. ‘well,’ said olly. ‘i expect the kid is lost for ever in these mines now,and will never be heard of again. serves him right.’

‘we’re fools, olly,’ said jake bitterly. ‘first we let those other childrentrick us, and then the boy.’

they left the door open and went off towards the lighted cave. jack gavea gasp. kiki had suddenly flown on to his shoulder, and was making themost affectionate noises. she pretended to bite his ear, she made clickingnoises meant to represent kisses, and altogether behaved in a most excitedand delighted way. jack scratched her head, and felt just as delightedhimself.

‘now, come along, for heaven’s sake,’ said bill, in a low voice. they leftthe passage and walked quickly away, their torches shining brightly. theyhad not gone very far before they distinctly heard someone else coming.

‘it’s somebody from the main shaft, i should think,’ said jack, in a lowvoice. they put out their torches and waited. the person came nearer,heavy-footed. his torch shone brightly. they could not see what he was likeat all. they tried to slip back into a little blind passage, but jack stumbledand fell, making a noise. kiki screeched.

a torch dazzled them, and a voice came sharply out of the darkness.

‘stand where you are or i’ll shoot!’

bill put out a hand to make the boys stand still. there was something inthat voice that had to be obeyed. the owner of it would not hesitate toshoot.

the three of them stood blinking there in the passage. jack recognisedthe voice, and so did philip. who was it?

and then, in a flash, they knew. of course they knew.

‘it’s joe!’ cried jack. ‘joe, what are you doing here?’

‘a question i’m going to ask you, all three of you,’ said joe, in a cold,grim voice. the light from his torch rested full on bill’s face. ‘so you’rehere too,’ said joe. ‘i smashed your boat – but i reckon you found the oldway under the sea-bed, didn’t you? you think yourself mighty clever, all ofyou – but you’ve been just a bit too clever. there’s a nasty time ahead ofyou – a – very – nasty – time.’