The Mystery of Fitzjames Manor

©2015 Richard Humphreys

The Find-Outers visit Fitzjames Manor and are very quickly embroiled in a new mystery that has its roots in the distant past. With the help of a couple of old friends, Fatty and the Find-Outers piece together the clues and are led finally to an astonishing discovery.

Chapter 11: Ern is Nabbed

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Ern crept back through the shrubs into his aunt and uncle's back garden and slid into the shed where he hung the coat back on its hook. He put the glasses and beard inside the cap, which he then rolled up and stuffed down his sweater. His aunt came into the kitchen and saw him through the window. 'Where did you appear from?' she called. 'I thought you'd gone out.'

'Just been for a walk, Aunty,' Ern called back and rushed through the back door up to his room.

He looked at his watch. 'It's just on ten,' he said, 'that gives me plenty of time to get over to Larry and Daisy's, then we can all go to the library together.' He decided not to wear the beard, but he would put on the glasses and cap and keep a keen eye out for Mr. Goon.

'Just going out, Aunty,' he called as he went out through the front door.

With the cap pulled down and the glasses perched on the end of his nose, he made his way to Larry and Daisy's house, keeping to back lanes as much as possible. At every corner he half expected to see his uncle coming in the other direction, but eventually, he arrived at Larry and Daisy's and found them waiting for him at the gate.

'Here he is,' said Daisy when she saw him creeping along the lane keeping as close to the hedges as possible. 'You look very furtive, Ern,' she laughed.

'So you managed to get here without Goon seeing you then,' Larry said.

Ern was excited and bursting to tell his news. 'I've something important to tell you,' he said, hardly containing himself. 'Is there somewhere we can go that's private?'

'There's the summer house,' Daisy said. 'What is it Ern, you look worried.'

'I'll tell you when we get off the road,' he said, looking around nervously. 'I don't want my uncle to come along and nab me.'

They hurried to the summerhouse at the end of Larry and Daisy's back garden and shut the door.

'What is it, Ern,' Larry said. 'Has Goon seen you?'

'Well, yes and no,' said Ern. 'He has seen me but didn't know it was me because I was in disguise.'

'Good for you, Ern,' said Daisy. 'You'll make a detective yet.'

'Yes, but that's not all, Daisy,' Ern continued, 'I know who the burglar is.' He beamed at the other two.

Larry and Daisy stared at him open-mouthed. 'You know who the burglar is? Who?' asked Larry incredulously.

'That man I saw at the manor yesterday, the one I told you all about last night. It's him,' Ern said, 'he's the burglar, I'm sure of it.'

'What makes you so sure?' Daisy asked.

'He's got a pram with the front wheels wider than the back just like the tracks at the maze,' Ern said breathlessly. 'And,' he continued, 'my uncle was talking to him this morning and they went off together.'

'Where was this?' asked Larry.

'He's got a boat moored on the river and I saw him from my aunt and uncle's garden and followed him. Then I saw Uncle coming along the river path, so I hid in some bushes and watched them. Then when they had gone, I looked around the boat and saw all these paintings in the cabin and a pram.' He paused for breath.

'You're sure it was a pram?' asked Daisy.

Ern nodded. 'Yes, that's just what it looked like anyway and its wheels were like the tracks. We ought to tell Fatty,' he added.

'I agree,' said Larry, 'but he's gone off with the others to speak to Lady Fitzjames.

'Oh, and something else,' Ern added. 'I think my uncle may have arrested him.'

Larry and Daisy looked at each other. 'It'll be a pity if Goon has solved the mystery before we have,' Larry said. 'Are you sure Goon arrested him?'

'Well, no I can't be sure, but they did go off together,' Ern said. 'What shall we do?'

Larry thought for a moment then shook his head. 'I don't think there's anything we can do until Fatty returns. We can hardly knock on Goon's door and ask him if he's just arrested someone for the Fitzjames robbery. He'd have a blue fit.'

Ern agreed. 'No, we can't do that,' he said, not at all liking the idea of his uncle having a blue fit, whatever that was.

'Well, your disguise must be good if Goon saw you and didn't recognise you,' Daisy said.

'Well,' Ern said, 'we didn't get very close, I kept a good distance between us. And, I was wearing the beard and had on a big coat. I can't wear the beard anymore as it kept coming unstuck and I had to hold it in place with my hand. I was walking along as though I had raging toothache or something.'

This made Larry and Daisy laugh. 'Well, let's get along to the library,' Larry said. 'We do have work to do and I think you should be pretty safe from Goon in a library, he doesn't strike me as someone who reads many books.'

'No, he's not,' said Ern with feeling. 'And he hates portry.'

'We know he does,' Larry said, patting Ern on the shoulder. 'Come on, we'd better get going if we're to get this research done before Fatty gets back.'

The three, with Ern still in disguise, went the 'back way', as Larry called it, to the library. They couldn't avoid going past the shops as Mrs Daykin had asked Daisy to buy some soap in the chemist, so they left Ern in a shaded gateway whilst they went inside. Ern began to wish they would hurry and get to the sanctuary of the library, but Larry and Daisy seemed to be taking a long time. Suddenly, Ern was aware of a noise behind him, but before he could turn, a huge hand clapped down onto his shoulder. It was Mr. Goon.

Ern froze as he looked up over his glasses into the furious face of his uncle. 'Hallo Uncle,' he managed to say and forced a very sickly grin. 'You're looking well.'

Goon said nothing but tightened his grip on Ern's shoulder until it hurt so much that Ern winced with pain, then after what seemed an age, Goon growled: 'You come along with me, Ern, I want a word with you.'

'But I can't go with you, Uncle,' Ern said trying to wriggle free. 'I'm...I'm going to the library with Larry and Daisy.'

Mr. Goon smiled in a truly horrible way and put his face close to Ern's. 'You're not going to no library, you're coming with me, you conniving little...' Mr Goon failed to finish this sentence as just then Larry and Daisy appeared.

They were shocked to see Ern in Goon's clutches. 'What's going on?' Larry said in a grownup voice. 'Take your hands off him,'

'You clear orf,' Goon said. 'This little crook's coming with me.'

Larry began to argue on Ern's behalf, which angered even further an already infuriated Goon. In his rage he momentarily released his grip to wag his finger at Larry, and Ern took the opportunity to wriggle free and run. He ran as fast as he could down the road with no idea of where he was going. His glasses fell off and smashed on the pavement. He collided with an old lady coming out of the wool shop and without stopping shouted an apology over his shoulder. He knew instinctively that his uncle was pursuing him, knew it as surely as you know when it is going to thunder. He paused at the corner of the High Street to catch his breath and quickly looked around. Across the road, he recognized an alley, and ran down it, coming out by the Post Office. He turned right and banged straight into a man wearing the dark uniform of a policeman emerging from a telephone kiosk. He felt hands grab him tightly and he knew the game was up. His heart was pounding and his eyes watering. He looked up expecting to see his uncle's red and cruel face, but instead saw the startled face of a young policeman.

'Are you in trouble?' Pippin asked.

Ern was too out of breath to talk. He mumbled something and looked over his shoulder expecting to see his uncle appear at any moment.

Pippin looked back along the road. 'Is someone chasing you?' he asked.

Ern nodded and finally found his voice. 'I need to get back to my aunt and uncle,' he managed to say.

Pippin studied Ern's face. 'What's your name?' he asked.

'His name's Ern Goon, that's what his name is,' bellowed a familiar voice. 'My erstwhile nephew.' It was Goon advancing on them. He had followed Ern down the alleyway. 'If you don't mind, Pippin, I'll take charge of him.'

He took a good hold of Ern's sweater, and having shaken him a couple of times, dragged him back to the Police House with Pippin trailing along behind. When they arrived, Ern was thrown into the broom cupboard and locked in. Pippin was feeling very uneasy. He had been out when Goon had brought Mr. Taffler back to make his statement and therefore had no idea that Goon thought Ern was now a prime suspect in the burglary case.

'Come with me in here,' Goon said to Pippin and led him into the office. 'There,' he said handing Pippin the drawing Mr. Taffler had made. 'I have a witness statement that Ern was in the grounds of Fitzjames Manor yesterday pretending to be a locksmith. And that what you're holding, is a drawing of the intruder made by the same witness, and as you can see, it's Ern.'

'Please Uncle, let me out,' called Ern banging on the cupboard door. 'I have to go to the library, I ain't done nothing.'

'You keep your noise down,' shouted Goon. 'I'll let you out just as soon as I've decided what I'm going to do with you.'

'Can I read the statement?' asked Pippin.

'If you must,' said Goon in a bored voice and handed it to him.

Pippin read it through quickly. 'I can't see that this is evidence of anything. It's not that the grounds of Fitzjames Manor are locked,' he said. 'And if it was Ern, he was probably there with the other kids yesterday. And anyway, I believe that all three burglaries are connected and Ern could hardly have been responsible for all of them.'

'All three are connected?' Goon asked in an exasperated voice. 'But there's only been two robberies.'

'And what about the theft of the journals and books some time ago?' Pippin asked.

'But that was years ago,' Goon scoffed. He laughed and shook his head. 'Really, Pippin, you need to concentrate on the here and now. Good honest Policework'll get to the bottom of this case, not a lot of highfalutin notions. You're not Dick Barton!'

'And there are the tracks of a four-wheeled cart or trolley by the maze,' Pippin continued. 'It's probable that it was used to move the stolen goods.'

Goon had stopped listening and was rummaging around behind some cabinets in the corner. He emerged with a long cane, which he stroked lovingly and started to flex.

Pippin frowned: 'Get the boy in, Mr. Goon, and I'll ask him some questions.'

Goon was dumbstruck for a moment. 'I beg your pardon,' he sneered. 'You'll ask him some questions? As he's my nephew, this is family business and I'll question him, if you don't mind.' He turned to the door.

'Mr. Goon,' Pippin said stopping him in his tracks. 'This is not family business, as you put it, it's police business and as the boy is clearly terrified of you, I consider it only right and proper that I should question him.'

Goon spun round, his eyes bulging. 'Right and proper?' he blustered. 'Don't you talk me about what's right and proper. I told you what that boy's like and now he's taken to crime and as his uncle I will question him.'

'Then I think his mother or father should be present,' Pippin said standing his ground.

'Impossible,' bellowed Goon.

'Well, he must be staying in Peterswood with someone, another relative perhaps?' Pippin suggested.

'He'll be staying with his mother's cousins, the Wooshes,' Goon said walking to the door. 'Can't stand 'em.'

'Mr. Goon,' Pippin said following him. 'If you attempt to interview that boy without another relative being present, I'll have no alternative but to phone Superintendent Jenks.'

Goon suddenly realised he had an opportunity to get Ern alone. 'All right, I understand your point,' he said slyly. 'You go and get Mrs. Woosh, I'll give you her address. It's down by the river, I've got it here somewhere.'

He began shoving things around on his desk looking for the address, then picked up his address book and began flicking through it.

'I'm not leaving you alone with that boy, Mr. Goon,' Pippin said, defiantly. 'I think you should go and get his aunt.'

Goon felt his blood pressure rising. Who did this interloper think he was? Pippin! More like pipsqueak, ordering me around!

Just then there was a knock at the door. 'Now what?' Goon snarled. He threw the address book down onto the desk and went to answer it. It was Larry and Daisy.

'What do you want?' he asked glaring down at them.

'We want to know why you've taken Ern,' Larry said. 'You've no right to, that's abduction.'

'Abduction!' Goon bellowed. 'How dare you, you wait till I tell your parents about this. You're probably part of this as well. It was only a matter of time before you nosey, interfering kids got yourselves involved in crime. Ho yes. And where's your ring-leader, old Fatso?'

'We've no idea what you're talking about, Mr. Goon,' Larry said continuing to speak in the polite but firm voice he had heard Fatty use many times when dealing with Goon. 'Ern was simply on his way to the library with Daisy and me, and he's certainly not involved in any crime. And as for Fatty,' he added,' he is at this moment visiting Lady Fitzjames.'

'I bet he is! Planning his next move, no doubt,' Goon sneered. 'Clear orf.'

He was about to slam the door shut, when Pippin, who had followed him into the hall, spoke. 'Do you know where Ern's Aunt lives?' he asked.

'Yes, Mr. Pippin,' Daisy said, 'down by the river.'

'Then I wonder if you could go and ask her politely if she could come down here and collect him?' he said.

Goon turned on him. 'She ain't collecting him, not till I know what he was doing pretending to be a locksmith at the scene of a crime, yesterday.'

'I can answer that,' said Daisy.

'Well, rather than stand on the doorstep, why don't you both come in,' Pippin said kindly, much to Goon's fury.

'Thank you Mr. Pippin, we will,' Larry said as he and Daisy pushed past Goon and followed Pippin into the office.

Goon followed, still smouldering. These pestiferous kids, he thought, and that young whippersnapper Pippin will send me to an early grave.

'Tell us what you know,' Pippin said.

'Well, when you saw us up at the manor yesterday,' Daisy explained, 'Ern was with us, but we'd sent him down to the big gate to avoid him being seen by Mr. Goon, because Ern is frightened of him. Whilst he was there he saw a suspicious looking man and followed him. Well, eventually, they got talking and this man asked Ern what he was doing there and Ern mistakenly told him that he was there to see the locks, when he meant the lots, you know the auction lots, only he got the words mixed up. And then this man said that Ern was pretending to be a locksmith, something Ern didn't say. In fact,' Daisy added, 'Ern doesn't even know what a locksmith is.'

Goon laughed. 'What a load of old nonsense,' he sneered.

Larry looked at him. 'You know perfectly well, Mr. Goon, that Ern couldn't possibly have had anything to do with the robbery.'

'Then why was he sneaking around the streets this morning in disguise? Glasses and cap, I ask you.' Goon scoffed.

'Because he was terrified that you would see him and ill treat him just because he's come to Peterswood without telling you,' Daisy said. 'And for no other reason.' She looked at Pippin. 'You believe us, don't you, Mr. Pippin.'

Pippin smiled and nodded his head. 'Yes, Daisy, I believe you,' he said and looked at Goon. 'And I think the Superintendent would as well.'

Goon was silent for a moment. He sat down behind his desk and sighed deeply. 'I suppose it might be true,' he thought. 'At least it means I won't have to resign and me pension's safe and the Superintendent needn't know about any of this.'

He cleared his throat. 'On this one occasion, I'm prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt,' he said, in a very controlled voice. He pointed his finger at Larry and Daisy. 'But if I suspect either him or any of you lot are involved in any nefarious activities, I'll have you in here so fast your feet won't touch the proverbial. Is that clear?'

They both nodded. 'Now can we have Ern, please?' said Daisy.

Pippin seemed pleased and nodded. 'I'll get him,' he said, leaving the room.

'And you two can wait in the hall,' Goon said. 'I'm sick of the sight of you.'

Larry and Daisy said a very polite goodbye to Mr. Goon and left the room just as Ern was released from the broom cupboard.

'Coo,' he said when he saw Larry and Daisy. 'What's going on?'

'We'll tell you later,' Larry said and thanked Mr. Pippin. 'If you hadn't been there I don't know what Goon would have done to him.'

Pippin grinned at them and showed them to the door.

Larry waited until they had closed the front gate behind them before speaking. 'You didn't tell them anything about the pram you saw or our suspicions, did you?' he asked Ern.

Ern shook his head. 'No, course not,' he said. 'I don't even know why I was dragged here in the first place.'

'We'll tell you about it in the library,' Larry said. 'Let's get going, we haven't much time left before Fatty gets back.'

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