Tinker and Carol were up first at 7 am, followed by Mrs. Mac who started to make a full-scale breakfast for them all. Tinker went down to the Gazebo to fetch Vincent. And Carol called everybody else. Her Aunt came down to fetch a tray for her husband, she explained, “He’s not a morning person at all,”
The rest of them ate silently around the dining room table. Whilst Raulf and Misha washed up, Carol drove Mrs.Mac into the village for more supplies.
“How did you sleep Vincent? I see we had some drizzle last night. Leastwise I’m sure the Gazebo didn’t leak.” Raulf gazed out the window at the glistening lawn.
Vincent shook his head, “I wouldn’t have noticed, I slept under the Rhododendrons.”
“We stuffed one of the bags with two pillows and left it in the Gazebo,” Tinker explained, “just in case we had visitors, first place they would look.”
“Waste of time then, I’m glad to say.”
“Not at all, we did have a visitor, didn’t get as far as the Gazebo its true, he or she ran into some of Tinkers handiwork.” Vincent rolled his hands in explanation but Raulf looked confused.
“Trip wires and poaching loops.” Tinker winked at Vincent.
“So he/she escaped, no doubt taking all of Tinkers traps with them.”
“Dobbs.” said Vincent.
“Over here?”
“I followed along the northern track, it was too dark to identify him, but it was the voice and his cursing that gave his identity away.”
“Fancy that. Sir Hubert should know this at once.”
“You won’t get any sense out of him until the meeting this morning after our airport friends arrive.” As Vincent said this, a small Honda arrived by the stables. “That will be them now.”
“I haven’t unlocked the gate this morning, how the devil did they get in?” Tinker rose up and made ready to go and fetch them into the house but Vincent stopped him. “They don’t know you Tinker, I’ll go instead.”
Once Sir Hubert had learnt his borrowed ‘lads’ were in the Manor; he came down for the meeting. Everyone was seated around the table and after introductions were made, he outlined the possible problems they might face over the next few nights. He then turned to Tinker.
“I am relaying the trip wires in different positions today so please keep clear of the woodland area.”
The senior ‘lad’ shook his head. “No poaching traps laddie, we want free movement wherever. Can you pick up every bit and store it; we’d like to see the grounds and the fields, in fact the whole estate. Surrounding roads, footpaths, drainage channels, buildings, everything. “
“Vincent didn’t mind having them last night” Tinker looked pained.
“That’s as might be but Mr. Lazlo here was by himself, now we need a clear ground, now there’s three of us.”
“Four.” Carol interjected as she came into the room her arms holding two carrier bags of food.
“Begging your pardon Miss.”
Sir Hubert then directed that the four ‘soldiers’ as he called them to go over the estate and then make their plans for any attempted infiltration. Raulf and Misha were to stay inside on the second floor of the Manor. Sir Hubert and his lady wife would go into the village to liaise with the Police Inspector. All to meet again at 2 pm in the dining room.
“Other people on the estate?” asked the younger of the lads.
“Normally two or three, but I’ve given them a week off”. Tinker nodded to Raulf who nodded.
“Headsets?”
“The Inspector will have four sets on loan from his department. Available when I return from the village.”
“One of us will accompany you, I suggest Mr. Lazlo whilst we look around, or the lass if I suspect whom she might be.”
“I beg your pardon?” Sir Hubert was indignant.
“Came in on the Moscow flight four days ago, special passport number, high clearance, and so soon after that bloke was chopped in Moscow under the river bridge.”
“Very well we will take Carol, Vincent will stay with you chaps.”
The meeting finished everyone dispersed to their appointed tasks; Raulf and Misha made their way upstairs. When they had reached their room Raulf looked out of the window and shook his head. Misha asked what was wrong.
“If the SAS guys picked up from Carol's arrival at Heathrow and put two and two together, I think others could do so. It worries me that Dodd’s was here snooping last night. Do you remember the wrong number on the telephone; Mrs. Mac assumed that because they rang off, a good way to find out if someone’s at home. I believe the opposition already knows what we are about. OK cousin Misha what do your instincts tell you?”
“Move up to highest point, see more, safer more steps to climb. Maybe repeat previous action?”
Raulf shook his head, not understanding.
“The bridge was home for me, they came there to trap us.”
“You mean you seriously believe they will reach the house?”
“Why not, the soldiers and Vincent like the outdoors, perhaps more room to move. Mrs. Carol and Mr. Tinker may also.”
“I doubt that the soldiers will allow them outside tonight.”
“Not tonight, soldiers looking over estate with Mr. Vincent and Mr Tinker. Mrs. Carol gone with Sir and lady. Mrs. Mac only one in kitchen.”
“Fetch the horn Misha, we’ll go to the attics, I’ll go downstairs and get my Uncles shotgun and bring Mrs.Mac up.”
Raulf hurried down stairs and as he headed for the study called out to Mrs. Mac to lock the scullery door and to go and join Misha upstairs at once. He pushed open the study door and taking his keys out, he unlocked the rifle cabinet. Lifting the shotgun out he placed two cartridges into the twin breech. He pocketed his Uncles hand gun as well. He then also clutched a dozen cartridges or so before running out and checking the front door was locked. He knew both Tinker and Carol carried keys. Raulf then climbed back up the stairs where he met Misha’s gaze from the attic landing.
“Mrs.Mac with you now?” Raulf asked
Misha shook his head.
“I’ll have to go and fetch her, here take the shotgun, I won’t be a minute.”
“I check on my dirgidle watch.” Raulf had bought Misha his first watch at the Duty Free store.
“Digital.” Raulf laughed and hurried down the stairs, from the hallway he checked the lounge room, then the kitchen and the scullery door, the door had been locked. He then looked for her in the dining room, he felt uneasy and took the pistol out.
“I’ll take the gun Mr. Turpin,” said Major Jackson.
Raulf stood in a state of shock, then looked quickly around for Mrs. Mac.
“She’s resting in the vast pantry cupboard, they don’t build them like that today. Now the gun if you please Mr. Squire of Morton Manor.” Jackson was seated at the dining table with a revolver pointing at Raulf’s head. “And don’t move or shout out, Sergeant Redman is with me today and eager to meet your little Russian friend.”
“How dare you enter my home like this.”
“It was quite easy, you see we used Dobbs as a decoy, so making your suspicious soldier friends look for a probable attack from the estate.”
“Ah Redman, nothing moving outside?” Redman moved away from the window, and shook his head. “Then I’ll entertain the Squire down here and you dispose of the nasty Russian boy. He has been a cause of much resentment in certain circles.” Redman moved to the door and Raulf tried to wrestle him down, but Redman was too quick and bought the barrel of his revolver down hard above Raulf’s ear, tearing the flesh and dropping him to the ground.
“That was foolish Squire.” Said Redman as he made for the stairs.
“Redman, be careful of the shotgun, Squire has I believe left it up stairs with his little friend.”
“You will no doubt kill us both?”
“Very true Squire, but the boy first, he’s the evidence you see, then you, then the bumbling Sir Hubert.”
“You surely realise, you cannot escape so easily as you arrived.”
“Not true, we shall use the dear Lady Hubert and her niece as shields if necessary though we do expect co-operation from a certain quarter.”
“What quarter?”
“You know Squire you are beginning to bore me, but the Russian first and you second, them’s my orders.” As Major Jackson rose from the chair his gun levelled directly at Raulf there came an almighty bang from upstairs, followed by a crash on the stairs. Raulf recognised the bang as the discharged shotgun but his heart still sank as he thought of Redman grabbing it and using it so viciously on the boy. Jackson saw the sadness in Raulf’s face and laughed.
“Now you can join him, and that leaves the Hubert and that Vincent fellow.”
“I don’t think so.” Two bullets swung Jackson around and forced him back into the fireplace. Vincent quickly leapt past Raulf and picked up Jackson’s gun.
“He’s needed alive” he grunted, but Raulf wasn’t there, he was running up the stairs. As he reached the first landing he saw Redman flat on his stomach, blood oozing from a head wound with one of the lads binding his arms. Raulf looked askance.
“Twern’t me guv, the nipper shot the bugger and smacked him in the head to just make sure.”
Raulf took off again for the attic and found Misha rubbing a painful shoulder.
“Where did Redman shoot you Misha?”
“No not shot, your gun back hit when I fired.”
“Kick backed.”
Misha nodded and handed Raulf the shotgun.
“You only fired once, there are two triggers.”
“Ah.” Said Misha with a smile, “I put half the pellets in the wall, I do not damage our own home with another shot so I bat him in head.”
“And pray may I ask how you knew it was not I coming up the stairs,” Raulf led Misha down to the first landing, as they turned towards the final flight Misha held up his watch.
“Much more than one minute.”
“Then for Misha, I can’t afford to be late ever,” and they both laughed.
“I also peep down stairs.” Misha whispered.
By the time they had reached the down stairs the front door was open and the lads had bundled the two injured traitors in the back of Tinkers Land Rover. Vincent was giving them directions on a map and then they drove away.
“To a police station.” Raulf asked innocently.
“Well a special one just outside Bath, quite pleasant gardens there, people are a bit weird, laboratory types most of them.”
“Really, thanks for saving me yet again Vincent. I’d like to thank the lads, they obviously picked my scullery door to get in.” Raulf nodded at the kitchen. “Good heavens Mrs.Mac is locked in the pantry.
“Best let her out then, Sir Hubert is on his way back, I rang him on his mobile, but I’ll thank the lads for you, I’m off to deliver their car to Bath, they intend to get back to Hereford tonight. By the way one of them wrecked your bedroom window latch coming in, he sent his apologies.”
“One question how come you came in at the right time.” Raulf looked directly into Vincent’s smiling sallow face,
“The first thing we did was to go to the woodland with Tinker to fetch the wire loops then back to the gazebo, the lads had a cigarette and we waited and watched. The opposition would look for a time when you and Misha would be most at risk. And that time was now of course, with only Mrs.Mac to guard you. They stayed prone and quite as we all went our separate ways. The watchers became the watched and the lads moved in.”
“How did they know Jackson and his cohort had arrived.”
“Footprints, they asked Tinker to identify the prints on the woodland track which belonged to us. Tinker identified fresh ones belonging to strangers, that set alarm bells ringing.”
“Where is Tinker?” Raulf was interrupted, the pantry door being knocked, “I better go, poor Mrs.Mac.”
“Tinker’s chasing a weevil. He spotted Dobbs in a car parked in that lay-by behind your woods. I’m on my way to deliver the Honda and Dobbs at the same time. Tinker told me he’d have Dobbs wired up by the time I arrived. Chow.”
Raulf went to let Mrs.Mac out of her pantry.
“I think we all need a glass of sherry Mrs.Mac,” he said as he opened up the door. She had a rolling pin clutched firmly in her hand, which she put back on the shelf. Then she reached up and brought down a bottle of Glen whiskey,
“Or perhaps a drop of this Master Raulf.” She said.