The Legend of the Black Monk Page 7

  ‘I saw it! Him! The Black Monk!’

  Drew ran over, leaping the last gravestone. Rupert and Laura appeared from the other direction.

  ‘Where did he go?’

  ‘He … vanished,’ said Rebecca, her eyes like saucers.

  ‘That’s why we came here!’ Drew said, as she pointed to where the figure had stood.

  ‘You’re sure it wasn’t same guy as before?’ asked Rupert

  ‘Rupert, this one was dressed in black … black!’ Rebecca clutched his arm.

  ‘So … not our monk, then … but something … altogether different,’ said Drew slowly, staring into the depths of the woods.

  ‘The Black Monk? … The ghost the café owner saw?’ Rupert’s face registered disbelief.

  Rebecca felt herself calming down. Her thoughts though were restless. ‘He was warning us… warning us off. ‘Seek it not’, he said. ‘Seek it not lest ye open the gates to Hades’.’

  ‘Hades?’ Drew raised his eyebrows.

  ‘Hell.’

  ‘Ah.’ Drew nodded, as if it was something of this nature that he had feared.

  ‘Guys, the Black Monk is just a story,’ Rupert was shaking his head, disbelieving.

  ‘Something for the tourists. Not … real.’

  ‘Then tell us what Rebecca just saw, Rupert,’ said Laura.

  Drew gave a short laugh. ‘Laura is right. There is something about this place.’

  Rebecca raised her eyebrows, as if expecting an explanation. Drew shrugged. ‘Don’t ask me what.’

  ‘I’m not sure I like any of this,’ said Laura, shivering.

  Rebecca was no longer paying them any attention. ‘Seek what?’ she asked out loud.

  ‘Seek what?’

  Chapter 8

  Sky’s the Limit

  The lights of Five Muskets farm were twinkling against the dark, purple sky as the four friends slipped inside the door of the barn at the edge of the woods.

  Rupert climbed the ladder to the hay loft, quickly followed by his companions. He went over to the wall. ‘There’s a gap between the bricks over here which was my hidey hole when I was a kid. Nobody will find anything here. Only the odd tramp ever comes in.’

  Next to a rusty metal spike, Rupert moved a couple of bricks and slipped the package behind them. He replaced the bricks.

  ‘Time to get back the farm,’ said Rebecca. She looked at her watch. ‘Meet back here at midnight to listen to the tape, okay?’

  * * *

  At the gate to the farm, Rebecca held Rupert back for a moment. ‘So what are you going to say to Sky? You mustn’t give anything away but you can’t go on bluffing them for ever.’

  Rupert shrugged. ‘It’s got to be something serious enough to explain why Grandpa gave it to me, yet nothing to arouse undue suspicion.’

  ‘Did he have a dog or something he might want looked after?’ asked Drew.

  Rupert gave a short laugh. ‘The only animals at the manor have been shot and stuffed.’

  ‘No!’ Laura recoiled in horror. ‘First boxing, now blood sports! I’m not sure if I like this Grandfather of yours.’

  ‘Not by him, idiot!’

  ‘How about a message you have to deliver?’ said Rebecca. ‘That way you don’t have to let on because it’s private.’

  ‘Sky will only be curious,’ said Drew. ‘He’ll ask all sorts of questions about who.’

  ‘Where have you all been?’ A voice barked out of the dark. Bright light was shone into their faces. They turned away, shielding their eyes. The voice was unmistakable. John Sky stood on the driveway, his face grim. ‘You might show some consideration, Rupert. Staying out till all hours with your mother worried. Inside! We want to talk to you.’

  ‘I believe the polite expression is ‘Oh bother’,’ muttered Drew to Rebecca. ‘Let’s hope Rupe is ready for this.’

  * * *

  The four friends entered the sitting room. The atmosphere was somewhat different.

  John Sky paced up and down in front of the fireplace, staring at the floor, his glare threatening to burn holes in the carpet. When they were all seated, he turned the phosphorescent stare on Rupert.

  ‘Well?’ The voice barely audible, simmering with unconcealed anger.

  ‘Well what?’ said Rupert, defiantly.

  ‘You know very well what. The contents of the envelope, give them to me now.’

  Sky’s lips were pursed white.

  ‘Where are Mother and Uncle Gaston and Aunt Guinevere? I thought you said you all wanted to speak to us.’

  ‘They have … agreed that this is left up to me.’

  Rebecca narrowed her eyes at Sky as he said this. She detected the briefest flicker of uncertainty. Rupert drew himself up to his full height and breathed deeply.

  ‘Well, I am not telling you, or anybody, anything. Grandpa meant the envelope for me, not anybody else.’ He looked boldly at Sky. There was a pause. When John Sky spoke, his voice was unnaturally quiet and measured.

  ‘I see. In that case, you leave me with no option. You will go to your room and you will not leave until you have divulged the contents of the envelope.’

  Rupert was visibly shocked. ‘I will not! I want to speak to my mother.’

  Sky’s voice held the same menacing note as before. ‘I speak for your mother in this matter. Now, go to your room. Or do I have to drag you there?’ Menacingly, he took a step forward. Rupert shrank back. The other three hardly dared to breathe. Sky was a big, powerful man and, in his present mood, gave the impression he could quite easily have carried all of them at once had he wished.

  ‘Come on, Rupert, I’ll come with you. You are a very rude man!’ Laura bridled at John Sky, to the surprise of Rebecca and Drew.

  ‘You will stay right here!’ Sky barked. Laura recoiled, startled. Sky looked at each of the three others in turn. ‘All of you will stay right here … please, until I get back. I wish to speak with you all.’

  In a trice, Sky seized Rupert roughly by the arm and propelled him out of the door. Rupert’s protesting voice could be heard disappearing up the stairs. Laura turned to her friends, a look of horror on her face.

  ‘He can’t do that!’

  ‘He just has.’ Drew pursed his lips.

  ‘I’ll bet you a million pounds the other grown-ups don’t know anything about this,’ said Rebecca, shaking her head. ‘I could see it in his face … Where are they?’

  ‘What do we do?’ asked Laura, anxiously.

  ‘Exactly what he says. Don’t arouse any suspicion until the other adults are here.’

  Rebecca paused, distracted. ‘Doesn’t Sky’s behaviour strike you as just a little bit odd?’

  ‘Odd? Downright rude and scary, yes, but odd? That’s a strange word for it!’ Laura looked blankly at her friend, clearly very upset.

  ‘The great brain is ticking, I can hear it,’ said Drew. ‘Out with it, McOwan, what’s on your mind?’

  ‘Why is he the one who is so intent on knowing about the message? The others don’t seem so bothered and they are the heirs. The message could have been something innocuous about the Admiral’s dog, like Drew said. Or a personal message. Why get so wound up … unless you are worried about something else.’

  ‘About what?’ asked Laura.

  ‘I don’t know yet. But I do think we need to find out more about Mr Sky.’

  The sound of footsteps returning brought an instant hush. Sky re- entered the room, his manner now calmer. He studied them before speaking. ‘I am sorry that you had to witness that. Most unfortunate. These are … family matters that do not directly concern you. I hope you will understand that the family will deal with them as we see fit. Rupert will revise his position after a night of reflection. Then things can proceed on a more reasonable level. You will now please turn in. Breakfast is at half past eight tomorrow.’ He turned abruptly and left the room, leaving Rebecca, Laura and Drew looking at one another with a mixture of anger, surprise and bemusement on their faces.

&nbs
p; ‘He sent us to bed!’ Drew gave a hollow laugh.

  ‘How dare he speak ‘as one of the family’? He isn’t part of the family yet. Let’s hope he never is!’ Laura was pacing up and down, fuming.

  Rebecca sat chewing her lip thoughtfully. ‘There was something in his eyes I didn’t like at all. Cold, really cold. Yes, we definitely need to know more about John Sky.’

  Chapter 9

  A Tale of Two Tapes

  The night air was crisp with a keen edge, a full moon backed by stars shining brightly overhead through the trees around the farmhouse. Long, dark shadows spread across the cobbled yard. Across the valley, a dog’s bark broke the stillness. Rebecca, Laura and Drew left through the back door, the gravel path crunching reassuringly under their feet. Nobody ventured a word until they had closed the door to their converted barn behind them.

  ‘Our room! Come on!’ said Rebecca. They went quickly inside and shut the door. Laura flopped down on the bed.

  ‘So, do we really do as Sky asked?’ said Drew. Rebecca glowered contemptuously at him.

  ‘Hurrah! Thought not!’

  ‘We need to speak to Rupert,’ said Rebecca.

  ‘How?’ asked Laura. ‘He’s locked in his room and Sky is in the room opposite. Even if we whisper outside his door, Sky is bound to hear us.’

  ‘Drew, you’ll have to find a way in.’

  ‘Why me?’

  ‘Well, because… because you like creeping about houses in the dark. You did it at Rum Castle, didn’t you?’

  ‘That was only a Viking statue. This John Sky is real … and big. Anyway, just how I am supposed to get in to see Rupe?’

  ‘Viking statue?’ Laura was incredulous.

  ‘Not now, Laura,’ said Rebecca. She turned back to Drew. ‘Look, there’s that big tree outside. You could climb up.’

  ‘Oh fine,’ answered Drew. ‘Call me Edmund Hillary.’

  Laura and Rebecca looked at one another as if he had taken leave of his senses.

  ‘Mountaineer? First man up Everest? 1953, Sherpa Tensing and all that?’

  ‘The male sex is a mine of useless information,’ said Rebecca to Laura. ‘Anyway, Tarzan would be a better option. It’s a tree, not a mountain.’

  ‘Ahaaaaaaaahhahh!’ wailed Drew, in his best Lord of the Jungle.

  ‘I can see what you see in him,’ said Laura, drily.

  ‘Amazing how men ever evolved, really,’ murmured Rebecca.

  * * *

  Drew crouched at the edge of the moonlit lawn, under the window of the room he deduced to be Rupert’s. A gnarled oak tree, several hundred years old sheltered this side of the house. A rope ladder led up to a tree house. He was about to start climbing when a small bundle landed on the lawn. It turned out to be a jumper tied around something solid. Drew looked up to see Rupert’s face poking out. He gestured animatedly to Drew to pick the bundle up. Drew quickly untied the string around the jumper and opened it. Inside was a small tape recorder with a piece of paper sellotaped to it. He detached the paper. Rupert had scrawled a message. As the moon was so bright, Drew had no difficulty in reading it.

  Grandpa’s Dictaphone for the tape. When you have listened to it, there’s another tape inside which we can use to record messages for each other. If you can get up to the tree house, we can pass it over. Come after breakfast, if I’m not out of jail by then. Rupe

  Drew gave the thumbs-up. Rupert flashed a smile and the tousled head disappeared. Drew looked quickly around to check nobody had seen them, before scurrying back to the safety of the barn. He burst through Rebecca’s door, breathless, waving the tape recorder.

  ‘Here!’ He missed the look of alarm on Rebecca’s face. ‘A tape recorder, so we can listen to the message the Admiral left for Rupe!’

  Drew stopped abruptly, noticing Rebecca and Laura’s horror-struck expressions.

  ‘I’ll take that.’ John Sky stepped out from behind the door. Before Drew could respond, Sky snatched the recorder. He clicked it open, finding Rupert’s tape. ‘So, the Admiral gave Rupert a tape. How interesting. And now we have a machine to play it with.’ Sky clicked the ‘play’ button, a smug smile on his thin-lipped mouth. Rebecca directed a furious look at Drew then stopped, puzzled. Out of sight of Sky, he was smiling.

  The tape crackled with static. They stood, waiting tensely for it to begin. Impatient, Sky jabbed the fast-forward button and tried again. Coldplay’s music blasted out for a few seconds. He repeated the process several times, his patience growing visibly shorter.

  The tape reached the end. There was no voice message of any kind.

  ‘What does this mean?’ he demanded of Drew, brandishing the machine under his nose.

  ‘I, I don’t know.’ Drew thought quickly. ‘That the Admiral is Coldplay’s oldest fan? Rupert said he hadn’t had time to listen to it yet.’

  ‘Damn that old fool, the Admiral!’ shouted Sky, hurling the tape recorder against a chair.

  ‘He could not even operate the telephone properly. What else did Rupert tell you?’

  ‘Nothing, honestly!’ said Drew, hoping his face gave nothing away.

  ‘I will speak with Rupert in the morning. Go back to your room, young man and you will please, this time, do us the courtesy of not coming out until breakfast time.’ John Sky favoured them with a withering stare and watched as Drew departed. ‘Miss Rebecca, Miss Laura,’ he said, bowing slightly and leaving the room.

  As the door closed, a frown crossed Rebecca’s brow. ‘Something is so odd about that man,’ she muttered. ‘He is rude, his treatment of Rupert – but such correct manners … bowing and calling us ‘Miss’. His behaviour is … strange.’

  The outside door slammed behind Sky. The barn was silent for at least ten seconds, before they heard a tap at the door. Laura opened it to discover Drew hovering nervously outside.

  ‘Has he gone?’

  Drew nodded. ‘I think so.’

  ‘Quick! Said Laura ‘Come in but don’t turn the lights back on.’ They gathered over by the window.

  ‘Keep a look out, Laura,’ said Rebecca. ‘Well, that blew it, Campbell! Fancy coming steaming in’

  ‘Wait! Wait!’ Drew held up his hand, causing Rebecca reluctantly to stop. ‘Just hear me out first! That wasn’t the real tape we listened to just now. It’s still in the barn!’

  ‘What?’ Rebecca’s expression of anger vanished in a trice.

  ‘Yeah! That was an old tape Rupe put in the machine to pass messages. Sky thought it was the real one. I played along with him! … That is, I coldplayed along. Ha!’ He grinned widely.

  Rebecca looked at first astounded. A smile slowly broke over her face.

  ‘You cold-played along with him! You so nearly blew it, coming in like that. You didn’t know he was in here.’

  ‘I … er, no, I didn’t.’ Drew paused a second and grinned again.

  ‘But it doesn’t matter now, does it?’ Laura broke in, smiling. ‘I think Drew was great!’

  Drew smiled sweetly at Rebecca. ‘And Sky thinks there is no tape because the Admiral bungled the recording. But we have the real tape. I say we sneak out and listen to it. Is the coast clear, Laura?’

  ‘Looks to be’.

  ‘Mr Campbell,’ said Rebecca, with an exaggerated bow to allow Drew through the door.

  ‘Too kind, Miss McOwan,’ Drew sauntered out, his nose in the air.

  Chapter 10

  The Voice from Beyond the Grave

  Hello, Rupert lad. Sorry things are so cloak and dagger but you are the only one I trust. You must tell even your mother nothing. The others are afraid of John … and we cannot trust him. I found him going through my desk the other day just as he found my research book. I don’t know what he found out but I suspect … yes, but enough of that just now.’

  In the eaves of the old barn, Laura’s torch provided the only light. Drew was by the shutter, keeping half an eye on the field and the distant farmhouse. The crackly, almost supernatural voice of Admiral Bertram Dewhurst-Hobb hel
d them spellbound.

  ‘I have kept a secret for more than sixty years. Sorry to lay this on your shoulders but I know you can deal with it.

  Many years ago during the Second World War, I captained the submarine HMS Indomitable. In early 1945, a few months before the war ended, we received orders to hunt a German U-boat. We located it on our radar and gave chase.

  Eventually, it surfaced off the Horns of Lucifer. It was an easy target for our torpedoes. Some of the Germans got ashore, others could not get out in time.

  I ordered Indomitable to surface and sent dinghies ashore to capture the rest.

  There was a fight and some men died. Eventually, the last few surrendered. Officer prisoners were taken to the Manor. The old house was used as a prisoner of war camp.

  A day or so later, I interrogated them.

  The German commander was Kapitan-Leutnant Jurgen Kraus. He was no jackbooted Nazi, just an ordinary officer. He quickly earned my respect by the way he stood up for his men.

  Important to understand that not all the Germans were bad … Far from it.

  Kraus said a high-ranking member of the Nazi Party, General Karsten Himmel, commandeered his boat and ordered him to sail to South America. Many of the Nazi High Command tried to escape at the end, knowing they were for the hangman’s rope once they were captured by the Allies.

  Himmel had some crates brought aboard with him. He refused to tell Kraus what was in them.

  When our sub joined the chase, Himmel ordered Kraus to put him ashore so he could escape. The closest place was the Horns of Lucifer, a group of rocks so jagged and treacherous that you cannot get a boat close. Nobody in their right mind tries to land there. But Himmel forced Kraus to do it.