Chapter 5
The Police Get Involved
“Hi Ralph, we need to meet and we need to meet like now.”
“Yes Carson, I could not agree with you more. I was having a look at the video clips I took of the surroundings during our meetings and there is something I would like you and Dirk to see. It is not much but it is more than nothing. It mightn’t lead anywhere but we could still explore it.”
“Well I have a rocker for you all. This thing is heating up. My father is now involved and he doesn’t even know.”
“What are you saying, Carson?” How could your father be involved and how could he not know?”
“That’s what I need to share with you and Dirk.”
“Do you want us to have a conference call? You know I can easily do that. I have that facility.”
“No I would rather that we meet and eyeball one another. Plus, these people seem to be having us watched, at least having me watched and not me only, but also my family. If it were just the three of us involved, I believe we could deal with that but involving the family might be more than we can handle alone.”
“Tell you what. You put down and let me call Dirk. Where do you think it might be best to have that meeting?”
“Probably at Dirk. Do not forget his sister is now married and his parents are likely to be at work. In our case church camp doesn’t start until next week so our younger siblings will still be at home during the day. We can’t afford to have them overhearing anything that we discuss.”
“All right Carson, I am reading you loud and clear. If he says it’s okay by him, what time would be best?”
“It’s 9:27 a.m. now. Let’s see if can meet for ten at Dirk’s home.”
“Cool Carson, I will call you back.”
Almost as soon as Carson put the phone down it began to ring. He blurted out, “That was quick!”
The voice on the line said, “What was quick?”
“Oops!” he said, “That wasn’t for you.”
“Then,” letting her tone hang on the word for just an instant, “I wonder who it could be at this early hour. Care to share your little secret?”
Sorry about that June, I had just put down from talking with Ralph when you called. I thought it was him calling back.”
“What was it that you so desperately wanted him to do for you? You sounded real excited when you answered the phone.”
Carson thought for a while before responding to June. He had to choose his words very carefully. He could not let June know anything of the matter before him and yet he needed to put her mind at rest concerning whatever it was that was troubling her. No doubt she wanted to confront him on the rumour making the rounds. Certainly he did not have time to have a lengthy chat on the phone since he was expecting that return call from Ralph.
“Listen to me June. Ralph, Dirk and I are planning to meet at Dirk’s at ten o’clock. I am expecting a call from Ralph to firm that up. As it stands now I need to get myself organized for that meeting. If you do not mind, I can come to your home immediately after the meeting. I know that we also need to talk.”
“And we need to do so urgently!” June said with some authority in her voice.
It really irked Carson when she used that tone to him. He felt almost as though she felt that he was her possession or that they had signed a covenant for life. He ignored the tone but responded to the need to meet. “I agree with you on that.” However, he was not sure that they would be moving towards the same understanding at that meeting. During the last few days they had drifted apart somewhat and both of them were aware of that fact.
He was about to sign off when he heard a beep alerting him that another call was coming through. “Hold on a sec, June. I have a caller on the other line.” “Hello, Marshall’s residence, how may I help you?”
“Dirk here, Carson. That meeting is all right with me. Like you too, I really think we need to meet urgently, so much so, that I think if you could get here even before ten, that would be great. Ralph is already on his way over.”
“Cool, Carson. I am going to get June off the line and come over as soon as possible.”
“Wow! Things are looking up again, boy. Don’t let her hold you too long, Buddy.”
“I really do not know what you are talking about, Dirk, but if thinking as you do makes you happy, be my guest! See you in ten minutes or so.”
“Cool my brother.”
Before Carson could put down the phone there was another beep. He thought, “Not again. Who could this be now? Hello!” He tried to control the irritation in his voice.
“Hi Carson, it’s me Andrea. May I speak with Carolyn, please?”
“Sure. Hold on a minute.”
“Carolyn!” he called out to her. “Carolyn! He called out a second time. Just as he was about to really shout her name the third time he saw the door to her room open.
“I am not deaf, boy. I heard you the first time.”
He ignored her rebuke and simply told her that Andrea was on the phone.
“Hi Andrea!” she said in her most endearing tone.
“Carolyn, I thought you were supposed to call me back. Your mother hasn’t finished talking to you yet. Girl, what have you done to get such a tongue lashing?”
“Stick a pin there, girl. I think you know my family. Around here one has to make an appointment to use the phone, and that especially if you are under the age of eighteen.”
“Thank goodness, I do not have that problem. As you know I am an only child, well sort of, since my brother spends most of his time at my granny, especially during the holidays. Last night he packed his bags and he was off to stay with Granny in the country. I will join him for a couple weeks but for right now I am home alone. When Mummy and Daddy get in from work, they are too tired to think about using the phone. So I have it all for me.”
“Enough said. What was it and who was it that you were so excited to tell me about?”
“Well, check out this. I understand that your brother has dumped June for Anna.”
“Now how would know that for sure? I know that a rumour is going around that Anna is scoping Carson but I do not know that he is warming to her. Of course, I am aware any male specie in the school would give his eye teeth just to be seen in her company but that excludes Carson.”
“Wait! Is he not numbered among the male species in the school? Why would he be an exception?”
“Because Carson dare not play games with June or my mother for that matter.”
“Your mother? What does your mother have to do with it?”
“Well, Mummy is very fond of June. She thinks she is good for Carson. Plus, June practically grew up in our home. She is like family.”
“Maybe that is why Carson might be considering Anna. Who wants to have a sister for a girlfriend?”
“Andrea, I am sure that you did not hear me say that June was Carson’s sister.”
“Not in so many words but you did say that they grew up together in your home. They are practically brother and sister. For sure the event of Anna would help him to decide whether or not June is the one for him.” Andrea argued as though she was a counselor of many years experience.
“From what I can see, it is Anna who is showing an interest in Carson, not the other way around,” Carolyn stated with some emphasis. “And I am not saying that because he is my brother.”
“Well my friend how we feel and how we think doesn’t change what is,” said Andrea in her wise old way.
The meeting at Dirk’s home commenced at 9:50 a.m. so the three friends decided to examine Ralph’s video clips together. Ralph delayed sharing his findings until the other two had viewed the clips at least twice. Neither of them picked up anything of importance so Ralph drew their attention to the student with his hands constantly in his pockets. He also drew their attention to the fact that he also had his left hand doubled as though he was holding something. That being very clear to them, they began to wonder what the object could be. It was then that a thought struck Carson. He began to wonder if there could be a connection between the object in the student’s pocket and his desk pocket. Could he be the student who stole the notes? Was it he who picked the lock? Could it be that in the clip he is holding the implement with which he picked the lock?
The boys put their heads together. They discovered that the notes were taken the Wednesday afternoon, the same afternoon on which the call was made. That meant that sometime, not long after the boys had left, the intruder had made his move. Quite obviously he had moved swiftly since someone could have returned to the form room or the porter could have turned up at anytime to lock the room. The boys were fairly settled on these possibilities. They felt they had made some headway.
As they continued to look at the possibilities, Carson felt it was time to share the matter of the note on the trunk lid. As he did this he also wondered if there could be a connection between the note on the trunk lid and the picking of the lock. He wondered if the instrument used was the same for each event. The lock picker would have needed something with a point to pick the lock and the person who scrawled the note on the trunk lid would also have needed an instrument with a point. “Could it have been the same instrument, thought Carson?”
He shared his idea with the other two. They both thought that there was a very good chance that this was the case. They decided that they would proceed using this idea as their primary clue, at least to the identity of the link person, whom they believed was a student of Blades Academy. Their most immediate problem, however, was how they would get him into the open since school was now on holiday. Oh how they wished they had had another week or two in school!
Finally they turned their attention from the matter of the stolen notes and the event of the note scrawled on the trunk lid, to the planned expedition at Idyllic Gardens. Of course the first question was whether or not they were still proceeding with the trip. There was a resounding yes. Whatever it was that their detractors did not want them to find out was in Idyllic Gardens. To cancel the trip was to lose the only chance they had of finding out. They were more determined than ever to proceed but to do so with caution and with vigilance.
The meeting continued with the checklist they had created. There were not many items they needed to procure now, since all along, they were systematically collecting the essentials. In addition, they decided that they would delay the trip for a week to see if any more clues would emerge. This move was also planned to give their detractors the idea that they were no longer interested in proceeding with the trip. The hope was that they would drop their guard and become careless. This level of thinking came from Ralph when he was at his best. Another idea he had leant from his dad was, always force your opponents to feel that they know what you are going to do next. “Appear to be predictable, son but never be predictable,” he had said several years ago.
It had taken Ralph quite a long time to discover what his father meant by this but he had finally grasped the point. The board games of chess and draughts were instrumental in teaching Ralph that very fundamental strategy. That is exactly what the friends were doing: appearing to be predictable but not being predictable. In their movements they were proceeding with plans as usual but in delaying the trip they were being unpredictable. Their detractors would be led into believing that they were proceeding with the original plan and would counter accordingly only to discover, hopefully too late, that the original plan had been scrapped.
After the meeting, the boys felt more relaxed and comfortable with what they had achieved and what their new plans were. They adjourned the meeting and Ralph and Carson headed for home. As they were going out the door, Dirk enquired, “Something just occurred to me, fellows.”
“What’s that Dirk?” Carson asked.
“Don’t you think by now that your father would have noticed the scrawled note on the trunk lid? Don’t you think that at some point during the morning he would have had reason to go into the car trunk?”
“You are right Dirk,” Carson responded.
Ralph joined in with, “I suggest we cross that bridge when we reach it. Right now that is still an unknown element. If your father has already discovered the note, he will most likely draw it to your attention when he gets home this afternoon. If he hasn’t, then we will have to wait until he does.”
“At what point should I indicate that I was aware of the note?” Carson asked. Here he was seeking confirmation regarding his own idea on this matter.
Dirk was the first to respond to his question. “I believe that you should hold that information for as along as is possible.”
“I was thinking so,” Carson replied.
Ralph agreed.
That afternoon as the family gathered for dinner, Mr. Marshall summoned everyone outside with, “I have something to show you all but it is on the outside.”
Mrs. Marshall responded, “What are you up to now? Is this one of your funny surprises? Dinner is already on the table so I hope you know we can’t go out for dinner now.”
“No it’s nothing like that. Just follow me!”
Carson knew that the moment had come. This will surprise the rest but he knew what his father wanted to show them. “No Dad, don’t tell me that some idiot scrawled up the new paint job!” Carolyn shouted, being the first to reach the car after her father.
“No Carolyn, that’s not what I mean,” responded her father. Look again and tell me what you see.”
By this time Carlisle had reached the car. “It is a note, Daddy! Somebody scrawled a note on Daddy’s car. What do they mean by ‘We are not kidding’, Daddy?”
“Your guess is as good as mine, son.”
“What are we going to do?” Mrs. Marshall inquired.
“Tell you what,” Mr. Marshall chimed in. “We are going in for dinner. Dinner now and after that any number can play.”
Nobody appeared to notice that Carson was pretty cool about the matter. He had been trying to fain surprise without showing it too much. He knew he was acting out a lie and a feeling of deceit began to come over him but he felt very strongly about the decision his friends and he had taken. In time he would let them know everything.
Dinner was taken in relative silence but as Carolyn began to clear the table, Mr. Marshall said, “Guys, you know I can’t just leave this where it’s at. If it were just a scrawl, perhaps, but it is the note. It is what is written. I do not believe that it has anything to do with me directly so it must have something to do with one of you. Is there something going on that you have not told us about?”
“Not me,” Carlisle said, echoed almost simultaneously by Carolyn.
“What about you Carson?” This inquiry came from his mum. “The others seem quite certain while you appear like a reluctant and reserved witness. I just have a woman’s intuition that you know something about this. I feel it in my bones. Speak up, boy!” She was beginning to show some irritation.
Mrs. Marshall thought about the little incidents that occurred during the last couple of days. At first she thought something sinister was going on with Carson. Then she settled for a lovers’ quarrel. Now she felt that she was right the first time.
“We have decided that…” Carson was cut off by his mother’s retort.
“We who, boy? Do you understand the question? How could you respond with a ‘We decided that’?”
“But Mummy, you won’t let me finish. Yes, we are aware that something strange is happening. Somebody or somebodies do not want us to proceed with our trip to Idyllic Gardens. So far they have tried three things to stop us from proceeding. Notes were stolen from my desk pocket, a telephone call was made and, well you all know the third incident. The guys are working on the matter and we feel that we are capable of discovering who it is that is trying to hide up whatever it is,” Carson concluded.
“No boy, this is too big for you all. The police need to be involved in this. Your lives could be at risk if you go through with this trip,” his mother argued. “Honey, you should get the police in on this. I say tell these boys to call off this trip and let the police deal with whatever is happening in Idyllic Gardens. I do not want a dead hero for a son.”
“Okay Carol, I do not see a need for panic. That excitement that you are displaying is all right for a concerned mother, but I do believe that we need wherever possible to contribute the solution to this mystery. In deed right now it is a mystery. I will concede to you, however, that we need to get the police in on the matter. However, I feel that we need to let the boys proceed with the trip so that the police can have something to work with.”
“You mean let these boys be a decoy? Benjamin, am I hearing you correctly? Dear Lord, help my crazy family! Like father like son!”
“First we call the police,” Mr. Marshall continued as though he did not hear his wife’s lament. We give the police all the information that we have at this time. Next we follow to the letter any instructions that the police give to us.”
Carson readily agreed to what his father was suggesting. One of the things he liked about his father was the calm way in which he approached a problem. His mother was all right if it was a work challenge but when it came to her family, she was infuriated. Right now in this state she was not likely to produce her best problem solving thinking.
Just as Carson was about to suggest it, his father instructed, “Carson see if you could get Dirk and Ralph to come over. If they can, we will get the police over right away. I want them to be here when the police arrives.”
“That’s just as I was thinking Dad. I’ll get to it right away.”
