flapping flag…'
They sat inside a glassed-in enclosure overlooking the estuary. Tweed swallowed a tablet washed down with orange juice and Paula checked her watch, timing thirty minutes. The water was churning now like a cauldron. Since the woman who had served them was cleaning the counter close behind they sat in silence for some time. Then Newman heard the engine of the approaching machine.
'Let me have my glasses,' he told Tweed.
The grey chopper, flying low, came in from the direction of the Atlantic. In the lenses Newman saw two men at the controls – both with their heads covered in helmets and wearing goggles Very similar to the figure which had been behind the wheel of the powerboat. The woman behind the counter disappeared through a doorway, slammed it shut. They were alone, so could talk.
'You'll say I'm paranoid,' Newman commented, 'but I think that chopper is searching for us.'
'Which would be alarming,' Tweed said quietly. 'Because it would mean someone has an excellent communication system. The crew of the chopper are either checking to see the wreckage of the ferry…
'Or,' Paula interjected, stiffening to quell a shiver, 'they know we survived and, as Bob suggested, they are searching for us.'
'Looks like the latter,' Newman agreed. 'The ferry is just going back to Padstow, it's in mid-river.'
They sat in silence again as the chopper swept low over the outgoing ferry, circled it, then flew inland over Rock. Paula found herself sitting very still, although it would be impossible for the helicopter crew to see inside the cafe.
'The copilot was also using binoculars,' Newman told them.
He had hardly spoken when they heard the machine above their heads, a reverberating roar. Newman stood up, peered out of the window to his right. They could now hear it hovering. Newman sat down again and a minute later the machine reappeared, flying over the estuary, heading out towards the Atlantic, its engine sound fading. Paula let out her breath.
'It checked that old house we explored,' Newman reported.
'Then it was looking for us,' Paula said grimly. 'How the hell do they know so much? I feel like a bug under a microscope, our every move foreseen, monitored. It's uncanny, nerve-wracking.'
'They've also committed a major tactical error by coming out into the open,' Tweed responded. 'I can see the ferry starting to come back so we'd better make our way to the landing point on the beach – wherever that may be now. The tide is starting to come in.'
They had barely stepped down on to the road when Butler, Cardon and Nield materialized from the rough ground behind the cafe. They were brushing themselves down when they reached the road.
'Did that chopper see you?' rapped out Newman.
'Silly question,' Butler rapped back, then changed his tune. 'Sorry. No, it didn't. We were flat on our backs under dead bracken and undergrowth. We saw it, heard it coming, but they didn't spot us.'
'Messy up there,' the normally immaculate Nield grumbled. He was wearing a smart business suit. 'Incidentally the joker next to the pilot had field-glasses. He particularly scanned the old house up the slope you went into.'
'We know that already,' Tweed told him.
There was a bounce in his walk as he headed for the gap in the hedge and made his way down the ramp on to the beach. The stick with the flag showing the landing point was closer to the ramp than when they had disembarked. Was that a day ago? Paula wondered. It seemed so. And why was Tweed so pleased with their diabolical trip to Rock?
12
'How dramatic!' Paula exclaimed.
As the ferry pitched and tossed and dusk began to fall the sea was surging in like a small tidal wave. The Atlantic was inundating the sandbanks which were shrinking in size even as she watched them. She was surprised – relieved -when the ferry arrived close to the Padstow shore and moved on past the bleak cove where they had boarded it.
'We're going to land at the harbour now the water has risen high enough,' Newman told her.
The narrow channel they had left behind on the outward trip was far wider. They arrived at the foot of a flight of steps leading up the outer side of the pier. Tweed stepped ashore on the bottom stone step, where he stayed to help Paula.
'Careful,' he warned. The first flight only has a rail on the inner side against the wall…'
She clung to it as she followed him up. Glancing to her left, she looked away quickly. With no rail on that side there was a sheer drop into the river. Higher up there was a rail on both sides which made her feel mote comfortable. She stepped on to the pier, took two paces forward, stopped, stared.
'They've opened the lock gate to the inner harbour.'
'That's because the river level is now the same as the water inside the harbour,' Tweed explained as he cleaned his glasses with his handkerchief.
'But it's gone!'
'What has?' Tweed asked, putting on his glasses again.
The Mayflower.'
'She sailed soon as the gate was opened,' a seaman leaning against the wall told Paula. 'Don't expect we'll see her awhile.'
'Why do you say that?' she asked.
'Amount of provisions they took aboard her. So many cool bags. Fridge an' freezer must be stacked to gunwales.'
'Who was aboard when she moved out?'
'Squire Gaunt was at the helm…'
'Anyone else aboard?'
'Couldn't say…'
The seaman moved away as though he felt he'd already said too much. The others had joined Tweed and Paula. Because the gate was open and no bridge spanned the gap they had to walk round all the quays encircling the harbour.
That does surprise me,' Paula said. 'Gaunt leaving at such short notice and never mentioning it in the bar.'
'Doesn't surprise me at all,' Tweed replied. 'But I have no doubt we shall see Squire Gaunt again.'
Tweed said he wanted to make a strictly private call to Howard and went into the phone box. Paula walked into the bar with Newman and Cardon. Butler and Nield remained outside, taking up positions where they had the box under close observation.
Tweed dialled the Surrey mansion first. Howard came to the phone quickly.
'Have you made any progress? Any solid news?' he pressed anxiously.
'I can tell you that where we are – out in the wilds – we're being watched night and day. And I expect you are too…'
Who is behind all this?' Howard asked vehemently. 'I tried the PM again. No luck. He's abandoned us.'
'What about Crombie? Are you still in touch with him?'
'Yes, bless him. He phones me with regular reports. There's still a mountain of rubble to remove. No sign of that safe you mentioned yet.'
They've overlooked Crombie,' Tweed said with grim satisfaction. Try and throw an iron cordon round someone and a loophole is always left. Now, listen to me, Howard. I want you to phone Crombie, tell him when he uncovers that safe to let you know at once and keep it hidden. The moment you hear he has found it send that armoured car disguised as a security truck to collect it and take it down to you. Understood?'
'I'll call him as soon as we've finished talking. We are all feeling marooned here, Tweed. I tried to reach the PM three times today. Blocked off every time. He's abandoned us,' he repeated.
