Mystery of Banshee Towers (14 page)

“I
wish
we had that machinery here,” said Fatty. “What a shock everyone would get in the middle of the night!”

“Well, if you particularly
want
to give your neighbours a shock,
you
don’t need banshee machinery!” said Pip, giving Fatty a friendly punch. “All you need is your own frightful wail - you’re as good as any banshee, Fatty. My word, when you wailed in that Armour Room, the first day we were there, I nearly died of fright!”

“There’s only one part of the Mystery we didn’t solve,” said Larry. “And that was why the banshee apparently chose Thursday for its weekly wail. Why Thursday?”

“Well, apparently there really
wasn’t
any mystery about that,” said Fatty. “And I needn’t have bothered my head over it. Thursday is the turnstile man’s half-day off - so he used to set the machinery going to clear everyone away early! Then he’d be able to shut up the place and get off in good time. And I’ve no doubt that the French artist used to do a bit of packing up then - carefully putting the pictures into those lead pipes, ready for collection.”

“Sh! Someone’s coming.” said Bets. “Oh, Fatty -it’s Mr Goon. Whatever is
he
here for?”

“To complain about me ‘harbouring’ Ern, I suppose,” said Fatty, hurrying to the window at the back of the shed. “Look, I’m not seeing him this morning. I might be a bit rude if he starts saying anything nasty about old Ern. Now you others tell him that Ern’s been marvellous, and that even the banshee must have been pretty scared of Ern, and…”

“Bang-bang!” That was Mr Goon knocking at the shed door.

Fatty immediately leapt out of the window with Buster. “If you have any trouble with Goon, don’t let it worry you,” he said, popping his head through the window. “I’ll be listening out here, and I’ll come to your help at once.”

Larry then opened the door, and there stood Mr Goon, not looking nearly so fierce as usual. He stepped in, and to everyone’s immense astonishment, smiled and nodded.

“Good morning, Mr Goon,” said Bets, politely. The others muttered a greeting too.

“Well, well,” said Mr Goon, in an unexpectedly hearty voice. “Here you all are - oh, except Frederick. I - er - came to congratulate him - and you all - on helping to solve the mystery of Banshee Towers. Ern, I hear that you were quite clever at spotting a very important clue.”

Ern blushed bright red at this compliment, and couldn’t find a word to say. There was an awkward silence. Bingo broke it by suddenly giving a loud bark, and rushing at Mr Goon’s ankles.

Mr Goon gave a sickly smile, and tried to push him away. “Bingo,” said Ern, suddenly, in a stem voice. “Stop that! SIT!”

And Bingo meekly sat down at once, though he still looked longingly at Mr Goon’s ankles!

“Ha - well-trained dog that,” said Mr Goon, surprised. “Er - I’ll be quite pleased to have him back again, Ern. Bring him with you when you come.”

There was another awkward and astonished silence. Ern broke it. “Do you really want me to come back, Uncle - and Bingo here, too? He’s not a bad dog - just a bit excitable at times, but he’s not much more than a pup.”

“Oh, he’s a fine dog,” said Mr Goon, in a hearty voice. “Very fine. Obedient, too. My word, he must have scared that old banshee! Ha ha ha!”

Nobody else laughed. They were all still a bit wary of their old enemy.

“Of course, you know,” said Goon, “that banshee business is a bit of a fraud. The sort of thing that Frederick would make a lot of. It’s said to wail, I know, but
I’ve
never heard it whenever I’ve been near the Towers! Ho ho - I bet it wouldn’t dare to raise its voice if it saw
me
anywhere near!”

“Well,
we
heard it all right,” said Bets. “It sounded like - oh, let me see… like…”

And then, from outside the window, came a little wail. Just a very little one at first. Then it became louder and pitched higher in tone, and soon the little room was full of the most heart-rending, eerie wailing that Goon had ever heard. Bets jumped at first - but she and the others knew at once that it was only old Fatty showing the disbelieving Mr Goon what a banshee’s wail was like!

“Pretend to be scared!” whispered Larry to the others - and at once they clutched one another, and looked so frightened that Mr Goon felt as if
he
wanted to clutch at somebody too!

Bingo was terrified, and rushed round the room, yelping at the top of his voice, trying to find where the weird noise was coming from. What with the wailing and the barking, and everyone’s frightened looks, Mr Goon was scared out of his life.

“Eeee-oooooooo-oh-oh-oh. eeeeeeeeeeeee!” wailed Fatty, enjoying himself thoroughly outside the window. Buster began to yelp as soon as he heard Bingo barking, and when Fatty began another set of wails, Mr Goon could stand it no longer.

“I’ll get help!” he panted. “Someone’s in danger!” And out of the door he rushed, and up the garden.

It was most unfortunate that Fatty’s mother and the old cook were picking early daffodils in the garden just then. They heard the wailing too, and stood upright at once, listening in fright.

“One of the children had been hurt!” said Mrs Trotteville. “Oh, what terrible screams and wails! Quick, we must see what’s the matter.”

So down to the shed they rushed at top speed, just as Mr Goon was racing up the path as if wild tigers were after him! They met at a corner, and Mr Goon was knocked flying by the plump cook. He sat down heavily in a bed of mint, looking most astonished.

“What’s happened, what’s happened?” cried Mrs Trotteville. “Has the shed stove fallen over? Has there been an accident?”

But Mr Goon had no breath to reply. He just went on sitting in the mint, panting loudly, hoping that a banshee wouldn’t suddenly appear before him. Poor Mr Goon!

Mrs Trotteville and the cook ran to the shed, feeling very anxious indeed. But what in the world was this noise they heard
now
? No wailing - but shrieks of laughter!

“Ha ha ha ha! Oh, I never thought Goon could run like that!”

“Ho ho ho! Good old banshee!”

“Ha ha, ho ho, he he, ho ho…” The laughter went on and on, and didn’t stop even when Mrs Trotteville walked into the shed, and gazed round at everyone in indignation.

They had all collapsed into chairs or on the floor. Fatty had climbed back into the room through the window, and was wiping tears from his eyes. He had no breath left to be a wailing banshee any longer! Buster and Bingo had gone completely mad and were barking and tearing round and round the room non-stop.

“FREDERICK! WHAT IS ALL THIS?” demanded Mrs Trotteville in a very cross voice indeed. She poked at Fatty with a hard forefinger, as he lay collapsed in a chair.

“Oh, Mother, don’t. You know I’m ticklish,” said Fatty. “Mother. I was only being a banshee. Why are you so cross? It’s not against the law to wail like a banshee is it?” And off be went again into another roar of laughter.

“I shall fetch your father,” said his mother, astounded at Fatty’s behaviour. “I really do not know what has come over you all - or Mr Goon either!”

“Goon - what’s he doing that’s upset you, Mother!” asked Fatty at once.

“He’s sitting down in the very middle of my mint bed, if you want to know,” said his mother. “And serve him right too - rushing straight into us like that.”

“Sitting down in the
mint
bed, Mother! Oh, this is too good to be true!” said Fatty. “Mother, do you mean to say you pushed him over - oh, Mother, you’ll be put into prison if you do things like that. Poor Goon - he’ll smell of mint for weeks!”

“Oh, Fatty, please don’t make
me
laugh, too,” said his mother, feeling a sudden desire to join in the merriment. “I don’t know
what
to do with you, Fatty. You’re a bad lot. Go and help Mr Goon out of my mint bed. I’m sure the poor man is still there!”

Yes - there he is, listening in amazement to the laughter coming from Fatty’s shed!

“What’s happening now? How is it something
always
happens when that fat boy is about?” he grunts. “Pooh, what a smell of mint! One of these days, Master Frederick Trotteville, I’ll get the better of you! You see if I don’t!”

Well, we’ll see next time there’s a Mystery to solve, Mr Goon. But don’t be too sure of yourself, will you? You just NEVER know what old Fatty is up to!