thinking of Skinhead and his gang. I hoped Old Joe had seen the last of them.
‘These will do for now,’ Joe said, picking up a photo of his parents and one of himself aged about five. ‘I’ll have to get all these photos in some sort of order and stick them in a couple of albums. In fact, I’ll buy some albums when I’m out today and maybe you kids could come back tomorrow and help me organise them?’
‘Sure. I’ll finish reading the diaries tonight and bring them with me too,’ I told him as we made our way down the stairs. ‘Good luck with your interview. You’ll have to tell us which newspaper it’s going to appear in.’
‘I will.’ He opened the back door. ‘Thanks for your help. It’s much appreciated. I’ll just collect the eggs before Connie arrives.’
‘Connie?’ I asked, as we all stepped outside.
‘The reporter.’
CRACK!
I looked up and saw in horror that the drainpipe was coming away from the cottage wall above our heads. ‘The drainpipe’s falling down!’ I screamed, grabbing Max’s arm as I leapt out of the way. We both fell in a heap on the ground.
CRASH! The drainpipe crashed to the ground, missing us by a fraction of a centimetre. Joe wasn’t so lucky, it caught him on the left shoulder, sending him sprawling.
‘Arrgh!’ he yelled as he hit the ground with a thud, rolling over onto his side.
‘Joe!’ Max screamed. ‘Oh no, he’s hurt!’
I scrambled to my feet and ran over to Joe with Max close behind me. We knelt down beside him. ‘Joe! Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine. Help me up,’ Joe raised his head and held out his hand. I reached out to grab it.
‘Don’t move him!’
I spun around and saw PC Lambard running up to us. With all the commotion, we hadn’t heard the police car pull up. ‘Keep still and let me take a look at you,’ he said, kneeling over Joe.
‘I’m all right. No need to fuss,’ Joe said, pulling himself up onto his elbows.
‘Just take it easy. That was quite a blow you took. Let me look at that shoulder.’ PC Lambard pulled Joe’s shirt aside to reveal his wound. An angry purple bruise had already formed on it. ‘Can you move your arm okay, Joe?’ he asked.
Joe obliged, wincing a little as he moved his arm around in its socket.
‘I don’t think it’s broken, thank goodness, but I reckon it’s going to be painful for a while,’ said PC Lambard. ‘You’re very lucky – if that pipe had landed on your head, it could have caused some serious damage.’
‘It just winded me, that’s all. Now, help me up, will you?’
PC Lambard gently helped Joe to his feet, then walked over to the cottage and studied the wall where the drainpipe had broken off, fiddling with the loose wall brackets.
Joe rubbed his shoulder and looked at the huge piece of pipe lying on the ground. ‘The old place is falling apart,’ he groaned. ‘And so is its owner!’ Joe added with a half-hearted smile.
PC Lambard returned from his inspection with a worried frown on his face. ‘The bracket screws have come loose, but I don’t think this was an accident, Joe. I believe that someone loosened those screws to make the drainpipe fall down.’
Joe stared at him. ‘You mean someone did this deliberately?’
PC Lambard nodded. ‘I’m afraid so. I’m pretty sure this was an act of vandalism. I’m worried about your safety, Joe. You and these kids could have been seriously hurt.’
‘I told you that someone was sabotaging your cottage,’ I said. ‘They think it will force you to sell up.’
‘What’s all this? I think you’d better tell me what’s been going on,’ PC Lambard said. ‘Let’s step inside for a minute and talk about this. You kids should come too.’
PC Lambard insisted on making us all a cup of tea – with two sugars each to help with the shock. Then we sat down in the lounge and Old Joe told the officer about the offers he’d received for the cottage, and about all the problems he’d had with the cottage
‘These will do for now,’ Joe said, picking up a photo of his parents and one of himself aged about five. ‘I’ll have to get all these photos in some sort of order and stick them in a couple of albums. In fact, I’ll buy some albums when I’m out today and maybe you kids could come back tomorrow and help me organise them?’
‘Sure. I’ll finish reading the diaries tonight and bring them with me too,’ I told him as we made our way down the stairs. ‘Good luck with your interview. You’ll have to tell us which newspaper it’s going to appear in.’
‘I will.’ He opened the back door. ‘Thanks for your help. It’s much appreciated. I’ll just collect the eggs before Connie arrives.’
‘Connie?’ I asked, as we all stepped outside.
‘The reporter.’
CRACK!
I looked up and saw in horror that the drainpipe was coming away from the cottage wall above our heads. ‘The drainpipe’s falling down!’ I screamed, grabbing Max’s arm as I leapt out of the way. We both fell in a heap on the ground.
CRASH! The drainpipe crashed to the ground, missing us by a fraction of a centimetre. Joe wasn’t so lucky, it caught him on the left shoulder, sending him sprawling.
‘Arrgh!’ he yelled as he hit the ground with a thud, rolling over onto his side.
‘Joe!’ Max screamed. ‘Oh no, he’s hurt!’
I scrambled to my feet and ran over to Joe with Max close behind me. We knelt down beside him. ‘Joe! Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine. Help me up,’ Joe raised his head and held out his hand. I reached out to grab it.
‘Don’t move him!’
I spun around and saw PC Lambard running up to us. With all the commotion, we hadn’t heard the police car pull up. ‘Keep still and let me take a look at you,’ he said, kneeling over Joe.
‘I’m all right. No need to fuss,’ Joe said, pulling himself up onto his elbows.
‘Just take it easy. That was quite a blow you took. Let me look at that shoulder.’ PC Lambard pulled Joe’s shirt aside to reveal his wound. An angry purple bruise had already formed on it. ‘Can you move your arm okay, Joe?’ he asked.
Joe obliged, wincing a little as he moved his arm around in its socket.
‘I don’t think it’s broken, thank goodness, but I reckon it’s going to be painful for a while,’ said PC Lambard. ‘You’re very lucky – if that pipe had landed on your head, it could have caused some serious damage.’
‘It just winded me, that’s all. Now, help me up, will you?’
PC Lambard gently helped Joe to his feet, then walked over to the cottage and studied the wall where the drainpipe had broken off, fiddling with the loose wall brackets.
Joe rubbed his shoulder and looked at the huge piece of pipe lying on the ground. ‘The old place is falling apart,’ he groaned. ‘And so is its owner!’ Joe added with a half-hearted smile.
PC Lambard returned from his inspection with a worried frown on his face. ‘The bracket screws have come loose, but I don’t think this was an accident, Joe. I believe that someone loosened those screws to make the drainpipe fall down.’
Joe stared at him. ‘You mean someone did this deliberately?’
PC Lambard nodded. ‘I’m afraid so. I’m pretty sure this was an act of vandalism. I’m worried about your safety, Joe. You and these kids could have been seriously hurt.’
‘I told you that someone was sabotaging your cottage,’ I said. ‘They think it will force you to sell up.’
‘What’s all this? I think you’d better tell me what’s been going on,’ PC Lambard said. ‘Let’s step inside for a minute and talk about this. You kids should come too.’
PC Lambard insisted on making us all a cup of tea – with two sugars each to help with the shock. Then we sat down in the lounge and Old Joe told the officer about the offers he’d received for the cottage, and about all the problems he’d had with the cottage
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