Chapter 8
A few days later, 8 good looking couples, & 3 dogs, met Chief-Inspector Jenks at a popular coffee shop. The excitement & emotions in working the case together had turned crushes into real couples.
Berta had convinced her parents, who already knew & trusted the Famous Five, that she was quite safe, & had made a special new friend in Pip, so they had allowed her to stay on a bit. They had been on holiday in England when Berta had been kidnapped, so, as they were still in the country, they immediately travelled to Peterswood to confirm that Berta was indeed fine, & they brought her black poodle, Sally, much to the delight of Timmy & Buster, to help protect her.
Nobby & Pongo were a huge hit with the fair people, so he was planning on joining them when they moved on.
"Well, once again a huge Thank You to the Five Find-outers & the Famous Five & friends", boomed the Chief-Inspector heartily. "Thanks to all of you we've captured five dangerous & disturbed criminals."
"We enjoyed it, Sir," answered Julian, politely. "It's been so long since we did this. It was like reverting back to childhood".
"Except that we're not children anymore", said Bets, tartly.
"No, Bets", smiled Pip, "you're definitely not a little girl anymore. You handled yourself very well in the fight."
Her big brother's praise rendered Bets speechless for once, & she closed her mouth only when Dick squeezed her hand.
"And little Anne", said Julian, surveying Anne next to Ern, "you've got a mean punch on you. I think you've proven you can definitely take care of yourself."
"But, being boys, as boyfriends, & especially brothers, I guess, we'd like to still be able to take care of you girls occasionally", added Dick.
"Oh, come on, guys, we don't have it that bad", said Ern, grinning. "At least, not as bad as Fatty…."
There were several grins, snorts & giggles as George glared at Ern.
Fatty hid a grin, & turned to the Chief-Inspector who was also grinning.
"Sir", he began, trying to change the subject before George could explode, "you said you had some other news for us."
"Yes", replied the Chief-Inspector. "I'm not sure if all of you, especially you Frederick, will think it's good or bad news, but Mr Goon has decided to retire."
There were several exclamations around the table, before the Chief-Inspector continued, "he's decided that he's getting a bit too old to be going through adventures like he had recently."
"When's his last day?", enquired Fatty.
"In a week", replied the Chief-Inspector. "He's spending the week handing over to his replacement, & next Friday he'll be leaving to go & stay with his cousin in another part of the country."
"He's leaving Peterswood?," exclaimed Larry. He couldn't imagine Peterswood without Goon.
"Yes", said the Chief-Inspector with a smile. He glanced at Fatty, who seemed deep in thought. "Penny for your thoughts, Frederick?"
Fatty looked up, his eyes shining. "Let's throw him a Farewell party", he announced surprisingly.
There was absolute silence for a few seconds, while everyone stared at him, & then everyone loudly agreed in their own way that this was a good idea.
The Chief-Inspector decided to leave them to plan the party, but promised he'd attend.
The next week, most of the residents of Peterswood arrived to say Farewell to the policeman they all knew & loved to hate.
Mr Goon was honestly overwhelmed by the crowd, the well-organised party, & mostly by the fact that Fatty & company had planned all of this, for him?! But he refrained from snorting when the Chief-Inspector told him, & enjoyed the attention & well-wishes he received, & especially the food, of course.
All went well until it was time for Mr Goon to leave. His car had arrived to pick him up. He went around saying goodbye to the people still there. He shook hands composedly with each of the Famous Five, & each of the Find-Outers, leaving Fatty for last. Fatty solemnly wished him well, wondering if he should shock My Goon with a quick hug, & maybe a tear or too. Mr Goon received & returned Fatty's good wishes, adding that Fatty was actually not such a toad anymore, & then shocked everyone by instructing Fatty as an afterthought to promise to "help my replacement the same way you've always helped me".
Fatty grinned & innocently promised. The new policeman, Mr Brown, who seemed to have the same character & disposition as Goon, completely missed the undertones. The Chief-Inspector, however, groaned audibly.
Just as Mr Goon was going to enter the vehicle, he turned for a final wave, when Buster shot through the crowd to playfully snap at his ankles.
"Clear Orf", he yelled, while dancing on one leg.
Timmy & Sally came to join Buster, & the last image Peterswood had of their previous policeman was Mr Goon tumbling into the car yelling "Clear Orf".
Chuckling, Fatty, Julian, & the rest of the group went back inside to help clean up. Mr Brown & the Chief-Inspector remained behind as well. When the place was relatively clean, & the Chief-Inspector had just driven off after wishing all of them well, everyone clearly heard someone groaning.
Worried that someone was left behind & feeling ill, they searched the place but found nothing. Then the groaning sounded again. It was so realistic & sounded so close, without seeming to come from any one place. The others went to check outside, leaving Fatty alone with Mr Brown.
Suddenly a hoarse voice said, "I want my Auntie".
Mr Brown was pale with shock & obvious fright. The voice sounded again, weak & hoarse, "I want my Auntie please". Then came the sound of something, or someone, being dragged across the floor. This sounded so close, yet nothing could be seen.
Mr Brown clutched at Fatty in fear. "Is this place haunted", he whispered, with his eyes wide.
"I don't know", replied Fatty calmly. "But it seems you have something to investigate now, Mr Brown."
Mr Brown stared at him in panic. He was trained to catch criminals, not ghosts.
The others came back inside, after finding nothing outside, to the comical scene of Mr Brown holding Fatty's arm tightly. Fatty grinned at their obvious bewilderment.
"What happened?", asked George.
Mr Brown, with wide eyes filled with fear, explained in almost a whisper about the weak, hoarse, voice asking for his Auntie, & the sound of someone or something being dragged across the floor.
All of them immediately looked at Fatty who looked like he was about to burst. He extricated himself firmly from Mr Brown. "We should go now, & leave Mr Brown to investigate this mystery", he stated looking at the others, with his eyes sparkling.
"You're leaving me alone here", said Mr Brown, trying to clutch at Fatty again, who had started walking away.
"Well, maybe you can call for backup", said Fatty, innocently.
Mr Brown brightened immediately. Fatty motioned to the others to leave while Mr Brown was dialing on his cellphone. As they left, they heard him trying to explain the situation over the phone.
Once outside, Fatty burst out laughing. "I knew that sounded suspicious", said George. "What have you done Fatty?"
"Remember how I can throw my voice", gasped Fatty, in between laughter.
In the stunned silence where they all remembered Fatty ventriloquism, Mr Brown's indignant voice was heard clearly from inside "I don't know why he wants his Auntie!".
They all burst out laughing. It seemed Mr Brown was going to be an ideal replacement for Mr Goon.
A/N: I didn't want to include an author's note until this was complete, which is why I didn't respond to any of the reviews. But, a huge THANK YOU to all who have read & enjoyed, & of course, especially to those who made the time & effort to review. This was my first fanfiction, & the reviews & comments made it a real pleasure to keep writing. Apologies for making you wait so long for the end. I hope it was satisfactory.
In case it wasn't clear, the couples were as follows:
Fatty & George
Larry & Jo
Julian & Daisy
Dick & Bets
Ern & Anne
Pip & Berta
Thanks again.
