CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

An interview, and a diesel!

Next morning, the firelighter came to prepare the engines for the day's work. He started with Gordon, for he was always needed for the Express. You can imagine his surprise when, on entering the big engine's cab, he almost fell over a boy in a sleeping bag lying curled up in the centre of the cab floor!

'What on earth...?' he spluttered, wondering if he was seeing things. Julian, who'd been roused by the man entering the cab, sat up and explained last night's chain of events that had led up to the Five spending the night in the Roundhouse. Once the firelighter had heard everything, he became very friendly indeed and promised to tell the Fat Controller what had happened so that he could look into it and see what he and the authorities could do.

'We can't risk it happening again,' he said as he busily made up Gordon's fire. 'I'm sure the Fat Controller wouldn't tolerate that sort of behaviour, even if it is the work of that horrible lord.'

Julian debated whether to persuade him otherwise, but decided against it. The Fat Controller would be a great help, and the engines had explained last night that he would most certainly not want the children's visit to be unpleasant. So while the firelighter worked on Gordon's fire, he left the cab and went across to Duck, James, Edward and Henry's to wake the others.

A short while later, the other engines were stirring themselves as the warmth of their newly built fires spread through their boilers – all except BoCo, who simply sat there waiting for his driver.

'It's because he's a diesel,' explained Jo, in answer to Dick's puzzled look. 'As one diesel who visited here said, "A fill of oil, a touch on the starter and he's off, no bother, no waiting". That's the thing with modern machines. They're made for getting the job done, not for good looks. I'm not at all sure that the same can be said for the other Main Line engines, of course.'

'Are you sure you want to keep watch over Belvedere?' asked Julian of Gordon and Edward, putting into words what he'd been thinking for much of the night. 'This could be very dangerous, and I wouldn't want any of you to get into trouble because of us!'

'Don't you worry, young Julian,' said Gordon as Duck, Tidmouth's primary shunting engine, left the shed for the yard outside, whistling a last good luck as he went. 'We're Sudrians – we take danger in our stride! Besides, helping others is what friendship is all about.'

'I only wish things go according to plan,' said Edward. 'I can take you all down my branch line. My first passenger train of the day has Suddery on its schedule. Don't look so upset, Timmy! George would rather walk on hot coals than go off on an adventure without you. Isn't that right, George?'

'Of course it is, Edward,' said George. 'I do hope we wrap this mystery up soon. If it carries on much longer, it could get out of control, and Timmy and I might have to leave after all.'

'Don't be a wally!' scoffed James. 'You ought to stop mollycoddling that dog of yours! I sometimes think that the only reason you're with us now is because of Timmy.'

He's got a point, thought Julian truthfully. George has made hot-headed decisions like this in the past, and all those roads lead straight to Tim. But then I would probably do the same if it was my dog in peril, and Tim has proved a most valuable dog for all of us!

'I advise you children to head for the station so that you're first on Edward's train,' said Henry. 'I bet the Franciscos will want to come with you on this trail you've found.'

'Of course they will,' said Dick at once. 'They never back out of anything with danger in it. I bet they're waiting for us right now.'

'Well, come on, children,' said Edward as his driver and fireman arrived and vaulted into his cab. 'My train leaves in fifteen minutes, and I plan to have you all on board.'

The doors opened and, as Edward rolled out of the shed, the five children, with Timmy right behind them, jogged after him into the yard and over to the station. As they mounted the platform, it was to find the Fat Controller standing just outside his office waiting for them.

'Ah, there you are, dear children,' he said. 'Spiffing! I've been meaning to have a word with you. If you would kindly step this way...' He opened the door of his office and beckoned them inside. Julian glanced at Edward, who was backing down onto his train. The old engine replied with a better-find-out-what-he-wants sort of expression and, one by one, the children nervously entered the office.

It was large and richly decorated, with portraits of famous railway engineers and designers and photographs of their creations hanging from the walls. There was a desk containing a couple of telephones and in- and out trays, and five chairs in front of the desk. The Fat Controller motioned the children to sit down, while he himself took his place behind the desk.

'It's good to see you children,' he said. 'I've been meaning to have a word with you since yesterday afternoon. By the way, may I ask who your friend is?'

'I'm Jo,' said Jo shyly. 'I'm staying with my godfather Mr Crowe on his farm.'

'Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Jo,' said the Fat Controller, leaning forward and shaking Jo's none too clean hand. 'Now, tell me, how are you all finding Sodor?'

The children at once burst into cries of praise about Sodor, and were only stopped when the Fat Controller raised his hand.

'I only ask this because the firelighter has been to see me with a most peculiar tale,' he explained. 'He says that you returned to your camp last night only to find your tents in ruins. Is that correct?'

Julian nodded mutely, and they all waited anxiously for the blow to fall.

'And you decided to come down here and share the Roundhouse with some of the Main Line engines,' resumed the Fat Controller. 'Is that true also?'

Julian nodded again. The others exchanged glances, wondering what was going on in the Fat Controller's mind.

'As it happens, Lord Belvedere came to see me yesterday morning with an even stranger tale,' went on the Fat Controller. 'He claims that he almost caught two children whom he swore had been trespassing on his property. Of course, I refused to believe any child on Sodor would do that, but it was another thing altogether when he said that the children answered to the names of Dick and Anne.'

Julian swallowed. He half expected another shouting match, like the one between Gordon and George last night.

'Now, as to you ending up in the Roundhouse,' said the Fat Controller. 'Your tents were trampled down, Francisco House was on the other side of the island, and you chose to take quite a dangerous course by camping out with the Main Line engines. I can't say that was the wisest of moves, but...'

'Oh, please don't be cross, Sir!' cried Anne suddenly. 'It wasn't our fault! It was the only choice, and it was raining so! We just had to come down and sleep in the shed!'

The Fat Controller's face was a mask of astonishment. 'Whatever makes you think I'm cross with you?' he demanded. 'If anything, I admire your courage and resource. It was raining heavily, and your tents had been kicked to the ground. Yet you coped with it, stopped and thought about what to do. I'm proud of you all.'

'Thank you, Sir,' said Julian. 'But we believe now that it was Lord Belvedere who knocked the tents down. After all, we left them unguarded for more than two days! We're not saying this because we hate him, but because...'

'...you were caught within Bosworth Manor?' supplied the Fat Controller with a smile. 'We have always had our doubts about the Belvederes, even if they are nobles. What I'm saying is that I am as willing to help you in your detective work as my engines.'

'Oh, Sir,' cried Dick, ecstatic. 'How can we ever repay you? Not only have you made our trip here utterly smashing, but you want to help us find out more about Belvedere!'

'Only too pleased to oblige, Dick,' smiled the Fat Controller. 'I will see to it that my engines are on constant lookout wherever they may be during today. I myself plan to alert the police so that they can track His Lordship properly. I will also telephone Mr Crowe about where Jo is, otherwise he will start to worry. Incidentally, make sure that fine dog of yours, George, is with you at all times. So long as you have him, then you have nothing to fear!'

'We'll never go anywhere without Tim!' said George firmly. 'He's one of us, and always will be. Thank you so much for your support, Sir.'

'Nothing to it,' said the Fat Controller. 'But, George, Gordon had reason to tell me that you had a bit of a shouting match with him, James and Henry last night. Apparently, too, you shouted at Timmy as well, because he failed to catch someone who looked in at the shed window. Is that true?'

'Yes it is, Sir,' said George at once. The Fat Controller looked a bit stunned at such a glib response.

'I see. In that case, would you mind explaining why you lost your temper with the Big Engines?'

George took a deep breath. 'Well, Sir, I was just so angry at the nerve of that face at the window! I wasn't thinking straight, and I took it out on Tim. Then James scolded me for shouting at Tim, and then I just got out of control until Gordon told me to stop.'

'But why would you want to yell at them?' asked the Fat Controller, sounding both angry and confused at the same time.

'They were just being very cruel to me,' said George. 'All three of them keep calling me Georgina, and Gordon told me the first time we met that he hates dogs! And of course, I can't like anyone who doesn't like Tim! That's the real reason why I hate Gordon more than James and Henry!'

'Be that as it my, losing your temper in the Tidmouth Roundhouse is far from acceptable!' said the Fat Controller gravely. 'George, as of now, I want you to make a big effort to be polite to my engines. I know they often look down their smokeboxes at other engines, but in truth, they wouldn't hurt a fly! If you lose your temper again with any engine on Sodor, be it one of mine or otherwise, I will be informing your parents and have you sent home for the rest of your Easter holidays. I for one will not tolerate rudeness to my engines, no matter how vulgar they might be. Do you understand?'

'Yes, Sir,' said George.

'As for the face at the window, and what actually happened last night,' continued the Fat Controller, 'I suggest you leave that to the police. I've already told them what happened, and they will be on the lookout for both the man in the wheelchair and his monkey-faced mentor. But for now I see that I mustn't keep you. Edward is waiting, and so, I presume, is the Francisco clan. Good luck, children, and do try to stay out of trouble as best you can.'

'Thank you very much, Sir,' said Julian politely. 'I promise we'll do all we can to bring all this to an end. It's the least we can do, after all you've done for us.'

'Well, I can assure you that we'll be right behind you if you do run into trouble,' said the Fat Controller. 'With this fine Timmy and a good supply of provisions, I'm sure you could climb Mount Everest if you wanted to!' He shook each of the children – and Tim – by the hand. But before any more could be said, they heard the sound of screaming tyres in the car park.

Julian hurried to the window and peered out. 'It's Belvedere's Rolls-Royce! The Belvederes are getting out now, and they don't look at all pleased!'

The Fat Controller swiftly joined him at the window. 'Good grief!' he exclaimed. 'I suggest you children leave on Edward's train before he gets here.'

But it was too late. Already, the children could make out the soft thudding of heavy feet against concrete. By straining their ears, they could make out two voices drawing ever nearer.

'You must have lost it, my lord. We should have locked up the manor more thoroughly yesterday. What we can do now...'

'I DID NOT LOSE IT!' roared Lord Belvedere. 'I KNOW WHEN SOMETHING IS LOST OR STOLEN! THIS – HAS – SOMETHING – TO – DO – WITH – THOSE – BRATS!'

'With all due respect, my lord, be reasonable! Those children have been dealt with!'

Bang! The Fat Controller's office door flew open as if caught in a high wind. Lord and Lady Belvedere came striding in, with Mr Hamilton trotting after them. The Belvederes' valet looked slightly desperate in the presence of such angry people. Lady Belvedere looked highly peeved, but His Lordship was beside himself with rage!

'OUT WITH IT, GUTTERSNIPES!' he bellowed. 'WHAT DID YOU TAKE FROM BOSWORTH MANOR? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY BAG?'

'My lord!' shrilled Mr Hamilton. 'Get a grip on yourself!'

'We know that you little pests have my husband's bag!' growled Lady Belvedere, glowering at the children through her lorgnettes. 'There is no point trying to deny it! Hand it over at the double or you will regret it! Hand it over, I say!'

'See here, good sir!' expostulated the Fat Controller. 'I'm sure these children wouldn't do such a thing! I can assure you...'

'THEY STOLE THAT BAG, I KNOW IT!' screamed Belvedere, pointing an accusatory sausage at George and Julian. His face was contorted, his moustache quivered, saliva flew from his mouth and his monocle seemed in danger of falling out!

'Calm down, Reginald!' roared the Fat Controller. 'You're talking claptrap!'

'YOU DON'T KNOW THOSE CHILDREN!' shrieked Belvedere. 'THEY DID IT, I KNOW THEY DID IT!' Then his swollen eyes fell on Jo, who trembled in her shoes. 'THAT BOY!' he screamed. 'IT WAS HIM! HE WAS AT THE BOATHOUSE, HE WAS AT BOSWORTH MANOR, AND HE IS HERE NOW! I SHALL MAKE HIM PAY, SEE IF I...'

'Shut up!' yelled George, Julian and the Fat Controller together.

Belvedere's mouth opened and shut like a music box. 'Do not dare to speak to me like that, you meddlesome fools!' he snarled.

'Too late – we already have!' shouted the Fat Controller, eyeing Belvedere with unmistakeable hatred. 'We're fed up of you and your gormless wife, you vile, bloated old jellyfish! Why don't you just wrench the squirrel's tail off your face and probe the hardboiled organ you keep isolated in that beach ball of yours? I'm telling you, these children did not steal your precious bag! Do you understand? You must have misplaced it!'

'No they didn't,' said Julian suddenly. 'And besides, that bag isn't his.' Everyone stared at him in amazement. 'Is this bag of yours brown and filled with papers?' he demanded of Belvedere.

'Yes, what of it?' came the blunt reply.

'Well, in that case, it's not yours,' said Julian calmly, looking Belvedere straight in the eye. 'It never has been, and never will be. That bag belongs to our friend Dr Sebastian Francisco. We only took it because you had no right to steal it, if you did. In any case, we haven't got it with us, and we're jolly glad of that.'

'What are you talking about, Julian?' asked the Fat Controller.

'We found Seb's old doctor's bag at Bosworth Manor,' explained George. 'It was in this secret room and full of papers, and we think that he...' she indicated Belvedere, who seemed to be rooted to the spot, '...stole it to frame Seb.'

The Fat Controller's mind raced. 'Very well, children. For now, I think you're clear of all charges.'

'Excuse me,' said Belvedere dangerously, 'but I think these children are guilty of rather more than simple thievery. They broke into Bosworth Manor yesterday afternoon, in broad daylight, and stole that bag without so much as a by-your-leave! They should be well and truly punished, expelled from the island if not locked up somewhere!'

Julian and George exchanged glances. This was exactly what they had feared last night. If the Fat Controller took Belvedere's side, it was all over! Dick, Anne and Jo watched the scene open-mouthed. But the children need not have worried.

'How dare you suggest I punish these children, you despicable toad!' growled the Fat Controller. 'I shall keep them here and see to it that they have fun surrounded by my most trustworthy engines! Anyway, I suggest you get on with your own dirty work and leave these children be! They mean no harm, and never will do. So long as they are with my engines, they can be happy.'

'Of course, your loyal kettles!' sneered Belvedere. 'I for one cannot understand why full grown men such as yourself, Sir Topham, should want to waste time recreating days long gone! Those hunks of scrap iron are about as much use to the railway network as a snowman would be to the Eskimos! You have to move with the times – everyone else has! And personally I have far more productive things to do with my time than sit around in an office all day long and order around hunks of metal that should have been turned into scrap decades ago!'

At this, the Fat Controller completely lost his temper. 'I have had enough!' he thundered. 'You are the foulest man I have ever met and your wife is the stupidest woman, and I never want to see either of you again!' With that, he shoved both Belvederes and Mr Hamilton ignominiously out onto the platform and slammed the door behind them!

'GO TO BLAZES!' screeched Belvedere at the closed door, and stormed out of the station, followed by his wife and second-in-command.

'Well done, Sir!' whooped Dick.

'Thank you, Dick,' said the Fat Controller, breathing heavily as he returned to his desk. 'George, please could you calm Timmy down? He could growl this office to bits if he's not careful!' All this time, Timmy had been standing by George's side and growling like a motorbike, but George had had her hand on his collar should he take it upon himself to leap at Belvedere.

'Calm down, Tim,' instructed George. 'He's gone, so you don't have to growl anymore.' Timmy's growls at once subsided.

The Fat Controller took a deep breath. 'For now, I'll take your word about that bag, children. But tell me, what did Belvedere mean by saying that Jo was at Bosworth Manor?'

Quickly, Jo described what had happened to her during her stay on Sodor, and how she had come to be with her dearest friends. 'I'm only staying with them because I want to help, and I know them already,' she concluded.

'Very well, Jo,' said the Fat Controller briskly. 'If you feel safe with the Five, you can stay with them. But now I mustn't keep you. I have work to be getting on with, and I think so have you! I wish you all every success in your investigation, but you needn't fear. You have Timmy to guard you, and I and my engines will be with you till the end.' He shook them all by the hand, and they left the office.

They were on the verge of boarding Edward's train when they heard a whistle and Thomas appeared, backing up to the platform with Annie and Clarabel. He looked genuinely concerned, and let off steam in relief when he saw the children.

'Oh, thank goodness you're all right!' he cried. 'When I heard about what happened last night, I could have bumped myself! I was so worried that you might have been out in the rain all night!'

'Not a chance!' said Julian. 'We all came down here, to the yard, and slept in the Roundhouse with the Main Line engines. They were all very good about it all, especially Edward here. He even let us camp out in the Big Engines' cabs while George and Tim went in his own cab.'

'Oh, good!' said Thomas. 'As I say, I blame myself for what happened. If I'd kept watch over the campsite while you were gone, it would never have happened.'

'Don't feel guilty, Thomas!' said Dick. 'It wasn't your fault at all. I'm sure that you didn't ask Belvedere to knock our tents down! Anyway, we're going to solve this mystery once and for all!'

'Hurrah!' cheered Edward. 'That's what I like to hear! Now come on, children. I'm sure the Franciscos will be waiting.'

'Good luck, children!' said Thomas. 'I jolly well hope you do manage to solve this puzzle soon! You're all so brave and clever, I'm sure Belvedere and his crew don't stand a chance!'

The children scrambled into Edward's coaches and, ten minutes later, the train left. But the Five couldn't resist leaning out of the window to wave goodbye to Thomas, who whistled in return.

'I really do think we can solve this!' said George happily. 'Last night, I thought all was lost. We'd been found out, our tents were in ruins, and we were no nearer cracking the case. But now we have all the Sudrians on our side, I think we can do this! And I simply refuse to leave Tim out of this! If we're going to solve this, Tim must be by my side!'

Tim looked up and barked as if to say, 'And I refuse to leave any of you!'

'That's the George I know!' said Julian, clapping the girl on the back. 'We can solve this mystery! We can, I tell you! In any case, we must, before Belvedere leaves this afternoon. Though I do hope Seb and Sam will be able to lend us some clean clothes. Our old clothes must now surely be unfit for wearing, and these ones must all be at least a bit grubby after spending the night in an engine cab!'

A short while later, the train pulled into Suddery station, after passing through Wellsworth first. The children disembarked, where the first things they saw were the saddle-tank twins, Bill and Ben, standing in adjacent sidings and looking rather upset about something. As Edward pulled away, the coaches slid away to reveal a large, blue diesel engine, facing the little tank engine twins and clearly chastising them.

'...don't know what Sir Topham Hatt was thinking,' the diesel was saying. 'I for one firmly believe that all engines should be wiped out and replaced with reliable, modern engines like me. Look at you – undersized, non-environmental, rusty old kettles. Why do enthusiasts fawn over you so, I wonder?'

'Because they happen to like us,' said Bill waspishly. 'And just for the record, fat face, there are other railways like this all over England, or so we're told.'

'Fancy people wasting time over such a doomed-to-failure task as preserving old heaps of scrap such as you!' leered the diesel. 'If I were in parliament, I would make a law saying that anyone trying to save steam engines should be tried for treason to the railway network.'

'Well, you're not in parliament, chunky,' snapped Ben. 'So that settles it. Now shut up and let an engine shunt in peace.'

The diesel was about to speak when Julian stepped forward.

'Excuse me, box-body,' he said loudly. 'I suggest you take your stuck-up speeches somewhere other than here. These engines happen to be our friends, and we would be most grateful if you could leave off bullying them. And might I ask you for your name?'

The diesel was clearly caught off guard, and glared at Julian for a few moments before replying. 'Name's Selwyn,' he said guardedly. 'And you must be the children I was told about. I was told you're a nasty piece of work, and that I should treat you with caution. But why are you friends with...these sorts of engines? They don't deserve friends – they belong on the scrap heap!'

'They only go on the scrap heap when they become completely useless!' snapped Dick. 'None of the Sudrians are useless! So I believe it'll be a long time before they go anywhere but the works for repairs! Some engines have been here for decades, like Edward and Toby!'

'Oh, Toby the Tram Engine,' sneered the diesel. 'Or as I see him, a crate on wheels. And the other seven Famous Engines, too. Famous my generator! At least our type are hourglass efficient compared with what you lot are used to. I'm telling you, we are ready for work at a moment's notice, whereas they have to be prepared at least two hours before their first train! Steam engines are old age itself!'

'How can you think that about our friends?' cried George angrily. 'We're friends with them because they have a much better personality than you! I thought you were only here for one day. Why must you act like you live here?' Suddenly, she wrinkled her nose in evident disgust. 'You have rather smelly fuel, I must say! I rather think you should be called "Smellwyn".'

'Cheek!' barked Selwyn. 'I was told you were unpleasant, and now I have proof that you are. And from the look of you, you must have spent last night in the woods! Oh look, here come some more impertinent brats!' The children looked up and saw the six Francisco children hurrying across the yard towards them, looks of mingled pleasure and anxiety on their faces.

'Hello, Julian!' said David. 'We were wondering where you were! Mother and Father have been so worried about you all! Hello, twins. Try not to torment BoCo today, will you? Calm down, Tim! You're like a bull in a china shop! Oh, what is that?' He had suddenly noticed Selwyn, and was eyeing him as though he were something more commonly found in a sewer.

George hastened to explain. 'This is Smellwyn. He says his name is Selwyn, but I think that Smellwyn suits him better.'

The twins sniggered openly.

'You're right there, George,' said Bill. 'Serves him right, the snooty old haddock!'

'Yes, nice nickname, George,' said Ben. 'Suits old Fat-face down to the rails!'

'Why, you impudent...' choked Selwyn. 'And what do you think you're doing, boy?' The 'boy' he meant was Alex, who was thoughtfully looking the diesel up and down.

'You're a Class 50, aren't you?' he said. 'Yes, Father told us about your type. He said that enthusiasts called them "Hoovers" because of the racket their air filters make. A good name, I believe – "Smellwyn the Hoover".'

'You...' choked Selwyn, but everyone ignored him. Eventually, he rolled backwards into an empty siding and closed his eyes as if he had no interest whatsoever in what the children had to say.

'What exactly has happened?' asked Bill. 'You lot just suddenly appear looking like you're on the run! Who's your friend?'

'Are we missing anything at all?' asked Ben. 'Please explain what happened last night! We simply must know!'

Dick introduced Jo to Bill, Ben and the Franciscos, and then explained about the tents being trampled, their night's sojourn in the Roundhouse and the engines' promise to help the children in their war against Belvedere.

'I knew Edward wouldn't let us down!' cried Justin, punching the air. 'But the Fat Controller's right. You deserve our help! You'd better come back to the house. I'm sure Aunt Sam will feed you all up and give you some fresh clothes.'

'Wait a minute,' said Bill. 'Oughtn't we to do something about Old Square Face over there?'

'Let's teach him a lesson,' said Ben. 'Show him what we steam engines are really made of.'

'I know!' said David. 'We can do something to his diesel fuel. It's over there.' He pointed to a large rusting barrel with a bedraggled notice proclaiming that this was Selwyn's Fuel. 'I suggest you children head off to the House, while we think of a way to pay Smellwyn out. Mother and Father are expecting you, so they won't be too surprised to see you.'

'Well, be sure to leave your mark on that diesel,' said Bill. 'But we have trucks waiting for us at the port, and you know how tetchy trucks can be!'

'See you later, everyone,' said Ben. 'And good luck against the Belvederes and their gang. Just don't get into trouble!'