More Developments

When they arrived home the Colonel was in his study and a car with military markings was drawn up in front of the house, the driver idly smoking. They met Mrs Mudd in the hall. She looked flustered.

"Oh, Master Nigel," she said as soon as she saw him. "Your father wants to see you at once."

Instinctively, Cub ran his mind rapidly over the events of the last few days, searching for misdemeanours. A summons to his father's study usually meant a dressing down of some sort, but his conscience was clear, so it was with no sense of foreboding that he pushed open the door and entered.

The Colonel had a visitor. He was in the uniform of a Colonel in the Essex Regiment. Cub's father introduced him as Colonel Havers and explained that there had been a grave breach of security at Headquarters.

Ginger hovered in the doorway at a loss how to proceed. He had not been included in the invitation but he did not want to miss out on the action. Seeing him, Cub's father motioned him to enter.

"Don't just stand there, boy," he said brusquely. "Come in. This is Flying Officer Hepplewhite," he introduced him.

"Hebblethwaite, sir" corrected Ginger this time. "I don't make furniture."

"What?" said the Colonel. "Oh, I see. Hmph. Sorry."

Cub grinned and Colonel Havers hid a smile.

"Now what was I saying?" murmured Colonel Peters. "Oh yes, Colonel Havers here has informed me that there was a break-in at Headquarters last night. The only thing that was taken was a code book. Unfortunately, it was the one which is in current use and has only just been made operational. If the Jerries get their hands on that, they will know everything we are going to do until we can let everyone have the new codes. Potentially it could be devastating. The colonel came here because of that seaman Girling found."

Cub and Ginger exchanged glances. "What does this code book look like, sir?" asked Ginger. "I mean, how big is it?"

"About so big," said Colonel Havers, indicating with his hands a reasonable sized notebook.

Ginger mentally compared the size with the image of the package von Stalhein had handed over.

"I think we may be too late, sir," he said and described the day's events.

"I'll send you a detachment of men, any way," Colonel Havers promised his counterpart. "Your Home Guard will need reinforcements in case they decide to go out the way they obviously came in." He turned his keen grey eyes on Ginger. "It's a shame one of you didn't follow the chap with the package."

Ginger nodded ruefully. "I know," he admitted. "I could kick myself. How was I to know?" he asked plaintively. "All I could think of was von Stalhein."

"Don't blame yourself," the Colonel continued in a placatory tone. "You've done sterling work. At least we have some clues. I must be off," he concluded. "I'll be sending some men to the George to arrest our Mr van der Schans." With that he took his leave of the trio and drove back to town.