Thieves and Caves

Chapter Five

A couple of days had gone by. We were still on high alert for a possible public safety threat. I was beginning to be weary when our targets suddenly went quiet. I leaned against the Cafe Wall. I watched the quay quietly. There was a light crowd out and about.

Norman and James came running out of the cafe. "Norman-Man keeps an eye out for danger! However, his danger senses don't detect anything. PontyPandy is safe." shouted Norman.

A loud explosion went off. I frowned. I ran towards the railing. "Help!" shouted Charlie. His boat had suddenly caught fire.

James gasped. "Oh no! Dad!" He then turned around. "Your Norman Senses should of picked that up!"

I put a hand on James' shoulder. "Don't worry, James. I'm going to call Fireman Sam. He'll help your dad."

I got on the radio. "Constable Williams to Emergency Services. Fire spotted on Charlie Jones' ship near the quay."

Rodger that, Constable Williams. The fire service is en route to your location. Be on standby.

I cleared my throat. "Alright everyone! Move back!"

I moved the growing crowd away from the railing. I heard the sound of sirens approaching. Venus rounded the bend. It parked outside of the ORC. Penny and Sam went rushing inside. I kept an eye on Charlie's boat. I had a nagging feeling in the back of my head.

A loud engine tore through the air above me. I caught something metal flying towards the boat briefly. "On..earth?" I muttered.

That thing was going to collide with Charlie's boat. I went for my radio only to notice it hovering over the fire. It fired a flame retardant onto the flames putting them out. It then grabbed Charlie. I watched as the metal object made it's way back to shore with him. Charlie looked to be freaking out.

I immediately got ready for an attack. The flying figure put Charlie down on the quay before taking off. Charlie wobbled a bit. "Charlie!" shouted Bronwyn.

"Dad!" shouted James.

They rushed over to him. I looked back over at Charlie's boat. Titan was already hooking up to it. I got on the radio. "Just so you know, Sam, Charlie is safely on the quay."

Thank you, Malcolm. I'm still unsure of what that was.

"Neither do I, Sam. I am going to question your brother. See if he knows anything."

Rodger that. We'll get his boat back to the quay so you and I can do an inspection. Out.

I walked over to where Charlie was. "Charlie, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Go ahead."

I took out my notepad. "Do you know how the fire started?"

Charlie shook his head. "This is going to seem rather odd but the boat was fine when I boarded this morning. I did hear some tiny scratches behind me. I just thought it was the lobster pods. When I turned around, the pods I was carrying suddenly caught fire."

I wrote that down. "Strange. So you didn't have any open engine compartments? You didn't leave anything flammable near them?"

"No Constable. I made sure everything was safe before I pushed off."

"I see." I closed my notepad. "Well Fireman Sam and I will be taking a look at your boat. I'll let you know our findings."

Charlie nodded. He headed inside the Wholefish cafe with his family. I let out a small sigh. I just have this nagging feeling. Could those people on the beach be responsible for this? I wondered.