EPISODE SEVENTEEN
714 Words
SEVENTEEN
I found police HQ packed with people. I struggled through the uniformed men of policemen and a couple of soldiers milling around a gigantic map of the atoll pinned up on an easel.
Sergeant Allum was sticking coloured paper tabs to various regions and writing in names. He turned to the man at his right.
"I want you to get to the Stratton's, Old Tom, and the Kelly's. If they do not come in, get them to group together in one of the farms. Stay with them and organize it. Okay?"
The men nodded.
I squeezed past and went on up the stairs. I opened the door to Roome's office, who was going over a smaller chart on his desk.
"Hello, thought you wanted to get your head down?"
"I intended to, but I bumped into Joanne, and she mentioned something that had me wondering."
Roome appeared puzzled.
"About what?"
I closed the door behind me.
"You had a chance to go through Turner's effects yet?"
"No, I'm dealing with more immediate problems. Why? What interests you?"
"Well, she mentioned that Turner would take what he had captured on film to be developed by her, after she had signed the Official Secrets Act."
"Go on?"
"I wondered if he took photographs earlier in the day that might catch something - anything that might give us a clue."
Roome tilted back his chair and pursed his lips.
"Possible. "
He picked up his desk phone.
"Allum? Bring Turner's personal effects will you, please?"
While we waited, I moved around the table and stood over Roome and the diagram. I looked down at it and saw a triangle drawn on it to include Onehouse, the small artillery battery's dotted around the island and the Coastguard-Station.
"Is this the area where you reckon this thing is going to be found?"
Roome made a face.
"Once I am satisfied that the people of Onehouse and surround hamlets are safe, then we're going after it, and we'll start somewhere."
Allum came back with a canvas bag. Settling it down on the desk, he rummaged around inside.
"Here we are."
He lifted out the stained, battered camera and set it down on the desk. It rolled on to its side and gave out a whirring racket and a flash.
The effect this had on us, can only be described as startling. Roome shot back in his and chair as Allum and me, both took a step away with our arms raised.
We all gawped at each other, ashamed.
Roome grinned.
"Christ knows what the others would think of us."
But I did not listen. With utmost care, I picked it up and turned it over.
"Wait a minute. Don't you see what this means?"
I held the camera in front of the two men who shook their heads, mystified.
"Now, what?"
"This thing is set on an automatic timed firing device and looks to be faulty. Probably full of pictures, maybe even..."
It took Allum to finish off the sentence, as Roome and I studied in alarm and awe at the black box.
"Maybe there is some lovely snapshots of what we're after in there, killing Corporal Turner?"
Roome dragged his eyes away from the battered item and glanced up at me.
"I've got to carry on with his. Do you think you could ask Joanne to develop the film for me and bring it along to the meeting with Walton? Confirmed for seven o'clock tonight?"
"Sure."
I took the bag and replaced everything in it, twisting the top with a knot.
"Perhaps we'll see what no other humans -- except dead ones -- have seen before."
I gave a little chuckle to relieve the tension.
I looked at Roome. His eyes told me I am not the only one who thought something awful, strange, alien roamed this landmass off the Suffolk coast only several miles long and even less wide. Snowbound and cut-off from the outside world, surrounded by the U-Boats of the Kriegsmarine.
I started to shake as I struggled with the bag towards home. It was just the sub-zero temperature in the gloomy shadows that grew longer as the short East Anglian day drew to its early close.
It was an inner, far deeper, coldness.
- Writer
