The Mystery of the Missing Man

Chapter 1 – Where is Mr. Tall?

‘Where are you Bill?’ called Mr. Tall’s wife. Her name was Cora. Just then somebody knocked at the door. Mrs. Tall opened it. Four children came in. Their names were Carl, Sally, Flopsia and Moses. But they were known as Clever, Shady, Flopsy and Mopsy to one and all.

‘Hello,’ said Clever.

‘We heard you calling,’ said Flopsy.

‘What happened?’ asked Mopsy.

‘Oh, my husband is gone for a whole day! I thought he had gone for a walk yesterday evening but he never turned up,’ said Mrs. Tall, worriedly.

‘How can he disappear? It’s really surprising,’ said Shady.

‘Now can you go and call a police man?’ said Mrs. Tall. ‘My phone doesn’t seem to be working.’

So the children went to call their local police man. His name was Philip Hilton. They called him Mr. Pip. He was very surprised when the children told him the news.

‘But where can Mr. Tall disappear?’ he asked.

‘We don’t know!’

Mr. Pip went off very puzzled.

‘I have an idea!’ said Shady. ‘Let’s become detectives.’

 

Chapter 2 – A new friend.

‘Can I join you?’ said a voice.

They looked around and saw a boy, in his arms was a dog.

‘Hello!’ said the boy, ‘My name is Danny. But you can call me Sunny.’

‘Yes, of course!’ Clever told Sunny their name’s and nick names.

‘And this dog is Sandy,’ said Sunny. ‘Shall we go to my house?’

They went to his house.

‘Wow!’ said Flopsy. ‘I wish I had a house like this.’

‘Yes,’ cried Mopsy. ‘It’s so big!’

They went to Sunny’s shed.

‘Wow! Your shed is so big and clean!’ said Mopsy.

‘Yes. . .’

‘Mopsy! I thought you were going to say Clever instead of clean!’ said Clever jokingly.

Everybody started laughing.

 

Chapter 3 – The first meeting.

There were many currant buns and a jug of orange juice. They ate and drank peacefully. Then Clever started talking.

‘Where do you think Mr. Tall is?’ he said.

‘Oh so Mr. Tall is gone!’ said Sunny.

He said this so loudly that everybody jumped.

‘Okay, don’t shout so loud!’ said Clever.

‘Let’s go for a walk,’ said Shady. ‘We can think of something that time and. . .’

‘Go to Mr. Tall’s house again.’ completed Sunny.

‘Let’s go tomorrow,’ said Mopsy and Flopsy together. ‘We need to go shopping.’

So the next morning they went to Mr. Tall’s house. Mrs. Tall was awake. She saw them.

‘Hello!’ she said.

‘Hello!’ said everyone.

‘I want to tell the police something, but if you are here I will tell you and you can tell them later.’

‘What is it?’ asked Clever.

‘Well,’ said Mrs. Tall. ‘Well, I heard some voices last night, as if someone was crying and shouting.’

 

Chapter 4 – At night.

‘It is very strange.’ said Clever amazed.

They went to Sunny’s shed and discussed.

‘Strange!’ said Sunny.

‘I have a plan!’ said Clever. ‘We could go out at night to Mr. Tall’s house and. . .’

‘Yes!’ said Sunny. ‘But only boys. Don’t worry Flopsy and Shady, you can take Sandy.’

So, at night, when their parents were asleep, the boys went to Mr. Tall’s house. They hid in the bushes and waited for a while. Clever was about to tell them to give up when a car came down the lane. It came straight to Mr. Tall’s house. It stopped there. Then two men got out. They went behind a thick, old tree in the garden. There came a voice!

‘Get me out of here!’ said the voice.

‘Of course!’ said Sunny suddenly in a whisper, from their hiding place.

‘What?’ said Clever and Mopsy together.

‘Oh I know where Mr. Tall is! I won’t tell you now let me call my father.’

 

Chapter 5 – Mr. Tall!

‘Why your father?’ asked Mopsy.

‘He is the inspector!’ said Sunny.

Next morning Sunny went to his dad’s room to tell him about his new friends and the other news.

‘Good morning!’ said Sunny to his father.

‘Good morning son!’ said the inspector.

‘Er… I want to tell you something,’ said Sunny.

‘What?’ asked the Inspector. ‘Have you done anything wrong Danny?’

‘No!’ said Sunny at once.

‘Then what?’ said his father.

‘Dad, have you heard about Mr. Tall?’ said Sunny. ‘The…err-ugh…’

‘Oh, that man who has gone – disappeared I mean!’ said his father.

‘Yes! I know where he is!’ Sunny said.

His father stared at him.

‘Gosh!’ he said.

‘And I have made some new friends.’

Then Sunny told his dad his friends’ names and nick names. At 5.30 they went to Mr. Tall’s house. The others were already there.

 

Chapter 6 – The end of the mystery.

Mr. Pip was also there.

‘Where is Tall?’ said the inspector.

‘Come with me,’ said Sunny.

Sunny took them behind the same thick and old tree. There was no Mr. Tall there!

‘Where is Tall?’ demanded the inspector again, rather impatiently this time.

There was a bush there. Sunny lifted the bush, there was a hole there!

‘Get me out of here!’ said a voice.

‘Mr. Tall is here!’ said Sunny.

‘Philip. Get a ladder,’ said the inspector.

‘No need!’ Sunny said.

He went to the tool-shed. He removed a ladder. He put it down the hole. Someone came up. It was Mr. Tall!

‘Tall! How did you. . ?’

‘Where are they?’ said Mr. Tall.

‘Who?’ asked Sunny.

‘The black gang, ‘said  Mr. Tall, ‘ they held me captive when I was going out for a walk and said they were going to demand a ransom Cora.’

‘The black gang ,’said the inspector , ‘this gang has caused a lot of trouble and we have  never been able to catch them.’

‘Then today’s our chance, ‘said  Clever , ‘ we can go out at night and when they come to see Mr. Tall .

‘Not you’ll just me, Philip, and two other police officers.’

‘OHHH!’ said the children, disappointed.

So the next morning the children went to Sunny’s house and knocked at the door. It was opened by Sunny. He had a huge smile on his face.

‘Hi guys,’ he said. ‘There’s good news. The Black Gang has been caught and we are getting a reward.’

‘Yay!’ said the others.

‘Let’s go celebrate in the shed,’ said Sunny.

They had chocolate biscuits and apple juice while Sandy had some tit-bits. It was an enjoyable end to a nice mystery.

–END–