So it was, that the hoards of policemen and bank security men who barged through the vault door in a rush, did not actually notice Wullie, buried as he was under a fortune in banknotes. Naturally assuming that the crooks had flown, they made straight for the hole in the wall and then slowed in amazement as the light of their torches revealed the dark, secret alleys of the Underground City. It took their breath away almost literally for not only did the vision of the old, deserted houses stop them in their tracks but the alley was still full of heavy clouds of dust that swirled eerily in the draught from the open vault. They looked at one another in apprehension as fear curdled their stomachs. No horror movie could have had a more spine-chilling opening. It looked a ghastly, awful place.
“Come on, let’s go!” choked the Chief Inspector, flashing his torch up the steep little alley that rose in front of them. “Sir Archie said they’d be in here somewhere!”
The policemen scrambled up the alley but, as they reached the top, came to a stumbling halt as they met a sight that would have made the bravest man quail; for they were just in time to meet the army of furious ghosts that were out to get Murdo and could only gape in horror as the host of weird, horrible figures swooped down the alleyway towards them.
The sudden appearance of the ghosts stopped the policemen in their tracks; their faces white and set. Never, in their lives, had they imagined anything like this. Talk about a nightmare gone wrong. Their torches shone right through the phantoms as they came at them from all angles — even through the walls! Accustomed as they were to facing up to hardened criminals on a daily basis, no one could accuse the police of cowardice but this … this was definitely something else. They clutched at one another in sheer terror and backed down the alley as the wailing, moaning, screaming ghosts descended on them.
Murdo heard the noise and grinned. “That’s given the police something to think about!” he said gleefully. “Come on, we’re nearly there!”
“Nearly where, Murdo?” groaned Tammy Souter who was gasping for breath. Exercise had never been his strong point and he was regretting it now.
“We’re going to see the pantomime,” Murdo said.
“We’re what?” Tammy Souter couldn’t believe his ears. “You’re having me on!”
“You’ll enjoy it,” Murdo grinned. “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves!”
Tammy muttered something unprintable and it was then that Murdo noticed that there were only two of them.
“Hang on a minute!” he said. “Where’s Wullie?”
They stopped and, breathing heavily, looked back down the eerie stretch of old houses that lined the narrow street. There was nothing and nobody there.
“We can’t go back for him,” Tammy muttered, looking at Murdo pleadingly. “We’ll run straight into the police if we do. And the ghosts!”
Murdo pressed his lips together. He knew that Tammy was right but Wullie was his buddy and he didn’t want to see him in Saughton Prison.
“They’ll have nicked him by now,” Tammy said. “Bound to have.”
“Aye, I suppose you’re right,” Murdo agreed, bitterness welling up inside him.
“Poor old Wullie,” Tammy Souter eyed him sideways. “Thick as two short planks but a good sort.”
As the sound of running feet echoed along the tunnel, Murdo moved quickly. “They’re onto us,” he hissed. “Up those steps, quick, and do as I tell you or we’ll be for the chop as well!”
The cellars of the Assembly Hall were empty as Murdo and Tammy, sweating under the weight of the bags they carried, made their way up yet another flight of stairs. Tammy’s eyes rounded in wonder as he saw the stacks of costumes, scenery and props that filled the place. Murdo hadn’t been joking when he’d mentioned the pantomime!
A quick glance down a corridor told Murdo all he wanted to know. The door between the stage and the audience was locked and a burly security man was on guard. He ran downstairs again to where Tammy waited. “Dump the bags over in that corner and put on one of those costumes. Quick now, fast as you can!”
Murdo pulled a pair of baggy satin trousers over his jeans and added a matching tunic that hid his sweater. “Put your socks and shoes in your pocket, Tammy. We can’t leave anything behind!”
“I look a sight!” Tammy muttered. “And what about the cash? We can’t just leave it here. Somebody’s sure to nick it!”
“These laundry baskets look just the thing,” Murdo said, pointing to half a dozen tall, straw baskets. “Put the bags in them. If anyone looks in they’ll think it’s dirty washing! With any luck we can collect them later!”